 Mae'rmellu gweld geni gwyardzogol yn gyllid ar desbyty y peictr Note one o wirio yn ie uhmie sen. Lyfan symud. … Dieu i mi ar dem ni, Cymru ciumaeth chym graduation yn gyllid sources Aron y cangwyd arcafn oherwydd strikinguryl maen 따�f yn tus plate. Cymru gyntaf i chi eri i dim i ang tenants Bringo fod cael eu rhoi i prototype Yn ein hollad d discretol at seith i weithgoffaith Fyrd Dodd-Dale. I look forward to seeing you all at the reception this evening. Three years ago, almost exactly a month after I was elected, I visited Homestar Glynwathus at their Macedonia base. I will always remember the feeling walking into the community house, one of support and one of empathy, and persuasion, because just a few weeks later I found myself running the Glynwathus 10K in aid of the organisation and the vital work that they do. Homestar Glynwathus was founded 21 years ago, and locally the organisation trains volunteers and experts to support between 60 and 70 families in the area at any one time. Across the UK, 13,500 volunteers support over 27,000 families and 56,000 children. Homestar works across my constituency to support families who are struggling, whether that be because of social isolation, poverty or poor mental health. None of us can predict what life will throw our way, whether that is illness, disability or bereavement. Homestar works to take that pressure off families who are in need. Ahead of tonight's debate, I spoke to Lindsay Brown, our local homestar coordinator. Lindsay told me that I am a great believer in that your postcode cannot dictate what your future holds. We work in Glynwathus to give people opportunities. We have two mums who have just completed their college qualification through a partnership with Fife College, and we have four more interviews next week. I know that that might sound like rose-tinted spectacles, but it really is our job to help them to be the best that they can be. Any of you who know Scotland's best new town, Will, might know of Macedonia. There are real challenges in that part of Glynwathus, but there is also a sense of pride and community that you do not find everywhere. But whilst poverty can be a key driver in terms of who Homestar supports, it is also important to say that supported families can come from all walks of life, and they do. This is also mental health awareness week, and it should be said that poor mental health can play a crucial role in tipping families over the edge. As Lindsay told me, there has been a huge increase recently locally in anxiety and poor mental health, particularly in younger people. That has shifted the focus of Homestar's support with volunteers looking at the importance of teaching young people about their own self-worth, for example. Indeed, the team has recently started a mindfulness class, and it is fair to say that some had their doubts about how those classes would work originally, but now the mindfulness sessions are extremely well attended because people are starting to see the benefits of investing in their own mental health. Support is offered as wide-ranging. Another example is that that is provided by cookery classes to support families, and I am reliably informed that one dad managed to lose over two and a half stone after attending one of Homestar's eight-week cookery programmes in Glynothus. For someone who was living off takeaways and junk food, he became someone who was finally able to cook for himself, his daughters' behaviour improved, and all of that as a result of just being taught the life school to cook. In Glynothus, the Homestar team has also been able to tap into improving nutrition by developing a community allotment, and, as a result, they now have access to two raised beds at the back of Glynothus high school, the produce of which will be used by the whole community. They have also been working in conjunction with the Princess Trust and Fife College to have the community houses' gardens transformed for the benefit of the people of Macedonia. It is fair to say that Homestar is not just a standalone organisation. 33 per cent of all of Homestar's Glynothus's referrals come from Fife Council's social work department. As Lindsay told me, Homestar can get to where other agencies are unable to, because families do not see them as a threat. Homestar offers a tailored approach to each family, giving compassionate, confidential help and expert support without judgement. That is one of the reasons why they have such a strong partnership with social work services and the local authority in Fife, where they recognise the importance of the skills that Homestar brings that partnership. A large part of Homestar's work remains focused though on the more traditional home visits that are provided by volunteers. All volunteers are required to attend a 10-week programme or a preparation course before being allowed access to visit families' homes. Those visits are crucial, particularly in the early days of having a new child, for example. That practical and emotional support provides families to maintain their dignity, even when dealing with their own personal difficulties. One of the key ways in which the Scottish Government has supported this important time for families is through the baby box. I hope that all parties across the chamber can reflect on the policy as having been hugely significant for families in Scotland at a vitally important time. Being a family on what that means has changed over the last 21 years. Indeed, right now we have a Cabinet Secretary on Paternity Leave. I think that that sends a really powerful message about 21st century Scotland. When I reflect on my mum's experience of bringing up three girls in the 1980s, she had no choice but to forfeit her career. It was what was expected. We now have a much healthier view of the roles and responsibilities within a family, and the work of Home Start supports both mums and dads in doing just that. Across the chamber and irrespective of party allegiances, we all want to see the next generation giving the best start that they need in life, not just to grow but to thrive. Home Start has a real focus on early years, as those that make the biggest impact. As they note, children who are raised in a stable, loving family environment are more likely to have a positive and healthy future. We know those formative years that 0 to 3 category are the ones that make the difference, and Home Start makes the interventions to support families at that crucial time. Getting it right for every child starts with organisations like Home Starts. It starts by making tiny changes to support families to teach them how to cook, for example. It starts by giving parents the knowledge to understand what benefits they might be entitled to. It starts with supporting families struggling with poor mental health. Before closing, I say that Home Start Glynothus is always looking for volunteers, and I encourage constituents in the Glynothus area to get in touch if they would like to play their part in supporting the work of the charity. Home Start Glynothus is based at the heart of the community. The work that they do in Glynothus and beyond is vitally important to families in my constituency. I would like to end by paying tribute to Lindsay and her team of amazing staff and volunteers, and I wish them continued success for the next 21 years and beyond. I say to the gallery that I understand why I wish to applaud. It is not permitted from the public area. I call Annabelle Ewing to be followed by Alexander Stewart. At the outset, I would wish to congratulate my colleague Jenny Gilruth on securing this debate this evening. Jenny Gilruth has explained eloquently to the chamber the important role that Home Start Glynothus has played in the lives of countless families over the past 21 years. I would wish to commend all involved, both staff and volunteers alike, and it is good to see them join us here tonight to present an officer for this debate. All I can say is very much echoing Jenny Gilruth here to the next 21 years and beyond, as Jenny said. As the MSP for a Cowdenbeath constituency would come as no surprise, Presiding Officer, the tie, too, we would wish to congratulate Home Start Cowdenbeath for all the work that they have done since they first started up in July 1990, so they are just a few years behind in terms of their celebration of their 21st birthday and we all look forward to that in a couple of years. Home Start Cowdenbeath, which has an office in Cowdenbeath High Street, in fact, just diagonally across from my constituency office, serves the area covering Bellingrey, Lawhore, Crosshill, Glencraig, Lochgelly, Llymphinnans, Kelty, Hill of Beath, Crossgate and, of course, Cowdenbeath itself. Its focus is on enabling parents and carers to be the best that they can be, recognising that there are a lot of pressures on particularly young parents. Home Start Cowdenbeath adopts a very person-centred approach in the family support that they offer, which can include one-to-one support around perinatal mental health problems, increasing breastfeeding through local support groups, getting children into the outdoors, through, for example, promoting gardening activities Home Start Cowdenbeath also seeks to get fathers involved in anti-natal workshops, and in general recognises how important it is that fathers are part of the process from the outset. Home Start also seeks to tackle loneliness and isolation, particularly as far as young mothers are concerned, and groups are run specifically for under 25s to provide a forum where young mothers can chat freely and hopefully gain some confidence. However, it is important to note that home visits remain at the heart of what Home Start does. After an initial meeting with the family to discuss their specific needs, Home Start will match the family to a volunteer. The help given is unique to that family and will depend entirely on the circumstances of the case to see what is needed for that particular family. A key element is building the family's resilience so that they are better able to cope in the future with the challenges that they face. Of course, sadly, there will be many challenges faced by particularly young parents today, in my constituency and in that of Jenny Garrooth and indeed across Scotland, further to the great difficulties that Tory austerity is inflicting on our population. At the same time, Home Start volunteers play a pivotal role in helping families to access local services, such as housing or local mental health services. It is very important, as Jenny Garrooth has said, to access to children's centres, health services and to access to citizens advice, in terms of, for example, helping them to obtain financial advice. The volunteer may even look after each other to allow the parent to attend relevant appointments or the volunteer may help with transport so that the parent can reach the service that they need. Presiding Officer, in conclusion, I would like to pay tribute to the staff of Home Start Coutinbeath with whom I had the pleasure to meet some months ago. I was hugely impressed with their dedication and determination to make a positive impact. Those workers do a very challenging job and it was clear that it is also an emotionally draining job. They do it extremely well and they make such a huge difference to the lives of so many families in my constituency. Finally, I would also wish to pay tribute to their fantastic army of volunteers without whom all that great work would not be possible. Thank you very much, Ms Ewing. I call Alexander Stewart to be followed by Claire Baker. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am grateful for the opportunity to take part, and I would like to thank Jenny Gilruth for bringing her member's business debate to the chamber this afternoon. It is right and proper that we congratulate the Home Start Coutinbeath on reaching its 21st anniversary year. I am delighted that we have individuals from the organisation in the gallery this evening. I very much welcome the support that Home Start has provided over the years to help families and young children build better lives. My first association with Home Start was back in 1999 when I was elected as a councillor on Perth, Inc and Ross. In my capacity as vice-conviner for housing and health, I had the opportunity to meet staff and volunteers from Home Start Perth. I was a regular attender at many of their meetings and their events, and spoke at a number of their events. I was delighted to visit Home Start Clack-Manager when I was back in 2017, which was celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2018. Home Start is a charity that embraces many of the values that I and others can concur with, and it continues to offer support and encouragement for individuals going forward. I also understand that Home Start relies heavily on volunteers and that the assistance that the charity offers in tailoring each individual family's needs and requirements is vitally important. They also support families and groups and provide them with opportunities for trips, for events, for parties, for access to services. We have already heard about how they can help with mental health, with classes for cooking, ensuring that wellbeing is taking place and also allotments. All of those give individuals the opportunity to expand their potential and support the individuals that they are looking after. As many of us know, birth through for the first few years before they go to school, there are child development and the environment in which that family home can be strongly determined out of the opportunities and the life chances that many children are presented with. It is well known that children who are raised in a stable and loving family environment are much more likely to have a positive and healthy future, and the visits that Home Start do, the home visits are vitally important to engage with individuals who may be having difficulties or may have a crisis to manage, and by doing that they can support them through that. Home Start works extremely well in ensuring that the volunteers are parents themselves, many of them, whom they actually understand that the difficulties that are being suffered and protect and support service users in that issue. They also work alongside parents in their own homes to help them cope with the stresses and strains of the life experiences that they are experiencing. Home Start volunteers make a huge contribution and they help the skill, the confidence and the strength to nurture and support, and that is there to ensure that people are protected. It is very important that Home Start excel and that I would congratulate and commend them for all the work that they do. As so, I follow the highlights of many of the Home Start recent successes and myself, since I have been here member in this Parliament, I have put forward some motions that have helped to highlight the fantastic level of support that has been received by some of the organisations that are there to help and support. I will continue to offer my support and encouragement across Home Start, across my region on Mid Scotland and Fife, and I have already said that in Perth and Cynros and in Clackmannan, but also in Stirling and Fife, there are making a real difference for individuals and families and that should be commended and congratulated. Organisations like Home Start are being needed more and more due to the hectic lifestyles of many individuals, but they are there to support and nurture and make sure that life chances and life opportunities are there to support wellbeing. Each and every day, volunteers and staff go that extra mile to ensure that families have that safe and secure environment, which ensures that they thrive in the lifestyles that they have. I wish Home Start, Gonddorothys, all the very best for its anniversary and its 21st year, and I know that they will continue to support and volunteers back up when. And we have to work together the Scottish Government, the councils, the third sector, they all have a part to play in ensuring that we continue. So I look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you very much. And I call Claire Baker, to be followed by Rona Mackay. Ms Mackay is the last speaker in the open debate. Ms Baker. Thank you, Presiding Officer. It is a pleasure to speak in this evening's debate and I thank Jenny Gilruth for securing the time in the chamber. As an MSP for Ms Scotland and Fife, I have visited Home Start across my region. It is a few years since I last visited Glynothus Home Start and it was good to hear from Jenny Gilruth about their recent activities and the support that they continue to provide to families in that area. I would like to add my congratulations and very best wishes to Home Start Glynothus on their 21st birthday and thank all the staff and volunteers who make the organisation what it is, a welcoming, inclusive, caring support for families with children. All Home Starts offer support to families in a variety of situations. They can provide valuable support to families who are new to an area and have no family locally, families struggling with poor mental health, families perhaps coping with bereavement and loss and families where there are child protection concerns. Home Start Glynothus is well known in their community and that is reflective of the presence of Home Starts throughout the UK. There are 32 Home Starts across Scotland. Glynothus is part of a network of Home Starts in Fife and I am pleased to have visited North East Byth, Kirkcaldy and Levenmouth Home Starts. As well as the 21st birthday for Glynothus, 2019 marks 25 years for Home Start Kirkcaldy. Like Glynothus, they value their volunteers and I would like to take the opportunity to recognise the commitment of Mary McKewitt, who has volunteered for them for 20 years. Her years of dedication to the organisation is also reflected in the valuable commitment of Fiona Haste and Elizabeth Coop, who have volunteered for 11 years each. All volunteers attend a preparation course and they are matched to the families that they work with, as it is a relationship based on trust and understanding. As well as the one-to-one work, Home Starts offer a variety of other activities and I am pleased to see that BBC children in need are supporting a family support group offered by Home Start Kirkcaldy. I recognise organisations that support the work of Home Start as well as the efforts of their volunteers and supporters on fundraising. As Jenny Gilruth has highlighted, Home Start Glynothus supports between 60 and 70 families at any given time and, as part of their birthday celebrations, Kirkcaldy Home Start is recognising that they have supported almost 1,000 families over the years. The importance of the work of charities such as Home Start to supporting families and children in five cannot be underestimated. We have previously in the chamber highlighted the work of Gingerbread, of the YMCA and on Friday I went to visit Plus in Stirling who support children and young people with a disability. Those are only a few of organisations which provide invaluable support to families and provide a service that invests in families, helps to build confidence and parenting skills, provides opportunities for young people and much more. The work that they do supports the efforts of social work, of the health service, of education and employment services and can help to prevent people from reaching crisis situations where they would need greater statutory support. Although this evening is a celebration of all that they do, we must recognise the financial situation that they operate in. Without them there would be a greater strain on other services and yet too much time is taken up by funding applications that are often complicated, sure to short term and too project focused and having to justify their value to overstretch local authorities who are constantly looking to deliver less for more. That is a common pressure faced by charities providing valuable services in our communities. They are a resilient and determined group of organisations who have to face the uncertainty of funding but they still achieve so much. Third sector organisations like Comestart are able to be flexible, responsive and innovative in the support that they offer. For example, Homestart Levenmouth have just started a pilot perinatal service as they identified the number of young mothers experiencing mental health difficulties and they recognise 80 per cent of their referrals are due to child or parental mental health. Homestarts across the country are often working at the sharp end of family services and they report they are seeing an increase in the complexity of needs faced by families and families facing several challenges. Homestart consistently provide quality support offer guidance and help build healthy happy connected families and I thank them all very much for that this evening. Thank you very much and I'll call Rona Mackay. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I'm grateful to my friend and colleague Jenny Gilruth for bringing this debate to the chamber and I look forward to attending the reception for Homestart Glenrothes that she's hosting tonight. What better way to highlight the great work that they do than by celebrating their 21st birthday? The help that they have given over those 21 years is inestimable to so many families. Presiding Officer, we all want children to have the best start in life. The Scottish Government's groundbreaking baby box and best start grants are testimony to our commitment to make this happen as well as our transformation of early years education. But we know we all know children can be born into circumstances where their parents need just that little bit more help, some practical friendly support in their own homes to get them over the roughest of times. And level out the playing field for their children. Homestart's a local community network of trained volunteers and expert support helping families with young children through those challenging times. The organisation was first started in 1973 by Margaret Harrison. The first one in Scotland began work in Perth in 1984. Margaret believed that supporting a family was best done in their home where it can be shaped to the needs of the entire family. She realised that if parents get support and friendship from another parent they will be better equipped to learn to cope with the problems life can bring and will be able to give their children the best possible start. The support parents struggling as we have heard to overcome their own troubled backgrounds in order to do the best they can for their children. Homestart sees first hand the harm that children can suffer when they experience trauma, abuse or neglect at an early stage of their development and in many ways their volunteers were at the forefront of the ACEs movement before it even had a name or the high profile that thankfully it has now. They have a local community network of over 1,000 trained volunteers who support 3,000 families and nearly 6,000 children every year. That's pretty incredible. There are 31 branches in Scotland and the nearest one to my own constituency in eastern Bartonshire is Glasgow North based in Maryhill who do a fantastic job. Some of the issues they deal with are families struggling with postnatal depression, isolation, physical and mental health problems, loneliness, bereavement and many other issues. And they receive the support of a volunteer who will spend around two hours a week in a family's home supporting them in the ways they need. The volunteers are non-judgmental, friendly and professional and support is tailored to the needs of each family. Much thought and care goes into matching a family with the right volunteer. And they too now also welcome dads, grandads and male carers who need support to join the group. So in conclusion Presiding officer I'm going to let the facts speak for themselves on the benefits of home start. A survey of clients said that after they engaged with the service 95 per cent felt their child's emotional and physical well-being had improved. 93 per cent felt felt less isolated, 95 per cent felt healthier and 94 per cent felt more involved with the child's development. I don't think any organisation could boast a better testimony than that. So happy birthday home start Glenrothes and thanks to all home start branches for the amazing work that they do to help make Scotland the best place to grow up. Thank you. Thank you very much. And I now call on Marie Todd to close to the Government. Minister please. Presiding officer Like other members across the chamber I want to thank Jenny Gilruth for tabling this motion and for highlighting the important work of Home Start and Glenrothes and the Home Start Network in Scotland. I'm delighted to welcome some of you to the chamber this evening. It's really great to have you here with us. I've had the pleasure and privilege of visiting many home starts across Scotland and I've seen the powerful work that you all do first hand. It really is a lifeline to those who need your help. I would also like to take this opportunity to send Home Start my best wishes for a successful parliamentary reception this evening. Happy birthday. Which is highlighting the importance of perinatal mental health during mental health awareness week. Maternal mental health is a key priority for the Scottish Government. We know that as many as one in five women are affected by mental health problems in the perinatal period and in Scotland that means 11,000 women are affected every year. Being a parent is one of the hardest and yet one of the most important jobs that anyone can take home. The challenges are even greater for families who are already coping with additional challenges in their lives and Home Start volunteers in Glenrothes and right across Scotland make a really vital contribution to supporting these families to achieve the best possible outcomes for their children. As you know it's the Scottish Government's aspiration to make Scotland the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up and the implementation of the national parenting strategy is key to driving this ambition. By championing the importance of parenting and by strengthening the support and offer to parents and by making it easier for them to access the support. We've made significant progress around commitments on extending the provision of early learning and childcare by increasing the provision of free childcare which will be further increased to 1140 hours for three and four year olds from August 2020. We're improving antenatal and postnatal support widening access to relationship support developing parent club website as a reliable source of information and advice for families and continuing national play talk read and book bug programmes encouraging and supporting families to develop positive nurturing relationships with their children from the very start. By the end of last year we'd expanded the health visitor workforce by at least 440 since March 2014. We're also expanding the family nurse partnership programme by investing around £16 million per year reaching up to 3000 families at any one time. We also recently launched our much-loved and redesigned baby box helping to give every child in Scotland an equal start in life. All of these actions make a real and practical difference for families. Homestart Scotland are one of our key stakeholders and delivery partners in implementing the national strategy. And they're funded by the Scottish Government through the children, young people and families early intervention and adult learning and empowering communities fund. In the four years that this funding's been running we've provided just under £800,000 to Homestart Scotland. We've recognised the important role that third sector organisations like Homestart Scotland play in supporting children and families right across Scotland. In the last year alone the Scottish Government's awarded over £5 million to a wide range of third sector organisations which support children, families and communities across Scotland. In addition, over £2 million was invested in 2018 to continuing funding for national programmes supporting children like the play talk read and book bug. I'm delighted that the Deputy First Minister recently announced the Families and Communities Fund which will provide up to £16 million per year to focus on early intervention and prevention and to improve outcomes for children, young people, families, adult learners and communities right across Scotland. That three year fund will provide more certainty and stability for third sector organisations to plan and deliver services. Earlier I touched on perinatal mental health and because it is mental health awareness week I want to finish by highlighting our investment of £50 million through the programme for government commitments. I hope that the shows that we are determined to improve the recognition and the treatment of perinatal mental health in this country. I would also like to mention the issue of stigma which is something that is still a reality for many women experiencing poor mental health in the perinatal period. I want Scotland to be a place where it's okay to speak out about poor mental health after you've had a baby where women and their partners don't feel scared or ashamed to ask for help about how they're feeling. I know that the volunteers at Home Start Glenrothes and Home Start Scotland make a huge difference to families and that includes providing support with mental health issues. I'd like to congratulate them again on their anniversary and wish them all the very best in their vital work supporting families in Scotland. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes the debate and I close this meeting of Parliament.