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 governing document, 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) (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016).
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our stakeholders, dedicated staff and volunteers for their contribution. As a small organisation, we recognise that our people are our most important assets and without their dedication and professionalism, we would not be able to achieve our mission.
We have continued to develop and improve our services to both adult and young carers throughout the last year and we continue to see growing demand for our services.
Our vision
Our vision remains a simple one - enabling carers in Barnet to thrive.
Our mission
Our mission is in two parts. To provide high-quality services that respond to the needs of unpaid carers, both young and old, and the people they support, and to provide a first-class domiciliary care service to people in the Borough and beyond.
Barnet Carers provides high-quality services to informal, unpaid, carers who live in or care for someone who live mainly, but not exclusively, in the London Borough of Barnet. We provide information, emotional and practical support to adult and young carers. We also offer domiciliary care services to people with support needs and those with caring responsibilities.
By supporting carers, we aim to improve the wellbeing of both the carer and the person that they care for. This enables them to thrive and can also give them a much-needed break from their caring role. We currently support carers of all ages, including young carers supporting a parent or sibling, and adult carers supporting a child, partner or older relative.
Our objectives are to:
Offer services, which can make a positive difference to adult and young carers.
Identify and address the needs of carers across Barnet.
Strengthen the organisation’s relationship with its stakeholders.
Increase educational, health and social care professionals' awareness of the needs of adult and young carers.
Raise funding through grants and donations to support these activities.
Deliver an excellent domiciliary care service.
To meet these objectives our targets included:
Ensuring appropriate resources were available to provide the services.
Working together with our partners, and the London Borough of Barnet, in supporting the delivery of rights and support that all carers are entitled to under the 2014 Care Act.
Maintaining and developing links with professionals in education, health and social care.
Planning and monitoring the levels of income and expenditure necessary to provide the range of services for carers provided by Barnet Carers.
Support carers and young carers with the ongoing challenges of the UK cost of living crisis.
The Trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
The need
The most recent census put the number of carers in the Borough at 28,000. This represents a fall from previous estimates, and there remains some debate about whether the census numbers reflect the true number of carers in the Borough. What we do know, is that there are a large number of carers in the Borough that we are not reaching and that need support. Barnet continues to see its population both rise and age, and there is reason to believe that both those factors will lead to an increase in the number of carers needing support and an increase in demand for our services. Many carers go unrecognised and receive little or no support often until a crisis point is reached in many cases, individuals do not recognise themselves to be carers. Nationally, caring is often associated with poor physical, mental health and financial difficulties and there is no reason to believe that this is not the case in Barnet.
One of our key objectives is to help identify and support carers and this includes enabling people to understand the definition of a carer. We continue to develop our outreach programme to make sure that we can deliver services to carers where they are. New outreach has been carried out in community centres, at partner organisations, and in GP surgeries and local hospitals.
Criteria for receiving support
Barnet Carers is contracted by the London Borough of Barnet to provide a support service for adult and young carers. To receive support through this contract, the carer or the cared for must live in the Borough. We also run a number of projects that are funded by other organisations such as John Lyons Charity and the Mayor of London. The nature of this funding means that it is possible for us to support people through these projects who live outside of the Borough.
Our services are currently provided mainly through contracts with the local authority and from grants awarded from trusts and foundations. Most services are provided free of charge.
The Care Act
Carers are entitled by law to a range of services under the 2014 Care Act. Many of our services are governed by current legislation and funders criteria and are designed to support the delivery of rights and support for carers under the 2014 Care Act. The organisation reviewed and changed our approach to help provide a wide range of support options and improve service access by bringing services to more community locations across the Borough though stronger partnerships, Our Adult Carers Team assist all carers to identity support options available to help with care responsibilities, plan for the future and access specialist support to help them maintain an independent life alongside their caring responsibilities.
Services for Adult Carers
Our Adult Carers Team is dedicated to helping carers effectively manage their responsibilities. We offer a range of services aimed at meeting the needs of both the carers and those they care for, including:
Statutory Carers Needs Assessment: This assessment allows us to identify and customise our support to meet the specific needs of each carer. We have continued to meet our contract targets for Carers Needs Assessments and offer telephone and online self-assessment as well as face-to-face assessments for carers with particular needs. We continue to improve our assessment process to provide carers with a detailed and bespoke Carers Action Plan.
One-to-One Support: most of our one-to-one support is now conducted over the phone. We utilise the "Carers Star" outcomes framework to help carers improve their situations. This support is in addition to our standard services and is specifically aimed at those identified as needing a higher level of assistance.
Through our partnerships with local organisations we have significantly increased our ability to refer carers to the most appropriate resources. Our ongoing work to develop these partnerships has led to significant increases in referrals from areas such as social prescribing. Our Professionals Drop-In continues to expand our reach with various organisations across the Borough, ensuring that other professionals are informed about the needs of carers and how to support them. These efforts have led to a substantial rise in referrals from professionals to our organisation .
Grants and Subsidies: Throughout the year, we have been able to offer grants to carers for essential items as well as support for food and utilities. This funding came from the Carers Trust and the Household Support Grant programme.
Case Study – What a difference a grant makes
The small grants for carers that we can offer as part of being a Network Partner of Carers Trust are massively important to us and make a real difference in the lives of the carers we help support. But, what real impact do these grants have? What difference can a one-off grant of normally less than £300 actually make to someone's life?
Well, you would be surprised, and for that reason, here are the stories of two grants. For a washing machine and a trombone!
The strain of caring can often be financial, but it is more about what the squeeze on carers finances mean to them. This is where the small grants can make a difference far beyond the actual value. They can make the life of a carer easier, or better, or more pleasurable. That is why they are so important.
Most of us take a washing machine for granted and it is an everyday part of our lives. It is difficult to imagine a life without one. Can you imagine what it would be like in your house if you did not have a washing machine and you were also looking after 2 people with continence problems? Can you imagine not having a washing machine as the dirty linen plied up around you, as you tried to wash it in the bath and get it dried because your old washing machine had given up the ghost? Just thinking about it for even a few seconds makes you realise that washing machines are not luxuries but necessities - and an absolute necessity for a carer in the situation like this. £300 fixed that situation. It did not take all of the strain out of the caring relationship and there was still a lot of washing to do. But it made a real difference to the family.
But what about the trombone? A shy young carer who spent most of her time at home busy looking after a family member was offered trombone lessons by a family friend. It was something that she really wanted to do, but was impossible without a suitably sized trombone that she could practice on. A small grant purchased that trombone. With the equipment and some free lessons, that young carer was a changed person. As her ability on the trombone improved, so did her confidence - something that was noticed by her parent and the school. She had something that she was passionate about and that gave her something for herself outside of her caring role. That £200 changed a young carers life and hopefully has given someone a lifelong passion.
Additionally, we provide:
Regular Events and Workshops: Throughout the year we have been able to provide over 200 events for carers including yoga, mindfulness, drop-in's, coffee and chat, walking groups, resilience and wellbeing groups, lunches and much more.
Form-Filling Support and Advice: Our volunteer-run form-filling support service helps carers with a wide range of forms from Attendance Allowance to Blue Badges.
Wellbeing Workshops: Specialist partners conduct interactive workshops focusing on healthy living, staying active, and managing caring roles.
We have also started to promote our services to military veterans and now have a Veterans Champion. We have also created information in many of the community languages spoken in Barnet and have actively promoted that service on social media. We have now taken steps to further improve our digital inclusivity with new tools on our websites.
Services for young carers
In the year, our young carers service has gone from strength to strength. Our specialist Young Carer Team collaborates with young carers, their parents, and siblings to develop comprehensive support plans that ensure the entire family is involved. We work closely with schools and the local authority through the Family Services Hubs and support a range of services including Early Help Assessments. Our goal is to help young carers manage their responsibilities while enabling them to thrive and progress in their lives.
We have implemented a "wrap-around" programme for young carers that offers access to a diverse range of activities, including individual and group mentoring within school settings, as well as a tutoring program designed to prevent educational disadvantages stemming from their caring roles.
Young carers can also access the following services:
Regular Social Events: through the support of John Lyon’s Charity we have further expanded our Broadening Horizons activity programme for young carers of all ages - this year saw our biggest programme of activities so far - enabling hundreds of young carers to access fun and educational activities throughout the year.
"Due to my eyesight disability and fear of heights, I would never have been able to take her somewhere like this. She truly benefited from an experience she would never have had if it wasn't for this service. Her growth in conquering her fears made it even more meaningful."
Parent of Young Carer attending a Thorpe Park trip
Tutoring Services: with the support of the Mayor of London's Propel Programme we have been able to expand our tutoring service to more young carers to provide a level playing field for young carers whose education has been impacted by their caring role.
School-Based Mentoring: through the support of the Mayor of London's Propel programme, we have been able to develop and expand our mentoring programme. Mentoring is now available to young carers throughout the Borough both in schools, online and in community settings during school holidays.
Enhanced Collaboration with Schools: we have increased our work with schools and produced new materials and resources for schools to enable them to better identify and refer young carers.
We know what to do!
With the support of John Lyon’s Charity and the Media Trust we produced a film about young carers featuring young carers from our project. The film, directed by Stevie Jerram and developed with young carers was a finalist in the annual Smiley Awards and was a Highly Commended in the Third Sector Charity Awards. It can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/FrWSohFLPEE
A strength-based approach
Through a wide range of services Barnet Carers aims to achieve positive outcomes for both adult and young carers. Through a “strengths-based” approach we seek to enable carers to improve their health and wellbeing, increase their understanding of the rights that they have as a carer, reduce feelings of isolation through involvement in our many educational and social activities, and make sure they are, as much as possible, living the life they want to lead.
Barnet adult and young carers strategy 2023-2028
The local authority was active in 2022-23 in developing a new Adult and Young Carers Strategy for the Borough.
Barnet Carers took a lead role in the development of the strategy and ran a series of engagement activities to ensure that the voice of carers was heard. The strategy will involve the establishment of a new Carers Engagement Board which will be chaired by Barnet Carers.
Influencing and participation
The organisation is active within the Borough and has had a key role in the development of the Barnet Dementia Strategy and the Dementia Friendly Barnet programme. We are also active members of the Barnet Safeguarding Board and the Access to Justice Sub-Committee. We are also active within the local voluntary sector and in supporting initiatives across the Borough and across North London that support carers.
Volunteers
Our volunteers continue to make a valuable and sustainable contribution to our day-to-day work. Currently, our volunteers are limited to counselling and formfilling support. We have 9 volunteers (not including our volunteer Board members). Their contribution to the charity is valued at up to £30,000.
Our approach to volunteering ensures that all volunteers feel valued and are supported, trained, and appraised for their chosen roles. We recognise the impact volunteers can have on empowering carers to feel supported in their caring roles - be it sharing their experience or giving practical and emotional support.
Highlights in 2023-24
Expanding our Broadening Horizons Activity Programme – leading to the largest programme for young carers ever provided by the charity;
Continued to develop and improve our mentoring programme for young carers enabling more young carers to access mentoring through schools and online and community settings;
Launched and promoted our young carers film - We know what to do - which was a Smiley Award finalist and Highly Commended in the Third Sector Awards;
Further expanded our counselling service for adult carers providing face-to-face sessions for carers on two days of the week and into the evenings;
86% of carers very satisfied or satisfied with Carers Needs Assessments;
Taking an active role in the implementation of the new Adult and Young Carers Strategy;
Provided over 40,000 hours of domiciliary care and further developed our home-care activity through the use of new technology and digital care management.
Our overall policy is to build up a reserve of unrestricted funds, which if required, could fund the existing operations of the Centre for a three-month period. In the event of the organisation facing difficult financial circumstances, the reserve balance would enable the Centre to continue during a period of managed adjustment to these new circumstances. The Trustees are currently reviewing the reserves policy in line with the strategy and business plan to ensure the organisation continues on a solid financial footing.
The figures for reserves as at 31 March 2024 are as follows:
the total funds are £172,237 (2023 : £94,798),
the funds which are restricted and not available for general purposes are £154,287 (2023 : £17,047).
Procedures are in place to ensure compliance with health and safety.
Going concern
There is no uncertainty about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.
Material investments and liabilities
There are no material financial investments in this financial 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.
Principal risks and uncertainties
The organisation maintains an ongoing risk register, which is reviewed regularly by trustees where appropriate, and systems, procedures and controls have been established to mitigate the risks the charity faces. Financial risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures for authorisation of all transactions and projects. A strategic plan is in place which will allows for the diversification of funding and activities.
The trustees and senior managers have worked to mitigate the financial risk and remain confident in our ability to continue this work.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and carries out its activities in accordance with its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The decision-making body is the Board of Trustees - all Directors and co-opted Directors are members who are elected at the Annual General Meeting by the Members of the organisation (the Trustees/Directors). The Board meets on a regular basis. It maintains a long-term overview of the organisation and its work and is responsible in a non-executive capacity for overall strategy, ensuring the sound financial management of the organisation, preparing the Trustees' Report each year and the appointment of the Chief Executive.
Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to public benefit guidance issued by the Charity Commission when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.
In the main, the trustees make decisions on strategic issues, delegating the day-to-day running of the organisation to the CEO and the Senior Management Team (SMT).
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 recruited according to an internal process. Applicants are initially put in touch with the head of business administrator. An application form is provided and the CEO and one or two existing trustees then interview the applicant. If that interview is successful and subject to satisfactory references, the Board of Trustees takes a vote on the applicant being formally endorsed at the next AGM.
We hold a comprehensive half-day induction into the organisation. Additional training including workshops is provided as needed.
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 Chief Executive and the senior management team are:
Mike Rich | Chief Executive |
Donia Arnall | Head of Homecare Services |
Rhonda Oliver | Head of Business Administration |
Maivel Rodriguez | Head of Development and Strategic Engagement |
Teresa Tojuola | HR Business Partner |
|
|
|
|
An average staff team of 68, of whom 15 are full-time, execute the operational activities of the organisation.
Related parties and relationships with other organisations
Anne Hutton and Rabbi Danny Rich, trustees of Barnet Carers Centre are Councillor for The London Borough of Barnet.
Statement of trustees' responsibilities
The trustees, who are also the directors of Barnet Carers 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 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.
Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees at 31 March 2024 was 9 (2023: 9). The trustees are members of the charity but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.
Statement as to disclosure to our auditors
In so far as the trustees are aware:
There is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware; and
The trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.
Richard Anthony was appointed as auditor to the company and a resolution proposing that they be re-appointed will be put at a General Meeting.
There is a benchmark rate for CEO and members of the SMT based on payments in the voluntary sector.
The trustees report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Barnet Carers 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.
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Barnet Carers Centre (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:
the information given in the Trustees' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared, which includes the directors' report prepared for the purposes of company law, is consistent with the financial statements; and
the directors' report included within the Trustees' report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors' report included within the Trustees' report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
As explained more fully in the statement of Trustees' responsibilities, the trustees, who are also the directors of the charity for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
The charitable company is subject to laws and regulations that directly affect the financial statements including financial reporting legislation. We determined that the following laws and regulations were most significant:
•The Companies Act 2006;
•Financial Reporting Standard 102;
•Charities Act 2011;
•UK employment legislation;
•UK health and safety legislation;
•General Data Protection Regulations.
We assessed the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our procedures on the related financial statement items. We understood how the charitable company is complying with those legal and regulatory frameworks by making enquiries to management and those responsible for legal and compliance procedures. The engagement partner assessed whether the engagement team had the appropriate competence and capabilities to identify or recognise non-compliance with laws and regulations. The assessment did not identify any issues in this area.
We assessed the susceptibility of the charitable company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including how fraud might occur. Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:
•Identifying and assessing the measures management has in place to prevent and detect fraud
•Understanding how those charged with governance considered and addressed the potential for override of controls or other inappropriate influence over the financial reporting process,
•Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in its significant accounting estimates, and
•Identifying and testing journal entries in particular any journal entries posted with unusual account combinations.
As a result of the above procedures, we considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the organisation for fraud and identified the greatest potential therefore existing within the recording and recognition of salaries. Our procedures in this respect were focused on the authorisation and validity of salary and associated payments and directed towards the accuracy thereof by undertaking testing of payroll records, time sheets and other supporting documentation on a sample basis. We consider that the work we undertook in this regard was considered capable of detecting irregularities and fraud within the payroll cycle.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
the information given in the trustees' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors' report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006. |
Barnet Carers Centre is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Global House, 303 Ballards Lane, London, N12 8NP.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum 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)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
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 has 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.
Turnover is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable and represents amounts receivable for services provided in the normal course of business.
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.
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.
Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged as an expense on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease.
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.
Homecare
London Borough of Barnet
Grants to individuals
Other Direct Costs
The increase in audit fee is due to under accrual recorded in 2023.
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 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.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2023 - none).
The charity had no debt during the year.