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2024-03-31-accounts

‘’OFF THE RECORD’’ YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON

(A Company Limited by Guarantee)

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

Charity Registration Number 1051144 Registered Company Number 02987817

AZETS AUDIT SERVICES Chartered Accountants 1[st] Floor River House 1 Maidstone Road Sidcup Kent DA14 5RH

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

CONTENTS

Page
Reference and Administrative Details 1
Report of the Management Committee 2
Statutory Auditors’ Report 19
Statement of Financial Activities 22
Balance Sheet 24
Statement of Cash Flows 25
Notes to the Financial Statements 26

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Management Committee Alefiyah Kapasi
(also Charity Trustees and Laura Haigh
Company Directors) Patricia Nearn
Ben Randall (appointed 20/05/23)
Ohenewaa Adu- Akyeampong (resigned 25/11/23)
Kerry Smith (appointed 25/11/23)
Clement Amankwah (appointed 23/03/24)
Samantha Griggs (appointed 13/07/24)
Grainne Beeney (appointed 13/07/24)
Key Management Karen Stott – Chief Executive (Co-Director from 01/04/24)
(resigned 29/08/24)
Geoff Jones – Assistant Chief Executive (Co-Director from
01/04/24)
Emily Collinsbeare
Caroline Dwan
Geneen Gray
Michelle Handley
Steph Hernandez
Gosia Pawlowska
Elizabeth Conway
Principal Address 72 Queens Road
Croydon
Surrey
CR0 2PR
Statutory Auditor Azets Audit Services
1st Floor
River House
1 Maidstone Road
Sidcup,DA14 5RH
Bankers Santander UK plc
BBAM
Bridle Road
Bootle
Merseyside
GIR 0AA
Virgin Money plc
Jubilee House
Gosforth
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE3 4PL
HSBC
9 Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2AA

1

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The Management Committee have pleasure in presenting their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

“Off the Record” Youth Counselling Croydon is a registered charity (Charity Number 1051144) and a company limited by guarantee (Company Number 2987817).

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the charity’s trust deed, the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland published on 16 July 2014.

STRATEGIC REPORT

OVERALL VISION

“Showing up” for all children and young people's mental health in Southwest London

OBJECTIVES, ACTIVITIES, ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Off the Record’s legal objects are stated in our Memorandum and Articles of Association as:

These objects are met through the charity’s strategic aim – to provide a broad range of high quality, safe, accessible, fast and effective (SAFE) support services for children and young people. The objects are further supported through our strategic objectives:

Throughout 2023/24 the Charity continued to deliver its established core activities and services – Counselling/Mental Health Services (including online counselling) in the London Boroughs of Croydon, Sutton and Merton; Outreach work (including our Black Minority Ethnic Community Development work and our ‘CHRIS’ youth violence work); Refugee & Asylum Seeker Counselling Service and the Croydon Young Carers Service. In January 2020, the Charity embarked on a new area of service delivery – Mental Health in Schools Teams and Off the Record now hosts one schools’ team in Merton and two in Croydon (hosted jointly with Croydon Drop In).

Throughout this period the focus of the Charity has been to manage and respond to the ever-increasing numbers of young people who are “reaching out” for mental health support. Demand continues to remain significantly above prepandemic levels in all our services and we are expecting that demand to continue to rise. Young people are often presenting increased levels of hopelessness and despair alongside increased complexity which regularly appears as suicidal ideation or making suicide plans. We recognise that young people were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and for some key “transition periods” e.g. leaving primary school and attending secondary school; leaving secondary school for University/ College were seriously disrupted. We are identifying that these interruptions are showing up in young people's presentations latterly. Young people have also been significantly impacted by global, national and local tensions as well as the socio economic, political and environmental turbulence that is impacting all of us. The issue of safety is paramount for many young people – with hugely increased levels of fear and lack of safety within the global picture but also in the communities in which they live. Violence and threats of violence and intimidation to young woman has also been a detrimental factor impacting many young people's mental health.

We are a transition service that works outside of the medical model providing a humanistic approach to young people as they navigate the transitions of childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. Traditional issues including body image, peer pressure, bullying, search for identity, relationships with family and friends remain alongside new challenges in the lives of young people, poverty, AI, cost of living, climate change, the influence of Andrew Tate and the influence of INCEL culture.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Our challenge in 23/24 has been to respond to these new presenting factors and to remain innovative, creative and agile as a community based young people's mental health community. There is an imperative for us to remain relevant, contemporary, informed and resilient. We also need to be able to empathise and engage with high levels of despair and hopelessness in order that we can have insightful, engaging and meaningful conversations with young people that might be helpful for them and might even “shift the dial” in terms of their resilience, autonomy and ability to make healthy choices in their lives. As a humanistic service our focus remains one of empowering, validating, witnessing, challenging in place of “fixing” or solving young people’s problems for them. We often find ourselves as the “back stop” and the place where the work must be done by the young person themselves but with a rigorously compassionate professional alongside them.

Our big learning over the last few years is that we must continue to remain dynamic, engaging relational, and be accessible and available at the point of need in the communities in which young people live. We need to help at the point of need rather than availability. We have taken the strategic decision to undertake a substantial part of our work face to face as we have found that many young people are struggling to return to the post pandemic world with all the challenges that this brings. Being in the physical world with all the inherent pressures and stresses that this entails is becoming increasingly difficult and overwhelming for some young people. Our role is to be present with young people in their distress and model a way of managing and facing challenges in order to overcome them.

We recognise that for many young people “need help now” remains their focus. Increasingly in this digital age young people are also continuing to turn to online sites like Tik Tok, for their mental health support. We have decided that our “calling card” remains the humanistic relational offer delivered by friendly compassionate mental health practitioners who can empathise and respond quickly and appropriately. Young people are reporting that they really appreciate immediate support that they can relate to, delivered by professionals who “look and sound” like themselves.

Central to all of this is the continued development of our new First Contact Team who are responsible for initial contact with young people seeking help from Off the Record, and providing fast and effective responses including short-term interventions, resources, and signposting. The team started work in the Sutton borough in early 2022 and have since moved into Croydon. Our Peer Support Workers who bring lived experience of mental health into the work with young people have continued to work across our different boroughs. This has been a hugely positive development with Peer Support Workers now based in all our borough services, and within the First Contact Team, offering shorter term interventions to those with less complex needs. We are working intensely to ensure that wherever possible young people don’t sit on waiting lists.

Another important aspect of our modernising agenda is the increased amount of community work, outreach and networking that is required in our communities that have experienced trauma. Young people and their families often want to have mental health conversations in the settings that are familiar to them. We are increasingly meeting young people in the places that they go to and working with prominent levels of flexibility. We envisage that this will be the case for many years to come.

Very sadly, serious youth violence remains a recurring concern within several of our boroughs with a couple of highprofile deaths of young people. Our CHRIS service has provided support to young people impacted by serious youth violence either through familial links or friendships and has been designed to respond quickly and appropriately and reach out to young people impacted by tragic and violent events. We are currently working with all young people impacted by serious youth violence including victims and perpetrators as well as siblings and friends. We have recently been successful in extending this approach into local Custody suites for young people who have been recently arrested. We are working in partnership with Croydon Drop In on this and will develop this service throughout 24/25.

In January 2024 we were awarded a Suicide Prevention grant from DHSC and now have workers reaching out into local community venues, including youth clubs, gyms, railway stations, fitness centres to make the link between physical health and mental health and to convey relatable mental health messages to young people in despair or fear.

Another aspect of our strategic approach remains our partnership work with a wide range of voluntary sector groups, statutory partners and community groups in all three boroughs that we work in. We recognise that our mental health work and messaging is strengthened and enrichened if it takes places within the groups and activities that local people already know, engage with and trust. We are currently in the process of renewing and refreshing our partnerships in order that they remain ethical, meaningful and bring added value to both organisations.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

We continue to operate from the freehold property at 72 Queens Road, Croydon, which the charity purchased in 1995 by means of a central grant of £138,672 from the South Thames Regional Health Authority. The Queens Road office serves as a base for the Croydon counselling service, the Outreach & Community Development Service and the Refugee Counselling service. The Sutton counselling service operates from rented premises at 172 Croydon Road, Beddington and our Merton counselling service is based in rented rooms at Vestry Hall in Mitcham. In addition to our existing premises, the charity currently rents office space at The Business Xchange Hub in East Croydon which serves as the office base for several of our core staff as well as the Young Carers Service. It is envisaged that in 24/25 we will be moving our core administration services, our senior managers and our Young Carers Service to a new rented property on London Rd, near our Queens Road building.

With limited exceptions, all staff are now based back in our offices for most of their working hours.

The Management Committee have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and our main activities are described below. All these activities are undertaken to further our charitable purposes for the public benefit in accordance with our aim to provide a broad range of high quality, safe, accessible, fast and effective (SAFE) support services for children and young people. The overall strategy within which the charity operates is set by the Management Committee and the objectives and achievements of our activities are detailed in this report. The necessary funding, in the form of grants and contracts, is in place and the risks to the charity have been listed and reviewed by both the Management Committee and senior staff of the agency.

The Management Committee wish to express their appreciation for the work, undertaken by our dedicated and diligent workforce within the Charity, in delivering and developing the charity’s objectives. During the year we have said farewell to a number of long-serving staff and in August 2024 this will include a change of Chief Executive as Karen Stott steps down after 30 years with Off the Record and that role passes to Geoff Jones who has himself already worked with the Charity for 23 years. We are very fortunate to have had significant stability in our experienced staff team and we thank them all for their commitment. We are also extremely appreciative of our local commissioners and external funders who have fully maintained and extended their financial support for our work during this period.

The following reports have been written by the service leads for each of our services.

1. COUNSELLING SERVICES

a) CROYDON COUNSELLING SERVICE

Objectives and Activities

The Croydon Counselling Service is the oldest service within OTR and was established in October 1994. We offer free and confidential counselling and mental health support to young people aged 14-25 who either live, study, work or have a GP in the borough of Croydon. Young people predominantly self-refer to the service via a short form on the OTR website. We are also part of a formal referral pathway through the CAMHS Single Point of Contact and across the last 3 years have received more direct referrals from young people under 18.

In the summer 2022, Off the Record’s ‘First Contact Team’ took over responsibility for initial assessments of all new selfreferrals to the service with the goal of increasing fast access to initial assessments and short-term support. Depsite the numbers of referrals having increased over 2023/2024, the introduction of the First Contact Team has meant that the waiting list for longer term sessions has decreased.

Since January 2024, CAMHS SPOC referrals are now seen within the First Contact Team, and we have seen much higher levels of engagement due to our ability to work with young people more quickly and provide initial assessments and short-term support.

Off the Record also co-hosts two of Croydon’s Mental Health Support teams (alongside Croydon Drop-In). These teams provide early intervention and whole school support for a designated cluster of primary and secondary schools in the borough.

Croydon young people can access the charity’s Support Line, which runs 6 days per week, offering immediate access to a mental health practitioner and our online webinars and resources. Over the past year, we have seen an increase in young people using the support line, particularly Monday-Friday, and less frequently on Saturdays.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Achievements and Performance

The most prominent aspect of the last year has been the great demand for our services, both from those who self-refer, and those who have been signposted by Croydon Council’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) via CAMHS.

We continue to work closely with CAMHS, with regular meetings with the CAMHS lead for SPOC where we can raise the possibility of referring on or referring young people who appear to need CAMHS services, as well as keeping in touch with each service’s practices and waiting times. In addition, we attend the strategic SPOC meeting hosted by the local authority where all the stakeholders including the NHS commissioner are present. This provides more of an overview of how services function and interlink and the level of overall demand in the borough.

Our Croydon Service is accredited with the BACP and we have completed and met the Annual Rolling Review. The service is accredited until January 2028.

In total, we had 906 new contacts from young people between April 2023-March 2024, which is an increase from last year of 790. Of the new contacts, 840 attended an initial assessment and the service offered 4,144 sessions during the period.

We have continued to offer counselling through in-person and remote options (telephone/video) depending on the young person’s choice. There has been a gradual increase in the number of young people requesting in-person sessions and a much smaller number through video. Young people tell us that remote options make it easier for them to commit to sessions without the added pressure of travel to our buildings. Young people are reporting however that they value inperson sessions after the forced isolation of Covid.

Across the year around 28% of our clients were male and 70% female. The remaining 2% were young people who defined themselves as transgender or non-binary which is becoming a increasing feature of our work. The ages of young people accessing counselling are split approximately 49% aged 14-17, and 51% aged 18-25.

Croydon is a very diverse borough, and this is reflected in the ethnicity of young people approaching the Croydon service. 41% of new contacts described themselves as from Black African, Black Caribbean, Black British or Black other backgrounds; 12% identified as being from a range of Asian backgrounds; 30% as White British and the remaining 17% described themselves as being of dual and other heritage.

The main issues brought to counselling continue to be Anxiety (344 clients), School Related Difficulties (209), Interpersonal/Friendship Issues (271), Trauma (153), Identity (206) and Depression (174) and Sexuality (88). Trauma is an issue that is now being presented more frequently and has risen from 94 in the previous year, alongside suicidal ideation (120) and self-harm (100). [Note: young people usually present with more than one issue].

Examples of feedback from young people using the Croydon service include:

“It was incredibly helpful, insightful, kind and knew exactly what I needed, and I felt much better after every session”.

“Being heard and acknowledged, being able to figure stuff out about myself through the help that I received”.

“Counselling was a positive experience, it helped me to reflect on past events and get a new perspective on past experiences/events”.

“It helped give me clarity on issues that were dragging me down, I felt listened to and supported through tough times”.

“Every worrying situation that I was overthinking about was addressed and the person who helped me gave all the tools needed to be able to push through”

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Mental Health in Schools Team

Off the Record, in partnership with Croydon Drop In, have been part of the national mental health in schools' initiative since January 2020. In January 2022, the two partners were offered the opportunity to co-host a second Mental Health Support Team, doubling the number of practitioners within the service and increasing the reach to a combined student population of around 16,000 students in Croydon primary and secondary schools. In September 2023 Off the Record and Croydon Drop In split their teams, with Off the Record running the Wave 2 MHST reaching a population of 8000. The teams are staffed by Education Wellbeing Practitioners working alongside school counsellors and have three core functions, to deliver evidence-based interventions for mild-to-moderate mental health issues, to support the school's senior mental health lead to develop whole school approach and to give timely advice to school and college staff and liaise with external services to help children and young people to get the right support.

In 2023-2024 Off the Record school practitioners delivered interventions to 273 individual children and young people alongside the group and whole schoolwork. In addition to this we had 350 parent/carers attend our online webinars to support their children.

b) SUTTON COUNSELLING SERVICE

Objectives and Activities

Off the Record’s Sutton counselling service has been providing free, confidential one-to-one counselling support to young people aged 11-25 in Sutton since May 2013. Since October 2016, the service has been located at Off the Record’s offices in Beddington.

The service has two referral routes: through the Sutton CAMHS Single Point of Access (for ages 11-17) as part of Sutton Alliance contract delivered in partnership with Southwest London and St George’s Mental Health Trust and Jigsaw4u; and through self-referrals (for ages 11-25) funded through SWL ICB.

As part of our Sutton Alliance contract, we also offer support to parents and carers of young people who are struggling with self-harm in the form of a two-part workshop. This is separate from the work we do with young people, whose confidentiality is assured.

We have continued to offer two ‘creative’ based groups for young people run by our qualified art therapists. One is an art therapy group for young survivors of abuse, domestic violence and trauma, the other is a wellbeing group targeting younger adolescents who struggle to engage in a 1:1 setting. Both these groups have proved popular and provide a medium for young people to express their feelings and concerns using art rather than words.

Our Sutton services also include two posts specifically delivering mental health support to young adults aged 18-25 through our partnership with Sutton Uplift. One post is a Wellbeing Navigator working within the Wellbeing Team at Uplift and the other is a Peer Support Worker, part of a new mental health transformation programme in SWL.

Sutton young people can access the charity’s Support Line, which runs 6 days per week, offering immediate access to a mental health practitioner and our online webinars and resources. Over the past year, we have seen an increase in young people using the support line, particularly Monday-Friday, and less frequently on Saturdays.

Achievements and Performance

During this year there were 790 new contacts to the Sutton service, the highest figures since the service began and an increase from last year when the figure was 711. 483 referrals came via our self-referral pathway and 307 were via SPA (Single Point of Access).

Our First Contact team continues to work in the Sutton service, seeing both SPA and self-referrals for an initial appointment and offering short-term focused early interventions, which means our waiting list for longer-term intervention has reduced. In January 2024, we saw our largest number of referrals in Sutton at 98.

The age profile of young people using the Sutton services was 31% aged under 14; 48% aged 14-17 and 21% aged 1825. This is consistent with previous years and representative of our Sutton Alliance pathway being only open to young people under 18.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Of the young people who accessed ongoing counselling, 384 presented with anxiety issues; 311 presented with school related issues which is higher than usual and could be the impact of Covid, 299 with interpersonal/friendship issues, 249 with identity, 148 with self-harm, 132 with depression, 119 with drug/alcohol related issues, 97 with suicidal ideation/attempts, 96 with trauma. Other issues presented include: eating (73); financial/welfare (56); abuse of clients (55); sexuality/gender related issues (46); neuro-diversity (39); racial/cultural issues (36) and 5 with gang related issues. Anxiety and school related issues have all shown marked increases since the pandemic, possibly partly because of the isolation caused by lockdowns.

Feedback from young people who accessed the service indicated that they felt listened to and respected, that the support was of benefit, and many were appreciative of the provision.

“Being listened to and taken seriously without being made to feel my issue was minor”.

“Very caring and thoughtful throughout every session that we had. Very considerate and not judged”.

“Care is really centered around you; this is both for how you are feeling and what you need”.

“I felt listened too, first counsellor who has really helped me”.

“Being listened to by someone who is understanding.

c) MERTON COUNSELLING SERVICE

Objectives and Activities

Off the Record’s Merton Counselling Service started in April 2019 and launched a further expanded service supporting 17 schools via Merton Schools Wellbeing Team (MSWT) in April 2021. These services are complemented by an outreach worker who provides a range of counselling, wellbeing and outreach support with schools, local youth clubs and other community organizations, as well as delivering workshops for the parents and carers of young people struggling with self-harm.

The counselling service is open to young people ages 11 to 25 who live in the London borough of Merton, are registered with a Merton GP or attend a Merton school. Young people may access support by self-referral or being referred by a professional (e.g., GP, social worker, teacher), in addition to a referral route through Merton CAMHS SPA. Emotional support and counselling are offered in-person and via video and telephone.

The Merton School’s Wellbeing Team (MSWT) provides mental health support to 17 primary and secondary schools in Merton offering direct support to children, young people, and their families. The team offers a flexible ‘counselling-based’ model with emphasis on a whole school approach, universal and targeted group work and short-term one-to-one interventions suited to school delivery. In addition to clinical support, MSWT has been actively engaged in setting up an EPEC (Empowering Parents Empowering Families), a well-evidenced program designed to improve access to parenting support within the local community. In collaboration with EPEC Coordinator and practitioners from other MHST teams, the first parent group has been successfully launched.

The counselling, schools and outreach support services were funded this year through SWL ICB. The service provides a safe space where young people can receive support and encouragement to deal with whatever challenges or difficulties they are facing.

Our outreach worker has continued to offer themed weekly psychoeducation online workshops to young people across our Croydon, Sutton and Merton boroughs and a weekly peer support group “Keeping Connected”. Online workshops have continued for parents and carers of young people who struggle with self-harm, alongside workshops for parents and carers of young people struggling with emotion-based school avoidance.

Our service hub is based in Vestry Hall, a local authority owned building, in the east of the borough (Mitcham). Counselling and emotional support sessions are also offered at The Nelson Medical Practice and within 17 local schools in the borough. Young people may choose whether they engage with our support in-person, via video, or telephone.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Achievements and Performance

We are in the 5th year of our ICB contract and have continued to have a consistent, multidisciplinary team within Merton including two part-time Peer Support workers, three MH practitioners, one Senior MH Practitioner and an administrator. We have been asked for input in a range of borough initiatives around children and young people’s mental health and continue to work closely with our ICB, LA and community colleagues.

This year we received 857 referrals with a sustained increase quarter on quarter throughout the year going from 185 referrals in the first quarter to 268 referrals in the fourth quarter. The service supported 736 young people across 3938 sessions. Of those that accessed our services 57% self-referred, 32% were referred by a professional (often educational establishments) and 11% were referred by Merton CAMHS.

These numbers reflect a continuation of the increase in referrals and levels of needs alongside an increased level of provision when compared with the period preceding the Covid-19 Pandemic. Whilst we continue to aim to provide support at the point of need, in line with the i-Thrive model, this has not always been possible this year due to increased referral numbers, staff sickness or absences for other reasons.

The demographics of young people receiving support in the service indicated that 62% of clients identified as female 34% identified as male and 4% identified as other (a category which includes non-binary and transgender). Of these young people: 22% were aged 4-10; 24% were aged 11 to 13; 28% were aged between 14 and 17, and 26% of clients in the 18 to 25 age group. Data indicates that 59% identified as being from diverse BAME backgrounds, with 35% identifying as coming from a White British background.

Young people presented most with the following issues: anxiety, which is by far the most common (65%); school (47%); peer relationship difficulties (47%); family issues (44%); low mood/depression (30%). Over one-quarter of young people seen experienced suicidal ideation (28%) and just under a quarter disclosed the experience of self-harm (21%); this reflects the ongoing need for an increased level of safeguarding support in response to higher levels of risk experienced by young people which emerged from the lockdowns.

These figures describe a population of young people who are struggling with anxiety and stresses in both school and family environments alongside peer relationship difficulties, low mood as well as symptoms including sleep problems and a risk to their own safety.

Young people accessing support presented on average with levels of psychological distress in the “moderate” range (average score 19.2) and, at the end of interventions, on average scored within the “mild” range for psychological distress (average score 14.4), as measured using the YP-CORE and CORE-10 measures.

Feedback shared with the service demonstrated repeatedly that young people appreciated that they were listened to and treated with patience and respect with 100% of young people who gave feedback said that the help they had received with OTR Merton was good.

In answer to the question “what was really good about your care”, examples of answers from young people are:

"Always listened and amazing advice”

“CBT worksheets let me unpack thoughts that were so helpful. I liked being able to talk through challenges and felt listened to”

“Comfortable and safe environment to talk about things I need to”

“Easy to access, felt heard”

“Easy to talk to, relaxed atmosphere, was able to open up more than I have before”

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

d) ONLINE SERVICES

Objectives and Activities

Through our dedicated secure website (www.talkofftherecordonline.org), we provide free online services to young people aged 11-25 in the London boroughs of Croydon, Sutton and Merton. Our online services include the delivery of individual ongoing counselling (6-12 sessions) and a range of online psycho-educational workshops for young people and parents/carers on a variety of wellbeing topics.

The online counselling service allows young people to write about their problems rather than talking, meaning they can have their counselling and support entirely online in a format of exchanging messages. This can either be through a weekly live chat session with a designated counsellor (where the young person and counsellor meet in real time and exchange messages on the counselling platform); or through the exchange of weekly messages (when the young person can send messages throughout the week at the point of need and receive a weekly therapeutic response at an agreed time).

To complement this one-to-one support, targeted workshops are also delivered, providing practical help and information about key issues young people might be struggling with (for example: exam stress, results day, sleep solutions, managing low mood and anxiety), as well as supporting parents and carers with a child who self-harms or is struggling to attend school.

Achievements and Performance

This year we have seen a consistent number of new registrations to the online platform (232 new registrations, compared with 225 in 2022-23). We have seen a significant drop in returning clients, (from 57% to 45%), and this may be due to the wider availability now of face-to-face counselling following the pandemic, so that those who prefer that and need further counselling are able to take up that option.

Approximately 1600 counselling sessions were delivered, with a slight increase in counselling sessions offered this year. 26% of the total sessions offered were assessment (or triage) sessions which focus on providing a rapid response to all young people who register for our service. During the triage process, each young person is given one-to-one contact from an experienced online counselling practitioner who explains how online counselling works, signposts to any relevant services and assesses any risk or considerations around the young person’s suitability for online work.

Our targets to respond to young people in a timely, accessible and effective way were fully met over the year, with 99% of new registrations responded to within 72 hours. We continue to comfortably meet our target timeframes for allocating clients to a counsellor following registration and assessment, with approximately 50% of young people being both triaged and allocated to an ongoing counsellor within two weeks, and 90% allocated within four weeks.

Service satisfaction remains high, with 100% of young people agreeing that the help they received via the service had been good and 99% stating that they would recommend the service to a friend or family member. 99% of young people found it easy to talk to their counsellor and 100% felt that their views and worries were taken seriously.

Outcome data shows that the levels of distress young people were experiencing upon entering the service were aligned with previous years, falling at the very top of the ‘moderate to severe’ range. Improvement rates have remained consistent and in line with previous years, with 78% of clients showing some improvement.

A key objective of the online counselling service is to enable young people to access mental health services who might otherwise not receive any support or may struggle to attend face-to-face services. The service therefore particularly targets young people from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) background, LGBTQ+ young people, young people with disabilities, young carers and looked after children. Accordingly, 53% of online clients come from a background where they do not identify as white British, and 34% identified as LGBTQ+. These percentages remain consistent with previous years. This year we have noticed an increase in young people who describe themselves as having a disability (from 3% to 6%) and an increase in Looked After Children (from 2% to 5%). These groups might find it particularly hard to access regular counselling support and are benefiting from the ease of online support.

9

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Some feedback from clients :

The benefit of text-based support:

“Time slots are convenient I don't have to be there to attend and can send what I need when I want or whenever it's convenient for me.”

“Having it be a text function was so good as I struggle with speaking words sometimes when talking about certain things .”

What was good about their counselling:

“ My feelings felt genuinely validated”

“I didn't feel like I was getting standard textbook responses - it felt personal and directed in ways that helped me think about what we were discussing.”

“It felt like a real person was on the other side of the screen which made it much easier to open up.”

How the service has helped:

“Since I have started using the service it has helped me feel a lot calmer and more fulfilled”

“I used to feel really confused and down about myself before counselling started and now, I feel happier and more confident in myself.”

“I felt a big improvement in my ability to cope with my problems because of this counselling.”

Alongside our online counselling offer, the online workshops provide an accessible and approachable way for young people to access psychoeducation and peer support. The webinars are delivered through our safe and secure platform (where 83 workshops were hosted) alongside some delivery through zoom (where 14 workshops were hosted).

Over 700 registrations to the workshops were received across the platform and zoom workshops and more than 450 attendances were recorded to both our weekly ‘Keeping Connected’ support group our themed workshops which included ‘Managing Anxiety’, ‘Managing Low Mood’, ‘Managing Exam Stress’, and ‘Sleep Solutions’.

Over the last year we have been delivering webinars for parents of young people struggling with self-harm, behavioral challenges or emotionally based school avoidance. Alongside our work within the Mental Health Schools Teams, our webinars for parents provide an important layer of support to the young people’s mental health community, with 170 parent registrations received across Croydon, Sutton and Merton.

2. OUTREACH SERVICES

COMMUNITY & OUTREACH TEAM & BAME MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORK

Objectives and Activities

The Community Team based within Off the Record delivers community development work focussed on addressing mental health inequalities for racialised communities alongside community and outreach work focussed on meeting the needs of marginalised young people who struggle for a range of reasons to access mental health, wellbeing and counselling support. The team is comprised of community development workers, mental health practitioners, outreach counsellors and community engagement professionals.

Our CHRIS work, provides community located therapeutic and developmental support to young BAME people aged 1425, affected by escalating incidences of serious youth violence or sudden death. Young people contacting CHRIS are fast-tracked to a BAME counsellor able to respond flexibly to their needs. From April 2023, our CHRIS work has expanded to offer support to young people passing through the Croydon custody suite.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Achievements and Performance

2023/34 has be a productive year for the Community Team, despite some staffing challenges with colleagues moving on to new roles and an opportunity to focus on the key priorities for a community-based response to mental health.

Our young Youth Ambassadors meet monthly to discuss themes linked to mental health and current affairs. They record a monthly podcast on topics they chose, these podcasts are then posted online on the Off the Record website and shared on social media. Youth Ambassadors have also been creating content for Off the Record social media, including short Instagram video’s about visiting Queens Rd and Croydon Rd if you are coming to in-person interventions. They have attended two Charity days this year, contributed to decisions about merchandising, branding for the 30[th] Anniversary and publicity and clothing for staff.

In summer 23 the Community Team has some really successful outreach events, attending a number of borough events and also hosting our own Summer Pop-Ups in Croydon and Merton. Off the Record attended Croydon PrideFest at Wandle Park for the second time. We engaged with over 500 people and focused on promoting Off the Record and giving space for people to talk about their own mental health journeys. We also attended PlayPlace’s Croydon Play Fest in New Addington for the second time. This event is aimed at families and younger children, but the team still engaged with over 150 people, particularly promoting the services Off the Record provide across the borough and with parents.

The Community Team attended Cut It Out organised by My Ends and Palace for Life Foundation, attendance was better than last year for young people (from schools) and was a great opportunity to network and build on relationships with partners. OTR colleagues played in the adult team in the football matches and hosted a stall with Youth Ambassadors.

We have had a good commitment from other Off the Record colleagues outside of the Community Team in supporting outreach and events, several new colleagues to OTR are particularly positive about engaging in the community as well as with their individual clients/work.

We had 26 OTR Summer Pop Ups over July and August at 20 locations. We engaged with over 350 people at these events, the top three topics discussed with young people were anxiety, depression and general concerns about own mental health. Staff who ran these sessions felt the visibility of OTR in communities is key for publicising the access young people have to OTR and showing that we are a part of their community whenever they need us.

Community Team staff attend a number of partnership and networking meetings including My Ends in West Croydon/London Road and the Croydon Community Gangs meeting. Attendance at these and other meetings increases our community knowledge and promotes Off the Record’s commitment to supporting young people in our three boroughs of delivery.

Barbershop work in 23/24 has been good but we want to review its functioning in 24/25. We have delivered 5 Trim n Grin sessions with Young Carers; at Pollard’s Hill (x 2) and Legacy. These sessions focus on mental health conversations in a barbershop setting.

Weekly drop-in sessions at Croydon College continue as normal on a Tuesday during term time, numbers of students engaging has increased since Sep 22 and we hope to expand these sessions in the next school year to Coulsdon College, John Ruskin College and East Surrey College (35% of their students are Croydon residents) so that there is equal access for sixth form and further education students across Croydon and neighbouring boroughs. We have delivered 8 sessions for colleges in Croydon, Sutton and Surrey this year, 6 during Mental Health Awareness Week and others at the request of colleges. We always get positive feedback from these drop-in sessions from staff and students, the informality and visibility is mentioned most.

We have also attended the following events across the year hosted by partner organisation: New Addington Carnival, Community Spotlight event (CVA), Pride, Social Workers Showcase (CC/Legacy), BME Forum Wellness Event, Legacy open day, Stand Up Black Dad’s and Arriva West Croydon Suicide Prevention event. We always host a stand and have some kind of activity and free merchandise. These are always good opportunities to engage with the community and ask questions about their mental health needs or publicise referral pathways and the support that OTR offers.

From Sep 23 to Jan 24 there were tragically four deaths of young people from violence in Croydon and Sutton. Off the Record offer the same consistent response to these devastating events in the community. We attend the location of the death as soon as possible (normally the next day), to lay flowers and leave contact publicity for CHRIS and the OTR Support Line and speak to any mourners or members of the public who are in attendance.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The death of Elianne Andam got huge public recognition and media attention in September and impacted the Croydon community in a significant way. This was partly due to her being female; the manner of her death as it happened as she was on the way to school; and the amount of witnesses due to it being in a public space. OTR staff attended a number of memorial and community reassurance meetings after Elianne’s death, and there was a big spike in young people requesting mental health support from OTR in the immediate aftermath. The First Contact team, Chris service and the Croydon Service all prioritised young people impacted by Elianne’s death before December.

There has been significant work sustaining our pilot Custody Suite mental health support, with a number of developmental ideas to engage young people into support when in a ‘learning moment’ while in police custody. The partnership with Croydon Council Youth Offending Service and Croydon Drop In is key in continuing to improve this area of work going forward. From April an OTR member of staff will be based at the YOS to help colleagues there understand our role and what we can do to support young people.

We have developed a strong partnership with Be Inspired (formally Gloves Not Guns) and have placed an OTR counsellor there once a week delivering ‘Box Therapy’ from Jan 24. We anticipate having more evaluation about this in 24/25.

In Jan 24 we were successful in achieving national DHSC funding for a new Suicide Prevention project within the Community Team. Two new colleagues have joined OTR and are starting the development of this project with the aim of having six residencies a week in Croydon, Sutton and Merton (two per borough) and pop up’s and workshops for young people most at need of connecting with support.

3. REFUGEE & ASYLUM SEEKER COUNSELLING SERVICE

Objectives and Activities

The Refugee Service provides individual counselling and group work to young refugees, asylum seekers or forced migrants aged 11-25yrs in Croydon. Counselling is generally short-term and delivered through a mixture of sessions offered in outreach locations, youth groups and at Off the Record’s offices as this maximises our accessibility for this vulnerable group of young people.

The climate for asylum seekers has been particularly challenging with the Rwanda issue dominating the immigration arena alongside evictions from hotels after 7 days of having a visa. Fortunately, we have seen a large number of refugees from Afghanistan and other countries in conflict receiving leave to remain promptly after arrival in the UK which has been a huge relief to many of them. The large numbers of asylum seekers living in hotels is still an issue and we are now working in one of the hotels providing art activities to the children. This gives us the opportunity to build a relationship with the hotel, alongside the children and families that we work with, as well as providing us with exposure for our work more generally. We are now seeing more 11 year olds being referred as they live in hotels with families and this is a stressful environment for them to be living in for prolonged periods of time.

We partnered with Young Roots at the Merhaba group, a new group that caters solely for young hotel residents where we delivered an arts activity group. Both of these groups have been well-received and provided a therapeutic intervention for young people where language doesn’t restrict their expression or involvement.

Achievements and Performance

The refugee service is delivered from Queens Road with the whole team providing all sessions in these offices. We have maintained our holding call system of calling young people every 3 weeks and regular check-ins before allocation to weekly counselling.

60 young people started counselling in the year and a total of 174 young people received individual counselling with the refugee service in the past year. Client ages ranged from 11 to 25 years old with 42% being aged between 14 and 17, a slight drop from last year and 52% being aged between 18 and 25 which is an increase on last year. The trend seems to be that we are seeing more over 18’s than under 18’s. Clients came from 12 different countries, less than last year, with the majority still typically coming from Afghanistan (29%) and Albania (14%) with Ethiopia, Eritrea Pakistan and Iran, making up the other significant percentages.

Attendance has remained high at 72%, this figure benefitting from the option for telephone sessions which makes up 61% of our contact with clients. However, we have reduced the number of telephone sessions we have offered as we feel that young people benefit more from having in person sessions.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Our holding calls are recorded as brief interventions and pre-therapy waiting list calls. The combined total of these is 315 which is a 15% increase on last year. This includes a small number of drop-in sessions that have been offered during the year.

Referrals are increasing each year with 161 new contacts this year alongside the number for self-referrals at 27 this year. Included in this are 38 young people returning to the service for additional support. As is typical for this service, 85% of referrals were male and 15% female. 92 assessments were carried out.

Our long-standing Young Roots partnership continues to be successful with our counsellor providing drop-in counselling at the ‘hub’ weekly youth group. In-person sessions are fully resumed unless an established client has been unexpectedly been moved out of the area. This has been of huge benefit for the young people to see the counsellor at the hub and to develop a relationship with her. When there are no young people needing counselling, the counsellor engages with informal activities at the group to build relationships thus enabling future therapeutic interventions and to bring a mental health message into the setting. We have carried out workshops through-out the year on sleep and anxiety. The young people who participated said they benefitted from attending these sessions.

The refugee team have also delivered workshops to the Refugee Council and for CARAS (Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) also on sleep and anxiety and have received good feedback from the group leader saying “everyone said it was great”.

The general feedback for the counselling we have had from clients has been:

One client, who felt unable to talk to peers about his situation and felt that his counselling was a trustworthy space said :

“You are like my family now”

Another, after being evicted from Home Office accommodation said;

“Thank you so much. Without you I would be on the street. You have helped me so much. No one has helped me as much as you.”

And finally, from one young person:

“ Thank you, you have helped me a lot, I have lots of problems – Home Office, solicitor, I am worried about the future, I am lonely and isolated, I am really grateful to you and for your support. This has helped a lot. I have limited access to help, and this helps my worries and tensions, it helps me mentally. I will always be grateful to you”.

4. YOUNG CARERS’ SERVICE

Objectives & Activities

The Young Carers Service is a free and friendly service, offering support to young people aged 7-25, caring for someone with a physical disability, mental health issue, long-term physical illness, learning difficulty or for drug and alcohol dependency. The service offers assessment, respite, and educational, emotional and social support to children and young people.

The team provides casework aimed at reducing the effects of harmful caring and enabling young carers to build their aspirations, to have positive mental health and healthy minds and fulfil their potential beyond their caring role.

The Young Carers Service is staffed by a multidisciplinary team and is based with Off the Record colleagues at TBXH, Sunley House in central Croydon having moved from being co-located with other Carers services in George St in October 2023.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Achievements and Performance

The Young Carers Service received 198 referrals this year, the highest number of referrals we have received in a year since we started recording them. This represents a year-on-year increase since 2019 and can’t now be presumed as a Covid spike but is more likely the result of ongoing increased identification of young carers in Croydon and reduction in other support services (both statutory and voluntary) due to the borough’s financial situation. This increase in referrals and assessments has meant a fall in the speed of the assessments. Our current assessment worker is left at the beginning of April 23 and we have identified an internal colleague who will move over and cover this crucial role in the team so we don’t have a gap. We have also reallocated our resources and will make this role four days a week instead of three in anticipation that will also help with those waiting longer for assessments.

Over a third of all young carers referrals this year have been for 10–12 year olds, there is also a large number of 14 year olds referred. This matches our assumption that the School Census, which has included young carers since Jan 2023, has triggered an increase in primary and secondary schools identifying young carers within their settings. We have significantly more primary age young people overall being referred into the service which will affect our resource usage in the team particularly around respite for the next year.

Amongst new referrals females still outnumber males but the gap is reducing which is positive (102 females and 87 males). We continue to work on supporting schools and families to identify and refer young men as young carers to our service.

Schools continue to be largest individual referrers at 77 but collectively Croydon Children’s Social Care and Croydon Early Help made 71 referrals. We do not get many referrals from SLAM, CAMHS, Croydon Adult Social Care, substance misuse services or GP’s. We have delivered training to SLAM in 23/24 and are building relationships with Croydon Adult Social Care but we have struggled to make a sustainable contact with GP services in Croydon apart from individual referrals very occasionally.

Issues and themes that the young carers service have highlighted over the last year include:

We have tested out some respite ideas over the last year for young carers with neurodiversity and learning needs, these have included a pamper session, creative expression session and games/art sessions with low lighting and ambient sounds. Feedback from parents and guardians has been very positive about these options and we have built them into our school holiday respite for each break. We aim to build in more of these sorts of targeted respite for different groups of young carers and their specific needs.

We have also refreshed our respite booking system for young carers and their parents/guardians. We have created an online booking system with MS Forms to make it as easily accessible for those completing it. After receiving a response, we are now able to be quicker to book the young carer onto respite and communicate with them which particularly helps parents with mental health issues or managing multiple children in their family.

We had brilliant attendance at respite this year; we offered 42 respite sessions and had attendance of 435 young people. Especially at Christmas and Feb half term we had significantly more primary aged young carers attending respite sessions; this is in line with the increase in referral and registration of more primary aged young people into YCS. We anticipate having to weight respite sessions slightly to primary age in the next financial year, not to the detriment of other age ranges.

Croydon Council secured some additional respite funding for YCS and other carer organisations in Croydon to deliver extra respite and new projects in 24-25 financial year. We have had that confirmed and will start work on that for summer 24.

Young carers staff have been part of the Croydon Carers Strategy working group, to review and develop a new Carers Strategy for the borough. This work is a continuation of the planning and preparation from last year. CIS and YCS put a lot of effort and work into this during summer 2023 and we are keen to remain part of this crucial work. The Strategy should be published at the end of 2024. We have been making sure young carers are strongly represented in this.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Off the Record were offered free tickets for young people to Wimbledon tennis in July 23 and we allocated six to young adult carers - two brothers together on one of their birthdays; a daughter and her mum; and two friends.

YCS also received free tickets from Zippo’s circus when they came to Croydon last July who offered us 100 tickets for young carer and their families. We did a lottery for young carers to apply and allocated all tickets, it was a hugely successful visit, young people saying they loved attending something with their families that is normally too expensive for them. We were very grateful to Zippo’s for giving that opportunity to Croydon young carers.

STATEMENT ON PUBLIC BENEFIT

The objectives and activities, and achievement and performance sections of this report clearly set out the activities which the charity undertakes for the public benefit. The Management Committee confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Commission in determining the activities undertaken by the charity.

RISK MANAGEMENT

The Management Committee actively review the major risks which the charity faces on a regular basis, and we have established systems to mitigate those risks including reports to Management Committee meetings against an agreed risk register. Some of the key risks kept under regular review are:

Financial – the risk of loss of funding through non-renewal of grants/contracts; over-expenditure through lack of financial control; fraud; potential future VAT/ tax liability. This risk is managed through robustly implemented financial procedures overseen by the Treasurer and Finance Committee; quarterly management accounts presented to the Trustee Board; professional VAT/ tax advice; fraud response plan; and by maintaining a sufficient level of reserves to safeguard the charity in the event of adverse conditions.

Clinical – the charity works with vulnerable young people in mental health. Risks include clients harming themselves or others; deterioration in mental health; stress levels for staff; staff feeling unclear about policies and procedures. This risk is managed through regular clinical/casework supervision for staff in line with professional guidance and robust risk and safeguarding training and procedures. Strong recruitment practices target high quality clinical staff including mandatory videos whereby a mock example of a counsellor's work is recorded and reviewed. All staff are required to attend annual safeguarding training.

Premises & Facilities – risks include Health & Safety breaches within maintained premises creating potential risks to staff or service users and risk of litigation; financial risks from costs of building maintenance & upkeep; catastrophic events e.g. fire/flood making one or more building unusable. These risks are managed by having a Health & Safety Officer in place, regular Health & Safety checks & risk assessments, routine maintenance of key facilities inc. fire safety. A business continuity plan is in place with provisions to deal with loss of building use/facilities.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

During the year Off the Record received income totalling £2,694,844 (2023: £2,328,441). Resources expended totalled £2,610,087 (2023: £2,591,672). The net movement in funds for the year is a surplus of £84,757 (2023: deficit of £108,231). This resulted in total funds at 31 March 2024 of £1,129,553 (2023: £1,044,796).

Our principal funding sources in this year were:

SWL ICB (Croydon, Sutton and Merton Place); London Borough of Croydon; London Borough of Sutton; Wimbledon Foundation; NHS England.

Reserves Policy

Off the Record’s general unrestricted reserves represent funds of the charity that are freely available, excluding designated funds and restricted funds.

The Reserves Policy, is reviewed by the Management Committee annually. This states that Off the Record holds reserves for the following purposes:

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

To cover unforeseen expenditure – To meet unexpected operational costs that may accumulate throughout the year.

The target level of reserves is reviewed by the Management Committee each year as part of the annual budget process taking into account:

For the 2024/25 budgetary period the charity is aiming for a target of approx. 4 months operating costs (approximately £880,000) of unrestricted reserves. The current level of reserves is broadly on target.

Total general unrestricted funds at 31 March 2024 are £1,129,553 (2023: £1,044,586), of which designated funds were £208,123 (2023: £195,672) and restricted funds £nil (2023: £210). This is considered adequate as the monthly expenditure of the charity is relatively stable, and we now have significant contracts with a range of funders.

Included in designated funds are the fixed asset funds. The property asset is not available to spend as the Charity operates from its premises.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Structure

‘’Off the Record’’ Youth Counselling Croydon (Off the Record) is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Memorandum and Articles of Association are currently being reviewed and updated in accordance with the current Charity Commission template and, pending any necessary statutory permissions/notifications, are expected to be operational within the next financial year.

PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS

Off the Record is working with the loss of hope and confusion that many young people are experiencing and expressing. Genocide is a new theme that is being presented by young people in their sessions with us as a major fear and concern – this is unprecedented and points us in the direction of a new mental health “landscape”.

Our priority is to remain agile and adapt to the new landscape that we find ourselves in. We have taken the strategic decision to return to our offices (over three years ago now) and to provide a large proportion of our work face to face. We are responding to the demand of young people – increasing numbers of whom are asking for counselling or support face to face. We are discovering that many young people are increasingly struggling with the challenges presented by the “real world”.

In 2024/25 we plan to build our partnership work wherever possible including with Be Inspired (formerly Gloves not Gunz) to deliver an innovative Box Therapy provision. We will continue to develop and strengthen our mental health maintenance provision to young people across southwest London by continuing to build our local partnership work.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Our modernising agenda quickens apace, and we understand will never be complete. A strategic priority is to remain relevant to children and young people who increasingly acknowledge and are aware of their own mental health and are searching online for answers. Increased geopolitical instability; climate crisis; the continued cost of living crisis; violence and aggression towards young girls and the insecurities and fragilities that boys and young men face are all presenting children and young people with a unique set of existential challenges. Off The Record continues to adapt and develop creative and innovative services to remain the first “port of call” in the same way that we might have been for their parents.

We will be celebrating our 30[th] anniversary in October 2024 and are designing an event that opens conversations with children and young people, their families and partners and other community groups as well as showcasing some of our accomplishments over the last thirty years.

We recognize that with increased mental health demand and diminishing funding and resources we need to rationalize our approach and capacity – therefore we are increasingly offering short term mental health support while at the same time planning a wide-reaching mental health maintenance “menu” that will be in the various communities to help support young people at the point of need in the places where young people feel safe and delivered by people who “look and sound like them “. Our old model of providing mental health support at a particular point in a young person's life in a detached and contained way is no longer relevant. We need to be “out there” in local communities e.g. in the mental health marketplace, ensuring that we are carrying clear and healthy messages about mental health and resilience in 2024.

The development of our First Contact Team and our Peer Support Workers are both examples of trialling new ways of working to deliver fast, holistic, and effective responses to young people, keeping young people’s needs and wishes at the centre of everything we do. These new responses are part of a broader goal to bring greater integration across our services and boroughs maximising the skills and capacity of our staff.

Our Outreach and Community work remains a key priority for Off the Record over the next year as this was severely impacted by lockdown restrictions. In 2024/25, we want to continue to focus on re-engaging with local communities and with young people in the community. This will include re-energising the work of our ‘CHRIS’ counsellors who engage with young people in Croydon impacted by sudden or violent death; further developing our support to young refugees through joint working with local refugee organisations; and broadening our work targeting positive mental health messages to racialised communities through our barbershop work and through new partnerships with youth services in Croydon, Sutton and Merton. At the core of this work is a commitment to significantly raise our awareness and response to issues of inclusion and diversity across the whole charity. We plan to provide mental health support to more LGBTQ young people in the community in 2024/25.

To all the new staff who have joined us we extend a warm welcome; to those who have stayed with us we offer our thanks and appreciation; to those who have moved on we send our heartfelt good wishes. We take our inspiration from the young people who continue to trust us with their challenges and concerns, and, through our work, we will continue to focus on our vision of “Showing up” for all children and young people's mental health in Southwest London.

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

STATEMENT OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE’S RESPONSIBILITIES

The Management Committee (who are also directors of Off The Record Youth Counselling Croydon for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Management Committee’s Annual Report (including the Strategic Report) and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Charity law requires the Management Committee to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the surplus or deficit of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements the Management Committee are required to:

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

Statement as to Disclosure of Information to Auditors

So far as the Management Committee are aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditors are unaware, and each trustee has taken all the steps that he or she ought to have taken as a trustee in order to make himself or herself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity’s auditors are aware of that information.

Approved by the Management Committee on 10 October 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

Laura Haigh Grainne Beeney

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS TO THE MEMBERS OF ‘’OFF THE RECORD’’ YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of “Off the Record” Youth Counselling Croydon for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet and Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

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

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may case significant doubt on the 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 trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

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

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“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON

(A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS TO THE MEMBERS OF ‘’OFF THE RECORD’’ YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

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

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

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

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.

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

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above and on the Financial Reporting Council’s website, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud.

We obtain and update our understanding of the entity, its activities, its control environment, and likely future developments, including in relation to the legal and regulatory framework applicable and how the entity is complying with that framework. Based on this understanding, we identify and assess the risks of material misstatement 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. This includes consideration of the risk of acts by the entity that were contrary to applicable laws and regulations, including fraud.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, including fraud, we designed procedures which included:

20

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON

(A company Limited by Guarantee)

REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS TO THE MEMBERS OF ‘’OFF THE RECORD’’ YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in 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 instances of non-compliance. 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.

Use of our report

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

Catherine Cooper (Senior Statutory Auditor)

For and on behalf of Azets Audit Services

Statutory Auditor 1[st] Floor River House 1 Maidstone Road Sidcup Kent DA14 5RH

Date: 17 October 2024

21

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds 2024 2023
Notes £ £ £ £
Income from:
Donations 3,291 - 3,291 7,705
Interest 1,021 - 1,021 269
Charitable activities 2 2,636,108 54,159 2,690,267 2,475,467
Other income 265 - 265 -
_____ _____ _______ _______
Total income 2,640,685 54,159 2,694,844 2,483,441
_____ _____ _______ _______
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities:
Counselling services 1,913,528 27,710 1,941,238 1,892,551
Outreach Services 221,968 16,569 238,537 214,983
Young Refugees Project 139,174 0 139,174 152,732
Young Carers Project 281,048 10,090 291,138 331,406
_____ _____ _____ _____
Total expenditure 3 2,555,718 54,369 2,610,087 2,591,672
_____ _____ _____ _____
Net movement in funds 8 84,967 (210) 84,757 (108,231)
Funds brought forward at
1 April 2023		 1,044,586 210 1,044,796 1,153,027
_____ _____ _____ _____
Total funds carried forward at
31 March 2024 1,129,553 - 1,129,553 1,044,796
_____ _____ _____ _____

All of the charity’s transactions are derived from continuing activities.

The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

22

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

COMPARATIVE INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT
Unrestricted
funds
Notes
£
Income from:
Donations
7,705
Interest
269
Charitable activities
2
2,440,467
Other income
-
__
Total income
2,448,441
_
Expenditure on:
Charitable Activities:
Counselling services
1,860,261
Outreach Services
212,483
Young Refugees Project
152,732
Young Carers Project
328,135
__
Total expenditure
3
2,553,611
_
Net movement in funds
8
(105,170)
Transfer
Funds brought forward at
1 April 2022
1,149,756
_____
Total funds carried forward at
31 March 2023
1,044,586
 Restricted
funds
Total
2023
£
£
-
7,705
-
269
35,000
2,475,467
-
-
__
_
35,000
2,483,441
_
___
32,290
1,892,551
2,500
214,983
-
152,732
3,271
331,406
___
__
38,061
2,591,672
_
__
(3,061)
(108,231)
3,271
1,153,027
__
_____
210
1,044,796

23

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

Company number 2987817

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2024

Note 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
Fixed Assets 10 138,672 138,672
Current Assets
Debtors 11 547,608 96,892
Cash at bank and in hand 594,977 889,695
____ ____
1,142,585 986,587
Creditors:amounts falling
due within one year 12 (151,704) (80,463)
____ ____
Net Current Assets 990,881 906,124
__ __
Net Assets 1,129,553 1,044,796
__ __
Represented by:
Restricted funds 13 - 210
Unrestricted funds:
Designated funds 14 208,123 195,672
General fund 921,430 848,914
__ __
Total funds 15 1,129,553 1,044,796
__ __

Approved by the Board of Management Committee on 10 October 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

Laura Haigh

Grainne Beeney

24

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

CASHFLOW STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

Notes 2024 2023
£ £
Cash flow from operating activities 18 (295,739) (159,483)
____ ____
Net cash flow from operating activities (295,739) (159,483)
____ ____
Cash flow from investing activities
Interest received 1,021 269
____ ____
Net cash flow from investing activities 1,021 269
____ ____
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (294,718) (159,214)
Cash and cash equivalents at 01 April 2023 889,695 1,048,909
____ ____
Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 2024 594,977 889,695
____ ____
Cash and cash equivalents consists of:
Cash at bank and in hand 594,977 889,695
____ ____
Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 2024 594,977 889,695
____ ____

25

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

a. Basis of preparation

Off the Record Youth Counselling Croydon is a company limited 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 set out on page 2.

The charity 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 (FRS 102) issued in October 2019, the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Practice.

The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention, modified to include certain items at fair value. The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity.

The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all years presented unless otherwise stated.

b. Income

All income is 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 and grants receivable, including donations and gifts, are included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable.

Investment income is accounted for when received. Tax recoverable on investment income is accounted for on a receivable basis.

Other income is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable.

c. Expenditure

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:

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as an expense against the activity for which expenditure arose.

d. Support Costs

Support costs are those that assist the work of the charity but do not directly represent charitable activities and include office costs, governance costs and administrative payroll costs. They are incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charity and include project management carried out at Headquarters. Where support costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities on a basis consistent with use of the resources.

The analysis of these costs is included in note 5.

26

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

e. Fund accounting

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.

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.

Designated funds represent funds invested in fixed assets. The designated fund balance has been represented to ensure that fund balance stated accurately reflects the designation policy adopted by the Management Committee.

f. Tangible fixed assets

All assets costing over £5,000 are capitalised. Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost or valuation of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives as follows:

Office Equipment - 33 1/3 % straight line

A review for impairment of a fixed asset is carried out if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of any fixed asset may not be recoverable. Shortfalls between the carrying value of fixed assets and their recoverable amounts are recognised as impairments. Impairment losses are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities.

Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in expenditure.

h. Cash and cash equivalents

Cash at bank comprises balances held on the charity’s current bank account.

i. Leasing commitments

Rentals payable and receivable under operating leases are charged to the SoFA on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.

j. Going concern

The Management Committee have renewed the charitable company’s budgets and taken into account the expected impact of Coronavirus. Whilst it is difficult to predict the potential implications on the future revenue with any certainty, on the basis of the Management Committee’s review, there is a reasonable expectation that the charitable company will have adequate resources to continue an operational existence for the foreseeable future and it is therefore appropriate to adapt the going concern basis of accounting for these financial statements.

k. Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

The following judgements (apart from those involving estimates) have been made in the process of applying the above accounting policies that have had the most significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements:

Useful economic lives of tangible assets

The annual depreciation charge for tangible assets is sensitive to changes in the estimated useful economic lives and residual values of the assets. The useful economic lives and residual values are re-assessed annually. They are amended when necessary to reflect current estimates, based on technological advancement, future investments, economic utilisation and the physical condition of the assets. See note 10 for the carrying amount of the tangible fixed assets, and note f. for the useful economic lives for each class of assets.

The are no key assumptions concerning the future and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year.

27

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

2 GRANTS & CONTRACTS RECEIVABLE

Restricted Funds:
Counselling services
- BME Championing Covid 19 vaccine
- Wimbledon Foundation
Outreach Services
- Merton Connected Community Champions
- DHSC Suicide Prevention Fund
Young Refugee Project
- Young Roots
- Asylum Seeker Support Fund
Unrestricted Funds and Contracts:
Counselling Services
- First contact team
- NHS Croydon /LB Croydon
- CAMHS/LB Croydon
- Counselling Croydon CYP Mental Health (Data Manager)
- Counselling Croydon Transformation Fund
- Counselling Croydon Community & Crisis Support
- Mental Health in Schools
- CYP IAPT Trainee Support
- Counselling Online Croydon Transformation Fund
- Counselling Online Sutton Transformation Fund
- Counselling Sutton LBS/CCG
- Counselling Online Sutton Transformation Fund Staffing Costs
- Counselling Sutton Transformation Fund Walk In Session
- Counselling Sutton Adult Mental Health Transformation
- Counselling Merton
Outreach Services
- NHS Croydon /Outreach BME CDW
- CAMHS Transformation – BAME Manager post &
BAME Outreach work
- Custody Suite Pilot
- Outreach Sutton Uplift
Young Refugee Project
- Young Refugees Croydon CCG
- Young Refugees LBC
- Young Refugees Virtual School
- Young Refugees Young Roots
Young Carers Service
- Young Carers’ IYSS
- Young Carers’ CSG
- Young Adult Carers Work
- Young Adult Carers Assessments
- Young Carers' CCG
- Young Carers Mental Health Post
TOTAL GRANTS AND CONTRACTS		 Total
2024
£
-
27,500
-
16,569
3,090
7,000
__
54,159
_
51,463
155,807
34,000
29,477
116,752
49,802
438,476
88,047
103,755
55,000
150,500
45,000
25,000
43,260
571,389
102,972
53,954
92,418
41,097
77,130
30,000
12,750
-
50,000
62,500
45,000
13,880
59,013
37,666
_
2,636,108
_
2,690,267
____		 Total
2023
£
5,000
27,500
2,500
-
-
-
__
35,000
_
79,847
153,052
34,000
28,956
114,688
46,676
418,811
-
101,920
55,000
163,284
45,000
25,000
41,556
548,152
101,151
53,000
-
38,910
75,767
30,000
12,750
6,441
50,000
62,500
45,000
13,880
58,126
37,000
_
2,440,467
_
2,475,467
____

28

OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

3 EXPENDITURE

Staff
costs
£
Charitable activities:
Counselling Services
1,662,465
Outreach Services
196,709
Young Refugees Project
107,321
Young Carers Project
235,749
____
2,202,244		 Direct
costs
£
Support
costs
£
Total
2024
£
Total
2023
£
33,862
244,911
1,941,238
1,892,551
6,445
35,383
238,537
214,983
16,911
14,942
139,174
152,732
23,690
31,699
291,138
331,406
_
__
___
_____
80,908
326,935
2,610,087
2,591,672

All costs are allocated between the expenditure categories noted above on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are allocated directly, others are apportioned on an appropriate basis, being, time spent.

4 CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
Total
2024
£
Counselling Services
1,913,528
27,710
1,941,238
Outreach Services
221,968
16,569
238,537
Young Refugees Project
139,174
-
139,174
Young Carers Project
281,048
10,090
291,138
_
__
___
2,555,718
54,369
2,610,087


 Total
2023
£
1,892,551
214,983
152,732
331,406
_____
2,591,672

In 2023 £2,553,611 of the expenditure in relation to charitable activities was attributable to the unrestricted fund, with the remaining £38,061 being attributable to the restricted fund.

5 SUPPORT COSTS

HR and Consulting
Cleaning and waste collection
Office Supplies
Telephone and Internet
Staff costs including recruitment and training
Rent, Rates and Utilities
Operating lease payments
Computer Maintenance
Office and Computer Equipment
Repairs
Insurance
Payroll
Printing and postage
Website and publicity
Other
Governance costs (note 6)		 2024
£
8,430
16,017
6,115
16,099
26,871
92,012
35,000
24,416
40,750
7,983
11,917
7,283
2,764
-
4,121
27,157
_____
326,935
 2023
£
7,187
14,880
10,740
14,253
18,185
80,461
34,429
12,452
47,260
4,368
6,066
7,348
912
8,546
4,675
14,981
_____
286,743

29

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

6 GOVERNANCE COSTS



Auditors’ remuneration
Other governance costs
Professional fees		 2024
£
16,260
540
10,357
_____
27,157
 2023
£
10,110
583
4,288
_____
14,981

7 MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REMUNERATION AND REIMBURSED EXPENSES

During the year no Management Committee member received remuneration (2023: None) or reimbursed expenses.

8 MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

This is stated after charging:

2024 2023
£ £
Auditors’ remuneration – audit fees 16,260 10,110
____ ____
9 STAFF COSTS 2024 2023
£ £
Wages and salaries 1,947,731 1,913,757
Employer’s National Insurance 184,128 191,628
Pension contributions 70,385 73,204
_____ _____
2,202,244 2,178,589
____ ____
The average monthly number of employees by headcount during the year was:
2024 2023
Direct charitable activities 61 63
Administration and management 6 6
_ _
67 69
______ ______

The full time equivalent number of employees amounted to 54 (2023: 56)

No employee received remuneration in excess of £60,000 (2023: none).

The total amount of employee benefits received by key management personnel is £ 424,566 (2023: £549,494). The charity considers its key management personnel to compromise those individuals listed on page 1.

30

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

10 TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Land &
buildings
£
Office
equipment
£
COST
At 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024
138,672
6,221
__
_
DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2023 and at 31 March 2024
-
(6,221)
__
_
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2024
138,672
-
__
__
At 31 March 2023
138,672
-

 Total
£
144,893
__
(6,221)
__
138,672
_____
138,672

The costs of the freehold property and other expenditure (£135,000 and £3,672 respectively) are shown gross of a £138,672 grant received from Department of Health. Under the conditions attaching to grant dated 28 April 1995 the premises are to be used for the charitable objectives of ‘Off the Record’ Youth Counselling Services. Should the conditions of the grant cease to be met the charitable company is duty bound to inform the Secretary of State and to refund to the Department of Health an amount equal to that portion of the open market value of the property as is attributable to the expenditure of the capital sum.

11 DEBTORS

Prepayments and accrued income
Grants receivable
12
CREDITORS
Accruals and deferred income		 2024
£
44,038
503,570
_
547,608
_
2024
£
151,704
_
151,704
_		 2023
£
55,207
41,685
_
96,892
_
2023
£
80,463
_
80,463
_

31

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

13 RESTRICTED FUNDS

Balance at
01.04.23
Incoming
Resources
Resources
expended
£
£
£
Counselling Services
210
27,500
(27,710)
Outreach Services
-
16,569
(16,569)
Young Refugees Project
-
-
-
Young Carers Project
-
10,090
(10,090)
___
__
____
210
54,159
(54,369)


 Transfers
-
-
-
-
_______
-
 Balance at
31.03.24
£
-
-
-
-
_______
-

Counselling: These funds are for the provision of free, confidential young people’s counselling services including online services.

Outreach Services: This fund is for the provision of mental health outreach work, including BAME mental health, working around serious youth violence and suicide prevention.

Young Refugees Project: These funds are for the provision of counselling and group work support for young refugees and asylum seekers.

Young Carers’ Project: These funds are for the provision of information, advocacy, support and respite activities for children and young people with caring responsibilities at home.

Comparative Restricted Funds
Counselling Services
Outreach Services
Young Refugees Project
Young Carers Project		 Balance at
01.04.22
Incoming
Resources
Resources
expended
£
£
£
-
32,500
(32,290)
-
2,500
(2,500)
-
-
-
3,271
-
(3,271)
___
__
____
3,271
35,000
(38,061)		 Transfers
Balance at
31.03.23
£
-
210
-
-
-
-
-
-
___
_____
-
210
14
DESIGNATED FUNDS
Balance at
01.04.23
New
Designations
Designations
Released
Property fund
138,672
-
-
Database
47,000
-
(27,549)
Online platform
10,000
-
-
Portland refurbishment
-
40,000
-
___
__
____
195,672
40,000
(27,549)


 Balance at
31.03.24
138,672
19,451
10,000
40,000
_______
208,123

Purposes of designated funds:

Property fund – this represents the net book value of the property which the charity operates from and therefore the funds are not available for general purposes (see note 10)

Database – this represents monies in respect of costs to produce a new database for the charity

Online platform – this represents funds set aside for the new online database

Portland refurbishment - costs of refurbishing new leased property

32

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

14 DESIGNATED FUNDS (continued)

Comparative Designated funds Balance at New Designations Balance at
01.04.22 Designations Released 31.03.23
Property fund 138,672 - - 138,672
Database 75,000 - (28,000) 47,000
Online platform 15,000 10,000 (15,000) 10,000
_______ _______ _______ _______
228,672 10,000 (43,000) 195,672
_______ _______ _______ _______
15 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS
Restricted Unrestricted Total
funds funds Funds
£ £ £
Fixed assets - 138,672 138,672
Current assets - 1,142,585 1,142,585
Current liabilities - (151,704) (151,704)
_____ _____ _____
-
_____		 1,129,553
_____		 1,129,553
_____
Comparative analysis of net assets between funds Restricted Unrestricted Total
2023 funds funds Funds
£ £ £
- 138,672 138,672
Fixed assets 210 986,377 986,587
Current assets - (80,463) (80,463)
Current liabilities _____ _____ _____
210
_____		 1,044,586
_____		 1,044,796
_____
16 LEASE COMMITMENTS Land and Buildings
Operating leases which expire: 2024 2023
£ £
Within one year 130,794 54,561
Between one and five years 273,968 99,019
Due greater than 5 years 11,667
_____		 -
_____

17 COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE

The Charity is limited by guarantee and accordingly has no share capital.

The liability guaranteed by each member is £1. The authorised membership of the company is unlimited. At 31 March 2024 the membership was eight (2023: five).

33

“OFF THE RECORD” YOUTH COUNSELLING CROYDON (A company Limited by Guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

18. RECONCILIATION OF NET EXPENDITURE TO NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

Net (expenditure) / income for 31 March 2023
Bank interest
Decrease/(increase) in debtors
(Decrease)/increase in creditors
Net cash flow from operating activities		 2024
£
84,757
(1,021)
(450,716)
71,241
_____
(295,739)
 2023
£
(108,231)
(269)
(19,091)
(31,892)
_____
(159,483)

19. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

There were no related party transactions during the year (2023: None).

34