Funders

We are incredibly grateful to BBC Children in Need for their ongoing commitment to supporting young people and families. Their funding enables us to deliver our Young Parents Project, providing vital, tailored support to young parents across Kirklees.

The project works alongside young parents using a restorative, strengths-based approach, ensuring support is shaped with them, not for them. Young parents identify their own needs and priorities, helping to design their support plans and group activities, building confidence, resilience and independence.

Through one-to-one support and peer-led group sessions, young parents develop positive parenting skills, build healthy relationships, reduce isolation and gain the knowledge and resources they need to create safe, nurturing environments for their children. The project also supports them to make positive choices for their futures, including education, training and healthy lifestyles.

We are incredibly grateful to the Compassionate Communities grant programme for supporting us to strengthen and grow our local network of volunteers. Their investment enables us to transform how people engage with Home-Start Kirklees, building a more inclusive, flexible and connected volunteering community.

This project focuses on reimagining volunteering to better reflect the needs of modern life. By developing a wider range of roles – including micro-volunteering, corporate opportunities and flexible “supporter” pathways – we are removing barriers and making it easier for people from all backgrounds to get involved.

Through this work, we are creating clear and accessible volunteering journeys, allowing people to contribute in ways that suit their time, skills and circumstances. Alongside this, we are strengthening partnerships with local organisations, businesses and communities to widen participation and increase our collective impact.

Ultimately, this project will help us build a stronger, more compassionate community around families in Kirklees – increasing volunteer engagement, reducing isolation, and ensuring more families receive the support they need to thrive.

We are incredibly grateful to The Henry Smith Foundation for their commitment to supporting families facing complex challenges. Their funding through the Together We Begin Fund enables us to provide vital, long-term support to families with young children across Kirklees.

This funding supports our holistic, home-visiting service, which works alongside families in their own homes to build trust, strengthen relationships and respond to both immediate and ongoing needs. By offering personalised emotional and practical support, we help parents to build confidence, reduce stress and create safe, nurturing environments where their children can thrive.

Our approach is family-led, flexible and rooted in compassion. Families are matched with trained volunteers who provide regular support, while our team works closely with partners to ensure access to wider services such as mental health support, housing advice and community networks. This joined-up approach helps families move from crisis to stability, reducing isolation and building long-term resilience and independence.

Through this funding, we are able to reach hundreds of families each year, supporting them to feel safer, stronger and more confident, and giving their children the best possible start in life.

One Community have been a consistent support to Home-Start Kirklees over the years.

They provide small grants to enable us to deliver various projects such as: providing volunteer training courses, supporting the mental health and wellbeing of parents, supporting households with budgeting and cooking on a budget to make healthy eating and food efficiencies.  

Our current project is funded by their Thornton Family Fund, it is helping us respond to growing demand from families across Kirklees. Their funding enables us to strengthen our volunteer workforce and reach more families who need support.

This project focuses on recruiting, training and developing volunteers with lived experience, equipping them with the skills and confidence to support families facing complex challenges. Each year, trained volunteers go on to support disadvantaged families in their own homes, providing practical help, emotional reassurance and guidance to help parents create safe and nurturing environments for their children.

As demand for our services continues to rise, this funding allows us to expand our capacity while also investing in local people. Volunteers gain valuable skills in areas such as safeguarding, trauma-informed practice and early years development, often using this experience as a pathway into employment.

Through this project, we are not only supporting families to feel less isolated and more confident, but also building stronger, more resilient communities across Kirklees.

We are incredibly grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund and the players of the National Lottery for their continued commitment to supporting families across Kirklees. Their generosity enables us to deliver vital services and create lasting change for children and parents in our community.

Thanks to the players of the National Lottery we have received funding for our Dad Matters, Young Parents and Growing Together projects.

Growing Together: Through Growing Together, Home-Start Kirklees works to achieve transformative and lasting positive change for children and their families. The project supports young children (0–5) living in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Kirklees to develop strong social and emotional skills, build connections with peers and trusted adults, and develop a sense of belonging within their communities. Recognising the vital link between parent wellbeing and child development, the project focuses on strengthening the parent–child relationship. Parents are supported to gain the knowledge, tools and confidence to create a positive, low-stress and nurturing home environment where their children can thrive and reach their full potential.

Dad Matters: Through the National Lottery Partnerships grant, we are proud to be the lead partner in the Active Fatherhood (Dad Matters) project, which places dads at the heart of support for families. This project is shaped around the specific needs of fathers, drawing on both professional expertise and lived experience. Through this work, dads and their families improve their health literacy and are better equipped to make informed, positive choices, helping to reduce health inequalities. Fathers develop confidence, feel part of a supportive community, and play an active role in creating safe, stable home environments. The project also raises awareness of key messages around infant safety, reduces the risk of trauma (ACEs), and supports the development of strong, secure attachments between fathers and their children.

Young Parents: Funding from the National Lottery’s Awards for All programme enables us to provide targeted outreach to young parents aged 14–24. This support allows us to build meaningful, trusting relationships with young parents, helping them to access the right support at the right time. By engaging parents early, we can provide ongoing guidance and practical help, empowering them to build confidence and create positive futures for themselves and their children.

We are deeply grateful to Kirklees Council for their continued support and investment in local families. Their funding plays a vital role in enabling us to deliver early help and preventative services to those who need it most.

Through this support, we are able to work alongside families in their own homes and communities, offering practical guidance and emotional support tailored to their individual circumstances. Our approach focuses on building strong, trusting relationships, helping parents to feel more confident, connected and in control of their family life.

Working in partnership with Kirklees Council and other local services, we provide joined-up support that responds to a wide range of challenges, from isolation and low confidence to poverty and mental health. This collaborative approach ensures families can access the right help at the right time.

Together, we are improving outcomes for children and parents across Kirklees—supporting families to build stability, strengthen relationships and create positive futures.