What Home-Start Norge does

Home-Start Norge is a non-profit charitable organization headquartered in Sandvika, Norway, founded in 1993–1995 as the Norwegian affiliate of the international Home-Start network. The organization provides volunteer-based, low-threshold family support to households with young children (typically pre-school age) experiencing vulnerability, stress, or isolation. Its core service matches trained volunteer family contacts with referred families for weekly home visits of 2–4 hours over approximately 6 months, with documented outcomes including 79.3% of parents reporting improved parent-child relationships and a long-term study showing sustained positive effects 10 years post-intervention.

The delivery model is community-led and fully human-operated, with no proprietary technology platform. Operations are executed through a network of approximately 30+ local branches hosted and funded by Norwegian municipalities, supplemented by partnerships with major welfare organizations including the Salvation Army (Frelsesarmeen) and Oslo City Mission (Kirkens Bymisjon). The national office, with 12 staff, sets program standards, trains volunteers, and supports new branch establishment. In 2024, 897 volunteer family contacts served 1,182 families.

Home-Start Norge generates no fee revenue from end-user families; instead, funding flows from municipal contracts (each branch requires a minimum 50% coordinator position and minimum 3-year operating commitment from the host municipality), government grants including support from Bufdir (the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs), and additional fundraising averaging approximately 100,000 NOK per branch annually. The organization is recognized by the EU as a "Best Practice" for evidence-based family support and operates with no external private equity, venture capital, or public shareholders.

Name

Home-Start Norge

Legal name

Home-Start Norge

Website

https://homestartnorge.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Home-Start Norge is a Norwegian non-profit that provides volunteer-based, low-threshold family support to households with young children in vulnerable phases, operating through 30+ municipal branches and serving roughly 1,182 families annually with weekly home visits by trained volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family and Child Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Coaching, Parent-Mediated & Home Visiting EI Services (EDACAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Home Visiting & Parent Coaching Programs (EDACALAC), Family/Parent-Focused SEL & Home Practice Programs (EDACAOAG), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Family support services
• Volunteer family visits
• Preventive child welfare
• Community-based support
• Parental guidance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sandvika

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Municipal Funding: Municipalities fund and operate local Home-Start branches, providing coordinator positions and operational funding. A minimum 50% coordinator position is required, plus operating funds for a minimum of 3 years.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Home-Start Norge matches families with young children in vulnerable phases with trained volunteer family contacts who visit the home weekly for 2–4 hours over approximately six months. The service provides low-threshold, practical peer support that complements public child welfare services, with a focus on strengthening parenting, reducing isolation, and building social networks. Operations are delivered through a national network of local branches funded and operated in partnership with Norwegian municipalities and nonprofit organizations.

Product overview

Home-Start Norge operates as a non-profit organization offering a single, unified family support program. The core service matches trained volunteer family contacts with families in vulnerable phases, providing weekly home visits for 2-4 hours over approximately 6 months. Supporting infrastructure includes a Coordinator Handbook for program administration, a Design Manual for brand consistency, and regional volunteer training courses across Norway. The organization has local departments in approximately 30+ Norwegian municipalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Home-Start Program (Family Support Service) The core family support service in which trained volunteer family contacts visit families weekly for 2–4 hours over approximately six months, providing low-threshold support that strengthens family coping and provides relief as needed. The service is free to families and is delivered through a national network of local branches operated in partnership with Norwegian municipalities and nonprofit organizations.
• Volunteer Training Courses (Frivilligkurs) Structured training courses delivered in multiple Norwegian cities to prepare volunteers for the family contact role, ensuring consistent quality of support across the local branch network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 79.3% of parents report improved relationships with their children after receiving support
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bufdir (Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBufdir is a government directorate that provides funding and strategic support for family welfare programs in Norway.
• Frelsesarmeen (The Salvation Army)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Salvation Army operates local Home-Start branches in partnership with Home-Start Norge.
• Kirkens Bymisjon (Oslo City Mission)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOslo City Mission operates local Home-Start branches and collaborates on family support services.
• Frivillighet Norge (Volunteering Norway)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization for volunteering that collaborates with Home-Start on volunteer coordination and development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Home-Start International (Home-Start Worldwide): Umbrella body coordinating the global Home-Start network. Home-Start Norge is a national member and shares the same evidence-based home-visiting model, branding, and outcome framework.
• Home-Start UK: The founding Home-Start organization, operating the same volunteer family-visit model across the UK. Direct peer on program design, volunteer framework, and outcome evidence base that Home-Start Norge cites.

Broad incumbents

• Frelsesarmeen (The Salvation Army Norway): Operates family support branches in partnership with Home-Start Norge and provides broader social services in Norway. Comparable as a partner and adjacent family-support provider.
• Redd Barna (Save the Children Norway): Large Norwegian NGO focused on children's rights and welfare. Operates broader programmatic categories (advocacy, international development) but overlaps with Home-Start Norge on family and child welfare delivery in Norway.
• Kirkens Bymisjon (Church City Mission): Norwegian social services NGO operating family and community support programs including co-operated Home-Start branches. Comparable in municipal contracting, volunteer use, and target population.
• Røde Kors Norge (Norwegian Red Cross): Major Norwegian humanitarian organization running volunteer-based social support activities including family and youth programs. Comparable in volunteer-driven service model and municipal/government funding relationships.

Others

• Frivillighet Norge (Volunteering Norway): National umbrella for volunteer organizations in Norway, coordinating with Home-Start Norge on volunteer infrastructure. Adjacent ecosystem enabler rather than a direct peer.
• Familievernkontoret (Norwegian Family Counselling Service): Government-funded family counselling service under Bufdir. Referrals to Home-Start Norge come through this and related public channels, making it a complementary rather than competing family-support provider.

Regional players

• Voksne for Barn (Adults for Children): Norwegian NGO focused on children's mental health and family wellbeing. Comparable as a Norwegian non-profit delivering family support programs with public funding and outreach to vulnerable families.
• Forandringsfabrikken (The Change Factory): Norwegian NGO supporting children and young people in vulnerable situations. Comparable in Norwegian public-funded, child-and-family service delivery and preventive welfare orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HomeStartNorge
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrlpi2PpUMdboCtuPSF6mVg
• Facebookfacebook.com/homestart.norge
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/homestartnorge
• Instagraminstagram.com/homestartnorge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Home-Start Norge