The trustees, who are also directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the un-audited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and the Statement of Recommended Practice, "Accounting and Reporting by Charities", issued in March 2005.
The charity's objects are to safeguard and preserve the good health, both mental and physical of children and parents of children, to prevent cruelty to or maltreatment of children, to relieve sickness, poverty and need amongst children and parents of children and to promote the education of the public in better standards of child care within the area of Hull and its environs. The policies adopted in furtherance of these objects are applied by the committee and there has been no change in these during the year.
To provide support to a minimum of 100 new families using home-visiting volunteers. This is our core work.
To support an additional 30 families per year on our Families in Mind project funded by the Henry Smith Charity from January 2022. This project has been adapted from our previous project supporting parents with mental illness.
To support an additional 8 families per year in Beverley funded by the Brelms Trust.
To support an additional 16 families per year at DST Leconfield funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.
To support an additional 16 children per year through the Big Hopes Big Future school readiness project.
To offer new volunteers the chance to complete the preparation training on various days and times throughout the year including evenings, weekends and summer holidays and to continue our offer to existing volunteers of specialist training from both within the organisation and from external providers.
To offer quality training to staff, volunteers and trustees through professional development opportunities and accredited modules, including additional external training in identified areas.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Home Start Hull applies for funding of its activities through the application via tendering processes to be successful in each application. The result is Service Contracts or Grants are received to fulfil the specific area identified. The following
To increase the support available to families through both the core work and projects. Current target of 125 families.
To maintain current staffing levels and volunteer numbers.
To assess whether we need to expand our services to families
To maintain our current representation on the Trustees board.
To continue to develop the Fundraising Committee and discuss long-term goals for continuous fundraising ideas.
Our Local Home-Start supported 108 families this year through the core work, 31 through the Families in Mind project, 11 through the Beverley project, 14 through the DST Leconfield project and 14 families through the BHBF project (178 total), by 69 home-visiting volunteers offering 2684 hours of support.
We have successfully completed the first year of our Hull Health & Care Partnership contract for the core work.
We were successful in securing further funding for the BHBF project through Sir James Reckitt Charity.
We successfully delivered the first year of our Families in Mind Henry Smith Charity funded project.
We successfully delivered the DST Leconfield support.
We were successful bidders for two new peer support contracts through the Start for Life funding delivering support to parents with children aged 0-2.
The volunteers and families were supported by 9 trustees and 9 staff during the year. (Joanne Boasman, Gemma Brown, Emma Brownlee, Charlotte Dunstan, Kelly Sykes, Bridget Marvin-Smelt, Helen Percy, Phil Vincent, Caroline Watson.)
All staff, volunteers and trustees continue to complete role appropriate training including Safeguarding Children’s Partnership training.
We delivered 5 volunteer preparation courses recruiting a total of 23 new volunteers. 100% of volunteers choosing to accredit their training have achieved the Intermediate certificate from Skills & Education Group.
66% of volunteers leaving the scheme this year did so for work and training and we offered 4 student placements contributing to their educational experience.
We offered additional training in the ‘Prevent’ strategy, Hull Safeguarding Children’s Partnership sources of stress, Big Hopes Big Future school readiness, Parental conflict, suicide awareness, Born to Bond attachment, parent infant mental health.
The board have reviewed the reserves set aside by the scheme and are satisfied that they cover the necessary requirements identified in the Reserves Policy. The Reserves covers four months of running costs plus redundancy costs.
We continue to look for ways to provide additional funding for the scheme and increase volunteer numbers.
There have been no incidents or near misses regarding information governance.
The executive committee review the financial position regularly throughout the year.
The Charity receives income from a contract, donations, grants and investments. During 2022-2023 this amounted to £220,866. Its income is used to finance direct charitable expenditure and other expenditure amounting to £232,351.
Our reserves amount to £51,739 Unrestricted General Fund and £50,000 Designated Contingent Reserve Fund.
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
The Board recognise that over the next five years, the amount of funding from the Hull Health & Care Partnership will decrease each year and have planned provision to cover a predicted shortfall as costs increase due to workplace pensions and increased costs associated with volunteer training and DBS checks.
We continue to look for ways to provide additional funding for the scheme
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has been registered as a charity.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
The current trustees continue to seek new trustees as vacancies or skills profiles are required from the general public and those associated in the area the charity operates.
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
The organisation is managed by an Executive Committee comprising of no fewer than 4 members and not more than 12 members. All the trustees sit on this committee.
Home Start Hull is a member of the Home Start UK organisation which provides areas of support to the organisation. Service Agreements are entered into with various providers operating in this area
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Home-Start (Hull) (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2023.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Home-Start (Hull) is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's [governing document], the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, [modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value]. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure incurred by the organisation is accounted for on an accruals basis. Items relating to operational matters are charged to the SOFA, and any capital items to the Balance Sheet.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Job Retention Scheme
Core Work
BHBF
Families in Mind
Volunteer training
Core Work
BHBF
Families in Mind
Beverley project
Volunteer training
Trading activity income:
Fundraising costs
Core Work
BHBF
Families in Mind
Beverley project
Charitable expenses
Core Work
BHBF
Families in Mind
Beverley project
Awards for All
Charitable expenses
Accommodation costs
IT costs
Telephone
Utilities
Office costs
Professional fees
AGM costs
Governance costs includes payments to the independent examiner of £840 (2022- £840) for professional fees.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxationof Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2022 - none).