VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Company limited by guarantee

Company Registration Number:
11541753 (England and Wales)

Unaudited statutory accounts for the year ended 31 August 2024

Period of accounts

Start date: 1 September 2023

End date: 31 August 2024

VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Contents of the Financial Statements

for the Period Ended 31 August 2024

Directors report
Profit and loss
Balance sheet
Additional notes
Balance sheet notes
Community Interest Report

VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Directors' report period ended 31 August 2024

The directors present their report with the financial statements of the company for the period ended 31 August 2024

Directors

The directors shown below have held office during the whole of the period from
1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024

N Qureshi
S Farrimond


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
9 May 2025

And signed on behalf of the board by:
Name: N Qureshi
Status: Director

VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Profit And Loss Account

for the Period Ended 31 August 2024

2024 2023


£

£
Turnover: 170,202 120,181
Cost of sales: ( 83,383 ) ( 76,725 )
Gross profit(or loss): 86,819 43,456
Administrative expenses: ( 82,186 ) ( 73,287 )
Operating profit(or loss): 4,633 (29,831)
Profit(or loss) before tax: 4,633 (29,831)
Profit(or loss) for the financial year: 4,633 (29,831)

VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Balance sheet

As at 31 August 2024

Notes 2024 2023


£

£
Fixed assets
Tangible assets: 3 2,537 763
Total fixed assets: 2,537 763
Current assets
Debtors: 4 3,359 2,603
Cash at bank and in hand: 66,235 27,000
Total current assets: 69,594 29,603
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year: 5 ( 99,147 ) ( 62,015 )
Net current assets (liabilities): (29,553) (32,412)
Total assets less current liabilities: (27,016) ( 31,649)
Total net assets (liabilities): (27,016) (31,649)
Members' funds
Profit and loss account: (27,016) ( 31,649)
Total members' funds: ( 27,016) (31,649)

The notes form part of these financial statements

VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Balance sheet statements

For the year ending 31 August 2024 the company was entitled to exemption under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

These accounts have been prepared and delivered in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

This report was approved by the board of directors on 9 May 2025
and signed on behalf of the board by:

Name: N Qureshi
Status: Director

The notes form part of these financial statements

VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Period Ended 31 August 2024

  • 1. Accounting policies

    Basis of measurement and preparation

    These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions of Section 1A (Small Entities) of Financial Reporting Standard 102

    Turnover policy

    Turnover Turnover is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable, net of discounts and value added taxes. Turnover includes revenue earned from the sale of goods and from the rendering of services. Turnover is reduced for estimated customer returns, rebates and other similar allowances.

    Tangible fixed assets depreciation policy

    Tangible Fixed Assets and Depreciation Tangible fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated impairment losses. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of the fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives on the following bases: Computer Equipment - 33% Straight Line

    Other accounting policies

    Taxation Corporation tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable and deferred tax. The tax currently payable is based on taxable surplus for the year. Taxable surplus differs from surplus as reported in the statement of comprehensive income because of items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and items that are never taxable or deductible. The company's liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the end of the reporting period.

VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Period Ended 31 August 2024

  • 2. Employees

    2024 2023
    Average number of employees during the period 2 1

VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Period Ended 31 August 2024

3. Tangible assets

Land & buildings Plant & machinery Fixtures & fittings Office equipment Motor vehicles Total
Cost £ £ £ £ £ £
At 1 September 2023 2,464 2,464
Additions 3,256 3,256
Disposals
Revaluations
Transfers
At 31 August 2024 5,720 5,720
Depreciation
At 1 September 2023 1,701 1,701
Charge for year 1,482 1,482
On disposals
Other adjustments
At 31 August 2024 3,183 3,183
Net book value
At 31 August 2024 2,537 2,537
At 31 August 2023 763 763

VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Period Ended 31 August 2024

4. Debtors

2024 2023
£ £
Prepayments and accrued income 3,173 2,603
Other debtors 186 0
Total 3,359 2,603

VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Period Ended 31 August 2024

5. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year note

2024 2023
£ £
Trade creditors 7,476 5,322
Taxation and social security 1,548 1,454
Accruals and deferred income 87,516 51,665
Other creditors 2,607 3,574
Total 99,147 62,015

COMMUNITY INTEREST ANNUAL REPORT

VOICES FOR CHOICES CIC

Company Number: 11541753 (England and Wales)

Year Ending: 31 August 2024

Company activities and impact

Voices for Choices (CIC) provides support and information to women, birthing people and their families allowing them to provide feedback on their experiences of maternity services and influence the development of healthcare provision. Evidence shows that greater input from service users leads to better care and provision. We undertake research and engagement with maternity service users and feed this back to service providers. These activities benefit the community by having an organisation that brings voices together and then works with NHS maternity healthcare providers to reflect these experiences. We seek out the seldom heard voices particularly in disadvantaged and under-represented communities. This process helps families to talk and support one another, share their experiences of maternity care and also gathers information, ideas and evidence to support decision-making within the maternity system. We work primarily in the Greater Manchester area, but also with a range of organisations nationally to support research and engagement in maternity care. During the period outlined in this return (01 September 2023-31 August 2024) Voices for Choices has benefited the community by: Continuing to deliver 6 Maternity Voice Partnerships (MVPs) at St Mary’s Oxford Road, Wythenshawe, North Manchester, Bolton, Stockport and Tameside. Quarterly MVP meetings were held at each site which brought together families, VCSE organisations and maternity healthcare professionals to consider and take action on areas for service improvement within maternity. At the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire (GMEC) geography we continued to represent women and families within the GMEC Maternity & Neonatal system through attending Maternity Transformation Group meetings and holding link meetings with MVP chairs. We both attended and facilitated the involvement of MVP leads at Trust level Local Maternity & Neonatal System (LMNS) Assurance visits contributing the service user voice at each Trust. We were also members of the Pelvic Health Working group contributing to the development of a pre-screening questionnaire for women and families. We have also been pro active members of the LMNS equity and inclusion steering group and represented at Safety Champions meetings. We also worked in partnership with the University of Manchester, linking the University’s midwifery programme with GMEC MVP chairs and VCSE partners to ensure service user representation on interview panels for prospective student midwives. We also presented to first year student midwives on the work of the MVPs and also supported a University-led cultural competence training day. In response to feedback from women, families and birthing people we launched a specific project on experience of communication by Maternity Healthcare professionals on Induction of Labour. This involved a survey of families receiving care from Manchester Foundation Trust, several listening events and interviews. Events were undertaken in partnership with the Centre for Ethnic Health and the Coffee, Chill & Spill organisation at Ashton mosque. Information about the project was also presented to the GM Disability Engagement Forum. This project has now been extended to cover the whole of Greater Manchester and will result in the formation of a community of practice and new co-produced resources on Induction of Labour for families in Greater Manchester. During this period we also created a video of the birth centre at North Manchester General Hospital which showed women from diverse families surrounding the hospital who had used the birth centre. This was in response to feedback from local families that they did not know the birth centre was an option for them to use. The video has subtitles and is now in wide circulation. During this period we also started a project for Trafford Council, focussing on women who had experienced pregnancy with a BMI over 35 living in Trafford who had given birth within the last two years in order to explore their experiences of lifestyle projects. The results and impact of this project will be included in our next return. 15 Steps for Maternity (an observational walk around of maternity units facilitated by the MNVP lead in partnership with service users and VCSFE organisations) and Walk the Patches were also undertaken in each Trust during this period.

Consultation with stakeholders

Our primary stakeholder group is users of maternity services in the Greater Manchester locality. Over the last year, our organisation has carried out several real life and virtual events and consultation activities with this group. During this period, for example, we supported our MVP chairs to complete ’15 Steps for Maternity’ reviews. 15 Steps is a walk round of maternity units including antenatal clinics, birth centres and post-natal wards, specifically from the perspective of families. We particularly focus on recruiting service users from communities reflecting diversity from the local areas surrounding the maternity unit. The results of the 15 Steps are written up into an action plan which is taken forward through MVP meetings. Co-production project for this period include creating a Signs & Symptoms of Pre Term Birth Leaflet. This was a co-development project to develop new resources aimed at addressing a specific need within South Asian service users in Greater Manchester in recognising the signs and symptoms of pre-term birth. Previous resources for this demographic were known to be harder to access (often said to be too medical/academic). We worked in partnership with the Chai Project, a well-established charity operating across GM, which supports women from South Asian heritage, as well as asylum seekers and refugees. We worked with charity’s regular Oldham and Trafford groups, which are attended by 70 women from minority ethnic communities each week, usually just after school drop off. The women were primarily either from second or third generation British Pakistani or British Bangladeshi backgrounds or had asylum and refugee status, with countries of origin including Sudan, Palestine, India, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Through focus groups and listening events, we identified a number of barriers that might prevent women from seeking medical advice at an early stage. Using this information, we worked with the women to create a leaflet which clearly set out what to look out for and when to seek medical support. This was subject to further user feedback and amendment, working with clinical advice and a professional graphic designer. This leaflet has been produced and plans are in place to distribute 20,000 copies across Greater Manchester. The information will be translated into the five most-spoken languages (other than English) and is in the process of being adopted by several NHS maternity trusts, as well as being recognised as an example of co-production best practice. The co-production project was also presented at the Maternity & Midwifery conference. During this period we also began an equity project on ‘early booking’ in pregnancy, examining potential reasons for different marginalised groups not booking with maternity services as soon as they were pregnant. Two focus groups were held with women of South Asian heritage and asylum seekers and refugees users of The Chai project. Partnership links were also started with members of the Roma community in Oldham, in conjunction with a local charity and community midwifery support. Our MVP lead in Tameside organised and facilitated feedback from service users on the refreshed birth centre in Tameside. Feedback was also provided on a proposed change in visiting times on the post-natal ward at North Manchester and presentations made on the work of the MVPs in a number of different forums including the Trafford best beginnings board and The Parent Infant Mental Health Partnership Stockport. During August 2024, we also developed an enhanced training and well being support package for the MVP leads, the delivery of which will be covered in our next return. Throughout our core programme of work work we are constantly engaging with NHS service leads and providers at the Greater Manchester level to ensure that voices are fed into service development. This work has also included attending national NHS meetings on equity and equality in maternity services. We continued to develop and maintain the website www.maternityvoices.org.uk and associated social media platforms with up to date contact details to ensure that each MVP across GMEC was included with relevant contact details, providing a direct link for women and families to feed into their local MVP. During this period we also developed and launched www.voicesforchoices.org.uk providing information for the general public on the CIC specifically.

Directors' remuneration

The aggregate amount of emoluments paid to or receivable by directors in respect of qualifying services was £38,405. There were no other transactions or arrangements in connection with the remuneration of directors, or compensation for director’s loss of office, which require to be disclosed.

Transfer of assets

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration

This report was approved by the board of directors on
9 May 2025

And signed on behalf of the board by:
Name: N Qureshi
Status: Director