for the Period Ended 31 March 2024
Directors report | |
Profit and loss | |
Balance sheet | |
Additional notes | |
Balance sheet notes | |
Community Interest Report |
Directors' report period ended
The directors present their report with the financial statements of the company for the period ended 31 March 2024
Principal activities of the company
Directors
The director shown below has held office during the period of
20 February 2024
to
31 March 2024
The above report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions in part 15 of the Companies Act 2006
This report was approved by the board of directors on
And signed on behalf of the board by:
Name:
Status: Director
for the Period Ended
13 months to 31 March 2024 | ||
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Cost of sales: |
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Gross profit(or loss): |
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Operating profit(or loss): |
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Profit(or loss) before tax: |
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Profit(or loss) for the financial year: |
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As at
Notes | 13 months to 31 March 2024 | ||
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Debtors: | 3 |
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Cash at bank and in hand: |
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Creditors: amounts falling due within one year: | 4 |
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The notes form part of these financial statements
This report was approved by the board of directors on
and signed on behalf of the board by:
Name:
Status: Director
The notes form part of these financial statements
for the Period Ended 31 March 2024
Basis of measurement and preparation
Turnover policy
Other accounting policies
for the Period Ended 31 March 2024
13 months to 31 March 2024 | ||
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Average number of employees during the period |
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for the Period Ended 31 March 2024
13 months to 31 March 2024 | ||
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for the Period Ended 31 March 2024
13 months to 31 March 2024 | ||
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Other creditors |
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This year, the Affordable Counselling Network has delivered accessible online counselling services to support individuals facing mental health challenges all around the UK. Our mission is to provide affordable, high-quality mental health care while also empowering trainee counsellors with valuable clinical experience to enhance their personal and professional development. During our first year, we have focused on laying the foundation for delivering safe, effective, and accessible online counselling services. This period was dedicated to: - Establishing robust operational systems and policies, including safeguarding protocols, to ensure the highest standards of client care. - Recruiting a dedicated team of trainee counsellors and providing comprehensive onboarding to equip them for their roles. - Designing and refining a service delivery model tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities of online counselling. - Raising awareness of our services within the community through local outreach and low-cost targeted advertising. This foundational work has ensured that we are well-prepared to meet the mental health needs of individuals seeking online counselling, particularly in later months as demand has grown for our low-cost service. By prioritising safety, accessibility, and quality, we have created a service model that balances professional standards with our commitment to community well-being. Key Activities: During the 2023/24 financial year, we delivered 856 counselling sessions to 143 clients. We expanded our team of trainee counsellors to include 53 volunteers. At the time of writing in November 2024, we have 429 active clients and 154 trainee counsellors and psychotherapists volunteering with us, ensuring a diverse and skilled group of counsellors are available to meet the needs of our service users. Community Benefits: We aim to reduce barriers to mental health care by providing an affordable alternative for individuals who would otherwise struggle to access support. Feedback from clients has shown improved mental well-being, reduced stress, and greater resilience. Where clients have struggled to engage with our service or maintain regular attendance at counselling sessions, we have offered tailored support, including concessionary fees where appropriate, which is significantly lower compared to the cost to access private therapy. We are proud of the partnerships we have begun to grow with organisations all around the UK. We hope to identify more community programs and services that would benefit from direct investment from us. This year we are inviting our volunteers to suggest causes close to their hearts for us to assist. Future Aspirations: Looking ahead, we aim to expand our outreach efforts to connect with more individuals, communities and to offer additional training opportunities for our volunteers. We are in the process of enabling a new service for us to offer in-house DBS checks for volunteers who do not have these in place already. We are actively exploring opportunities to expand our services by introducing online couples and group therapy. To achieve this, we are engaging with UK-based training institutions renowned for their robust and high-quality programmes in these specialised areas. This partnership approach aims to ensure that our offerings are both effective and aligned with best practice standards.
Stakeholder Consultation: Clients: Individual service users accessing counselling are invited to give feedback at different stages of their counselling journey. Trainee Counsellors: Volunteers are contacted for consultation and invited to offer feedback on a regular basis through, direct communication, group discussions and personal reviews held individually and in collaboration with their supervisors. Training Institutions: We meet and collaborate with training organisations supporting our volunteers on a regular basis to assist in the ongoing professional development of trainees, and to align on service quality and standards. Community Members: We reach out to other charities and support groups as part of our commitment to improving access to mental health support for communities. We are looking to expand and strengthen our community network this year with more direct investment and sponsorships. Following the consultations mentioned above, we have made changes and improvements to our service to benefit our clients, volunteers and other stakeholders. In response to feedback received, we have: - Enhanced our onboarding process for trainees to better prepare them for online counselling. - Setup a program of training events across the year to assist our volunteers in reaching their continuous professional development objectives, which also benefits the service provided to our clients. - Implemented client suggestions, including a dedicated booking page for initial assessments, accessible directly through our website. Setup a new payment and booking management system with automated payments and session reminders by email and text. - Strengthened safeguarding policies based on input from training institutions, volunteers and in line with best practice recommendations from our professional membership bodies, including acknowledging changes in technology where this is relevant. By prioritising consultation and collaboration, we have ensured that our services meet the needs of all stakeholders while maintaining high professional standards.
The total of directors remuneration for 2023/24 was £7,076. There were no additional benefits paid.
No transfer of assets other than for full consideration
This report was approved by the board of directors on
18 November 2024
And signed on behalf of the board by:
Name: Ellie Batten
Status: Director