2021-03-30-accounts

Annual Report and Financial Statements

Year ended 31 March 2021

Company Registration Number: 03323040 Charity Registration Number: 1061543 (England and Wales) Charity Registration Number: SC048858 (Scotland)

Table of Contents

Introduction	3-15
About POhWER	3
Welcome from our Chair and Chief Executive	4-5
Year in Numbers	6
Core Services	7-9
Why people used our services	10
Areas where we Work	11
New Services & Pilots	12
Case Studies	13-15
Trustees’ Annual Report	16-36
Charitable Objects	16
Statement of Public Benefit	17
Mission Statement	17
Values	17-18
Impact	18-19
Diversity Profile	20-21
Financial Review and Risk	21-23
Strategic Direction & Achievements	24-28
Reference and Administrative Details	29-30
Structure, Governance and Management	31-34
Trustee Responsibilities Statement	35-36
Financial Accounts	37-64
Independent Auditor’s Report	37-40
Statement of Financial Activities	41-42
Balance Sheet	43
Statement of Cash Flows	44-45
Notes to the Accounts	46-64

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About POhWER

POhWER empowers people to have a voice and make a real difference to their lives.

We help people who, because of disability, illness, social exclusion and other challenges, find it difficult to express their views or get the support they need.

POhWER was established in 1996 by a group of people with

disabilities who were fighting social injustice and challenges in their lives.

POhWER still operates with these roots at the heart of everything it does; supporting marginalised, vulnerable and socially excluded people through its charitable work.

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Welcome from our Chair and Chief Executive

Thank you for taking the time to find out more about POhWER

I am delighted and privileged to be writing this as POhWER’s new Chair of the Board. I joined POhWER in January 2021 whilst our country was experiencing its worst crisis in health and social care to cope with the many challenges and pressures brought about by the Covid-19 global pandemic.

We all have been living in a period of instability and uncertainty, but this has been especially so for the most vulnerable and socially excluded groups in our society upon whom the effects of the current crisis have been profound and far reaching.

I am passionate about advancing POhWER’s mission as we continue to support those who are struggling to understand their rights and have their voices heard. During these unprecedented times we have seen the demand on our information & advice services increase significantly while of necessity due to pandemic advocacy access has been restricted. The work of our leadership team and all POhWER’s advocates has never been more important. It makes all the difference for those who are living with disability or impairment, for those who are socially excluded and who face other life and health challenges.

Our charity continues to operate in an environment which is economically, politically and socially volatile . Cuts to public services and the uncertainty of the Government’s review of the Human Rights Act will have an enduring impact on our work. With courage, patience and humility, we will face these uncertainties head on, aspiring to expand and to create new, innovative advocacy models beyond statutory provision. We aim to do everything we can to ensure that we are an agile, efficient, and effectively run charity and to want to achieve greater sustainable impact.

None of this is possible without the efforts and determination of our supporters, dedicated volunteers, staff, partners and my Trustee colleagues to whom we are indebted. We are grateful to Geoff Gibbs for service and stewardship as interim Chair during the past year. I want to thank each of you for your unstinting commitment, resilience and hard work to respond unconditionally in the current crisis. I would also like to thank the people we support as, often the strength they maintain in the face of unrelenting challenges is truly inspiring.

Tony Kildare

Antony Kildare Chair of the Board of Trustees

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I have now completed my first year as Chief Executive of POhWER and have been inspired by the commitment shown by the leadership team, staff and volunteers during these unprecedented times. I consider it a privilege to lead such a dedicated team.

POhWER remains committed to fighting for equal treatment and empowerment for those who find it difficult to find their voice heard. Our annual report gives a detailed review of the breadth of our services, outcomes and impact in detail.

We launched our new five-year strategy, 2020 -2025, in August 2020 which focuses on delivery of more services to clients through greater expertise, efficiency and digital developments. Increasing influencing of policy, public attitudes, and legislation through campaigning, lobbying and influencing and growing our client reach through new models of impact-led advocacy and geographical expansion. I am delighted to report that in the first year we have exceeded our ambitious plans and our progress is detailed in the Achievements section of this report.

I am also pleased to report that during the year we have submitted 5 Parliamentary submissions to help influence government policy and to help uphold the rights of all vulnerable, socially excluded and disadvantaged persons in the UK.

There remains a strong and vibrant potential to expand our reach within the UK and to extend our influence through our campaigning and influencing work. At POhWER we are excited about the increased benefits we can bring to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged and, we will continue to bring our dedication and commitment to all we do.

I would also wish to thank everyone who makes POhWER’s work possible - the staff, volunteers, trustees, members, beneficiaries, commissioners and supporters.

Helen Moulinos, Chief Executive

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Our year in numbers 82,300 people supported 95,935 challenges and issues supported 870 rated our sepdices 5outofS 375 advocacy Staff 115 volunteers 340,619 calls and contacts handled by our Help Hubs 14,041 COVlD-19 crisis response issues supported 6,943 food, fuel poverty or white goods issues supported 72 information & advice staff Pa

Our core services

What is advocacy?

Advocacy is empowering people to have a voice and making a real difference to their lives by speaking for them when they can't and supporting them to speak for themselves when they can.

How can a POhWER advocate or information & advice officer

help?

Our POhWER colleagues can help a person to:

• speak up for themselves or give their views

• understand the process they are going through, their rights and what choices are available to them

• be part of an important decision which is being made about them

• prepare for and take part in meetings and tribunals

• raise queries or concerns

• access information in the format which is most suitable

• access services that can support them

• advocates can also provide information and signpost people to other helpful services.

Types of advocacy

Statutory Advocacy

In certain circumstances a person has the legal right to an advocate including under the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and Mental Health Act.

The following are Statutory Advocacy services:

Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) – An IMCA is an advocate who

has been specially trained to support people who are not able to make certain decisions for themselves (they lack the capacity) and do not have family or friends who are able to speak for them. IMCAs do not make decisions and they are independent of the people who do make the decisions.

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Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) / Liberty Protection Safeguards

(LPS) – If a person is deprived of their liberty under the Mental Capacity Act, an IMCA will be appointed to protect their human rights and make sure the deprivation is lawful, reasonable and in their best interests. The IMCA supports the person and collects information about them including their beliefs, values and previous behaviour in order to represent their wishes.

Relevant Person’s Paid Representative Service (RPPR) – Everyone who is

deprived of their liberty under the Mental Capacity Act must have a representative. This could be a family member or a friend but if there is no one suitable it could be a Paid Representative also known as an RPPR. RPPRs are qualified advocates who have specialist knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards legislation.

Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) – An IMHA is an independent advocate who is trained in the Mental Health Act 1983 and supports people who are being treated under the Act to understand their rights and participate in decisions about their care and treatment. IMHAs can support people who are detained in hospital and people living in the community and receiving Supervised Community Treatment or are subject to Guardianship under the Act.

Care Act Advocacy – The Care Act says that local councils must involve people in decisions about their care and support needs. If it would be difficult for someone to be involved without support the council must make sure they get the help they need. If the person doesn’t have someone who can help them they have the right to have an independent Care Act advocate.

NHS Complaints Advocacy (also called Independent Health Complaints

Advocacy (IHCAS)) – NHS Complaints Advocates help people to use the complaints process to raise a complaint about NHS funded treatment or care.

Children’s and Young People’s Advocacy including Child and Adolescent

Mental Health Services (CAMHS) – CAMHS advocacy support is provided within both private and NHS hospitals across the country. Advocates provide drop-in services for the young people to access advocacy on a regular basis. Advocates support individuals to have their voice heard or work with groups of young people to raise issues they have identified.

Non-Statutory Advocacy

Non-statutory advocacy services help those who fall outside the eligibility criteria for statutory services.

Community Advocacy – Community Advocates can support people who find it difficult to put their views across or feel they aren’t being listened to and help deal with an issue they are facing.

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Citizen Advocacy – Citizen Advocates are trained volunteers. They provide oneto-one support to help people tackle the issues they are facing. Citizen Advocates may provide support in person, by telephone or by email and help people to access information, speak up and get their voice heard.

Peer Advocacy – Peer Advocates are volunteers with lived experience of using health and social care services. They share their experience and provide practical support and encouragement. Peer Advocates are matched with someone who has similar needs and issues to support them to develop new skills and gain confidence.

Group Advocacy – Group Advocacy brings people with similar needs and issues together to support each other. These groups give people the opportunity to work together, share their experiences and raise joint concerns. Sometimes the group has a facilitator who supports the running of the group and sometimes these groups are self-supporting.

Self-Advocacy – Self-Advocacy is representing your own views and wishes and asking for what you need or want. It gives you the ability to make your voice heard and take part in important decisions which are being made about you including how and where you live.

Instructed Advocacy

Instructed Advocacy is when a person is able to tell the advocate what their needs and wishes are and what support they need. They are able to ask the advocate for support and tell them what actions they would like to be taken on their behalf.

Non-Instructed Advocacy

When a person is unable to communicate their wishes and needs for reasons such as temporary unconsciousness, brain injury, dementia etc an advocate will use techniques such as observing the person, speaking to people who know them well or care for them to build a profile of the person’s needs and wishes and use this to make sure their best interests are represented.

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Why people used our services

Top five issues supported by service type

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The areas where we work

POhWER expanded its’ services footprint during 2020-2021, finishing the year supporting 85 advocacy, information and advice contracts across England and growing into Scotland and Wales.

Spot purchase refers to areas where we have been asked to support individuals who are resident in the local authority but where we do not hold the advocacy contract.

We hold 22 contracts with NHS or private providers to deliver Secure and Complex Advocacy services in 100 units .

In some areas we work in partnership with other organisations to provide services. This year we worked with 34 Civil Society Partners.

This past year, POhWER grew its’ reach through the launch of four new innovative services and pilot programmes

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New Advocacy Services Launched As part of Connect Lambeth Advocacy Partnership we provide statutory advocacy services with Age UK to the London Borough of Lambeth Statutory and non-statutory advocacy seniices to Bath and North East Somerset Council Statutory advocacy services to the London Borough of Hounslow Secure and Complex Advocacy to Magna House, Elysium, Montreux Capital Management, Mayfield Children's Home, Cawston Park and Coveberry (CareTech) New Emerging Models & Pilots (Non-statutory) New Community Mental Health Advocacy Discharge Project for Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust New Parenfs Advocacy pilots in Wolverhampton and Telford & Wrekin New Mental Health Discharge Pressure Advocacy Service for Nottingham Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Expanded our independent advocacy support and wellbeing service for people affected by HS2 New employability service in Nottinghamshire supported by POhWER volunteer advocates, facilitated by Stay Nimble and funded by Accenture. Pa

Case Studies

Nicholas’ Story

Nicholas is 17 and was admitted to hospital and detained under the Mental Health Act on a ward for children and adolescents. He was referred to POhWER’s Independent Mental Health Advocacy service and allocated an advocate – Angela. When Angela met Nicholas, she explained his rights and her role in supporting him. Nicholas told Angela how much he wanted to be at the party his family were holding for his dad’s 40th birthday. He asked Angela to support him to raise this at a ward round as he was worried that he wouldn’t remember everything he wanted to say.

Angela met with Nicholas before the ward round to plan what he wanted to say. She explained that under Section 17 of the Mental Health Act staff can allow patients to leave the hospital for short periods. But there may be conditions, such as returning by a certain time or being accompanied by a member of staff. Angela attended the ward round with Nicholas and supported him to explain why he was requesting section 17 leave. He was able to tell staff how long the journey to the party would be, how long it would last and why attending was so important to him. Nicholas was given enough leave to attend and was told he could go without staff support.

When Angela saw Nicholas again she asked how the party had gone. He told her how great it had been to have time with his family and how good it had felt to celebrate with his dad. He hopes to use more section 17 leave to spend time with his family in the future.

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Laura’s Story

Laura is 35 and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia ten years ago. She was detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act and wanted an advocate to support her to voice her views at her weekly ward round. Daniel was allocated as Laura’s advocate and when they met she explained that she wanted to change psychiatrist as she felt her current psychiatrist was not listening to her. Laura also said she wanted a review of her medication and had concerns about the lack of aftercare planning for her return home.

Daniel explained Laura’s rights and supported her to access appropriate information about her medication and its use. This helped Laura to feel more empowered in discussions with her clinical team. With Daniel’s support she also felt more able to self-advocate in her ward rounds. Laura asked Daniel to raise her concerns about her medication and her discharge from hospital with her clinical team. These issues were discussed and added to Laura’s care plan. Daniel also supported Laura to raise her concerns about not being listened to with her psychiatrist and as a result their relationship improved.

Daniel attended three ward rounds with Laura, and each time Laura grew in confidence and was able to give her views about her treatment options and ensure that discharge planning was taking place every week. Laura and her psychiatrist agreed changes to her medication and a robust aftercare package was put in place when Laura returned home. Laura felt that Daniel’s help had been invaluable in supporting her understanding and confidence to achieve the outcomes she wanted. She felt that her current and future risk of being readmitted to hospital had been significantly reduced by having a proper aftercare package.

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Debbie’s Story

Debbie is 63 and has a physical disability which affects her mobility. Following a care assessment she was informed that the number of hours of support she received as part of her care package would be cut. Debbie complained about this and about her social worker, who she felt was abrupt and did not listen to her but nothing changed.

Debbie contacted POhWER and was allocated an advocate – Clive. Clive explained that his role was to support her to get her views across. Debbie told him that since her care package hours had been reduced there was not enough time for her carers to do her shopping, laundry and housework. With Clive’s help Debbie wrote to social care to request a new social worker and a reassessment of her care package.

Debbie received a written response from social care saying that they felt her original social worker had acted appropriately but that she had been allocated a new social worker and that a reassessment would be arranged. Debbie asked Clive to support her at the reassessment to ensure that she was able to make her wishes known and that she was listened to; with Clive’s support, she explained to the new social worker and an occupational therapist why she had challenged the previous assessment.

Debbie’s care package was reinstated to the same level as before. Debbie was grateful for the support she received from Clive, and said that without it, she would not have been listened to or had her wishes acted upon. She said she feels stronger now and that next time there is an issue she will be able to tackle it on her own, but knows how to get help if she needs it.

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Trustees’ Annual Report

The trustees are pleased to present their annual report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2021.

The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Articles of Association, 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 (FRS 102). The Trustees’ Annual Report includes the requirements of the Strategic Report as required by company law.

Objectives & Activities

POhWER was founded in 1996 and in 1997 registered as a charity and limited company. It is governed according to its Articles of Association.

Charitable Objects

The principal objects of the charitable company, as set out in its Articles of Association, are “To promote social inclusion for the public benefit by preventing people from becoming socially excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are socially excluded[1] ” in particular but not exclusively by:

• Providing information, advice, support, empowerment and advocacy and managing advocacy and user-involvement projects which help people to speak up and to be heard as well as secure their rights and entitlements;

• Supporting the development of empowerment, advocacy and service user-involvement projects which help people;

• Supporting and providing information, advice, support, empowerment and advocacy and user-involvement projects;

• Promoting information, advice, support, empowerment and advocacy and good practice in information, advice, support, advocacy and userinvolvement Promoting equal opportunities for people;

• Educating and training people and organisations about empowerment, advocacy and user-involvement;

• Providing information, advice, support, empowerment and advocacy to people and those responsible for providing services to them.

1 For the purpose of this clause ‘socially excluded’ means being excluded from society, or parts of society, as a result of one of more of the following factors: ill health (physical or mental); learning, physical, sensory or other disability; unemployment; financial hardship; youth or old age; substance abuse or dependency including alcohol and drugs; discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, disability, ethnic origin, religion, belief, creed, sexual orientation or gender reassignment; poor educational or skills attainment; relationship and family breakdown; poor housing (that is housing that does not meet basic habitable standards; crime (either as a victim of crime or as an offender rehabilitating into society).

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Statement of Public Benefit

POhWER’s purpose is to benefit the public and in particular people who have learning difficulties, physical, sensory or other disabilities, mental health problems, dementia, people who are aged, in poverty, marginalised by societal disadvantage or who are otherwise socially excluded.

POhWER operates within its charitable objects to support people to have a voice so they can uphold their rights, prevent discrimination, and abuse and obtain the care and support they need. POhWER has worked within its charitable objects in 2020/21 and the trustees have taken decisions in line with POhWER’s objects and values, focused on the people we support and taken into account the Charity Commission public benefit guidance.

Vision & Mission Statement

Our vision and mission is to empower people to have a voice and make a real difference to their lives. We do this by speaking for them when they can't and supporting them to speak for themselves when they can.

POhWER aims to enable all that need it to have a voice, achieve empowerment and self-help so they win respect and uphold their rights and get their essential needs met. We focus on the most excluded members of society, so they are listened to when decisions are being made about them or the services that they need.

Values

Our values are our core principles, the qualities and beliefs that drive all of our work. These have evolved over the years and are now refined to ensure we put people at the heart of everything we do in the way we work with our beneficiaries, partners and stakeholders and, equally importantly, with each other. Our values are as follows:

• P rofessional – we are committed to working in a confidential and personcentred way – being professional, respectful, reliable, honest and independent.

• E mpowering – we will empower people to develop their skills and confidence, stand up for their rights and regain control – creating a culture of enablement, not dependency.

• O pen, free and fair – we will deliver services that are free to use and accessible to all members of the community while encouraging and valuing differences and diversity and always working in a fair and open way.

• P ositive difference – we will ensure that our passion for our work results in a positive difference to people’s lives and use the learning from our casework to have a positive impact on the delivery of services in the future.

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• L ocal – we will engage with local communities in the areas that we serve, understanding their specific needs and determining the best way to meet these.

• E ngaging – we will meaningfully listen and engage with people and groups to ensure they are involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of our services, ensuring we are a pioneering client and needs led organisation.

Our Impact in 2020-2021

We routinely capture information about the outcomes that we help people achieve to ensure we are delivering benefits to the beneficiaries we serve.. Our - impact report can be found on our website: https://www.pohwer.net/our impact

Our services are outcome-focused. Our colleagues are trained to work with all beneficiaries to focus on identifying, recording and reviewing outcomes for each individual. These outcomes can include helping people to:

• access information and services;

• understand their options, their rights and the system (e.g. the policy / procedural / legal framework) that impacts on their quality of life and understand how to engage with professionals involved in decisions affecting them;

• make informed choices;

• feel empowered and confident to take forward their issues;

• improve their quality of life / resolve issues that compromise their health, wellbeing or quality of life;

• speak up and self-advocate / self-help;

• prevent escalation of their issues;

• engage with local services;

• secure entitlements and rights;

• maintain or enhance their independence

As we passed through the pandemic the role of advocacy, information & advice became paramount to supporting our beneficiaries to have their voices heard and rights upheld. Easements of legislative duties, blanket approaches, dilution of rights and poor access were key themes which threatened our beneficiaries’ lives during the pandemic. We saw socially excluded, vulnerable and marginalised people in many cases finding themselves worse off due to emergency powers and measures taken to manage the pandemic.

During 2020-2021, POhWER supported 82,300 total people with one-to-one advocacy services, handled 340,619 information and advice calls through our Help Hubs and supported 95,935 issues through our work. In this year of the pandemic POhWER responded to 14,041 issues which were COVID-19 related and additionally provided support for 6,943 food, fuel poverty or other basic needs issues.

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Advocacy Services

This past year we saw a decrease in advocacy cases due to restrictions on face to face contact during the pandemic.

Data Measure	2019-20	2020-2021	**% Change **
No. of new people supported 1:1 advocacy cases thisyear	74,636	64,312	-13.8%
No. of existing people supported 1:1 advocacy cases over multiple years	27,356	18,268	-33.2%
Total No. of people supported 1:1 advocacy cases	101,992	82,300	-19.3%

Information & Advice

The pandemic created a surge in demand for our information and advice services managed by our Help Hubs.

Data Measure	2019-20	2020-2021	**% Change **
Total No. of contacts (phone calls, emails, video conferences)	253,216	340,619	34.5%

Digital Self-Advocacy

The expansion of our digital information resources available to the general public and investments in awareness building of human rights through public speaking and media grew our website reach.

Data Measure	2019-20	2020-2021	**% Change **
Number of webpage views	406,832	426,854	4.92%
Number of self-help and information resources downloaded from our website	35,391	35,072	-0.9%

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Diversity Profile

Our initial focus on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion this past year sought to understand the demographics and lived experiences of the beneficiaries we serve and our workforce.

POhWER does not have a typical beneficiary and the diversity of the people who use our services to uphold rights and entitlements across public institutions reflects this.

Diversity Profile of POhWER Beneficiaries 2020-2021

This past year we established our first staff network groups in the Charity’s history including Empohwerace (Anti-racism), Rainbow (LGBTQI+) and Neurodiversity to augment and complement our existing Unify staff consultative group ensuring we continue to be an open and inclusive culture.

We recognise that many of our staff and volunteers share the lived experiences of our beneficiaries.

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Diversity Profile of POhWER Staff & Volunteers 2020-2021

Financial Review

POhWER are pleased to report growth in 2020/21 with a surplus of £1,065,176 and an increase in both cash balances and free reserves.

The external environment in which we operate continues to be challenging. Local authorities and other commissioners we work with have continued to cut budgets against a backdrop of rising client needs. The pandemic has stretched our capacity and resources in new ways as we responded to the crisis experienced by our beneficiaries.

Our income for 2020/21 increased by 15.8% to £15,624,829, (2019/20 £13,495,348). This figure includes additional Income from new contracts, emerging model pilots and grants that commenced in the year. This was achieved whilst successfully managing our expenditure within budget.

Our overall surplus for 2020/21 was £1,065,176, (2019/20 £287,024). This included the efficient management of our central costs to the level originally budgeted for in 2020/21. The impacts of the worldwide pandemic resulted in our support services being in greater demand, driving the growth in our income. Cost efficiency projects resulting from the implementation of improved policies,

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controls and procedures also drove cost savings across the charity adding to the surplus.

Our cash balances rose to £2,324,212 (2019/20 £577,513). We continue to scrutinise payment terms offered by our funders and make the case to improve them where we judge them to be unfair or disadvantageous to third sector organisations such as ourselves.

Reserves Policy and Going Concern

At 31 March 2021, POhWER held total reserves of £2,455,815 (2019/20 £1,390,639). Of this amount, £2,214,826 represents the charity’s free reserves (2019/20 £1,091,094). Free reserves are the unrestricted reserves of the charity that are not designated by the Trustees or that represent the value of fixed assets used by the charity.

During the financial period the Trustees reviewed the charity’s reserves policy. Having given due regard to users of the charity’s services and other stakeholders as well as considering guidance from the regulator, the new reserves policy is to hold free reserves of between 1.5 and 3.0 months operating expenditure.

At the year-end date the charity held free reserves representing 1.8 months of operating expenditure, within the range of the reserves policy.

Our current position is that we are able to meet all of our financial commitments on time and POhWER remains a going concern. The Trustees have made this assessment in respect to a period one year from the date of approval of these accounts.

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Risk Management

The Trustees have a responsibility for ensuring that the charity maintains a comprehensive risk management system and that appropriate actions are taken to manage and mitigate risks. The Finance, Audit and Risk Committee monitors and reviews these reports and reports to the Board on their effectiveness. The principal risks identified through their likelihood and impact on the Charity are:

Risk	Examples of mitigating actions
A safeguarding failure results in harm to a beneficiary or staff member	• External Safeguarding review completed and detailed Safeguarding plan and processes implemented • Specialist Safeguarding Resource in place • Safeguarding training, reinforcement and education for all staff, volunteers and trustees • Safer recruitment implemented • Annual review of safeguarding practice
Covid-19 adversely affects commissioners funding at current levels or to renew contracts at viable levels	• Regular contact with commissioners where Covid-19 restrictions make delivery of advocacy to contract levels difficult. • Rigorous retention and tender scoping process in place • Diversification of funding
The UK government retracts from the European Human Rights Act 1998 and dispenses with advocacy provision and funding as a statutory service	• Campaigning and influencing in the public domain through digital, media and social media outlets • Sharing Evidence with public bodies such as Parliament, CQC and EHRC • Raising awareness of human rights through digital thought leadership articles and public speaking
Unable to translate strategic intent into operational reality	• Ensure business plans are robust • Close monitoring of Strategy 2020-2025 Implementation Plan • Continue strive to improve efficiency and effectiveness of all of the charity’s teams and services

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POhWER’s Strategic Direction 2020-2025

POhWER has been working to effect change in British society since 1996. Our strategy describes where we are heading to and how we will achieve our aims and objectives. For charities like POhWER who are driving rights-led change through advocacy, a Theory of Change defines the long-term goals, influences, interventions, and factors involved in achieving them.

During 2020-2021, POhWER launched a new 5-year strategy. Our new strategy outlines the changes POhWER would like to see for our beneficiaries across the United Kingdom and to describe how we can make this happen.

Our strategic themes 2020-2025

The new strategy is built upon six foundations or strategic themes we want to realise through POhWER’s charitable work in the next 5 years.

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Who POhWER is here to support

We look at everyone who needs a helping hand through advocacy to lead independent lives and to uphold their rights.

Given POhWER’s broad reach, it is not possible to always use language that perfectly describes every single one of the lived experiences that our beneficiaries identify or relate with. In the present day, the Charity not only

focuses on people living with mental health, impairment or disability but also anyone who benefits from advocacy and the helping hand it provides. The lived experiences and circumstances covered are too wide to be able to use a set of vocabulary that applies to everyone’s circumstances. There is no “typical” POhWER beneficiary.

By vulnerable, we mean people who are at risk of abuse or harm due to threat to life or deprivation of liberty. We don’t use this word in a disempowering way. Vulnerable is also a legal term. In this country, under the protections of safeguarding law, service users and beneficiaries are afforded a different set of rights, protections and safeguards. It is our duty to uphold these where people do not have mental capacity to make their own decisions.

By marginalised, we refer to people who have been relegated to the fringes of society who are not part of the mainstream.

By socially excluded or isolated, we are referring to systemic practices or attitudes that have made certain groups of people within a society feel isolated and unimportant.

Where we empower people living with mental health and disability, our longterm commitment is to a social model of disability where we will continuously seek sustainable changes to seek true equality and empowerment.

A social model of disability is different than a medical model. The social model of disability identifies systemic barriers, derogatory attitudes, and social exclusion (intentional or inadvertent), which make it difficult or impossible for individuals with impairments to attain their valued.

Anyone at any point in their lives can benefit from advocacy – we support people, not labels.

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Problem Statement

Disempowerment isolation and discrimination towards people who are socially excluded, marginalised or vulnerable from individuals, institutions and communities limits their ability to participate fully in British society as independent and equal people.

Independent rights-led advocacy is not accessible to most who need it when they need it – supporting their life’s pathways through childhood, parenthood, social care, health, education, employment, criminal justice, local community engagement, family life, financial health and dying.

Guiding Principles to Change

With the end-goal in mind of empowerment, we seek to implement change through a number of guiding principles:

• Informing, empowering and advocating with impact

• Transforming societal attitudes and practices

• Challenging laws and upholding human rights

• Adapting to beneficiary unmet needs with timeliness and agility

• Embracing difference and recognising intersectionality and lived experience

• Finding holistic solutions which are ‘people-centred’ not task-driven

• Creating and investing in new innovative advocacy models

• Promoting Charity sustainability and stability

• Balancing bold expression with available resources & risk appetite

• Imbedding co-production into our service design and development

• Protecting core existing services, while entering new markets

• Respecting, investing in and supporting our staff and volunteers through change

Areas of Focus 2020-2025

We will move further towards achieving our vision through six areas of focused activity during 2020-2025:

1. Deliver more to each client through greater expertise, efficiency and digital development

2. Grow income through mutually beneficial partnerships, fundraising and commercial enterprise

3. Influence policy, public attitudes and legislation through campaigning, lobbying and influencing

4. Grow client reach through new models of impact-led advocacy and geographical expansion

5. Further embed co-production within the design and development of our services

6. Strengthen culture, skills, finances, governance and infrastructure

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Desired Outcomes and Achievements

Through our planning, implementation focus and investment POhWER hopes to demonstrate improvement and impact over the next 5 years.

	demonstrate improvement and	impact over the next 5years.
	5-year Desired Outcome (before 2025)	2020-2021 Achievement
	Beneficiary reach trebles to support people not supported byadvocacytoday	Over 400,000+ total people reached through POhWER’s advocacy, information and advice services.
	Service users and carers have an independent voice and are more empowered through POhWER’s intervention	Qualitative impact feedback from our beneficiaries has been broadly positive through our Voices of Beneficiaries review, however many unmet needs identified which will require further upskilling, growth and expansion for the Charity.
	British society becomes more inclusive and accepting and institutions value and understand the importance of equal treatment and access	This past year we focused on awareness raising, relationship building, educational and informative public speaking, digital information content development including podcasts with the hope of influencing the attitudes of the British public. Additionally, we launched our first Human Rights survey.
	Laws and human rights are upheld and new protections developed	This past year we saw a strengthening of laws and protections including LPS planning and Mental Health Act reform. However, emergency powers and easements placed our beneficiaries often at disadvantage and isolated them further from participatingas equalpeople in our society.
	Aspirations and unmet needs are better understood and embedded in future service design and development	During 2020-2021 we began to capture data to understand unmet needs of our beneficiaries. Next year we plan to shape this data into proposals and changes to enable us to better serve and deliver public benefit.
	Changes are supported by a people-centred sustainable organisation	We restructured our People Directorate – refreshing leadership team, updating policies and procedures, investing in operation and appointing the Charity’s first EDI Manager. We introduced virtual engagement forums and rolled out digital polling tools to ensure our workforce had a mechanism to provide feedback and take an active part in shaping the Charity’s future.

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5-year Desired Outcome (before 2025)	2020-2021 Achievement
Achieve >85% positive client qualityoutcomes every year	87% of our beneficiaries this year rated our services 5 out of 5.
To develop and implement six new models of non-statutory advocacy	Expansion of non-statutory services as outlined in New Services & Pilots section.
Embed structured co- production in service design and continuous development	Increased frequency of the service user panel meetings and design of lived experience panels to be launched in 21-22.
To secure new diversified income through fundraising, corporate partnerships and civil society partnerships	Expansion of partnership working with 34 civil society organisations. Diversification of income through launch of digital fundraising channels.
Campaign for proposed changes to key legislation, influence public attitudes and develop our national parliamentary/policy making relationships	We submitted five written evidence submissions to Parliament, managed campaigns against the use of blanket DNARs, provided input into Mental Health Act Reform, Liberty Protection Safeguards and Human Rights Act Review. We forged important new relationships with key policy making units within EHRC and CQC.
Raise beneficiary reach and awareness of POhWER through social media and digital information resources	Restructured our digital offering, expanded social media and information assets found on our website. Launched new podcast series.

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Reference and Administrative Details

Patrons Lord Michael Cashman CBE Peter Duncan Professor Deirdre Kelly CBE Lorraine Kelly CBE Nitu Shah Samantha Lee Howe (from December 2020) Vice Presidents Tim Anfilogoff Gary Blaker Phil Lawrence Carol Lee MBE Iris Lusack Aruna Patel Steven Rathbone Judith Smart Trustees Richard Carter (b)(c) (until November 2020) Waqas Chauhdry (b)(c) (until September 2020) Toby Cotton (a) Bridget Flint (a)(b) Geoff Gibbs (a) (Interim Chair from August 2020 to January 2021 and Deputy Chair from January 2021) Sandra Harding (a)(c) Genna Harwood-Armitage (b) Jackie Kinsey (b)(c) Sundera Kumara-Moorthy (a)(c) Lauren McGurk Mitch Miller (b) Tony Kildare (Chair from January 2021) Robert Wainwright (b)(c) (Chair from April 2019 to July 2020)

• (a) Member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee

• (b) Member of the People Committee (c) Member of the Fundraising and Income Generation Committee

Chief Executive

Mark Lister (until April 2020) Helen Moulinos (from May 2020)

Executive Team

Elyzabeth Hawkes – Deputy Chief Executive Tim Jarvis – Chief Finance Officer

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Roan Dyson – Director of Support Services (until January 2021) Fiona McArthur-Worbey – Director of Fundraising & Engagement (from March 2021) Julie Born – People Director (Interim from December 2020 and permanent from April 2021) Company Secretary Tim Jarvis Company Number 03323040 Charity Number 1061543 (England and Wales) SC048858 (Scotland) Website www.pohwer.net Registered Office Hertlands House Primett Road Stevenage Hertfordshire SG1 3EE Auditors Haysmacintyre LLP 10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1AG Bankers The Co-operative Bank plc PO Box 101 1 Balloon Street Manchester M60 4EP

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Structure, Governance and Management

Structure

POhWER is an organisation that is focused on its beneficiaries in the way we deliver our services and seek their feedback to inform future improvements. We engage with beneficiaries and local communities in the areas that we serve, understanding their specific needs and determining the best way to meet these in partnership with other organisations and commissioners. We meaningfully listen and engage with people and groups to ensure they are involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of our services, ensuring we are a pioneering client and needs-led organisation.

Governance

The Trustee Board are the charity’s trustees and legal directors of the company. The Board of Trustees can have a maximum of twelve members and a minimum of five.

Trustees are appointed through a transparent and rigorous recruitment and selection process and are elected by the Members at the AGM. Trustees can serve a maximum term of nine years.

Newly appointed Trustees are provided with a comprehensive induction programme which includes meeting the Executive team and with an emphasis on their responsibilities as a Trustee of the charity. All relevant documents are provided including a comprehensive Trustee Handbook.

Trustees deploy a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience essential to good governance. The range of expertise held by our Trustees is regularly reviewed To determine that it meets POhWER’s needs.

Trustees, Chief Executive and Executive team are expected to behave with the utmost integrity and professionalism at all times and to adhere to POhWER’s Code of Conduct and the Nolan Committee’s Seven Principles of Public Life. The Trustee Board has the responsibility for the strategic direction and governance of the charity ensuring that the charity upholds its values and core principles and delivers its charitable objects.

Operational management is delegated by the Trustees to the Chief Executive who is accountable to the Trustee Board. The Chief Executive and the Executive Team normally attend Board and Committee meetings.

All our Trustees give their time voluntarily and received no reward or benefit from POhWER.

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The Trustee Board meets a minimum of four times each year and in addition there is a Board Away Day which allows it to focus, along with the Executive team, on key strategic issues.

Trustees who served during the year are listed on page 30, together with information about their membership of Board Committees.

Delegation and committees

The Board maintains a Scheme of Delegation and matters reserved for the Committees to the Board are clearly defined in their Terms of Reference. The Committees report directly to the Board.

Is primarily responsible for all aspects of the charity’s financial strategy and performance. It oversees the charity’s resources and has the responsibility to protect the charity’s assets and reserves. It also has the responsibility for ensuring the effectiveness of the audit function and adequacy of risk management process and internal control.

Is primarily responsible for monitoring of the People Strategy and guiding and monitoring the effectiveness of key human resource policies so that they reflect the culture and values of the charity and abide by best practice and to review periodically staff remuneration.

Is primarily responsible for the oversight of the Fundraising and Income Generation strategy, income generation reporting, processes related to income generation and internal control and to consider proposals for appointment of Honorary Officers.

Management

Day-to-day management of POhWER is delegated to employees who operate within their defined terms of reference and a scheme of delegated authority. In 2020/21 the charitable company was organised into four directorates. The

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Heads of each directorate report to the Chief Executive and together they form the Executive Team.

The directorates are:

• Advocacy & Help Hub Operations & Service Delivery;

• Business Development, Income Generation, Fundraising, Marketing, Press & Media, External Engagement Digital and Service Design;

• People & HR;

• Finance, Risk and Governance.

Support functions including Safeguarding, Quality and IT are line managed by members of the Executive Team. These Heads of support functions, along with operational advocacy Regional Managers, make up the Senior Management Team.

Staff And Remuneration Of Key Management Personnel

The trustees consider that they, together with the Executive Team, comprise the key management personnel of the charity. Trustees are not remunerated for their services to the charity. Note 8 to the accounts gives details of key management personnel remuneration.

The Board of Trustees oversee the setting of remuneration for the Executive Management Team including the Chief Executive. During 2021-2022, the Board intends to undertake an independent job grading review evaluating pay for the entire organisation. The findings, proposal and financial impacts will be reviewed and considered by the Board of Trustees to inform future pay award decisions.

During 2020, pay gap regulatory reporting was suspended due to the pandemic. In 2021, POhWER will report again on gender pay gap information to the EHRC. The mean pay gap was 7.5% with a median 0.0% (both male to female). Female workers made up 81% of the workforce.

POhWER has a gender neutral pay banding structure It does not have a bonus scheme. POhWER has a Flexible Working Policy and an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy that are geared to family friendly working arrangements and equality for all employees ensuring there is consistency across the salary structure in place.

POhWER are proud to be accredited with Investors in People and is a Disability Confident Employer. We value diversity and work tirelessly to ensure that equality is embedded in our recruitment and retention policies and procedures. We communicate with our staff and volunteers through the charity’s intranet, a quarterly update from the Chief Executive, as well as holding local team meetings.

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Fundraising

POhWER has been working this past year to identify new sources of funding and diversify income. POhWER is embarking on new areas of fundraising and voluntary donations through the website, individual fundraising activity and partnerships.

During the financial year we did not work with any fundraising agencies or commercial participators. No complaints were received in respect of our fundraising activity.

POhWER is grateful to our commissioners for their contract funding of our services and to all the other individuals and organisations who have donated or fundraised. We value renewed support from those who fund us already and need to identify new income so we can respond to the growing numbers who need our help.

POhWER is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and committed to responsible and ethical fundraising practices. POhWER complies with the Code of Fundraising Practice and the Fundraising Promise.

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Trustee Responsibilities Statement

The charity trustees (who are also the directors of POhWER for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) including FRS 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

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

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles in the 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);

• make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

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

Each of the trustees confirms that:

• so far as the Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware;

• the Trustee has taken all steps that he or she ought to have taken, as a trustee, in order to be aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charitable company’s auditor is aware of that information.

This confirmation is given and should be interpreted in accordance with the provisions of s148 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees had no beneficial interests in, or contracts with, the charitable company during the year. Trustees may reclaim the expenses incurred in

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fulfilling their duties as trustees, and these are disclosed in notes 7 and 18 of the financial statements. All the trustees are required to be Members of the charitable company, but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charitable company.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

The Trustees’ Annual Report, incorporating the Strategic Report, was approved by the board of trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Antony Kildare

Chair of the Board of Trustees

23 November 2021

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Independent auditor’s report to the members and trustees of POhWER

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of POhWER for the year ended 31 March 2021 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the 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:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2021 and of the charitable company’s net movement in funds, including the income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

Basis for opinion

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

Conclusions relating to going concern

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

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

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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 Trustees’ Annual Report and the Welcome from our Chair and Chief Executive. 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:

• the information given in the Trustees’ Annual Report (which includes the strategic report and the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law) for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• the strategic report and the directors’ report included within the Trustees’ Annual Report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

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 Trustees’ Annual Report (which incorporates the strategic report and the directors’ report).

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

• adequate accounting records have not been kept by the charitable company; or

• the charitable company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

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• certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees for the financial statements

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on pages 36 and 37, 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.

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

Based on our understanding of the charitable company and the environment in which it operates, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to company law in England and Wales, and charity law in England and Wales and in Scotland, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the

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preparation of the financial statements such as the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and payroll taxes.

We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to management override of controls. Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:

• Inspecting correspondence with regulators and tax authorities;

• Discussions with management including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulation and fraud;

• Evaluating management’s controls designed to prevent and detect irregularities;

• Identifying and testing journals, in particular journal entries posted with unusual account combinations, postings by unusual users or with unusual descriptions; and

• Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in their critical accounting estimates.

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

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006, section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 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.

Steven Harper (Senior Statutory Auditor)

For and on behalf of Haysmacintyre LLP, Statutory Auditors 10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1AG

29 November 2021

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Statement of financial activities for the year ended 31 March 2021

(Including an Income & Expenditure Account)

Note	Restricted 2021 £ Unrestricted 2021 £ Total 2021 £ Restricted 2020 Unrestricted 2020 Total 2020 £
Income from: Donations & Legacies 2 Charitable Activities: - Contract Income 3 - Grants 3 Investment Income 4 Other Sources 5 Total income Expenditure on: Cost of raising funds Charitable activities: 6 -Statutory services -Non Statutory Services -Secure services -Other services Subtotal – Charitable Act. Total expenditure	- 35,663 35,663 - 43,790 43,790 - 14,945,770 14,945,770 13,333 13,299,895 13,313,228 562,829 - 562,829 103,468 103,468 - 761 761 - 4,816 4,816 - 79,806 79,806 - 30,046 30,046
	562,829 15,062,000 15,624,829 116,801 13,378,547 13,495,348
	- (7,319) (7,319) - (35,000) (35,000) - (9,790,267) (9,790,267) - (9,418,599) (9,418,599) (577,620) (2,421,492) (2,999,112) (90,752) (1,910,173) (2,000,925) - (1,758,182) (1,758,182) - (1,723,232) (1,723,232) - (4,773) (4,773) - (30,568) (30,568)
	(577,620) (13,974,714) (14,552,334) (90,752) (13,082,572) (13,173,324)
	(577,620) (13,982,033) (14,559,653) (90,752) (13,117,572) (13,208,324)

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Note	Restricted 2021 £ Unrestricted 2021 £ Total 2021 £ Restricted 2020 Unrestricted 2020 Total 2020 £
Net income/(expense) 7 Transfers between funds Net movement between funds Reconciliation of Funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward 15	(14,791) 1,079,967 1,065,176 26,049 260,975 287,024 - - - 1,126 (1,126) - (14,791) 1,079,967 1,065,176 27,175 259,849 287,024 27,175 1,363,464 1,390,639 - 1,103,615 1,103,615
	12,384 2,443,431 2,455,815 27,175 1,363,464 1,390,639

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. All recognised gains and losses are included in the above statement of financial activities.

The notes on pages 46-64 form part of these financial statements.

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Balance Sheet

as at 31 March 2021

Company registration number 03323040

Note	Total 2021 £ Total 2020 £
Fixed assets Intangible fixed assets 10 Tangible fixed assets 11 Current assets Debtors 12 Cash at bank and in hand Current liabilities Creditors: amounts due within one year 13 Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Net assets Restricted funds Unrestricted funds Designated funds 15 Fixed asset funds 15 General funds 15 Total funds	4,815 23,234 165,094 116,066
	169,909 139,300 1,693,160 1,993,706 2,324,212 577,513
	4,017,372 2,571,219 (1,731,466) (1,319,880)
	2,285,906 1,251,339
	2,455,815 1,390,639
	2,455,815 1,390,639
	12,384 27,175 58,696 133,070 169,909 139,300 2,214,826 1,091,094
	2,455,815 1,390,639

Approved and authorised for issue by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Antony Kildare Chair of Trustees

23[rd] November 2021

The notes on pages 46-64 form part of these financial statements.

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Statement of cash flows

for the year ended 31 March 2021

	Total 2021 £ Total 2020 £
Cash flow from operating activitiesA Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities Cash flows from investing activities - Purchase of tangible and intangible fixed assets Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at 1 April 2020 Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 2021B	1,870,684 99,179
	(123,985) (97,444)
	1,746,699 1,735
	577,513 575,778
	2,324,212 577,513

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Notes to the statement of cash flows for the year ended 31 March 2021

ended 31 March 2021	ended 31 March 2021
A.Reconciliation of net income (expenditure) to net cash provided by operating activities Net income (expenditure) (as per the statement of financial activities) Adjustments for: Depreciation charge Amortisation charge Profit on disposal of assets (Increase) decrease in debtors Increase (decrease) in creditors Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities B_._Analysis of cash and cash equivalents Cash in hand Cash at bank Cash on instant access deposit accounts Cash held in supplier client accounts Total cash and cash equivalents _B._Analysis of movement in net funds 2020 £ Cash in hand 579 Cash at bank 222,504 Cash on instant access deposit accounts 354,798 Cash held in supplier client accounts (368) Total cash and cash equivalents 577,513		2021 £ 2020 £
		1,065,176 287,024 74,957 52,724 18,419 19,216 - - 300,546 (609,183) 411,586 349,398
		1,870,684 99,179
		436 579 212,407 222,504 2,055,540 354,798 55,829 (368)
		2,324,212 577,513
		Movement £ 2021 £ (143) 436 (10,097) 212,407 1,700,742 2,055,540 56,197 55,829
	577,513	1,746,699 2,324,212

The notes on pages 46-64 form part of these financial statements.

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Notes to the Financial Statements

for the year ended 31 March 2021

1. Accounting Policies

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are laid out below.

Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared for the year to 31 March 2021 with comparative information provided in respect of the year to 31 March 2020. They are presented in sterling and rounded to the nearest whole pound.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items initially recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).

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 Standards applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (‘Charities SORP FRS 102’) (Second Edition, effective 1 January 2019) and the Companies Act 2006.

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

Entity Status

POhWER is a company limited by guarantee registered in England Wales (company number 03323040). It is a registered charity, registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (registered charity number 1061543), and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (registered charity number SC048858). Its registered address is Hertlands House, Primett Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 3EE.

Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgement

Preparation of the accounts requires the trustees and management to make significant judgements and estimates.

The items in the accounts where these judgements and estimates have been made include:

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• the useful economic lives attributed to tangible and intangible fixed assets to determine the appropriate depreciation and amortisation charges;

• the basis on which support cost have been allocated across expenditure headings;

• the estimated value of accrued income and work in progress; and

• the recoverability of trade debtors.

Assessment of going concern

The charity recorded a surplus of £1,065,176 in the year, and a net cash inflow of £1,746,699. At the balance sheet date, the charity held cash balances of £2,324,212 and free reserves of £2,214,826.

The trustees have assessed whether the use of the going concern assumption is appropriate in preparing these accounts. The trustees have made this assessment in respect to a period of one year from the date of approval of these accounts, taking into account the expected commercial effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The trustees of the charity have concluded that there are no material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. The trustees are of the opinion that the charity will have sufficient resources to meet its liabilities as they fall due. The most significant areas of judgement that affect items in the accounts are detailed on the previous section. In the context of budgets and forecasts used to assess going concern, there is an additional judgement which is the success rate of winning and retaining advocacy contracts. This is typical of charities such as POhWER operating in the advocacy sector and as a larger charity there is a less dependency on a small number of contracts. With regard to the year from the approval of these accounts, the most significant risk relates to managing the charity’s working capital. The charity manages this risk through the interrogation and negotiation of client payment terms offered, proactive credit control, daily cash monitoring and forecasting and an arranged overdraft facility for contingency use. Forecasts have been prepared to March 2022 and accordingly the trustees are satisfied that there will be sufficient cash flows to support the charity’s operations for a minimum period of one year from the date of the accounts.

Income

All types of income are recognised in the period in which the charity has entitlement to the income, the amount of income can be measured reliably, and it is probable that the income will be received. Income comprises contract income receivable for the delivery of charitable activities, supplemented by voluntary donations, investment and other miscellaneous income.

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Income from voluntary donations comprises donations, legacies and gifts which are recognised in the statement of financial activities when received. Gift Aid is recognised and claimed where the eligibility criteria are met. ‘In kind’ donations are measured at the lower of arms-length valuation or value to the charity should the goods or services have been procured at market rates.

Contract income arises from the provision of advocacy services according to the terms of contracts and service level agreements with contract commissioners which comprise local authorities and other organisations. Contract income is recognised in the statement of financial activities over the period for which advocacy services are provided. Where contract income is subject to service level agreements and subject to the quantity of services provided, it is recognised to the extent that chargeable services have been provided.

Investment income is recognised where the charity has entitlement and the amount can be reliably measured.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. All expenditure is stated inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

Expenditure comprises direct costs, support costs and fundraising costs. All direct costs and support costs are allocated or apportioned to the main categories of charitable activity, these are non-statutory advocacy, statutory advocacy, secure and complex services, and other. Costs of raising funds are shown on the Statement of Financial Activities.

Support costs are those costs that, whilst necessary to enable the charity to deliver charitable services, do not themselves produce charitable outputs. These support costs include management and administration, human resources, business development, finance and IT.

Direct costs are allocated to the particular activity to which the cost relates. Support costs are apportioned on the basis of income for each category of charitable activity.

Governance costs are the costs associated with the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charitable company. Such costs include external audit, preparation of statutory accounts, trustees’ meetings, including specialist access and support costs to enable our volunteer trustees from our service users/members groups to participate and any costs associated with risk management and compliance.

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Volunteers

POhWER deeply values the contribution from all those who volunteer their time, commitment and expertise for POhWER. The number of volunteers is rising and includes current and former service users who use their experience and skills to help others (see ‘Making a difference’ for examples). Volunteer roles range from the provision of advocacy services to administrative support services, and their contribution enables POhWER to increase the number of clients reached.

In accordance with the guidance in the Charities SORP FRS 102, the value of volunteers is not included in the statement of financial activities.

Taxation

The charitable company is a registered charity and is exempt from the taxation of income falling within chapter 3 part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 and section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that this income is used to achieve its charitable objectives. No charge to taxation for the year has arisen as a result of the activities of the charity.

Value Added Tax is not recoverable by the charitable company and is included within the relevant costs in the statement of financial activities.

Operating Leases

Rentals applicable to operating leases where substantially all of the benefits and risks of ownership remain with the lessor are charged to the statement of financial activities in equal annual amounts over the lease term.

Defined Contribution Pension Schemes

The defined contribution pension scheme costs charged in the statement of financial activities represent the employer’s pension contributions payable by the charitable company during the financial year.

Intangible Fixed Assets

Intangible fixed assets represent the cost of developing bespoke advocacy case management software. Intangible assets costing more than £1,000 are capitalised. The cost of intangible assets includes incidental acquisition costs. Intangible fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated amortisation. Amortisation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost or valuation of each intangible fixed asset, once brought into use, on a straight-line basis to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The amortisation rate is as follows:

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Bespoke software 25.00%

Intangible fixed assets are reviewed for impairment if circumstances indicate their carrying value may exceed their net realisable value and value in use.

Tangible Fixed Assets

Tangible fixed assets costing more than £1,000 are capitalised. The cost of tangible assets includes incidental acquisition costs. Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost or valuation of each tangible fixed asset, once brought into use, on a straight-line basis to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates are as follows:-

Office Equipment: 33.33% Fixtures and Fittings: 20.00% Computer Equipment: 33.33%

Tangible fixed assets are reviewed for impairment if circumstances indicate their carrying value may exceed their net realisable value and value in use.

Debtors

Debtors are recognised at their settlement amount, less any provision for nonrecoverability. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid. Debtors are discounted to the present value of the future cash receipt where such discounting is material.

Work in Progress

Where income is earned at the end of a referral, the value of work in progress is estimated based on the number of open cases at the year end and the average extent of completeness. Work in progress is included in the accounts only to the extent that the value is material, and judged to be recoverable

Cash at Bank and in Hand

Cash at bank and in hand represents such accounts and instruments that are available on demand or have a maturity of less than three months from the date of acquisition.

Creditors and Provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised when there is an obligation at the balance sheet date as a results of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of

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economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are recognised at the amount the charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt. They have been discounted to the present value of the future cash payment where such discounting is material.

Financial Instruments

Financial instruments are classed as basic, including debtors and creditors. If arrangement with the debtor or creditor constitutes a financing transaction, it is measured at the net present value of future payments, discounted at market rates to the extent where such discounting is material.

Fund Accounting

Unrestricted funds comprise accumulated surpluses and deficits on the general fund which are available for use in furtherance of the objectives of the Charity and which have not been restricted by the donor or designated by the Trustees for a specific purpose.

Designated funds are funds transferred from unrestricted funds that the trustees have set aside for a specific purpose.

Restricted funds are those where income has been received from a donor who places specific restrictions on how the funds must be spent. Restricted funds are only expendable in relation to the purposes set out by the donor.

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2. Income From Donations

			2021	2020
		Unrestricted		Unrestricted
			£	£
Donations and gifts			12,230	15,302
Legacies			500	-
Donations in kind			22,933	28,488
			35,663	43,790
. Income From Charitable Activities
	2021	2021	2021	2020
				Total
	Restricted	Unrestricted	Total	£
	£	£	£
Statutory Services	-	10,708,954	10,708,954	9,575,812
Non Statutory Services	562,829	2,290,298	2,853,127	2,067,743
Secure & Complex	-	1,923,823	1,923,823	1,773,141
Services
Other	-	22,695	22,695	-
	562,829	14,945,770	15,580,599	13,416,696

3. Income From Charitable Activities

Restricted income from non-statutory services was £116,801 in 2020.

4. Investment Income

. Investment Income
Bank Interest Receivable . Income From Other Sources Other fees & recharged services CJRS grants Total	2021 Unrestricted 2020 Unrestricted £ £
	761 4,816
	2021 Unrestricted 2020 Unrestricted £ £
	25,129 30,046 54,677 -
	79,806 30,046

5. Income From Other Sources

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6. Expenditure On Charitable Activities

Current year: Direct operating costs Support costs Management and Administration Human Resources Business Development Finance IT Governance	2021 Statutory services £ 2021 Non Statutory services £ 2021 Secure services £ 2021 Other services £ 2021 Total £
	8,878,757 2,756,264 1,594,432 2,84213,323,295
	304,105 81,020 54,632 644 440,401 192,132 51,189 34,516 406 278,243 158,267 42,166 28,432 336 229,201 158,556 66,656 42,243 17,759 28,484 11,974 337 141 229,620 96,530 31,794 8,471 5,712 67 46,044
	911,510 242,848 163,750 1,931 1,320,039
	9,790,267 2,999,112 1,758,182 4,77314,552,334

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Prior Year Comparison: Direct operating costs Support costs Management and Administration Human Resources Business Development Finance IT Governance	2020 Statutory services £ 2020 Non Statutory services £ 2020 Secure services £ 2020 Other services £ 2020 Total £
	8,504,962 1,813,511 1,554,055 27,702 11,900,230
	265,131 54,387 49,094 831 369,443 128,437 26,346 23,783 403 178,969 201,667 41,368 37,342 633 281,010 184,205 93,626 37,786 19,205 34,109 17,337 578 294 256,678 130,462 40,571 8,322 7,512 127 56,532
	913,637 187,414 169,177 2,866 1,273,094
	9,418,599 2,000,925 1,723,232 30,568 13,173,324

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7. Net Income / (Expenditure) For The Year

Net income / (expenditure) is stated after charging:

Depreciation and amortisation Operating lease rentals Auditors’remuneration - Audit provision for current year Trustees’ remuneration Trustees’ reimbursed expenses	2021 £ 2020 £
	93,376 71,940 126,728 54,456 22,260 20,370 - - 1,702 7,989

8. Staff Costs And Remuneration Of Key Management Personnel

Staff costs were as follows:

Salaries and wages Redundancy payments (including payments in lieu of notice) Social security costs Pension contributions	2021 £ 2020 £
	9,316,9078,880,558 39,554 72,414 771,828 733,729 253,766 275,202
	10,382,0559,961,903

The number of employees whose emoluments exceeded £60,000 was as follows:

		2021	2020
		No.	No.
£60,000	to £70,000	2	2
£80,000	to £90,000	1	-

The company made contributions to the pension plans of 3 employees whose emoluments exceeded £60,000 in 2020/21 of £ 6,405. (2019/20 £3,806, 2 employees).

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees and the Executive Team.

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None of the trustees receive any remuneration in connection with their services to the charity (2019/20: £nil). The total remuneration including employer’s pension contributions of the Executive Team for the year was £305,118 (2019/20: £225,669).

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

	2021 No. 2020 No.
Charitable activities Management, support services and administration	381 392 22 26
	403 418

In accordance with the relevant accounting standards, employee numbers are counted irrespective of hours worked. POhWER benefits from the services of part time employees, and the headcount expressed in full time equivalents would be 323 for charitable activities (2019/20: 317) and 21 in management, support services and administration (2019/20: 24).

9. Defined Contribution Pension Schemes

The charitable company opened a defined contribution pension scheme provided by the NOW: Pensions Trust effective from the staging date of 1 April 2016, we subsequently moved to The Peoples Pension on 1 April 2019, both schemes satisfy the requirements of automatic enrolment pension legislation. The charitable company pays employer’s contributions of 3% of pensionable salary into this defined contribution pension scheme provided that an employee pays employee contributions of at least 5% of pensionable salary. The charitable company pays employer’s contributions exceeding 3% in a limited number of cases in order to comply with contractual obligations. At the year end, amounts of £55,682 were due to the pension scheme provider (2019/20: £52,646).

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10. Intangible Fixed Assets

0. Intangible Fixed Assets
Cost or valuation At the start of the year Additions in year At the end of the year Depreciation At the start of the year Charge for the year At the end of the year Net book value At the end of the year At the start of theyear	Bespoke Software £
	202,273 -
	202,273
	(179,039) (18,419)
	(197,458)
	4,815
	23,234

11. tangible fixed assets

Cost or valuation At the start of the year Additions in year Disposals in the year At the end of the year Depreciation At the start of the year Charge for the year Disposals in the year At the end of the year Net book value At the end of the year At the start of theyear	Office Equipment £ Fixtures and Fittings £ Computer Equipment £ Total £
	138,864 30,766 764,273 933,903 16,614 5,641 101,730 123,985 (77,592) (11,345) (362,252) (451,189)
	77,886 25,062 503,751 606,699
	(138,864) (30,766) (648,207) (817,837) (3,692) (846) (70,419) (74,957) 77,592 11,345 362,252 451,189
	(64,964) (20,267) (356,374) (441,605)
	12,922 4,795 147,377 165,094
	- - 116,066 116,066

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12. Debtors

12. Debtors
	2021 £ 2020 £
Trade debtors Accrued income Prepayments Other debtors	1,496,778 1,810,325 74,313 59,078 96,923 108,309 25,146 15,994
	1,693,160 1,993,706

13. Creditors: Amounts Due Within One Year

	2021 £ 2020 £
Trade creditors Taxation and social security Accrued expenses Other creditors Deferred income	259,767 272,289 189,835 178,327 191,502 290,113 62,276 57,499 1,028,086 521,652
	1,731,466 1,319,880

Income received in advance of the provision of services is deferred. Deferred income recognised during the year is as follows:

	£
Deferred income brought forward	521,652
Deferred income released during the year	(229,095)
Income deferred duringtheyear	735,529
Deferred income carried forward	1,028,086

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14. Movement In Restricted Funds

14. Movement In Restricted Funds	14. Movement In Restricted Funds
Start of year 1.4.2020 Income Expenditure Transfers between funds End of year 31.3.2021 £ £ £ £ £
Restricted funds - Birmingham NNS 12,495 390,335 (402,727) - 103 - Herts Community Navigator Service - 136,744 (136,743) (1) - - Management Funding - 13,750 (13,750) - - - Oxfordshire Community Advocacy 14,680 - (2,399) - 12,281 - Hertfordshire CEV Grant - 10,000 (10,001) 1 - - Nottingham Social PrescribingPilot - 12,000 (12,000) - -
Total Funds 27,175 562,829 (577,620) - 12,384
Prior Year Comparison Start of year 1.4.2019 Income Expenditure Transfers between funds End of year 31.3.2020 £ £ £ £ £
	Start of year 1.4.2019 Income Expenditure Transfers between funds End of year 31.3.2020 £ £ £ £ £
Restricted funds - Birmingham NNS - Community Navigator Service - Management Funding - Oxfordshire Community Advocacy - Shout About It	- 51,668 (39,173) - 12,495 - 35,000 (35,000) - - - 13,333 (13,333) - - - 15,000 (320) - 14,680 - 1,800 (2,926) 1,126 -
Total Funds	- 116,801 (90,752) 1,126 27,175

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14. Movement In Restricted Funds (Continued)

Restricted Funds

Birmingham NNS (Neighbourhood Network Scheme)

Working on behalf of Birmingham City Council to support citizens over 50 in the community to live healthy, independent lives. The Neighbourhood Network

Scheme helps connect older people to individuals, groups, organisations, activities, services and places in their neighbourhoods.

Management Funding

Funding from Hertfordshire County Council and NHS Herts Valleys CCG towards the HertsHelp service Manager.

Hertfordshire Navigator Service

A grant for a Community Navigator who provides face to face support to help with a variety of issues including practical support to help arrange bill payments, sorting domestic paperwork and reviewing benefit entitlement in Hertfordshire.

Hertfordshire CEV Grant

A grant to support clinically extremely vulnerable clients in Hertfordshire

Nottingham Social Prescribing Pilot

A pilot to develop a social prescribing service in Nottingham.

Oxfordshire Community Advocacy

A grant from Oxfordshire Advocacy, known as Getting Heard, to deliver community advocacy in Oxfordshire.

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15. Movement In Unrestricted Funds

	Start of			Transfers	End of
	year			between	year
	1.4.2020	Income	Expenditure	funds	31.3.2021
	£	£	£	£	£
Unrestricted funds
- General fund	1,091,094	15,049,534	(13,895,193)	(30,609)	2,214,826
Designated funds
- Arthur Bate fund	39,730	-	-	-	39,730
- PR fund	5,000	-	(5,000)	-	-
- Staff training	17,500	-	(11,000)	-	6,500
- Technology	70,840	-	(70,840)	-	-
development fund
- Community fund	-	12,466	-	-	12,466
Fixed assets fund	139,300	-	-	30,609	169,909
Total Funds	1,363,464	15,062,000	(13,982,033)	-	2,443,431

Prior Year Comparison

	Start of			Transfers	End of
	year			between	year
	1.4.2019	Income	Expenditure	funds	31.3.2020
	£	£	£	£	£
Unrestricted funds
- General fund	956,089	13,378,547	(13,123,572)	(119,970)	1,091,094
Designated funds
- Arthur Bate fund	33,730	-	6,000	-	39,730
-PR fund	-	-	-	5,000	5,000
-Staff training
development fund	-	-	-	17,500	17,500
-Technology development fund	-	-	-	70,840	70,840
Fixed assets fund	113,796	-	-	25,504	139,300
Total Funds	1,103,615	13,378,547	(13,117,572)	(1,126)	1,363,464

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15. Movement In Unrestricted Funds (Continued)

Unrestricted Funds

General fund

The General Fund comprises the accumulated surpluses and deficits which have neither been restricted by conditions imposed by donors, nor have been designated by the trustees for specific purposes.

Designated funds

The Arthur Bate fund

In memory of Arthur Bate, a founding trustee of POhWER and campaigner for the rights of people with disabilities, the Arthur Bate fund was created to provide support for people who:

• wish to become trustees of charities

• seek to set up self-advocacy groups

• want to set up peer support groups

• want to set up advocacy groups

• seek to start other kinds of advocacy activity

PR Fund

A seed fund to buy in specialist PR and media support to further develop the charity’s campaigning activities.

Staff Training Development Fund

A fund to purchase supplementary advocacy training and materials over and above the general budget for NAQ-level training.

Technology Development Fund

A fund for investment in (1) automation development and (2) ongoing improvements to the charity’s operational management system.

Community Fund

A fund to develop community advocacy and engagement.

Fixed assets fund

The fixed assets fund reflects the carrying net book value of the charity’s tangible and intangible fixed assets and has been separated from the charity’s general unrestricted funds in recognition of the fact that these assets are essential to the day-to-day operations of the charity and should not be considered realisable to meet future commitments.

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16. Analysis Of Net Assets Between Funds

Current Year Intangible Assets Tangible Assets Cash Debtors Creditors	General funds Designated funds Fixed assets fund Restricted Funds Total 2021 - - 2,253,132 - - 58,696 4,815 165,094 - - - 12,384 4,815 165,094 2,324,212 1,693,160 (1,731,466) - - - - - - 1,693,160 (1,731,466)
	2,214,826 58,696 169,909 12,384 2,455,815

Prior Year Comparison	General funds Designated funds Fixed assets fund Restricted Funds Total 2020
Intangible Assets Tangible Assets Cash Debtors Creditors	- - 417,268 - - 133,070 23,234 116,066 - - - 27,175 23,234 116,066 577,513 1,993,706 (1,319,880) - - - - - - 1,993,706 (1,319,880)
	1,091,094 133,070 139,300 27,175 1,390,639

17. Operating Lease Commitments

The total commitment under non-cancellable operating leases at 31 March 2021 is analysed according to the periods in which the leases expire:-

	2021 Land & Buildings 2020 Land & Buildings £ £
Less than 1 year 2-5 years	126,199 17,251 202,725 3,280
	328,924 20,531

Lease costs expensed during the year amounted to £126,728. (2019/20: £54,456)

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18. Related Party Transactions

During the financial year 7 trustees were reimbursed £1,702 (2019/20: 8 trustees reimbursed £7,989) for travel and incidental expenses which related to carrying out their duties as Trustees of the charitable company. Trustees are based in a wide geographical area in a reflection of the areas we work in.

Trustees made voluntary donations of £598 including Gift Aid (2019/20: £1,490).

There were no other related party transactions during the financial year (2019/20: none).

Expenditure includes £2,088 (2019/20: £1,986) in respect of trustees’ indemnity insurance which provides cover of up to a maximum of £5,000,000.

19. Managed Funds

At 31 March 2021 the charity held as custodian, funds comprising cash at bank on behalf of beneficiaries of the charity totalling £19,431 (2019/20: £23,706). These funds are not included in the financial statements.

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