The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and "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).
Provide a range of educational, recreational, and training courses.
Provide a weekly Advice Session with qualified advisors.
Provide support appointments during working hours.
Provide weekly women’s support groups via Zoom.
Provide a telephone support line My Ally, for women impacted by domestic abuse and relationship difficulties.
Provide domestic abuse outreach services for BME communities.
Provide a low-cost and free counselling service
Provide volunteering opportunities.
Provide a worker to advocate for and support users to access external services.
Engage in partnership working with other organisations, attend meetings and affiliate to other organisations.
The Trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
In 2023-2024 our volunteers with lived experience who cover our telephone support line MyAlly delivered 736 hours of support, responding to 1,071 calls to the phone line. We also recruited 3 new qualified counsellors to deliver our specialist therapy services for survivors of sexual abuse and 18 clients accessed this service during the year. In total, volunteer counsellors delivered 1,077 of low-cost counselling to 89 women across the year.
We continue to offer a single point of access in our domestic abuse support service via our My Ally relationship and domestic abuse support line and dedicated email address.
690 women accessed one to one appointments with our specialist support workers, including sessions with our team member working with women from migrant and ethnic minority backgrounds.
We received 1,071 calls to the My Ally support line and 135 emails to the dedicated My Ally email address.
We facilitated 46 women’s support group sessions via Zoom with 241 attendances across the year.
352 women were referred to our legal partners for help with family law and immigration issues.
Through our contract with Step2Skills and through courses funded directly by students we enrolled 654 learners on 70 courses including personal development, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), IT and employability programmes.
The National Careers Service contract that we deliver via Futures Ltd offers advice and guidance sessions to both men and women. This year we delivered support to 842 clients.
255 of our learners went on to take additional courses either with Watford Women’s Centre or with external providers or undertook training with awarding bodies.
Our Police and Crime Commissioner in Hertfordshire funding supported our outreach activities to engage vulnerable women who are not currently accessing support services, and we established a weekly coffee morning in Watford and delivered several “walk and talk” sessions.
The Board of Trustees and management team continue to deliver on our strategic plan for 2023-2026. The plan sets out our key priorities to 2026:
Improving outcomes for clients
Increasing our visibility and demonstrating impact
Supporting the wellbeing of our staff and volunteers
Improving our business efficiencies.
We continued to extend our reach and improve our visibility through the work of our Women’s Advocate who focused on promotion of our domestic abuse service, reaching out to our many diverse local communities. We also built on co-location and co-facilitation arrangements with key partners such as Jobcentre Plus, Children’s Centres and local schools.
One of our learners was awarded the Steps2Skills Inspirational Person of the Year award, testament to the high quality education and training service provided, enabling our learners to achieve their full potential.
During the year our sexual harm specialist women's counselling service provided free access to psychological therapies for survivors of sexual abuse. Through funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, we were able to appoint 3 additional qualified and experienced counsellors who delivered longer term support to 18 women.
Total income for financial year 2023/24 was £409,103, compared with £524,543 for the previous year. Total expenditure for 2023/24 was £489,186, compared with £574,368 for the previous year.
The charity made a deficit on unrestricted funds of £20,666 before gross transfers compared to a surplus before gross transfers of £5,242 in 2022/23. The charity made a deficit on restricted funds of £59,417 of which £30,165 related to funds brought forward from earlier periods.
The Balance Sheet is showing a healthy position with creditors covered by current assets.
We review our reserves annually. Our aim is to support three months' unrestricted running costs for core activities, not including any designated balances, which we assess to be approximately £75,000 of reserves. At this level the trustees feel that they would be able to continue current activities of the charitable company in the event of any significant drop in funding.
In the current financial year unrestricted and undesignated reserves are currently £44,307 (2023: £124,255) which is below the targeted amount. The management team with the trustees have considered this as part of the review of the financial position of the organisation and building up the reserves will be focused on in the 2024/25 financial period.
Our principal sources of income have historically comprised of grant funding and project funding. Careful planning ensures that our income is used to best effect to deliver the charity's objects.
We have reviewed the possible risks to the charity, each of the sub-groups have assessed the risks relating to their area of work and reported back to the main board. The greatest risk to the charity is still considered to be financial sustainability; the organisation continues to expand on its income generating work in line with the business plan.
We continue to seek opportunities to secure unrestricted grants in a challenging funding environment.
We will aim to explore the synergies between our domestic abuse and counselling provisions, as we look to ensure we are delivering the most robust model of support.
We will look to secure funding to expand our domestic abuse support offering, including bespoke training to upskill our caseworkers.
We will increase our visibility within Hertfordshire and forge new relationships with key strategic partners as well as consolidating existing partnerships.
We will continue to deliver some of our mixed gender courses at an offsite provision and look to increase revenue by exploring the possibility of renting out existing office space to appropriate partners.
We will focus on the implementation of our strategic priorities in 2024/25 with a view to improving how we track a client’s journey through Watford Women’s Centre and looking at how to better evidence our impact.
Watford Women's Centre was registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 19 September 2002 and was registered as a charity on 2 July 2003.
The company was established under a Memorandum of Association, which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. The Articles were amended by Special Resolution at the 2009 AGM to enable members to serve for 3 years before re-election.
Recruitment of Trustees is largely through public advertisement. All potential Trustees go through an application process, including a visit to the Centre, completing application forms and an interview with at least two Trustees who make a recommendation to the main board. If successful, the applicant is co-opted to the board until the next AGM when they stand for election. Trustees can then stand for re-election on a three yearly cycle.
Ruth Paterson served as Chair of Trustees during part of the financial year (1 April to 29 September 2023) and Catherine Tyack took over as Chair after Ruth stepped down due to ill-health. We are very grateful to Ruth for her contribution to the charity as trustee then Chair.
Conflicts of interest are recorded. There were no registered conflicts of interest in this year.
The structure of the Centre consists of a CEO, Specialist Staff, Office Staff, Tutors, Trustees and Volunteers.
In the event of the charitable company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the company.
The following Trustees served on our board since the start of the financial year:
The Trustees' Report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The Trustees, who are also the directors of Watford Women's Centre for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company Law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Watford Women's Centre (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2024.
As the Trustees of the charity (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (the 2006 Act).
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.
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.
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).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
Voluntary income including donations and legacies
Activities and facilities for the benefit of women in Watford
Fundraising activities
Community fundraising, events and sponsorship
Activities and facilities for the benefit of women in Watford
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Voluntary income including donations and legacies
Activities and facilities for the benefit of women in Watford
Fundraising activities
Community fundraising, events and sponsorship
Activities and facilities for the benefit of women in Watford
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Watford Women's Centre is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 83 Market Street, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 0PT.
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. 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.
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.
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been included under expense categories that aggregate all costs for allocation to activities. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular purposes they have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the company and include project management carried out at Headquarters.
Governance costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the company and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.
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.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
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.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
Creditors and provisions
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.
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.
Activities and facilities for the benefit of women in Watford
Fees received
Community fundraising, events and sponsorship
Community fundraising, events and sponsorship
Activities and facilities for the benefit of women in Watford
Supervision, trainers and other staff costs
Project costs
Premises costs
Insurance costs
Repairs and maintenance costs
Office costs
Refurbishment costs
Communication costs
Travel and subsistence costs
General expenses
Legal and professional costs
Bank charges and other finance costs
Bad and doubtful debts
Governance costs
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
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.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
Step2Skills provides for the delivery of Community Learning in deprived neighbourhoods and Personal development programmes. The course offer includes: recreational and vocational learning of which a proportion is accredited using nationally recognised qualifications.
The Police & Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire provides grant funding for two projects, counselling and a women's advocate.
MyAlly is a Big Lottery funded project to provide a support telephone line, email and face-to-face service for women impacted by domestic abuse or relationship struggles.
Phoenix Rising is a programme, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, focused on specialist domestic abuse casework advocacy and support for BAME and migrant women who face significant barriers to access and take up of support services.
The refurbishment fund included grants from Garfield Weston Foundation, TK Maxx, The Clothworkers' Foundation, Watford & Three Rivers, Exemplas Ltd and Locality Budgets towards the refurbishment of the charity premises.
The translation services fund is a grant from the People's Postcode Lottery.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
The salary contingency fund has been created to deal with any potential charge which may arise due to changes in legislation. This fund will be reviewed annually.
The property fund comprises the charitable company's premises which are required for day to day operations.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2023 - none).