During the financial year, Next Chapter continued to provide early intervention mental health, wellbeing and family support to children, young people, adults, parents, families and professionals. Our work is based on a whole-system approach, recognising that individuals do not exist in isolation and that sustainable change is often dependent on the wider relationships, environments and systems around them. We provide a combination of group workshops, structured programmes and one-to-one support, enabling people to develop greater self-awareness, emotional capacity, confidence, communication skills and practical strategies to manage life’s challenges. Our multidisciplinary team provides tailored support across areas including coaching and mentoring, counselling and psychotherapy, psycho-education, neurodiversity, healthy relationships, parenting, systemic family work and support through periods of significant life transition. Our approach is particularly focused on early help and prevention. We support people who may not meet statutory thresholds for intervention but who recognise that something needs to change and need support to take the first steps. By working alongside individuals and families to identify both personal and systemic barriers, we help them develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to make sustainable changes rather than simply responding when difficulties reach crisis point. Based in the heart of a residential community, our centre has continued to develop as a safe, welcoming and accessible community resource. It provides not only access to professional support, but also a sense of belonging and connection. Through relationships, shared learning and practical support, people are able to build their own toolkit of strategies to support mental wellbeing and approach life with greater confidence, capacity and stability. Community development and access During the year, we embedded and nurtured our community programme. This has provided greater security for our community provision and enabled us to establish our centre as a community resource over a three-year funded period. This funding investment has allowed us to broaden the use of our premises and welcome other community partners, including Lifelong Learning, who have delivered courses focused on developing skills and improving access to education. The centre has also provided space for social groups and youth provision, increasing opportunities for connection, learning and participation within the local community. Our subsidised service, introduced in 2024, has continued to be highly successful. It has enabled us to provide accessible support to working families and individuals who are frequently overlooked by mainstream systems. At the same time, we have continued to explore ways of developing a more sustainable organisational model, with the aim of reducing reliance on multiple funding streams, while retaining our commitment to accessibility and social impact. During the year, our associate team expanded and strengthened, increasing the breadth of expertise available and enabling us to reach a wider audience, including people who may not traditionally engage with community-based support. Our specialist neurodiversity informed practitioners have continued to play an important role in meeting an increasing need within the community, where clients may have previously accessed multiple services which have not created sustainable change. We remain committed to providing high-quality, values-led services that are accessible regardless of financial circumstances. Developing services in response to community need Our programmes have continued to evolve in response to participant feedback and identified need. This responsive approach ensures that our services are shaped not only by organisational priorities, but by the experiences, needs and feedback of the people and families we support. Leadership, partnerships and organisational development We have continued to develop our professional partnerships and collaborative approach, recognising that effective community wellbeing provision is strengthened when organisations work together rather than in isolation. We also invested in the physical environment in which our services are delivered. Through a corporate social responsibility partnership with Hill Dickinson, a team of 13 volunteers supported significant improvements to our centre through redecoration. Feedback from those using the centre has reflected the positive impact of these improvements. People reached and impact Over the last year, we have developed greater clarity around the role of our service and the support we are able to provide. This has enabled us to refine our referral model and strengthen pathways into our service, helping people access support that is aligned with our early intervention approach. The shift towards self-referral and early help has enabled us to establish a stronger foundation for sustainable growth and impact. Overall community benefit Overall, the financial year has been one of consolidation, development and sustainable growth for Next Chapter. We have strengthened our team, developed new partnerships, expanded our community offer and improved our physical environment. Most importantly, we have continued to create a space where people can seek support before difficulties escalate into crisis; where families can develop stronger relationships; where individuals can build emotional capacity and confidence; and where people who often fall between existing systems can find accessible, professional and compassionate support. Our impact extends beyond individual interventions. By developing people's skills, confidence, selfawareness and capacity to manage challenges, we aim to create sustainable change that benefits individuals, families and the wider community. Our continued development towards a mixed and more sustainable income model will allow us to protect the accessibility of our services while reducing reliance on grant funding. This will support the long-term sustainability of Next Chapter and enable us to continue investing in the community we serve.

Our stakeholders include the children, young people, adults, parents, families who access our services; professionals and organisations who refer to or work alongside us; staff, associates and volunteers; community partners; schools and educational organisations; funders and commissioners; and other organisations and individuals within the wider community who are affected by or contribute to our work. Stakeholder consultation is embedded within our day-to-day practice and service development. We gather feedback through one-to-one conversations, programme reviews, participant feedback, outcome measures, online feedback, informal discussions, professional conversations and ongoing engagement with partner organisations. We also use feedback from staff, associates and volunteers to understand what is working well and where changes may be needed. Feedback is used to inform the development and delivery of our services. During the year, this included adapting our Healthy Relationships provision in response to service-user feedback. We have also continued to develop our subsidised service in response to the needs of working families and individuals who can experience barriers to accessing both traditional funded provision and private services. Feedback and engagement have also informed the development of our community offer, including the use of our centre for Lifelong Learning courses, social groups and youth provision, helping us to ensure that the building continues to function as a welcoming and accessible community resource. We have strengthened our evaluation and digital feedback systems during the year, enabling us to capture stakeholder experiences more consistently and use this information to identify emerging needs, measure outcomes and inform future service development. We also maintain regular dialogue with partner organisations, schools, professionals and community stakeholders. This has contributed to the development of new partnerships and opportunities. Our approach is therefore one of continuous consultation and responsive development, ensuring that the experiences and needs of the people and communities we work with remain central to how Next Chapter evolves.

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration