The Princess of Wales visits Home-start Oxford to see Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood animations in action

The Princess of Wales visited Home-Start Oxford to meet families and volunteers, highlighting the importance of nurturing relationships between parents and young children in building lifelong social and emotional skills.

Home-Start UK is one of over 27 organisations working closely with the Centre to use the animated film series and collect evaluation data, with far more organisations using the films in their practice. Together these organisations will reach 400,000 practitioners in the next six months.

The Explainer Series, released in August, bring to life the science behind social and emotional development, illustrating how everyday moments of love and connection between parents and their babies and young children can have a profound and lasting impact.

Designed for professionals working with families, the films help equip them to have meaningful conversations with parents about how experiences from pregnancy to age five shape wellbeing and lay the foundation for healthy relationships and emotional resilience.

During her visit, The Princess joined a volunteer training session where participants reflected on the films and how to apply the strategies in their work with families. She spoke with volunteers about the importance of helping parents build the emotional scaffolding children need to form healthy relationships, resolve conflict, and grow into compassionate adults.

The Princess also took part in a ‘Stay and Play’ session, a core part of Home-Start’s support offering, where families engaged in activities such as dressing up, tea parties, playdough making, and crafting. These sessions provided a relaxed environment for families to connect and access support from trained volunteers and staff.

Her Royal Highness also spoke with parents supported by Home-Start Oxford, listening to their experiences and the challenges they faced. Parents shared how one-to-one and group sessions had helped them feel more connected, confident, and better equipped to care for their children.