Meet Our Amazing Team!
Our Staff
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Scheme Manager
My name is Zoe, I am the Scheme Manager, and I have been with Home-Start South and West Devon for 18 years. I am very passionate about what we do, seeing the difference we make to local parents and families, and feel very lucky to work with such a fantastic staff team and wonderful volunteers. My other passion in life is my family - I am very lucky to have a husband and 2 amazing children - a 25-year-old son and a 20-year-old daughter. I also love Yoga, reading and drawing am trying to love running!!
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Senior Coordinator
I am Irina. I came to Plymouth to study at the university when I was just 17 years old from Russia and never left! After I finished university, I worked in the accounting department for a tour operator. When I had my twins, I decided to no go back to work and became a stay at home mum ( It's the hardest job I ever had). When my twins started school, I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands, so I looked for a volunteer opportunity and this is how I came across Home-Start. I really enjoyed supporting the family, so when a job with Home-Start came up I applied!So here I am now! I live in Plymouth with my husband and 10-year-old twins Alex and Zoe.
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Office Manager
I have been with HomeStart for over 9 years now. My role is an admin one but it is so much more! Keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes and also ensuring the books balance every month but the best part of my role is the contact I have with families, volunteers and referrers, acting as the first point of contact for anyone calling or emailing the office.
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Coordinator
My name is Brooklyn. I was born and raised in Plymouth, though I love to travel and have explored many parts of America with my husband. I have two daughters, age 6 and 4 and love being a mum, though it is the toughest job. I come from a large family who are very supportive, though I realise not everyone has that. I was lacking an interest in the job that I was doing and felt that I wanted to do something that helped people. When the job at Home-Start came up, I went for it and haven't looked back.
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Coordinator
Vikki was born and grew up in Cornwall. She joined the civil service from 6th form and has had a wide and varied career working in a number of government Departments including the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
During a secondment to the Prince's Responsible Business Network, she was the Rural Business Connector for Cornwall working with businesses, voluntary services and community organisations to create partnership projects supporting the most vulnerable in local communities across Cornwall. It was at that time that Vikki first came across and volunteered for Home Start. Work commitments in London then meant a break from Home-Start. Most recently she has worked in local government with Devon County Council in programme roles and as the Executive and Policy Support in Children's Services.
Vikki has lived in West Devon for nearly 20 years with her partner and two teenage children, one of whom is at University. Over the years she has been part of her children's schools PTA, a school governor and a chair of governors. She has also been a leader of the local volunteer litter picking group for around 13 years, she has previously been a volunteer hockey umpire covering the West of England and now regularly helps out at the local youth Park Run as a marshal.
Vikki is an avid reader, and in their spare time, she and her partner are trying to complete the Dartmoor 365 book with walking being a great passion. She also likes to wild swim up on the moors with a group of friends who all originally met working together as their children's infants school PTA.
Vikki feels that returning to Home-Start is a great privilege and she is looking forward to working with volunteers and families as she knows how much difference Home-Start can make to people's lives.
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Cordinator
My name is Debbie, I have lived in Kingsbridge my whole life and feel incredibly lucky to have such fantastic beaches right on my doorstep. I am deeply passionate about supporting children and young people, which is the driving force behind everything I do. Alongside my role here at Home-Start, I manage a wraparound childcare setting for primary school children and volunteer for a local childhood bereavement charity.
When I’m not working or volunteering I’m usually making the most of the great outdoors in my campervan, with my partner John, our two incredible daughters aged 18 and 10, and our bonkers dalmatian, Fred!
Our team has decades of experience helping families and ensuring our volunteers feel supported.
Our Trustees
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I have been a Volunteer with Home-Start South and West Devon for almost 8 years. Before retiring I was a teacher working in Special Education for 40 years. I have worked in a variety of settings including in a school within a large hospital, supply teaching in local schools, both special and mainstream and have helped to set-up Opportunity Playgroups. I worked for 18 years at local Further Education College teaching life skills to 16–21-year-old students. I have always prioritised relationships with parents and families as I feel that it is important to work as a team to develop individual potential. Families face many challenges, whether or not their child has additional needs and support comes in many forms.
I decided to apply to become a volunteer after seeing the benefits my widowed daughter and her daughter gained from being matched to a Home-Start volunteer in Dorset. It helped them both to socialise, gain confidence and make new friends. I wish that there had been a local Home-Start when I had my 2 children, as I lived away from my family and my husband worked away from home.
I joined the committee as a Trustee as I wanted to be able to use my skills developed over a long career in a useful way. I have gained an understanding of complexities of running a service with paid staff and volunteers, together with funding challenges although there is always something new to learn.
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I have been a Trustee to the board of Home-Start South and West Devon since January 2025 and have been a volunteer with them since 2021. It has enabled me to use my skills and previous experience in supporting and enabling vulnerable families. I also volunteer at Plympton Foodbank. I am experienced in face to face communication, both with the public and other agencies.
My background in the NHS spans forty four years. I trained as a Registered General Nurse in 1981 working in a variety of hospital and Primary Care roles, before training as a Midwife in 1990. As a Midwife I worked with families, both in the hospital and community settings. I retired from the NHS in March 2020.
I have strong organisational and communication skills and extensive experience of working with other professionals and agencies. I have worked with and supported families for many years. I have good knowledge of IT, GDPR, Health and safety and Safeguarding and I have recently completed Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion training.
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I have been a volunteer for 10 years, and became a Trustee in the autumn of 2025.
I have always had a great passion for children and had the opportunity to become a Play worker at a Children’s Centre (Run by Barnardo's) where I helped run groups for children and families, which I loved.
I worked in London for 25 years before moving to Devon.
When I became a volunteer for HS, I realised that I had found my found my little niche in life and felt so happy that I could help make a difference to families, and their lives going forward.
With lots of empathy, big shoulders and a listening ear, I always feel content when I’ve been on a visit.
Becoming a Trustee was a great honour, as I am passionate about HS, and want to be an ambassador for this amazing charity, as it is so important to so many families.
Ever since I was a child, I knew I wanted to work with children. And being a mother is such a privilege, so now helping other families is the cherry on the cake.
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My background has been with local authority social services departments. I started within an adult services team then transferred to children's services. The last twenty years was spent in the Plymouth Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub specializing in domestic abuse working in tandem with the Police Domestic Abuse Team.
I used to signpost families to Home-Start for early help and support and decided to volunteer for them after I retired at the end of 2022.
I became a Trustee in December 2024. I also enjoy going on road trips around the UK discovering new places, visiting National Trust properties and exploring new countries on holiday.
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Before I retired, I worked for over twenty years in Children’s Social Services, latterly having responsibility for setting up and running a service to identify and assess children who were being privately fostered. I’ve also been a union steward, representing members who were experiencing work related difficulties. I decided to volunteer with Home Start South and West Devon, as I wanted to utilise my skills and support families. I’ve been a trustee for around three years and enjoy my role, which I see as supporting the service to develop and prosper.
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Bio coming soon
Advisory Board
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I spent sixty years working as a Child Protection Office for authorities across England. In the later part of my career I was a Safeguarding Researcher and Lecturer. I gave key note speeches and presentations at International Safeguarding conferences in places like London and Norway.
I was used as a Safeguarding expert for the BBC, ITV, Central TV, and SKY T.V. Following the Clevedon safeguarding incident I set up a charity, Justice For Parents, to ensure that families were supported and represented in order to prevent the damage caused by unfounded accusations.
I was one of the founding members of the group who set up this Home-Start and have continued to take an active role and offered support to the organisation ever since.