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2021-03-31-accounts

Slough Refugee Support

Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Charity Registration Number: 1079776

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Contents

Legal and administrative information ............................................................................................................. 3 Report of the Trustees .................................................................................................................................... 4 Objectives and activities ................................................................................................................................. 4 Achievements and performance ..................................................................................................................... 5 Financial review .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Structure, governance and management ....................................................................................................... 8 Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements ................................................................... 9 Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Slough Refugee Support .............................................. 11 Statement of Financial Activities................................................................................................................... 14 Balance Sheet ................................................................................................................................................ 15 Notes forming part of financial statements .................................................................................................. 16

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Legal and administrative information

Charity’s principal address Slough Refugee Support 28 Bath Road Slough Berkshire United Kingdom SL1 3SR Charity registration number 1079776 Contact details telephone 01753 537142 e-mail srsinfo@sloughrefugeesupport.org.uk web www.sloughrefugeesupport.org.uk Trustees who served Jean Kelly (Chair) Denise Scotland FCCA FMAAT (Treasurer) (appointed 24 May 2021) Ray Barkley Nigel Woof (Secretary) Rupert Young Mohamed Almansouri Iqbal Abdeali John Kennedy Eman Malash Zarmane Dogar (resigned 27 Jul 2020) Luciane Delaney Atica Gillani (resigned 27 Jul 2020) Chief executive Tahzib (Taz) Hussein Mohammed Independent Examiner Rachel Eden ACMA, Holybrook Associates Ltd Curious Lounge, 1[st] Floor Pinnacle Building, Tudor Road, Reading, RG1 1NH Bankers Unity Trust Bank plc, Nine Brindley place, Birmingham, B1 2HB

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Report of the Trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2021

The trustees present their report with the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2021. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015).

Objectives and activities

Mission statement

Slough Refugee Support is a friendly organisation committed to impartially helping all asylum seekers and refugees in Slough and surrounding areas to achieve their rights and settle with dignity in a new community.

Charitable objects

The charity was established to provide for the relief of poverty, the preservation and protection of physical and mental health, and the advancement of education of asylum seekers and refugees in Slough and neighbouring Local Authority areas, at the discretion of the trustees.

Key objectives and main activities

SRS has identified five key objectives and operates programmes designed to deliver outcomes against each objective, as follows.

1. To welcome asylum seekers and refugees in Slough and surrounding areas, and to help them to become integrated into the local community and life in the UK.

2. To assist our clients to stay safe, avoid destitution and to maintain their physical and mental health.

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3. To support our clients to achieve their rights and entitlements and to access life sustaining services provided by government and other authorities and agencies.

4. To support our clients’ own desires to be independent and self-reliant, including where appropriate to pursue opportunities for employment.

5. To celebrate and enhance the cultural richness and diversity that refugees contribute to British society, locally and nationally.

Public benefit

In setting our aims and objectives and planning our activities, the Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit.

Quality assurance

SRS is registered with the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) to deliver Level 2 immigration advice. Additional Level 3 advice is available from solicitors by appointment.

Achievements and performance

Impact of the pandemic on needs

Our clients are an extremely diverse mix of refugees and asylum seekers in Slough and extending into neighbouring areas of the Thames Valley and into Ealing and Brent in west London. Because Home Officeprovided accommodation is not available in this area, our clients are often ‘off the radar’ and effectively homeless or with poor security of accommodation and have very limited financial means.

In normal years SRS assists people at various stages in the asylum and refugee system, including those seeking to appeal for leave to remain. Our clients are often also attempting to access basic services such as healthcare, and initially require a lot of practical advice. These needs did not go away during the lockdown periods, and the risks of people falling into severe hardship or destitution increased.

The impact of the pandemic restrictions on these vulnerable people was bound to be severe. Many of our clients found it hard to comprehend the sudden changes going on around them. Access to information became especially problematic for the large proportion of our clients who had little or no access to the internet and/or limited skills in finding information online.

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Slough remained an area of persistently high covid transmission throughout the year, peaking in the first quarter of 2021. As the vaccination programme started, an immediate challenge was reaching all of the priority groups in the borough, especially recent migrants who were likely to be socially isolated and invisible to NHS records.

During the year a new group of vulnerable migrants appeared, about 155 people placed temporarily in the Slough Holiday Inn hotel, and with very limited access to basic resources. SRS assumed a lead role in multi-agency assistance to this group.

Adapting services

In the pandemic environment it was impossible to maintain the normal face-to-face model of SRS’s services. The charity’s programmes were therefore adapted rapidly. The core ‘drop in’ advice service was replaced with a telephone hotline operated from staff and volunteers’ homes. The most vulnerable clients received regular calls to check on their safety and welfare. The office was opened twice a week to enable key staff to progress crucial casework where this required access to paper records.

Our family support worker resumed, as soon as possible, doorstep visits to client families, often taking toys and activity packs (funded by the Tesco Bags of Help scheme) and sometimes donated laptops and tablets. She negotiated with four schools to ensure nine vulnerable children were able to attend school during the lockdowns.

Support was prioritised to SRS’s clients on the Syrian Vulnerable Migrant Programme who almost all have complex needs. SRS is currently supporting 7 of these Syrian families in partnership with Slough and Windsor and Maidenhead borough councils.

As lockdown restrictions eased over the summer, SRS ran a series of “play dates” in the garden of its office which sits at the corner of a park in central Slough. Both children and parents benefitted hugely from such a simple opportunity to interact in a safe environment.

English and basic IT classes moved to Zoom. The response of learners, all of whom started as complete novices, was very positive and many made considerable progress in acquiring skills that will be invaluable in their settlement in the UK and particularly for accessing employment once permitted to do so.

During the year, our advisers and caseworkers directly supported 164 clients, plus their family members, who came from 32 countries, and between them spoke a total of 24 languages. This was a broadly similar number to the previous year. However, additional challenges, including assisting with the vulnerable migrants group at the Holiday Inn for several months, put a strain on staff and volunteers who nevertheless worked tirelessly for which the trustees wish to record their sincere thanks.

Working with partners

Effective inter-agency cooperation and coordination became crucial under the pandemic conditions. SRS was very active with One Slough Community Response, a group of charities and individuals liaising through weekly Zoom meetings.

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At the Holiday Inn temporary accommodation, SRS played a lead role in advising and working with a multidisciplinary team including statutory agencies and the Red Cross. SRS’s specialist knowledge and experience of working with vulnerable migrants was invaluable in ensuring that basic needs were understood and met. SRS also linked to other charities including Baby Bank and Cow Shed (a crisis charity) to ensure the needs of families at the site were met.

As a front-line service, Slough CVS arranged for SRS staff and volunteers to receive early vaccinations so that they could carry on with their work confidently and with greater safety.

The increased emphasis on inter-agency cooperation over the past year has potential benefits for the future, for example the strengthened relationship between the SRS team and community healthcare professionals.

Future plans

Obviously during the pandemic period the emphasis has been on short term adaptive planning while sustaining the charity’s core capacities. At the time of writing (August 2021) the staff and trustees are planning the full re-opening of face-to-face support services as soon as safe and practicable.

During 2020 and 2021 funders have been very willing to engage constructively with SRS, having recognised our role as a front line service provider to people in severe jeopardy. This has enabled the charity to move forward confidently on a secure financial basis at least in the short term. At the same time, the whole charitable sector has been under immense stress and SRS trustees recognise that there will inevitably be funding pressures over the coming 12 months and beyond. In July 2021 for example, Slough Borough Council announced a Section 114 notice declaring itself, effectively, bankrupt. The pressures this is likely to place on local services including those relied on by SRS clients are obvious.

Meanwhile the media has reported the flow of irregular migrants to the UK, most visibly in Channel crossings. Whether or not proposed new laws reduce such migration, it seems likely that the “hostile environment” for undocumented migrants in the UK, and to some extent for people in the asylum application system, is unlikely to lessen and may become even more onerous. SRS had already increased its capacity to deliver appropriate legal advice to people seeking to secure their rights and entitlements and it is likely that even more emphasis and resource will need to be placed on this dimension of our services in the future.

At time of writing (August 2021) we are monitoring the change of regime in Afghanistan and its likely consequences for increased flows of refugees from the region. SRS has agreed in principle to work with local authorities, beginning with the Windsor and Maidenhead, to support incoming refugee families brought out of Kabul under the Government’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), and we are awaiting the announcement of the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme.

Financial review

Income in the year of £253,625 was 57% higher than the previous year. This was chiefly due to the receipt of new grant funding from National Lottery, while income from the Syrian families support programmes

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continued to taper off. Donations from community and faith groups, local businesses and individuals comprised more than £32,000 which was double that of the previous year.

Expenditure for the year was £173,399, which was 3% higher than the previous year. Broadly, operational capacity and resources were maintained through the initial stages of the pandemic even though the deployment of staff changed from face-to-face to remote assistance modes.

Reserves policy and sustainability

The trustees’ policy on reserves is to hold reserves sufficient to enable the charity to continue operating through fluctuations in grant funding, while also holding sufficient funds on hand as a contingency to be able to wind up the affairs of the charity in an orderly manner should that become necessary.

The targeted levels of reserves are reviewed annually, and the actual levels are monitored during the year. Taking account of the characteristics of the charity’s operations, the trustees’ policy has been, and remains, that the total reserve of all funds (unrestricted and restricted) shall represent approximately nine months of general expenditure whenever possible, while also being mindful of the reserve level of unrestricted funds necessary to sustain core operations and costs.

At the end of the year the charity’s total reserves (unrestricted plus restricted) were £175,285

representing just over 12 months of total expenditure. This was above the policy level of 9 months’ total expenditure, however it should be noted that unrestricted reserves represented just under 9 months of unrestricted expenditure. The level of total reserves had risen during the year due to the receipt of new grant income from several sources during the year. The trustees anticipate that reserves may decline during the coming year due to the planned ramp-up of SRS activities to meet post-pandemic needs of our service users.

Independent examination of accounts

The trustees consider that the charity’s gross income in 2020/21 of £253,625 requires the accounts to be subject to an Independent Examination. The trustees do not consider that the accounts require to be audited.

Structure, governance and management

Slough Refugee Support is a charitable trust governed by a Trust Deed dated 2 November 1999 and as amended in December 1999, November 2002 and March 2008. It is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

The charity is a membership organisation. Membership is open to any person with an interest in the charity’s affairs on payment of a nominal annual subscription of £1. Current and former service users are especially encouraged to be members. At the last AGM, the charity’s membership totalled 21 people.

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Board of trustees

The charity’s board of trustees comprises up to 12 members. They are elected annually at the charity’s AGM and serve until the next AGM when they may be re-elected. The charity values diversity in its board membership and former service users are particularly encouraged to stand for election as trustees. Trustees may also be co-opted by the board to provide expertise in key areas. While there is significant turnover in board composition each year due to the annual governance cycle, in practice a number of the trustees tend to be re-elected repeatedly over several years and hence are able to provide continuity of knowledge and experience.

New trustees are given a briefing by the Chair on the role and activities of the board. They are also required to read basic guidance on charity governance including the Charity Commission’s The Essential Trustee handbook.

Management and organisation structure

The charity is managed by a full-time Chief Executive and employs 8 part time staff (4.5 full time equivalent).

The charity delivers much if its core work with refugees through a trained volunteer team, a number of whom are former service users. During the year more than 20 volunteers assisted the work of the charity, trained as necessary in providing advice and other services to clients.

Risk management

The trustees review annually the most significant risks to which the charity is exposed and supervise the maintenance of appropriate policies and control measures to control those risks.

Particular attention is given to safeguarding of vulnerable service users and their children. This is covered by a specific body of safeguarding policies and procedures, reviewed annually. All volunteers and staff and trustees undertake Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced certification.

A member of staff who reports directly to the Chief Executive is trained in workplace health and safety. She seeks advice from community police and the fire service to ensure our premises and working practices meet the required safety standards and she attends regular updating training. We have a Lone Working policy and have safety measures in place for outreach work.

All risk management policies and procedures are reviewed annually and meet the requirements of the charity’s certification under the Slough Quality Assurance Programme. The charity is currently working on progressing from the bronze to the silver level under the programme.

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare in respect of each financial year financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the trust and of its financial activities for that period.

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In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the trust and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the applicable Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the trust and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Approved by the board of trustees on 26[th] November 2021 and signed on its behalf by:

…………………………… Jean Kelly – Chair of Trustees

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Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ Slough Refugee Support Group members of

On accounts for the year 31 March 2021 ended Set out on pages

Charity no 1079776
(if any)
1-2

Respective responsibilities The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The of trustees and examiner charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the examiner’s statement Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

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Independent examiner's In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my statement attention gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect,:

I have 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.

Date: 22/11/2021 Signed: ~~—_~~ Name: Rachel Eden Relevant professional ACMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) qualification(s) or body (if any): ~~oo~~ Address: Holy Brook Associates Ltd Curious Lounge, 1[st] Floor Pinnacle Building Tudor Road, Reading, RG1 1NH ~~a~~ Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Section B Disclosure

Not applicable

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Give here details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

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Statement of Financial Activities

----- Start of picture text -----
2021 2020
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds
£ £
Incoming from
Donations & Legacies 3 122,593 130,946 253,539 160,574
Investments 86 86 64
Total incoming resources 122,679 130,946 253,625 160,638
Expenditure on
Charitable activities 100,088 73,311 173,399 161,447
Raising Funds 0 0 7,119
Total resources expended 12 100,088 73,311 173,399 168,566
Net resources before transfers 22,591 57,635 80,226 -7,928
Gross transfers between funds 7
Reallocation of fund
Net movement in funds 22,591 57,635 80,226 -7,928
Total funds brought forward (opening balance) 50,000 45,059 95,059 102,987
Total funds carried forward 72,591 102,694 175,285 95,059
----- End of picture text -----

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Balance Sheet

Balance Sheet
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
4		 2021
2020
£
£
15,202
3,698
Current assets
Debtors
8
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors (falling due within one year)
9		 16,806
23,941
160,183
89,051
176,989
112,993
-16,906
-21,632
Net current assets 160,083
91,361
Total net assets 175,285
95,060
Represented by
Unrestricted Income Funds
Restricted income funds		 72,591
50,000
102,694
45,059
Total funds 175,285
95,059

Approved by the Trustees on 26[th] November 2021 and signed on their behalf by:

.................................. Jean Kelly – Chair of Trustees

Notes on pages 16 to 21 are part of the financial statements.

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Notes forming part of the financial statements

1. Basis of Preparation

The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014 and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 1 January 2015.

2. Accounting Policies

a. Income

b. Expenditure

Direct costs are those that can be readily attributed to specific activities. Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Volunteer help: the value of any volunteer help received is not included in the accounts.

Governance costs include:

c. Debtors

Debtors are income that is due but not yet received from grant funders and gift aid. Prepayments are rent and utilities, insurance, IT and telephone contracts.

d. Cash at bank

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and bank accounts.

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e. Creditors

Creditors are the amounts that charity owes at the year end. This includes income deferred to future periods.

f. Financial instruments

The charity only has assets and liabilities of an ordinary kind that qualifies as basic financial instrument.

g. Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are included at cost less depreciation. Assets are capitalised if they cost at least £500. They are depreciated using the straight-line method over three or five years.

h. Leased assets

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

i. Unrestricted funds

Unrestricted funds represent grants, donations and other incoming resources received for the objects of the charity without specified purpose and are available as general funds. Transfers are made from this fund to meet expenditure in the restricted funds where other funding is not available. Such transfers are always agreed by the Management Committee.

From time to time Trustees may establish designated funds out of Unrestricted Funds to meet contingencies. Currently there are two designated funds: Contingency Fund set at £10,000 is to be used to cover redundancy and other costs in the event of the closure or down-sizing of the organisation and Emergency Fund of £5,000 to be used for unexpected emergencies.

j. Restricted funds

Restricted funds are for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets the criteria is charged to the fund together with a fair allocation of management and support costs.

k. Legal status of the organisation

Slough Refugee Support is a Charity registered with Charity Commission in the United Kingdom with its registered Office at 28 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire, United Kingdom, SL1 3SR

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3. Income Received

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds 2021 2020
£ £
Trust and Foundations
AB Charitable Trust 10,000
Garfield Weston Foundation 10,000 10,000
Berkshire Community Foundation 6,000 6,000 5,000
National Lottery - Covid 19 86,712 86,712
Skinners Malmesbury Foundation 4,000 4,000
BBC Trust (CIN) 4,127 4,127 2,548
102,712 8,127 110,839 17,548
Statutory Grants
Slough Borough Council - BBOS 51,022 51,022 28,170
Small Business Grant 5,000 5,000 -
Refugee Resettlement Programme 39,462 39,462 87,081
Slough Prevention Alliance Community Engagement 14,634 14,634 9,938
Art 1,850
0 110,119 110,119 127,039
Faith Organisations
Jamia (Masjid) Slough 1,000 1,000 1,000
1,000 0 1,000 2,650
Individual donations and legacies
Mr & Mrs Watson F 2,500 2,500 2,500
-
Mr Philip Ely 1,000 1,000
Donations (Individuals) 8,952 8,952 4,342
Other Donations 2,667 2,667 0
Gift Aid 1,627 1,627 500
15,746 1,000 16,746 7,342
Partnership and Other Community Organisations
Miscellaneous funds (DBS) 666 666 2,229
Groundwork UK 500 500 875
Miscellaneous funds (Welfare ) 2,000 2,000 675
Clothworkers Fund 2,700 2,700 0
Holloway University 470 470 0
Helden Project 6,000 6,000 0
Cash 4 Clubs 500 500 0
Co-op 2,085 2,085 0
3,221 11,700 14,921 6,058
Total 122,679 130,946 253,625 160,638
----- End of picture text -----

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4. Fixed Assets

----- Start of picture text -----
2021 2020
£ £
Cost
At 1 April 2020 9,700 8,132
Additions 15,141 1,568
At 31 March 2021 24,840 9,700
Depreciation
At 1 April 2020 6,002 4,503
Charge for the year 3,636 1,498
At 31 March 2021 9,638 6,002
Net Book Values
At 1 April 2020 3,698 3,628
Additions 11,505 71
At 31 March 2021 15,202 3,698
----- End of picture text -----

5. Debtors

----- Start of picture text -----
2021 2020
£ £
Debtors 13,939 23,042
Prepayments 2,867 900
Total 16,806 23,941
----- End of picture text -----

6. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

----- Start of picture text -----
2021 2020
£ £
Creditors 515.28 1,405.18
Pay and PAYE 0.20 1,749.81
Deferred Income 15,377.83 18,089.30
Accruals 1,012.39 387.30
Total 16,905.70 21,631.59
----- End of picture text -----

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7. Restricted Funds

----- Start of picture text -----
Balance Balance
Activities 01.04.2020 Additions Outgoings Transfers 31.03.2021
£ £ £ £ £
Advice and Support 5,705.44 14,634.00 2,141.89 18,197.55
Employment Support 3,898.58 49,723.11 38,394.00 15,227.69
Family Support 3,666.78 15,627.25 10,984.24 8,309.79
Family Support (Resettlement) 24,804.47 39,461.47 21,372.17 42,893.77
Core (Property) 6,984.00 11,500.00 418.37 18,065.63
45,059.27 130,945.83 73,310.67 - 102,694.43
8. Analysis of Net Assets Between Funds
Net Current
Fixed Assets Assets 2021 Total 2020 Total
£ £ £ £
Restricted Funds 102,694 102,694 45,059
Unrestricted Funds 15,202 57,389 72,591 50,000
15,202 160,084 175,286 95,059
9. Staff Costs
2021 2020
£ £
Salaries (incl. NIC, ENI & Tax) 124,419 123,706
Pension Contribution 4,712 4,898
Payroll services & distribution costs 1,488 756
Total paid staff 130,619 129,360
Trustee expenses 0 0
Other volunteer expenses 435 765
Staff and volunteer training 1,043 86
Total Volunteer 1,478 851
----- End of picture text -----

8. Analysis of Net Assets Between Funds

9. Staff Costs

During the financial year, the charity employed 4.5 full-time equivalent members of staff and 12 volunteers. No employee received benefits of more than £30,000 per year.

10. Trustees’ Remuneration and Expenses

No remuneration, directly or indirectly, out of the funds of the charity was paid or was payable for the year to any trustee or to any person known to be connected to any trustee. No amounts were reimbursed to any trustee during the year.

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11. Obligations Under Leases

11. Obligations Under Leases
Later than one year and not later then
Later than five years
Not later than one year		 2021
2020
£
£
866
866

1,613
2,479
0
0
2,479
3,346

The amount of non-cancellable operating lease payments recognised as an expense during the year ending 31 March 2021 was £866.

12. Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions (2020: nil).

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