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2022-03-31-accounts

SAFER PLACES

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Charity number 1018832
Company number 02789572
Regulator of Social Housing number 4761

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

CONTENTS Page
Legal and administration information 1
Trustees annual report 2 - 17
Independent Auditors’ report 18 - 20
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income 21
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Reserves 21
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position 22
Company Statement of Financial Position 23
Consolidated Statement of Cashflows 24
Notes to the Accounts 25 - 45

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

Charity number 1018832
Company number 02789572
Governing document The charitable company is governed by its memorandum
and articles of association.
Known as Safer Places
Registered office PO Box 2489
16-20 Bush House
Bush Fair
Harlow
Essex
CM18 6NS
Auditors Knox Cropper LLP
65 Leadenhall Street
London
EC3A 2AD
Bankers Lloyds Bank
Billericay Commercial Centre
Lloyds Commercial
89 High Street
Billericay
Essex
CM12 9AT
Trustees
• Douglas Wildey
• Erica Bowen (resigned 25 October 2021)
• Chloe Ahmed
• Gift Kapswara
• Lorraine Larman
• Laila Abraham
• Sian Chambers (appointed 25 May 2021)
• Clare Arnold (appointed 25 May 2021)
• Kathy Osborne (appointed 25 May 2021)
• Garry Matthews (appointed 25 May 2021, resigned 28 November
2021)
Secretary Allison Gardner

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Structure Governance and Management

The Board of Trustees present their report and financial statements of Safer Places and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Brighter Futures@Safer Places C.I.C and Safer Properties Limited.

Safer Places is a Registered Charity and a Company Limited by Guarantee. The Charitable Company is also registered with the Regulator of Social Housing (Reg No 4761).

Our governing documents are our Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Our Trustees are elected from our membership at our Annual General meeting. Our Trustees serve for a period of three years and then stand down or seek nomination and re-election. In line with good governance guidance Trustees do not normally serve for more than three terms. However, it was agreed that Douglas Wildey continue as a Trustee since he brings a level of specialist expertise to the board which is highly valued and would be difficult to replace.

Our membership is open to anyone who supports the objectives set out in our Memorandum of Association and such other persons as the Trustees shall admit to membership of the company. An application for membership may be approved or rejected by the Trustees. The Trustees have the right for good and sufficient reason to terminate the membership of any member provided that the member concerned shall have the right to be heard before a final decision is made.

We welcome nominations from organisations who are members of Safer Places.

Safer Places has no prohibition on clients becoming Members or Trustees providing they are able to meet the eligibility requirements and fulfil the responsibilities of these roles.

It is the policy of Safer Places to ensure that all Trustees are eligible and have sufficient and appropriate skills to serve. All members wishing to become Trustees undergo a competency-based selection process and are required to complete a Declaration of Eligibility and a Declaration of Interests annually.

Once appointed Trustees participate in an induction process which, includes induction to the company as well as to the role of Trustee. Ongoing training relevant to the role of Trustee is provided.

Statement of trustees’ responsibilities

The trustees (who are also directors of Safer Places for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group and charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the Group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Group and charitable company 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 Group and charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

In so far as the trustees are aware:

Our Trustees are also responsible for the following:

Day to day management of Safer Places is delegated to the Chief Executive who reports directly to the Board of Trustees.

The Board of Trustees meets at least five times per year.

Staff attend Board Meetings and advise on all matters but do not vote.

Statement on the registered social housing provider’s internal control systems

The Board takes an active interest in all internal control and corporate governance matters, and aims to meet the highest standards. The Board accepts the principles in the National Housing Federation Code of Governance, which go well beyond internal financial control.

This statement is confined to internal financial control. Internal financial control means the controls established in order to provide reasonable assurance of:

Statement

The Board acknowledges its primary responsibility for the company's system of internal financial control, for safeguarding the assets of the company and for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The Board places considerable importance on maintaining a strong control environment. However such a system can only provide reasonable and never absolute assurance against material misstatement or loss. The Board has established, and intends to continue development of, key procedures designed to provide effective internal financial control. These are the high level procedures and processes by which the Board reviews the effectiveness of the system of internal financial control.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

The company's internal financial control and monitoring procedures include:

These reports are reviewed by the Finance and the Board prior to the use of interim and annual reports

Code of Governance

Safer Places has adopted the Charity Governance Code as it best reflects the objectives and aims of the organisation as a registered charity. The Board undertake a 5-year external audit against the Charity Code of Governance and review the compliance internally on an annual basis. We can report that there are no outstanding actions or non-compliance against the code and the outcome of the prior audit was that the auditor considered the charity to be well governed.

Objectives and Activities

The objectives of Safer Places are:

“ The Charity is established to relieve distress and suffering amongst people living with or fleeing from, or at risk of, Domestic Abuse, including stalking and harassment; to provide education for their future benefit; to educate those who work with victims of domestic violence and to provide social housing for those suffering, fleeing, or at risk of domestic violence, stalking and harassment.”

Vision, Mission and Values

Vision

Safer Places vision is a society where everyone lives a life free from fear and abuse.

Mission

Safer Places exists to drive down the incidence and impact of domestic and sexual abuse and to support those who use our services in their journey to recovery, resilience and independence.

Values

These are the values we promise to uphold so we never lose sight of our mission:

Client Led – We empower our clients to exercise choice and control of their support. We ensure client’s voices are heard and that they impact our decision making and shape our services

Accessible – We work inclusively with our clients, partners and communities. Anyone who is at risk of experiencing abuse can access our services when, how and where they need them.

Respectful – We adopt a trauma informed, holistic approach to support. We listen and believe, are nonjudgemental and open and honest about what we can and cannot do.

Effective – We deliver high quality services that work for our clients. Our practice is informed by our clients, research, evidence and learning from experts by experience.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Review of 2021/22

In spite of the continuing concerns around Covid 19 2021/22 was a good year for Safer Places. The changes we had made as a result of the pandemic were embedded during 2020/21 and we had been forced, as all organisations were, to think differently about how we delivered services and operated as an organisation. This made us implement at pace changes, that with hindsight, we needed to make which would have otherwise taken many years. 2021/22 was the year in which we built on changes implemented in the previous year to further develop our offer to our beneficiaries.

For example:

Just as we established a different way of working with our clients and our staff so we developed a more collaborative approach working with other organisations. We developed a number of partnerships including with CHESS Homeless in Chelmsford with whom we run the Safe Haven project for women whose interests are not best serviced within a refuge e.g., single short stay clients approaching the council who are victims of domestic abuse who are supported by the Housing IDVA. We are also working with CHESS to provide services to male victims in Essex and have a male IDVA / ISAS who has been embedded within that service so we can, together, improve the response to homeless male victims of domestic abuse.

We also established a partnership with the Hertfordshire Asian Women's Association (HAWA) and have learned a great deal as a result and we have secured a property which we will run with their support for Women from the BAME community. HAWA have provided us with invaluable advice and this has enabled us to recruit a workforce which better reflects the communities we serve

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

We also established a partnership with Drug Link as we were conscious of the limitations of our Hope House provision because we lacked the experience and skills to safely manage some of the women at greatest need because of the extent of their substance misuse. We ran a pilot project with Drug Link providing a women only unit and experienced recovery staff working alongside our specialist domestic abuse staff. This is meeting a need for service that we had been unable to fulfil and this partnership will continue.

We also became part of the ADVANCE partnership which works with women in the Criminal Justice System. We deliver housing advice as part of that partnership as well as providing bases for the Advance teams in Essex and Hertfordshire

Separate from our work with the Advance Partnership our work with women offenders has also extended and a property has been purchased and awaits a planning permission appeal to enable us to move forward with the establishment of a service for women offenders leaving prison or as an alternative to prison. We will be providing support to the residents and running the service. The building has been purchased by a benefactor and the project has the full support of the Criminal Justice and associated agencies within Essex. Further partnership work with the probation service is progressing and we continue to work with them to support women offenders through our Women’s Centres and providing opportunities for completing unpaid work requirement. Plans for the establishment of a community café in Hertfordshire have progressed and we are currently awaiting the installation of a commercial kitchen within our new women's centre in Hertfordshire funded by the Ministry of Justice.

The new Domestic Abuse Act became law in April 2021. The Act brought in changes to facilitate major change in the way that domestic abuse is dealt with in the UK ranging from new definitions , the recognition of children as victims in their own right , the creation of new offences, new duties for statutory bodies including housing and local authorities, the establishment of a national commissioner for domestic abuse reporting to parliament, new sanctions for perpetrators including new orders , special measures and changes in procedures in all courts and many other changes that will , if implemented well , substantially change the way domestic abuse is dealt with and improve services to victims . As part of the Act, from April 1st 2021, Local Authorities are required to fund support within Safe Accommodation within their area As Safer Places was not funded by Essex County Council, we had struggled to sustain our Essex refuge provision even though we are the major provider of Safe Accommodation in Essex. There were delays in additional funding being provided to support this new duty and so we had to continue to raise funds through bidding but eventually funding was secured and at last the future of our Essex refuges was secured. We anticipate this will be the case until recommissioning occurs in two years' time and we are working closely with Essex County Council to play our full part in helping to develop their strategy and in collaboration with other Essex agencies.

Also, in 2021/22 we bid for additional funding from Hertfordshire and this enabled us to enhance our services by increasing children's support staffing, continuing the provision of the complex needs refuge Hope House and increasing staff to be able to provide resettlement support to those leaving refuge. We were very fortunate to be able to recruit some excellent staff who have brought much to the organisation and we also ran a trainee scheme, recruiting many new graduates or people with appropriate experience who we trained over a six-month period and will be retaining within our services as qualified staff.

Towards the end of the year Hertfordshire County Council tendered the provision of safe accommodation services for the county and we submitted a bid to provide these services as lead provider in a consortium made up of St Albans and Hertsmere Women's Refuge and Drug Link and with a close working relationship with Survivors Against Domestic Abuse (Stevenage). We were delighted to secure this contract which will run from July 1st 2022.

All in all, it has been a very successful year and we look forward to the coming year with enthusiasm, and in a better position and as a better organisation than we were at the beginning of the year. For this we are grateful to our excellent Trustee board, staff and volunteers, partners and supporters and to those we support from whom we learn so much and witness a level of courage, determination and achievement against the odds that inspires us all.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Our Beneficiaries and Public Benefit Statement

The Trustees are aware and mindful of the Charities Commission guidance. Safer Places has delivered public benefit in line with the objects and activities of the organisation through the delivery of our core services.

The work of Safer Places is guided by our strategic plan which set outs the strategic objectives we seek to deliver over a 3 to 5 years period and in every year of the plan period we identify objectives in our annual business plan that will build towards the delivery of the objectives within our strategic plan. The first table below sets out the annual plan objectives for 2021/22.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Review of 2021/2022 (continued)

The one year Business Plan objectives for the year to March 31[st] 2022

Objective Outcome
•
Increase training business securing and
increasing customer base by 20% and sales
by 20% from March 31st 2021 and extending
range of courses and specialist trainers
building brand identity. In 2021 extend the
accredited training product offer by one
additional discrete qualification and increase
the IDVA offer to diploma level IDVA
qualification		 Achieved and exceeded
•
Remodel safe accommodation services to
provide a range of options for Safe
Accommodation fit for purpose which meets
needs across the whole accommodation
pathway. In 2021/2 close Altham House and
re-provide units in smaller clusters, self -
contained and specialist facilities. Increase in
units by 15%		 Achieved
•
Expand the range of services provided to
women offenders and in 2021/22 establish at
least one accommodation-based services as
an alternative to or post discharge from
prison to enable women to receive the
Trauma
informed
and
community
coordinated response required to deliver the
outcomes set out in the local women
offenders’ strategy		 Property acquired but project delayed pending
planning appeal
•
Develop an Equality Diversity and Inclusion
strategy
that
covers
our
team,
our
communication, our service delivery and our
collaboration. In 2021/2 Produce an outline
strategic framework, and in year 2021/22 and
ensure that language and communication are
not a barrier to equal access to our services
and that the voices of all are included in the
development and delivery of their own
support and the development of our services		 Achieved
•
Produce an achievable budget for the
financial year 2021/22 that is break even in
terms of profit		 Achieved

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Progress against the strategic objectives agreed within our strategy 2017-2022 are set out below with narrative
regarding progress in this the final year of the plan account of how we delivered our mission and public benefit
in the year.
Objective
Measure
Making sure that the services we deliver in Essex
and Hertfordshire are judged as excellent by our
clients and our commissioners
All of the performance targets were delivered within our
commissioned contracts and we secured a contract for
our refuge provision in Essex
Delivering an excellent ISAS (stalking support)
service in Hertfordshire which is evaluated
externally as delivering better outcomes for victims
and is seen as a critical and specialist element of
the skill and qualification set required to provide
best practice services to clients at high risk
Funding has been secured to continue the service until
December 2022 with a view to recommissioning
thereafter
There is little benchmarking information against which
to compare the performance of our service but from
other studies we can confidently say that our service
has a much higher than average rate of clients feeling
safer after engagement with the service and of
protective orders being implemented
19 people from 14 different organisations including
police forces and local authorities were trained and
obtained
their
level
4
Hertfordshire
University
accredited qualification as an independent stalking
advocacy specialist ( ISAS)
Whilst 204 victims started and completed an episode of
support from the stalking service in the year, there were
450 new referrals which is an indication of the growth
in demand for the service which began during the
pandemic and has been sustained
Diversifying
our
accommodation
stock
and
developing new models of the provision of safe
accommodation that meet people’s needs, provide
choice and supports better longer-term outcomes
We continued to acquire more fit for purpose
accommodation for victims of domestic abuse including
a property which will open shortly which is specifically
for Asian women and we entered a new partnership
with SADA (Survivors against Domestic Abuse) and
with Drug link to extend the range of accommodation
and support available within Hertfordshire where we
secured the safe accommodation contract as lead
provider
Achieving the gold standard as a Trauma Informed
organisation and for our Trauma Informed practice
by the end of 2022
We secured the bronze award for Trauma informed
practice from One Small Thing and were the first in our
sector to gain such an award. We delayed progressing
up to gold accreditation because there is a new
accreditation
specifically
for
our
sector
being
developed which we will consider in due course but in
the meantime we have worked on two key areas: We
strengthened our focus on Equity, Equality, Diversity
and Inclusion and set standards we will monitor year on
year within this report and we signed up to the Mental
Health at Work Commitment and the delivery of the
standards		 Progress against the strategic objectives agreed within our strategy 2017-2022 are set out below with narrative
regarding progress in this the final year of the plan account of how we delivered our mission and public benefit
in the year.
Objective
Measure
Making sure that the services we deliver in Essex
and Hertfordshire are judged as excellent by our
clients and our commissioners
All of the performance targets were delivered within our
commissioned contracts and we secured a contract for
our refuge provision in Essex
Delivering an excellent ISAS (stalking support)
service in Hertfordshire which is evaluated
externally as delivering better outcomes for victims
and is seen as a critical and specialist element of
the skill and qualification set required to provide
best practice services to clients at high risk
Funding has been secured to continue the service until
December 2022 with a view to recommissioning
thereafter
There is little benchmarking information against which
to compare the performance of our service but from
other studies we can confidently say that our service
has a much higher than average rate of clients feeling
safer after engagement with the service and of
protective orders being implemented
19 people from 14 different organisations including
police forces and local authorities were trained and
obtained
their
level
4
Hertfordshire
University
accredited qualification as an independent stalking
advocacy specialist ( ISAS)
Whilst 204 victims started and completed an episode of
support from the stalking service in the year, there were
450 new referrals which is an indication of the growth
in demand for the service which began during the
pandemic and has been sustained
Diversifying
our
accommodation
stock
and
developing new models of the provision of safe
accommodation that meet people’s needs, provide
choice and supports better longer-term outcomes
We continued to acquire more fit for purpose
accommodation for victims of domestic abuse including
a property which will open shortly which is specifically
for Asian women and we entered a new partnership
with SADA (Survivors against Domestic Abuse) and
with Drug link to extend the range of accommodation
and support available within Hertfordshire where we
secured the safe accommodation contract as lead
provider
Achieving the gold standard as a Trauma Informed
organisation and for our Trauma Informed practice
by the end of 2022
We secured the bronze award for Trauma informed
practice from One Small Thing and were the first in our
sector to gain such an award. We delayed progressing
up to gold accreditation because there is a new
accreditation
specifically
for
our
sector
being
developed which we will consider in due course but in
the meantime we have worked on two key areas: We
strengthened our focus on Equity, Equality, Diversity
and Inclusion and set standards we will monitor year on
year within this report and we signed up to the Mental
Health at Work Commitment and the delivery of the
standards
Objective Measure
Making sure that the services we deliver in Essex
and Hertfordshire are judged as excellent by our
clients and our commissioners		 All of the performance targets were delivered within our
commissioned contracts and we secured a contract for
our refuge provision in Essex
Delivering an excellent ISAS (stalking support)
service in Hertfordshire which is evaluated
externally as delivering better outcomes for victims
and is seen as a critical and specialist element of
the skill and qualification set required to provide
best practice services to clients at high risk		 Funding has been secured to continue the service until
December 2022 with a view to recommissioning
thereafter
There is little benchmarking information against which
to compare the performance of our service but from
other studies we can confidently say that our service
has a much higher than average rate of clients feeling
safer after engagement with the service and of
protective orders being implemented
19 people from 14 different organisations including
police forces and local authorities were trained and
obtained
their
level
4
Hertfordshire
University
accredited qualification as an independent stalking
advocacy specialist ( ISAS)
Whilst 204 victims started and completed an episode of
support from the stalking service in the year, there were
450 new referrals which is an indication of the growth
in demand for the service which began during the
pandemic and has been sustained
Diversifying
our
accommodation
stock
and
developing new models of the provision of safe
accommodation that meet people’s needs, provide
choice and supports better longer-term outcomes		 We continued to acquire more fit for purpose
accommodation for victims of domestic abuse including
a property which will open shortly which is specifically
for Asian women and we entered a new partnership
with SADA (Survivors against Domestic Abuse) and
with Drug link to extend the range of accommodation
and support available within Hertfordshire where we
secured the safe accommodation contract as lead
provider
Achieving the gold standard as a Trauma Informed
organisation and for our Trauma Informed practice
by the end of 2022		 We secured the bronze award for Trauma informed
practice from One Small Thing and were the first in our
sector to gain such an award. We delayed progressing
up to gold accreditation because there is a new
accreditation
specifically
for
our
sector
being
developed which we will consider in due course but in
the meantime we have worked on two key areas: We
strengthened our focus on Equity, Equality, Diversity
and Inclusion and set standards we will monitor year on
year within this report and we signed up to the Mental
Health at Work Commitment and the delivery of the
standards

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Maintaining and improving the skills, qualification and professional expertise of our staff and marketing our training to other professionals and services across the UK

IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advocate) – 81 people from 73 different organisations including Domestic Abuse charities, Local Authorities, NHS workers and Social Care workers trained and qualified as IDVAs

ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advocate) – 48 people from 32 different organisations including police forces and social care workers trained and qualified as ISVAs

ISAS (Stalking Specialist) 19 people from 14 different organisations including police forces and local authorities. Were trained and obtained their level 4 Hertfordshire University accredited qualification as an independent stalking advocacy specialist (ISAS)

Short courses –653 people were trained through short courses which included

J9 Domestic Abuse awareness training was delivered to 278 people

Improving our reach to hidden victims and minority groups including those female victims who are or have been involved with the criminal justice system

We became part of the Advance Partnership working with women involved in the Criminal Justice System under contract to the Ministry of justice. We also await planning permission for the development of a property which will support 6 women leaving prison or living in the accommodation as an alternative to prison. We have also worked successfully with Hertfordshire Asian Women’s Association and with their support we are opining a refuge for Asian women and we have diversified our workforce through being able to engage better with different communities. We are increasingly working with the LGBTQ community to increase our engagement with that community so as to develop services to better meet their needs and wishes

Improving the services we offer to children and young people, developing practice and services that are effective for them, including working in partnership with other agencies, taking a whole family perspective including the perpetrator, with the safety and wellbeing of children at the centre

We have been working with partners and academics to better understand the specific needs and wishes of children and young people in refuge and to develop services which best meet the diversity of intersecting needs and wishes they have. In the coming year we will be publishing a comprehensive needs assessment and working closely with our commissioners and partners to develop better pathways and internally delivered services for those we work with

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Highlights of 2021/22

During the year we received a great deal of encouragement from those we serve, our partners and our colleagues. The table below provides a snapshot of the year.

“My babies are home and safe.
My ex will not be allowed to be
alone with them and all contact
will take place in a contact centre
... With the knowledge I have
learnt from you, even though I
know there is a long road ahead, I
also know that we will be ok.”
( client)		 100% of staff say they are proud or “This was a really thought-
provoking session and allowed
time to consider the many
societal and cultural norms
which could impact on the
likelihood of domestic violence
taking place, and on victims
not reporting it”
( trainee)
very proud to work for Safer Places
(staff survey)
Safer Places secured the SAFE cic
kite mark for Safeguarding		 “The support and services
delivered to me were excellent. It
was oxygen for me when I felt I
was suffocating”(Client)		 100% of staff say they have access
to the learning and development
they need to do their job well (staff
survey)
The trainers on the course
were really attentive, being
aware that some of the content
was very distressing.
(Trainee)		 On average more than 90 people
participated in our Triple R recovery
program every week		 “I don't know what I would have
done without Safer Places and
especially I. who became my
lifeline during this awful
_experience”(_stalking victim)
100% of staff agree or strongly
that their manager is a great role
model for employees (staff survey)		 Survey results for those attending “I have always wanted to work
with survivors of Domestic
Abuse but didn’t know how I
would even begin to get into it.
I completed the J9 training
course, which was amazing. I
then enquired about further
courses and was directed to the
IDVA training course“
(Trainee)
the Triple R recovery program the
last quarter showed that for each
of the following: Feeling safer;
improved self -esteem, reduced
feelings of isolation , improved
emotional wellbeing and feeling
able to reach out between 98 and
99% reported improvements in
their answer to each question
“You have saved my life, no joke
and my sons and so many others
the awareness this course has
given me and that I will pass on to
my nearest and dearest will stay
with me for life, you have given
me a life skill”
(Client)		 Every week of the year on average
186 adults and their children are
referred or self- refer to Safer
Places		 SaferPlaces became the first
organisation in our sector to secure
the Trauma informed practice
bronze award
“Another amazing course i
have attended via safer places,
this training compliments and
adds to my IDVA training
undertaken with yourselves. I
love how informal yet
informative the sessions are”
(Trainee)		 “Safer Places does everything it can
to support staff – staff then pass
that on in the way they work with
each other and their clients”
(comment from staff survey)		 Participants in the 4 module Triple
R program recorded substantial
improvements in feelings of
safety, self -esteem , feeling
isolated and being confident to
reach out for support and
emotional wellbeing with 100% of
participants in the final module on

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

resilience reporting improvements in all four areas “We are leaving refuge today and Safer Places was selected to work the big thing we love about this with the Disabilities Trust on a “This course was brilliant and place – one of the best things is research project into Domestic opened up a whole new world that we can play and there are Abuse and Acquired Brain injury. for me. It was directed at me lots of lovely things to do“ The results of this research could doing the job that I’ve always lead to much greater understanding wanted. Next month I leave Two children saying farewell to and better support for victims my job in a school to go and staff on leaving refuge ) work as a Health IDVA in a

“This course was brilliant and opened up a whole new world for me. It was directed at me doing the job that I’ve always wanted. Next month I leave my job in a school to go and work as a Health IDVA in a hospital. Thank you Safer Places for changing my life Qualified IDVA trained by Safer Places” ( Trainee)

Much has changed over the last three years with the experience of and the new Domestic Abuse Act which has a major impact on the strategic context and resources available for domestic abuse. Trustees and Officers are investing much effort in developing the strategy from 2023-28 in order to take advantage of the opportunities we envisage. The revised strategy will be signed off in November. The following objectives have been agreed for 2022/23 and will make a bridge between the old and new strategic direction for the organisation:

  1. Review the Estate and make decisions as to the future arrangements for the provision and maintenance of safe accommodation

  2. Design and implement evidence-based children’s services in refuge which meet the specific needs of children in refuge from a combination in house provision and referral to community-based provision and ensures excellent collaboration with statutory agencies and strong advocacy where necessary to ensure safeguarding needs are met

  3. Implement the new senior management structure and the new roles reporting to the Head of Policy and Influence and ensure that there is a clear set of KPIs in respect of increasing Safer Places Voice and Visibility beyond the local level and that there are clear communication and social media KPIs and that these are being met

  4. Review the Business Plan and governance arrangements for Brighter Futures implementing recommended changes to ensure the long-term development and sustainability of the subsidiary

  5. Achieve a balanced budget in 2022/3 & and re-engineer business processing to achieve our Value for Money objective

  6. 12 -

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Value for Money (VFM)

Each year the Charity used a range of data to measure VFM progress against the housing sector. The results help influence investment decisions and provide the regulators and other stakeholders with information on the progress of the Charity, whilst also ensuring compliance with the regulatory VFM standard. The charity has measured itself against the Housemark Sector Scorecard.

Metric 2022 2021 Sector Score Commentary
Reinvestment 30.60% 11.68% 6.10%
Safer Places holds its housing
stock on operating leases. Fixed
assets represent the value of
improvements carried out and,
additions therefore represent a
greater
proportion
of
book
value.
New
supply
%
(social)
New
supply
%
(non-social)		 0.00%
0.00%		 0.00%
0.00%		 1.30%
0.00%		 Safer Places has not developed
any new properties during the
year.
Gearing (1,791.8)% (976.4)% 33.80% Safer
Places
has
no
borrowings.
EBITDA MRI 1,497.47% 1,331.44% 196.10% Safer Places does not have any
borrowings. The interest charge
on the SOCI represents net
interest on the pension deficit.
Social Housing
Cost Per Unit		 £13,497 £13,689 £4,023 The nature of Safer Places’
properties and the associated
services provided means that
there is a significantly higher
cost base.
Operating Margin
(social housing)
Operating Margin
(overall)		 (0.14)%
6.94%		 (28.56)%
5.52%		 23.60%
21.50%		 The nature of Safer Places’
properties means there is high
resident
turnover
causing
substantial loss of rent through
vacancies,
reducing
the
operating margin.
Return on Capital
Employed		 12.12% 9.05% 2.80% The ROCE reflects the low
operating
margin
on
the
Charity’s activities.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Reserves policy

It is the policy of the board to provide sufficient reserves to:

Reserves will therefore be held:

  1. Working Capital – with sufficient unrestricted funds to continue operating at current service level for a period of three months

  2. Refurbishment – to undertake a rolling programme to sustain the quality of our accommodation and services.

  3. Property acquisition - the Trustees are currently reviewing refuge requirements across operational areas and are considering investment to improve provision of services in key areas.

Principal Risks and Uncertainties

The major risks facing Safer Places are:

  1. In light of the current economic conditions, increased costs related to utilities and the supply chain caused by increased fuel costs are a principal risk to Safer Places. This is further exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and these issues will inevitably impact the cost of running services, particularly refuge provisions and office overhead costs. Staff monitor the situation, seeking quotes to ensure best value for all services and utilities in order to mitigate this risk as much as possible.

  2. Like many charities, in the mid to long term the organisation must also face the challenge of ensuring adequate funds are available to meet the obligations of its defined benefit pension scheme. We continue to hold assets necessary to manage the fund however the pension obligations remain volatile. The economic conditions again prove challenging not just for the Charity but for the client base and we continue to take action to support clients on financial matters as well.

  3. To sustain and enhance income related to the training subsidiary in order to provide enhanced services to the stakeholders. The year reflects that the provision of training has proved a successful venture to date.

  4. Covid-19 (coronavirus) which threatened our ability to provide refuge spaces in an isolated environment during the pandemic. We closed a large, shared facility refuge in Harlow and moved clients into smaller properties rented from private landlords in 2020/21 in order to ensure we could accommodate clients safely. In 2021/we were able to upgrade provision as new properties were purchased and refurbished to replace those we had acquired in haste.

Safer Places Investment Policy

It is the policy of Safer Places to achieve the best possible return on investment and therefore two properties were purchased in 2012. The rental return on these properties far exceeds any rate that could be achieved currently through the financial institutions. Cash funds on reserve will be placed on fixed term deposits according to best rates at the time and the need for funds to be available.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Review of Financial position

Safer Places’ continued strategy to diversify income and provide fully funded frontline services has resulted in a sustained operating surplus for the group of £242k (2021: a surplus of £225) which will be re-invested to services in the coming financial period to ensure we continue to meet the changing needs of our client base. Donations whilst still amounting to a modest proportion of income had increased nearly 33% from 2021.

Social housing income remained relatively constant showing a slight reduction from 2021 due to adjustments in the types & quantity of units provided £1,006,513 (2021: £1,085,647)

The cash position of the group has increased by £470,555, again as a result of the success of training services, and other efforts to diversify our income stream. The charity therefore maintained sufficient cash balances to fulfil its reserves policy at the year end. Investment Properties were determined to be held at fair value and rental income from the properties also remains relatively stable.

Going Concern

The Board has reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue operations for the foreseeable future. For this reason, the going concern basis has continued to be used in preparing the financial statements.

The Trustees agreed to focus on diversifying income streams during 2020/21 and generating more income through, for example, the sale of our training services. Over 2021/22 this service has developed to meet this challenge and in spite of the restrictions resulting from COVID19, has adapted swiftly to put training online which means that the substantial income planned through the delivery of the national qualifications for the sector in different regions of the country is still being generated, and enabled a return to an operating surplus.

We therefore consider that the future prospects for funding to be encouraging and that we are well placed to secure additional income. The Trustees have also considered the impact of Covid-19 on the short and long term health of the charity. Forecasting of future revenue streams and strong reserves has provided adequate assurance that the going concern basis is appropriate in preparing the financial statements.

Future plans

During the period we extended our work on Equity , Equality , Diversity and Inclusion which is fundamentally important to the delivery of truam informed , quality service delivery and we set the following objectives that we will report on

Safer Places EEDI Action Plan 2022-2023

Objective 1 – Our Team

We aim to increase the diversity of our workforce and continue to build an inclusive culture where all staff feels valued, that they belong, and have opportunities to succeed and celebrate our differences

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Objective 2 – Our Clients – We will make sure our services are responsive to the individual needs of all survivors so anyone experiencing or at risk of abuse can access our services, when, where and how they need to on an equitable basis of risk, need and choice

Objective 3 – Our Partners – We will actively seek opportunities to collaborate with by and for organisations and challenge structural inequalities that exclude or marginalise their presence

Objective 4 – Community Engagement – We will pro-actively engage with the communities that we serve

Objective 5– Our communication – We will be clear, accessible, and inclusive in all of our communication both internally and externally

We do not intend to return to operating as we were pre-pandemic because there have been some advantages to the new ways of working that we have found that we wish to retain. For example, although some clients enjoy the social interaction of a face-to-face therapeutic group session many have preferred online delivery which they have found more convenient and also less daunting. We have run programmes in the evenings, and this had made them more accessible to some women who wished to participate when their children were in bed. Online delivery has also been very advantageous for people who are disabled for whom attending in person sessions was more difficult. Online meetings have also saved a great deal of time which would otherwise been wasted in travelling across counties to participate. Supporting each other through the pandemic has also brought teams closer together and further improved relationships in the workplace.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER WITH AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 MARCH 2022

Auditors

The Auditors, Knox Cropper LLP, have indicated that they are willing to be re-appointed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions in Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

By Order of the Board

Laila Abraham

Laila Abraham (Sep 27, 2022 21:20 GMT+5.5)

Laila Abraham

Chair of Trustees

Date: September 2022

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF SAFER PLACES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Safer Places (the ‘parent charitable company’) and its subsidiaries (the ‘group’) for the year ended 31 March 2022 which comprise the consolidated statement of comprehensive income, the consolidated statement of changes in reserves, the consolidated and company statement of financial positions, the consolidated statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard Applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the 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.

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 charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information.

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.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, 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 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 or a material misstatement of the other information. 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.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF SAFER PLACES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

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 group and parent charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on pages 2-3, 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 group and parent 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 company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF SAFER PLACES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements (continued)

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. 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.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken, so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report or for the opinions we have formed.

James Holland-Leader FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Knox Cropper LLP, Statutory Auditor 65 Leadenhall Street London EC3A 2AD

September 2022

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Notes
2022
£
Turnover
2
3,407,029
Less: Operating costs
3
(3,156,039)
Other Income
2,175
_
Operating surplus/(deficit)
5
253,165
Interest Receivable
525
Net Interest on Defined Benefit Liability
17
(18,000)
Gain on revaluation of investments
9
6,622
Gain on revaluation of investment properties
8
-
_
Surplus/(deficit) for the year
242,312
Remeasurement of Defined Benefit Liability
17
914,000
_
Total Comprehensive Income for the Year
£1,156,312
_		 2021
£
2,980,776
(2,818,907)
2,155
_
164,024
343
(19,000)
-
80,000
_
225,367
(187,000)
_
£38,367
_

All incoming resources and resources expended derive from continuing activities.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF
CHANGES IN RESERVES
Balance at 1st April 2021
Total Comprehensive Income
Transfers between funds
Balance at 31st March 2022		 Restricted
Unrestricted
Total
£
£
£
-
673,623
673,623
-
1,156,312
1,156,312
-
_
_
_
£ -
£1,829,935
£1,829,935
_
_
_

The notes on pages 25 to 45 form part of these financial statements.

SAFER PLACES
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
COMPANY NUMBER: 02789572
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
AT 31 MARCH 2022
____________
- 22 -
Notes
2022
2021
£
£
£
£
Fixed assets
Housing property assets
7a
74,830
88,095
Other fixed assets
7b
50,720
52,037
Investment Properties
8
915,000
915,000
Investments
9
106,622
-
_
__
1,147,172
1,055,132
Current assets
Debtors
10
214,904
129,499
Cash at bank and in hand
1,341,849
871,294
__
__
1,556,753
1,000,793
Creditors:amounts falling
due within one year
11
(779,990)
(356,302)
__
__
Net current assets
776,763
644,491
__
__
Net assets excluding pension scheme liabilities
1,923,935
1,699,623
Defined benefit pension scheme liability
(94,000)
(1,026,000)
__
__
Net assets/(liabilities) including pension scheme
liabilities
£1,829,935
£673,623
__
__
Represented by:
Restricted funds
14
-
-
Unrestricted funds
15
1,923,935
1,699,623
Pension reserve
15
(94,000)
(1,026,000)
__
__
Total Funds
£1,829,935
£673,623
__
______
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions in Part 15 of the
Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
Approved by the Board of Trustees on September 2022 and signed on its behalf by:
____
___
Laila Abraham - Director
Douglas Wildey - Director
The notes on pages 25 to 45 form part of these financial statements.
Laila Abraham (Sep 27, 2022 21:20 GMT+5.5)
Laila Abraham
D Wildey (Sep 28, 2022 14:07 GMT+1)
SAFER PLACES
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
COMPANY NUMBER: 02789572
COMPANY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
AT 31 MARCH 2022
____________
- 23 -
Notes
2022
2021
£
£
£
£
Fixed assets
Housing property assets
7a
74,830
88,095
Other fixed assets
7b
50,720
52,037
Investment Properties
8
915,000
915,000
Investments
9
106,723
100
_
__
1,147,273
1,055,232
Current assets
Debtors
10
185,553
130,399
Cash at bank and in hand
1,340,799
870,394
__
__
1,526,352
1,000,793
Creditors:amounts falling
due within one year
11
(759,890)
(356,302)
__
__
Net current assets
766,462
644,491
__
__
Net assets excluding pension scheme liabilities
1,913,735
1,699,723
Defined benefit pension scheme liability
(94,000)
(1,026,000)
__
__
Net assets/(liabilities) including pension scheme
liabilities
£1,819,735
£673,723
__
__
Represented by:
Restricted funds
14
-
-
Unrestricted funds
15
1,913,735
1,699,723
Pension reserve
15
(94,000)
(1,026,000)
__
__
Total Funds
£1,819,735
£673,723
__
______
The parent company’s total comprehensive income for the year amounted to £1,146,012 (2021: £38,367).
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions in Part 15 of the
Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
Approved by the Board of Trustees on September 2022 and signed on its behalf by:
____
___
Laila Abraham - Director
Douglas Wildey - Director
The notes on pages 25 to 45 form part of these financial statements.
A.
B.		 SAFER PLACES
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
COMPANY NUMBER: 02789572
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASHFLOWS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
____________
- 24 -
Notes
2022
2021
£
£
Net cash generated from Operating
Activities
A
617,152
143,347
Cashflows from Investing activities
Purchase of Tangible Fixed Assets
(47,122)
(25,166)
Purchase of Fixed Asset Investments
(100,000)
-
Proceeds from disposal of Tangible Fixed Assets
-
-
Interest Received
525
343
_
__
(146,597)
(24,823)
__
__
Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalent
470,555
118,524
Cash and Cash Equivalent at beginning of the year
871,294
752,770
__
__
Cash and Cash Equivalent at end of the year
B
£1,341,849
£871,294
__
__
Cashflows from Operating Activities
Surplus/(Deficit) for the Year
242,312
225,367
Depreciation and losses on disposal
61,704
98,895
(Increase)/Decrease in Debtors
(85,405)
18,102
Increase/(Decrease) in Creditors
423,688
(60,674)
Interest Receivable
(525)
(343)
Net Interest on Pension Liability
18,000
19,000
Pension Costs/Expense
(36,000)
(77,000)
Gains on revaluation
(6,622)
(80,000)
__
__
£617,152
£143,347
__
__
Analysis of Changes in net funds
At 01/04/2021
Cash flows
At 31/03/2022
Cash
£871,294
£470,555
£1,341,849
_
_
_		 SAFER PLACES
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
COMPANY NUMBER: 02789572
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASHFLOWS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
____________
- 24 -
Notes
2022
2021
£
£
Net cash generated from Operating
Activities
A
617,152
143,347
Cashflows from Investing activities
Purchase of Tangible Fixed Assets
(47,122)
(25,166)
Purchase of Fixed Asset Investments
(100,000)
-
Proceeds from disposal of Tangible Fixed Assets
-
-
Interest Received
525
343
_
__
(146,597)
(24,823)
__
__
Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalent
470,555
118,524
Cash and Cash Equivalent at beginning of the year
871,294
752,770
__
__
Cash and Cash Equivalent at end of the year
B
£1,341,849
£871,294
__
__
Cashflows from Operating Activities
Surplus/(Deficit) for the Year
242,312
225,367
Depreciation and losses on disposal
61,704
98,895
(Increase)/Decrease in Debtors
(85,405)
18,102
Increase/(Decrease) in Creditors
423,688
(60,674)
Interest Receivable
(525)
(343)
Net Interest on Pension Liability
18,000
19,000
Pension Costs/Expense
(36,000)
(77,000)
Gains on revaluation
(6,622)
(80,000)
__
__
£617,152
£143,347
__
__
Analysis of Changes in net funds
At 01/04/2021
Cash flows
At 31/03/2022
Cash
£871,294
£470,555
£1,341,849
_
_
_		 SAFER PLACES
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
COMPANY NUMBER: 02789572
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASHFLOWS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
____________
- 24 -
Notes
2022
2021
£
£
Net cash generated from Operating
Activities
A
617,152
143,347
Cashflows from Investing activities
Purchase of Tangible Fixed Assets
(47,122)
(25,166)
Purchase of Fixed Asset Investments
(100,000)
-
Proceeds from disposal of Tangible Fixed Assets
-
-
Interest Received
525
343
_
__
(146,597)
(24,823)
__
__
Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalent
470,555
118,524
Cash and Cash Equivalent at beginning of the year
871,294
752,770
__
__
Cash and Cash Equivalent at end of the year
B
£1,341,849
£871,294
__
__
Cashflows from Operating Activities
Surplus/(Deficit) for the Year
242,312
225,367
Depreciation and losses on disposal
61,704
98,895
(Increase)/Decrease in Debtors
(85,405)
18,102
Increase/(Decrease) in Creditors
423,688
(60,674)
Interest Receivable
(525)
(343)
Net Interest on Pension Liability
18,000
19,000
Pension Costs/Expense
(36,000)
(77,000)
Gains on revaluation
(6,622)
(80,000)
__
__
£617,152
£143,347
__
__
Analysis of Changes in net funds
At 01/04/2021
Cash flows
At 31/03/2022
Cash
£871,294
£470,555
£1,341,849
_
_
_
- 24 -

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

1 Accounting policies

(a) Basis of preparation and assessment of going concern

The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to the accounts. They have been prepared in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Companies Act 2006 the Statement of Recommended Practice for Registered Social Housing Providers 2018 and the Accounting Direction for Private Registered Providers of Social Housing 2019.

The Charitable Company constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

The Board has reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue operations for the foreseeable future. For this reason, the going concern basis has continued to be used in preparing the financial statements. The Board has considered the impact of Covid-19 on the short and long term health of the Charity, and is content that the measures taken by the Charity, together with strong reserves and enhanced prospects due to Domestic Abuse Bill changes and the implementation of the government’s new domestic abuse strategy, provides adequate forecasting and assurance that the going concern basis is appropriate in preparing the Financial Statements.

The presentation currency in the financial statements is the pound sterling (£).

(b) Company status

Safer Places is a charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The members of the company are the trustees named on page 1. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity.

(c) Group Financial Statements

These financial statements consolidate the results of the Charitable Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Safer Properties Limited (08704415) and Brighter Futures@Safer Places C.I.C. (13524749), on a line by line basis. A separate Statement of Comprehensive Income has not been presented for the parent Charitable Company itself, having taken advantage of the exemption afforded by the Companies Act 2006.

(d) Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds, which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds is charged against the specific fund.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

(e) Incoming resources

All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income can be measured reliably. Income is deferred where:

For legacies, entitlement is when the impending distribution is probable.

Grants have been included as income from charitable activities where these amount to a contract for services but as voluntary income where the money is given in response to an appeal or with greater freedom of use, for example monies for core funding.

Gifts in kind donated for distribution are included at valuation and recognised as income when they are distributed to the projects. Gifts donated for resale are included as income when they are sold. Donated facilities are included at the value to the charity where this can be quantified, and a third party is bearing the cost. No amounts are included in the financial statements for services donated by volunteers.

(f) Resources expended

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal and constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that settlement will be required, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of the resources.

Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charity and include project management carried out at Headquarters. Governance costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the charity and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

(g) Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets costing more than £500 are capitalised and included at cost including any incidental expenses of acquisition.

Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets at rates calculated to write off the cost on a straight line basis over their expected useful economic lives as follows:

Years %
Leasehold Refuge Improvements:
Fabric 40 2.5
Roofs 40 2.5
Kitchens 20 5
Doors and Windows 30 3.33
Bathrooms 25 4
Boilers 15 6.67
Refuge Equipment 5 20
Leasehold Office Improvements 5 20
Furniture and Equipment 5 20
Motor Vehicles 5 20

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

(h) Pension costs

The charitable company participates in a group defined benefit pension scheme providing benefits based on final pensionable pay. This is a funded scheme, and the assets are held separately from those of the charity in separate trustee administered funds.

Pension scheme assets are measured at fair value and liabilities are measured on an actuarial basis using the projected unit method and discounted at a rate equivalent to the current rate of return on a high-quality corporate bond of equivalent term and currency to the liabilities. The actuarial valuations are obtained at least triennially and are updated at each balance sheet date. The amounts charged to operating surplus are the current service costs and gains and losses on settlements and curtailments together with any change in the net defined benefit liability arising from employee service. They are included as part of staff costs. Net interest on the defined benefit liability is shown as a cost in the statement of comprehensive income. The remeasurement of the defined benefit liability is also reported is the statement of comprehensive income, and is shown in more detail in Note 17 to the Accounts.

(i) Operating Leases

Rentals under operating leases are charged on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

(j) Investments

Investment properties are measured at fair value at each reporting date with changes in fair value recognised in the Statement of Comprehensive Income. Depreciation is not provided in respect of investment properties.

Investments in subsidiaries are stated at cost less provision for impairment.

The charitable company’s investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction value and subsequently measured at their fair value as at the balance sheet date using the closing quoted market price. The Statement of Comprehensive Income includes the net gains and losses arising on the revaluations and disposals throughout the year.

Realised gains and losses on investments are calculated as the difference between sales proceeds and their opening carrying value or their purchase value if acquired subsequent to the first day of the financial year. Unrealised gains and losses are calculated as the difference between the fair value at the year end and their carrying value.

(k) Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

(l) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

(m) Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity 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 after allowing for any trade discounts due.

(n) Financial instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

(o) Significant Management Judgements and Estimation Uncertainties

The following are the critical judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty that the Board has made in the process of applying the charity’s accounting policies and that have the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements:

Fair value of Investment Properties

Investment properties are measured at fair value at each reporting date with changes in fair value recognised in the Statement of Comprehensive Income. The Trustees assess the fair value of the investment properties based on recent market values. In determining the fair value on this basis, the valuation remains sensitive to fluctuations in the property market.

Identification of housing property components

The charity accounts for its expenditure on housing properties using component accounting. Under component accounting, the housing property is divided into those major components which are considered to have substantially different useful economic lives. Judgement is used in allocating property costs between components (land, structure, kitchens, bathrooms etc) and in determining the useful economic lives of each component.

Housing property depreciation is calculated on a component by component basis. The identification of such components is a matter of judgement and may have a material impact on the depreciation charge. The components selected are those which reflect how the major repairs to the property are managed.

Useful lives of depreciable assets

Management reviews its estimate of the useful lives of depreciable assets at each reporting date based on the expected utility of the assets. Uncertainties in these estimates relate to ‘technological obsolescence’ with regard to IT equipment/software and any changes to decent homes standard requiring frequent replacement of components. The accumulated depreciation at 31 March 2022 was £782,303.

Bad debt provision

A full line by line review of trade debtors is carried out at the end of each month. Whilst every attempt is made to ensure that the bad debt provisions are as accurate as possible, there remains a risk that the provisions do not match the level of debts which ultimately prove to be uncollectible.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

(o) Significant Management Judgements and Estimation Uncertainties (continued)

Defined Benefit Pension Scheme

The Charity has an obligation to pay pension benefits to certain employees. The cost of these benefits and the present value of the obligation depend on a number of factors, including: life expectancy, asset valuations and the discount rate on corporate bonds. Management estimates these factors in determining the net pension asset in the balance sheet. The assumptions reflect historical experience and current trends.

A liability of £94,000 is recorded in the Statement of Financial Position at 31 March 2022 for the Essex Pension Fund. See note 17 for the disclosures relating to the defined benefit scheme.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

2
Income - Group
Unrestricted
Restricted
2022
2022
£
£
Donations and Legacies
Donations
50,110
6,064
Nationwide
-
-
Children In Need
-
38,798
Herts Community Foundation
-
10,000
Infection Control Fund
-
8,000
Coronavirus Community Support
-
-
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
-
-
Other grants
18,750
18,116
_
_
68,860
80,978
_
_
Charitable Activities:
Refuge rents receivable
947,226
-
Refuge service charges
59,287
-
Supporting People Hertfordshire
1,504,250
-
Emergency COVID Funding MoJ
-
-
Emergency COVID Funding MHCLG
-
-
EFDC Essex Womens Refuges
-
-
Essex COVID Recovery & Response
-
-
PCC ISAC Service
-
78,000
Homeless Link
-
-
Advance
-
72,961
EDASS
-
283,200
CRC Services
25,770
-
Herts County Council Sunflower
2,100
-
Ministry of Housing, CLG
-
99,938
Training Services
142,699
-
_
_
2,681,332
534,099
_
_
Investment Properties
Rents receivable
41,760
-
_
_
Turnover
£2,791,952
£615,077

 Total
2022
£
56,174
-
38,798
10,000
8,000
-
-
36,866
_
149,838
_
947,226
59,287
1,504,250
-
-
-
-
78,000
-
72,961
283,200
25,770
2,100
99,938
142,699
_
3,215,431
_
41,760
___
£3,407,029
 Total
2021
£
42,294
12,500
42,668
-
16,000
43,288
3,997
61,602
_
222,349
_
1,015,764
69,883
618,000
278,527
103,570
16,944
37,000
26,500
80,000
-
-
109,585
10,773
286,669
63,452
_
2,716,667
_
41,760
___
£2,980,776

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

3 Operating costs - Group

Total 2022 Total 2021
£ £
Services to victims seeking support
Direct costs
Staff costs 1,121,254 1,022,560
Professional fees 30,929 17,782
Refuge rents and service charges 341,724 386,843
Refuge running expenses 317,205 309,119
Refuge depreciation 36,161 71,613
Other operating expenses 557,366 435,752
Bad debts 48,538 37,318
Support costs
Staff costs 465,643 336,337
Depreciation 25,544 27,281
Insurance 25,226 17,480
Legal and professional fees 28,036 13,770
Audit fee 19,700 14,002
Meeting expenses - 1,323
Other overhead expenses 129,512 119,603
___ ___
3,146,838 2,810,783
Other activities
Investment property management costs 9,201 8,124
___ ___
Total resources expended £3,156,039 £2,818,907
___ ___
Unrestricted Funds 2,540,962 1,924,234
Restricted Funds 615,077 894,673
___ ___
£3,156,039 £2,818,907
___ ___

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

4

Accommodation in management 2022 2021
Social housing income and expenditure: £ £
Rents receivable excluding service charges 947,226 1,015,764
Service charges receivable 59,287 69,883
Less: Social housing operating costs (1,007,968) (1,395,700)
────── ──────
Net surplus/(deficit) from social housing activities £(1,455) £(310,053)
__ __
Void losses £297,148 £139,836
__ __
Units Units
Supported housing 74 94
___ ___

The RP manages properties on behalf of Swan, Catalyst. L&Q, Housing Associations, registered social housing providers operating in Essex and Herts.

5

6

Operating surplus/deficit 2022 2021
This is stated after charging: £ £
Trustees’ emoluments - -
Auditor’s remuneration (excluding VAT) 10,425 12,500
Operating lease rentals – land and buildings 364,264 413,601
Operating lease rentals – office equipment 12,350 20,756
Depreciation of owned assets 59,903 98,895
__ __
Staff costs 2022 2021
£ £
Wages and salaries 1,230,546 1,101,700
Social security costs 109,019 99,380
Pension costs 164,553 130,178
Termination payments - -
────── ──────
£1,504,118 £1,331,258
__ __
2022 2021
No No
The average weekly number of full-time equivalent employees during
the year was: 44 40
The average number of employees during the year was 51 46

_ _

There was one employee whose employee benefits fell in the banding £60,000 to £70,000, one in the banding £70,000 to £80,000, and one in the banding £100,000 to £110,000. The employee benefits for the Trustees and Key Management Personnel amounted to £346,697 (2021: £343,309). The highest paid Director received remuneration (excluding pension contributions) of £83,042 (2021: £83,052) and is an ordinary member of the defined benefit pension scheme as disclosed in Note 17. Employee benefits comprise salaries, social security contributions and pension contributions. No trustee received remuneration for their role as a trustee during the year (2021: £nil).

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

7a Tangible fixed assets – Housing properties
Group and Parent
Leasehold
Refuge
Improvements
£
Cost:
At 1 April
30,318
Additions
-
Disposals
-
At 31 March
30,318
Depreciation:
At 1 April
7,376
Charge for the Year
5,554
Disposals
-
At 31 March
12,930
Net Book Value 31 March 2021
£22,942
Net book Value 31 March 2022
£17,388
7b Other Fixed Assets
Group and Parent
Leasehold
Office
Improvements
Furniture
and
Equipment
£
£
Cost:
At 1 April
63,615
366,642
Additions
-
24,227
Disposals
-
-
At 31 March
63,615
390,869
Depreciation:
At 1 April
38,263
339,957
Charge for the Year
12,723
12,821
Disposals
-
-
At 31 March
50,986
352,778
Net book value 31 March 2021
£25,352
£26,685
Net book value 31 March 2022
£12,629
£38,091		 7a Tangible fixed assets – Housing properties
Group and Parent
Leasehold
Refuge
Improvements
£
Cost:
At 1 April
30,318
Additions
-
Disposals
-
At 31 March
30,318
Depreciation:
At 1 April
7,376
Charge for the Year
5,554
Disposals
-
At 31 March
12,930
Net Book Value 31 March 2021
£22,942
Net book Value 31 March 2022
£17,388
7b Other Fixed Assets
Group and Parent
Leasehold
Office
Improvements
Furniture
and
Equipment
£
£
Cost:
At 1 April
63,615
366,642
Additions
-
24,227
Disposals
-
-
At 31 March
63,615
390,869
Depreciation:
At 1 April
38,263
339,957
Charge for the Year
12,723
12,821
Disposals
-
-
At 31 March
50,986
352,778
Net book value 31 March 2021
£25,352
£26,685
Net book value 31 March 2022
£12,629
£38,091		 Refuge
Equipment
£
393,527
22,895
(7,465)
408,957
328,374
28,805
(5,664)
351,515
£65,153
£57,442
Motor
Vehicles
£
14,094
-
-
14,094
14,094
-
-
14,094
£-
£-		 Total
£
423,845
22,895
(7,465)
439,275
335,750
34,359
(5,664)
364,445
£88,095
£74,830
Total
£
444,351
24,227
-
390,869 468,578
339,957
12,821
-		 392,314
25,544
-
352,778 417,858
£26,685 £52,037
£38,091 £50,720

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

8 Investment properties
Group and Parent
At 1 April 2021
Change in fair value
At 31st March 2022		 Investment
Properties
£
915,000
-
£915,000		 Total
£
915,000
-
915,000

The investment properties have been valued by the Trustees at 31 March 2022 based on current market value which has been assessed on the basis of historic selling prices of similar properties in the location over the course of the financial year.

9 Investments _Group______ _Group______ __Parent__ __Parent__ __Parent__
Investment in Group Investment
unit trust Total Undertakings in unit trust Total
£ £ £ £ £
At 1 April - - 100 - 100
Additions 100,000 100,000 1 100,000 100,001
Unrealised gains 6,622 6,622 - 6,622 6,622
_ _ _ _ _
At 31 March £106,622 £106,622 £101 £106,622 £106,723
_ _ _ _ _

Investments in group undertakings comprises 100% of the ordinary share capital of Safer Properties Limited (company number: 08704415) and Brighter Futures@Safer Places CIC (company number: 13524749).

The principal activities of the subsidiaries are property investment and the provision of training courses, respectively. Summaries of the trading results are shown below:

Turnover
Costs of sales
Gross profit
Administrative expenses
Operating (loss)/profit
Interest receivable
Profit for the financial year		 Brighter Futures@Safer
Places C.I.C.
2022
2021
£
£
65,669
-
(40,942)
-
24,727
-
(14,577)
-
10,150
-
150
-
£10,300
£-		 Safer Properties Limited
2022
2021
£
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
£-
£-

The aggregate capital and reserves of the subsidiary companies at 31 March 2022 were: Safer Properties Limited £Nil (2021: £Nil), and Brighter Futures@Safer Places C.I.C. £10,301, (2021: £Nil).

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

10 Debtors __Group______ __Group______ __Parent______ __Parent______
2022 2021 2022 2021
£ £ £ £
Social housing rent arrears 110,660 148,632 110,660 148,632
Less provision for doubtful debts (102,594) (102,211) (102,594) (102,211)
_ _ _ _
8,066 46,421 8,066 46,421
Trade debtors 136,062 36,154 105,811 36,154
Other debtors and accrued income 2,394 5,000 3,294 5,900
Prepayments 68,382 41,924 68,382 41,924
_ _ _ _
£214,904 £129,499 £185,553 £130,399
_ _ _ _
_Group______ _Parent______
11 Creditors: amounts falling due
within one year
2022 2021 2022 2021
£ £ £ £
Social housing rent paid in advance 32,398 89,938 32,398 89,938
Trade creditors 83,950 51,029 83,950 51,029
Taxation & social security 28,366 26,764 28,366 26,764
Accruals and deferred income 633,604 188,571 532,194 188,571
Amounts owed to group undertakings - - 81,310 -
Other creditors 1,672 - 1,672 -
_ _ _ _
£779,990 £356,302 £759,890 £356,302
_ _ _ _
12 Deferred Income __Group_ _Parent______
2022 2021 2022 2021
£ £ £ £
Brought forward 106,991 206,667 106,991 206,667
Released to income (106,991) (202,742) (106,991) (202,742)
Income deferred in the year 542,298 103,066 443,888 103,066
_ _ _ _
£542,298 £106,991 £443,888 £106,991
_ _ _ _

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

13
Analysis of net assets between funds
Fund balances at 31 March 2022
Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
Group
Investments
1,021,622
-
Tangible fixed assets
125,550
-
Net current assets
776,763
-
Pension liabilities
(94,000)
-
_
_
£1,829,935
______
£ -
_
Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
Parent:
Investments
1,021,723
-
Tangible fixed assets
125,550
-
Net current assets
766,462
-
Pension liabilities
(94,000)
-
___
_
£1,819,735
_
£ -
_
Fund balances at 31 March 2021
Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
Group
Investments
915,000
-
Tangible fixed assets
140,132
-
Net current assets
644,491
-
Pension liabilities
(1,026,000)
-
______
_
£673,623
___
£ -
_
Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
Parent:
Investments
915,000
-
Tangible fixed assets
140,132
-
Net current assets
644,491
-
Pension liabilities
(1,026,000)
-
_
_
£673,723
______
£ -
__		 Total
2022
£
1,021,622
125,550
776,763
(94,000)
_
£1,829,935
_
Total
2022
£
1,021,723
125,550
766,462
(94,000)
_
£1,819,735
_
Total
2021
£
915,000
140,132
644,491
(1,026,000)
_
£673,623
_
Total
2021
£
915,000
140,132
644,491
(1,026,000)
_
£673,723
_

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

14
Restricted Funds
Group and Parent
ISAC service
ADVANCE
Herts Community Foundation
EDASS
Children In Need
MHCLG
Infection Control Fund
Pilgrim’s Trust Safe Haven Project
Other Donations & Grants
Restricted Funds – prior year
Group and Parent
MoJ Extraordinary COVID Funding
ISAC service
MHCLG Emergency COVID Funding
Coronavirus Community Support Fund
Essex Coronavirus Recovery and Response Programme
Nationwide
Children In Need
MHCLG
Epping Forest Fund
Infection Control Fund
Pilgrim’s Trust Safe Haven Project
Other Donations & Grants		 At 1 April
2021
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
_
£ -
_
At 1 April
2020
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
20,901
-
-
-
-
_
£20,901
 Income
£
Expenditure
£
Transfers
£
At
78,000
(78,000)
-
72,961
(72,961)
-
10,000
(10,000)
-
283,200
(283,200)
-
38,798
(38,798)
-
99,938
(99,938)
-
8,000
(8,000)
-
14,364
(14,364)
-
9,816
(9,816)
_
_
_
£615,077
_
£(615,077)
_
£ -
_
Income
Expenditure
Transfers
At
278,527
(278,527)
-
26,500
(26,500)
-
103,570
(103,570)
-
43,288
(43,288)
-
31,500
(31,500)
-
12,500
(12,500)
-
42,668
(42,668)
-
286,669
(307,570)
-
16,944
(16,944)
-
16,000
(16,000)
-
2,394
(2,394)
-
13,212
(13,212)
_
_
_
£873,772

£(894,673)

£ -
 31 March
2022
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
_
£ -
_
31 March
2021
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
_
£ -

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

(i) MoJ Extraordinary COVID Funding

Additional funding to provide staffing capacity to sustain service levels through the pandemic – particularly related to increased referrals and out of hours support.

(ii) ISAC Service

Specialist support service supporting the victims of stalking.

(iii) MHCLG Emergency COVID Funding

Funding by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local government to provide sustainability funding and service enhancements.

(iv) Coronavirus Community Support Fund

The Charity received a grant from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund administered by the National Lottery Community Fund.

(v) Essex Coronavirus Response and Recovery Programme

Funding by the Essex Community Foundation to provide sustainability funding and service enhancements.

(vi) Nationwide

The Charity received a grant from the Nationwide Community Grants programme during the 2019/20 financial year to cover the costs of employing a Housing Support Officer for one year. This remaining portion of this grant was recognised and expended during the current financial year.

(vii) Children in Need

The Charity was awarded a multi-year grant from Children in Need during 2019/20 to cover the costs of employing two Children’s Workers for a three-year period.

(viii) MHCLG

These are funds received from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government which are restricted to the provision of a Complex Needs Refuge and Independent Stalking Advocacy Caseworker service.

(ix) Epping Forest Fund

These are funds received from Epping Outreach and are restricted to Epping Forest victims only. The funds are used within that community for managing risk, developing independent living skills (finance, social and domestic life), mental and physical health issues, emotional wellbeing and support with children and parenting.

(x) ADVANCE

Funding received as part of the ADVANCE partnership which works with women in the Criminal Justice System.

(xi) Herts Community Foundation

Funding received to enhance services provided in Hertfordshire. The fund is used to increase children’s support staffing, the provision of the complex needs refuge Hope House, and for the provision of resettlement support for those leaving refuge.

(xii) EDASS

Funding is received for Essex Domestic Abuse Support Services and utilised for the support and education of those in Essex at medium risk of domestic abuse in order to recognise, recover from, and develop resilience against abuse.

(xiii) Infection Control Fund

This fund is to support adult social care providers, including those with whom the local authority does not have a contract, to reduce the rate of Covid-19 transmission.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

(xiv) Pilgrim’s Trust Safe Haven Project

This is a social welfare grant from the Pilgrim Trust to support early action projects that improve the life chances of vulnerable women and girls.

(xv) Other Donations & Grants

This consists of donations received at the Charity’s refuges and is utilised on providing support activities to those housed in emergency accommodation.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

15 Unrestricted Funds - Group

5
Unrestricted Funds - Group
Balance brought forward 1 April 2020
Surplus/(deficit) for the year
Remeasurement of defined benefit liability
Transfer between funds
Balance carried forward 31 March 2021
Balance brought forward 1 April 2021
Surplus/(deficit) for the year
Remeasurement of defined benefit liability
Transfer between funds
Balance carried forward 31 March 2022		 Designated Funds
Building
Fund
Refurbishment
Fund
Sub
Total
General
Fund
Total
Unrestricted
Pension
Reserve
Total
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
750,000
175,000
925,000
586,355
1,511,355
(897,000)
614,355
-
-
-
265,268
265,268
(19,000)
246,268
-
-
-
-
(187,000)
(187,000)
-
-
-
(77,000)
(77,000)
77,000
-
£750,000
£175,000
£925,000
£774,623
£1,699,623
£(1,026,000)
£673,623
750,000
175,000
925,000
774,623
1,699,623
(1,026,000)
673,623
-
-
-
260,312
260,312
(18,000)
242,312
-
-
-
-
914,000
914,000
-
-
-
(36,000)
(36,000)
36,000
-
£750,000
£175,000
£925,000
£998,935
£1,923,935
£(94,000)
£1,829,935

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

15 Unrestricted Funds - Parent

Balance brought forward 1 April 2020
Surplus/(deficit) for the year
Remeasurement of defined benefit liability
Transfer between funds
Balance carried forward 31 March 2021
Balance brought forward 1 April 2021
Surplus/(deficit) for the year
Remeasurement of defined benefit liability
Transfer between funds
Balance carried forward 31 March 2022		 Designated Funds
Building
Fund
Refurbishment
Fund
Sub
Total
General
Fund
Total
Unrestricted
Pension
Reserve
Total
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
750,000
175,000
925,000
586,455
1,511,455
(897,000)
614,455
-
-
-
265,268
265,268
(19,000)
246,268
-
-
-
-
(187,000)
(187,000)
-
-
-
(77,000)
(77,000)
77,000
-
£750,000
£175,000
£925,000
£774,723
£1,699,723
£(1,026,000)
£673,723
750,000
175,000
925,000
774,723
1,699,723
(1,026,000)
673,723
-
-
-
250,012
250,012
(18,000)
232,012
-
-
-
-
914,000
914,000
-
-
-
(36,000)
(36,000)
36,000
-
£750,000
£175,000
£925,000
£988,735
£1,913,735
£(94,000)
£1,819,735

Building Fund

This fund is to be used for building new refuges on land to be gifted.

Refurbishment Fund

This fund was set up to cover the costs of planned refurbishment work on new and existing properties.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

16 Taxation

The nature of the income received and the company’s charitable activities means that no corporation tax liability arises on the results for the year and no VAT is recoverable on inputs or payable on outputs.

17 Defined benefit pension scheme

Safer Places participates in a defined benefit pension scheme – Essex Pension Fund operated by Essex County Council. At 31 March 2019, Safer Places had 11 active, 64 deferred pensioners and 19 pensioners in the fund. The Employer pays contributions of 24.5% plus an additional monetary amount each year.

The assets allocation of the fund is as follows:

Equities
Gilts
Other Bonds
Property
Cash
Alternative Assets
Other Managed Funds		 2022
2021
£000’s
%
£000’s
%
4,820
60
4,627
63
192
3
186
3
352
4
356
5
658
8
515
7
204
3
184
3
992
12
841
11
810
10
605
8
£8,028
100%
£7,314
100%

Demographic Assumptions include the following life expectancy from age 65

2022 2021
Retiring today – Males 21.6 21.6
– Females 23.7 23.6
Retiring in 20 years – Males 23.0 22.9
– Females 25.1 25.1
The Financial Assumptions are as follows:
RPI Increases 3.55% 3.2%
CPI Increases 2.85% 2.85%
Salary Increases 4.25% 3.85%
Pension Increases 3.25% 2.85%
Discount Rate 2.60% 2.00%

The pension cost and provision for the year ending 31 March 2022 are based on the advice of a professionally qualified actuary. The most recent formal FRS102 valuation is dated 31 March 2022. The results of these valuations are set out below.

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

17 Defined benefit pension scheme (continued)

(a) Statement of Financial Position as at 31 March 2022

2022
£
Present Value of Defined Benefit Obligation
8,122,000
Fair Value of Fund Assets
(8,028,000)
Net defined benefit liability
£94,000
(b)
Amounts recognised in Income and Expenditure
Service Costs
Net Interest on defined liability
Administration Expenses		 2021
£
8,340,000
(7,314,000)
£1,026,000
2022
£
125,000
18,000
4,000
£147,000		 2020
£
6,523,000
(5,626,000)
£897,000
2021
£
94,000
19,000
4,000
£117,000

(c) Reconciliation of Opening and Closing Balances of present Value of the defined benefit obligation

Opening defined benefit obligation
Current Service Cost
Interest Cost
Changes in Demographic Assumptions
Experienced Gains on Deferred Benefit Assumptions
Change in Financial Assumptions
Estimated Benefits Paid
Contributions by Scheme Participants
Closing defined benefit obligation		 2022
£
8,340,000
125,000
165,000
-
18,000
(383,000)
(163,000)
20,000
£8,122,000		 2021
£
6,523,000
94,000
152,000
(71,000)
(91,000)
1,869,000
(157,000)
21,000
£8,340,000

(d) Reconciliation of Opening and Closing Balance of Fair Value of Funds Assets

Opening Fair Value of Fixed Assets
Interest on Assets
Returns on Assets less Interest
Administration Expenses
Contributions by Employer
Contributions by Scheme Participants
Estimated Benefits Paid
Closing Fair Value of Fund Assets		 2022
£
7,314,000
147,000
549,000
(4,000)
165,000
20,000
(163,000)
£8,028,000		 2021
£
5,626,000
133,000
1,520,000
(4,000)
175,000
21,000
(157,000)
£7,314,000

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

17 Defined benefit pension scheme (continued)

(e)
Sensitivity Analysis
£000’s
Adjustment to Discount Rate
+0.1%
Present Value of Total Obligations
7,957
Projected Service Costs
118
Adjustment to Long Term Salary Increase
+0.1%
Present Value of Total Obligations
8,131
Projected Service Costs
122
Adjustment to Pension Increases and
deferred revaluation
+0.1%
Present Value of Total Obligations
8,281
Projected Service Costs
126
Adjustment to Life Expectancy Assumptions
+ 1 Year
Present Value of Total Obligations
8,703
Projected Service Costs
147
(f)
Remeasurements in Other Comprehensive Income
Returns on Fund assets in excess of interest
Changes in Demographic Assumptions
Experience gains in deferred benefit obligations
Change in Financial Assumptions
Remeasurement of the net assets/(defined liability)
(g)
Projected pension expense for the year to 31 March 2022
Service Cost
Net Interest on deferred liability
Administration Expenses
Total Loss
Employer Contribution		 £000’s
0.0%
8,122
122
0.0%
8,122
122
0.0%
8,122
122
None
8,122
122
2022
£
549,000
-
(18,000)
383,000
£914,000		 £000’s
-0.1%
8,291
125
-0.1%
8,113
121
-0.1%
7,967
119
-1 Year
7,810
117
2021
£
1,520,000
71,000
91,000
(1,869,000)
£(187,000)
£
122,000
2,000
4,000
£128,000
£166,000

SAFER PLACES (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

18 Related party transactions

During the year the charity made purchases of Professional Services £15,900 (2021: (£14,490) from D.Wildey, a trustee of the charity. No balance was due at the year end. No trustee received reimbursement of expenses (2021: no trustee received any reimbursement of expenses).

Safer Places is the parent undertaking of Brighter Futures@Safer Places CIC, an unregistered body. Safer Places recharged staff costs amounting to £40,624 to Brighter Futures@Safer Places CIC and paid £11,895 of expenses on that company’s behalf. The recharge of staff costs was calculated on the basis of time spent by those employees on the activity of the subsidiary with no markup. In addition, the charity collected receipts from customers of the company amounting to £133,828. At the year end, £81,310 was owed by the Safer Places to Brighter Futures@Safer Places CIC.

Safer Places is the parent undertaking of Safer Properties Limited, an unregistered body. There were no transactions with Safer Properties during the year. At the year end £900 (2021: £900) was owed by Safer Properties to Safer Places.

19 Ultimate control

The charity is under no overall control, but is administered by the trustees.

20 Financial commitments

At 31 March 2022 the charity was committed to making the following payments under non-cancellable operating leases.

Group
Operating leases which expire
Within one year
Between two and five years
In more than five years
Parent
Operating leases which expire
Within one year
Between two and five years
In more than five years		 Land and Buildings
2022
2021
£
£
241,109
241,109
85,548
135,223
_
_
£326,657
£376,332
_
_
Land and Buildings
2022
2021
£
£
241,109
241,109
85,548
135,223
_
_
£326,657
£376,332

 _
 Other
2022
2021
£
£
8,622
8,927
17,243
-
_
_
£25,865
£8,927
_
_
Other
2022
2021
£
£
8,622
8,927
17,243
-
_
__
£25,865
£8,927



2022
£
241,109
85,548
__
£326,657
 2022
£
8,622
17,243
_
£25,865

21 Capital commitments

At 31 March 2022 Safer Places had no capital commitments.

2022-09-28

Final Audit Report

Safer Places 2022

Created: 2022-09-26 By: Allison Gardner (allison.gardner@saferplaces.co.uk) Status: Signed Transaction ID: CBJCHBCAABAAuWulAp4A08ryW_GooMP7jbcUAEEG5AmE

"Safer Places 2022" History

Document created by Allison Gardner (allison.gardner@saferplaces.co.uk)

2022-09-26 - 1:50:44 PM GMT- IP address: 81.154.254.27

Document emailed to sa443@aol.com for signature

2022-09-26 - 1:52:19 PM GMT

Email viewed by sa443@aol.com

2022-09-27 - 2:45:35 PM GMT- IP address: 119.161.10.201

Signature Date: 2022-09-27 - 3:50:19 PM GMT - Time Source: server- IP address: 116.68.78.78

Document emailed to dougwildey@talktalk.net for signature

2022-09-27 - 3:50:20 PM GMT

Email viewed by dougwildey@talktalk.net

2022-09-27 - 4:33:05 PM GMT- IP address: 104.28.86.98

Signer dougwildey@talktalk.net entered name at signing as D Wildey

2022-09-28 - 1:07:22 PM GMT- IP address: 79.68.128.163

Document e-signed by D Wildey (dougwildey@talktalk.net)

Signature Date: 2022-09-28 - 1:07:24 PM GMT - Time Source: server- IP address: 79.68.128.163

Agreement completed.

2022-09-28 - 1:07:24 PM GMT