The Prince and Princess of Wales have seen first-hand how Home-Start Lorn are supporting families on the island of Mull when they visited Aros Hall in Tobermory, on Tuesday 29 April.

Their Royal Highnesses spoke to families about the difference Home-Start had made to them, and heard from the team how they are supporting families with young children to promote social and emotional development and overcome the challenges they are facing and are using the Shaping Us Framework in this work.

The visit took place in the newly refurbished soft play area in Aros Hall. The Rainydays soft play zone has been introduced in response to feedback from parents that children in the north of Mull would benefit from more opportunities to participate in play activities together. The play area is a space Home-Start Lorn uses as part of its work to support parents and carers build strong bonds with their children.

Home-Start Lorn was established in 1988 and expanded its services to the Isle of Mull in 2012 to respond to the community's needs. The demand for support on the island has continually increased, leading the organisation in recent years to double its staffing capacity, grow its volunteer base, and introduce group support. Last year, Home-Start Lorn supported 136 families and 265 children.

As other resources on the island focused on children have diminished, Home-Start Lorn has continued to thrive and grow. Without Home-Start on the island, families would have very limited support. There is only one midwife, one health visitor, one community nursery nurse, and a handful of toddler groups. Home-Start Lorn has become an essential lifeline for families across the island of Mull.

Home-Start manager, Hannah Gillies and Mull senior coordinator, Rebecca Maclennan, spoke to the Prince and Princess of Wales about how they are using the Shaping Us Framework, developed by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, to support their work with families and to promote social and emotional development.

The Shaping Us Framework describes social and emotional skills in a clear way which can inform and inspire action across society.

The framework has been designed to help give social and emotional skills the greater priority they deserve and to encourage organisations across the UK to use it in their work, to support The Princess of Wales’ mission of creating a happier, healthier society.

Hannah Gillies, manager of Home-Start Lorn said:

"It was such a lovely experience getting to spend some time with the Prince and Princess to tell them more about the support we offer on the island to local families. They both showed a real insight into the needs of families and recognised the how important it is to have service like ours especially in rural communities.

Rachael Canning a parent from Mull who is supported by Home-Start Lorn spoke to the Princess of Wales, and said afterwards:

"I spoke with the Princess of Wales about the similarities of bringing up children in rural areas, as when George was young they were based in Anglesey. We also spoke about the importance of having a space like the Aros Hall and having the company of other mums."

Home-Start Lorn is part of the UK-wide network of Home-Start charities: local, community organisations of trained volunteers and expert support helping families with young children through their challenging times. There are 175 Home-Starts across the UK, including 28 Home-Starts in Scotland. Last year they supported 58,850 families, including 8,200 families in Scotland.

At the core of Home-Start’s work is volunteer-led home-visiting service. Families struggling with isolation, parent-infant relationships, mental and physical health issues, bereavement, poverty and many other issues receive the support of a trained volunteer who spends around two hours a week in a family’s home supporting them in the ways they need.

Feedback from families supported by Home-Start shows that a trusted relationship between parent and volunteer that starts in the home makes a huge difference. It has enabled many to feel more comfortable about asking for help and more confident. Volunteers also play a key role in linking parents with other services and helping them navigate a complex often confusing system of services they can otherwise find it difficult to access.

Giving babies and young children the best start in life requires an approach which recognises the crucial role of the home environment in the early years of life and the challenges facing parents.