The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.
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 constitution, 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 TRUSTEES
The Trustees who served the charity during the period were as follows:
Lynsey Fitzpatrick- appointed 2/12/2016
Shirley Ferrier- Treasurer appointed 7/11/2022
Lynn McMurchie- Secretary appointed 7/11/2022
Donna Fisher- Chair appointed 7/11/2022
We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities.
The object of Dumfries & Galloway Rape Crisis & Sexual Abuse Support Centre is to provide emotional and practical support to anyone who has been raped, sexually assaulted, or otherwise sexually abused. We work to relieve isolation and distress; advance education; further health and improve the conditions of life of survivors by:
Reducing the impact of the trauma experienced by survivors of sexual violence or abuse by helping them to regain a sense of safety.
Supporting the recovery of survivors which enables the taking back of power and control over their lives and helps them to reconnect with family, friends, and society.
Reducing the knock-on effects of sexual violence such as the impact that some harmful coping strategies can have on health; finances; and tenancy sustainment.
Raising awareness among partner agencies and other frontline service providers of the impact of sexual violence so that trauma is reduced, and the recovery of survivors is supported.
Raising awareness among policy makers, both locally and nationally, of the prevalence and impact of sexual violence and abuse to influence funding decisions and ensure sustainability of service provision.
The core service consists of one-to-one emotional support which is trauma informed.
Through a nationally funded project the organisation also provides sexual violence prevention work with young people in 15 of the 16 secondary schools across Dumfries & Galloway. Also nationally funded our Criminal Justice Advocacy service provides advice, information and support to survivors who are considering, or have already chosen to report a sexual offence to the police.
Support is normally provided in multiple locations, including the centre; at the service user’s home; other suitable and accessible venues. Survivors can self-refer, and referrals are also accepted from family and friends; Primary Care practitioners; Social Work; NHS General and Mental Health services; addiction agencies; Criminal Justice; Police; Housing Support providers; Education; Housing and other voluntary agencies.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
2024-2025 Statistics taken from OASIS secure case management reporting system:
During this period DGRC&SASC supported a total of 235 survivors across all areas of our service.
Staff & Volunteer Training Completed in reporting period.
Bitesize Sexual Health Staff Training - NHS Sexual Health
Sexual Health and Intellectual Disabilities – NHS Sexual Health
Introduction to mindfulness-based stress reduction – NHS D & G Department of Psychology
Trans/Gender identity awareness training – conducted by Sleeping Giants
Compassion fatigue, stress and burnout/self-care – NHS D&G Department of Psychology
Professional Boundaries Training – delivered internally.
NHS Education for Scotland e-Module - Developing your trauma skilled practice 1: Understanding the impact of trauma and responding in a trauma-informed way
Families Outside
Understanding the issues affecting families by imprisonment.
Supporting children and YP who have a family member in prison.
Prison and prison visiting.
Police Scotland Advocacy Police Investigation Training
Training/development events and input from our team to outside agencies/community
16 days
Input from DGRC&SASC – SARCs, CATS, NHS Perinatal Dept, NHS Trauma Training, Archway, Police, VAWG Sub Committee, Public Protection Committee, Community Justice Partnership
Development Event – staff/board with input from the following external agencies Police Scotland, Sleeping Giants. Clair Higgon (counsellor) and Rape Crisis Scotland.
FINANCIAL REVIEW We have a presence on the following strategic groups:
Violence Against Women and Girls Partnership - VAWG sub-committee
Community Justice Partnership
Public Protection Partnership – Learning & Development sub-committee
Sexual Harm Strategy Group
GBV Steering Group (NHS)
Women’s Health Steering Group
NHS Dumfries & Galloway Forensic Services steering group- SARCS Development
Third Sector Dumfries & Galloway Health & Social Care Forum; with links to Integrated Joint Board and Community Planning
Rape Crisis Scotland Managers Network
Local Authority Homeless Protocol Domestic Abuse Working Group
Community Justice Partnership
PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS
During the year we aim to:
1. Continue to support survivors of sexual violence and their non-abusing partners, family, and friends.
2. Robustly pursue adequate funding to ensure long-term sustainability.
3. Continue to align service provision with Rape Crisis Scotland National Service Standards.
4. Continue to develop strategies that allow for better region-wide reach of the service and to support long-term sustainability.
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 considers 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.
Funding in 2024/25 from the following sources:
Scottish Government- Delivering Equally Safe Fund
Dumfries & Galloway Council
NHS Dumfries & Galloway
Rape Crisis Scotland- Children, Young People and Families- Early Intervention Fund -Prevention Project
Rape Crisis Scotland- Justice Fund- National Advocacy Service
Salient Features of the Accounts:
Expenditures were met fully from funding during the year and the respective surpluses on the unrestricted and restricted funds respectively were added to reserves and carried forward.
Payment to Trustees: No Trustees are employed by the organisation.
D1 covers travel expenses in relation to the paid jobs (not trustee duties).
We cover the whole of Dumfries & Galloway from Stranraer in the West to Gretna and Langholm in the East. Travel is paid at 45p per mile.
Financial Position: The Trustees are satisfied with the financial standing of the Centre.
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.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee
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:
ANNUAL OVERVIEW: SERVICE DELIVERY, STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
DGRC&SASC has continued to provide emotional support to anyone over the age of 12 who has been raped, sexually assaulted, or otherwise sexually abused or exploited at any time in their life. We have worked to relieve isolation and distress, to promote healing, and empowerment to regain control and live a life free from the effects of sexual violence trauma.
Aside from our direct support work with survivors we have been very much focusing on the Community Engagement strand of our organisation, which has really taken flight in this reporting period. One particular piece of work, made possible by the addition to our structure of dedicated community engagement and development roles and in relation to consent and healthy relationships, has been the development of our Young People's Attitudes to Consent survey. This evidence gathering expands on the work of our Sexual Violence Prevention Programme which at times is limited in capacity to take deeper dives into young people's thinking around the topics covered within the remit of the national programme. The survey focuses on young people’s opinions on whether it is important to learn about consent and where their main sources of education of consent are compared to where they are most comfortable discussing consent, as well as ascertaining their knowledge of consent as it relates to sexual violence. The results of this survey will be used to highlight areas of concern/ideas for development of our Sexual Violence Prevention work in schools and beyond, as well as sharing across the VAWG partnership to provide insight on young people's thinking, attitudes and behaviours as well as influencing our service delivery and policy direction locally and nationally. The launch of the results from this extensive piece of work is expected in November 2025 to coincide with the 16 Days of Activism Global campaign.
In late 2024 DGRC & SASC Board of Trustees undertook a significant review of the organisation’s salary structure mapped against network wide examples within trauma support organisations. The purpose of this work was not only to bring the organisation in line with comparative models but also to improve systems and infrastructure and reduce some administrative tasks associated with payroll duties. Thorough costings were carried out and the review concluded in March 2025 with the implementation of a new system and pay award increases across all roles. The board is committed to working alongside senior managers to develop and improve all areas of DGRC & SASC operational delivery, with the next area of focus being reviewing all contractual Terms & Conditions, to ensure that we continue to offer attractive employment opportunities into a sector that is not always easy to recruit into due to the nature of the service we deliver.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025, which are set out on pages 7 to 17.
It is my responsibility to examine the financial statements as required under section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. 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 seeking 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 the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention
1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1)(a) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and Regulation 4 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, and
to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006
have not been met, or
2. 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.
Dumfries & Galloway Rape Crisis & Sexual Abuse Support Centre Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland. The registered office is 7 Church Crescent, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, DG1 1DF.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's constitution, 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.
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).