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2023-03-31-accounts

-A'rynual Rebort and Accounts. 2022-2023 we are. witlyou

Contents

Contents
Impact and Service Delivery 4
Welcome from Anne 4
Welcome from Belinda 6
Our Impact in Numbers 8
Our Impact in Stories 11
Our organisation 12
Recovery thrives at Greenslate Community Farm 15
Webchat: Bridging the gap in alcohol, drug, and mental health support17
Unlocking potential: Dylan’s journey with IPS 19
Breaking down barriers: Giving women the access they need 21
Empowering our young people: Finding purpose and giving back 25
Supporting second chances 27
Hepatitis C: A step closer to our micro-elimination goal 30
Sculpting strength: Using art to enhance recovery 32
RESET: Understanding the person behind the journey 34
Building better mental health: NHS Talking Therapies 36
Buvidal: Enhancing lives for those in recovery 38
Looking Forward 41
Structure, Governance and Management 45
Financial overview 46
Governance overview 50
Equality, diversity and inclusion 66
Fundraising in 2022/23 68
Reference and administrative details 70
Independent auditor’s report 74
Financial Statements 79

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WE ARE WITH YOU ANNUAL REPORT

IMPACT AND SERVICE DELIVERY

We support over 100,000 people with drug, alcohol and mental health issues each year.

Welcome from Anne

Having started the role of We Are With You’s Chair in January 2023, I am honoured to be leading the Board of Trustees at this inspirational charity, which supports people from all walks of life across England and Scotland.

We have continued to see the impact of large-scale national and international crises. The fallout of COVID and the cost of living crisis has exacerbated drug, alcohol and mental health issues. In England, there was a 20% increase in alcohol-related deaths in 2022/23 and Scotland recorded its highest ever drug-related deaths.

The fallout from COVID and the cost of living crisis has exacerbated drug, alcohol and mental health issues.

In response to this, last year we welcomed the Dame Carol Black ‘From Harm to Hope’ report, and the urgent call for investment and a shift in how services are delivered. This year we have seen that financial investment come to fruition. We Are With You has been able to invest much needed funds in specialist support services including a dedicated rough sleeper outreach service in Lincolnshire and our RESET partnership rough sleeper service in Shropshire.

Equally pertinent this year was the response from the Scottish Government to the Changing Lives report from the Drug Deaths Taskforce. This report was underpinned by two principles - that services treat problem drug use as any other health condition, and that people with lived experience are involved in policy decisions. These principles have shaped our approach to partnerships and collaborations across employment, justice, transport, education and health and social care to improve the lives of those affected by drugs.

To maintain our success and continue to deliver our mission, our Board of Trustees has taken the time to reflect on our governance. This year we welcomed two new Trustees to the board, Harpreet Sarna and Karen Shawhan, with expertise in clinical delivery and education to support the future direction of the charity. Looking to the future leadership of We Are With You, the board is recruiting a new Chief Executive who will join in 2023/24.

Our treatment services, which assist over 100,000 people with drug, alcohol, and mental health issues each year, form the core of We Are With You’s work. These clients are often among the most vulnerable people in society. Most have a personal history blighted

by trauma or poverty and many are using substances to anaesthetise the pain they feel. They need to be supported by well-ordered but flexible services run using the best possible clinical and operational skills. We want to take the best practices from around the world and apply them to services in a sustainable way to give clients what they need and what they deserve. There is a real chance to enable the people we serve to get better and stay well not just by reducing their substance use, but by resolving the underlying issues that made that their solution of choice.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to our excellent Executive team for guiding We Are With You to deliver better outcomes for our clients, and to our committed staff and volunteers who continue to support those who engage with our services. They have been central to everything we have achieved and have kept us true to our purpose.

Anne Chapman Chair of Trustees

We want to take the best practices from around the world and apply them to services in a sustainable way to give clients what they need and what they deserve.

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IMPACT AND SERVICE DELIVERY

Welcome from Belinda

It has been another extraordinary year. While the weight of COVID has begun to ease this year, other challenges such as the cost of living crisis have put further pressure on people suffering from alcohol, drug and mental health issues.

and clinical expertise. Our developing treatment pathways model means we are ensuring best practice and consistency in evidence-based tools and resources. This ensures we offer a truly person-centred, tailored approach, and as always, working in equal partnership with our clients. We work with individuals to their own goals, in a way that’s right for them.

We started the year with strong foundations to respond to the challenging external environment, as we came to the end of delivery of our 2020-2023 strategy:

Our staff and volunteers bring unmatched expertise, insight and personal experience to supporting our clients. To further guide them, this year we launched With You Learning, a new digital training platform to enhance core skill development, mandatory training modules and updated safeguarding and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion approaches. We’ve expanded our provision with more specific topics to build an inclusive and aware working environment such as ‘supporting people through menopause’ training. We have also focused on ways our

This transformative strategy has led to a 28% income growth, giving us the opportunity to invest more in services to improve outcomes for our clients - including increasing our testing for blood borne viruses (BBV) and specifically for hepatitis C by 35%, reducing harm and saving countless lives. Driven by this, we have continued to transform the way we deliver care - we have reviewed our treatment model with client input

staff can engage with each other, updating our communications tools with improved newsletters and bringing teams together for face-to-face management events.

The success of our charity is built on the real stories of individuals, and their voices are the driving force behind our work. Everyone has a unique recovery path. This ranges from staying safe and healthy and making small changes, to stopping a harmful habit altogether. This year we have continued to invest in local services to provide face-to-face care, which has led to two of our Recovery Hubs in Glasgow being described as ‘sector leading’ following Care Inspectorate visits. This is accompanied by our digital offering with online tools and a powerful webchat service, which offers support to an additional 20,000 people from across England and Scotland. What matters most is that we connect with each other, a key part of the recovery journey We Are With You cultivates.

We launched new services such as ROADS in Rotherham, which has enabled working with local partners including the NHS, Police, housing services and specialist organisations to share the expert skills of our staff and support clients no matter their personal circumstances. Another partnership service, our government funded ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery) programme in Liverpool, has seen huge benefits to clients (see page 38). We’ve continued our innovation through pilot studies, for example, the introduction of Buvidal, a treatment alternative to methadone. With Buvidal, clients are able to live a more normal life, without needing a daily or weekly drug dose administered by a pharmacy.

Stigma about drug and alcohol issues alongside poor mental health continues to be significant. Communities of people who need support, including women and LGBTQ+ people, aren’t accessing care at the level they should or could be. Partnerships such as We Are With You in Darlington at STRIDE (see page 21) with social services partner Keeping Families Together have been instrumental in breaking down some of the barriers for women accessing treatment. We are also introducing new approaches for

Our staff and volunteers bring unmatched expertise, insight and personal experience to supporting our clients.

mental health access following our report reviewing treatment access for refugee women in Kent.

Next year we will launch a new one-year strategy to enable people to overcome drug, alcohol and mental health challenges and reclaim wellbeing. The short-term strategy, designed to allow a new permanent Chief Executive to embed into the organisation, promises agility and continued wise investment in funding to support many more people in their recovery journey.

As this is my last report as CEO at We Are With You, I’d like to thank all of my colleagues for their dedicated and effective work and support. I joined as an interim CEO during the pandemic to lead the We Are With You transformation, and as this comes to a successful completion, it is time to move on. I’m proud to have been a part of such a dedicated, life-changing charity and seeing how you all play a role in our client journeys. All of our colleagues have achieved something incredible this year, and together we are working towards radically improving people’s chances of getting better.

A huge thank you also goes to our clients who have shared their personal recovery journey stories in this report. Their bravery to come forward and seek support for drug, alcohol and mental issues is extraordinary and it’s wonderful to see the difference services like We Are With You can make to secure them a happier, healthier future.

Belinda Phipps Chief Executive Officer

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WE ARE WITH YOU ANNUAL REPORT

OUR IMPACT IN NUMBERS

We tested

We supported

6,662 6,216

Impact in numbers 154 20,643 volunteers gave more than people chatted with a trained 13,640 advisor on our webchat service

people chatted with a trained advisor on our webchat service

We received 1,665,675

hours to support our work and role model recovery

visits to our website

We received £2.5m

in grants and donations from supporters, donors and trusts and foundations

people for hepatitis C in our mission to micro-eliminate the virus in our services

young people aged 11-24 with drug, alcohol and mental health issues

We worked with

11,042 73,620

people began treatment with us in our mental health programme

adults in England and Scotland to overcome issues with drugs and alcohol

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WhARE WITH YOU ANNUAL REPORT Impact in stories 10 11

WE ARE WITH YOU ANNUAL REPORT

OUR IMPACT IN STORIES

Our organisation

We provide a free and confidential service, without judgement, to more than 100,000 people a year. We use our expertise to improve the help available and raise awareness around drugs, alcohol and mental health so that more people can get support.

We provide services with a focus on the following areas:

Adult drug and

Young people’s services

We run stand-alone young people’s services and a number of others that are integrated within the adults’ services, across the country. Services are developed locally around the needs of young people and provide a holistic approach to support, focusing on reducing risk-taking behaviour, building resilience, self-esteem and wellbeing in order to make positive change.

alcohol services

We are commissioned to run drug and alcohol services across England and Scotland. This includes many different services from engagement and advice, to harm reduction, treatment (including clinical, nursing, psychotherapy and trauma approaches), recovery and community support, to supporting the Armed Forces communities. This is the largest proportion of our work and the majority of our staff are employed in drug and alcohol services.

Mental health support

Digital services

We provide confidential online support via a webchat service for anyone in the UK, alongside creating connections and referrals for clients who need support. Our website also includes digital interventions and information about drugs, alcohol and mental health.

We run NHS Talking Therapies in Surrey and Kent for adult anxiety disorders and depression. We also integrate a trauma-informed mental health approach to all of our services.

We Are With You Goals

Our three strategic goals in 2022/23 to deliver these services and support more clients in recovery were:

Transform our Help more Radically improve organisation to people people’s chances get the best from of getting better our people

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OUR IMPACT IN STORIES

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Recovery thrives at Greenslate Community Farm

The programme focuses on self-esteem, motivation, relapse prevention, triggers, cravings and goal setting, and these classroom sessions run alongside activities, such as tending to the farm, helping out in the café, and looking after the animals. Karen, one of our clients, explains how this approach to recovery has transformed her life.

We Are With You Goals

Radically improve people’s chances of getting better

“I was drinking 24 hours a day. I was trapped in a cycle of addiction, neglecting my children and lying to those around me. I was lost and alone, but then I found the farm. I started We Are With You’s recovery programme, and the combination of classroom teaching and being outside on the farm? Well, it saved my life.

Greenslate Community Farm can be found in the heart of the Wigan countryside, set within 30 acres of farm and woodlands, and is home to a number of community activities. This includes a 12-week

community rehabilitation programme run by We Are With You in partnership with BAC O’Connor and Wigan Council.

“Growing produce on the farm became my recovery—you see something grow from this little seed—something that you’ve nurtured and loved and cared for and you watch as it turns into something beautiful. It’s just the most wonderful metaphor for our recovery.”

In October 2022, We Are With You launched an official partnership with pizza oven company Gozney. Included in the partnership, we receive a portion of the UK sales of the new signature edition Roccbox pizza oven. Gozney also kindly donated a Tom Gozney Signature Edition Roccbox pizza oven to Greenslate Community Farm, so that clients who attend the community rehabilitation service at the farm can enjoy cooking pizzas as part of their recovery.

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“...the combination of classroom teaching and being outside on the farm? Well, it saved my life. ”

Tom Gozney, who has been on his own drug and alcohol recovery journey for the last 16 years, found renewed purpose in crafting a pizza oven and hosting pizza nights. Through these pizza nights, Tom didn’t just make food; he created safe spaces. Having experienced first-hand how the pizza oven allowed him to reconnect with his loved ones, Tom decided to donate a pizza oven to We Are With You’s programme at Greenslate Community Farm. His goal was simple: to offer others the opportunity to enjoy the same connections and experiences that he found through his pizza nights.

Pizza making has now become a well-loved therapeutic activity at Greenslate Community Farm’s 12-week programme. In the class, participants are encouraged to use ingredients to symbolise different aspects of their personal recovery journey. For example, they might use an onion on their pizza to represent opening up, just like peeling back an onion’s layers. Or, they might top it with basil to represent personal growth, just like basil grows taller and stronger with time. The activity encourages participants to get creative and enjoy cooking together, all while helping them to reflect on and articulate the most valuable elements of their own recovery.

“Reconnecting with friends and family through live-fire cooking marked a pivotal moment in my own personal recovery. Drug and alcohol dependencies can often be overlooked in the wider discussion around mental health, so as a brand we are proud to bring the topic to the forefront to get people talking. We feel honoured to be partnering with We Are With You to support people struggling with issues with drugs or alcohol.”

Webchat: Bridging the gap in alcohol, drug, and mental health support

health information and advice. The team offers brief interventions and treatment options, as well as facilitating connections with wider provisions to offer support options for in-person treatment.

We Are With You Goals

Radically improve people’s chances of getting better

Webchat extends a compassionate and empathetic approach. Emotional support is often just as important as the practical guidance we provide, especially when it comes to helping people overcome barriers when referring themselves to an in-person service. We can help people get the right information at the right time, in the right service. This means they don’t have to ring around different services and feel they are being “passed around”.

Help more people

Transform our organisation to get the best from our people

In our interconnected world, the manner in which we communicate, seek information and access support has been transformed by the digital age.

Unique aspects of the service, such as being able to speak to the same advisor, can be a huge help to people. Connection is a part of the recovery journey that’s embedded within our practice, and this doesn’t end with our webchat service. The virtual and anonymous nature of webchat plays an important role in helping people better understand their issues and alleviate concerns about what may be involved with a referral. This can help people come forward when they otherwise may not have, by providing guidance and reassurance on the options that are available to them.

The We Are With You webchat initiative, introduced in 2017, is a testament to this evolution. Catering to the diverse and often urgent needs of those seeking guidance on alcohol, drugs, and mental health, the platform underscores the vital importance of accessible, instantaneous, and high-quality support.

Our webchat delivers an accessible and engaging service that provides a single front door to a range of drug, alcohol and mental

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Helping to address cultural barriers

WEBCHAT IN NUMBERS

“We had a Muslim lady who was detoxing from methadone and who had check-in appointments with a webchat advisor once or twice a week. Due to cultural reasons, the individual would, without virtual access, never have received support by going into an in-person service.

We have 36 qualified webchat advisors providing drug, alcohol and mental health support on weekdays (9am-9pm) and weekends/bank holidays (10am-4pm)

“Webchat enables people like this lady to receive support for their treatment journey when other methods of access would otherwise not be an option for them.”

This year 20,643 people connected to our webchat service, up almost 3,000 people from the year before

67% of webchat users have not previously reached out for support (either from We Are With You or other third-sector organisations) for their drug, alcohol and/or mental health issues

Suicidal intervention

on Christmas Eve

“An advisor was having a chat with an individual on Christmas Eve who was expressing suicidal thoughts and we were concerned enough to call the police. The client provided us with their phone number so that we were able to reach them and as we were reassuring them via telephone, the police turned up at their door to help them.

20% of our support is provided outside of regular working hours when most in-person services are not available

“This is an excellent example of how the webchat service meant that this individual was able to get support exactly when they needed it, and our advisor was able to alert the crisis team and send direct physical help to the individual’s place.

Type of support

Support and advice for alcohol-related issues are the most common type of enquiry we receive through webchat, followed by drugs, then mental health.

“Following this incident, the individual was discharged a few weeks later and back online to update us on how they were doing.”

We provide support for a wide range of drug-related issues with high numbers of conversations related to cocaine and cannabis.

Distribution of support that we have provided

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Unlocking potential: Dylan’s journey with IPS

Individual Placement and Support (IPS) offers intensive, individually tailored support to help people choose and find the right job, with ongoing support for the employer and employee to help ensure the person keeps their job.

We Are With You Goals

Radically improve people’s chances of getting better

Access to the right job, with the right support, plays a key role in drug and alcohol recovery. In Cornwall, over the last year, our IPS service has supported 185 clients. Of these, 45 individuals have moved into paid work.

Help more people

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OUR IMPACT IN STORIES

“The IPS team has helped me break the cycle.”

Dylan, age 45, is one of our clients who’s received support from our IPS service. From a young age, Dylan started taking amphetamines, and as he got older, he became addicted to heroin. Dylan has spent much of his life in prison - since the age of 14, he’s served 15 sentences for a number of different reasons, including dealing drugs to help fund his drug dependency.

Dylan describes being stuck in a cycle that felt impossible to break - he’d continue to take drugs in prison, and after finishing one sentence, he’d look for work but would be unable to find an employer who’d take on someone with a criminal record. To pay for his drug use, he’d return to dealing, and would then end up back in prison.

It wasn’t until Dylan found We Are With You that the cycle was broken. Dylan was put onto a buprenorphine script and the IPS team supported him to find permanent employment. Because of the stability that employment has brought Dylan, he’s been able to rebuild a relationship with his family, including with his children.

“I started getting in trouble with the police when I was 14. Since then, I’ve been in and out of prison 15 times. I was also using drugs - it started with amphetamines, and then I started taking heroin when I got older.

“I made contact with We Are With You and they helped me really quickly - they got me onto a buprenorphine script and put me in touch with their IPS team. Vicki, from the IPS team, talks to potential employers to see if they’d be willing to bring on a new employee through the IPS service. She helped me to get a coat and some work boots so that I could do some casual work while I found something more permanent.

“One day, Vicki called me to tell me about a vacancy for a Lived Experience Support Worker and asked if I was interested in applying. I said I was, and she helped me to fill out an application form and prepare for my interview.

“I’ve been working alongside Cornwall Council for a year now. My role involves using my lived experience to support people with a similar background to mine - I’m really enjoying it. I also recently went with Vicki to HMP Exeter Prison and I spoke to some of the prisoners about what the IPS service is and how it could help them after they finish their sentence.

“Life is so much better now. When I was in and out of prison, even though I was trying to get help, I was stuck on benefits because I couldn’t find anyone who would employ me. So I’d go out and deal drugs because it was the only way I could make enough money to survive. But now I have a job - I don’t need to go out and sell drugs, and nor do I want to. I also now have a relationship with my dad, and my son actually lives with me, which is really fantastic.

“If I hadn’t met Vicki and the IPS team, I’d still be going around in circles. The IPS team has helped me break the cycle. They’ve filled the gap. They find ways around the barriers so that people like me can get a chance in life. I am so grateful to Vicki and the team, and when I think about it, I can’t put my thanks into words.”

“They find ways around the barriers so that people like me can get a chance in life.“

Breaking down barriers: Giving women the access they need

with addiction. Kelly is grateful for the support of We Are With You and proud of her strength and determination which helped heal her family and herself.

We Are With You Goals

Radically improve people’s chances of getting better

“I’d gone through postnatal depression, almost died from giving birth to my little boy. I had to be strong, so I just masked everything that was going on with me and drugs.

“The day I ruined myself was by picking up crack cocaine again. It was just a release for me. It just took away all those emotions and those feelings. In April 2022, my children were removed from my care. It had such a detrimental effect on my mental health. I didn’t want to be here any more. I couldn’t manage day-to-day without cocaine.

We Are With You in Darlington at STRIDE is available to those in the local area, and has a unique approach to recovery. STRIDE stands for Support, Treatment, and Recovery In Darlington, through Empowerment.

“I just wanted not to feel any more. There was so much going on with my mental health - so much hurt. A lot escalated from there. My toxic relationship - he was a heavy drinker, there was domestic violence. There was a lot going on in my life. The person that I was…well, I was very chaotic, I dealt with things in the wrong way.

Kelly struggled with drugs, alcohol and mental health for a number of years and her children were sadly placed into foster care.

We Are With You at STRIDE service supported Kelly in 2022 after a referral from Keeping Families Together and social services. She built a strong relationship with her key worker, Heather, and other members of the team.

Kelly is now keen to empower and advocate for others, particularly women and mothers, who may find themselves in a similar situation. She is working towards employment which supports recovery and addresses the stigma associated

“I just wanted not to feel any more.“

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OUR IMPACT IN STORIES

“As opposed to running to a drug or running away, I’d come here to talk and get some clarity rather than knocking on a dealer’s door.”

“I was very blasé about cocaine. No one knew I was taking it every day. It was just part of my life for such a long time. I was doing supermarket home deliveries. It was a means to an end to drugs. I eventually told work about it. Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up - it’s better to be honest.

“I came to We Are With You absolutely broken. It was the hardest time of my life. I wanted my children home. I wanted to do anything I had to do - I had to reach out. I wanted anything and anyone to help me sort my life out, and thankfully I got that help.

“Keeping Families Together and social services said about We Are With You. I saw a lady called Heather, and she became my key worker. She was amazing. Such a mother figure and someone who understands and had that belief in me. I ended up being part of the furniture. As opposed to running to a drug or running away, I’d come here to talk and get some clarity rather than knocking on a dealer’s door. I knew I was getting better and healing and making the right choices and decisions. I had to get my head down and push through under difficult circumstances.

up a recovery family Facebook page to promote recovery. Visible recovery is massive, especially from people with lived experience who are relatable and not going to hide. I can’t change anything that happened but it’s not what defines me - today is what defines me.

“I’m proud of myself. I’m grounded and content and positive and I love myself and the people around me. I want to be able to support others. It is achievable and doable and I know I’m living proof of it. I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today without We Are With You. Heather took me under her wing and was very protective. We’re two very strong women together, and I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Kelly was able to stop her drug use and despite a number of challenges and legal processes, her children were legally returned to her care. Today, she continues to support other clients at the service as a volunteer.

“Being around people who understand you, who aren’t judging you, who have got the answers - you have to do the work but you’ve got guidance. It’s not about people looking down on you for your mistakes or choices - they’re giving alternatives. Giving you that second chance when you need it the most.

“I’ve done so much. I’ve done an ambassador course with Recovery Connections, one with We Are With You, and worked with Intuitive Thinking Skills, which was a big thing because I learnt about why we make decisions and choices. I’ve done coach training and I’ve set

“It is achievable and doable and I know I’m living proof of it. I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today without We Are With You.”

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OUR IMPACT IN STORIES

Empowering our young people: Finding purpose and giving back

We Are With You Goals

Radically improve people’s chances of getting better

Beth was two when she first came into contact with drugs as a result of parental drug use. At the age of 11, Beth first noticed her struggles with mental health and by the age of 13, she’d started to smoke cannabis as a form of coping. After ending an unhealthy relationship and opening up about daily cannabis use, she was offered support through school.

After moving through three different schools and feeling the impacts of bullying where her cannabis use increased further, Beth was referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) who put her in touch with our Lincolnshire Young People’s service. Throughout her time with us, Beth built a strong relationship with the We Are With You service and her Key Worker, who helped her identify and fulfil a lifelong dream of working in the NHS.

Beth’s inspiring story of resilience, from struggling with drug use and mental health to finding purpose in the NHS, shows just how powerful getting the right support can be.

“There was a time when I found I was really struggling with misuse of drugs, and I was receiving support from CAMHS and my college. CAMHS had mentioned We Are With You and explained a bit about it. I was quite intrigued and interested because I did want to make a change. I knew I had a problem and I wanted to see where it would go and if it was for me.

“I first realised I needed support with misuse of drugs was when it became an everyday need - not a want any more, but a need. It became an everyday need for three and a half years.

“I started smoking at the age of 13. Just nicotine, fags, and then I first tried cannabis. I only tried it once because I didn’t have the greatest of experiences. I tried it again socially with a few friends. I didn’t want to be the odd one out. It turned out that everyone I knew or had been around smoked it. Then getting into a relationship, he smoked it every day, so I smoked it every day. That’s how it started, really.

“I began isolating myself, and I started using substances alone. It did affect my mental

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OUR IMPACT IN STORIES

“The relationship with the worker I was given was very strong.“

health quite a bit, there would be days when I’d struggle - my first instinct would be to smoke cannabis - to forget about it. It could be the smallest thing and I’d want to avoid it and just smoke my days away. Which became a bad habit.

“I went to three secondary schools. I received support from the first secondary school and had to be moved. The second school didn’t go so well. I started at a new school and that’s where I got the most support. It was a very small school, very few students. I felt noticed and I could get the help I needed, which I did. That’s when I was honest about my misuse of cannabis and support came from CAMHS and then from We Are With You.

“When I began working with We Are With You it went amazing. I was given the perfect person for what I needed. The relationship with the worker I was given was very strong. I felt I could be honest about everything. No matter what I said or how I said it. There was no judgement. I felt very, very supported. I’d never found a relationship with anyone like that over the years. I found it really helped me. Even in the areas she didn’t know much about she would still try to support me in the best possible way and in my best interest. Even when I thought I’d messed up she showed me I hadn’t and I could always fix it.

“I’m located in a small area. I thought that would be my struggle as I couldn’t get to areas like Lincoln or Boston, but my Key Worker would come to me and take me to where I felt comfortable to do our appointments. You know, have a drive to McDonald’s, sit in the car park - to have conversations about life. Even talk about the past, present and future. I was in my comfort zone.

“When I look back at how I am now compared to where I was, I feel I’m the person I always wanted to be. I just want to help people and put that smile on their faces. I would never see myself where I am now. I didn’t see myself to next week a year ago, and now all I can see is the future for me. I’m 19 years old and got a job in the NHS - where I always wanted to be. I was given that opportunity by We Are With You.

“The job came to me when my Key Worker provided me with information about The Prince’s Trust. The more information she told me I was amazed I hadn’t heard about it. Because it just had so much opportunity there. No matter how old you are, or what qualifications you have or where you are in life right now, there is always something for you. So I said yes I’m going for it - see how it goes. I worked with The Prince’s Trust for a couple of weeks, sorting out my CV - getting it to a high standard. In the second week, I made two applications - one for a Phlebotomist and the other for a Health Care Assistant. I got the second job.

“My hopes and dreams for the future are just to do what I can to change the world in the best way. We Are With You are amazing. There aren’t enough words to describe how incredible they are. You’ll find the person who will support you for the best interest of you. I think it’s a service I would share with everyone in need.”

“When I look back at how I am now compared to where I was, I feel I’m the person I always wanted to be.“

Supporting second chances

From their bases in Bridgeton and Maryhill, our Glasgow Recovery Hubs have supported more than 2,400 people across the city in the past year.

We Are With You Goals

Radically improve people’s chances of getting better

Help more people

As well as providing one-to-one support and group sessions, our Hubs also offer a range of holistic activities - such as gardening, arts and crafts and even a hiking group!

Our two Recovery Hubs in Glasgow were described as “sector leading” following a recent unannounced visit from the Care Inspectorate, the body that ensures the quality of care in Scotland.

Our Bridgeton-based Hub has played a vital role in bringing Terri and Stuart’s family back together.

The Hubs, which are funded by Glasgow City Health & Social Care Partnership, launched in 2016. From their bases in Bridgeton and Maryhill, our Glasgow Recovery Hubs have supported more than 2,400 people across the city in the past year. These services seek to build the capacity for recovery across the city - an important role, given that the rate of drug deaths in Glasgow has been consistently higher than the Scottish average over the last 15 years.

Terri, 36, met Stuart, 44, more than 10 years ago. Her sons had just been received into local authority care and she turned to heroin as a way of numbing her profound feelings of loss. Terri says that, from that first moment, she was hooked.

Stuart had already been using heroin for years.

Clients are supported pre, through and post detox and residential care, and our speciallytrained staff go into communities to meet people where they are, as part of an assertive outreach programme.

“From the age of eight, I was taking one substance or another. I got into heroin because I used to go out from Friday to Sunday. I used to take ecstasy when I was at the dancing, then take Valium for the

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comedown, so we could go out again the next day. There was no Valium one day, so I took a line of heroin to make myself feel better.

“I knew I could pick up the phone to We Are With You.“

“You would go out on Friday night, then take it on Saturday morning, then again on Sunday morning for the comedown. Then you would be taking it on a Wednesday, when you weren’t even going out. Then a Thursday. Then you’re not even going out at the weekend, but you’re still taking it.” Stuart

their power to bring their baby home. For the next three years, the team from the Glasgow Recovery Hub helped them to cope with this heartbreaking situation and prepare for their social work meetings.

The couple used heroin together for several years before making the decision to stop. They received prescriptions for methadone and began attending groups at our Hub.

“If you’re not ready to get clean, you’re not going to get clean. I was ready because of my daughter. I didn’t do it for my sons, I had a second chance with my daughter.

“I felt deflated after the social work meetings but I knew I could pick up the phone to We Are With You. I would talk to them during the walk home, and by the time I got home I would know ‘I can do this’.” Terri

“We’ve always been this way, we are a team. When one of us wanted to come off it, that meant it was time to do it together. No matter what it takes.”

Terri

“People come up to me and say I’m looking brilliant. They say they want to get clean and ask the best way to do it. I always tell them: We Are With You.”

Thanks to the support they received from our Glasgow Recovery Hub, Terri and Stuart have been given a second chance at family life. The couple has stopped using drugs and proven that they can be great parents to their little girl. As a result, she was returned to their care in 2022.

Stuart

A few years into their recovery journey, the couple discovered they were pregnant. They were overjoyed - but a difficult road lay ahead.

“It might sound like a boring life to some people, but I love taking my daughter to nursery, picking her up, making her dinner… having a life that we never had.” Terri

“I fell pregnant in November. We were clean by that point but we were both diagnosed with HIV. Thanks to support from We Are With You, we stayed clean through that time. We didn’t relapse when we found out about the HIV.” Terri

Terri and Stuart are now planning a third birthday party for their precious daughter. This will be a significant celebration for their family - as well as a celebration of what recovery can bring.

Their little girl was taken into care immediately when she was born in summer 2020 - and the determined parents vowed to do everything in

“It might sound like a boring life to some people, but I love taking my daughter to nursery, picking her up, making her dinner… having a life that we never had.”

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Hepatitis C: A step closer to our micro-elimination goal

“We’re so lucky to have champions and leads that drive our testing and progress towards elimination.“

We Are With You Goals

Radically improve people’s chances of getting better

Help more people

Transform our organisation to get the best from our people

• Brought more people into treatment: In our continuous efforts to provide comprehensive care, more than 90% of those who tested positive have been referred into treatment pathways. 308 individuals began hepatitis C treatment, ensuring that those diagnosed had access to the necessary care pathways.

Over the last year, We Are With You has achieved some fantastic results in our mission to micro-eliminate hepatitis C. We’ve undertaken a concerted effort to expand testing, raise awareness, and provide life-saving treatment to those affected by the virus.

However, our approach to micro-elimination goes beyond numbers; it’s about fostering a cultural shift towards testing and treatment. Whilst the micro-elimination approach enables us to focus our efforts on the high-risk areas, our ethos from the beginning has been to normalise testing and embed it as part of core services. We’re so lucky to have champions and leads that drive our testing and progress towards elimination, but we firmly believe it cannot sit with one team. The magic happens when it becomes a collective responsibility which is embraced and understood at every level.

Here’s a snapshot of our accomplishments:

These numbers translate into individual stories of hope and recovery:

“Sarah* initially accepted a test, but later refused stating she hadn’t put herself at risk. As part of the awareness work we’re doing on the Elimination project, her worker revisited and she tested positive. Sarah was really shocked, and I think because she had always smoked drugs while in treatment it would be easy to miss that she had injected at some point. She’s now cleared the virus and is currently doing really well.”

Kate House, Service Manager, Scunthorpe

*Sarah’s name has been changed for confidentiality

Help reduce the impact of blood borne viruses (BBV) among our clients.

Similarly, John’s experience in Cornwall highlights the importance of outreach and testing, and letting people know we’re here for them.

“I can’t believe that people do actually care. I couldn’t get into the service, I wasn’t feeling well and it’s hard to get into town. The nurse and a Hepatitis C Trust Peer came to me. I’m so glad they did, I had a scan and the nurse said I had liver cirrhosis. I couldn’t believe how quickly my treatment started. I’m so glad I got tested.” John, client, Cornwall

We’re proud of the progress we’ve made this year. We’ve seen positive feedback from clients and staff alike regarding our testing efforts and our support in referring individuals into treatment, and we’re honoured to have received recognition at the HSJ Partnerships Award for the category of Best Healthcare Analytics Project for the NHS, as part of the Hepatitis C Elimination Providers Forum.

We still have work to do as we near the wider NHS elimination ambition, and with the strengthening of our harm reduction provisions, and all our work so far, we’re in a better position to understand and measure the elimination picture within this group of clients.

With our dedicated team, partners, and clients, we’re focused on achieving a healthier future for all.

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Sculpting strength: Using art to enhance recovery

The Stoke Recovery Service provides free, tailored aftercare support for people who are in abstinent recovery from drugs and alcohol. We Are With You, BAC O’Connor and North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust work collaboratively to run the service, which is commissioned by Stoke-On-Trent City Council.

We Are With You Goals

Radically improve people’s chances of getting better

Help more people

Earlier this year, 20 clients living in the Stoke-On-Trent area took part in Recast, a project that combines clay and creativity with drug and alcohol recovery. Through the weekly clay workshops and four-day residency, the project aims to deliver several therapeutic benefits, including increasing confidence and self-worth, making social connections, and using hands-on creative activities to enhance wellbeing and recovery. Tracy is one of the recovery artists who took part in the Recast project.

“I didn’t drink till later in life. When I was 28, I left the father of my oldest children. I made some new friends and started going out drinking. After another relationship broke down, and because I had no boundaries, I started having a drink every night. Then I started having a drink earlier and earlier on in the day, and before I knew it, I was an alcoholic.

“My youngest daughter was taken away when she was 12 years old. She was placed into care, so I knew I had to get myself sorted – I wanted to go into a detox and stay sober so I could change everything about my life. But it wasn’t easy. I went through seven detoxes – even though I knew I needed to get sober for my daughter, I couldn’t get engaged with the service because it wasn’t the right time for me.

“For the first time, I felt really engaged.”

“But after completing my eighth detox, I came to the Stoke Recovery Service. For the first time, I felt really engaged - I attended all the support groups, joined the Recast project, and made some lovely friends who I class as my second family now.

“I found using the clay very therapeutic. When you’re in recovery, you try and distract yourself, especially if you’re having a bad day. Television or reading doesn’t work for me, but I found that being creative and using the clay took me to somewhere else – like the seaside.

“The seaside means a lot to me. It’s mine and my daughter’s favourite place, and I promised her that when she came home to me after being in care, I’d take her there on holiday. So with the clay, I created a beach house to remind myself of what our life could be like together. I was able to see my daughter once a week while I was making my beach house and each time I saw her, I told her about the progress I was making – not just with my artwork, but with my recovery too. She was so excited, and each time we spoke she’d say ‘Mum, when are we going to go on holiday?’

“My daughter is now back home with me after two and a half years in care. We’ve been saving up, and we’re really looking forward to going on our holiday together - we’ll be visiting a real beach house!

“Stoke Recovery Service has given me so many opportunities. Everyone has been amazing and I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to take part. It’s made a huge difference to me and everyone else, and I know that without Recast, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”

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RESET: Understanding the person behind the journey

Jan Burrows, Head of Service Delivery at We Are With You in Shropshire, explains more:

We Are With You Goals

“We know that rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping have very complex lives - for example, they may be out of employment, trying to leave abusive relationships, experiencing substance misuse issues, have mental health needs, or a combination of some or all of these things.

Radically improve people’s chances of getting better

Help more people

“So we worked with partners to create a single team - the RESET team - whose skills, knowledge and connections reflect and better meet the needs of our clients. The RESET team takes the time to learn about the different aspects of their clients’ lives, so that they can arrange for different professionals and organisations to deliver the treatments and interventions needed, at a pace which is right for the client. After their lives have stabilised somewhat and they’re in sustained housing, they move to We Are With You’s core services, which continue that person’s drug and alcohol recovery journey.

In early 2023, we launched our RESET project across Shropshire, a multi-agency service that provides drug and alcohol treatment for rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping across the county.

The team includes specialists in drug and alcohol recovery, domestic abuse support, adult social care, housing support, mental health treatment and social prescribing. They work alongside colleagues in Shropshire Council’s Housing and Homeless Outreach Services and the homeless centre, the ARK.

“Understanding someone’s whole story and learning what’s important to them is a huge part of how we make real and sustainable changes to people’s lives.”

“John’s* story is a really great example of how this works in practice. John was a rough sleeper for 18 years or so. He came to the RESET team and asked for help: he wanted to stop using opiates, leave the abusive relationship he was in, find employment, and reconnect with his daughter and parents.

Instead of sitting down or hunching over like he usually did, John stood tall. We watched the pride, self-discipline and motivation come back to him the moment that medal was pinned to his lapel - it’s given him back his identity.

“The day after the ceremony, John travelled up to Blackpool to see his daughter for the first time in a very long time. He showed her the medal and told her about his time in the military. He later told us that he now feels at peace knowing that when he dies, he will have something he can leave to her which will remind her of who he truly is. And now he has something to remind himself of who he really is, he feels ready to continue with his recovery journey to get that person back again.

“Understanding that his needs were

incredibly complex, John saw every member of the RESET team, and within four hours, a mental health assessment had been completed for John, accommodation for the next two weeks had been coordinated, and the team had supported him to speak to the police about his abusive partner.

“Through conversations with John, the team learnt that although he was a veteran, he didn’t have an Armed Forces badge and hadn’t received a medal for a military tour he’d completed. I know these things may sound small, but to members of the Armed Forces community, they mean so much. John told us that not owning these things had impacted his mental health, confidence and self-worth.

“That’s why understanding the person behind the journey is so important. Delivering housing, drug and alcohol recovery, employment and mental health support services quickly is of course vital. But understanding someone’s whole story and learning what’s important to them is a huge part of how we make real and sustainable changes to people’s lives and empower them to begin the next chapter of their recovery journey.”

“A few weeks later, our service held a small their recovery journey.” ceremony for John and we presented him with an Armed Forces badge and medal. *John’s name has been changed for confidentiality

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Building better mental health: NHS Talking Therapies

We Are With You Goals

Radically improve people’s chances of getting better

Help more people

Transform our organisation to get the best from our people

supports us to work together and create an individualised treatment plan.

We Are With You deliver dedicated mental health services across Kent and Surrey for anxiety and depression.

In addition to Talking Therapies, we also have Mental Health Wellbeing Practitioners based within our Liverpool service and are hoping to expand this approach to other services across the UK.

These services, previously known as IAPT, are now called We Are With You’s NHS Talking Therapies and include therapies like counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Supporting underrepresented groups

in our local community

In 2022/23, 11,042 people began treatment with us in our Talking Therapies services in Kent and Surrey. We offer everyone who refers to our service a person-centred, clinical assessment with a member of our team. Speaking to a client and getting to know them helps us to understand their current needs. In turn, this

We’ve been working to better understand and meet the needs of underrepresented groups across the Kent and Surrey area. This includes:

We are continually working to improve our NHS Talking Therapies services so that more people can achieve sustainable recovery.

• 92% of people enter treatment within six weeks of referral (17% higher than national target)

• 99.3% of people enter treatment within 18 weeks (4% higher than the national target)

• Our overall ‘move to recovery rate’ is 51% (1% higher than the national target)

engagement, such as attending seniors’ day events and warm hubs. This resulted in a

Supporting recovery in

refugee communities

More than 24,000 people arrived in the UK from Afghanistan as of December 2022. In recent years, Kent and Medway have seen a significant increase in the number of people seeking refuge, most notably in East Kent.

We were approached by Kent County Council and Canterbury City Council at the end of 2022 to develop a dedicated Talking Therapy service, tailored to support female Afghan refugees housed in temporary hotel accommodation in Canterbury.

Many Afghan people who fled their homes experienced multiple traumas and continue to deal with stressors such as threats from the Taliban.

What did we do?

What was our impact?

Our initial group ran for six weeks, starting in December, and it achieved a 50% ‘move to recovery rate’ among its participants. We have also received overwhelmingly positive feedback - attendees reported that the groups empowered them to talk about their mental health in a way they haven’t been able to before.

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Buvidal: Enhancing lives for those in recovery

The Government’s ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery) funding programme has enabled We Are With You to reduce the harm that drug use has on the people and communities of Liverpool.

We Are With You Goals

Radically improve people’s chances of getting better

Help more people

“The difference between Buvidal and methadone is night and day.”

As the lead provider in delivering ADDER for Liverpool City Council, We Are With You has worked with key health and care partners across the city to ensure that local people are offered a health-based approach to tackling drug use, which in turn better diverts them away from the criminal justice system.

Thanks to ADDER funding, more people have now started on buprenorphine treatment, which as an alternative to methadone, allows users the convenience of not needing a dose daily administered from a pharmacy. Our clients are no longer tied to pharmacies, and it increasingly shows promise as the future of opiate treatment. As well as helping people stay on track with their recovery journey, it’s often used alongside other forms of support, such as counselling. This means they can access treatment that enhances their life, instead of limiting it.

Chris is one of the many people who has experienced the life-changing impact of Buvidal, a long-acting injectable buprenorphine preparation.

“First my mum and dad broke up, then my girlfriend and I split up, and then I lost my job. So the three things that held my life together, my safety net, collapsed in the space of six months, and I couldn’t cope with it. So I turned to drugs to alleviate the pain I was suffering. I was using heroin and crack cocaine. My life was chaotic.

“I entered into treatments with We Are With You in July 2019 and swapped over to Buvidal in February 2023. The difference between Buvidal and methadone is night and day. Methadone is still an opioid agonist, so it still has an effect on the brain and gives you a high as such. With Buvidal, you don’t realise you’re on it. You literally feel so recovered that you forget you’re on it.

“The benefits are just unbelievable. I’ve just come back from a holiday to Mallorca, I’m going to rock concerts and have gone camping - I don’t have to worry about having to take a bit of medicine every day and I don’t have the embarrassment of needing a script every day. There are no signs someone is on Buvidal - nobody would know any different.

“I’d say, if you’re serious about packing in drugs, coming off the medication and packing in and changing your life, that Buvidal is the way. There is a way to recover, and this is it.”

Buvidal has changed Chris’ life - he now feels like an ordinary person who can meet up with friends and family without the embarrassment of needing to pop to the pharmacy. Chris now owns his own home and is looking forward to starting work as a taxi driver.

“I’m going to rock concerts and have gone camping - I don’t have to worry.“

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LOOKING FORWARD

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Strategy

We Are With You launched its last strategy (2019 - 2023) to deliver transformational change to enable better outcomes for our clients. Much of this has been achieved, with a 28% increase in income enabling enhanced investment and support in our services across England and Scotland.

In 2023/24 we will develop and launch a new one-year strategy to continue this work. We will be recruiting a permanent CEO in 2023, so this strategy will set us up to develop and deliver a longer-term strategy from 2024.

By applying what is happening in the world and the opportunities brought by new drug, alcohol and mental health strategies, we will deliver services that revolutionise client support and improve outcomes. We will fight stigma and deliver services to be proud of. We will work as a collaborative partner who is committed to making a difference locally, while working to make an impact nationally.

Treatment Pathways

Following progress on development this year, we will launch a new treatment pathway approach for We Are With You clients and staff during 2023/24.

Using the extensive research we have carried out and engagement with our clients and staff, we will launch systems to enable easy-access interventions and tools for use across our services. This will be carried out in alignment with the government’s From Harm To Hope strategy and will enable continuing improved support and outcomes for our clients.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Employee experience

We will focus on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) to reduce inequalities in treatment and recovery for marginalised people. In order to do this, we will have an enhanced focus on reducing stigma and challenging societal norms about access to treatment.

We will continue to use our designated reserve to accelerate our employee experience programme. Our staff come to work at We Are With You so they can make a difference to the people we serve; people enjoy using their professional expertise, connecting with their teams and seeing the impact of their work. To support them, we will develop new approaches to areas including career progression, pay, management, and employee values.

We will continue our work to understand the barriers to treatment for underrepresented groups and develop targeted support for these people. We will also continue to focus on fostering an inclusive environment for our staff and volunteers.

IT and digital systems

Client engagement and brand

We will also continue investment in our digital tools to support client care and staff approach to delivery. This will include looking at our systems infrastructure and website provision.

Following thorough client, stakeholder and staff engagement during 2022/23 we will look to further bring our purpose and values to life through storytelling and engagement. We will continue to put clients at the heart of our developing service approach, with a core focus on removing stigma and shame.

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STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Funding sources

We Are With You seeks and obtains funding from a number of sources to support our activities and key objectives. The principal sources are set out in the following table;

Financial overview

The year 2022/23 has seen the organisation finally move away from the lingering impact of the pandemic.

Funding source

Contracts from local authorities, NHS Trusts or similar institutions

How it supports our work

These fund:

We’ve been able to expand our reach with a number of new contract gains, strong performance with contract retentions and significant additional government investment through a number of supplementary substance misuse treatment grants. All of which have been hugely beneficial to our service development and ultimately, to our clients.

Our income for the year was £71.5 million and our expenditure was £68.0 million. We have been able to continue the work on our core offering, expanding our service provision with the additional funding and building on our financial stability throughout the year. This ensures we invest effectively in our development projects whilst still maintaining our reserves and cash positions above our minimum requirements.

As a result of this position, our unrestricted reserves increased from £9.8 million to £11.8 million. Free reserves at £8.8 million were within the range required by our reserves policy (see page 47). In 2022/23 we continued to use designated reserve funds to support internal development projects, reinvest in our staff training and development programmes and build on our performance to directly improve people’s chances of getting better. We will be continuing this strategy into 2023/24.

We continued to spend down our existing restricted grants brought forward, also receiving additional restricted funding via new Government funding sources - Supplemental Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant (SSMTRG) and ADDER. Our restricted funds increased from £3.5 million to £5.1 million.

A high proportion of our reserves are represented by cash and other assets that can be quickly released. Our cash balances at the end of the year were £16.8 million, significantly more than we need for working capital. Looking ahead to 2023/24, our financial outlook continues to reflect the environment within which we operate and the strategic decisions we make about our work (see page 42 to 43). Over the last 12 months, we were successful in our efforts to raise funds through trusts and grant-making bodies, some of which will start in 2023/24.

We continue to consolidate towards our core business and charitable purpose and expect to see our overall income increase in the year ahead. We will continue to develop our service model in line with our strategic goals. In turn, this will support the continuation of a targeted approach to business development in the year ahead, focusing on areas that are aligned with our wider strategic plan and goals.

Grants from funding institutions Individual giving

See Note 2 “Grant income” on page 86

Allocated to where it is needed most to help people to get treatment, support and enter recovery

Reserves

To meet its objectives, We Are With You has agreed to a budgeting and reserves policy that enables us to make appropriate strategic allocations of funds, while at the same time securing a sound financial base for our future needs. Decisions on the resources necessary, both to deliver new activities and to sustain continuing commitments, are based on our overall strategic requirements.

The reserves policy adopted by the Trustees has established that, at the current activity level, the appropriate target range for free reserves is between £7.5 million and £9.5 million.

We hold several types of financial reserves. Some of these are restricted, meaning that they have been given or provided for specific purposes or with specific conditions and cannot be expended in any other way.

Total funds at the end of the financial year were £16.9 million. Of these, £5.1 million was restricted and not available for the general purposes of the charity, while £3.0 million was designated, representing the carrying amount of functional assets that the Trustees consider to represent a commitment of reserves and our designated investment fund. The level of general charitable funds was £8.8 million, which is within the target range established by the reserves policy.

Some reserves are in the form of designated funds that are earmarked by the Trustees for investment in development funds or represent fixed and other assets that cannot be readily converted into cash.

Finally, we hold general charitable funds or free reserves for four principal reasons:

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Going concern

We Are With You’s activities, together with the factors likely to affect our future development, performance and financial position, are set out on pages 14 to 51. The evaluation of going concern covers the period up to the end of March 2025. The financial position of the charity, its cash flows, liquidity position and reserves are described in the financial statements on pages 78 to 95. In addition, Note 1 to the financial statements includes our policies for managing funds. The management of financial and other risks is described on pages 59 to 61.

We Are With You has significant liquid financial resources, comprising short-term cash deposits and balances totalling £16.8 million, which is more than our free reserves. In addition, we obtain funding from a wide range of sources.

Guarantees

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 on 31 March 2023 was 9 (2022: 12). The Trustees are members of the charity but this entitles them only to voting rights. The Trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

Auditors

Moore Kingston Smith LLP have indicated their willingness to be re-appointed as statutory auditors. A proposal to reappoint MKS LLP will be put forward at the AGM.

The year 2022/23 has seen a return to a more stable working environment following the pandemic although the cost of living crisis has generated additional pressures both for clients, services and staff and potentially future funding, we anticipate these may have a longer-term negative impact on the sector. We will continue to review our expectations and scenario testing to ensure we are able to reflect risks arising appropriately. Over the last year, our income has grown both organically from our existing contracts, new contract wins and also from additional and much-needed investment by the Government into the sector.

As a consequence, the Trustees believe there are no material uncertainties relating to ongoing concern and that We Are With You is well-placed to manage business risks successfully.

The Trustees consider that We Are With You has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the annual financial statements.

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Governance overview

We Are With You is a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales on 6 February 1991, and a registered charity since 19 February 1991, operating in both England and Scotland. It is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association that determine the legal framework within which we operate, and which set out our charitable objects.

Our Board of Trustees embraces and promotes the principles of the Charity Governance Code setting out principles and recommended practice for good governance in the not-for-profit sector. The Board of Trustees is satisfied that We Are With You applies the principles of the Code within its governance arrangements, which are regularly reviewed.

Good governance is fundamental to our sustained success, it ensures we are best placed to deliver on our strategy, achieve our goals and promote the sustainable and long-term success of our charity for the benefit of the communities we serve.

Our Trustees (who are also the directors of the charity for the purposes of company law) comply with their duties under section 172 of the Companies Act 2006, and, in doing so, Trustees have regard to some factors to ensure they act in a way that, in their good faith, promotes the success of the company, including:

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How we are organised and governed

Good governance is fundamental to our sustained success, it ensures we are best placed to deliver on our strategy, achieve our goals and promote the sustainable and longterm success of our charity for the benefit of the communities we serve. Our governance helps ensure we are compliant with all relevant legislation, constantly reviewing the risks we are facing, ensuring we provide safeguarding standards of the highest quality, and it supports a positive culture for all of our people, including our volunteers.

We Are With You is a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales on 6 February 1991. Our Memorandum and Articles of Association, which determine the governance framework within which we operate, and which set out our charitable objects, were last amended on 24 August 2012. We Are With You is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1001957) and in Scotland (charity number SC040009).

Our Board of Trustees (the ‘Board’) is clear about the charity’s aims and ensures that these are being delivered effectively and sustainably. The Board regularly reviews the organisation’s charitable purposes and the external environment in which it works to make sure that the charity, and its purposes, stay relevant and valid. The Board agreed and launched its 2019–2022 strategy in April 2019, to deliver transformational change and enable better outcomes for the charity’s beneficiaries. In July 2022 the Board supported the extension of the charity’s strategy to 2023. The Board monitors progress against and the impact of the strategy on a quarterly basis.

Our Board of Trustees embraces and promotes the principles of the Charity Governance Code setting out principles and recommended practices for good governance in the not-for-profit sector. The Board of Trustees is satisfied that We Are With You applies the principles of the Code within its governance arrangements, which are regularly reviewed. During 2022, a self-evaluation process was carried out by the Board of Trustees to refresh its understanding of the Board’s collective skills, identify gaps in its expertise and inform the Board’s development needs.

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Leadership

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance and strategy of We Are With You, setting the charity’s objectives and strategy, monitoring the delivery of that strategy by the Executive management, and identifying and managing risk.

The Board is led by the Chair of Trustees. The role of the Chair is a crucial one, they lead the Board in setting the charity’s strategy and in achieving its objectives and work closely with the Chief Executive to meet these aims. They also set the tone and culture for the Board which permeates throughout the charity.

The Board of Trustees receives a regular set of information to ensure it can monitor the charity’s activity and performance with an appropriate level of scrutiny. At each of its meetings, it receives reports from management on income, performance, quality of service delivery and other matters, reviews the performance of the charity and considers papers presented for decision or information. In addition, the Board discusses and approves the charity’s strategy and annual budgets at appropriate points during the year.

The Board is responsible for the appointment and removal of the Chief Executive, arrangements for setting pay and remuneration of key management personnel and the approval of all funding arrangements, property acquisitions and capital spending of the charity.

The Board of Trustees delegates matters not reserved for decision by the Trustees and the day-to-day management of the charity to the Chief Executive who is responsible for the execution of the charity’s strategy within the framework laid down by the Board. The Board recognises and appreciates the key role played by the Chief Executive and is clear that their relationship with the Board is fundamental to the success of the charity. The Board also recognises the role played by the Company Secretary, who

helps the Board meet its governance objectives and acts as a fulcrum between management and the Board. The Company Secretary is appointed by the Board and all Trustees have access to their advice, as well as access to independent advice for legal, commercial, staff relations and other matters.

The Chief Executive leads a team of Executive Directors with functional areas of responsibility. The Company Secretary is also a member of the Executive team.

The Board delegates matters to its six Committees: Resources, Income and Profile, Service Delivery and Clinical Governance, Remuneration, Nomination, and Council for Scotland.

Our Trustees (who are also the directors of the charity for the purposes of company law) comply with their duties under Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006, and, in doing so, Trustees have regard to some factors to ensure they act in a way that, in their good faith, promotes the success of the company, including:

Evaluation of long-term decisions

Stakeholder Key considerations How we engage group Clients Everyone should feel comfortable getting the support they need for issues with drugs, alcohol or mental health.

We work with people on their own goals, whether that’s staying safe and healthy, making small changes or stopping unwanted behaviours altogether.

We give people support in a way that’s right for them either face to face, in their local service, community or online.

Two key goals of our strategy are based directly on our clients: improving people’s chances of getting better and helping more people.

At We Are With You, recovery means finding a new path towards a healthier life - one that is not ruled by dependence, with hope for the future and the self-belief to thrive.

Building existing and new partnerships around shared challenges to help us reach more people.

Recovery looks different for everyone, and it’s a journey rather than a set destination. We will help you to consider available options and plan a bespoke recovery path that suits your strengths, circumstances and goals.

We will help you define what successful recovery looks like to you. No matter what the road ahead looks like, we will support you in setting milestones so we can measure progress together. We will recognise and mark the improvements you make on your recovery journey.

We reach our communities in a number of ways including:

We provide a free and confidential service without judgement to more than 100,000 people a year. We use our expertise to improve the help available and raise awareness around drugs, alcohol and mental health so that more people can get support.

Communities we serve (potential clients)

We want as many people who need support with drugs, alcohol or their mental health to feel able to reach out to us for support. We do this by ensuring our services are open and accessible and by challenging the stigma associated with poor mental health and drug and alcohol use.

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Stakeholder
Key considerations How we engage
group
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Stakeholder
group		 Key considerations How we engage
Our funders
We Are With You seeks and
obtains funding from a number of
sources to support our activities
and key objectives, including:
•Local authorities
•NHS Trusts
•Funding institutions
•Individual giving
Our funders are varied. We reach out to them
via various routes:
•Our strong relationships mean we can have
one-to-one engagement on relevant issues
•We lead and attend events to engage across
our services
•We carry out regular stakeholders’ surveys
and engagement - in 2022/23 this has
included feedback on our engagement
approach and brand
•We are open to feedback and insights
on performance and issues relevant to
our funders
•We also engage via the projects our
funders support
Regulators
We Are With You maintains
governance procedures to
ensure compliance with all
application regulatory regimes.
We engage with our regulators by:
•Submitting timely flings and returns
•Self-reporting and engagement
where appropriate
•Prompt and comprehensive response
to requests for information
Employees
We engage with and support
our colleagues in a number of
key ways:
•We have a transformation
programme in place to get
the best from each other
•We are growing our training
and development
•We have an enhanced
f Elit Diit
We have introduced improved online training
materials and in-person programmes in areas
such as trauma-informed care, running and
facilitating groups, prescribing best practices
and supervision.
Relying on innovative Google technology, we
created a more dynamic environment for staff
to stay connected and work collaboratively
without the need to travel, which also reduces
our carbon footprint.

Each year we run a well-attended annual employee awards programme, with feedback shared with colleagues and teams.

Stakeholder
group		 Key considerations How we engage
Volunteers
Our volunteers have a range of
roles supporting services across
We Are With You.
In 2022/23 we recruited a new Head of
Volunteering to support the strategic delivery
of our volunteers.

Volunteers are engaged locally by their Community Engagement Coordinator and a broader programme of engagement is in delivery. Each year we run volunteer awards in partnership with The Marsh Trust to celebrate the achievements of our volunteers.

Our Trustee Board and its Committees keep under review the charity’s principal risks and its risk appetite, considering emerging risks and reviewing changes in the charity’s risk profile and responses quarterly.

The charity’s strategy is based on achieving our three core goals continuing for work from 2019. The current strategy was set in 2018/19 and extended to the end of 2022/23 due to the pandemic. A short-term strategy has been introduced for 2023/24 ahead of beginning a longer-term strategic review.

The charity has in place a range of policies and processes that promote corporate responsibility and ethical behaviour. All the charity’s policies are reviewed periodically.

To help support and deliver its aspirations, the Board of Trustees is reviewing an interim 12-month strategy ahead of a longer-term strategic review commencing towards the end of 2023/24. The 12-month strategy refines and extends elements of our previous three-year strategy which reflects and supports the charity’s charitable objects, and ensures the charity has in place sound financial management, adequate internal control and robust risk management.

During the year the Trustees reviewed progress and performance of the charity’s business plan against the broader backdrop of service needs and outcomes. The impact and achievements to date against this strategy are included on pages 12 to 47. The Trustees’ discussion of all aspects of the future direction of the charity’s work was informed by the feedback received through client and staff engagement.

The Trustees’ discussion of all aspects of the future direction of the charity’s work was informed by the feedback received through client and staff engagement.

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Key decisions in 2022/23

The table overleaf sets out the key decisions taken by the Trustee Board during the year and how the interests of our stakeholders and the wider factors set out in Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 were taken into account.

Our strategy management

Key considerations:

2022/23 is the final year of our

Our strategy has evolved through extensive and ongoing engagement and research with all our stakeholders. The Board received updates covering all clinical and non-clinical areas through monthly updates, quarterly Committee and Board meetings as well as additional strategy and development days throughout the year.

extended three-year strategy approved by the Board in 2018/19. This year has been aimed at building on our key goals:

Day-to-day contractual and organisational decisions are taken in line with the Delegated Authorities set out by our Trustees to include how we use our charitable funds and our wider impact through grants and fundraising activities.

This year we have specifically focussed on the following areas:

We continually assess, audit and monitor our activities against our strategic objectives, to ensure alignment compliance with our statutory and regulatory obligations is supervised by the Charity Commission, the Scottish Charity Regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, the Care Quality Commission, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland and the Fundraising Regulator.

Key decisions for 2022/23

The Board appoints a new Chair of Trustees.

The Board agreed to the continuation of the use of a designated reserve to support the acceleration of investment and development projects.

These projects were established as part of the organisational strategy to support the organisation’s wider developments and ensure we are able to support continuous improvement in our service delivery.

The projects for 2022/23 included IT and systems development, including our website, our end-to-end employee experience programme and an extension of our brand.

Key considerations:

The Board of We Are With You is keen to ensure that the charity continues to have consistent leadership, skills and expertise to drive the charity’s strategy.

In the structured context of a robust succession plan, the Board’s turnover can be one of its greatest assets, enabling it to continually adjust its composition in ways that optimise its oversight, crisis management and strategic planning mandates.

The former Chair of Trustees, having completed two terms in office, resigns in October 2022.

A recruitment campaign is carried out. The Vice-Chair of the Board stands for appointment to the Chair’s role and is successful (December 2022).

We needed an interim CEO in place to see through reorganisation and support charity improvement in financial stability and operations.

A permanent CEO is needed to lead the organisation in longer-term strategy and goals.

Continued investment into our IT architecture, systems infrastructure and website provision.

Consideration was given to all relevant stakeholders, including:

Our strategy remains relevant to our organisation, stakeholders and staff, the pandemic has slowed some aspects and our Trustees have determined to continue with our strategy into a fourth year.

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Trustee recruitment, induction and training

We Are With You’s expectations of their role and responsibilities, together with ongoing training to support their development and ensure they remain up to date with their governance duties. Trustees do not receive any remuneration but may be reimbursed for general expenses.

We recruit and appoint Trustees by advertising vacancies and looking for particular skill sets that enhance the work of our Board of Trustees and encourage diversity. All applications are considered by the Nomination Committee and suitable candidates are interviewed. Recommendations are then made to the Board of Trustees and successful applicants are appointed. The Board may also rely on specialised non-executive recruitment partners where specific skills and expertise are sought.

Trustees serve a three-year fixed term with the possibility of re-election for a further term dependent on performance. At each Annual General Meeting, one-third of the Trustees retire by rotation and are eligible for re-appointment.

New Trustees are provided with an induction programme to help them get acquainted with their role. As part of their induction, new Trustees meet with the Chief Executive, members of the Executive and Senior Leadership teams, and they visit a number of services during the first few months of their tenure. They also receive briefings from key members of staff on We Are With You’s work and mandatory training on safeguarding, information governance and health and safety, as well as support and training to help them perform their legal responsibilities as Trustees.

The Board is mindful of the recommendations under the Charity Governance Code, any re-appointments beyond nine years in office are subject to a particularly rigorous review and take into account the need for progressive refreshing of the Board, and are explained in the Annual Report.

During the year, one Trustee resigned and three new Trustees were appointed to ensure the Board is equipped to support the work of the charity in the constantly changing environment within which we operate.

New Trustees must comply with the Care Quality Commission’s Fit and Proper Persons Test and also sign an agreement that sets out

Risk management

We Are With You operates in an uncertain and challenging service delivery environment. We are focussed on ensuring we respond to the changing demands of our work and continue to fulfil the stringent requirements of our commissioners and regulatory bodies, against ongoing reductions in funding.

Delivering our services both, clinical and non-clinical, requires vigilance to support continuous review of our systems and processes against the highest standards to ensure they are safe and effective.

We Are With You works with some of the most vulnerable people in society and safeguarding is at the core of our work. We have a well-developed and coherent approach to risk management in accordance with best practices and the Charity Commission guidelines. We use a bespoke risk management tool to record and manage all risks across the organisation. We record, review and mitigate risks across clinical, operational, contractual, financial, information governance, health and safety, and reputational areas.

The Board retains overall responsibility for risk management and discusses and decides the level of risk it is prepared to accept for specific and combined risks.

The Board regularly reviews the charity’s specific significant risks and the cumulative effect of these risks. It makes plans to mitigate and manage these risks appropriately. The Board puts in place and regularly reviews the charity’s process for identifying, prioritising, escalating and managing risks and, where applicable, the charity’s system of internal controls to manage these risks. The Board regularly reviews the effectiveness of the charity’s approach to risk.

Every service has a risk register which is reviewed at team meetings and also within the governance structure and formal business review meetings. Risks that can be managed

We Are With You works with some of the most vulnerable people in society and safeguarding is at the core of our work.

and mitigated at service level remain with the regional team. Where we are unable to mitigate risks we raise them to the next level within the organisation. This means some service-level risks may be escalated to the corporate risk register, which is reviewed and action taken as necessary by the Executive on a monthly basis. The Executive presents the corporate risk register to the Resources Committee and to the Board of Trustees every quarter, providing assurance on the management of operational risks and highlighting emerging or unforeseen risks that require Trustees’ scrutiny and strategic direction.

Key to the effectiveness of the charity’s risk management system is the annual review of the Corporate Risk Register by the Board and the reviews of risk by the Resources Committee. Risks are also reviewed regularly by the Executive. There is an established process for the identification of risks, involving the senior management leadership team and risk owners in the regular review of the charity’s strategic and operational risks.

We are fully compliant with the regulations of, and registered with, the Care Quality Commission in England and the Care Inspectorate in Scotland. The CQC carries out independent inspections of regulated activity within our services, publishing the outcome on the CQC website. We have clear policies on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults with access to training for all staff across We Are With You.

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Principal risks

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We Are With You Risk area Mitigation and management
strategic objective
----- End of picture text -----

Radically improve Poor or variable outcomes for Focus on continuous improvement,
people’s chance of adult drug and alcohol clients, through reviewing and refreshing
getting better. caused by the absence of approaches to governance,
consistent written processes professional development
to progress clients from and broader training and
referral to recovery and development programmes.
universally agreed defnition Safeguarding and quality assurance
of clients’ recovery journey processes developed with a clear
and interventions. training strategy.
Clinical governance and supervisory
plans in place with practice
supervision in development.
Effective complaint and incident
management reporting and review.
Radically improve Failure to create a positive Engaging with key decision-makers
people’s chances of public presence for We Are and infuencers in Government,
getting better. With You as an attractive local authorities and the NHS.
AND background for enduring and Senior-level representation on
Help more people. productive relationships with
Commissioners and other key		 many infuential forums and key
decision-making bodies,
stakeholders, both in England e.g. Collective Voice and PHE.
and in Scotland, caused by
our lack of management
accountability and ownership
of key relationships.
Radically improve Failure to retain or secure New business strategy and work plans:
people’s chances of new income streams - as a •Review of market trends and
getting better. result of general economic investment in digital platforms
AND
Help more people.
AND		 conditions, changes in
public procurement rules,
governmental new economic
and social directives.		 •Prudent reserves management
and contingency planning

Transform our organisation to get the best from each other.

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We Are With You Risk area Mitigation and management
strategic objective
----- End of picture text -----

Transform our Poor fnancial performance Robust fnancial planning covering
organisation to get the without the correct controls income, expenditure and reserves
best from each other. in place. projections, budgeting and the
monitoring of actual expenditure.
Continuous performance review for
fnancial controls, internal and external
audit processes.
Regular budget reviews and oversight
via Trustee subcommittee.
Contract reviews with commissioners
to monitor and manage external
pressures including infation.
Transform our Internal controls to monitor Establish a minimum data set based
organisation to get staff compliance with best on regulatory and stakeholder
the best from each practices (NICE and Orange reporting. Streamline systems,
other. guidelines) in drug and processes and reporting tools to
alcohol services, caused ensure information is available and
by the inability to capture updated regularly.
management and assurance Ensure clear metrics and KPIs are
data to analyse and gather in place to govern and manage
intelligence, resulting in poor reporting requirements in
or variable outcomes for commissioned contracts.
service users. Ensure onboarding and induction
material is suitably clear on best
practices in drug and alcohol services.
Develop an effective internal
audit framework and implement it.
Develop case management systems
to record the interventions used and
their effectiveness.
Radically improve Attract, retain and Recruitment and retention plans.
people’s chances of recruit staff. Improved staff
getting better. communications systems.
AND Learning and talent development plans.
Help more people. People and culture directorate plans.
AND Oversight from the Executive team
Transform our and scrutiny by Trustees at relevant
organisation to get the Board Committee meetings.

Transform our organisation to get the best from each other.

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We Are With You and the environment

We Are With You, our staff and our volunteers care deeply about the environment. Protecting the environment is not just a duty we have to ensure we manage our impact on the environment in a responsible way. It is aligned with our ethical values as an organisation and we believe that, by working together, we can minimise our carbon footprint in the communities we serve.

We are already helping our volunteers and employees work more sustainably through initiatives like office recycling schemes, reducing the energy use in our buildings, working with suppliers and partners to source sustainable products and services, and considering environmental criteria through our procurement processes.

Over the coming years, we aim to review our supplier base and invest in long-term partnerships with suppliers who are committed to environmentally friendly products and practices and ensure that they meet or exceed our commitment to net zero emissions, reduce the carbon footprint of our IT equipment by making better use of mobile and fixed hardware costs, develop new environment and sustainability principles, report on our progress each year through our Annual Report.

WE HAVE IN PLACE:

100% renewable electricity 25% certified renewable gas

75% carbon-neutral gas backed by carbon offset projects to develop wind and hydropower generation abroad, cutting global CO2 emissions.

Proactive reduction of our carbon footprint by facilitating hybrid working and contributing towards reductions in the requirement to reduce travel to work, encouraging car sharing and cycling.

Plans to incrementally reduce the need for physical storage and archiving , using less paper with more intuitive digital forms and self-service tools.

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Our Carbon Reduction Plan

From economic prosperity to preserving natural habitats, We Are With You knows how important it is to make a positive difference to the communities and environment where we work. We have been contributing to social value for a while but hadn’t yet measured its contributions before, or set ambitions for future growth. Our social value pillars are reflected below:

Economic (employment, apprenticeships, training opportunities)

Social

(activities that promote cohesive communities)

Environmental

(efforts to reduce carbon emissions)

next five years from the current normalised measurement of 2,361.557tCO2e to 1,323.435tCO2e, a reduction of 56.04% by 2030.

With this in mind, in 2022 we engaged Positive Planet to help us simplify the process of turning its sustainability goals into meaningful action, delivering positive impact for people and communities and creating a credible carbon reduction plan that delivers net-zero carbon before the Government’s 2050 target (compliance with PPN 06/21).

We are working collaboratively to achieve our environmental goals and will incorporate fun and innovative ways to engage and support staff in this mission. With our Carbon Reduction Plan, we will demonstrate our respect and care for our clients, our staff, the environment, and the future generations who will inherit it.

We Are With You’s Carbon Reduction Plan was published in March 2023. It measures the charity’s baseline emissions footprint where greenhouse gases produced prior to the introduction of any strategies to reduce emissions are taken into account. Baseline emissions are the reference point against which emissions reduction is measured. The baseline year 2022 was used.

Our Green Team, supervised by the Health and Safety Steering Group, supports and promotes the principles outlined in our Sustainability Policy. We challenge the whole charity to find innovative ways of reducing our environmental impact across all our activities. The Team has set Terms of Reference agreed by the Executive team and reviewed yearly by the Health and Safety Steering Group.

The charity’s projection identified that carbon emissions would decrease over the

to retain ISO 14001 certification, which sets out stringent requirements within our environmental management systems.

Specifically, the Green Team aims to consider ways to:

Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS)

We notified the Environment Agency in December 2019 of our compliance with ESOS Phase 2. The Lead Assessor determined that our assessment met the requirements of ESOS. For the third compliance period, we will notify our compliance to the Environment Agency in December 2023.

We have reviewed our meeting structures to increase the use of online collaboration tools and video conferencing to further reduce the travel footprint for our workforce. We continue

Streamlined Energy And Carbon Reporting (SECR)

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Energy type Period Units Period Units and
intensity ratios
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Indirect 1 April 2021 - 392.4tCo2e 1 April 2022 - 347.3tCo2e
Emissions - 31 March 2022 Equivalent to 31 March Equivalent to
purchased 3.7kgCo2per 2023 3.3kgCo2per
electricity and square foot square foot
gas - heating
and cooling
Indirect 1 April 2021 - 243.4tCo2e 1 April 2022 - 237.4tCo2e
Emissions - 31 March 2022 Equivalent to 31 March Equivalent to
business 181.9kgCo2per 2023 166.5kgCo2per
travel, mileage staff member headcount

Our mileage is based on data submission via our expenses system which includes staff and volunteers driving their own vehicles for We Are With You business. The primary sources used for energy and fuel are billing data and meter reads are only used where there is no billing data.

We Are With You is reporting energy and carbon emissions in compliance with The Companies (Directors’ Report) and Limited Liability Partnerships (Energy and Carbon Report) Regulations 2018.

We calculate our associated greenhouse gas emissions using the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Protocol, and following the UK Government’s Environmental Reporting Guidelines.

Through 2022/23 we continued to see reduced indirect emissions from electricity and gas in our services mainly from the continued impact of the pandemic in the first half of the year. As the year progressed and restrictions eased, our business travel mileage returned to a more business-as-usual model, especially for our outreach services.

We take an operational control approach meaning that 100% of emissions from operations over which we have control have been reported. Additionally, we have excluded all managed services or offices where we do not receive a separate charge for energy.

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Equality, diversity and inclusion

We know that only a fraction of people who experience problems with mental health, drugs or alcohol are in touch with services. We also know the role that trauma plays in many people needing to access our services. Understanding and addressing the intersection between marginalisation, discrimination and trauma is key to reducing stigma and empowering people to access the support they need. This is why equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is integral to us meeting our organisational goals.

feedback were then assessed across a range of competencies by National Equality Standard assessors. From this initial assessment, We Are With You has not achieved the National Equality Standard, but has now been provided with a roadmap from the feedback report which will guide us in developing our EDI priorities and action plan during 2023/24 in readiness for re-accreditation in 12 months’ time. This process has enabled us to ensure that the voices and experiences of our staff sit at the heart of our EDI priorities and action plan, and has enabled us to benchmark ourselves against best practices.

In order to radically improve people’s chances of getting better and to help more people, We Are With You has to take active steps to reduce the barriers to access for people from marginalised communities to ensure they get the support they need. This includes promoting our services as inclusive, upskilling our workforce to be able to provide culturally sensitive interventions that take account of the whole of a person’s identity, and having a workforce that can engage with the diverse communities we serve.

Our EDI Advisory Group continues to be an integral part of our EDI journey, acting as a critical friend to the organisation and ensuring that the voices of our staff remain central as we develop our EDI priorities and action plan. During 2022/23, we appointed a Head of EDI to oversee our EDI priorities and action plan and support the EDI Advisory Group to develop and continue to grow. We would like to thank all members of our EDI Advisory Group for supporting this work and for their continued passion and commitment to embedding EDI across all that We Are With You does.

To get the best from each other, all of our staff and volunteers need to feel able to bring their whole selves to work and to be heard. We also need to have a workforce that has a diversity of thought, experience and identity that represents the communities we serve.

During 2023/24, alongside developing our long-term EDI priorities and action plan, we will be focussing on building a strong foundation, with an emphasis on four key areas of EDI: increasing the collection and scrutiny of people-related EDI data, enhancing our inclusive recruitment practices, updating our equality impact assessment processes and expanding the range of EDI learning resources available.

During 2022/23 We Are With You began a process of external benchmarking of our EDI practice through the National Equality Standard. This process involved a range of evidence gathering, interviews and focus groups with staff from across the organisation. This evidence and

At We Are With You, women earn 98p for every £1 that men earn when comparing median hourly pay. Their median hourly pay is 1.9% lower than that of men.

Gender Pay Gap 2022

Actions to address the gender pay gap will be embedded within our EDI priorities and action plan. Actions that we intend to take include but are not limited to:

• Enhancing the learning provided to our managers around inclusive recruitment When comparing mean (average) practices • Scrutinising our anonymous exit interview hourly pay, women’s mean hourly information by gender to identify any pay is 4.6% lower than that disproportionality of men .

We Are With You’s gender pay gap remains significantly lower than the national average (14.9%) and below the average estimated for the charity sector (4.1%), but we continue to be committed to narrowing this gap.

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Fundraising in 2022/23

In 2022/23 we received £2,492,000 in grants and donations from the UK and Scottish Governments, Local Authorities, the National Lottery, charitable trusts, foundations, corporates and individuals. We thank all our supporters who help make a difference to the thousands of people we support and work towards the shared goal of making sure everyone feels comfortable getting the support they need for issues with drugs, alcohol or mental health.

We continued to build on our previous year’s fundraising strategy, diversifying our funding sources to support existing, new and innovative programmes that are not supported via commissioned income.

Amongst our donors this year was the Youth Endowment Fund, which continued to support our Youth Diversion work in Kent, Cornwall, Lancashire and Liverpool. Our donors also

We operate in line with the standards set out in the Code of Fundraising Practice by the Fundraising Regulator and maintain a formal complaints procedure. Our approach to fundraising is underpinned by our ethos and values and driven by the needs of the people we support. We ensure the trust of our supporters and our responsibility to clients is not compromised. Prospective corporate partnerships are assessed through our Corporate Engagement Procedure which ensures the partnership fits our values and ethos, organisational strategy, the dignity or rights of our beneficiaries and the pursuit of our purposes. We do not conduct general solicitations through street or door-to-door fundraising, or cold calling. Supporters are contacted on a legitimate interest basis and have the opportunity to opt out of our communications at any time. We do not sell or exchange donor details to third parties. We may use third parties to process donations but ensure all partners comply with Data Protection regulations. Our Vulnerable Supporters Policy provides all staff, volunteers, Trustees and anyone engaging with supporters on behalf of We Are With You, with clear guidance on how we can recognise vulnerable supporters and ensure appropriate actions are taken to treat them fairly and put their needs first.

included the Veterans Foundation, ABF Soldiers Charity, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and the RAF Benevolent Fund who supported our programme to help veterans affected by drug, alcohol and mental health issues. We were very pleased to receive a new grant from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund for our support to veterans in Cornwall.

We Are With You appreciates the various individual donors, corporates and trusts who provided unrestricted funding to help support the enhancement of our treatment offer and pilot new initiatives. This includes individuals responding to our direct marketing appeals, those undertaking community events and challenges for the charity and those who donate or fundraise in memory of a loved one.

Of particular mention is the enormous support we received from our 11 supporters who ran in the London Marathon in October 2022, collectively raising £16,699. We thank everyone involved for making it a success. During the remainder of 2022/23, 18 places were registered in preparation for the April 2023 marathon.

In 2022 we also entered into a new partnership with the renowned pizza oven brand, Gozney, collaborating on joint activities around the launch of a Signature Edition Roccbox which celebrated the company’s founder, Tom Gozney’s, incredible journey from alcohol and drug dependency. (See page 15)

We are members of the Institute of Fundraising and Fundraising Regulator. We also expect the same standards from any third-party suppliers we employ to carry out fundraising on our behalf. This is subject to regular review. No fundraising complaints were received in 2022/23.

We will continue to adapt our fundraising activity in line with the external landscape and work towards improving our processes to grow our fundraising further and find new ways to engage with our supporters.

We thank all our supporters who help make a difference to the thousands of people we support and work towards the shared goal of making sure everyone feels comfortable getting the support they need.

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Reference and administrative details

Registered office and operational address

Company number 02580377

Lower Ground Floor Gate House 1-3 St John’s Square London, EC1M 4DH

Charity number 1001957 (England) and SCO40009 (Scotland)

The Trustees who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows: Lord Carlile of Berriew (resigned 31 October 2022) Anne Lesley Chapman (Chair) Lynne Clow Ronald Adrian Finlay Jeremy Peter Fish

Trustees

Richard Alan Gould

Henry Nigel Pakenham McCorkell (resigned 13 January 2023) Nicola Margaret Roseman

Dr Neera Dholakia (appointed 26 January 2023) Karen Lesley Shawhan (appointed 26 January 2023) Harpreet Singh Sarna (appointed 26 January 2023)

Chief Executive Company Secretary Bankers

Belinda Phipps

Alexandra Borghesi

Lloyds Bank 4th Floor Gresham St London EC2 7HN

Solicitors

Womble Bond Dickinson LLP The Spark, Draymans Way Newcastle Helix Newcastle Upon Tyne NE4 5DE

Auditors

Moore Kingston Smith 6th Floor 9 Appold Street London, EC2A 2AP

Statement of Trustees

responsibilities

The Trustees (who are also the directors of the charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Strategic Report, the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law, the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they 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 charity for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity’s transactions and 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.

About this report

This report provides information about our aims, objectives and activities, and about this year’s performance and financial results. In publishing this report, we want to give a clear picture of what we do, what we have achieved and how we use the money we receive to meet our charitable aims. The report also fulfils legal requirements placed on us by laws and regulations to provide information publicly about the work we do.

We Are With You is registered both as a charity and a company (see page 70), and this charitable company is what we mean when we refer to “the charity”.

The report includes the activities of the charity, all of which are charitable, for the benefit of the public and carried out on a not-for-profit basis. The objects of the charity relate to the promotion of health and social inclusion and the prevention and reduction of ill health and poverty, particularly by seeking to relieve and prevent the harmful use of substances including alcohol; relieving and preventing mental health problems; and providing employability and training opportunities.

The report is presented by the members of the Board, who are the Trustees of the charity under UK charity law and its directors under UK company law. In this report we refer to the members of the Board as “the Trustees”.

The report as a whole includes the reference and administrative details on page 70, the Statement of Trustees responsibilities on page 71 and the financial statements on pages 78 to 95.

In preparing the report, we seek to meet our overall obligations under the rules and regulations in these ways:

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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)’ issued by the Charity Commission in October 2019 (“SORP 2019”).

As far as the Trustees are aware there is no relevant audit information of which the auditors are unaware and the Trustees have taken all reasonable steps to ensure themselves that all relevant information has been disclosed appropriately to the auditors.

Acknowledgements

The Trustees wish to record their gratitude to all those who contribute to We Are With You’s work: the people who use our services, our volunteers, staff, donors, commissioners, partners, funders and managers. We are hugely grateful for your dedication and support for our work. The Trustees’ Annual Report, incorporating the Strategic Report, was approved by the Trustees on 26 October 2023 and signed on their behalf by:

Anne Chapman

Chair of the Board of Trustees

Public benefit statement

We Are With You exists entirely for the public’s benefit. The services we offer are available free of charge where we are contracted to provide services. This work benefits not only individuals and their families but also the wider community, by reducing the harm and related costs caused to society by drug and alcohol misuse, and improving the public’s physical and mental health and other related issues.

In setting plans and priorities for areas of work, the Trustees of We Are With You have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit. In particular, the Board of Trustees considers how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives it has set. More information about the responsibilities of the Trustees can be found on page 71.

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Other information

Independent auditor’s report

Opinion

Basis for opinion

We have audited the financial statements of We Are With You (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise Statement of Financial Activities, the Charitable Company Balance Sheets, the Cash Flow Statement 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).

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 charitable company 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 our opinion the financial statements:

Conclusions relating to going concern 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 charitable company’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.

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 in 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 there is 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 the audit:

Matters on which we are required to

report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the trustees’ annual report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 or the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes 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 charitable company’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.

Auditor’s Responsibilities for the

audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under Section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and under the Companies Act 2006 and report to you in accordance with regulations made under those Acts.

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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 aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs (UK) we exercise professional judgement and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:

concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the charitable company to cease to continue as a going concern.

Explanation as to what extent

the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities,

including fraud

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 objectives of our audit in respect of fraud, are; to identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements due to fraud; to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the assessed risks of material misstatement due to fraud, through designing and implementing appropriate responses to those assessed risks; and to respond appropriately to instances of fraud or suspected fraud identified during the audit. However, the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with

both management and those charged with governance of the charitable company.

Our approach was as follows:

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above. We are less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations that are not closely

related to events and transactions reflected in the financial statements. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.

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 and to the charitable company’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Section 44(1)

Andrew Stickland (Senior Statutory Auditor)

for and on behalf of Moore Kingston Smith LLP, Statutory Auditor

13 December 2023

Moore Kingston Smith LLP is eligible to act as auditor in terms of Section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

We Are With You

Statement of Financial Activities

(incorporating an income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2023 Company number 2580377

Notes
INCOME FROM:
Grants & Fundraising
2
Investment income
Other income
3
Charitable activities
Adult services
Mental health services
Young people and family services
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE ON:
Raising funds
Fundraising
Charitable activities
Adult services
Mental health services
Young people and family services
Profile and influence
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
4
NET INCOME
FOR THE YEAR
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
Funds brought forward at 1 April
FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD AT 31 MARCH		 Unrestricted
funds
£000
199
-
89		 Restricted
funds
£000
17
-
-		 Total
funds
2023
£000
216
-
89		 Total
funds
2022
£000
153
-
88
288 17 305 241
47,232
5,847
3,710		 12,884
230
1,322		 60,116
6,077
5,032		 53,243
6,335
4,698
56,789 14,436 71,225 64,276
57,077 14,453 71,530 64,517
197 - 197 170
197 - 197 170
45,485
5,656
3,190
538		 11,322
230
1,368
-		 56,807
5,886
4,558
538		 49,782
5,704
4,039
367
54,869 12,920 67,789 59,892
55,066 12,920 67,986 60,062
2,011 1,533 3,544 4,455
2,011
9,832		 1,533
3,519		 3,544
13,351		 4,455
8,896
11,843 5,052 16,895 13,351

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds and transfers between funds are disclosed above and in Note 13 to the financial statements.

We Are With You Balance Sheet

As at 31 March 2023

Notes
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
9
Current assets
Debtors
10
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year
11
Net current assets
Debtors
Amount falling due after more than one year
Creditors
Amount falling due after more than one year
Net assets
Represented by
Unrestricted:
Designated fund
General charitable funds
Restricted
13
Total funds
12
FUNDS		 2023
2022
£000
£000
543
556
543
556
8,340
9,330
16,848
12,827
25,188
22,157
(8,883)
(9,414)
16,305
12,743
164
164
(116)
(112)
16,896
13,351
3,043
1,641
8,800
8,191
11,843
9,832
5,053
3,519
16,896
13,351

Restricted funds within charitable activities includes £2,276 (2022: £2,353) of fundraised grants detailed in note 2.

The Notes on pages 83 to 94 form part of these financial statements.

The notes on pages 83 to 94 form part of these financial statements. The detail of comparative figures for the previous year is shown in Note 16.

The Financial Statements were approved by the Trustees on 26 October 2023 and signed on their behalf by:

Nicola Roseman Chair, Resources Committee

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We Are With You Statement of Cash Flows

We Are With You

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

for the year ended 31 March 2023

1 Accounting policies

Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities:
Payments to acquire tangible fixed assets
Net cash provided by/ (used in) investing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the
reporting period
Cash and cash and equivalents at the beginning of the
reporting period
Cash and cash and equivalents at the end of the
reporting period
Reconciliation of net income to net cash flow from
operating activities
Net income for the reporting period (as per the statement
of financial activities)
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charges
Loss on disposal of fixed assets
(Increase)/ Decrease in debtors
Increase / (Decrease) in creditors
Net cash provided by operating activities
Analysis of changes in cash
and short-term deposits
Cash at bank and in hand		 £000
£000
4,082
(61)
(61)
4,021
12,827
16,848
2023		 £000
£000
4,082
(61)
(61)
4,021
12,827
16,848
2023		 £000
£000
2,485
(11)
(11)
2,474
10,353
12,827
2022		 £000
£000
2,485
(11)
(11)
2,474
10,353
12,827
2022
16,848 12,827
3,544
75
-
990
(526)
538
4,082		 4,455
134
-
(3,276)
1,172
(1,970)
2,485
4,082 2,485
As at
31 Mar 2022
£000
12,827		 Cash
flows
£000
4,021		 As at
31 Mar 2023
£000
16,848

a) The financial statements of We Are With You are prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, SORP 2019, and in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 102 (FRS102). The financial statements are drawn up on the historic cost accounting basis.

We Are With You's activities, together with the factors likely to affect our future development, performance and financial position, are set out on pages 12 to 42. The financial position of the charity, its cash flows, liquidity position and reserves are described in the financial statements on pages 80 to 82. The management of financial and other risks are described on pages 59 to 61. In 2022/23 We have emerged from the pandemic with a stronger financial position, whilst we have also changed aspects of how we physically operate our services, at our core our operating processes remain the same.

We Are With You has significant liquid financial resources, comprising short-term cash deposits and balances totalling £16.8 million, which is more than our free reserves. In addition, we obtain funding from a wide range of sources. As a consequence, the Trustees believe that We Are With You is well placed to manage business risks successfully.

The Trustees consider that We Are With You has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the annual financial statements.

c) Critical accounting estimates and judgements

To be able to prepare financial statements in accordance with FRS102, We Are With You must make certain estimates and judgements that have an impact on the policies and the amount reported in the annual accounts. The estimates and judgments are based on historical experience and other factors including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable at the time such estimates and judgements are made. None of the estimates and judgements made create a significant risk of causing material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in subsequent financial years.

Based on average historical cost per sq ft

Dilapidations

Allocated to each of the activities in proportion to the total of direct expenditure Actual debt over 365 days overdue unless specifics have been identified

Support cost allocation Bad Debt Income recognition / Payment by Results

Contract income is recognised when there is sufficient evidence that it has been earned. Income from some contracts is subject to a 'payment by results' element, which is calculated in relation to set criteria, the results of which may not be finalised until after the end of this accounting period. In these cases, income is recognised or deferred on the basis of the evidence available up to the date of this report.

The notes on pages 83 to 94 form part of these financial statements.

d) Income

All income is accounted for when We Are With You has entitlement to the funds, the amount can be measured reliably and receipt is probable.

Income received by way of donations and gifts to the charity is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when receivable.

Where unconditional entitlement to grants receivable is dependent upon fulfilment of conditions within the charity's control, the income is recognised when there is sufficient evidence that conditions will be met. Where grants are received but there is uncertainty as to whether the charity can meet such conditions the income is deferred.

Where entitlement to grants receivable is dependent on conditions not within the charity's control, income is recognised when those conditions have been met.

Contract income is recognised when there is sufficient evidence that it has been earned. Income from some contracts is subject to a ‘payment by results’ element, which is calculated in relation to set criteria, the results of which may not be determined until some time after the accounting period. In these cases, income is recognised or deferred on the basis of the evidence available up to the date of this report.

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Investment and other income is recognised when earned.

e) Expenditure All expenditure is accounted for under the accruals concept and stated gross of irrecoverable VAT. Expenditure is allocated to the particular activity where the cost relates directly to that activity.

The support costs of We Are With You are allocated to each of the activities in proportion to the total of direct expenditure as it reflects the best estimate of the allocation of those support costs.

Governance costs comprise the costs incurred which are directly attributable to the constitutional activities of We Are With You, and the necessary procedures for compliance with statutory requirements.

m) Operating leases

Rentals payable under operating leases, where substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership remain with the lessor, are charged to the SOFA on a straight line basis over the minimum lease term.

We Are With You strives to ensure that its property leases are co-terminus with its contracts. Where a property lease is longer than the initial contract we strive to ensure that break clauses are in place.

n) Termination payments

All costs involved in terminating employee contracts are accounted for on an accruals basis and disclosed in aggregate in Note 8. Termination benefits are measured at the best estimate of the expenditure required to settle the obligation at the reporting date.

f) Tangible fixed assets Freehold property is held at cost or fair value at acquisition. Improvements to leasehold premises and fixtures, fittings and equipment are capitalised where the total cost of the asset or combined cost of the project exceeds £10,000.

Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows:

Freehold property 2% on cost or valuation at acquisition Improvements to short leasehold premise5% - 50% on cost Fixtures, fittings and equipment 10% - 33% on cost Computers and IT equipment 20% - 33% on cost Motor vehicles 20% - 25% on cost

The Charity operates or contributes to both defined contributions and defined benefit schemes for its employees. All defined benefit schemes are closed to new entrants and the numbers of active members can only grow as a result of the transfer of staff from other organisations.

Employees who are members of defined benefit schemes are those who were part of a TUPE transfer for contracts awarded to the Charity. As per the contracts, the Charity is not liable for any defined benefit pension scheme liability and are only liable for a fixed pension contribution to the relevant schemes. As such no liability is recognised in the financial statements in relation to these schemes and the contributions are treated as if they were those payable to a defined contribution pension scheme.

The assets of any pension schemes are held separately from those of the Charity.

Pension costs charged in the SOFA represent the contributions payable by the Charity for the year together with any material provision to record the Charity's liability in relation to a defined benefit pension scheme, where this can be identified, in accordance with the accounting standard incorporated in FRS102.

g) Financial instruments The charity only has financial assets and liabilities of a kind that qualify as 'basic financial instruments' under FRS102. These are initially recognised at cash or transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value if different.

h) Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due less a provision for any impairment losses. A provision is established for impairment when there is objective evidence that amounts due under the original payment terms will not be collected or the debt is over 365 days old.

i) Creditors Creditors and provisions are recognised where We Are With You has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount.

We Are With You is eligible for the tax exemptions available for charitable activities.

We Are With You is a charity within the meaning of Para 1 Schedule 6 Finance Act 2010. Accordingly the charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains within categories covered by Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.

No tax charge arose in the current or prior period

k) Unrestricted funds

These funds are received and applied to achieve the general objectives of We Are With You.

l) Restricted funds

These are to be used for specified purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is identified to the fund, together with a fair allocation of management and support costs.

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We Are With You

Notes to the financial statements continued income

2
Grant income
National Lottery Community Fund
-Fulfilling Lives Multiple Needs - Blackpool (BLF Ref:30114808)
-Drink Wise, Age Well (BLF Ref:31014853)
-Life Chances Fund Grant (BLF Ref:10298686)
- Young Start (Project ID: 20153013)
National Lottery Community Fund and ESF Building Better Opportunities Grant via:
-Active Pluss Community Interest Company
-Ixion Holdings (Contracts) Ltd
-The Pluss Organisation CIC
ABF the Soliders' Charity
Corra Foundation - Argyll & Bute pre/post rehab project
Corra Foundation - Dumfries and Galloway lived experience project
Corra Foundation - North East Glasgow pre-rehab project
Royal Airforce Benevolent Fund
The Mickel Fund
The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity
The Scottish Government -South Lanarkshire Suvivor Support
The Scottish Government - Webchat
Veterans' Foundation
The Youth Endowment Fund Charitable Trust
Other grants
Donations and gifts
The majority of grants and fundraising income relates to specific service delivery projects and is included
in the Statement of Financial Activities
3
Other income
Court reports
Training
Rental
Social placements
Other		 2023
2022
All restricted
All restricted
£000
£000
-
72
-
271
129
111
25
25
147
256
62
74
274
438
40
-
100
-
100
-
255
100
10
-
20
10
15
15
90
85
288
277
30
-
233
119
458
500
17
25
2,293
2,378
under charitable activities
2023
2022
All Unrestricted
All Unrestricted
£000
£000
1
2
5
22
30
33
35
23
17
8
89
88

We Are With You Notes to the financial statements continued

4 Expenditure Direct Staff Other Support 2023 2022
costs direct costs costs Total Total
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000
Costs of raising funds
Fundraising 143 29 25 197 170
Charitable expenditure
Adult services 36,139 13,529 7,139 56,807 49,782
Mental health services 4,826 321 740 5,887 5,704
Young people's and family services 3,544 442 573 4,558 4,039
Profile and influence 231 240 68 539 367
Total 44,883 14,560 8,545 67,988 60,062
Included in support costs are staff costs totalling £5,125k (2022; £4,595k)
Expenditure Direct Staff Other Support 2022 2021
costs direct costs costs Total Total
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000
Costs of raising funds
Fundraising 125 24 20 169 156
Charitable expenditure
Adult services 32,107 11,546 6,129 49,782 45,962
Mental health services 4,632 369 703 5,704 5,209
Young people's and transitional services 3,132 410 499 4,039 5,483
Profile and influence 209 113 46 367 410
Total 40,205 12,462 7,397 60,062 57,220
Included in support costs are staff costs totalling £4,595k (2021; £3,889k)
5 Allocation of support costs Executive & Finance, Governance Quality Bidding for New 2023 2022
Central Admin IT & HR Services Total Total
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000
Fundraising 4 14 - 4 2 24 20
Adult services 1,152 4,137 138 1,250 463 7,140 6,129
Mental health services 119 429 14 130 48 740 703
Young people's and transitiona 92 332 11 100 37 573 499
Profile and Influence 11 39 1 12 4 68 46
Total 1,378 4,950 164 1,496 555 8,544 7,397
Allocation of support costs Executive & Finance, Governance Quality Bidding for New 2022 2021
Central Admin IT & HR Services Total Total
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000
Fundraising 4 11 - 4 1 20 17
Adult services 1,254 3,227 119 1,091 438 6,129 4,969
Family services - - - - - - -
Mental health services 144 370 14 125 50 703 563
Young people's and transitiona 102 262 10 89 36 499 593
Profile and Influence 9 24 1 8 4 46 45
Total 1,513 3,894 144 1,317 529 7,397 6,187
Support costs have been allocated in relation to direct costs.

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6
Governance costs
Staff costs
Audit fees and other fees payable to auditor
Trustees' expenses
Trustees' indemnity insurance
Company secretariat
7
Net income for the year
is stated after charging:
Depreciation
Trustees' indemnity insurance
Auditors' remuneration:
Audit of the charity accounts - current year
Operating lease rentals:
Property		 2023
2022
£000
£000
45
43
74
59
-
-
2
2
44
39
164
143
2023
2022
£000
£000
75
133
2
2
74
59
1,542
1,403

No trustee received any remuneration from We Are With You in the current or preceding years.

We Are With You

Notes to the financial statements continued Employees

8
Employees
The total costs of salaries and wages were as follows:
Salaries and wages
Social security costs
Pension contributions
Agency/support staff
Other staff costs		 2023
2022
£000
£000
41,177
37,612
3,953
3,386
2,429
2,219
2,256
1,412
193
171
50,008
44,800

Redundancy and other termination costs included in expenditure during the year were £639k (2022: £501k)

The average number of employees was as follows:
Fundraising
Young people and family services
Adult services
Mental health services
Profile and influence
Governance
The number of employees whose emoluments exceeded £60,000 were:
£60,001 - £70,000
£70,001 - £80,000
£80,001 - £90,000
£90,001 - £100,000
£100,001 - £110,000
£110,001 - £120,000
£130,001 - £140,000
£140,001 - £150,000
£150,001 - £160,000
£160,001 - £170,000
£201,000-£211,000		 2023
2022
No.
No.
3
2
125
132
1,132
1,035
159
162
5
5
2
2
1,426
1,338
2023
2022
No.
No.
17
12
7
6
4
3
1
3
1
1
-
2
1
-
1
1
1
-
-
1
1
1

All of these employees accrue benefits under the defined contribution pension scheme. Total pension contributions paid for these employees were £135k (2022; £112k)

The total amount of remuneration and employee benefits received by key management personnel for their services during the year was £1,275k (2022: £1,152k). Key management personnel relates to the Executive Board members (2023:8, 2022:8).

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11

We Are With You Notes to the financial statements continued

9
Fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets
The charity
Cost at the start of the year
Additions
Cost at the end of the year
Accumulated depreciation at the start of the year
Depreciation for the year
Accumulated depreciation at the end of the year
Net book value at the end of the year
Net book value at the start of the year		 Freehold
Land &
Buildings
Improve-
ments to short
leasehold
premises
Fixtures, fittings,
equipment and
vehicles
Computers and
IT equipment
Total
2023
£000
£000
£000
£000
£000
410
1,627
94
315
2,447
-
28
33
-
61
410
1,655
127
315
2,508
74
1,438
79
299
1,891
7
49
10
9
75
81
1,487
89
308
1,965
329
168
38
7
543
343
259
25
52
679

10 Debtors

Amounts falling due within one year
Trade debtors
Accrued income
Other debtors
Prepayments
Amount falling due after more than one year		 2023
2022
£000
£000
5,479
6,424
2,518
2,589
4
172
341
309
8,340
9,494
2023
2022
£000
£000
164
164

The long term debtor relates to a pension bond agreement for a local government pension scheme as a guarantor of obligations as an admitting body

Creditors and accrued expenses

Amounts falling due within one year
Trade creditors
Social security and other taxes
Other creditors
Deferred income
Accruals		 2023
2022
£000
£000
837
1,246
977
1,220
473
602
1,280
1,351
5,315
4,995
8,883
9,414

Included in accruals is an increased provision for dilapidations following an internal review of our property estate. The increase has been driven by higher cost expectations and known contract ends. There is also a provision for other potential legal matters. The estimated future costs of dilapidations and other legal matters are reviewed annually and adjusted as appropriate.

Other creditors includes outstanding pensions contributions at year end of £327k (2022: £339k)

2023
2022
£000
£000
Amount falling due after more than one year
116
112
The long term creditor relates to a loan from Big Issue Invest of £100,000 taken out on 4th March 2019, repayable by one final payment
with an interest rate of 4%, due to be repaid by 31st October 2024		 2023
2022
£000
£000
Amount falling due after more than one year
116
112
The long term creditor relates to a loan from Big Issue Invest of £100,000 taken out on 4th March 2019, repayable by one final payment
with an interest rate of 4%, due to be repaid by 31st October 2024
Movements in deferred income
Deferred due to timing of receipt		 Balance b/f
Released
Received
Balance c/f
to SOFA
in year
£000
£000
£000
£000
1,351
(1,351)
1,280
1,280

We Are With You Notes to the financial statements continued

13
Movements in funds
Net Income for the year
before transfers
Transfers
Net Movement in Funds
Balance at the start of the year
Balance at the end of the year		 General
Charitable
Designated
Restricted
Total
funds
fund
funds
2023
£000
£000
£000
£000
2,011
-
1,533
3,544
(1,402)
1,402
-
-
610
1,402
1,533
3,544
8,191
1,641
3,519
13,351
8,801
3,043
5,052
16,895

In accordance with We Are With You's reserves policy, the designated fund represents fixed and other assets that cannot be readily converted into cash. At 31 March 2023 this was made up £543,000 representing the net book value of unrestricted assets. As part of the 2022/23 annual accounts the Trustees have approved the establishment of a designated reserve fund of £2.5m to support organisation wide projects.

The projects continue to focus on: Service delivery and techinical infrastructure Investment in workforce development and employee engagement The investments will be utilised through 2023/24

14
Restricted funds
Revenue grants
Fulfilling Lives Multiple Needs - Blackpool
Drink Wise, Age Well
The Pluss Organisation CIC
Ixion Holdings (Contracts) Ltd
Active Pluss Community Interest Company
The Youth Endowment Fund Charitable Trust
Other funds
Total restricted funds		 Balance at
Balance at
1 April
31 March
2022
Income
Expenditure
2023
£000
£000
£000
£000
26
-
(26)
-
129
1
(130)
-
10
274
(284)
-
-
62
(62)
-
5
147
(152)
-
42
233
(226)
49
3,307
13,736
(12,040)
5,003
3,519
14,453
(12,920)
5,052
3,519
14,453
(12,920)
5,052

Restricted funds include new government funding to support substance misuse services made available during 22/23, as well as including various grants and donations received from funders to support future services.


Restricted funds
Revenue grants
Fulfilling Lives Multiple Needs - Blackpool
Drink Wise, Age Well
The Pluss Organisation CIC
Ixion Holdings (Contracts) Ltd
Active Pluss Community Interest Company
The Youth Endowment Fund Charitable Trust
Other funds
Total restricted funds		 Balance at
Balance at
1 April
31 March
2021
Income
Expenditure
2022
£000
£000
£000
£000
81
72
(127)
26
239
271
(381)
129
1
438
(429)
10
-
74
(74)
-
7
256
(258)
5
-
119
(76)
42
337
8,670
(5,701)
3,307
665
9,900
(7,046)
3,519

Deferred income relates to income received for services which will be delivered in the next financial year

Net Debt Reconciliation At Start of Year Cash Flows At End of Year
£000 £000 £000
Cash 12,715 4,016 16,731
Loans falling due after more than a year 112 (4) 116
Total Cash 12,827 4,021 16,848

12

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WE ARE WITH YOU ANNUAL REPORT

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

15

We Are With You Notes to the financial statements continued SOFA Comparatives

Analysis of charity net assets between funds
Fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Long term debtors
Long term liabilities
Prior year analysis of charity net assets between funds
Fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Long term debtors
Long term liabilities		 General
Charitable
Designated
Restricted
Total
funds
fund
funds
2023
£000
£000
£000
£000
-
543
-
543
17,636
2,500
5,052
25,188
(8,883)
-
-
(8,883)
164
-
-
164
(116)
-
-
(116)
8,801
3,043
5,052
16,896
General
Charitable
Designated
Restricted
Total
funds
fund
funds
2022
£000
£000
£000
£000
-
556
-
556
17,553
1,085
3,519
22,157
(9,414)
-
-
(9,414)
164
-
-
164
(112)
-
-
(112)
8,191
1,641
3,519
13,351

16 Statement of Financial Activities - detail of comparative figures

Notes
INCOME FROM:
Fundraising income
Investment income
Other income
3
Charitable activities
Adult services
Mental health services
Young people and family services
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE ON:
Raising funds
Fundraising
Charitable activities
Adult services
Mental health services
Young people and family services
Profile and influence
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
4
NET INCOME / (EXPENDITURE)
FOR THE YEAR
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
Funds brought forward at 1 April
FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD AT 31 MARCH		 Unrestricted
funds
£000
128
-
88		 Restricted
funds
£000
25
-
-		 Total
funds
2,022
£000
153
-
88
216 25 241
44,717
6,267
3,417		 8,526
68
1,281		 53,243
6,335
4,698
54,401 9,875 64,276
54,617 9,900 64,517
170 - 170
170 - 170
43,880
5,635
2,964
367		 5,902
69
1,075
-		 49,782
5,704
4,039
367
52,846 7,046 59,892
53,016 7,046 60,062
1,601 2,854 4,455
1,601
8,231		 2,854
665		 4,455
8,896
9,832 3,519 13,351

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WE ARE WITH YOU ANNUAL REPORT

19

We Are With You Notes to the financial statements continued

17
Lease obligations
The following payments are committed to be paid in the future in
respect of leases:
Operating leases on land, buildings, vehicles and
equipment, by expiry date:
Under one year
Two to five years
Over five years
Total commitments		 2023
2022
£000
£000
655
834
1,882
1,563
349
536
2,885
2,933

We Are With You Notes to the financial statements continued

18 Pension schemes

The pension cost charge for the charity’s defined contributions schemes represents contributions payable under the schemes by the charity and amounted to £2,196k (2022: £1,934k).

We Are With You had Direction Employer status with the NHS Pension Scheme in relation to employees at a number of its projects during the year. The Scheme is an unfunded, defined benefit scheme, preparing its own statements, that covers NHS employers, general practices and other bodies, allowed under the direction of the Secretary of State, in England and Wales. The Scheme is not designed to be run in a way that would enable We Are With You to identify its share of the underlying Scheme assets and liabilities. Therefore, the Scheme is accounted for as if it were a defined contribution scheme and the cost of the Scheme is taken as being equal to the contributions payable to the Scheme for the accounting period. The total employer contributions payable in the year were £207k (2022: £233k). For both years employer contributions were paid at 14% of pensionable salary. Member contributions are between 5% - 14.5% of pensionable salary. At 31 March 2023 there were 40 (2022: 56) active members in the scheme employed by We Are With You.

We Are With You has Admitted Body status with the Local Government Pension Scheme in Shropshire, Hereford and Greater Manchester and Merseyside. The Scheme is a multi-employer defined benefit scheme. The total employer contributions payable in the year were £26k (2022: £31k).

Ultimate Controlling Party

There is no ultimate controlling party

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