Home-Start Parent Mentoring Support Service

The Parent Mentor service is funded by Central Bedfordshire Council and coproduced with SNAP Parent Carer Forum for families with children with special educational needs (SEND). Our charity’s Volunteer Parent Mentors who have themselves got experience with children with SEND offer one to one support for a period of time (usually six weeks) to other parents with children with additional needs.

What kind of support can they offer?

This will be tailored according to the family’s needs but could include:

• Emotional support – someone to talk to who “gets it”
• Help and guidance with navigating the pathways to access Neurodevelopmental services such as CAMHS, paediatricians and speech and language services
• Signposting to and accompanying for initial sessions to support groups and other services
• Signposting and help with finding other support services such as SENDIASS and specialist organisations.

At present our support is via phone or online but once it is safe to do so we will offer home-visiting support again.

Who can refer?

Parents can refer themselves or be referred by a professional.

What will happen?

A Co-ordinator (who supervises the Parent Mentors) will get in touch with the family to talk through what the family’s needs are and to discuss the kind of support that would be helpful. A Volunteer Parent Mentor will then be matched with the family.

For more information, please contact us.