We are working with HomeStart-UK to support parents with the help of the Baby Buddy app. HomeStart volunteers are trained to become Baby Buddy Champions and learn how the app can enhance the fantastic work they do with families. This case study was sent to us from a HomeStart coordinator and shows the impact that Baby Buddy can have on the whole family: 

This family were referred into Home Start’s First 1000 Days Project by their social worker and a mental health charity. Mum and Dad were trafficked into the UK and had both suffered terrible abuse. The couple had a baby Early 2020 and although this should have been a happy time Mum suffered with postnatal depression. This was a very frightening time for the parents as they feared for their lives and felt extremely vulnerable.
 
Support came at the right time for this lovely family and they were matched with a volunteer, and met via Zoom for an hour a week. Mum and Dad are both first time parents and felt worried about their baby’s development, health and attachment. The volunteer talked to the parents about the Baby Buddy app and sent Mum the download link via zoom.
 
Mum and the volunteer met in the park (socially distanced), and talked through how to use the app and its benefits. Mum was delighted and said it would ‘change her life’, she added "I won’t need to worry through the night; I can find help on here". Mum had been in contact with the Doctors surgery over 20 times and said that they were getting frustrated with her (as was she). The volunteer explained that Google and social media were not good ways to get advice around baby’s development or health, but the Baby Buddy app uses trusted links and information sources. The Q&A section and videos were highlighted to Mum and she has found these functions easy to use and helpful. The A to Z section helped Mum to understand the language used as English is not her native tongue.
 
The difference in the parent’s well-being is notable; they both report a sense of relief in knowing that they can ask for help from their volunteer and through the app, the mental health video’s and tips have also helped Mum’s well-being. There is a marked improvement in the baby’s well-being as the volunteer states that the baby is developing well, communicating, starting to explore, play and getting out to the park regularly. This is in part because of using the Baby Buddy app and understanding the importance of the first 1000 days. Both parents are looking to the future with some positivity and regularly use Baby Buddy to research health issues and to learn about being a parent and helping their little one to thrive.
 
- Home Start Coordinator