2022-03-31-accounts

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

27th Annual Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Contents
Charity Information	Page 2
Report from the CEO	Page 3
Chairmans Statement	Page 8
Reports of the Trustees	Page 12
CN- Midlands	Page 21
CN- East of England	Page 25
CN- Southeast England	Page 41
Glasgow	Page 47
Inverclyde	Page 61
South Ayrshire	Page 67
Fife	Page 72
Moray	Page 78
Taking The Lead	Page 87
Taking the Reins	Page 90
MHISC	Page 94
ReaLise	Page 98
Academy	Page 101
Audit Report	Page 107
Statement of Financial Activity	Page 113
Statement of Financial Position	Page 114
Statement of Cashflow	Page 115
Notes to the Financial Statement	Page 116

Charity information

Trustees

Chairperson James Inglis Treasurer James Hirons Vice Chair Andy Cater Vice Chair Emma Sharp Wendy Evans Jane Harders Amiya Kagalwala Tony McTeare Andrea McTeare Chief Executive Officer Mandy Neville Charity Registration Number 1043601 Charity Registration Number SC038068 (Scotland) Company Number 2972700 Registered Office The Penthouse Coventry Road, Cawston, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9JP. Auditors Moore Thompson 27 Market Place Market Deeping Peterborough PE6 8EA Bank The Cooperative Bank 16 St Stephens Street Bristol BS1 1JR Solicitor Anthony Collins Solicitor LLP 134 Edmund Street Birmingham B3 2ES

Circles Network is a Registered Charity in England and Wales (No. 1043601) and in Scotland (No. SC038068), and a Registered Company

Limited by Guarantee in England and Wales (No. 2972700). Registered Office: The Penthouse, Coventry Road, Cawston, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9JP.

Report from the CEO

Following two years of restricted practices, imposed by the government, in an attempt to control the affects and spread of Coronavirus, we finally emerge as this year closes and can access greater levels of liberty for all the people we support. Inevitably, we are uncovering enormous examples of mental ill health across England and Scotland that have occurred because of, or worsened through the effects of the pandemic.

Our team has been both dedicated and heroic in serving community members, despite the evident risk and unprecedented levels of fear experienced by all. Many team members have been impacted by the virus first hand or lived through anxiety and loss, with close friends and family members being affected by poor mental or physical health. In addition, we were dealing with some particularly horrendous situations for several of the people we support.

It is always difficult to describe the levels and extent of the work of Circles Network due to its diverse and far-reaching nature. As an entrepreneurial, dynamic and futuristic organisation, we are constantly evolving, willing to create bespoke and unique support for individuals of all ages. Determined we encourage a sense of belonging and a sustainable route towards authentic inclusion in ordinary and extraordinary communities across the UK so that people can live the best possible life with enhanced opportunities. Without the advantage of any source of pump priming funding, we are within a playing field where we are forced to start- up small pockets of excellence as pilot programmes through our own limited resources and from there to build slowly and carefully to gain ground. in order to make this real and to truly live our values, it is imperative that our team members have a degree of autonomy and a liberal flow of creativity attached to their positions within the organisation. There are a few examples throughout these reports that show initiatives that began in this way to make innovative, positive changes which morphed into something much bigger, creating an accumulator effect to expand and enhance the lives of more people.

During this year we held an internal restructure creating a senior level in our leadership group and promoting people into the middle layer of our leadership team. This worked well to share out responsibility and accountability and to evaluate our practice across all areas. Other conquests of note are that we completed the transfer of information we held to a totally cloud based system and managed to take on some pioneering new projects.

Although inevitably, we have trodden a sombre path under the clouds of a pandemic that was not showing signs of easing, we've maintained a certain essential buoyancy with the support of all the following, trustees, team members, people who depend on our services and through our incredible partnerships with well-chosen organisations. The strength behind those partnerships encourages some in-depth work and inspired by Jean Oelwang’s (Founding CEO & Trustee of Virgin Unite) newest publication, ‘Partnering, Forging the Deep Connections That Make Great Things Happen,’ we tested out some activities to evaluate and review current partnerships across every region of the organisation. This has been enlightening,

leading to ongoing endeavours throughout the year and has instigated a sharing of training and resources and further start-up of much needed schemes of work that will benefit many families we work alongside.

Achieving Growth and Change

Year one of our five-year business strategy developed last year with support and coaching from Pilotlight, has exceeded all initial expectations. This will be reviewed with trustees and the leadership team in detail, and we are delighted that despite the exceptionally difficult circumstances through which we travelled, we as a team with our networks and supporters, achieved growth in both England and Scotland, smashing through targets

Circles Network is a Registered Charity in England and Wales (No. 1043601) and in Scotland (No. SC038068), and a Registered Company Limited by Guarantee in England and Wales (No. 2972700). Registered Office: The Penthouse, Coventry Road, Cawston, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9JP.

across all services and setting up transformational new projects that have gained positive attention and commendation from the health and social care partnerships with whom we work. The keyworkers’ scheme across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire is one situation of note, in that we were instrumental in enabling the discharge of patients who had been trapped in long stay hospitals where there was a lack of any previous plan, to enable a successful transfer to community.

To enhance and circulate our learning, we set up and ran ten different Circles of Practice, open to any team members with an interest in or responsibility for a key development strategy. The subject matter ranged from alternative communication, collective advocacy, transformational coaching, right through to social media and international collaboration.

As usual, we are never short of topics to explore, and always extremely keen to use precious research time effectively to innovate and serve the communities we exist to support. As a result, a constant stream of fully updated key information flowed through the wider organisation accessibly, bringing people from

different projects and offices, many of whom do not typically meet, into a structured virtual meeting space. This assisted our ability to be ever more flexible and agile, remaining on target, achieving objectives, and learning both from ourselves and others.

Notable achievements during this year included:

Continued practice in all areas of our work, exceeding targets in several services
New funding to embark on start-up projects granted in Peterborough, Cambridge, Warwickshire, Crawley, Fife and Berkshire
New innovations initiated in all the above-mentioned areas
Success with a tender for mental health and well-being funding from Warwickshire County Council. Our prepared wellbeing project is to start immediately
Secured Inverclyde tender for the next three years
Contract extensions in Fife, South Ayrshire and Moray
A new contract awarded in Glasgow to continue our work there for five years
A new contract awarded in Inverclyde for the next three years
Accepted onto the social care Framework in West Sussex, enabling the development of new community-based work

A collaboration with WCS, who provide care homes for disabled adults in Warwickshire, where they invited us to provide a major advocacy consultation within two of their established homes.
4D community support was launched and expanded into all three England bases offering intense, bespoke support for people requiring transition and major change in their life circumstances.
Awarded the contract to provide recovery advocacy in Fife for people whose lives had been affected by addiction to drugs and/or alcohol.
Partnerships and relationships developed and enhanced throughout every region.
Geographical expansion into two new areas, namely Cambridgeshire and Berkshire/ Buckinghamshire
Frimley CCG invited us to provide advocacy support to people using their services in Berkshire/ Buckinghamshire who are wanting to leave long stay hospital situations. To start in April 2022
The key workers project based in Peterborough expanded into Cambridgeshire.
We hosted and ran a highly successful blended conference in Cambridgeshire in collaboration with The Edmund Trust, NHS and 91 Untold
We achieved 25% growth for the organisation, including financial, project and relevant staffing increases.
Completed summer Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) with 25 children each day of the summer break.
Held a Summer Ball in Peterborough and raised funding for Circles Network and another charity
Launched the notion of Circles of Practice and started 10 Circles of Practice across the organisation during the year
Introduced new impact reporting procedures in line with our desire to be transparent, informative and compliant
New easy read documents were created for COPS26 and the feedback from this was exceptional (q3)

Going Forward

In the year to follow, we all hope for a complete breakthrough in this awful pandemic and in the health issues, both mental and physical, that were brought on by the coronavirus. Our intent is to continue to serve in the lives of people impacted by disability and disadvantage, creating and supporting opportunities for positive change and lifestyle enhancement. We plan to extend our reach further into the communities in which we are currently based and farther afield into counties within which we are not yet known. The biggest challenge ahead is to raise the necessary funding that will make this possible in an economic climate heading towards harsh recession. Having experienced so much change during the roller coaster ride of these last two years, the team

have truly shown incredible resilience and determination, and this will only strengthen our resolve to continue to be a beacon light for the future.

Gratitude

Our success and continuation are to be celebrated; they match our desire to work in ways that are guided by a strongly held set of values. This charity is undisputedly created for the public benefit and would not be possible without the direct support of many people. I extend heartfelt gratitude, on behalf of the organisation to all of you, who choose to spend time with and on behalf of Circles Network. People who use our support, Trustees and team members who hold responsibility for the quality and breadth of service, funders, friends, fundraisers and supporters, all the stakeholders who make this such a loving and vibrant community of changemakers, you are fully appreciated.

May we travel safely into the next year with much to look forward to.

With love and thanks,

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Mandy Neville
CEO
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UK wide
• 12 office bases • 5251 people supported this year
• 56,376 community support hours provided in England
365 life changing days

Chairman's Statement

As we slowly emerge from the lockdowns and restrictions of the last two Covid years and return to some new form of normality we can look back at how we have coped with the challenges that we faced, and we must also look ahead to the overwhelming plethora of need in our communities that most likely awaits us.

In Scotland we have determinedly carried out our advocacy work throughout the last eighteen months. Our advocates have continued working, albeit much of it with a blended approach, using online options wherever we could not be in direct face to face proximity. Help has always been available to the people we support in a fast and efficient way to assist them to resolve their difficulties, wherever possible in times of crisis as well as giving continuing help when needed. In the East of England and in the Southeast and the Midlands we continued to provide strong support to both children and adults. Encouragingly, we have also significantly expanded our activities in all three areas and have launched new projects with impactful developments into new areas of work. Overall, we have had a very successful year and we are in a strong position going forward

Our staff members have been stoical, resourceful, and as always, they have worked extremely hard to get the best possible outcomes for the people we support. I cannot thank them enough for the time and enthusiasm they have put into their work in these extremely stressful times.

We now must look forward to the world as it is likely to be in the next few years. For many people, the restored freedoms will offer a welcome relaxation that will allow them to go about their pre-COVID lives, enjoying their work and their leisure, and getting back to meeting up with their friends and families. We are consciously aware though, that others will have been badly damaged by the experiences of the past two years, and it will be more difficult for them to find a rhythm of life that is fulfilling. In schools some year groups have only been present in the environment for four weeks in the whole year. These children will have received lessons on-line but have missed

out on developing the friendships and social skills that can only come from interacting with other people. For some older and more vulnerable people, loneliness and isolation have had very serious consequences. In those family settings where even in normal times pressures have been close to breaking point, the additional pressures brought upon by the Covid restrictions will have pushed some of them over the limit. We have a great deal of expertise in supporting people throughout all these areas and we can make a real contribution to rebuilding the lives of those who have suffered during the pandemic. In addition to furthering our usual portfolio of individualised and independent support, this will be a big challenge over the next few years. Our person-centred approach will be invaluable in helping people to restore and build up lives that have felt so wounded. We are determined to strengthen our resolve so that we are able to provide the very best responses.

Jim Inglis Chairperson Circles Network.

Report of the Trustees

This annual report highlights Circles Network’s key services, events, operations, challenges and successes. It reviews the significant activities undertaken by the charity to further our purposes for, and with due regard to, the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.

Our Organisation

Circles Network is a UK-wide organisation, registered as a charity and a company limited by guarantee, governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. Established with an educational objective to build inclusive communities, Circles Network supports thousands of people to be included in community life. The individuals we support are experiencing social exclusion or are at risk of being isolated through disability, long term illness or other disadvantage. For us, ‘disabled people’ are individuals, old and young, living with physical and/or sensory impairments, learning difficulties, autism, severe anxiety or enduring mental health differences and/or chronic long-term illness.

Circles Network is a leader in the development of Circles of Support and person-centred approaches. We continue promoting the tools and processes that underpin person-centred approaches to empower people we support and advocate with people who are feeling vulnerable and marginalised. In 1994, founder and Chief Executive Mandy Neville, supported by a loyal group of friends, formed the first Circles of Support in the UK. An organisation was formed; founded on the values of justice, advocacy, empowerment, and relationships.

We are guided by the philosophy of social inclusion and believe information, knowledge sharing, and good practice leads to improved and self-determined lives. We have built and sustained several unique and exciting specialisms in distinct geographic areas.

Our ambition is to expand the reach of our services and increase the impact of our proven approaches in more communities across the UK.

Our success relies on a dedicated team of staff, volunteers and many partnerships with individuals, communities, local authorities, and other relevant organisations.

Our impact

Our daily interaction within the lives of thousands of individuals means we know we have a real and long-lasting impact. To make evident the change we create, and nurture, requires robust monitoring and evaluation of our social impact. This annual impact report demonstrates the social return on investment and our strategic achievements across our diverse programmes.

Our investment in service provision, and continuous learning, informed by disabled and disadvantaged people and their families, nourishes our dissemination efforts. Our collaborative ways of working with families, friends, community-based organisations, local authorities, NHS and social care partnerships and national networks, influence service provision and policies. We are expanding understanding, expectations and horizons and contributing to the public good. Our Academy conferences and workshops increase our capacity to promote good practice and public benefit.

Critical to our success is the art of listening and valuing the lived experience of disability, disadvantage, and discrimination. The individuals, families, and professionals we have worked with for over 27 years, have enabled us to develop considerable expertise and establish our reputation in the health and social care sector. The person-centred nature of our work means our projects and services are extremely innovative and diverse. This report presents an overview of our work during this financial year across the many projects, individuals and services that form our charity.

Our Strategic Achievements

At Circles Network we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive and live their best lives. Our vision is to create inclusive communities where all lives are valued. We build inclusive communities on the foundations of justice, advocacy, empowerment, and relationships. Our mission is to support disabled and disadvantaged people of all ages in transformational and empowering ways to live fulfilling and inclusive lives.

Our work takes us into every dimension of life. Childhood and parenting, disability and transition, criminality and employment, family dynamics and

diversity, learning support, mental health, loss and addiction, unpaid caring are just some of the diverse and complex aspects of human experience in which we are involved. We work to build sustainable, inclusive communities

where everyone belongs. Circles Network provides information, training and development opportunities to raise awareness and increase understanding the concept of inclusion. Across the UK our work includes:

Individualised support for disabled and disadvantaged young people, adults and children living in their own homes and communities. We facilitate person-centred planning that strengthens social capital by developing friendships (bonding) and building networks (bridging). We support people in planning and managing life’s significant transitions – child to adulthood, relationships and parenting, marriage and bereavement, moving to independent living or into employment. We offer individuals with high level support needs and complex impairments the specific and in-depth support necessary for real inclusion.
Advocacy with people living in a wide range of situations including secure units, prisons, community and hospitals. Unique coaching and advocacy for disabled children, adults and young people experiencing early childhood trauma, long term illness, addiction, age or caring responsibilities
Development and delivery of alternative education provision for children and young people for whom mainstream education has not been a good fit. Innovative approaches and extra-curricular activities supporting the inclusion of disabled and disadvantaged children and young people, including Equine Facilitated Learning, and outdoor learning that nurture diverse ‘peer groups’ to experience inclusion and feel valued.
Training, mentorship and support to professionals and others wishing to work in a person-centred way. Consultancy and training for statutory, voluntary and independent sector services and for parents, individuals and carers. A wide-ranging programme of courses, conferences, workshops and events, open to anyone.

Our work is uniquely tailored to individuals’ needs and preferences, institutional settings and social contexts, as well as our funders’ aims and contractual requirements. We structure our work across local teams, programmes and projects that are delivering on our five strategic aims.

Strategic Aim 1: Circles Equine – We deliver the equine programme portfolio in Warwickshire, open to people from around the UK. Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) provides therapeutic opportunities for people of all ages, working alongside horses and ponies, to develop, make positive changes and grow. Participants are supported to learn through natural horsemanship skills, trauma informed practice, neuro-linguistic programming, pony centred life coaching, mindfulness, and emotional resilience techniques.

Strategic Aim 2: Circles Advocacy - We provide professional, independent person-centred advocacy for young people and adults across the UK. Our

approach enables the person (or their chosen advocate) to express their views and choices on a wide range of issues. We ensure that their voices are heard by the people they need and want to relate to.

Strategic Aim 3: Circles Community – We deliver community-based support services that assist people in the community to live rich and fulfilling lives. Our facilitators work individually with people of all ages to understand what they want in their lives, strive towards their goals and coach to overcome barriers and achieve great outcomes. We have developed approaches with children, young people and adults with high level support needs and complex impairments which offer the specific and in-depth support necessary for real inclusion. Young people leaving care are one group of people we work with to develop structures which promote and encourage full inclusion and citizenship in communities. We support parents and carers of disabled children and adults and fostering and adoptive parents looking after children who have experienced trauma and disadvantage.

Strategic Aim 4: Circles Academy serves to disseminate learning on inclusion, diversity, and transformational experiences. Through the Academy we also offer alternative education provision to children and young people who learn more readily outside of a mainstream system or who need therapeutic provision to overcome barriers to learning.

Strategic Aim 5: Organisational excellence and resilience - Our success relies on a dedicated team of staff, volunteers and many partnerships with individuals, communities, local authorities, and financial supporters. Together we strive for change alongside disabled and disadvantaged children, young people and adults, their carers and families, and the wider communities to build inclusive lives.

Key Attributes

We are continuously searching out people who are the hardest to reach, and potentially highly vulnerable. Key to our success in having a positive impact on people’s lives include our:

independent status, specialist knowledge of disability and human rights, un-shifting value base of inclusion and equality, ability to draw alongside and engage with people at all levels, effective acclaimed methods of delivery, reputation for providing innovative services and support, timely response to offer solutions in a range of complex situations, person-centred approaches, and wide-ranging public benefit.

Volunteers

People volunteer with us in many ways. We rely on this significant contribution of skills, experience and time. We receive voluntary inputs, contributions in kind, from hundreds of people including those who act as trustees, ensuring good governance; in operational delivery and service provision as facilitators, advocates and staff assistants; as specialists bringing lived experience by contributing to training and events; as administrators and event organisers; in communities as our Circle of Support members and community builders; and a myriad of individuals contribute in their own ways from to fundraising and estate management.

Our Environmental Impact

Environmental impact is intrinsic to our mission, and we strive to reduce waste, re-use resources where possible, recycle, minimise transport and carbon emissions, and save energy.

Reduce and recycle – The move to digitised communications and information management systems continues to reduce the volume of paper daily and maximises storage efficiency. We recycle waste materials at all our offices including paper, cardboard, glass and plastic. At our head office we compost food waste and manage our significant horse manure production to the benefit of local allotment owners.

Carbon emissions – Our projects are based in local communities and seek to employ local people. We encourage the use of public transport where possible. We purchased our small pool of cars driven by fuel efficiency.

During the pandemic we became increasingly agile in working across digital platforms which has greatly reduced the need for frequent travel.

Energy savings – All of our work hubs adhere to energy saving practices, involving lighting, heating, water and electricity usage.

Risk Review

The Trustees continue to review and mitigate the major risks the company is exposed to. Our policies and procedures have been regularly updated and our risk register is reviewed quarterly.

Financial security, especially with the impending recession presents a

challenge. Our fund-raising strategy links to our business plan, and our senior leadership team strive to secure the organisation’s financial future. We continue to seek financial support from a variety of sources including trusts, foundations, and national charitable donors. We tender for and provide commissioned services for local authorities and offer fee paying service to individuals. We aim to achieve full cost recovery for all work undertaken.

Recruitment and retention of key personnel post COVID and Brexit has become critical. The variability of demand and income leads us to work with a significant portion of workers on zero hours contracts. We continuously review and take action to ensure the well-being of both staff and volunteers. We provide development opportunities and promote from within where possible. This year we restructured the management team in line with our growing needs. Our HR team are supported by external consultants, Peninsula, and work constructively to maintain governance and compliance.

For the second year running, whilst living though the pandemic we have continued to provide services, delivering on target and managing additional operational costs. We have remained operational for the entirety of the year with local closures being managed to minimize any occurrences of the virus among team members and individuals we support. We have successfully introduced new systems and changed behaviours to support uptake of government recommended practices.

The Board of Trustees

Members of the Board of Trustees (also the Directors for the purposes of Company Law) who served during the year and up to the date of this report are listed on page one. The Board of Trustees meet on a quarterly basis to review the work of the organisation and plan strategically. The Trustees consist of nine individuals who collectively provide a wealth of expertise in the many domains required. Regular audits ensure this group have the appropriate skills and are provided with training and development such that the Board is fit for purpose. There have been no new Trustee appointments during this financial year. The Trustees of the charitable company guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the company in the event of it winding up. The total number of such guarantees as of 31st March 2022 was nine. Trustees are indemnified with third party indemnity insurance.

Trustees Responsibilities

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

Charity regulations and company law require the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company at the end of the financial year and of its surplus or deficit for the financial year. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them
consistently
observe the methods and principals in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS 102)
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements
prepare financial statements on an ongoing basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will keep operating.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Companies Act 2006. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Policy on reserves

The Trustees intend to build unrestricted general funds of at least six months’ running costs for the central work of the organisation. A bridging fund for externally funded projects is essential to manage the risk of a reduction or sudden end to funding. This remains a challenge in times of austerity. We have a buildings fund to provide for the purchase of an accessible central hub in the future. In addition, we allocate a reserve fund for capital equipment and technology and a

fund for the development of publications for dissemination of our work.

Policy on investments

The income of the company comes principally from tenders, which are sometimes received in advance of the expenditure being incurred. It is the company’s policy to invest the unspent grant income in suitable investments whilst maintaining a prudent balance between security, profitability and liquidity.

Statements as to disclosure of information to the auditor

In accordance with company law, as the charity’s Trustees, we certify that:

as far as we are aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charity’s auditor is unaware; and
we have taken all the steps that we ought to have taken in order to make ourselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity’s Auditor is aware of that information.

Partnerships and Networks

Circles Network works in partnership with many community-based groups and charities. In particular, the charity the Lifecare Charitable Trust receives management support directly from Circles Network. Some of our key charitable partners include:

Age UK Arc School, Napton Autism West Midlands Avon Valley School, Rugby Bailey Thomas Foundation Bawnmore Infant and Primary School BBC Children in Need- England BCE – Training Consultants Bilton School, Rugby Bilton Grange School, Rugby BNI East BNI Rutland Brook School, Rugby CAMHS

Cambridgeshire County Council Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust Cambridgeshire Police Clementine Business Coaching Communitas, U.S.A. Council of Disabled People Coventry Rugby Club CQC Cemex Coop Coventry & Warwickshire CCG Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust Crawley Town Football Club Cummins Ever Green School, Warwick Fife Council Go Car Credit Ltd Greater Glasgow NHS Trust Guide Dogs Association Inverclyde Council HSCP Jaguar Land Rover Learning Disability Wales Lincolnshire County Council McDonalds McMillan Cancer Support MIND Moray Alcohol and Drug Partnership Moray Health and Social Care Partnership Moreton Morrell College National Recovery Advocacy Network Network Rail NHS Noah’s Ark Organisation, Australia Northamptonshire County Council 91 Untold North Warwickshire Probation Service Nuneaton Youth Justice Team Nurse Buddy Nyssadri, India Peninsula Peterborough City Council Peterborough Council for Voluntary Services Pets At Home Foundation Pilotlight Circles Network is a Registered Charity in England and Wales (No. 1043601) and in Scotland (No. SC038068), and a Registered Company Limited by Guarantee in England and Wales (No. 2972700). Registered Office: The Penthouse, Coventry Road, Cawston, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9JP.

Phoenix School, Peterborough Princethorpe College, Rugby Queen Elizabeth School Quest, Rugby and Nuneaton RDA River House School, Henley in Arden Royal Artillery Centre for Personal Development Royal National Institute for the Blind Royal Association of the Deaf Rugby Free School - Secondary Rugby School Rushey Green Round Oak School, Warwick Royal National Institute for the Deaf Ryder Cheshire Scope Scottish Government Scottish Recovery Consortium South Ayrshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership South Ayrshire Council Spencer’s Ball Sussex Partnership NHS Trust Sussex Oakleaf Signposts (Mid Sussex) Ltd St Edmunds Trust (Eddie’s) Tesco Bags for Help The Edmund Trust The Welsh Assembly The World of Cars Timebanking UK United Nations, Moldova United Response University of Coventry University of Reading Warwick Disability Forum Warwick District Borough Council Warwick University WCS Warwickshire College Warwickshire County Council WCAVA (Warwickshire) Warwickshire Young Carers West Sussex Council WRVS ZenZero Auditor

The auditor, Moore Thompson, were appointed this year 2021.

This report was prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

This report was approved by the Trustees on ……………………. And signed on its behalf by:

………………..

James Inglis (Chairperson)

Circles Community Support, 3D and 4D, Midlands

3D Community support provides a wide range of people who all have varying degrees of personal support needs, with assistance that embraces a host of approaches. 3D Community Support offers one-to-one support and small group sessions. We organise an enormous choice of opportunities for people to build friendships, engage with a wider peer group and reach personal goals. Therapeutic, emotional, and practical support is available to help people grow in confidence and enrich their lives.

Our team of facilitators are passionate about offering a level of service that adapts to the ever-changing requirements of the people who involve Circles Network as their chosen provider; via community-based sessions, home visits and using the Rugby Hub site, we bring people together in an inclusive and friendly way.

Funding is secured through commissioned services, direct from local councils, some individuals choose to self-fund or use direct payments. Support is varied both in the overall period and the level of support provided and can span two hours per week through to twenty four per day.

This year we developed an additional service, known as 4D which offers similar support but with greater intensity, designed to support people with complex situations transition through obstacles and barriers to achieve the lifestyle they aspire to create.

Highlights

Establishing links with Warwickshire council mental health and well being team who are funding the Resilient Lives programme
Providing a highly successful holiday and activities framework with food for up to 25 different children per day during the summer, Christmas and Easter holidays, alongside our typical community work.
Greatly increasing face to face work wherever safe and possible, supporting people who were alone and frightened to gain the support they needed.

Challenges

The continued difficulties, posed by the pandemic, reducing opportunities for inclusion and causing disruption to appropriate staffing levels when people became unable to work.
Recruitment of the right people into supportive community roles following Brexit and during the pandemic was hindered, impacting on our ability to support as many people as we would have chosen to.

Development

Our growing areas of development this year have occurred through our links with mental health teams and adult disability teams at Warwickshire County Council. We have provided some intense transition work thorough our new 4D community support service enabling the necessary assistance to help one person relocate into happier circumstances and others to move closer to their dreams.

Stories of Change

Betty, who is only 50 and resides in a care home for older people, has been supported by Circles Network for several years. She is well-liked within the team because of her positive personality and friendliness. However, throughout COVID-19 she became completely isolated from the community because of the lockdown rules, due to care homes taking precautions against Covid19 infection and restricting contact with the community and family members. These measures led to Betty’s mobility deteriorating and her overall well-being changing for the worse because she has no close family (her relatives are in USA), and her support in the community had been closed down. With our support, after lockdown restrictions were eased, she has been enabled to access the community safely and build back her confidence, making new relationships and re-establishing friendships that were lost during lockdown. Betty has now been able to attend community groups with support from a facilitator, and to enjoy karaoke, going out for lunch, and other enriching activities.

Before lockdown Betty did volunteer at a community café in Leamington and through support we have helped her to re-apply for this role. Because of the deterioration in her mobility, she couldn’t return to her previous kitchen role (for health & safety reasons) but the cafe has offered her a new position that is suited to her, and most importantly, ensures she still feels included in the operation of the café, and plays a valuable role. She says she now has a purpose once more and is back to her happy, smiling self.

Philip was introduced to Circles Network through the mental health team. He has been residing in a hostel following a breakup with his partner, causing

him to take an overdose. Philip, through months of support from Circles Network, feels he has grown in confidence and has recently moved into his own flat. He has built positive relationships and trust with his facilitators and

with ongoing support, has managed to secure a role working part-time as a landscape gardener. Philip’s goal is to eventually work full time; he now has lots of support with managing his daily tasks such as paying bills, and phone calls. It’s been a long process for Phillip to get to the position he is in now; he has a wide set of professionals who are supporting him and has had the help he needed to communicate with them to ensure his voice was heard and his needs and requirements have been met.

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1972 direct support hours delivered
12 people supported
4 new introductions pending
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Circles Network is a Registered Charity in England and Wales (No. 1043601) and in Scotland (No. SC038068), and a Registered Company
Limited by Guarantee in England and Wales (No. 2972700). Registered Office: The Penthouse, Coventry Road, Cawston, Rugby,
Warwickshire, CV23 9JP.
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Circles Community Support, 3D and 4D, East of England

3D Community Support in Peterborough is a dynamic and vibrant service that offers support on a one to one and a group basis to people of all ages who experience disability or disadvantage. The service is led by a registered manager. The Hub, from where the team is based, is a registered location with the Care Quality Commission and has a rating of “Good.”

A highly trained and experienced team of facilitators work alongside a variety of individuals to enable and provide opportunities for them to take part and excel in education, employment and leisure and develop and maintain relationships with others. The service is established on a self-funded ‘fee for service’ basis and charges for the hours of support that are delivered. In most cases the local authority provides the funding for people that access the service, and some provide their own funds. 3D Community Support has grown over the past three years despite the difficulties and changes in working practices brought about by the COVID 19 pandemic. We continued to listen carefully to our participants and provided a unique service for those people that require a truly personalised approach.

Highlights

Following 18 months of restrictions due to the pandemic, we were finally able to return to a level of normality in September and reintroduce ‘Pool Night’. Pool Night was an idea put forward by a young man we support who wished to make friends and expand his social circle. With support from a facilitator, a local pub was approached and agreed the use of the pool table for the group once a month. Since then, sessions have taken place fortnightly and due to an increase in attendees, a larger venue has been found at Peterborough Football Club.

Café Friday was also relaunched, bringing together people we work alongside and team members, to share a meal together on Friday lunchtimes. Two volunteers, who are also parents of people we support, came along to prepare, and cook lunch. This valuable time together has supported the growth and development of friendships and relationships, as well as supporting the open and honest connection that we wish to nurture between Circles Network and those accessing our services.

A Circle of Practice for Quality and Inclusion was created, this brings together a group of people we support to consult on services which directly affect them. Their impactful feedback has been used during training days and now forms part of the induction for new members of staff.

Challenges

Due to substantial growth and expansion of the team, both office and support space became a challenge. Towards the end of 2021 work took place to create a new space for an office and a meeting room. In January 2022, a further unit was secured alongside our current hub, offering a chance to create a calmer environment, away from the busier hubs, for those that need a quiet space for their support.

Managing around COVID and ensuring the health and safety and emotional and mental wellbeing of staff members and the people we support has been a daily challenge. All team members have continued to be vigilant in following weekly testing and reporting protocols. Other team members took on the responsibility of performing daily deep cleans to meet the hygiene standards required to keep us all safe. Despite the challenges faced, our teams continued to deliver high quality support to people both in the community and at the hub.

Development

4D Community Support was launched in April 2021, a specialist service offering intensive and targeted support for children, young people, and adults. Our first Transitions Coach joined the team and supported the successful discharge and transition of a young person from a threeyear admission in an eating disorder clinic, back to the

family home. The young person is now at college and continuing to benefit

from support from the Transitions Coach. Two more young people are now also supported within this project, and we look forward to seeing the positive changes emerge as more young people thrive through this pioneering approach.

Stories of Change

In December 2019, we were introduced to Hal and his family. Hal’s education provision was breaking down. What began as one session of three hours 1:1 support per week, became 12 hours per week, due to Hal being unable to attend school at all. Other than family and Circles Network, he had no social interactions outside of his home or with peers of his own age. We supported the development of a circle of support around Hal and his parents and by using our contacts, have been able to ensure that all necessary and relevant professionals from the Cambridge and Peterborough area were included. This has led to Hal receiving a correct official diagnosis for the first time and establishing that his current education provision was insufficient for his needs. With this in place, he could achieve his dream of finding an appropriate school and with Circles Network supporting him with his transition, move into full-time education.

Alongside the Circle of Support, we have supported Hal both at the hub and in the community, facilitating connections with other staff members and people we support. In November, Hal asked if a birthday party (his first one!) could be organised for him at Circles Network. We were able to arrange this and our long-time friend and supporter of Circles Network, Dave, provided a disco free of charge. The party was attended by his peers and staff and was an enormous success. Hal’s journey is ongoing but his progress in understanding and adjusting his behaviour, engaging with those around him and accessing education, have irrevocably changed.

Theo has been supported by Circles Network for fourteen years through various projects. Our first meeting was whilst taking part in a movement and dance project based in the community. We went on to facilitate a Circle of Support around him which was instrumental in assisting his parents to make important decisions with Theo about his future.

It was back then that a dream was formed that Theo would live in a specially designed and adapted home, next door to his parents, where they would live alongside each other as a family, but where he would have the autonomy to have his own lifestyle with a dedicated team of supporters to keep him safe and well.

During the years that followed, the Circle have developed and worked closely as a team, introducing, and training facilitators, allowing for trusting and meaningful relationships to develop between them and Theo.

Last year, and following a move into the countryside, the building of Theo’s dream home (attached to his parents’ home) began. It took longer than expected due to the pandemic but was eventually completed in May 2021 and we were able to organise a team around Theo to enable the safe transition and realisation of his dream, moving into his new home. The new arrangement began on Monday 21[st] June 2021. Theo is now supported for much of the week by a specially chosen team of facilitators from Circles Network. He is remarkably happy and able to organise his days without restrictions and his parents are free to plan for themselves with the peace of mind that Theo is well cared for and that they are fully involved and can see him each day. This feels like just the start of a whole new chapter for Theo and his family!

25485 direct support hours delivered Peterborough 62 people supported 3D and 4D 36 adults supported Community 26 children and young people supported Support 11 new introductions

The Keyworker Collaborative – Cambridgeshire & Peterborough

The Children and Young People's keyworker

programme is a four-year, multi-million-pound investment by NHS England and NHS Improvement to provide keyworkers to support children and young people with autistic spectrum disorder and those with learning disabilities, to leave mental health hospitals and access suitable support within community. Circles Network is part of a partnership, The Keyworker Collaborative, in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region - along with The Edmunds Trust (‘Eddies’) in

Cambridge. There are three Keyworkers hosted

by the Edmund Trust and two Keyworkers hosted by Circles Network. Since its inception in January 2021, the Key working project has continued to grow, develop, and strengthen (including Early Adopter funding securing the project into 2024). The nature and specifics of the Key working role are still evolving and adapting, further strengthened with each new young person (and family) we work with. Abbey Rowley continues as the Keyworker Network Lead overseeing the Keyworker Collaborative, across Circles and Eddies with support from the regional managers of both organisations. The Circles Network element of the collaborative now consists of two Keyworkers, two enablers, one administrator, two Peer support coaches and is supported by the regional manager.

Highlights

The whole team worked tirelessly during the pandemic. They adapted very quickly to unprecedented circumstances and developed systems and processes in order to ensure that this essential service was safely maintained for those who needed it. This was of course made very difficult by not being able to access the children and young people that were in hospital during the peak of the waves of covid, the team were solution focused and came up with a number of ways to keep communication channels open for both the families and the professionals .

Recruitment – in the last year, the Keyworker Collaborative team has doubled in size. We had good quality applicants and were able to fulfil the vacant roles successfully and in turn this has meant that we were able to accept more introductions. We now offer an ‘enabler role’ which supports the Keyworker by helping the young person access the community and use their person-centred tools to create a

manageable and concise step-down plan. The team expanding also meant there was a need to provide a specific office space for the employees, due to the nature of their work and the meetings/conversations that need to be had they needed a private space to be able to do this. Circles network provided another hub / office space for this. The team are able to use this space with their young people, have their meetings or use it as a drop-in space between visits. This space has supported a boost in morale, allowed the team members to catch up with each other and give them space to offload and debrief amongst each other.

Rix Wiki – Rix Wiki – we have secured a contract with Rix Wiki meaning we are able to offer these to all children and young people on our service. It is a great multimedia tool

designed to communicate a person’s care needs, their personality and anything else they wish to share. They can build this themselves, upload sounds, and videos and they can be as detailed as they wish them to be. We have had significant success in using a Rix Wiki to aid transitions. It has saved so much time when it comes to handing over, all services that surround that young person are able to view it and get the information they needed to provide the right care to that person immediately. To be able to offer this as part of our service, with the family and young person, has had a great impact and one we hope to build on in the future, working in partnership with Rix Wiki to build further tools that will help an even wider audience.

Challenges

Step Downs – After working with the young people and families throughout their crisis,’ it has become apparent that there was some resistance to us stepping back or handing over to other services. This was due to having professional abandonment from other services, seeing a positive outcome with our team but also hesitance in case there were any relapses. Introducing the Enabler role has helped with this, the Keyworker passes the support for the young person onto the enabler who would then build a step-down plan in a gradual way. We also assured family and the young person, that we would be able to pick up support again should any issues arise in the future and they feel the function of our service is needed again.

Peer mentorship group – As part of our coproduction, we wanted to offer a space to likeminded young people that wanted to discuss their mental health in a positive environment and have the guidance of our peer mentors/project advisors. We created a ‘pizza & gaming night’ once monthly. On reflection, we feel the team were having to contain risk and support the individuals that attended, rather than there being discussion around mental health and mentorship. Going forward we are building on the feedback from the collaborative team and the young people that attended to try and facilitate another group, but also are planning to build an online group for parent and carers.

Development

We have reformed the previous consent forms that we were using. We did this by gathering as a team to discuss what we felt was necessary to be within these forms, there was too many questions, too much language that someone without a knowledge of the care service would necessarily understand and they could appear quite intimidating to some. We also ensured our Peer support coaches were involved in the decisions surrounding these consent forms. This was hugely important as the service is now working beyond 18 and offering services up to 25 years of age whereby, they can consent themselves and we wanted to make sure these were accessible for everyone.

Stories of change

Kelly is 13 years old, she was not in education, had endless battles with healthcare and was completely disengaged from professionals. She was reliant on her mum and this was making it very difficult to even have a conversation to establish how the family was functioning. The keyworker decided bringing along an Enabler that shared an interest in horses, to the appointment, to work alongside Kelly. The family own their own horses (as does the Enabler) and it was a great opportunity to try and gain

trust and build a relationship. It really helped having the same interest as they had an instant connection and it was clear that Kelly felt at ease, this meant the Keyworker was able to spend some time getting paperwork completed. The young person could hang out with the enabler on a getting to know basis, having someone else to talk to about life. The relationship with both Kelly and her mum took time to establish but eventually, they wouldn’t stop chatting. The Enabler now visits weekly. Kelly started to open up, telling us what she liked and disliked. She would like to join the Army Cadets but felt they wouldn’t take her due to physical abilities and her learning disabilities. She also loves going swimming but was also worried as didn’t know what was available for her - if anything. The enabler offered to contact potential activities in the community and both the young person, and her mum said yes please! On the next visit the Enabler informed them that they had spoken to the Army Cadets and swimming and offered help in enrolling Kelly in these activities. The enabler has built up trust in a short space of time and is looking forward to helping the family overcome further barriers to ensure that Kelly can have a fulfilled and manageable life in the community, doing the activities which she wants to do.

withdrawn offers or felt they could not meet his needs. This appeared to be because the information and documentation provided about Javed was inconsistent, and in some cases incorrect. I liaised with the ward and social care to ensure his documentation was accurate and up to date, and I visited Javed and his parents a number of times to create a personalised Rix Wiki. The Rix Wiki was useful because the videos of Javed illustrated aspects of his behaviour (triggers, and signs, such as noises, etc) that could not have been shown in documentation alone. His Rix Wiki gave potential new placements a chance to get to know him before he started. He left hospital for a residential placement and was formally discharged two weeks later. He settled in really well and staff report he is happy and making friends.

Javed is a 15-year-old young man with a profound learning disability caused at birth. He was admitted to Brooklands Hospital in Birmingham in July 2020, after his family felt they were unable to cope. Javed had had problems at school and had left a year earlier, his mum had her own from health concerns at the time, and his dad got to the point where he felt he could not cope on his own as Javed was violent and destructive. Javed had no regular sleep pattern, so care was required 24/7 and the family had no additional support. Javed had been in delayed discharge for over a year when I became his Keyworker in December 2021. Previous placements had withdrawn offers or felt they could not meet his needs. This appeared to be because the information and documentation provided about Javed was inconsistent, and in some cases incorrect. I liaised with the ward and social care to ensure his documentation was accurate and up to date, and I visited Javed and his parents a number of times to create a personalised Rix Wiki. The Rix Wiki was useful because the videos of Javed illustrated aspects of his behaviour (triggers, and signs, such as noises, etc) that could not have been shown in documentation alone. His Rix Wiki gave potential new placements a chance to get to know him before he started. He left hospital for a residential placement and was formally discharged two weeks later. He settled in really well and staff report he is happy and making friends.

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The Keyworker Collaborative
38 people supported
10 people in a T4 setting
2 hospital re-admissions
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Circles Network Youth Groups: Peterborough

Circles Network continued to run seven Youth Groups funded by Peterborough City Council as part of their Community Short Breaks portfolio. Our main large group is called ‘Fun United,’ which is for 11–19-year-olds and held for two hours on Wednesday evenings (term time), and then for two fivehour sessions per week during the holidays. The second large group is called ‘Circles Stars’ and is for 7–19-year-olds. This is a dance-based group which takes place on Saturday mornings between 10am-12pm. Small Groups are divided into two age brackets, 7-11- and 11-19-year old’s, with the exception of the Holiday Only groups, where children are grouped according to their needs, rather than age. Small Groups meet on Monday evenings (term time) for two hours per age group, and Saturday daytimes (throughout the year) for three hours per age group. The children and young people that attend the Monday sessions are also provided with two five-hour sessions per week throughout the holidays, alongside those that are referred for Holiday Only groups. The Holiday Only sessions provide children with five hours of support for one day a week during the school holiday periods, although we do have some children who have been given funding for more than one of these sessions per week.

Highlights

Our Circles Stars dance group performed at Peterborough Deaf Club as part of their Halloween Partythey spent weeks and weeks learning new routines for this, incorporating sign language into their dances too. Each club member learned to sign ‘Hello, my name is

……….,’ and introduced themselves to a large audience

at the start of the performance. Once the

performance had finished, the group handed out pom poms and invited everyone to join them on the dance floor. This was such a successful event, and Circles Stars and were extremely proud of themselves afterwards, as was the team.

We saw several successful transitions between groups this year, with members progressing in their social and independence skills and moving from Small Groups to Large Groups, as well as others moving up from age 7-11 groups to age 11-19 groups.

This year, we acquired another unit in the business park close to our main hub. The new space enabled us to expand our Holiday Only groups and support more children and young people throughout the school holidays,

which are our busiest period. This has been used for three or four members at a time, creating a quieter group for those that struggle with the noise and distractions in the main hub. We also welcomed our mascot Shelly the tortoise, who some of our club members have loved getting to know and learn about.

Challenges

One challenge we have faced this year has been in relation to eating and drinking safely. We have had concerns around some of the children and young people who have been introduced to us surrounding swallowing difficulties, which have become apparent upon reading handover information and meeting them. We have had to wait for a Speech and Language Therapy assessments and guidelines to be put in place in these instances, which has delayed the individuals start dates with the groups. Whilst these families did not benefit from the respite and groups during this time, we highlighted very important issues, and the fact it has been identified is a real benefit to the individuals. We also liaised with a Speech and Language Therapist to create our own training relating to swallowing difficulties, to raise awareness of the signs of Dysphagia, and how to best support people to eat and drink safely.

Another challenge we faced this year is relating to behaviour- we saw a rise in Major Incidents, particularly over the summer holidays when the children and young people were mixed with different peers from the Holiday Only group. Some of the youth group team members had previously undertaken Team Teach training in positive behaviour management, however with this due for renewal, we felt that is didn’t meet our needs as a team, or those of the children and young people we were supporting, and therefore decided to retrain the majority of our youth group team in PROACT-SCIPr training (Positive Range of Options to Avoid Crisis and use Therapy- Strategies for Crisis Intervention and Prevention) in December. We found this was much more person-centred, focusing on Positive Behaviour Support, and understanding that behaviour was being used as a form of communication. This training really helped our staff to understand potential triggers for each individual, and we then saw a massive reduction in Major Incidents because of this awareness.

Development

At the start of 2022, we acknowledged that some of the children and young people we support in the Small Groups struggle with the transition between term-time and Holidays. There are so many variables and changes, for example they attend on different days and at a different time to the termtime clubs, with different peers (a mix of the small groups) and some different team members. We felt that it was important to introduce more structure to the sessions, both during term time and holidays, and therefore created a structure called the Six Station Programme, where there are always six stages implemented within every Small Group. These are:

the Hello song, where we sit on the sofa area and sing and sign the ‘Hello Song’ to everyone in turn at the start of the club.
the Social Area, which is also based in the sofa area. These are activities that encourage interaction between the group, where members participate in something together, rather than alone. Examples of social activities include parachute, balloon, or ball games, or a sensory story.
the Messy Play Area, which is set up on the table at the far end of our main room. Activities can include water play, slime, kinetic sand, aqua beads, and foam. For those who are at risk of putting things in their mouth, activities can be adapted by using food items such as jelly instead of slime, or squirty cream instead of foam.
the Craft Area, which is set up on the table in the centre of the main room. Activities can include seasonal activities, baking/biscuit decorating, colouring, or model making.
The Quiet Area, which is based in our sensory room, and is accessible throughout the whole session, for those who may need some time out. These activities could include intensive interaction, a massage, or a quiet story.
the Goodbye song, where we sit on the sofa area in the Hub and sing and sign the ‘Goodbye Song’ to each person to reinforce the end of the club.

Another important aspect of the Six Station Programme is the input of the team. Apart from the Hello and Goodbye songs, there is a rota for each team member to be responsible for the planning of an activity each week, rotating between the other four stations. It is their responsibility to record the responses of each child and young person and to reflect on what went well and what didn’t work so well, as well as how they communicated to each person and encouraged them to participate in the activity.

Stories of change

When Jim first came to Youth Groups, it was under a self-introduction for Fun United Juniors. Unfortunately, there were no other children who came forward to join this group, so Jim joined the Monday 7-11 Small Group, while waiting for the other group to get up and running. Jim struggled in this group, and there were frequent occasions where he displayed behaviour that was incredibly challenging in that environment. He did not want to engage with his peers or team members, continuously declined participating in any activities, and overall appeared very unsettled. We felt that the Saturday 7-11 group would be more suitable, and Jim transitioned to this group successfully. Jim built a good, trusting relationship with team members at the group, who supported him to work on his skills particularly around communication, interaction, and play, and as Jim progressed with

these skills, we found that occasions when he became anxious and displayed behaviour that challenged became rare.

The main challenge we acknowledged was that he was among peers that he struggled to build relationships with, due to their communication needs being so different from his own. Despite being only 10, we decided to see if Jim enjoyed the older 11-19 group on Saturdays, as we felt the group dynamics may be better suited for him and give him more opportunities to build friendships with peers. This transition was highly successful, and Jim continued to progress, meeting his outcomes, and appearing to really enjoy his time at the club. He started to join in with group activities such as biscuit decorating and messy play, interact with his peers, as well as spend time showing team members his favourite cartoons on YouTube and drawing characters from them. Jim learnt to share resources with his peers and was patient and understanding of their needs too.

In February this year, when Jim turned 11, we decided that he was ready to progress again, this time into our Large Group, Fun United. He settled straight into this group and appeared to thrive from having a larger number of peers to interact with and play with. Jim’s confidence has grown, and he absolutely loves chatting to people and making others laugh. He has made several friends within the Large Group, joining in new activities with them including scavenger hunts, board games and hide and seek, and is settled and calm throughout every session.

India originally attended Circles at weekends as part of the 3D project, receiving 1:1 support, and then in February 2021, she joined the youth groups as part of the Holiday Only clubs. She has always appeared to enjoy her time at the club, thriving from having a variety of activities to choose from to keep her busy, however at times we found that she appeared overwhelmed by the noise and busyness of the main hub. She was also frequently having toilet accidents, sometimes several per session. We tried to resolve this by prompting her to go to the toilet every 20-30 minutes, however found this would cause her more distress at times, due to it being too frequent, and it would also disrupt and remove her from activities she was participating in. This year, on acquiring our new unit, we decided to place India in this smaller group, with just two peers. She thrived in this environment and appeared to like having some time away from her brother, who also attends the groups. We kept India with the same peers each holiday, as we found they seemed to enjoy each other’s company and were comfortable together, and team members started to support with India to build friendships with them. The

introduction of the Six Station Programme has helped this, with the three club members spending time together, sharing resources and trying and experiencing new things together.

A massive achievement this year was that within her first session, we had a break-through regarding India’s toilet training- with the toilet in a more accessible location (within the main space), on several occasions she took herself to the bathroom and used it independently, with team members supervising, but needing no prompts. We continued to work on this each holiday, and India is now able to use the toilet as and when needed, with minimal team input. The team members in the new unit did introduce a PECs toilet symbol to act as a visual prompt, however this is usually only needed if they notice India hasn’t been to the toilet for a longer period, to avoid accidents, however these have now become a rare occurrence.

Peterborough Youth Groups: 57 children and young people aged 7 - 19 attended 624 hours of youth groups, across 195 sessions.

Circles Community Support, 3D and 4D, Southeast of England

3D Community Support in the Southeast offers one to one and group support either in the community or in individual's homes. Many of these individuals are experiencing social isolation and are looking to expand their social circle and broaden their general life skills. The support provided is truly person centred, ensuring that all elements work for the individual. We connect with people in a setting and at a time which works for them, providing support on the same days each week with facilitators that they know. This allows for the foundations of trust and a positive working relationship to be built, paving the way for amazing outcomes for both the individual and facilitator. Most of the individuals supported, are funded by the local

authority, West Sussex. Support plans with chargeable hours are in place and this ranges from two hours per week to seventeen hours per week. There are also individuals who self-fund their support and they too have agreements in place for their support hours - ranging from two hours to six hours per week.

4D Community Support is a targeted service, usually facilitating intensive support with an individual who is going through a period of change that they are adjusting to and need assistance to navigate .

Highlights

Launching the 4D service in the Southeast, was a highlight from the last financial year. We employed a 4D Transitions Coach, who has been undertaking NVQ training in areas relevant to the person she is supporting. Due to the successful outcomes, support was increased for the individual by 87.5% and a second individual has been identified with support starting from April 2022.

We have celebrated significant growth of 3D community support over the last financial year, with an increase in support hours of 166.5%. Successfully recruiting a Lead Facilitator has been a real highlight, she has become a valuable member of the team and will be taking on additional duties with the support of a part time cover Project Manager, whilst the current Project Manager is on Parental Leave next year. We have also recruited eight 3D Community Facilitators, one Apprentice Administrator and one Volunteer.

Whilst Covid continued to impact the service, the lifting of restrictions and ability for people to return to the cabin and socialise with each other within the community, has been a highlight over the last year. Some examples of the events and activities which have taken place include: three individuals have commenced an IT (Information Technology) class which they attend together with support. Some people who access 3D in Peterborough joined us in Crawley, with their facilitators, to watch a football match and enjoy lunch out. In May 2021, we had a picnic on the football pitch for all the people we support and the team. We played football and badminton, had music and board games. In August Nigel, who we support, had a retirement party at the Cabin which was attended by the team and people we support. We also held a 50[th] birthday party for Kevin in October 2021, at Crawley Town Football Club, which the team and people we support attended. There was food, music and everyone brought him presents. These events have all created a lovely atmosphere and are wonderful opportunities to socialise after such an isolating period time.

Challenges

COVID continued to remain a challenge, especially with regards to the health and safety of the team and the people we support. Many are isolated, with facilitators being their only source of contact throughout the week. There have been times when we have been concerned about people having Covid, as they have shown symptoms of being unwell. On these occasions, when

there has been no alternative option, team members have undertaken visits using appropriate Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to support them to undertake a test. Food deliveries have also been organised for them, as well as phone calls to check on their wellbeing, offering much needed contact during a worrying time.

We identified a new premises within Crawley Football Stadium to move into. However, the communication surrounding this move has been a challenge, with the date of the move being set back several months. We have been active in seeking clarification on details of the move, with both the Cabin moving location within the grounds, as well as the new premises. Much of this is down to the movement of the current occupier, but we do hope to have this additional space within the next three months. With the growth of the team and people we support, the additional space is very much needed.

Development

4D Community Support was launched in the Southeast in October 2021. This is a specialist service offering intensive and targeted support for people. One of our 3D

Facilitators progressed into this role and was recruited as a 4D Transitions Coach, she shares her time between 3D and 4D Community Support. We aim to develop the 4D project, with new introductions and by offering more

support. We have a new introduction starting in April 2022 which will support this growth.

Stories of change

Anna is 46 years old and since being tragically hit by a car when she was 11, she has struggled with managing many aspects within her life. Anna has always declined support throughout the years and has since disclosed that she has felt embarrassed by her acquired brain injury, pushing any support away.

When Circles Network began supporting Anna in May, she struggled to engage with her Facilitators and could not trust them as she had never been in the position of receiving 1-1 support before. Anna had a particularly good Circle of Support around her, however due to her memory issues, grief, and processing difficulties, she struggled to connect to the services and individuals within her Circle and was unable to keep to appointments and tasks set out for her.

Over time Anna began to allow her Facilitators into her life and they supported her to bring her Circle of Support closer and work in unison. New support services were also introduced. Unfortunately, it was discovered that Anna had several years’ worth of debt that was building up around her and the only way she knew how to deal with it was to hide the letters in a drawer and hope they would go away. Anna agreed to contact Christians Against Poverty, who have now begun supporting her on her journey to being debt free and having a significant amount of debt written off. She attends their local support group on a weekly basis, where courses to improve skills are offered. Anna hopes to volunteer at this group in the future. To not have debt collectors knocking on her door will be a huge relief for Anna and will allow her to concentrate on her own health and wellbeing. Anna will also be receiving support from the Finance Team at West Sussex, which is another new nugget of acceptance.

Anna has a cat and a dog that bring her a huge amount of joy however, the environment that they were all living in was covered in fleas. When Anna’s cat had kittens and they were at risk, the sad decision was made that the cats would need to go with the RSPCA until the animals could be treated and the home environment was flea free. Anna received support to contact the council to get them to

treat her home and make it more of an enjoyable place to spend time. Anna has received support to understand the importance of flea treatment and how to budget for this. She was thrilled to have her pets returned, and this has had a positive impact on her mental health and wellbeing.

Anna and her facilitators concentrated on strategies that can support her to remain as independent as possible, which is important for her. Anna has difficulties with her short-term memory and would often miss important medical appointments, forget to take tablets, or forget vital information. A request for support from Brain in Hand has been made, this is a digital selfmanagement support system for people who need help with planning and remembering. If Anna can receive the funding for this, it is likely to be lifechanging for her.

Whilst there is still a long journey ahead for Anna, with the Facilitators walking alongside her, she has grown in confidence and self-worth each day. Anna is a deeply caring person and wishes to train to be a nurse in the future. Small steps to support this are already in place. Anna will be starting some short courses on mental health soon, with the support of her facilitator. Anna enjoys being around the other people supported at Circles Network and acts as the “mother figure” which allows her a sense of purpose and fulfilment. On the

days when she is struggling Anna now reaches out to the Facilitators and will often describe The Cabin as her safe space, which she has never had before.

Thomas is a 49-year-old man with Autism. He grew up in foster care with his sister and has fond childhood memories of his birth parents, his foster care family and living by the coast. While he was growing up Thomas had regular contact with his birth father, and they enjoyed many day trips out together. However, Thomas recalled that his mother struggled with her health and moved into a care home at an early age.

Unfortunately, by the time Thomas was an adult and able to search for his mum, she no longer recognised who he was. Following that Thomas lost contact with her and a few years later Thomas’s father passed away.

Thomas has a great memory for dates and events and enjoys sharing these with Facilitators. Through conversation in his support sessions, it became apparent that Thomas did not know where his parents were laid to rest. He expressed a desire to be able to have somewhere to visit, reflect and lay flowers on memorable dates. Thomas believed his mother was buried in the town where she died however, when he was supported to contact the Town Hall, they explained Thomas’s mother’s body was returned to her hometown of Crawley for cremation. Unfortunately, Thomas was not informed of his mother passing so he was unable to attend the cremation service in 2015.

Through discussion with the helpful staff at the crematorium, it

became apparent that both Thomas’s parents’ ashes had not been collected by any

relatives after their cremations, so the staff scattered the ashes in the memorial gardens. They provided Thomas with a grid reference which he could visit. Staff explained that they could tell from records his parents were married and they thought it would be nice if their ashes were scattered together. Thomas said he was pleased to have discovered all of this.

Finally, Thomas was given the option to purchase a stone and plaque. He chose the words “always remembered” to be added by their names on the plaque and took immense pride in deciding these words. Now Thomas has place to go to remember and reflect on the special memories with his family and was able to purchase a plant for Father’s Day.

Circles Network - Southeast of England

3D Community Support

61145 direct support hours delivered 33 people supported 32 adults supported 1 child/young person supported

18 new introductions

4D Community Support

107 direct support hours delivered

1 person supported

Circles Advocacy, Glasgow

Circles Advocacy Glasgow provides a professional, independent advocacy service for individuals detained under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 or the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. We are based in Glasgow and operate at Rowanbank Clinic, which is a medium secure setting, the low secure wards based at Leverndale Hospital, and the service also provides three months of community provision for those people who are discharged from these services. Predominately Circles Advocacy Glasgow provides support to those who have offended and are detained due to their mental health, which as a result means they are involved with Forensic services. The core funding of our service is received from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as well as the West of Scotland Forensic Directorate. We work alongside male and female people who are admitted, male and female rehabilitation, the national learning disability unit, pre-discharge, and community outreach.

Highlights

The first highlight for this financial year has been the major changes to the Glasgow Team since 2021. The end of financial year 2020-2021 signalled the departure of the previous Service Manager and one Forensic Advocate. The departure of these colleagues led to big changes within the Glasgow Team. These changes opened the internal

promotion of previous Lead Advocate, Laura Millar to Service Manager. Soon after, there was another internal promotion of Forensic Advocate, Rhiannon Harrison to Lead Advocate. Since then, the team has gone from strength to strength, welcoming both new advocates and students into the team.

The Covid restrictions of the previous year have eased slightly, although due to the location within NHS services, these remained higher than mainstream services. This year has allowed for weekly ward drop-ins to recommence which has been feasible throughout most of the year, only

restricted when wards were in isolation due to the presence of Covid-19. The team have temporarily adopted a hybrid approach to working, as the number of team members within the office at one time has been restricted. The team have been able to support with Mental Welfare Commission visits which had not taken place since 2019. Despite the ongoing restrictions for colleagues, we have continued to demonstrate effective change within the service, ensuring that the voices of those we support are heard, even as we navigated challenging times.

A further highlight for this year has been the connections made with the wider Circles Network team. Access to MS Teams has increased the ease of connectivity between Circles Network localities. This approach to working has allowed the sharing of ideas on a national level and has led to Circles of Practice being formed in key areas of our work: Collective advocacy, Communication and Social Media. This way of working has allowed us to expand the reach of the service in a dynamic way. Beyond Circles Network, stronger partnerships with external agencies such as Future Pathways and Learning Network West have been forged. Lead Advocate, Rhiannon Harrison has attended monthly human rights meetings which has enabled Circles Advocacy to raise human rights issues that currently affect those we support and engage in discussion with other organisations across the UK regarding the proposed changes in human rights legislation.

Challenges

One major challenge which the team has faced this year has been the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. There have been constant changes in restrictions for Scotland as well as internal restrictions within the workplace. Fortunately, for the Glasgow Team, hybrid working has been available which has worked extremely well in facilitating advocacy in a way which is safe for everyone. Covid-19 has seen increased incidents of staff sickness which meant that the team have had to pull together to ensure that all meetings and advocacy support is covered, the Glasgow team are pleased to say they have never missed any meetings or appointments in this period due to sickness.

Another challenge for the team was in adapting Collective Advocacy around the restrictions within the hospitals. In these ever-changing circumstances it was not possible to facilitate group collective meetings face-to-face. Due to the intense security necessary within the hospitals, arranging this online would not be possible. During the previous year Collective Advocacy was facilitated through Ward Representatives, however, since then many of these individuals have moved on from the hospital and a lack of individuals wishing to take on the role was evident. Despite these challenges, the collective team have been creative in their approach, and worked alongside other professionals to facilitate effective change. Some outcomes reached this year have been, raising a complaint and reaching an outcome regarding GeoAmey transportation of people to court; information provided surrounding COPS26, two collaborative surveys with Health Improvement Scotland; support completing Scotland Census; ongoing contact with local MPs regarding Voting Rights; views heard in relation to Covid19 restrictions in hospital; and production of easy read documents in partnership with speech and language therapists.

Developments

Over the past year the Glasgow Team have made significant developments which will continue to grow over the next financial year. The team continued to build a strong partnership with Social Work departments at local universities through Learning Network West. The placements have involved students becoming fully trained within Independent Advocacy and being able manage their group of patients. This has allowed the team more time to develop and grow the service and Collective Advocacy. The Service Manager continues to offer this placement, as well as short term observational placements to students to grow this partnership and create opportunities for people working in health and social services to have a deeper understanding of advocacy and its importance.

Through a Circle of Practice , the Glasgow team have been working to develop a communication method for individuals supported in advocacy who may require a tool to support them to be able to express their views and wishes. The group has been meeting throughout the year, currently the

Glasgow Team is developing words required for the tool before opening to the wider Communication Circle. The Glasgow Team have also led on a Social Media group which has been a less formal version of the Circle, whereby we communicate via MS Teams and share a group chat for ideas and resources of posts for social media.

Stories of Change

Samuel came to Rowanbank Clinic from a young offender’s institute in 2020 and accessed advocacy services quickly after admission. Samuel was not originally from Scotland, and it soon became apparent that he had a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) outstanding as he had fled his home country following the committal of some serious offences. Samuel requested advocacy support to liaise with his lawyer in his home country to establish the situation as well as to liaise with his Registered Medical Officer (RMO) at Rowanbank Clinic and Mental Health Lawyer in Scotland.

An advocate supported Samuel to appoint a lawyer who specialises in immigration law and was able to liaise with all parties regarding the unique position that Samuel found himself in. As Samuel had the outstanding EAW, the clinic could not progress his rehabilitation plan in case he was arrested while on outings and as a result, Samuel’s care and treatment began to stagnate, causing him a lot of frustration and thus impacting his mental health and well-being. This was also arguably in breach of Samuel's human rights, in particular articles 3, 5 and 6. Article 3 protects the right to freedom from torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, Article 5 is the right to liberty and security and Article 6 which is the right to a fair trial. As a result, Circles Advocacy and the RMO raised these potential breaches of human rights with the Mental Welfare Commission and engaged in discussions to establish the best way forward for Samuel considering his difficult and rare position.

Samuel approached his advocate and said that he wished to return to his home country to face the outstanding charges against him and so that he could feel that he was moving on with his life. We were able to liaise with all parties and provide Samuel with all the information he might need to make decisions regarding this issue. Subsequently, Samuel decided to have the EAW executed by appointment and requested advocacy support during this. His advocate supported him while officers from the Fugitive Unit attended to arrest Samuel and then accompanied the officers to court for proceedings to begin in relation to this matter.

Circles Advocacy supported Samuel with several court cases with regards to the extradition, but due to the type of order he was on, the court deemed that he was unable to consent to extradition due to mental ill-health. Advocacy liaised with the RMO and immigration lawyer to try to resolve this issue and it was decided that the RMO would need to revoke the Compulsion Order and impose a Short-Term Detention Certificate so that Samuel could legally consent to extradition as per his wishes. Once this was complete the court issued a final hearing date for Samuel to formally consent to extradition. The advocate attended court with Samuel for him to do this and Samuel was able to successfully consent to extradition and given a date for returning to his home country.

Samuel met with his advocate regularly for support throughout the two years that he was in Rowanbank Clinic, and he spoke very highly of the support he received regarding the extradition procedure. Samuel also benefitted from support of a family member and named person whom he had requested that we also liaise with regularly to keep them updated. Samuel has successfully returned to his home country and is able to face outstanding charges, as per his wishes. This removes the breaches of human rights that he experienced whilst detained in hospital in Glasgow and allows him to progress forward with his life and care and treatment in his home country. The RMO involved in this case also thanked Circles Advocacy for all their help with this situation.

Jerry currently resides in Campsie Ward and frequently uses the advocacy service, facilitating a strong professional relationship between himself and his advocate. Towards the end of October, Jerry’s trust in advocacy was highlighted as he wanted to discuss the sexual abuse he experienced in his early childhood. After listening empathetically and remaining professional, the potential support options were explored by his advocate. Jerry explained that he had already been speaking to his psychologist about this and had been implementing coping interventions which, he said helped manage his thoughts and feelings pertaining to the abuse. However, he went on to explain, he had never reported this crime to the police as he was too young at the time (he believes about 4 or 5 years old) and, as he had heard the accused had passed away in later life, he did not feel anything legally could be done to provide him justice. Jerry told his advocate that he had recently read online of a legal change about claiming monetary compensation for historic sexual abuse cases - no matter the length of time passed since the abuse, the victim could now potentially be eligible for a claim. Jerry’s advocate immediately offered support with this process as, particularly in

dealing with such a sensitive matter, it was imperative Jerry had his voice heard and his right to compensation optimised.

Firstly, Jerry wanted to call the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) and had prepared a statement detailing what had happened to him as a child. The advocate supported him with this call but were told by the CICA, that the matter would have to be reported to the police first and a crime reference number should be obtained to continue with the application. The advocate explained to Jerry what making a statement to the police would involve and asked if this were something he would like to do – he was eager to continue. Jerry, supported by his advocate, then called 101 and he was supported in voicing his story and helped to feel listened to. After this, a meeting with the police was arranged via Jerry’s advocate and an appropriate adult was asked to attend also.

The advocate helped Jerry note key parts of his statement down to act as prompts for the meeting and provide reassurance. After the police and appropriate adult arrived, Jerry told his story. We then expected the police to conclude the meeting and investigate. However, Jerry was then informed the incident he just described was already reported in 1997 and the original statement matched critical points in Jerry’s current statement. It was disclosed that someone (the police did not know who) had taken Jerry to a police station in 1997 and had him examined before an investigation was launched into the sexual abuse allegation. Jerry was understandably quite upset by this news, having not been told about this by his family or anyone else before. The advocate commended him on how well he was managing the situation and how brave it was to speak about such an emotional experience. From this meeting, we were also provided a crime reference number relating to the investigation which we could use for the CICA application. The police also said they would phone Jerry on the ward and let him know the outcome of the original investigation; this was not included within the summary report they had brought. Upon the police leaving, the advocate reminded Jerry of the emotional support options available and offered to see him again after the police had spoken with him. When later following this up, Jerry told his advocate the accused in the investigation was incarcerated as a result and therefore, his case contributed to this individual going to prison. Jerry was supported to speak out, feel respected, and now he has information about his childhood that may help him to cope and hopefully find some closure.

Following this and across the month of November, the advocacy team researched and investigated the CICA claims process alongside alternative options for claiming compensation in these circumstances, as we wanted to provide Jerry with all the relevant information and support him to make

informed choices. He chose to continue via the CICA, so an advocate supported him to complete his application and have his voice heard. Jerry’s compensation claim is now being processed by the CICA and, although it will be considerable time before Jerry is notified of the outcome, he is currently much happier that action has been taken to provide him some justice. Jerry now knows that the perpetrator of his abuse experienced legal consequences from this, and Jerry also has the chance of receiving monetary compensation for the crime he was subject to.

4,238.50 The number of hours of direct advocacy delivered 7,154 The number of hours including travel and admin 3,911 Individual contacts with actions 1,636 Individuals contacts with no actions 17 The approximate number of new admissions

Circles Advocacy - Inverclyde

Circles Advocacy in Inverclyde delivers a free, independent service to individuals aged sixteen and over who reside within the boundaries of the four main towns of Greenock, Gourock, Port Glasgow and Kilmacolm, and to the outlying villages of Bridge of Weir, Inverkip, and Wemyss Bay: comprising a population of over 79,500 people. We deliver advocacy to the outlying communities by providing drop in hubs within ordinary resources, and we offer home visits to individuals who are unable to access our central office, which is situated in the heart of the community. The service is generic and promotes equal access opportunities for anyone who requires advocacy from time to time with their issues. We support people who are: Elderly, Carers, Homeless, Prisoners, detained under the mental health act and women in refuges. We also support people with Learning Disabilities, Learning Difficulties, Autism, Physical Disabilities, mental ill health, Acquired Brain Injury, Alcohol or Drug Dependency, Dementia and individuals with long term health issues and parental rights.

Advocates also support individuals who are subject to the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, The Adult Support & Protection (Scotland) Act 2007, and the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.

We support people with their specific issues, providing information on the options available to assist them to make decisions. Our support can be short or long-term, depending on the individual's circumstances, and proceeds at a pace that they are comfortable with.

We work in partnership with many local organisations, since advocacy is important to ensure social inclusion, social justice, equality, and fairness. We are jointly funded through the Health and Social Care Partnership for the core service, and we receive additional funding from the Scottish Government to deliver the Self-directed Support Project.

Highlights

During this extremely difficult second year of the pandemic, we are proud to have delivered one to one advocacy to 676 individuals. This was an increase of 124 individuals from the previous year. We also supported the resolution of 482 issues with positive outcomes for advocacy partners.

Returning to office working and being able to arrange office meetings was a welcome change as the covid situation began to ease.

Challenges

One of the challenges that we have dealt with over the year continued to be that of staying open to support people, whilst adhering to covid restrictions. Many other organisations were not operating at full capacity, and this had a knock-on effect for advocacy partners, as we were not able to get outcomes for them as quickly as we normally would have. Advocacy is issue based and once an issue is resolved we close it. Issues were on going because other organisations were not able to give answers and sometimes it was taking months for our correspondence to be answered due to backlogs and the excuse of covid. This increased our advocacy workload as we continued to work with a higher number of individuals and worked to secure outcomes. We resolved this by remaining determined and tenacious, stating that covid should not be used as an excuse and that the individual’s own health was suffering because of the disengagement of other funded agencies. We have found that many organisations used covid as an excuse for not continuing to provide a service, we highlighted to some of these organisations the difficulty it was causing, and we eventually began to get outcomes. Even though there were still compromises to be held, we at least were heading in the right direction.

Another challenge we faced was not knowing if we would secure the re-tender for Advocacy, which always creates anxiety for team members. We received word in June that we had been successful in securing the Advocacy Tender, thus turning this into a reason to celebrate.

Developments

One area of development we recently decided upon, is to deliver advocacy on a more outreach basis. During lockdown we upgraded our software and equipment, which enabled us to work more remotely. Due to this, we are going to expand our outreach and home visits more to accommodate individuals who are feeling vulnerable and less able to access our office and community hubs.

Stories of Change

Lilly was introduced to Circles Advocacy many years ago when she was admitted to hospital subject to measures under the Mental Health Care and Treatment Scotland Act 2003. Circles Advocacy supported her when formal measures progressed to her receiving care and treatment under a compulsory treatment order (CTO). Lilly has always disagreed with those responsible for managing her care and

consistently makes use of her rights to appeal the order, authorising her detention in hospital. Lilly is fully aware of her rights and utilises all those available to her by nominating her trusted friend as named person, instructing a solicitor, and having ongoing regular access to independent advocacy.

Lilly has never really accepted that she has mental health disorder, although at times will concede she does have a mental health issue, just not that with which she is diagnosed. She has spent many years in hospital despite her appealing the CTO at every opportunity. She has the support of her named person who also regularly raises proceedings through their own mental health solicitor to appeal the CTO. Despite Lilly’s views that hospital is not the appropriate setting for her, she has never been able to convince a Tribunal that the order was unnecessary.

Lilly has often felt let down by a system that she believes is there to protect her rights and safeguard her from spending years in institutional care. She has at times felt a lack of confidence in all those around her including advocates, as regardless of the rights available to her and the strong views

that she holds, she has never been able to achieve her desire to return to the community and enjoy life as she sees it.

unfair and that removes her right to freedom. She has at times refused advocacy because she is so despondent and loses all hope that anything will ever change.

It can be challenging to work with Lilly because of her past experiences and the lack of confidence that she has in everyone around her. Nevertheless, throughout the years, the team at Circles Advocacy have always ensured that Lilly has access to the service and have made efforts to engage with her.

Lilly’s resilience and determination is undeniable, and despite her disillusionment with those managing her care, she has continued to push for her views and rights to be respected. This has been to the dissatisfaction of her Responsible Medical Officer (RMO) who assessed Lilly as requiring ongoing inpatient hospital care, and, in their opinion, Lilly lacks capacity and should not have access to the rights she currently has. The RMO has often questioned Lilly’s ability to instruct a solicitor, however since this is a matter for the instructed solicitor and not the RMO overseeing her care, she has continued to raise appeals lodged on her behalf by her solicitor.

Lilly has eventually managed to achieve some hope with a Tribunal agreeing to her solicitor’s request to grant a recorded matter. The recorded matter requires her RMO to carry out certain duties which if not complied with, result in an automatic hearing to consider the reasons why they have not adhered to a direction.

This was the case for Lilly when her RMO failed to act on the direction of a Tribunal decision requiring the RMO to complete certain assessments and ascertain suitable community placements that would suit Lilly’s needs. This resulted in another Tribunal panel hearing evidence and granting a further direction by way of a recorded matter requiring the RMO to carry out certain functions in a period set by the panel.

Lilly’s faith in a process that she feels so severely let down by has been restored, as she is now receiving the assessments that would be required to move her on from hospital into the community and a more homely setting. Lilly feels she is finally being listened to and whilst she remains an inpatient in hospital she is now looking to the future with renewed hope. She is cooperating fully with all the assessments being

carried out and, in her view, her mental health has improved as a result. Lilly is incredibly grateful and relieved that her advocate continued to support her even when she had lost all hope that anything would change.

Despite refusing advocacy support, Lilly was always considered to be an individual who was at risk of being marginalised and potentially denied her rights purely due to her circumstances.

Circles Advocacy have built a strong rapport with Lilly over the many years she has been subject to compulsory measures under statutory legislation, authorising her detention in hospital. Whilst challenging at times, we have always adopted a person-centred approach to working with Lilly and supported her through periods where she felt unable to stand up and promote her own rights. An advocate has supported Lilly when she has chosen to disengage from all around her, respecting her wishes whilst ensuring she was not lost to services. Lilly always had access to advocacy when she felt it was right for her, and at a time she felt empowered to request change. Lilly is now looking forward to a better future out of hospital and living in the community with a package of care appropriate to her needs.

Paul requested advocacy support to dispute his council tax debt, which was being recovered by Sheriff Officers, as he felt he was being overcharged. During his first meeting with Circles Advocacy Paul explained that he owns two properties, however, the one where he is

currently staying had been declared a long-term empty property by Inverclyde Council. Paul was in a dispute with the Council over this and wanted support to get his council tax reduced. Paul’s advocate phoned Inverclyde Council on his behalf to inquire how long it would take for them to decide about his council tax, however they did not give a timescale. If Paul were receiving benefits this could affect his council tax, also his advocate needed to clarify Paul’s living arrangements, as Paul had suggested that his wife was living in his second property and not with him. In this case he could claim a single residence discount from the Council.

Paul's advocate wrote to the Sheriff Officers enclosing Paul’s mandate to discover the amount of current balance. They replied to say his current debt was £2222.24. The advocate then emailed Inverclyde Council’s debt recovery team to confirm whether this debt was for one or both or Paul’s properties. The Debt Recovery Team Leader

replied stating Paul’s debt had been reduced to £955.50 for his current residence, as the 100% long term levy applied previously had been withdrawn as per Paul’s dispute, and a 25% Single Resident discount was applied, as Paul and his wife were each living in one of the properties. Paul was then invited into the office for a second appointment.

At this appointment Paul’s advocate showed him the email from Inverclyde Council and he was incredibly happy with the information obtained about what he owed. Paul then said that he wanted his money back from the council because they never sent him a letter with what he owes, and he did not know how to pay it. The advocate explained to Paul that he can pay his council tax with a payment card, by direct debit or standing order. We also explained that he must pay his council tax and that if he refuses, they will keep adding a charge, and that they are entitled to do this. Paul seemed to understand and accept this and asked us to phone the council and request a payment card to be sent out to him.

On phoning the Debt Recovery Team at Inverclyde Council to ask them to send Paul a payment card, Paul’s advocate was informed that he owed the £955.50 to the Sheriff Officers, so he needed to contact them directly to arrange a payment plan by direct debit or standing order. We called the Sheriff Officers while Paul was in the office to say that Paul wanted to settle his debts with them. We then passed the phone to Paul so that he could make an appointment to attend their office and set up a payment plan.

Paul was now quite happy to settle his council tax debt himself, and he was appreciative of the email we received from Inverclyde Council, and the information provided about how he could pay his council tax debt.

Circles Advocacy - Inverclyde

5174 direct support hours delivered 676 people supported 451 adults supported 128 children and young people supported 579 new introductions

Self-Directed Support - Inverclyde

Self-directed Support (SDS) was introduced in Scotland on 1st April 2014 following the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013. This means that people receiving social care services in Scotland have the right to choose, control, and have flexibility to meet their personal outcomes. Local Authorities are required to ensure people are offered a range of options on how they receive their social care services and support. Circles Network’s SDS Project aims to raise awareness and understanding of SDS and the process across Inverclyde amongst people accessing services, their families, and carers by sharing information, supporting them to put across their views, and by facilitating peer groups. This project works on a one-toone basis with individuals to support them with the issues they come across in relation to their own Self-directed Support package. The aim is to encourage them to participate in managing their own care, and to provide group support through our SDS peer groups. These groups are led by individuals who have personal experience of Self-directed Support and are happy to share their journey with others, to help them think outside of the box and understand the processes more clearly. Our project is funded through the Scottish Government.

Highlights

It has been good to get back to some normality after the second lockdown as this enabled us to get our SDS peer groups up and running once again. It has been hard for the group as most of the members support vulnerable individuals. The members themselves took the decision early on not to return to the groups until they felt safe and confident, so it was good to see seven people attend the first meeting. We have held a further four peer groups since our last report, with a total of twenty-two individuals participating.

The volunteer development organiser provides daily support to our twelve

volunteers who continue to engage with the project, and they have supported twenty-nine new individuals who have accessed SDS, providing face to face meetings for people who were comfortable to do so. We held two recruitment volunteer days and trained four new volunteers of which two are currently participating and providing SDS advocacy.

We held two information events in our local community hubs which were very well attended by those interested in SDS, and we gave out two hundred leaflets along with forty information booklets. We continued to engage with Inspiring Scotland who provided regular information on all webinars and team meetings.

Challenges

A serious challenge has been the continuing restrictions as the Local Authority could not assess people and a back log was created. This meant that people were not able to get assessed for SDS. We continued to support people to prepare for the assessment which gave the individuals more time to understand the process.

The team continued to have an office-based presence and have received new introductions by telephone, mail and email from carers, family and other third sector organisations.

The main challenge once again is the ever-increasing numbers of people catching Covid, with the knock-on effect of having to cancel and re-arrange diaries, visits and peer group meetings.

Developments

We have engaged with the HSCP lead in SDS, building a good working relationship, which in turn has enabled us to develop excellent working practices and gain better outcomes for the individuals we support through the SDS process.

Stories of Change Self-Directed Support

Pippa is a young woman who freely moves around in her wheelchair and Circles Network is a Registered Charity in England and Wales (No. 1043601) and in Scotland (No. SC038068), and a Registered Company Limited by Guarantee in England and Wales (No. 2972700). Registered Office: The Penthouse, Coventry Road, Cawston, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9JP.

and enjoys many activities. She came to reside in Inverclyde with her son two years ago. Pippa employs Personal Assistants and a local agency for her care needs. Since moving to the area, Pippa has had numerous problems with the local authority, whilst trying to arrange a care package which meets her needs. She has previously accessed the Advocacy service on several occasions to support her with on-going problems with the different departments within the local authority.

Pippa is now having difficulty completing her package of care as she is struggling to employ a PA for the small number of hours, she has available for the task required, Pipa approached self-directed support Advocacy for assistance in this matter.

The team made a few home visits to Pippa, discussed the problems and how to progress with advertising for another PA. The difficulty at present is that she can only advertise the post for three hours per week. Her current PA may be retiring but keeps changing her mind causing uncertainty for the future

Pippa produced a job description and application form, and an advocate contacted the local Job centre plus, The Trust, the local CVS department and put the advertisement on Indeed with the assistance of The Scottish Personal Assistants Employers Network (Spaen). Pippa also advertised through her personal social media accounts to maximise interest in this post. Pippa preferred that the applications be sent to the Advocacy office in the first instance. She also requested that interviews would be conducted at her house in order that candidates can see the equipment that they will be expected to use. She plans to explain to candidates that there could be more hours involved in the future.

The advocate supported Pippa throughout the employment and interview procedure and Pippa successfully secured a new PA. Pippa stated that, at the time, she was not being listened to and that she felt she did not matter. Pippa stated that advocacy support changed all that for her and stated she was in a much better place now and felt more confident in dealing with her SDS.

Joe was introduced to the advocacy service by his care manager who was concerned that he was not managing at home following a relationship breakdown. Joe had previously received a care package with four visits from

home care daily and his partner provided additional support. Joe has a degenerative illness and lately his needs have increased. His property is no longer suited to his needs as he now needs to be hoisted to transfer from chair to bed safely.

Joe’s advocate met him in the comfort of his own home, explained our role and discussed the purpose of that day’s visit. Confidentiality and privacy were also discussed to ensure Joe is fully aware that his privacy would always be protected, with the advocate only doing what Joe wants and agrees to. Joe was pleased to hear that advocacy is provided to give him a voice, as he is currently feeling vulnerable and not in control of his life. He is happy in his current home, however, realises that it is no longer suitable for his needs. Joe is less happy with the support he receives, as the staff who care for him change frequently so that each time he builds relationships, the team changes and he feels he is starting over again.

The advocate spent time discussing what is important to Joe and how he would like to see his care and support working. They talked about his rights and were able to identify that he is entitled to have suitable accommodation that is fit for purpose and importantly suited to his mobility needs. In addition, the advocate discussed Self-Directed Support and the options and opportunities this would give Joe to be more in control of the support he needs and receives. Joe’s current care plan is managed under Option 3 where a social worker assesses his needs and decides the appropriate care provider.

We drafted an action plan of how an advocate could help Joe to achieve what he wants. Joe would like to apply for suitably adapted properties that would meet his current needs and allow him to reside in the community for as long as possible. Secondly, Joe wants to explore his options under SelfDirected Support Option 2, so he may decide what care provider is employed to meet his needs giving him more involvement and control to manage his care.

Joe agreed for his advocate to speak to his care manager, who is the social worker involved in overseeing and managing Joe’s care. This was to establish an up-todate assessment of needs and the support plan currently in place and identify any cross over with social work interventions. The care manager confirmed that Joe had recently been reassessed due to the change of circumstances in his personal life and taking account of the deterioration in his condition. Joe’s budget had

increased to allow a greater level of care than the four daily calls currently in place. The Advocate assisted Joe to complete the relevant applications for choice based letting with local social proprietors to ensure Joe can bid on properties that may become available and are suitable to his needs. Joe wanted to avoid certain areas, and this was reflected in the selections he made within the applications. Joe’s advocate sought evidence from Joe’s GP who provided written confirmation of Joe’s diagnosis and how his condition impacts his mobility. Joe was placed in priority category for accessible properties and was now able to declare an interest in any properties that were listed to let. Joe was supported by his advocate, social worker, family members and various agencies to undertake all that is involved in signing for and moving to a new property.

Once settled Joe felt Option 2 would provide the control and involvement, he desires to decide who provides his care and when. We identified local care providers listed by the local authority who could meet his needs. Joe selected three potential services and Joe opted to interview the provider he felt was most suited to meeting his needs. Joe’s advocate was present to assist Joe convey his views, choice and wishes.

The new provider offered to support Joe at home and out in the community, which Joe had never received before. Joe told the care agency when he would like his care provided and was given the assurance that he would have his own team of carers as well as emergency cover for any sickness and holiday leave.

The advocate supported Joe to understand his administrative responsibilities under Option 2 of Self-Directed Support, as he must complete paperwork appropriate to the care he receives daily and provide such information to the social worker.

Despite taking several months to arrange, Joe is now living in a property that gives him great accessibility with a support team, controlled by him to meet his needs. He says that his life has dramatically changed for the better.

Volunteers attending a training day

Self-Directed Support – Inverclyde

5850 direct support hours delivered 520 direct support hours delivered by volunteers 94 people supoprted 64 adults supported

12 children and young people supported

76 new introductions

520 support hours delivered by volunteers

Circles Advocacy – South Ayrshire

Circles Advocacy in South Ayrshire provide an advocacy service for individuals subject to the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, the Adult Support & Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 and the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. We provide support at a range of formal and informal proceedings, including mental health tribunals, care programme approach meetings, social work engagements/reviews, children's hearings, Looked After Child meetings and DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) (Department Work and Pensions) health assessments, among many others.

We deliver 'issue based' one to one and collective advocacy and actively promote non-instructed advocacy, enabling us to support individuals who are not able to access our service independently. We are also funded to provide advocacy for individuals with issues relating to alcohol and drug use.

We provide information to assist individuals in making informed decisions, supporting them to express their own needs and have as much control as possible over their own lives. We support people affected by mental health issues, learning disabilities, chronic illness, physical impairment, people living with alcohol and addiction, brain injuries, dementia, autistic spectrum disorders and adults at risk of harm.

Our service works in partnership with a range of stakeholders, and recognises that advocacy promotes social inclusion, equality, and social justice.

Highlights

Since receiving funding in August 2020 from the South Ayrshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership, we were delighted to recruit a dedicated drug and alcohol recovery advocate. They provide independent rights-based advocacy to people affected by issues related to their drug and/or alcohol use. Through the work and development that has taken place since this time, we were

thrilled to learn that the funding for the project has been extended into next year.

From April 2021 – March 2022, 65% of introductions for people with addiction issues have been new introductions for people who have not used advocacy before.

We have provided advocacy for people in relation to their parental rights, with housing and benefit issues and provided information to them about local recovery groups.

We have also been involved with local development groups shaping local and national services, for example, an anti-stigma group and a residential rehabilitation group.

In December we were the first organisation in South Ayrshire to sign up for the I’M IN (Interactive Muti-Agency Involvement Network) project, run collaboratively by SeAscape and Ayr Housing Aid, to increase homeless

preventions through early intervention for people potentially at risk of homelessness, due to issues such as rent arrears, fuel poverty and difficulties with sustaining tenancies due to mental, physical health or substance misuse.

We sent a survey out to professionals we work with and contacted partners who we have provided advocacy for.

The feedback received was overwhelmingly positive.

Challenges

Challenges faced this year include an analysis of the drug and alcohol recovery advocacy work, which revealed a high proportion of individuals who, after our initial contact with them, either did not engage again, or could not be contacted.

20% of introductions of this nature were self-introductions, and 33% were introductions from social workers.

48% of all introductions of individuals who did not engage after initial contact, were for housing issues. Anecdotal feedback we have received from people with housing issues highlighted worries with feeling unsafe in their tenancy or

being housed in areas that impacted their physical and/or mental health and recovery. Difficulties in finding or being offered suitable accommodation caused frustration, indicating individuals were becoming disheartened and not pursuing their housing issues, assuming a lack of housing options and the possibility of finding a suitable tenancy. This may be a reason for disengaging .

These findings influenced our signing up to the I’M IN Project mentioned previously, to highlight the issues and areas of concern to other organisations on behalf of the people we work with. Our inclusion in the various 3[rd] Sector Forums also allowed us to directly influence how the Partnership and other organisations deliver services.

We were experiencing some challenges when dealing with issues related to benefit and welfare advice. People were telling us that they were not clear what the council-run service (a hub that provides information and advice around benefit issues) could help with. People reported they were being told that the service could not help them, and in addition, advisers at the service were also referring people to us for issues they advertised as being able to offer support with. We set up a meeting with senior advisers at the hub to find out more about how they were working, the issues they dealt with and to share information about our respective roles and how we, and the community, could best access their help.

As with many other organisations, preferred contact for someone to access their support was via an online form. We noticed that to complete the online form, an email address was required and if the person did not have an email address, they could not access the service.

An alternative means of contact was to telephone the Hub, however the automated process for doing this was lengthy and sometimes had long waiting times. This left some people we spoke to feeling frustrated, who then they gave up trying to get the help they needed. As a result of us highlighting this, they undertook to review their processes to make it easier for people to contact them by removing the necessity to have an email address to complete the form.

Development

We have increased the number of drop-ins at Woodland View and improved the existing ones. We have drop-in advocacy sessions in both the elderly acute admissions and the adult acute admissions wards at Woodland View and in the drug and alcohol rehabilitation and detoxification ward as well.

Ward 5 admits people from across South, East and North Ayrshire. We provide advocacy for South Ayrshire patients and provide information and signposting to patients from East and North Ayrshire.

We have received incredibly positive feedback from patients and staff in ward 5. The charge nurse stated that she felt the drop-in sessions were great for patients, they feel that they are being listened to, and commented that we were the only advocacy provider in Ayrshire that goes into the ward to do this.

Through talking to staff in ward 10, we also learned that a nursing assistant was keen to know about advocacy and raise awareness amongst the patients. We followed this up, and now the nursing assistant speaks with patients about our advocacy service and makes patients aware of when our regular visits are scheduled, encouraging them to come and speak to us.

Stories of change

Scott contacted Circles advocacy, seeking help to communicate his views to the police regarding historical abuse he experienced whilst in a children’s home in the late 80’s.

He had been contacted by Police Scotland who requested they visit him and take a statement from him regarding his experiences. Scott was extremely anxious about this.

We supported Scott by helping him to sort out the documents he had relating to his time at the children’s home and have the information ready for the police visit. We were also in attendance during the visit when Scott gave his statement and answered police questions.

Scott stated that he found the experience less distressing knowing that he had someone with him to help him share his experience.

Gordon was attacked and badly beaten and as a result was left with a significant head injury which resulted in his personality and cognitive abilities being affected. Due to concerns, he was detained in hospital on a short-term detention certificate.

We visited Gordon in hospital and helped him speak to nursing staff and safeguarded his rights under the Mental Health Act.

Gordon stated that he was very grateful to advocacy for helping him and coming to speak to him to explain what was happening.

He said that the only people he had seen were doctors and nurses and he felt that he was not getting the chance to speak to anyone else about what he wanted to happen in the future.

We were able to share his views to nursing staff.

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Circles Advocacy – South Ayrshire
463 people supported
261 new introductions
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Circles Advocacy – Fife

Circles Network in Fife provide advocacy to the entire Fife region and have a large remit which includes supporting individuals who experience mental health difficulties, dementia, disability, chronic illness, acquired brain injury and autism. The team can also provide advocacy support for children under 16 years who are subject to compulsory measures under the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) Scotland act 2003.

Highlights

This year the team have returned to working from the office and continued to provide a blended approach to our Advocacy provision, telephone advocacy is provided where possible and our face-to-face provision has increased while still following guidelines and using PPE.

The team worked tirelessly, battling with restrictions and illness and absence during this challenging time. We continued to deliver a seamless service to all who contacted us for advocacy during this period.

We have been awarded funding to provide Advocacy for unpaid carers specifically to support with Power of Attorney and Guardianship, the project has worked hard to raise awareness for the project which initially begun while COVID 19 restrictions were still in place. We have also been awarded funding to provide Advocacy for people who have Drug/Alcohol issues, this funding has just recently been awarded so we are currently recruiting for the 2 posts of Recovery Advocacy Workers.

Challenges

At the beginning of the year the team were still working from home which was a challenge as the team found this quite difficult and isolating at times.

We have had quite a few new members of staff this year and at times the recruitment process and periods where we didn’t have a full complement of staff have been a challenge as this increases our existing staff’s workload.

Development

We have started to map our partnerships within Fife – exploring strengths and gaps within the connections which we have.

We have been awarded funding to provide Advocacy for people who have Drug & Alcohol issues, we are recruiting 2 Recovery Advocacy Workers who have lived experience. We will be initially raising awareness of the new project and connecting with a wide variety of services within Fife.

Stories of change

Rachel is a lady who was introduced to advocacy when she became pregnant with her daughter. Rachel felt that communication with social workers, for her, often ended in frustration and anger. Due to her addiction, she felt that they had a negative view of her and nothing she was doing was good enough or seen as progress. During the time the advocate worked with Rachel they supported her to express her views at Child Protection Case Conferences, Discharge Planning Meeting, Looked After reviews and core groups. Rachel felt that this helped keep her focused on what it was she wanted to put across without her becoming what she described as ‘volatile.’ Rachel has been having regular contact with her daughter who is in a kinship placement and now feels she is able to express her views by herself – selfadvocating.

Steven has mental health challenges and several other health conditions. He previously had a Motability car, but this was removed from him after 16 years following a change of benefit. This had a substantial impact on Steven who due to mobility issues could no longer leave his house or do the activities he normally enjoyed. This in turn was detrimental to his mental health. Steven had appealed the decision to remove his car and sought advocacy support for his up-and-coming tribunal. An advocate supported him via telephone and email and Stevens views were gathered as part of the preparation for his tribunal. The tribunal was held via tele conference, and his advocate

attended on the day to support Steven. At its conclusion, Steven was successful and won his appeal. He was grateful for the support that advocacy provided.

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Circles Advocacy – Fife
1494 people supported
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Circles Advocacy Fife - Carers Advocacy Project

Circles Network provides advocacy to unpaid carers throughout Fife, we equip people to understand and put in place Power of Attorney or Guardianship, where Power of Attorney is not appropriate, to support them in their caring role.

Highlights

During this first year of the project, we held, hosted, and attended several face-toface events albeit whilst taking all the precautions necessary in the throes of the pandemic.

We recruited two full time advocates for the project.

We spoke about this new project on local radio, created leaflets and posters and have started to grow the connections and understanding of this innovation.

Challenges

Due to COVID19 restrictions we were unable to have as many live awareness raising events as we intended. With a specific need to reach carers, we opted to get information out into community by providing awareness raising sessions via Microsoft Teams, through leaflet drops and by providing posters to a wide variety of services so we could connect with as many people as possible. We also contacted organisations and groups that support disabled people and carers.

Shadowing existing Advocates is a vital and important part of our training for new advocates, due to covid restrictions, this was not possible. We overcame this barrier through using video calls and through new team members being included via telephone calls and Teams chats (with the individual’s consent).

Development

Once COVID19 restrictions ease and we can access places freely, we will be providing frequent events in various parts of Fife to raise awareness of this new work. We are aware of the fear and concern which carers may have due to their responsibilities and the potential health impact of contracting covid on the person for whom they are caring.

Stories of change

Sam was introduced to Circles Carers Advocacy as he was applying for guardianship of his uncle who was in extremely poor health at the time. Although Sam had been through a similar process when he was appointed Power of Attorney for another family member, he was unsure how the guardianship process worked. The advocate was able to provide support on the telephone for Sam and speak to him about the process and what action he would need to take. Unfortunately, due to COVID, Sam was unable to speak to his uncle in person for a few weeks when the hospital ward was closed, but the advocate was still able to speak to him and give him the information he needed. With the help of the advocate and his uncle’s social worker, Sam felt confident enough with the information he had been given to go through the process knowing that the advocate would be there if he needed to contact her again.

Farhan was introduced to Circles Advocacy by the local authority. Farhan lives with dementia and mental health issues. The advocate contacted Farhan via telephone to introduce themselves and the service and explained what help we could provide with his issue. Farhan informed the advocate that he would like to put a Power of Attorney and will in place. Farhan explained that with the development of his illness he had begun to worry

about his future care and whether he might lose his capacity and what would happen to his assets if no powers or will was in place. Farhan said he did not know where to start. The advocate arranged a suitable time and date to visit with Farhan at his home.

The advocate met with Farhan and explained his options with regards to appointing a Power of Attorney. The advocate provided a list of solicitors who could support Farhan with the process, Farhan explained that he had spoken to few solicitors prior to meeting with Circles Advocacy and was worried about the costs. Farhan selected a few solicitors for the advocate to call on his behalf. The advocate called for prices for their services, this information was then given to Farhan, who then selected a solicitor, and an appointment was made. Farhan explained that he would like an advocate to be present at the appointment. After visiting and speaking to the solicitor Farhan said he has peace of mind and is happy with the solicitor he chose. A draft of the Power of Attorney and will was sent to him the following day. During the process Farhan was pleased to see and hear how quickly things moved. Farhan said Circles Network have been good to him and been exceptional with explaining the process in simple words and terms.

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Circles Advocacy - Fife
Carers Advocacy Project
31 new introductions
31 people supported
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Circles Advocacy – Moray

Circles Advocacy, Moray provides independent, professional, issue-based advocacy to adults living in Moray. Our contract covers three main areas:

People with mental ill health, disabilities, chronic illness or who are elderly who have issues relating to health and social care or have children who are Looked After by the Local Authority or where there are child protection concerns.
People who have been detained under Mental Health (Care and Treatment) legislation or with needs being considered or legislated for under Adults with Incapacity or Adult Support and Protection legislation.
People who have, or have had, issues relating to the use of drugs and/or alcohol which have created barriers to accessing appropriate support and services (see separate Impact Report).

Our main aim is to support peoples’ views to be heard, provide information to enable informed choices, and ensure their rights are upheld.

Highlights

Our presentations, as part of Adult Support and Protection (ASP) Training, have resulted in an increase in the number of people being supported by advocacy during ASP investigations and meetings. The Service Manager is also taking a lead in managing the risk of not hearing people’s voices as part of the ASP process on behalf of the Adult Protection Committee and chairs a subgroup of the Adult Protection Committee, ‘Hear Me.’ The aim of this group is to support people who have

been through the Adult Protection Process to be involved in practice development and improvement.

We continued to work alongside our partners in both third sector and statutory services through our membership in various groups including Making Recovery Real Partnership, Drug and Alcohol Partnership, Third Sector Interface Forums for Children and Families and Community Care, Adult Protection Committee, Learning Disability Forum, Patient Empowerment Group for Learning Disability and Mental Health and the Suicide Prevention Group. Within all these areas we have been able to input the voice of those with lived experience.

As part of the Patient Empowerment Group, we were able to represent the views of local people in a paper, which was presented to the Transitions Board, regarding the gaps in services. We also supported the collation of the survey carried out by the Suicide Prevention Group, identifying the gaps in services.

Drop-ins at Ward 4, Moray’s inpatient mental health ward and the Recovery Café started along with Drop-In’s at four of Moray libraries to increase our reach into more remote and rural areas in Moray.

Challenges

We continued throughout the pandemic to provide support to all our partners either face to face, where essential, or utilising other means when possible or preferred by partners. Continuing to work as a cohesive team was a challenge. We scheduled regular peer discussions which enabled issues affecting our partners to be moved on and provide team connectivity, trust and relationships

A key challenge this year was accessing services that support people we provide an advocacy service for, such as the National Health Service, Scottish Mental Health Association and Community Care. This has led to the provision of feedback to these organisations, highlighting the issues being faced. We received positive responses from all organisations we contacted and therefore hope that this will be reflected in service improvements.

Development

Moray Advocacy led a Circle of Practice within Circles Network, to develop the use of collective advocacy. This has created easy read information about what collective advocacy is, along with tools and templates to use and guidance on planning collective advocacy sessions. Using these tools, we began a collective advocacy group for people with personality disorders where those who attend identified the issues, before agreeing what they want to tackle and how.

Circles Network Moray’s ‘Wall of Positivity’ – a patchwork of positive statements to encourage those in the meeting room.

Stories of change

Christopher was introduced to the service by his social worker as he was in hospital having suffered a brain injury. His family were unable to continue caring for him as, since his brain injury, he could become aggressive towards them. He was unable to care for himself, requiring support with all personal care. It was unclear as to whether he had capacity to make decisions about his future care.

Over three sessions, Christopher engaged in using Talking Mats, a symbolic communication system, to consider how he felt about his current situation and future care. The same topics were considered each time to see if there was consistency within his responses, which might indicate that he had some capacity to make and retain decisions about this specific area of his life .

On each occasion, when asked about moving to a care home, he placed the picture in the ‘no’ column and at times was quite aggressive, sweeping the picture from the mat and shouting ‘no.’ After the second time of completing the mat, he became agitated and tearful, repeating that he didn’t know what to do. He then asked to do

the mat again. At first, he placed the care home picture in the ‘no’ column but then picked it up and moved it to the ‘yes’ column, saying, ‘But perhaps it might have to be.’

This information was relayed to the social worker and consultant. It has still not been determined where Chritopher may live in the future, but the social worker said that she felt it had provided them with useful information.

Peter has autism and learning disabilities. He has lived at home with his parents all his life and there have been ongoing concerns regarding his wellbeing. These concerns included potential financial and physical harm, isolation and not being allowed to access services which he may have benefitted from. The hope had been that Peter would be able to move into his

own accommodation, with a support package, but his parents were not supportive of this and would not allow professionals access to see Peter and develop any kind of relationship with him.

He was introduced to advocacy in the hope that we would be able to build a relationship with Peter although it was acknowledged that our role would be more as a safeguarder than being able to deliver instructed advocacy.

Over many months, Peter’s advocate contacted the family and requested meetings with them and Peter, moving from trying to set up arranged meeting to just popping by in the hope that they would allow him to enter

the house and engage with them all. With patience, the advocate was eventually allowed into the house. Over several sessions, he went over the plans of a new house which was being built for Peter, talked to the family about looking to Peter’s future, encouraged them to consider what Peter would want including which personal possessions he might like to take with him.

A guardianship was granted in favour of the local authority and the decision made that Peter would move. The family were adamant they would have nothing to do with Peter if he moved and were not willing to make plans about what possessions would be meaningful for Peter’s new home .

The advocate continued to advocate to the family about Peter’s rights and his needs and in January of this year Peter moved to his new home. His parents have not said they are happy with the situation but visit him and have ensured Peter has personal possessions with him.

Peter’s care team have now taken on the task of building a relationship with his family to ensure they continue to be part of Peter’s life. The Advocate will continue to act in a safeguarding role. Peter is now able to have, and is enjoying, a social life, with varied activities and finances to undertake these and make his own purchases.

Circles Advocacy – Moray (combined)

288 people supported 237 new introductions

‘Thanks so much – that’s a weight off my mind

– no matter what the response will be I’ve expressed my experience and you’ve skilfully…put the whole log together, which I could never have done…amazing and much appreciated. ‘

Circles Advocacy – Moray (Drug and Alcohol)

Circles Advocacy, Moray, provides independent, professional, issue-based advocacy to adults living in Moray. Our key focus is on supporting people with concerns relating to health and social care. We have an extended role for people who have drug and alcohol related issues, which have resulted in barriers to them receiving the support they need along their recovery journey. Priority is given to people who have been detained under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act.

Our main aim is to support peoples’ views to be heard, provide information to enable informed choices to be made, and to ensure people’s rights are upheld.

Highlights

We are part of the National Recovery Advocacy Network, which meets on a monthly basis to provide peer support and enables issues to be raised with national organisations and the government. The Network also has a Teams Chat which enables Recovery Advocates to share knowledge and request support from colleagues across Scotland.

We have also worked with the National Recovery Advocacy Network to develop a one- and two-day training course, ‘Human Rights, Drugs and Alcohol.’ This training is intended for a wide audience, including people who have experienced issues with the use of drugs or alcohol, to enable them to challenge services appropriately, when necessary.

We started Pop up advocacy at the Recovery Café in Elgin in December 2021, to provide advocacy in a place which feels safe and accessible to all people, especially those who have experienced issues with their use of drugs or alcohol. Circles Advocacy have been part of the development of ‘Operation Protect;’ a joint Police Scotland, Moray Drug and Alcohol Integrated Team and Third

Sector services including Arrows, Moray’s front line drug and alcohol service, and Circles Advocacy. The aim is to reach out and provide support to people at risk of ‘Cuckooing’ or other risky activities relating to drug activity.

Challenges

We were disappointed that we could no longer support parents whose children are Looked After by the Local Authority or are part of Child Protection Procedures. Children and Families Social Work Department is currently developing a tender to procure this service which we will tender for. We support parents who were already receiving Independent Advocacy from Circles Network until their issue is resolved or the new service is in place, and there is a gap in services to parents with drug and alcohol related issues. The ‘Stories of change’ reflect the value and need for this support. We have raised awareness of this issue in various venues such as the Drug and Alcohol Partnership.

Ensuring people are aware of the support Advocacy can provide if they have had or are currently experiencing issues with their use of drugs and /or alcohol continues to be a challenge. We continue to seek ways to ‘get the word out’ through publicity, drop in’s, events etc.

Development

An advocate used to attend Arrows ‘Soup and Soap’ evenings – an informal session where people would share food and watch a soap opera while being able to access support if needed. This stopped due to COVID and are in discussion with Arrows as to how this will be replaced. One type of session has been tried but was unsuccessful, so other options are currently being explored .

Stories of change

Rose , a young single parent, was introduced to Circles Advocacy by her drug and alcohol support worker. She was due to attend a Child Protection meeting to discuss her children being placed on the At-Risk Register. Rose had not been to this type of meeting before and, because of the Covid

pandemic, it was to be held on MS Teams, another unknown for Rose, which all added up to a worrying experience for her. The advocate met Rose to explain the child protection process. Rose said that she had been reported to the Social Work department because an ex-partner, recently released from prison due to illegal drug use, had been visiting her house unannounced, in an attempt to see one of the children. Even though Rose had called Police Scotland at each incident, the social worker had concerns that her expartner posed a continuing risk and that she was at risk of resuming her use of drugs due to his presence. Rose and her advocate went over all the background documents which were to be referenced at the meeting. The advocate worked with Rose to record the positive actions and coping strategies she had used to keep her children safe as well as identifying factual inaccuracies within the reports.

Rose asked the advocate to do all the speaking at the first meeting. At Rose’s request, the advocate asked that the historical timeline document be read out at the initial meeting only. It was upsetting for Rose to listen to this at the start of each meeting. Rose felt confident enough to speak during some of the second meeting. The advocate was able to give Rose her feedback on how well she had represented herself, so much so that, by the third meeting, six weeks in, Rose spoke for herself during the whole meeting and when the fourth meeting came round Rose confirmed she felt confident enough to attend the meeting by herself.

In discussion afterwards, Rose informed her advocate that she felt the

meeting had gone well and Social Workers had listened to her views and confirmed she was achieving positive outcomes to accomplish her main goal, the removal of her children from the Register. Rose felt able to attend the final three meetings herself.

Before the last meeting, the advocate went over the final reports and assessments they had received. The contents were all positive and recommended the removal of Rose’s children from the At-Risk Register on the grounds that she had engaged well, taken onboard recommendations, and had implemented coping strategies to keep her children safe and herself free from drug use.

Michael was introduced to advocacy by his children’s social worker. He had significant mental health issues and had, from being a teenager, used drugs and alcohol to try and manage his symptoms, following a childhood of trauma. His relationship with his children’s social worker and other professionals was confrontational. Through a two-year partnership with his advocate, Michael was supported to share his views as part of the Looked

After Children process including Children’s Hearings. Initially Michael was unable to sit through meetings without becoming frustrated, often leaving the meeting part way through. He had tried to access support on many occasions but had been unable to move forward on his recovery journey for more than a few months, before relapsing into a pattern of heavy drinking; self-sabotage being a recurrent feature.

Two years on, Michael is able to sit through meetings and is able to give his own views, having prepared them in advance, with his advocate. He is accessing support from Arrows and, although still drinking at weekends, has been back to work for a number of months and having regular contact with his children. Michael states that he benefitted from the non-judgemental response of his advocate, who was there to support him at meetings and ensure his views were heard. The advocate also continued to signpost him to support services until he was at a point where he was able to consider making changes to his life.

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Circles Advocacy – Moray
(combined)
288 people supported
237 new introductions
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“Thank you so much… really does mean a lot to hear that from someone and I should be proud I’ve managed so well and have had a brilliant outcome, thank you again.”

Circles Equine - Taking the Lead

Taking the Lead is an Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) project, based in Warwickshire, offering EFL sessions to disabled and disadvantaged children, young people, and adults from across the UK (United Kingdom). The project offers sessions on an individual or group basis each week, with additional activity days during school holidays and runs a children’s club every Saturday.

Highlights

We have had new young people come along and regularly attend our popular Saturday Club provision. We recruited and supported an equine apprentice who has successfully completed her apprenticeship this year.

Relaxations around Covid restrictions allowed an increase in face-to-face support.

Challenges

Recruitment has been an ongoing challenge; however, we have held recruitment events at the Rugby Hub and onboarded additional team members because of these. Offering an apprenticeship also enabled us to continue to deliver a high number of sessions, with support in the background.

The effects of Covid and the necessary restrictions around this was an inevitable challenge in relation to staff absence, but the flexibility and creativity of the team allowed us to continue to support those individuals who were most vulnerable via online support and regular telephone and video contact.

Development

We are fortunate to have a new indoor area in the form of an additional cabin, which is in the orchard area of the site. This is a valued and well used new space during sessions and on Saturdays and is big enough to comfortably accommodate larger groups.

Stories of change

The Taking the Lead project enabled Rebecca , a 10-year-old girl, to be able to access the specialist educational provision she needed. Rebecca has a diagnosis of autism with pathological demand avoidance. Sue joined Taking the Lead following involvement in the Taking the Reins project, and continued to develop her confidence, communication, and emotional awareness. Rebecca developed a positive relationship with one of the miniature Shetland ponies, Piskeo and would choose to work with him whenever she could. Rebecca began to recognise when she was feeling dysregulated and would remove herself to her chosen safe space without prompting, returning to the session and the ponies when she felt ready. Rebecca’s parents reported that this was a huge for Rebecca who had been struggling at school to the extent that they were seeking an alternative provision for her. They had identified a provision which had animals on site and having seen the positive impact working with Piskeo had on Rebecca, decided this was the right school for her. After some challenges and barriers along the way, with the support of a statement provided by Circles Network following Rebecca’s attendance at Taking the Lead, Rebecca was finally granted a place at their chosen school. The impact of spending time with Piskeo and the other ponies at Circles Equine had not only helped Rebecca to become better able to understand herself and what she was feeling but showed her parents and education providers that the presence of animals and being able to develop a relationship with them is of significant benefit to her. Rebecca is now continuing to develop socially and emotionally with the ongoing support of Taking the Lead and the animals she has connected with at her new school.

Holly is a 13-year-old girl who has accessed Taking the Lead for many years, with the occasional break in between. Holly is autistic and faces significant challenges around social interaction. She finds group situations exceedingly

difficult to manage and is no longer attending school. Holly lives at home with her parents who have adapted and made changes to support her as she is now not in school. This is proving challenging for the family as Holly demands her parent’s attention much of the time. Her parents are incredibly supportive and over the years they have encouraged Holly to participate in a range of extra-curricular activities to build her confidence and to develop her social skills and understanding. Holly did attend a scout group for a short while but refused to return after she became upset by a misunderstanding with other participants. Holly’s parents report that Taking the Lead is the only thing that Holly consistently attends. She has developed a particular attachment to one of the ponies, Feorag and chooses to work with him on her weekly sessions. Holly is now coming to a Taking the Lead session twice a week. Not only is this beneficial to Holly and supporting her development, both personal and social, it also provides a much-needed break for her parents. Holly used to communicate her wishes and any concerns through her mother or would not verbalise them but express her frustrations through her behaviour. Lately, Holly’s mother has said how proud of Holly she is that she will now try to explain a problem to her, or ask to speak to a team member, rather than internalising any discomfort. Without Taking the Lead, Holly and her family would have no support and Holly would not have the one place outside of the family home where she feels safe and comfortable

Circles Equine – Taking the Lead

1830 session hours provided

117 children and young people supported

Circles Equine - Taking the Reins

Taking the Reins is an Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) project, based in Warwickshire, offering EFL sessions to disabled and disadvantaged children, young people, and adults from across the UK. The project offers fully funded sessions on an individual or group basis each week. This work is currently funded through a grant from the Pets at Home Foundation.

Highlights

Taking the Reins has secured new funding through the Pets at Home Foundation. This new partnership has enabled us to continue to deliver these immensely popular and well-known sessions, ensuring we can reach more children and young people in and around our location.

Recruiting additional team members has allowed us to deliver sessions in larger groups which opens opportunities for participants to build new friendships with people sharing interests in horses.

A new cabin and the recently cultivated orchard garden have afforded additional environments for participants to enjoy working in.

Challenges

The ending of our BBC Children in Need funding, late in October, initially presented as a challenge, thankfully we were fortunate to secure a new source of funding through a generous grant and support from the Pets at Home Foundation. This has enabled us to continue the project which is wellknown within the community and with our partners in education and social care.Covid-19 and the associated restrictions led to a reduction in the number of face-to-face sessions we could provide however, we were able to

stay connected with participants and offer video and phone support in the form of quizzes and visual equine activities. This worked well for lots of families in lessening anxiety and stimulating interest in equine learning.

Development

The outline for Taking the Reins has changed slightly to incorporate delivering sessions around the recognition of boundaries within a healthy relationship and how to set them and respond positively to them.

The journal which provides a continuous workbook throughout someone's Taking the Reins journey, will be adapted to a folder system moving forward to allow for more creativity and flexibility of content.

Our marketing for this programme has been supported by new community partners, Mc Donalds and The Cooperative, alongside our local Pets at Home store, this gives us completely new opportunities to raise awareness and attract participants.

Stories of change

Tom is a 9-year-old boy who is already a registered carer for his older brother who has learning difficulties. Tom lives at home with his mother, who herself has mental health challenges. The family are supported through social care, however prior to accessing Taking the Reins, Tom’s attendance at school was sporadic and he would tell his teachers that he hates his life. Tom had never left the town centre or travelled in a car before being brought to the Rugby Hub. Although Tom was understandably anxious and a little quiet on his first session, he told team members that he had loved being here and that he now loved his life. Tom was collected and brought to the sessions each week by a team member and each week Tom would become a little more animated and his tone a little lighter. Tom was able, for the duration of the session, to forget about his struggles and responsibilities at home and have some time purely for himself. He made a great relationship with the pony Layla and progressed from shyly stroking her to being able to catch and lead her to the yard with minimal support. Tom’s teachers have reported that Tom is more confident and is now attending school on a more regular basis. Taking the Reins has enabled Tom to experience something he would not normally have had the opportunity to experience and helped him to express himself as an individual and as a child, without all the challenges he faces every day. This has had a significant impact on Tom, his family, and his peers with whom he is now able to forge friendships.

Jenny, a 14-year-old girl, lives with her mother, father, and older sister. Jenny struggles with social anxiety and as a result finds it exceedingly difficult to sustain friendships with her peers or to participate in any social or group activities. Jenny’s mum contacted Circles Network as she was aware of a project involving horses and thought it may be of benefit to Jenny who relates better to animals than she does people. Her mum was

unsure if Jenny would feel able to attend, so it was agreed that we would send her some photos prior to the beginning of her support, so that she had more of an idea of what to expect. Jenny did manage to make it to her first session and seemed to enjoy meeting the ponies. Jenny’s mum had said that her daughter is a very private person and is not comfortable at speaking about how she feels as she prefers to keep things to herself. Jenny’s parents

were worried about the time Jenny spent alone, especially as she was not able to speak to them about what she was feeling or what her anxieties are. They did not want to cause Jenny additional stress, although they were concerned that they did not understand her deeper needs.

Team members nurtured Jenny so she felt more comfortable exploring her emotional world through structured activities with the ponies. Through conversations around what she thought the ponies were feeling, Jenny was able to talk about a range of different emotions and to consider what this might feel like inside the pony. Learning that Freddie and the rest of the ponies experience different feelings and behaviours, including anxiety, helped Jenny to feel more comfortable about herself. By using colours and chalks, Jenny expressed things that made her feel happy and safe, which included her parents and her home. Jenny’s confidence in working with the ponies and her increasing ability to openly speak about her own range of feelings had a significant impact not only on Jenny’s understanding of her anxiety, but on the relationship between Jenny and her parents, who were reassured by Jenny’s participation in the group and her developing selfesteem. Through working with the ponies, Jenny found a safe way into what had once been a confusing emotional space.

Circles Equine – Taking the Reins

477 hours provided 148 children and young people supported

MHISC

The Mental Health in Schools framework involves the delivery of therapeutic equine sessions, to children and young people within Warwickshire who have been identified by health and education professionals as requiring support with their mental health. This framework is governed by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.

Highlights

Many of the children and young people who attend Circles Network through the MHISC framework, this support provision extended by the commissioning body as they become aware of the significant positive impact the therapeutic equine sessions have for the individual.

Circles Network have forged positive working partnerships with professionals and agencies involved with this project including the school staff who permit students to access our support during school hours and who have given positive feedback relating to the improved behaviour and demeanour of young people when back in the classroom.

The facilitators delivering the MHISC sessions have the opportunity to create bespoke sessions and develop a strong working relationship with the young person they are supporting.

Challenges

Due to changes in the staff team and the current challenge of recruitment, we have had to reduce capacity at times to schedule in as many MHISC sessions as are requested. The intense requirements of the participants necessitate an individual one to one support. Recruitment is ongoing and we have added to the equine team over the past year to support the growing demand for sessions.

Although it is undoubtedly fabulous to have six different equine projects, it can be challenging logistically to plan and schedule

sessions for all projects when they run concurrently. This will be so much easier next quarter with longer evenings in which to run sessions, enabling us to increase available classes.

Development

Although historically the commissioning bodies have accepted, and are happy with, facilitator session notes as evidence of support and achieved outcomes, it would be a positive development of this service to design and develop a specific MHISC journal. This will allow facilitators to have a detailed baseline and progressive journey captured throughout the participants’ time accessing equine support.

Stories of Change

Andrew is a young man of primary school age who finds being in school challenging. Andrew is awaiting a diagnosis of ASC and ADHD and finds the school and classroom environment especially challenging. Andrew struggles with social relationships and communication as well as a limited awareness of his own world and how to best express his emotions. As a result Andrew has frequently displayed behaviours which are challenging to his peers and to his school staff. Andrew is likely to respond to a perceived slight or injustice in a sudden and physical way, lashing out at his peers and causing pain and emotional distress to others and to himself. As a result, Andrew has had reduced access time in school. Andrew will often exhibit apparent feelings of shame or remorse at the point when he is able to regulate again, distressing him further.

Andrew arrived for his first session with the ponies and was at first hesitant to get involved. Although he was apparently excited to be here, running around and exclaiming at all the new things to see, Andrew seemed to find it difficult to control his energy levels and to follow instruction. With the benefit of having the same facilitator at every session, Andrew did begin to develop a working relationship and engage more in the session activity. He gradually increased his time working with the ponies and learnt how to use kind hands when interacting and brushing them. The physical and real responses of the ponies to Andrew’s energy levels helped him to understand how much of an impact his

energy and behaviours had on those around him. Andrew was then able to start to learn ways in which to shrink his ‘energy bubble’ and watch how the

ponies responded to him in a different way. Andrew’s behaviour started to improve within school and his teachers reported a developing empathy which Andrew had not previously exhibited. Such was the positive impact of the sessions, Andrew continued to attend for two more full courses of therapeutic equine work. The skills and techniques that Andrew learnt during his sessions with the ponies enabled him to start to build positive relationships with his peers as well as to increase his self-esteem and improve his selfimage, knowing that he could be a good friend to others, both human and equine

Fiona is a teenaged girl who has a difficult home life following the separation of her parents. Fiona struggles with regulating her emotions and this has resulted in her getting into trouble with the police which causes distress to her family and her peers. Fiona is an active young woman who enjoys being outdoors and loves animals. She has her own pets and she reports that she enjoys spending time with them and looking after them. Fiona was understandably quiet and hesitant to speak about herself when she began her sessions and built up a good rapport with the facilitator quite quickly. Over time, Fiona started to speak more about her experiences of bullying in school and the difficult relationships she has within her family. Her self-worth was understandably very low as a result of the negative relationships she had and her difficulty in managing responses. Fiona chose to work with Sol on her first session and then chose to work with him throughout her support. Fiona said that Sol reminded her of herself as he is big and black and people think he is scary, but inside he is actually shy and kind. Fiona and Sol built a very strong and positive relationship and Fiona said that Sol helped to take her anger away. Fiona’s dad reported that the sessions seemed to be helping her to feel calmer and to relax more with her family. The social care professionals that were involved with the family also recognised the positive impact the sessions were making and chose to extend the support Fiona received.

Fiona’s circumstances are complex and her challenges within her family remain. Fiona herself has said that spending time and working with Sol has helped her to see that she has her own unique gifts and qualities and that people who judge and respond to outward appearances should not be listened to. Sessions for Fiona may resume in the future, subject to funding, as all involved with her and her family have witnessed a significant positive change in Fiona’s well-being.

Circles Equine – MHISC

104 hours provided

13 children and young people supported 13 new introductions

Resilient Lives and Inclusive Communities

Resilient lives and inclusive communities, (ReaLise) is an equine and outdoor based project, held in Warwickshire, offering Equine Facilitated Learning, outdoors and arts and crafts sessions to children, young people and adults within Warwickshire whose mental health has been adversely affected by Covid. The project offers fully funded sessions on a group basis during each week for a minimum of two hours over ten weeks.

Highlights

The ReaLise project was launched in December 2021 and was a great opportunity to provide outdoor, nature-based opportunities, including outdoor forest school, games, music and social activities as well as equine and arts and crafts. The new cabin in the orchard which was purchased through this project funding has benefitted not only this, but all of the equine projects, providing a large and safe space for participants to reflect, learn together and socialise.

Team development and training has taken place to support the project which has added to the whole teams professional development and promoted involvement and ownership of the project.

Challenges

As the whole concept of this programme is new, the biggest challenge was to raise awareness in the local community and to attract participants. We made use of our social media pages as well as forming partnerships with local organisations and businesses to help promote the project. We are pleased to report new partnerships with the local Co-op, McDonalds and Pets at Home.

Finding a suitable location and preparing the groundwork for the new cabin proved challenging, due to the layout of the ground, however we worked with contractors to find the best location and best orientation for the cabin

and they were able to craft a good foundation and build the cabin (now known as The Ranch) amongst the trees and overlooking the paddocks.

Development

The ReaLise project is new in itself, and an area of development we have identified is to deliver more sessions on a full day basis, in order to reach the different needs of people. This has been approved and is now in place.

Stories of change

Anna is 18 years old and was introduced to us at a point where she was not in education or employment. Anna had experienced significant bullying when in school and a traumatic experience at a local shop which had led to her not being able to socialise or to have the confidence to seek employment. Anna had been able to spend much of the lockdown without the demands to go out and about but was feeling extremely worried about having to return to a semblance of normality. Anna was anxious when she came for her first session and did not speak much at all, although she did engage in the session and appear to enjoy it. Anna would always wear a long scarf regardless of the weather. As her sessions progressed, Anna admitted that this was a source of comfort and something for her to hide behind. Anna particularly enjoyed the arts and crafts element of the sessions and developed greater confidence in being creative. As she was one of the first young people to attend the project, she was able to help other newer participants as her confidence began to grow. Anna discovered that she got a lot out of helping people and decided, when her sessions ended to apply for a volunteer role at Circles Network. Anna is also now planning to return to college. Anna attended for an interview for the volunteer position and appeared as a different person. She spoke with confidence and had made a huge effort with her appearance, choosing to leave her scarf behind.

Bobby is a 10-year-old boy who has autism. He is home schooled and has experienced greater isolation throughout the pandemic due to the necessary restrictions associated with Covid. Bobby’s mum felt that this

project would encourage him to socialise once more and provide him with a way to manage his anxiety in a safe and positive way. Bobby attended the project as part of a group of home-schooled children. Bobby quickly became attached to the pony Freddie and especially enjoyed the equine aspects of his sessions. Bobby was able to build friendships with other

participants who all had home schooling in common. Bobby had not handled or been around horses

previously but learnt how to handle Freddie confidently and independently. Bobby found it difficult to directly address his anxiety but enjoyed having to give his worries a name and a description. Bobby became very enthusiastic and his mum reported that he loved coming to Circles as he really looked forward to seeing Freddie every week. Bobby and Freddie became a great team, helping each other to overcome their own obstacles, physical or emotional. Bobby concluded his sessions but has remained coming to Circles equine, joining a Taking the Lead session. Bobby has built positive relationships with the team, other participants and the ponies, especially Freddie and has learnt healthy ways to manage his anxiety. Bobby’s enthusiasm for these sessions and the skills he has learnt and continues to learn have had a significant positive impact on Bobby’s mental health.

Circles Equine – ReaLise

178 hours available

24 adults supported

36 children and young people supported

60 new introductions

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Academy Midlands – Alternative Education Provision

Circles Academy offers a practical alternative educational provision based in Warwickshire. Through a therapeutic and trauma informed approach, the provision offers a range of vocational courses, specialising in rural education and animal care. It has been designed for children and young adults who experience challenges within the classroom environment. All courses are adaptable and achievable, providing individuals with opportunities for reengagement and transition back into mainstream education where appropriate and possible.

Highlights

Circles Academy has seen an increase in the number of schools and post 16 provision enlisting our help during this year. We continued to offer bespoke therapeutic education, enabling young people to remain in full time education. We have a mainstream secondary school, independent specialist schools, a state specialist school and post 16 SEND (special education needs) team who commission us to work with young people. We have young people who travel over 30 minutes per journey

to come to our provision. A few young people have received education, health care plans (EHCP’s) this year, enabling their schools to increase packages of support with us, allowing more targeted coaching to meet the challenges they face. One young person moved from mainstream to an independent specialist provision and was able to continue to attend Circles Academy as it was deemed a crucial part of his education, and the provision to his continued encouraged his increased engagement and attendance.

We supported numerous young people this year who were care experienced, either past or present. The need for a nurturing curriculum to help stabilise their emotional wellbeing and to provide consistency in their support was essential to improving their emotional literacy so they could learn

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to communicate their emotions and increase their sense of self-worth. The young people benefitted from having a known person, who could advocate for them both within the school environment and through social care. They were able to develop attachment so they could discuss their feelings about current situations as well as the adverse childhood incidents they had experienced. Being able to attend Circles Academy, for one of our young people, enabled him to successfully move into care when it became necessary. His natural affinity to working work with the horses, particularly Sol, meant he was able to discuss his feelings, the events that had happened each week and through this, gain a better understanding of himself. He extended his window of tolerance and learnt strategies to help him manage his emotions. He built his knowledge and confidence with equine skills and was able to demonstrate them to his school team when they visited. He successfully transitioned from being out of school into an independent specialist provision. He took immense pleasure when bringing in some completed science work so we could celebrate his successes with him.

We have developed a rich nurturing curriculum to support young people with their social, emotional, and mental health. Such challenges can make it extremely difficult to manage within full time mainstream schooling. The children worked with the herd of ponies to develop trusting relationships, develop key social skills and to increase their self-worth and self-esteem. Through the curriculum we have utilised our local community parks, woods, and waterways. Some of the young people have not previously experienced common childhood experiences and have had to learn how to enjoy themselves on play equipment, increasing their boundaries, building resilience, and celebrating successes. The ability to explore these environments has supported their sensory needs, enabling them to focus and learn when they return to school. Through detailed planning, half termly target setting and our bespoke programmes, all young people have made considerable progress, met, and often exceeded their targets.

Challenges

Throughout the year we consistently struggled to meet the demand for places in our alternative provision against the restricted availability of staff. Through robust recruitment campaigns, we have been able to fill vacancies and our team have made strong, trusting relationships with the students. We have been successful in recruiting five new team members since September although we have had some staff move onto other roles.

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Whilst we continued to facilitate therapeutic support and curriculum enrichment, we were regularly contacted with requests for young people who were looking for long term provision. As we are not currently a registered independent school, we were unable to respond to these requests, coming from children and young people who are often very much in need.

Development

We plan to enlarge the options for current accredited courses on offer, we have two post 16 students who are working towards functional skills in English and Maths would like to extend our reach through accredited courses, encompassing nationally recognised equine qualifications and courses that support our learners onto further study. We plan to increase our reach of schools across Warwickshire and neighbouring counties.

Stories of change

Circles Academy supported Ali, a young man who has attended for the past two years. He came to us because he struggled socially, not fitting in with his peers and being unable to sustain classroom activities. At the beginning of the year, this young person and his mum felt that he was socially isolated, that his attempts at making friends had fallen through and his self-worth was low. He had a particular affinity with one of the ponies, Freddie and identified with how Freddie is feeling, how he is lower in the herd hierarchy, which Ali reflected was how he views himself, compared to his year group.

Having spent a significant amount of time with Freddie, Ali has developed his confidence in equine skills, demonstrating to others how to bring the horses in to the yard and explaining the benefits of brushing and caring for them. These skills and his understanding of body language and increased emotional literacy and social awareness, has led to him building friendships with several different participants, becoming a popular member of the Academy. A massive success and moment of celebration for everyone working alongside him, was the moment he was able to invite one his new friends to his house and in turn, be invited to theirs. This is such an everyday occurrence for many children and yet has such significance for him and struck a key moment after which his confidence soared. He eagerly looks forward to his time at Circles Network. This year he has had a school change

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and has been able to take it in his stride and make positive changes to his learning approach, he also developed greater resilience to change.

Elliot was introduced to us by the Ethical Inclusion Partnership as he was at risk of permanent exclusion. Elliot was halfway through Year 7 and struggled to stay in the classroom for a whole lesson. He was attracted to older students that gathered in the corridors and the behaviours he exhibited while he was with them had resulted in permanent exclusion. He arrived feeling nervous, underconfident, and hesitant, he took time to trust us, often reflecting on his past experiences in school and what caused him to disengage. He quickly began to share his feelings and anxieties at having left his school and about starting a new school. Elliot is a young person who enjoys being active and needs sessions to be short and concise. His ability to make suggestions and link to past learning has benefitted all the learners that are with him. Within a short amount of time whilst studying on an Asdan animal care course, he developed a passion for horses. His thirst for knowledge flowed from him and he was eager to engage the equine staff with his questions. His close observation of the herd and how they interacted together, learning the rules by which they live, supported him to make a successful move to a new school.

anxieties at having left his school and about starting a new school. Elliot is a young person who enjoys being active and needs sessions to be short and concise. His ability to make suggestions and link to past learning has benefitted all the learners that are with him. Within a short amount of time whilst studying on an Asdan animal care course, he developed a passion for horses. His thirst for knowledge flowed from him and he

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was eager to engage the equine staff with his questions. His close observation of the herd and how they interacted together, learning the rules by which they live, supported him to make a successful move to a new school.

George’s popcorn maker, he followed instructions, problem solving the issues that occurred and was delighted with the bowl of edible popcorn.

Circles Academy – Midlands

27 people supported 2 adults supported 25 children supported 12 new introductions

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Circles Network Is 3 ReEisiered Chariiy in England and Wales (No. 10436011 and in Scotland (No. SC0380681, and 3 Registered Company Limiied by Guaraniee In England and Wales (No. 29727001. ReEisiered Office.- The Penthouse, Coventry Road, Cawston, Rugbv, Warwickshire, 0123 9JP. 106

Circles Network

Independent Auditors Report to the Members for the Year Ended

31[st] March 2022

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Circles Network (the 'company') for the year ended 31st March 2022 which comprise the statement of financial activities, statement of financial position, the statement of cashflow 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:

give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31st March 2022 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice;
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustees Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

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

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In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions, that individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

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

Other Information

The other information comprises the information included in the trustees annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially consistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report this fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

the information given in the directors’ report for the financial year for which the financial statements and prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the directors’ report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of our knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report.

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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:

adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
the directors were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the directors’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.

Responsibilities of Directors

As explained more fully in the directors’ responsibilities statement set out on page 4, 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 directors 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 directors are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor's Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements

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

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specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:

The engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
We identified the laws and regulations applicable to the charity through discussions with trustees and other management, and from our knowledge of the charity sector and experience of the client.
We focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the charity.

Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements continued…

We assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence; and
Identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.

We assessed the susceptibility of the charity's financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by;

Making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud.
Considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and noncompliance with laws and regulations.

To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:

Performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;
Tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions;
Investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.

Because of the inherent limitations of this audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement of the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of

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instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion or misrepresentation.

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

Identify and assess the risks of material misstatements of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the charity's internal control.
Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the trustees.
Conclude on the appropriateness of the trustees' use of going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor's report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor's report. However, future events or condition may cause the charity to cease to continue as a going concern.
Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

Use of our Report

This report is made solely to the 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 company’s members those matters we are

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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 company and the company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Heather Bright (FCA) (Senior Statutory Auditor)

For and on behalf of Moore Thompson

Chartered Accountant & Statutory Auditor

Bank House

Broad Street Spalding PE11 1TB Dated: …...........................

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CltE$ NETWOIEK Slahm•nl ol Flnanclol AcllvlN•J (Inc¢rporaling on Incom• and Exp•ndlh• Account) Vnr•ilrlcl•d R•slrkl•d Funds Funds 2022 21 N¢)l•s In¢omlng R•sovr¢•s Donatio ond Legocies 68.526 68.526 .749 Investrnenl 1cthe 1.923 1.923 Income from Choriloble Activtlies I J24.654 310,528 1,635,182 1 JJ7.811 other Income 871J03 871,303 527.267 Tolol Incom• 2.266.406 310.528 2.576.934 Im6.947 Exp•rKlltvr• Charilatje Acltvities I,9,779 244.601 2.765,3 1.649.919 Cost of Roising Funds 13,440 13.440 14.592 Totol Exp•ndttw• 1.934,219 244.601 2.178.820 1.664.511 N•t Incom• lor lh• Y•ar 332.187 65.927 398.114 172.436 Tfonsler Behveen Funds Urvealised G( I ILossl on Investment Assets IB59 IM59 28.472 Exceptional Items 72¢S0 7260 114.5201 N•t Mov•m•nl In Funds 341.306 65,927 407,233 186388 Tolol F1$ Brovghl FoThv(d 787.127 6.108 793.235 606.847 Total FLwKls c¢¥rf F<yrw¢Yd 1,128.433 n,035 1.2(X).468 793235 The statement of firn¢1 octNihes includes ol goins and losses recognlsed in yeor. AJI nccmne expentfjlvre derives from continuiro ocllvities. Circles Network Is 3 ReEisiered Chariiy in England and Wales (No. 10436011 and in Scotland (No. SC0380681, and 3 Registered Company Limiied by Guaraniee In England and Wales (No. 29727001. ReEisiered Office.- The Penthouse, Coventry Road, Cawston, Rugbv, Warwickshire, 0123 9JP. 113

CIIECLES NEfwoRK Slat•m•nl ol Flnanclol PoslNon 0$ ot 37 Morch 2022 2022 2021 Mot•s FSx•d Ass•ts Tangible fixed assets S8.049 58.049 37.230 37.230 CuTh•nt Ais•ts Debtors ond Frfepayments Investments Cosh at bonk ond in hond 402.262 260.118 759.12 1.422.082 223.879 260.2)2 482.C64 966.165 io Cr•dkn&' Amounts falling the withw) one year 12 279.663 210.160 N•1 Cwr•nl Asi•ts .141419 756.DJ5 N•1 as l.XQ.468 793,T35 UN•strkt•d Funds Generol FvrKIs DesIgrted Funds R•strl¢l•d Funds 1,037.808 90.625 696,X)2 90.62S 16 16 72.035 6,108 1,2CX).468 793,235 These occounls hove been r*epored In occcrfdonce with Ihe speciol provtslon of Port 15 of the Componies Act Xrf)6 relaling lo smoll CompanS. The noles on poges X ond X fwn port ol these oCcots. Approved and oullK•rised for iswe by Twstees on ... behall b. . ond >gned on their JIM Inglli cIrman Limiied byGuar3niee In England and Wales (No. 29727001. Regisiered Office.- The Penthouse, Coventry Road, Cawston, Rugby, Warwickshire, 0123 9JP. 114

CIRCLES NETWORK Slakn•nl ol Cath Fbows lor lh• y•rx •nd•d 31s1 March 2022 2(Y2I Not•1 Cash Ilow Irn opwallng aclfvlH•s." Net cash generoted by operaling aclNilies 318.541 248.793 Cash Ilows Inv•sllng actlvM•s: Purchase ol property. plaril & equipment N•t ¢osh In Inmllng acllvlll 44.789 7,922 144.7891 17.922 Co¥h flows from lknoncld gcll¥lllK: Bank interest received N•t ¢h g•n•ral•d by financlal acllw)l•i 1.923 1.923 Incr•as•1{d•ci•¢M•) In cash and cash •qulval•nlJ In th• v• 275.675 240.991 Cosh ond c05h equivolents ot the beG¥nning of the ye(Y 482.084 241,Ce3 Cash and cash •qulval•nts at th• •nd ol th• 757.759 A R•conclllaffon al Mov•m•nt In Funth to N•1 Cath How trom Op•raMng Acl¥lN•s 2022 2021 Net Movement of funds 407.233 186,398 AdJuJlm•nts: Depreciolion Ch¢Jge Bonk Interest Received 23.970 28.409 {1.9231 1178,3831 137,7041 69.SJ3 99.(3 Decreoselllncreosel in Debt IncreosellDecreosel in Creditors Unrealised SurrAus on Inveslments Fixed Asset Di5POs01 FuThJ AdNJstments 11.8591 128.472 318,S41 248,793 Circles Network Is 3 ReEisiered Chariiy in England and Wales (No. 10436011 and in Scotland (No. SC0380681, and 3 Registered Company Limiied by Guaraniee In England and Wales (No. 29727001. ReEisiered Office.- The Penthouse, Coventry Road, Cawston, Rugbv, Warwickshire, 0123 9JP. 115

Circles Network

Notes to Financial Statements for Year Ended 31[st] March 2022

1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The following accounting policies have been applied consistently in dealing with items which are considered material in relation to the charity's financial statements.

Basis of Preparation

Circles Network is a Private limited Company by guarantee in England / Wales. 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. The address of the registered office is given in the charity information on page 1 of these financial statements. The nature of the charity’s operations and principal activities are supporting individuals who experience social exclusion or are at risk of being isolated through disability, long term illness or other disadvantages.

Circles Network constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

Going Concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis as the trustees believe that no material uncertainties exist. The trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from authorising these financial statements. The budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern.

Critical Accounting Judgements and Key Sources of Estimation Uncertainty

In the application of the accounting policies, Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the

116

estimate is revised, if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affected current and future periods.

The areas where these judgements and estimates have been made include the following for the charity:

Depreciation and residual values

The Trustees have reviewed the asset lives and associated residual values of all tangible fixed asset classes and have concluded that the asset lives and residual values are appropriate.

Funds

Unrestricted funds 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 are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Income Recognition

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity is legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received.

For donations to be recognised the charity will have been notified of the amounts and the settlement date in writing. If there are conditions attached to the donation and this requires a level of performance before entitlement can be obtained then income is deferred until those conditions are fully met or the fulfilment of those conditions is within the control of the charity and it is probable that they will be fulfilled.

No amount is included in the financial statements for volunteer time in line with the SORP. Further detail is given in the Trustees’ Annual Report.

Income from trading activities includes income earned from fundraising events and trading activities to raise funds for the charity. Income is received in exchange for supplying goods and services in order to raise funds and is recognised when entitlement has occurred.

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The charity receives government grants. Income from government and other grant providers are recognised at fair value when the charity has entitlement after any performance conditions have been met, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably. If entitlement is not met, then these amounts are deferred.

Investment income is earned through holding assets for investment purposes. It includes dividends and interest. Where it is not practicable to identify investment management costs incurred within a scheme with reasonable accuracy the investment income is reported net of these costs. It is included when the amount can be measured reliably. Interest income is recognised using the effective interest method and dividend and rent income is recognised as the charity’s right to receive payment is established.

Expenditure recognition

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Expenditure is recognised where there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payments to third parties, it is probable that the settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. It is categorised under the following headings:

Costs of raising funds includes various accountancy and audit fees
Expenditure on charitable activities includes salary costs, depreciation of fixed assets and other costs recoverable VAT is charged as an expense against the

activity for which expenditure arose.

Tangible Fixed Assets

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost (or deemed cost) or valuation less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses. Cost includes costs directly attributable to making the asset capable of operating as intended. Fixed assets costing more than £750 have been capitalised and included in the statement of financial position and are stated at cost less depreciation.

Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets, at rates calculated to write off the cost, less estimated residual value, of each asset on a straight line basis over its expected useful life as follows:

Office equipment	5
	years
Furniture & fittings	3
	years
Motor vehicles	4
	years

The useful economic lives of the assets are reviewed annually.

118

Operating Leases

Rentals applicable to operating leases where substantially all of the benefits and risks of ownership remain with the lessor are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Investments

Investments are held as current assets and are included in the balance sheet at fair value at the balance sheet date. Any increase or decrease in the value of investments is included in the Statement of Financial Activities.

Provisions

Provisions are recognised when the charity has an obligation at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount can be reliably estimated.

Pensions

The charity operates a defined contribution plan for the benefit of the majority of its employees. Contributions are expensed as they become payable.

Tax

The charity is an exempt charity within the meaning of schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011 and is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes.

119

cleA Meknwk Tolal Tioiniro cor&Lltror thococy cl•J of CrynmLmity Suppryl lor chilctren fami C£n1rol seNces CJRS wjnt inccffle 1.103014 166.323 n2.6fJ 3.7&3 67.1(r2 6291 2.244.406 104284 1 X4CP8 IM93.PX) 166.323 722.693 40&427 67.102 6.291 JIOJ28 1576.934 .761 227.7Y2 34239 d0295 1.836.947 3J6.244 orr• rdth"r¥a to thococy in X)21 wos £i.ofJ.YJJ of4wch £106.958MJ otlribulotl• lurY21 w£227.n? of whtt £44AJ34 ollribLrt(th to r951rict8d fLfftds. 64.271 4.255 J26 F(oiS1r¥4 1.7 Incorr from Qk)nuthorQr Legucie5 45 £64.271 I21 . £1.7491 of wtr¥th £nl tZJ21 . £nll w05 ahitthat4e to r•Oficte¢J fLnds. e(¥ knterestr 1.923 Iorn& Irrffi Irw851rrnnt Irryr wa5 £1.V23 IZQI . £12)> of wli £nl I11 . £nll wa5 Oltrbutr to r8slric18d Grants R•c•v•d i.182 1.O3S.1&2 orrw Ircn Clwtrt49 ktNithes wo5 £1.635.18212f21 . £1737 11 ofch £3105 I21 . £7.21 wo5 rolal klle of Gc¥)d5 S•vre5 CJRS &ont 865.012 6.291 171.JOJ 106.9n 60.295 S27247 Incorrn Ir¢>m ch¢tctI9 klivith•s wos £865.012 Ixttl . £S27.267i ol £nil IIY21 . £nill olkntyJlot4• 10 r•sln"ctsd

ch("c ExperknJilLV8 Costs ol R(>yng Fw IlJ42 23.970 498.éO4 2.165. 13.440 $12.014 2.171.820 1.649.919 14 S 1.6M.S11 1.642.• 23.70 £244.&)I IXQI - £149.1151 ol Ihe abjve costs WÉTr (JHfjbLrtclè lo mlricled lunds. £l.934219 Ixr21- £1.SIS.396101 the cthve costs were ultritxJtatAe lo UrsInc1ed fund5. 4. N•1 thcom• t( th• Y• Tr5 5)1gd oHer Depreciak TJ.970 136554 11.8591 28. 104.0)6 128.4ni IProfitl J L055 on Far val mobwnI ol trw951m FroJd 111.40S Fees poyotrA& lo ts th.5 fcf the dI of chcriV5 Cnts 11.0 12.If2 c<Knts PrepQfr Fee5 14( &Jbrio5 Wag85 Sccid S8cffjI Costs Totrjl S(l(y Costs Oefilwd Conlritxjtion P•rthon Costs .513.102 1.195.996 94.907 69 835 1.41XI.f)9 1245.131 34.612 478 1.441021 1296.309 I1lL1&d wilth stoff c0515 thve (Te 1wminali naLfiTh3 lo £Nil1202l: fhS11 nLrnbgr of wnFAoy8e5 ¥th059 errKJlLKnents linclLASr¥J ponycffi conlritwthon51 a5 defird fc¥

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TiodB D)h>5 389.632 2)5.9•J 16.939 Oth Debtor5 and Inco 402.262 223.879 2é0.111 200202 Thg lLmd5cc•y &sted iv8$1m•n ar• nTr31• ImL¥e Ihon I ol Ihe lotal Curwenl Accwr C4xth in H¢Jid 75&( .235• 1.652 1845 7S9.7Q2 4•2.0 34.759 58211 1717n 12.921 2n.463 33.933 $3on IX).W2 1.773 210.1é0 Tax0on &)cial Socthty cruols D&feTh8d Incom• OthÉ Cr8atrtts Uftd•r i Y•¢x Y• At I 1 xr21 Saition5 dLrn9 ts yg Jr45 Relèa58d to Incomè S63SI 87.687 ISlJ91 87.687 At 31 M(vch 22 92.447 91647 kncoTh Jefwe<l wlve o l&vo1 ol pBrFuTTrxe isroqwod by fv Cl¥ ¥&fftich 15 fv lo bg 1¥d by 14. Co11 Cornrnknnh Conlryent I1lIeS Tr• cn ro capytd coMmrtmar crt corth.rwt *3tAith•s as 0131 Mcwch 2Y2212tr21: £NIll

fd10%.. Willwn l Ythy Willin 2 to 5 Y8a5 74515 18.(XJ) ?ZSlS 74hlS 74.ais 16. Mo¥•m•rtkn •oh)nc• ol I A2027 Gakn/Lo Ex¢•plhyl Alllh 2(r22 Tang¥t* A55ets CaFxtol Eqthpffnt ioj IoAxxJ Fld ).625 G8n8ral FLmd5 Tofvjl UrYeshKled FwK15 696.9)2 I2.40d 1.934.219 1.037. 787.127 2.266.406 11.934.219) 1.128.433 laknnce al l Awl 2021 GaknlLo Excep1kx1 31 mllh 2(r22 Advocacy. 43&3 104284 88C Chil(trw in Need- Toknng tho Roirn Pets NHS Prc¥ect WCC I101 1.745 2S.772 127.51 n 11233 I139 49.ICQ 19.9721 198.515 21524 49.lQ) 6,IC8 310.52È 1214.601 72 OJS 7•3JJS 1574. .?74.0) 7210 DLWg 3)/27 Ihe wos Yictim of on •xlwnd fraLMY onw)Lnl?d lo £14.29). £7260 01 tt¥5 rocoY8rnd Iho ch(ThVs b(k in 3Y21122 05 an 0xcept itsm in tlw Y. 124

22 14261 n310 Inve51rrwN5 Cath at 8ar in Hond othw Nel Cwrwt A55ets 169.493 626.991 122.599 7.132 132711 759, 174.9371 47,662 72.035 1.139.7r 90.625 lawL40 Coylal EquiFnent Ran8woI set 051de lu settrry a rw ofke ot speed. il rteqLAred. rO¢xetsnt d rfBm5 such os wnlers I 5VStem. FurwJ5 set a5(Ide a5 0 d8p3t Icf a fLkn8 wch[e ol o tlI(g l office rf negJ8d. S8tt-oClBd Wpprx Tr4s yopct roises awarersS LMdEI0irJ ol IDS'aTrJ Ihe Focess cKross In¥8rct onost peo• occessino servicos. famiS0s. ctyers by Stn9 infomititiM. 5uFpyliThJ them lo put ¢xross Ihew vi8W5 locslitokng P5. Othn [19¢1 dB&vw$ equitw IF(yutic sessions fu ttisotA&d {d (tsoAl{ chil¢•n ¢Thl pKple. Thi5 ryLiVCt ce050d ol Ihe end of OcIDir 2ry21. 8BC Ctr8n yoiect ill ddi¥ ploy s855irr6 to yowo Fec e¥vilng py>col. g senw ThpJirmen15 in Rv. Th8 ochvilie5 aim lo e corrrfnwKah¢ po%thve rebas0h7F cfftd eThticl ?WaS r8c8N8d in 2r22 Pets ol trknrre 1tr4s keOrke I0Frt aufishc chikan and lb ith18ort)o th(Jilithes to l•uY• ho(th Ib)sptas orJ XC0$5 SLit¢Jb slwyt in WCC Mental H8aMh DefrvwirwJ ojtCb Clec1. wilth ts rpJthJrd envirrment 10 ireaSe mental w•knirJ c rnirKlfvllrv55 to COLNtsoct iryyxt ol Ihe pondorrK fife CoJnty thJncil South COL1 kny Cowtil Inverdyde cclI txmg tho w Ihg cty CcCu8d yemises be[ya lo Ihe Exacthi? and pcid ientol eypar6e5 of £18.ClX> IXVI.. £18.(KK)I. At £Nil IXY21.. £Nill rer7KJitwY outr1079. Ihs rgntd is gwifiC¢Ify rTKYketrw)ILI. 01£80.(. and ho5 been aeed wi Ihe ol Tru51ees. The ¢ynwnt. toldliro £62,(D). hos IlKI¢d os (kn¢d in Iho CnIS on(1 Ofdotsd renl char. txmg knsocthon5 UmQLnthrwJ to£MI tif21: 1) warg irruTg(l on of ltte Lifg Corg ceTo. rolatsd wrty thje tg ttwe som& c(nmon Twslow.nst03uW in lh• ov•roll b•"ng a ctOt(x 01 £94 13rii.. £941. 15 wilhin ots credits&

The following pages form part of these financial statements and show the 2021 financial statement comparative figures

126

Y•4r &bd¢rf J1A1h 2921 3021 2021 a• 1.749 .749 13) 1.15a8J9 IYP.9 1,247.07P 527.267 5V.2 4U.517 15Qgn i.&947 1.701970 1.6¢9.919 14.J92 14.SVI 14.149 J.si&Jw l.W.511 i.OU070 17Q559 lJ77 In.4)5 19.% 2a472 a4n 114. I,V7 IZé472 &72.016 al&•7 594.345 Y•Y.121 i.J lawpce JI 21 DesgnoJwJ .6?5 Ill025 10.o .8YJ i.831) 141.45 461. IÉ 1.08$955 1.515. 472 I.?55 11.515 Ml 28.472 787 127

4.231 theRts 2.2891 1.745 42Jl 2Jl ISO.992 (In. 119 2021 37, 169,J77 475.976 .2Jo 2t4102 •82 lINerneryts o I 1945Q2 .d2S Circles Network Is 3 ReEisiered Chariiy in England and Wales (No. 10436011 and in Scotland (No. SC0380681, and 3 Registered Company Limiied by Guaraniee In England and Wales (No. 29727001. ReEisiered Office.- The Penthouse, Coventry Road, Cawston, Rugbv, Warwickshire, 0123 9JP. 128

circles NETWORK li

Contents

Charity information

Trustees

Report from the CEO

Achieving Growth and Change

Notable achievements during this year included:

Going Forward

Gratitude

Chairman's Statement

Report of the Trustees

Our Organisation

Our impact

Our Strategic Achievements

Key Attributes

Volunteers

Our Environmental Impact

Risk Review

The Board of Trustees

Trustees Responsibilities

Policy on reserves

Policy on investments

Statements as to disclosure of information to the auditor

Partnerships and Networks

Circles Community Support, 3D and 4D, Midlands

Highlights

Challenges

Development

Stories of Change

Circles Community Support, 3D and 4D, East of England

Highlights

Challenges

Development

Stories of Change

The Keyworker Collaborative – Cambridgeshire & Peterborough

The Children and Young People's keyworker

Highlights

Challenges

Development

Stories of change

Circles Network Youth Groups: Peterborough

Highlights

Challenges

Development

Stories of change

Circles Community Support, 3D and 4D, Southeast of England

Highlights

Challenges

Development

Stories of change

Circles Network - Southeast of England

3D Community Support

4D Community Support

Circles Advocacy, Glasgow

Highlights

Challenges

Developments

Stories of Change

Circles Advocacy - Inverclyde

Highlights

Challenges

Developments

Stories of Change

Circles Advocacy - Inverclyde

Self-Directed Support - Inverclyde

Highlights

Challenges

Developments

Stories of Change Self-Directed Support

Self-Directed Support – Inverclyde

Circles Advocacy – South Ayrshire

Highlights

Challenges

Development

Stories of change

Circles Advocacy – Fife

Highlights

Challenges

Development

Stories of change