Minister for Gozo Anton Refalo addressed a seminar organised by Dar Guzeppa Debono regarding Home-Start project in Gozo. Through Home-Start, Gozo residents are provided with the opportunity to find support for their families when bringing up young children of under 5 years of age.

Families bringing up children may benefit from various kinds of support in the community. Start-Up can offer a unique kind of support in a family’s own home.

The Ministry for Gozo has supported this initiative by providing funds from Eco-Gozo. It provides an annual contribution of euro 20,039 towards the provision of this service.

Whilst Home-Start Malta has been running for several years, Home-Start Gozo has been running since 2012 through an agreement between the Ministry for Gozo, Agenzija Appogg and Dar Guzeppa Debono.

The aim of the service is to enable children to receive the most out of child-rearing. The service is fully aware that parents bringing up children may need a helping hand and support.

Families who benefit from Home-Start face difficulties in coping with their present family situation due to, for example, health problems either of parent or child, multiple births, isolation, and lack of parenting skills amongst others.

Home-Start volunteers, who are trained and supported by the Home-Start Organiser, visit the families regularly, supporting them in the day to day challenges in child-rearing. The volunteers help the parents in strengthening their support networks to become more independent while providing a healthy environment to their children.

To help fulfil this parental role, volunteers, who themselves are trained parents, are sent to the family, so that parents are befriended and offered emotional and practical support.

The purpose of today’s event is to promote awareness about Home-Start Ghawdex and the service and support which it offers, and to launch the volunteers’ campaign.

Without volunteers the service cannot be offered and this seminar is also serving as a launch for the third campaign to recruit more volunteers.

Volunteers offer their time and care and visit weekly to support parents. Minister Anton Refalo thanked all the volunteers for their priceless and valuable work.

Photograph: MGOZ/George Scerri

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