THE future of troubled children is the subject of a conference to be hosted by Hampshire-based charities.

Home-Start is hosting Early Years – time to invest in our children’s future conference, at Winchester Guildhall from 9.30am-3pm on March 13.

Chaired by Alastair Stewart OBE, the inaugural conference aims to highlight the importance of supporting vulnerable families before they hit crisis point.

Key speakers include Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of Kids Company, Dr Alain Gregoire, consultant in perinatal psychiatry and maternal mental health chair and Zoe Munby, director of the Birkenhead Foundation Years Project.

Home-Start’s chief executive Rob Parkinson will also be speaking.

Mr Stewart, charity ambassador, said: “A loving, safe and stable family and home environment strongly determines a child's future life chances. Children whose parents are struggling to cope with multiple problems often experience inconsistent and unpredictable parenting which adversely affects child development.

“Families who are struggling need support sooner rather than later and that is why community organisations such as Home Start are crucial.”

Zoe Munby, director of the Early Years Foundation, added: “The dice are stacked against some children even by the time they start school. It’s hard work, and sometimes lonely, being a parent. It’s much, much harder if you’re short of money, worried about bills, isolated or in debt.

“All those pressures can have an impact on your child. Somewhere to go and people to support you in that situation can make a big difference to your ability to parent your child and have a positive impact on its future.”