Home-Start East Sussex (HSES) is a local independent charity, affiliated to Home-Start UK, which was set up in 1996 by local parents and professionals. They recognised that early intervention and recovery family support can change a child’s developmental path and improve outcomes for children, families and communities.
HSES believes that every child and parent living in East Sussex should live in a safe and nurturing family where every member enjoys a positive life.
Since its inception, HSES has supported almost 3000 disadvantaged families and their children, helping to prevent problems occurring or to tackle them as they first arise and before they escalate. Our early intervention services are delivered to high quality standards evidenced by regular HSUK QA reviews and meeting the SafeLives domestic abuse services Leading Lights quality standards. The charity recognises the value of trusted relationships and takes a trauma- informed approach.
Home-Start East Sussex facilitates the increased safety, wellbeing, confidence and independence of East Sussex families that have experienced adversity via a range of one to one and group services.
We currently have five inter-related services:
- Being Family –offers a professional-led group and one-to-one
volunteer support for primary carers with a young family. - Lotus domestic abuse recovery programme 6 week group
facilitated by a trained paid facilitator, supporting women victim-survivors to recover and move forward with their lives and keep themselves and their children safe in future relationships. We supported 55 women in 2021-22. - Lotus Blossom Peer support group, our newest service, trains ex-Lotus clients to facilitate support groups.
- Who’s in Charge? 9 week group for parents whose children are aggressive, harmful or self-destructive. Reduces parents’ feelings of blame, guilt and shame, recognising the complexity of their difficulties and exploring consequences with children who seem to care about little. Focuses on relationship-building, assertiveness and self-care. We supported 30 parent/carers in 2021-22.
- IDVA service working with participants in our Lotus and Who’s in Charge? groups. This service provides one-to-one, longer- term support to our clients. We supported 119 of our higher- risk clients in 2021-22.
Christine Moon (from January 2023 it will be Jayne Rice-Oxley) Chair
Kate (Katharine) Lawrence Chief Executive
Why Home-Start East Sussex is supporting Boardroom Apprentice
We recognise that an effective board must include a variety of perspectives, skills, ages, genders, cultures, and ethnicities. We know this will lead to better outcomes for our clients – in particular those from marginalised communities – as the board will be more demographically aligned to our clients. It will also strengthen innovation, guidance, decision-making and risk management. We are a member of the Young Trustees Movement.
Location of Board and Committee Meetings
Meetings are generally face-to-face in an accessible room in Newhaven, 5 minutes from the train station and bus stops. There is on road and car-park parking.
Frequency and timing of board/committee meetings
Meetings are held quarterly from approx. 10am – 12pm on a weekday morning. A Doodlepoll is sent out to confirm whether the date is convenient and we move the day to ensure that all Trustees have the opportunity to attend regularly.
Date of Board Meetings (January 2023 – December 2023)
24th January, 26th April, July TBC, October TBC, January 2024 TBC
Committee of the Boards and meeting dates (January 2023 – December 2023)
These tend to be arranged as they are needed with a convenient date for all members.
