The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 30 June 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 articles of association, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) 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)".
The charity's objects are the advancement of education with the main beneficiaries being children and young people.
The charity's objectives are to advance education through:
Providing accredited training in order to develop the next generation of family therapists in Scotland.
Developing a multi-disciplinary hub as a centre for excellence to enable therapists from a variety of backgrounds to share ideas and promote family therapy.
Such other things that are considered by the Directors to be conducive to the above objects.
Family Therapy Training Network (FTTN) provide accredited postgraduate training in family therapy. Family therapy is multi‐disciplinary, with therapists coming from backgrounds including psychology, psychiatry, nursing and social work. Members of Family Therapy Training Network are experienced family therapists and family therapy trainers. The company is regulated by the Association of Family Therapy and courses are accredited with the University of Strathclyde.
Family Therapy Training Network provide the only accredited postgraduate training in family therapy in Scotland. By providing this training to individuals and organisations, we support the development of the next generation of family therapists. The work of the therapists is invaluable for the health and wellbeing of families across Scotland. Members of Family Therapy Training Network give their time to train the students and therefore maximise the public benefit.
The year 2023-2024 has been a successful one for FTTN. The majority of our Masters students completed dissertations and clinical finals in the summer of 2024 and graduated from the university in the Autumn of 2024. A new Foundation cohort has been started in the autumn of 2024 with students who are funded by NHS Education Scotland. We have started a bespoke course in Inverclyde that will lead to a number of practitioners there becoming qualified at Intermediate level after. We have also delivered a four day input to Children1st which was very well received and continue to work with partners' in the third sector. Out Foundation and Intermediate courses were reaccredited by AFT this year and received very positive feedback. The courses continue to be delivered in a hybrid fashion with part online and part face to face.
Courses are delivered through a combination of direct staff contact, essays, and independent study.
The Foundation course is part time and lasts for one academic year. It builds on participants’ professional background and personal strengths by engaging with ideas and skills that enhance practice when working with families. A focus on workplace based cases and tasks combined with new learning consolidated by role play, and other experiential learning ensures the training is relevant.
The Intermediate year has an emphasis on reflective practice as students develop a cohesive theoretical framework to engage, assess and plan interventions with children, young people and their families. There are opportunities to develop therapeutic use of self, and critique and use evidence based practice on this second year of the training.
Years three and four form the Pg Dip / MSc, or qualifying level of the training and require the trainee to complete taught modules and two clinical placements; it is only after completing these four years successfully that you can be registered with AFT and use the title, Family Therapist. Students can choose to do a Masters by undertaking the research module. The Pg Diploma / Masters course is accredited by the University of Strathclyde.
The Supervision course is designed for those already qualified as Family Therapists and are looking to go on to supervise and train others. The course lasts two years and is taught by a mixture of theory, application of theory to practice, skills development and presentation of trainees work.
The activities all have the aim of developing highly skilled family therapists. Provision of high quality, accredited qualifications contributes to the advancement of education.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
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 charity is a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital.
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:
Trustees are appointed and recruited through an open application and interview process.
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.
Organisational structure:
Members - who have the right to attend the annual general meeting (and any other general meetings) and have important powers under the articles of association and the Act; in particular, the members elect people to serve as Directors and take decisions in relation to changes to the articles themselves.
Directors - who comprise the board and hold regular meetings during the period between annual general meetings, and generally control and supervise the activities of the company; in particular, the Directors are responsible for monitoring the financial position of the company.
The Trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 June 2024, which are set out on pages 5 to 15.
The charity’s trustees, who are also the directors of Family Therapy Training Network for the purposes of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investments (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1)(a) to (c) of the 2006 Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the financial statements as required under section 44(1)(c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the financial statements.
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations; and
to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations;
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Family Therapy Training Network is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland. The registered office is The Old Surgery, School Road, Tarbert, Argyll, PA29 6UL.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's articles of association, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) 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)". 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 applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 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 or grantors 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.
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.
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 and intangible 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.
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.
Other income - Marian Gerry funding
Bank interest received
Materials
Catering costs
Travel expenses
Training expenses
General expenses
Equipment hire
Room hire
Consultants fees
Placement fees
Accreditation fees, CPD and other events
Governance costs includes payments to the Independent Examiners of £1,278 (2023: £1,444) for the Independent Examination of the financial statements.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year, and no Trustee was reimbursed for any expenditure (2023 - one Trustee was reimbursed £781 for expenses).
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.
Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:
Deferred course income of £5,750 represents income received in advance of the 2023/24 training season. This was released as income in the current year.
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.
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.
During the year the charity entered into the following transactions with related parties:
During the year £150 (2023: £Nil) was paid to J Young, a trustee of the charity, for training courses and other duties provided. The rates paid were at open market value and similar to rates paid to other unrelated consultants during the year.