Freeflow Counselling Services
Charity Number 1077053
Annual Report and Financial Statements
Year ended 31st August 2020
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Freeflow Counselling Services
Reference and administrative details
Trustees Mrs Kathryn Addison Mr Gordon Howley Mrs Lindsay Backhouse Chief Executive Officer Ms Edel McGinn Principal address E L V S Resource Centre 62-64 Yorkshire Street BURNLEY Lancashire BB11 2BT Bankers Unity Trust Bank PLC Nine Brindleyplace Birmingham B1 2HB Registered Charity Number 1077053 Independent Examiner M R Heaton FCCA FCIE DChA KM 1[st] Floor, Block C The Wharf Manchester Road Burnley Lancashire BB11 1JG
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FREEFLOW COUNSELLING SERVICES
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2020.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
To provide emotional and mental health support by the provision of counselling and supportive help to those in need. To empower people to take control of their own lives and to make choices about their own direction. To give support and information to those who ask for help. To recruit and maintain appropriately trained counsellors and offer ongoing support and liaison with other training and supervision agencies.
PUBLIC BENEFIT
The trustees confirm that we have paid due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit reporting in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE
Freeflow continues to provide a free, confidential counselling service for men and women aged 16+. The service is well used and well respected by both service users and professionals. We continue to take many referrals from various organisations throughout the community but encourage more self-referrals as this encourages the client to take responsibility for their therapy and reduces the amount of DNA’s.
We have 2 bilingual counsellors and a team of 13 volunteer counsellors. This has reduced significantly during COVID as the counsellors had other commitments or /and health issues. At end of August 2020 we had 41 clients on our waiting list - significantly higher than previous years due to an increased demand to deal with Covid related issues.
Our main achievements during the year include:-
The ongoing attainment of the Schools Counselling Service. We have Counselling contracts with 16 local primary and secondary schools. These contracts range from 3 hrs per week to 15 hrs per week, combined we offer over 125 hours per week. This work continues to subsidise Freeflow, pay the school counselling team and their manager/supervisor. We managed to maintain these contracts during Covid despite closures of schools. Payments continued from the schools as the counsellors adapted to remote counselling or face to face work following restrictions. Our manager, Edel, compiled risk assessments to enable this work to continue. We also continued to offer the free service reopening in July. Again, Edel compiled a risk assessment to support this work and the counselling rooms were adapted accordingly.
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FREEFLOW COUNSELLING SERVICES
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT – CONTINUED
We continue to offer IAPT work to support the local CCG in partnership with Lancashire Women Centre. Despite the closure during March – July we still achieved our target for the first quarter of the year – April – July. This contract was increased in 2019 as we overachieved our target for April 2019-April 2020. This is of significance as this enables Freeflow to continue offering the free service to the community. During the months of July and August we were the only counselling service in the area to offer face to face work something our team are immensely proud of. Our contract with the CCG increased from 75 clients to 150 in the year 2019-2020 with talk of it increasing significantly April 2021, testament to the success and hard work of our volunteers.
We have a compassionate, hardworking team of 9 school counsellors and an equally dedicated hardworking team of 13 volunteer counsellors. Each of these counsellors deserve recognition for the way they have adapted their work during this difficult time. A few took time out but the majority placed their own issues to one side to continue to support the community. Freeflow continues because of this commitment.
Edel continues to review and update our policies and procedures to ensure Freeflow works within the expected guidelines of the NHS. This has been of more significance during the pandemic to ensure we could continue our support. We paused supporting volunteer counsellors on placements as they were requesting remote counselling which Edel felt unable to supervise safely – hence a smaller team than previous years. This will increase as students are permitted to return to face to face work.
Edel and Judith Watson continually develop new assessment/monitoring sheets to help acquire the necessary data for the NHS for every client we complete a client assessment form which informs us: age, location, ethnicity, referral source, GP, physical and emotional health, dependent children/ older relatives, financial situation, employment, issues with drugs/alcohol and indication of issues. We also have a system in place to evaluate the counselling from the client’s point of view; each client is asked to provide feedback on the service received, with the option of complete anonymity. These feedback sheets are closely monitored by the manager and are used to improve the service. These evaluations indicate that the service is highly appreciated and beneficial to the service users. Edel continues to maintain close links with other counselling services throughout the district.
We secured a new group room in Feb 2020 but sadly we have been unable to use this as Covid and restrictions were imposed. This will be used for group supervision for the team, family work and group work. Donations have increased significantly which help pay for the additional fees for this room.
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FREEFLOW COUNSELLING SERVICES
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT – CONTINUED
Freeflow has now been established for 23 years and has developed significantly in that time. We were originally only accessible to women but then opened our doors to men & children in 2008 and this year we have developed even further to encompass, couples and families. Plans for the New Year are to continue to secure therapy rooms in other areas so we can offer the free service to many others in need of our invaluable, professional service. We also need to secure funding to offer free counselling and family therapy to local schools that need and want our service but are unable to due to lack of finances.
Once again, I would like to take this opportunity as chairperson to thank everyone who is involved with Freeflow for all their hard work and continued support, it is greatly appreciated. Special thanks must go to Edel for keeping Freeflow going throughout the most difficult time. She ensured all the schools honoured their contracts and in doing so the school team continued to get paid and Freeflow continued to thrive. She has supported the team throughout the pandemic despite it affecting her personally. I’d also like to thank Judith for her ongoing support to Edel to achieve the IAPT contract which enables the service to grow.
In 2021, Freeflow will continue to offer young people adults, couples and families, the excellent, confidential service it is renowned for. Well done and thank you to everyone involved with Freeflow.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The receipts and payments account is on page 7. This shows an excess of receipts of £21,060. Unrestricted fund balances are £51,422 at the year end. The charity’s reserves policy is to maintain three months expenditure, which equates to approximately £35,000. The excess is held to further the work of the charity.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The charity is controlled by its constitution and is an unincorporated charity. The board of Freeflow Counselling Services are elected from the membership organisations which make up the network. The board meets on a regular basis to conduct the business of the Charity.
Risk management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. The charity ensures that all staff and counsellors comply with its safeguarding policy and appropriate DBS checks carried out.
Approved by the trustees on 8[th] June 2021 and signed on its behalf by:
Mrs Kathryn Addison - Trustee
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF FREEFLOW COUNSELLING SERVICES
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] August 2020.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:
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(1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by Section 130 of the Act; or
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(2) the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
M R Heaton FCCA FCIE DChA KM, Chartered Accountants 1[st] Floor, Block C, The Wharf Manchester Road Burnley Lancashire BB11 1JG
8[th] June 2021
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FREEFLOW COUNSELLING SERVICES
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
Year ended 31[st] August 2020
| RECEIPTS Donations School Income Lancashire County Council Lancashire Women’s Centre Miscellaneous Pendle Vale College The Pennine Trust Total Receipts PAYMENTS Staff costs (inc Employer NI, Pensions) Rent Rates Insurance Telephone and mobiles Stationery, printing and publications Supervision Counselling fees Sundry expenses Advertising Accountancy fees Payroll fees Bank charges Donation Total payments Net of receipts (payments) Cash funds brought forward Cash funds carried forward |
Unrestricted funds (£) 31.8.20 441 59,017 27,896 54,305 185 4,923 14,575 |
Unrestricted funds (£) 31.8.19 1,291 74,960 32,333 7,500 - 5,362 15,317 |
|---|---|---|
| 161,342 | 136,763 | |
| 45,285 5,550 - 924 1,346 2,670 4,274 77,034 707 493 1,080 180 115 624 |
39,781 3,924 225 1,066 2,075 518 3,287 81,367 1,004 - 1,080 360 72 624 |
|
| 140,282 | 135,383 | |
| 21,060 | 1,380 | |
| 30,362 | 28,982 | |
| 51,422 | 30,362 |
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FREEFLOW COUNSELLING SERVICES
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
| STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES | |
|---|---|
| As at 31st August 2020 CASH FUNDS Bank current account LIABILITIES Independent examination/accountancy |
31.8.20 31.8.19 51,422 30,362 |
| 1,000 1,000 |
These accounts were approved by the trustees on 8[th] June 2021.
Mrs Kathryn Addison
Trustee
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FREEFLOW COUNSELLING SERVICES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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1 Basis of preparation These accounts have been prepared on the Receipts and Payments basis in accordance with the Charities Act 2011.
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2 Fund Accounting:
Unrestricted funds are those that can be expended at the discretion of the trustees in the furtherance of the objects of the charity
- 3 Taxation
The charity is not liable to tax on its charitable activities.
The charity is not registered for VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the expense to which it relates.
- 4 Transactions with trustees
No remuneration nor expenses were paid to trustees or any persons connected with them during the year or previous year.
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