HOME-START HARWICH

Registered charity 1113984 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

Home-Start offers friendship and informal support to parents with young children, in local communities throughout the UK so that every child can have a good start in life. Home-Start Harwich supports local families by means of a family group as well as a home visiting service by volunteers.

Objects

A) TO SAFEGUARD, PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE GOOD HEALTH, BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL OF CHILDREN AND PARENTS OF CHILDREN;B) TO PREVENT CRUELTY TO OR MALTREATMENT OF CHILDRENC) TO RELIEVE SICKNESS, POVERTY AND NEED AMONGST CHILDREN AND PARENTS OF CHILDREN;D) TO PROMOTE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN BETTER STANDARDS OF CHILDCAREWITHIN THE AREAS OF HARWICH, DOVERCOURT, RAMSEY AND LITTLE OAKLEY

Area of benefit: ESSEX

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2026 accounts

The accounts state that the charity holds total funds of £324,800, with unrestricted reserves of £158,221. The trustees' report notes that the reserves policy is equivalent to at least 9 months' normal running costs, which the current unrestricted balance exceeds. The charity reports a net income surplus of £27,214 for the year, supported by grants from the Big Lottery Fund despite cuts in public sector grants.

Automated summary of the FY2026 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook

Trustees · trustee networks

• CATHERINE OFFORDchair
• Cathy Theobald
• Fiona Brunning
• Lucy Mann
• PAULENE FORD
• Paul Kinzett
• RICHARD COLLEY · trustee of 3 other charities
• ROBERTA THOMPSON

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Essex

Income and spending

Common questions

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).