2025-03-31-accounts - Rape Crisis South London

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FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 (A Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee)

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

“THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME TO REGAIN CONTROL OF MY LIFE AND MY BODY.”

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RCSL SURVIVOR
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FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

STATUS

Rape Crisis South London (previously Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre) is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. It is also a registered charity governed by its memorandum and articles of association. In the event of the Charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the Charity.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION:

Charity Name: Rape Crisis South London (RCSL) - previously Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Charity Registration Number: 1085104 Company Registration Number: 4113588 Registered Office: c/o Veale Wasbrough Vizards Llp Narrow Quay House, Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA Telephone: 0208 683 3311 Website: www.rapecrisissouthlondon.org.uk

BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

“MY COUNSELLOR MADE ME FEEL LISTENED TO, SHE UNDERSTOOD ME CULTURALLY WHICH MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN MY SUPPORT, AND SHE ALSO MADE ME SEE THAT I AM A LIKEABLE PERSON DESPITE MY PAST AND MY DIFFICULTIES.”

RCSL SURVIVOR

Independent Auditors: Shaw Gibbs (Audit) Limited. Salatin House, 19 Cedar Road, Sutton, SM2 5DA

Bank: CAF Bank Limited, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ

Chair: Sheetal Dalal Trustees: Alana Carrasco Sophie Howes Zoe Tisdall

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

CHARITABLE OBJECTIVES i eeeeeeer——Ci“C:COCéiétiaC

he charitable company’s Board of Trustees (who are also the Board of Directors T of Rape Crisis South London for the purposes of company law) are pleased to present their report together with the audited financial statements of the charitable company for the year ended 31 March 2025 which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a trustees’ report and accounts for Companies Act purposes.

MISSION

VALUES

PROVIDING SPECIALIST HOPE. SUPPORT TO WOMEN SOLIDARITY. AND GIRLS WHO HAVE EMPOWERMENT. EXPERIENCED RAPE AND/ OR CHILDHOOD SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND ABUSE.

The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

VISION

A WORLD FREE FROM

SEXUAL VIOLENCE, WHERE SURVIVORS ARE BELIEVED, RESPECTED, AND SUPPORTED.

e are a feminist organisation and see gender inequality as a W cause and consequence of violence against women and girls. We recognise that women’s experiences of sexual violence and seeking support will be different depending on their relationship to intersecting axes of oppression. We strive to embody anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice and actively challenge unequal power dynamics in our work and the wider world. We live in a world which doesn’t treat survivors of sexual violence with the care they deserve. Care underpins everything that we do.

Rape Crisis South London was launched in 1985 as part of a Women’s Aid project.

In 2010 we became an independent charity based in Croydon under the name Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC).

We focus on providing a high standard of professional support to female survivors of sexual violence. In December 2024, the charity changed its name to Rape Crisis South London.

Our mission, as stated in our

charitable objectives (Memorandum and Articles of Association, dated 23 November 2000, amended on 22 September 2022) is to relieve the sickness and distress of people who have suffered rape and sexual assault, however long ago. We pursue this mission by providing:

Adult Counselling

Our adult counselling department offers specialist, trauma informed face-to-face and online counselling for women aged 25 and over who have experienced sexual violence at any point in their lives.

Children & Young People Support

Trauma-informed face-to-face counselling for women and girls aged 13 to 24 years and play therapy for girls aged 4+, who have been raped or sexually abused at any time in their lives and who live in any of the South London boroughs.

Independent Sexual Violence

Advocates (ISVA)

Specialist support to women and girls (aged 13+) considering reporting to the police or currently navigating the criminal justice system. Practical, factual and emotional support during involvement with the criminal justice system.

Training Prevention & Awareness

Training programmes to help organisations support survivors of sexual violence.

Awareness briefings to break the silence, challenge myths, and build a culture of support for survivors.

Workshops for schools, colleges, and youth settings with trauma-informed practice on sexual violence, consent, and respectful relationships - creating safe spaces for young people to explore these topics with care.

National Support Line

Providing (as part of a consortium led by Rape Crisis England and Wales) a 24-hour, 7 days a week specialist support line service to all survivors of rape and sexual violence aged 16+ in England and Wales.

Survivor Voices

A space for women who have used RCSL’s services to share insights, take part in decision-making, and help shape our work.

OUR SERVICES COVER TWELVE SOUTH LONDON BOROUGHS

Programmes and support are available at our main Croydon location (femaleonly centre) or through satellite locations in Bexley. Greenwich. Kingston Upon Thames. Lambeth. Southwark. Wandsworth.

“

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

A WORD FROM THE CHAIR Sy

am pleased to present our 2024/25 annual report and financial I statements.

In May 2024, we bid farewell to our CEO, Sharon Erdman, and in August 2024 welcomed Red GodfreySagoo as her successor. With her strong track record, Red was the ideal choice to lead the charity through a period of transformation. Upon arrival, she began a period of significant organisational change - a task that included restructuring processes and establishing a full senior leadership team, all while ensuring uninterrupted delivery of core services. This work will continue into the next financial year.

This has also been a difficult year due to an investigation by a professional body into a tragic incident from 2021. We remain deeply saddened by this event. In response, we have implemented a fundamental shift in the way we operate – moving to an interventionist model, aligned with the wider Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector. The investigation has now concluded.

As always, demand for our services remains extremely high, with waiting lists of up to two years for some provisions. Alongside this, we continue to face the usual funding and political pressures.

Nevertheless, we have used both qualitative and quantitative data to advocate with funders and partners for increased sector-wide investment. One highlight was the success of our first Christmas Challenge fundraising campaign, delivered through Big Give, which provided matching funding for donations.

In late 2024, I attended the Rape Crisis England and Wales annual conference, marking 50 years of the movement. The event brought together staff, volunteers, and some of the original founders, whose pioneering work built the foundation of today’s services. It was a powerful reminder of the importance of collective action in supporting survivors.

In December 2024, a special resolution by the Board of Trustees formally changed our registered name from ‘Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre’ (RASASC) to ‘Rape Crisis South London’ (RCSL).

The year 2025 marks our 40th anniversary. To recognise this milestone, we have implemented a new brand identity, one that’s designed to reflect our determination to highlight the injustices faced by women and girls experiencing violence. The brand represents

solidarity with all survivors of rape and sexual abuse and extends far beyond the twelve London boroughs that we serve.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I thank our staff and volunteers for their dedication in supporting survivors and creating positive change. We also extend gratitude to our supporters and donors for their contributions, whether financial, pro-bono, or through advocacy.

I would also like to thank our trustees for their guidance and support. At board level, there were no changes. However, in September 2025 we said farewell to trustee Alana Carrasco at the end of her three-year term and thank her for her service. At the time of writing, we are pleased to welcome four new trustees: Catherine Woodhead, Francesca Costi, Leah Parry, and Charlotte Flew, who bring valuable expertise to our mission.

It has been a challenging year, but also one of progress and learning. I am optimistic for the future and remain sincerely committed to my role.

Sheetal Dalal CHAIR

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

A WORD FROM THE CEO

s we approach our 40th anniversary, Rape Crisis South London stands at A a defining moment in its history. This milestone is not only a time to reflect on four decades of dedicated service but also to embrace a bold new chapter—one marked by transformation, learning, and an unwavering commitment to the women and girls who turn to us in their most difficult moments.

A bold transformation

When I stepped into the role of CEO in September 2024, my mission was clear: to capitalise on the charity’s incredible legacy and to strengthen the organisation through meaningful change. Towards this goal, following an incident in 2021 and the subsequent external investigation, we have completely transformed the way we work - embracing an interventionist model in line with the wider Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector. This transformation has touched every part of our organisation— governance, leadership, safeguarding policies, and the complete retraining of our staff—to ensure an unrivalled culture of accountability, compassion, and excellence.

But change is about more than systems and structures—it’s also about people. I feel privileged to work with a team that is proactive and trauma informed. Their determination to succeed and their willingness to adopt new methods has been inspiring – as has their commitment to ensuring that the survivors who reach out to us receive the support they need. In the twelve months to March 2025, we delivered more than 6,000 hours of adult counselling, over 2,800 hours of advocacy support and more than 6,200 hours of CYP counselling support to hundreds of survivors. An incredible achievement.

Rebranding that’s more than

just a name change

Our transformation has also been about reimagining who we are. In January, we rebranded and renamed the organisation to become Rape Crisis South London , a name that reflects our straightforward and unapologetic stance and our growing role as advocates for change. Alongside providing frontline support across 12 London boroughs—serving a population of 3.2 million people—we’re amplifying the voices of survivors, challenging harmful narratives,

and driving forward the national conversation on sexual violence.

A key part of this strategy was the creation of our first-ever report in March 2025. ‘Writing the Wrongs - Myths, Bias and Discrimination’ — an in-depth analysis of 40 years of media reporting on sexual violence in the UK —was launched at an event at the Houses of Parliament in June and has already sparked important dialogue about representation, stigma, and an urgent need for change.

Future forward

As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, I want to thank our many supporters, partners, staff, and trustees for their dedication and belief in our mission. Together, we will continue to stand with survivors and remain a powerful force for good in the fight against rape and sexual violence.

Red Godfrey-Sagoo CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

RAPE AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES

IT’S A CRIME THAT’S COMMITTED FAR AND 6OUT OF7 1IN4 WIDE, ACROSS ALL AGE GROUPS AND IN EVERY rapes against women women have been are carried out by raped or sexually FEMALE DEMOGRAPHIC someone they know assaulted as an adult*

1OUT OF2 1IN20 rapes against women children in the UK have are committed by a been sexually abused partner or ex-partner

500K+

children are sexually abused every year

*Source: Rape Crisis England and Wales 2025.

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RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

WHAT WE DO

RCSL PROVIDES CONFIDENTIAL SUPPORT, COUNSELLING, LEGAL ADVOCACY, CRISIS INTERVENTION AND MORE 01 02 FOR SURVIVORS OF RAPE AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE. ADULT AWARENESS COUNSELLING AND PREVENTION 04

Our adult counselling department offers specialist, face-to-face and online counselling for women aged 25 and over who have experienced sexual violence at any point in their lives.

Sexual violence is a crime that’s shrouded in silence, myths, and false information. We are committed to INDEPENDENT ending this status quo , creating SEXUAL VIOLENCE cultures where survivors are believed and supported, and where abusive ADVOCATES (ISVA) behaviour is not tolerated. From Our ISVA team offers specialist online communications to media support to women and girls aged involvement, public events and on-site 13 and over and who have survived tutorials, we’re raising awareness rape and sexual abuse and who are of the realities of sexual violence thinking of reporting to the police or and promoting supportive cultures in are currently reporting through the schools, at work and at home. criminal justice system. ~~So ee~~ bi 03 05 06 07 CHILDREN AND PRACTITIONER YOUTH AND SURVIVOR VOICES YOUNG PEOPLE (CYP) TRAINING EDUCATION SERVICES We provide unique support services Our training programme is founded on Young people need safe spaces to the best way we can is critical to our for survivors of rape and sexual our decades-long history of providing talk openly and honestly about sexual violence aged 4 to 24 years. This specialist sexual violence services in violence and consent. mission. To achieve this, we created includes trauma-informed face-to-face London and is delivered by accredited, Survivor Voices – a space for women To answer this need, we have who have used RCSL’s services to counselling for women and girls aged front-line support practitioners. developed empowerment workshops share insights, take part in decision 13 to 24 years and play therapy for We offer specialist training to both for young people which complement making, and help shape our work. girls aged 4+, who have been raped statutory and voluntary agencies as the statutory Relationships, Sex and or sexually abused at any time in their well as private companies. Health Education (RSHE) curriculum lives and who live in any of the South and explore these important topics in London boroughs.

Our services are available to women who reside or work within South London. We welcome survivors of all ethnicities, religions, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds.

SURVIVOR VOICES Ensuring that we respond to the needs of the women who use our services in the best way we can is critical to our mission. To achieve this, we created Survivor Voices – a space for women who have used RCSL’s services to share insights, take part in decision making, and help shape our work.

To answer this need, we have developed empowerment workshops for young people which complement the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum and explore these important topics in a safe and age appropriate way.

*Source: Rape Crisis England and Wales 2025.

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON Annual Report 2024/25 Annual Report 2024/25 RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON 15 ADULT COUNSELLING ur adult counselling service PERSONAL COUNSELLING Our approach is designed to help you EMPOWERMENT-BASED provides specialist, face-torebuild your life. We focus on growing Our counsellors will provide dedicated, Our counselling approach helps you face and online counselling for your resilience and providing tools to one-to-one support to help you reclaim your strength and become the O women aged 25 and over, who help you cope with trauma’s lasting address the emotional impact of expert in your own healing journey. have experienced sexual violence at sexual violence and abuse. effects. A combination of strategies any point in their lives. Our services help you identify your strengths, are available to women who reside choices, and the impact of broader CONFIDENT AND or work within South London. We THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE societal issues such as sexism and welcome survivors of all ethnicities, patriarchy. PROFESSIONAL A gentle, nurturing experience that religions, cultures, and socioOur service is strictly confidential provides positive touch in a safe, economic backgrounds. and provided by highly qualified, caring, and consensual environment. COPING STRATEGIES AND experienced female therapists. We This therapy helps release physical do not use volunteer or placement tension, aches, and trauma stored GROUNDING TECHNIQUES counsellors. in the body. Therapeutic massage We help you find practical tools to sessions promote well-being, with manage emotional distress, trauma a focus on respect, comfort, and responses, and reconnect with the RESEPCTFUL AND HONEST consent throughout the process. present moment. These techniques Our approach is non-judgmental and are essential for managing the effects focused on providing a space for you of trauma and helping you regain a to process difficult thoughts, emotions PEER SUPPORT GROUPS sense of balance and connection and body sensations. Following one-to-one counselling, between your mind and body. you’ll have the opportunity to join peer support groups for continued assistance. GENTLE AND EMPATHETIC We understand that building trust takes time. Our counsellors guide you through the process at your own pace. We have delivered A waiting list of “THROUGHOUT THE SESSIONS WITH MY COUNSELLOR AT RAPE 353 101 300 190 CRISIS SOUTH LONDON, I 6,002 FELT VALUED, BELIEVED Bodywork sessions group sessions with unique clients supported ” throughout the year with long-term AND LISTENED TO. HOURS counselling RCSL SURVIVOR of counselling 91 unique clients ~~one~~

RESEPCTFUL AND HONEST

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

ADVOCACY errrCC‘(‘ét

ur ISVA team provides We provide practical, We can accompany specialist support to women ~~es~~ factual and emotional support you to police stations, Forensic and girls (aged 13+) who have during your involvement with Medical Examinations (FME)’s, O experienced rape or childhood the criminal justice system. Sexual Assault Referral Centre sexual abuse, and are considering (SARC) appointments and Crown reporting to the police or currently Prosecution Service meetings. navigating the criminal justice system. We explain the process from We also provide an independent and confidential case worker service ‘report to court’ and provide you with honest choices so you can make We can deliver a thorough informed decisions. overview of a trial, including multiple across South London, to women aged live court visits and support you at 18 and over who are receiving support court during the trial itself. from our counselling, outreach and We provide clear explanations advocacy services. Our case workers of legal terms, proceedings, police can help navigate housing and welfare We can signpost to benefits systems. protocols and your rights. specialist counselling.

honest choices so you can make We can deliver a thorough informed decisions. overview of a trial, including multiple live court visits and support you at court during the trial itself. We provide clear explanations of legal terms, proceedings, police We can signpost to protocols and your rights. specialist counselling. T —- “I FEEL EXTREMELY SUPPORTED BY MY CASEWORKER. I RECEIVED VERY PROFESSIONAL AND KIND SUPPORT – SHE’S ALWAYS WELL INFORMED AND ABLE TO HELP ME G- ~SX MANAGE MY ISSUES.” RCSL SURVIVOR

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Finding my voice
“ activated the
activist in me!
RCSL SURVIVOR
—— | »me/
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We have delivered
2,813 407 384
days on average, our survivors days on average, survivors stay
stay with RCSL engaged with the CJS
HOURS
of advocacy support
S5Q“‘CcKcV5V SS S:23.c_oco Cc __c _____c_eeeclo[ cS :°55°0°5 2: S i: 3: hh: °©0o
We have a total of We have supported
21 108 227
survivors have cases pending clients on our waiting list clients (24-25yrs old)
Reasons given for the victim/witness not reporting to the Police
LOW CONVICTION
68
RATES
survivors reported the crime to the
police during or after engaging
Fearful of retaliation from Perpetrator / Length of investigation / Lack of
with our service
trust in Police handling of reporting / Myths about corroborating evidence
being needed to report / Social pressure to ‘move on’ and not report
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RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE (CYP) a

e provide trauma-informed face-to-face counselling for women and girls aged 13 to W 24 years and play therapy for girls aged 4+, who have been raped or sexually abused at any time in their lives and who live in any of the South London boroughs.

We know that with the right support, children and adults can find ways to re-build and move forward from the sexual violence they have endured. Our services provide a safe and structured space for recovery.

COUNSELLING IS AVAILABLE FOR UP TO 30 SESSIONS, with an initial consultation.

PLAY THERAPY FOR GIRLS AGED 4+ YEARS

This is designed to create an opportunity where young survivors can express their feelings through art and play. All sessions are facilitated by qualified and experienced therapists who specialise in working with children.

GIRLS AGED 15+ ARE WELCOME TO CONTACT US AND SELF-REFER IF THAT SUITS THEIR WISHES This ensures young people have space to make their own choices about when or whether they want support.

FOR GIRLS AGED UNDER

5 YEARS OLD we can also take referrals from parents, social workers, schools, CAMHS, police, and health and other professional agencies such as NSPCC.

THERAPIES OFFERED GROUNDING / PLAY THERAPY STABILISATION aged 4 to 12+ Face-to-face sessions. 6 sessions.

CREATIVE THERAPIES

EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING CHECK INS safeguarding risk assessments - ad hoc.

all ages welcome.

TALKING THERAPIES

aged 12 to 24 (up to 30 sessions) - online, face-to-face in our Croydon help centre, in an educational setting, at one of our hubs, or by telephone.

FAMILY SUPPORT

one-to-one - 6 sessions.

SUPPORT GROUPS

EMDR SPECIALIST specialist therapy for trauma recovery.

parents / young people groups - 8 persons per group - 8 sessions.

We have delivered 6,237 653 sessions of play therapy HOURS of counselling We have supported 24 222 grounding/stabilisation sessions CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE

“I STILL HAVE MOMENTS WHERE I FEEL TRIGGERED, OR WHERE I DOUBT MYSELF, BUT THE COUNSELLING I RECEIVED FROM RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON HAS EQUIPPED ME TO DEAL WITH THESE FEELINGS AND STAY IN CONTROL.”

RCSL SURVIVOR

clients throughout the year

20 RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

TRAINING AND PREVENTION

t’s a crime that knows no boundaries, yet this form of abuse is shrouded in silence, myths, I and false information. We are committed to breaking the silence, creating cultures where survivors are believed and supported, and where abusive behaviour is not tolerated.

We believe that young people need safe spaces to talk openly and honestly about sexual violence and consent. Meaningful conversations about these topics, as well as factors such as primary prevention, respectful relationships and the impact of social media can empower young people to challenge the attitudes and beliefs that support sexual violence.

We offer specialist training to both statutory and voluntary agencies as well as private companies. We ensure all training requirements are met to support the needs of the survivors who access your organisation and work within your workforce.

To support this, we have developed empowerment workshops that complement the statutory RSHE curriculum, offering young people a safe, age-appropriate space to explore these important topics.

“RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON HAS BEEN AN INVALUABLE PARTNER IN OUR MISSION TO ERADICATE SEXUAL VIOLENCE FROM THE GOLDSMITHS COMMUNITY. THEIR EXPERTISE, COMPASSION AND COMMITMENT HAVE ELEVATED OUR TRAINING TO ENSURE THAT ALL STAFF KNOW HOW TO SPOT UNWANTED BEHAVIOUR AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES TO SURVIVORS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON AS THEY POSITIVELY IMPACT OUR CAMPUS CULTURE TO MAKE IT A SAFER PLACE FOR ALL WHO STUDY AND WORK.”

We delivered multi-agency professionals training on ‘Understanding and Responding to Sexual Violence’ to 26 different organisations, some more than once, as well as three ‘open’ training sessions for individual professionals co-delivered with survivors from Survivor Voices.

Partners included Refuge, SWLSG Mental Health NHS Trust, Safer Waves, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, Bromley and Croydon Women’s Aid, Women in Prison, Refugee Council and RJ4All, as well as several borough councils across South London.

We delivered education and We delivered community youth professionals training on workshops with Aspiring Young ‘Understanding and Responding Women, Pecan/Women in Prison to Young People’s Experiences Women’s Hubs and Sutton of Sexual Violence’ to 10 different Women’s Centre. groups of practitioners.

Partners included Goldsmiths, Kingston College, Phoenix Place, Unlocking Potential, UCL. Schools, youth groups and universities where we delivered prevention work included Crescent Primary School, RJ4All, Mountview, Bromley Trust Academy and Street Vibes Academy.

We delivered workshops in universities such as LSE, SOAS, UCL.

GOLDSMITHS

SESSIONS

HOURS

TRAINING MULTI-AGENCY PROFESSIONALS

TRAINING MULTI-AGENCY PROFESSIONALS 34 134 TRAINING EDUCATION/YOUTH PROFESSIONALS 19 56 PREVENTION SESSIONS 26 23 COMMUNITY SESSIONS 12 17

ATTENDEES

708 538 253 13

PARTNERS BY BOROUGHS CROYDON

The Cassandra Centre, OneCroydon, Every 3 Seconds, Lithuanian Saturday School, Aspiring Young Women, Crescent Primary School

LEWISHAM

Lewisham Young People Pathway Service, Refugee Council, Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network, Pecan/ Women In Prison Women’s Hubs, Goldsmiths

SOUTHWARK

RJ4All, Maudsley Hospital (SLaM NHS Trust), Southwark Talking Therapies, PhoenixPlace, Mountview

KINGSTON

Kingston Borough Council, Achieving for Children, Kingston College

LAMBETH

Women In Prison

BROMLEY

Bromley and Croydon Women’s Aid, Bromley Trust Academy

SUTTON

Sutton Borough Council, Nonsuch School for Girls, Sutton Women’s Centre

WANDSWORTH

MARAC Professionals

RICHMOND

RCDAS

GREENWICH

Total of 91 sessions, delivered in 230 hours to 1,512 participants

Greenwich Borough Council, SV Academy

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

SURVIVOR VOICES CCC nsuring that we respond to the needs of the women who use our services in the best way we E can is critical to our mission. To achieve this, Survivor Voices is a space for women who have used RCSL’s services to share insights, take part in decisionmaking, and help shape our work.

“I joined the group after a year of individual counselling and several months of group therapy. I wanted to give something back to an organisation that had supported me, helped me to heal, and enabled me to grow into a calmer person with a better understanding of myself and my behaviour. I was helped by RCSL (formerly RASASC) in my 40s, even though my experience of sexual violence was when I was 14. It’s never too late to work on yourself.”

[The development of the ] organisation’s strategy
[Any future brand re-design ]
[Service development ]
[Opportunities to connect ] with other women who share similar experiences in a supportive space.

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WHAT MEMBERS SAY ABOUT SURVIVOR VOICES:
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RCSL SURVIVOR

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RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

SURVIVORS WE SUPPORTED

AGE EMPLOYMENT 20% of the clients we support are under 18 years old 25% of our clients are students 55% of the clients we support are between 18 and 34 5% are unemployed or are long-term sick

25% of the clients we support are over 35 years old

DISABILITY 51% of our clients have disclosed they have a disability

TOP 3 TYPES OF DISABILITY MENTAL HEALTH/ LEARNING DIFFICULTY/ LONG TERM SICKNESS

49% of our clients have disclosed they do not have a disability

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ETHNICITY SEXUALITY
2IN5
of our clients have a White/White
British background 16%
of our clients we support
identify as LGBTQIA+
1IN5
of our clients have an Asian/Asian
British or Other background
1IN4
of our clients have a Black/Black
British background
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LANGUAGES Our clients speak a total of 11 different languages

26 RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual Report 2024/25

ETHNICITY

TABLES OF DATA: Total of 665 unique referrals

AGE

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12 years and under 22
13 to 17
112
18 to 24
196
25 to 34
170
35 to 44
78
45 to 54
56
Total
55 to 64
27
65 and over
4 665
DISABILITY
No Disability
240
Not stated
232
Total
472
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White
293
Black British
165
Asian/ Asian British
43
Mixed Dual
58
Chinese
7
Total
Any other ethnic group
24
-
Not able to obtain
75 665
—
SEXUALITY
Heterosexual
396
Lesbian
12
Bisexual
69
Other
26
Not stated
189
Total
665
EMPLOYMENT
Student
174
Employment
99
Unemployed/Long term sick
31
Total
304
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SEXUALITY

EMPLOYMENT

28 RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual report of the Board of Trustees’ for the year ended 31 March 2025

FINANCIAL CONTENT

Structure, governance and management

Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) was set up in 1985 and became a company limited by guarantee in 2000. The articles and memorandum were updated in September 2022. We changed our name to Rape Crisis South London in December 2024 (with a formal launch with our new brand in May 2025). In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1. The Directors of the Company are also Trustees of the Charity.

The Board of Trustees retain overall responsibility for the good strategic and financial governance of the organisation. The Board of Trustees meet a minimum of four times a year in the execution of these duties.

In an effort to have a skills-based board, Trustees are recruited based on the expertise and the time they can offer to RCSL, as well as in order to be representative of the communities we serve. All Board members give their time voluntarily and do not receive any benefits from RCSL. They are required to declare any conflicts of interest. All new Board members are also required to attend a package of training which focusses on the role of a charity trustee, including financial governance.

The day-to-day running of the organisation is delegated to the CEO who leads a Senior Leadership Team (SLT) which is responsible for the day-to-day planning and running of all services including overall responsibility for ensuring the organisation maintains its professional standards and reaches key targets. Adult Counselling Services, Children and Young People’s Counselling Services, Training and Prevention, Advocacy and the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line all have dedicated service managers who are responsible for the running of their departments.

Organisational strategy meetings with senior management are held annually and budgets agreed thereafter for the following year. All policies and procedures of the organisation must be ratified by the Board of Trustees and any Child Protection or Data Protection issues are immediately referred to the Board.

Financial review

Our income in 2024/25 has increased by 21% compared to 2023/24 with incoming resources being £4.1million (2024: £3.4million). A large proportion of the income is restricted (where the funder determines what we spend the money on) income which amounts to £3.8million (2024: £3.3million). A small proportion of the income of £220k (2024: £67k) is unrestricted funds (this is a fund with no spending restriction imposed). The increase in income year on year is due to the receipt of pro bono support which amounted to £156k together with the release of deferred income of £317k.

Expenditure incurred during the year was £4million (2024: £3.1million) leaving a net result for the year of £76k (2024: £246k).

We have reviewed our treatment of restricted funds during the year and corrected this. The majority of our funding is received retrospectively based on actual costs incurred and so it is unlikely that there will be any significant balances on funds at the year end and so the previous treatment was incorrect.

Principal risks and uncertainties

The Board of Trustees have examined the major strategic, business, fraud, money laundering and operational risks which the charity faces and confirm that systems have been established to ensure regular reports, policies and procedures are produced so that the necessary steps can be taken to lessen these risks. The Organisational Risk Assessment Management Plan delegated to SLT, is reviewed quarterly by them, and presented to the board for examination and discussion quarterly. Risks arising and identified by the Board of Trustees are included. It contains assessments of Finances, Data Protection, Client Confidentiality and Safeguarding, Fraud, Health and Safety of Clients and Staff, IT (including cyber security), Board of Trustees Liability, Insurances. Adherence to the BACP Code of Ethics and Practice and the National Occupational Standards set by Rape Crisis (England and Wales) are paramount to the ethos and practice of RCSL and ensures a quality and standard of delivery of all our services.

30 RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual report of the Board of Trustees’ for the year ended 31 March 2025

Policies

Responsibilities of the Board of Trustees

Reserves

The Charity relies on grants to fund its work which are liable to fluctuations from year to year. The Charity relies for most of its funding from local and central government and from generous donations from the public. In order to minimise any impact of sudden closure on our service users and staff, the trustees have agreed a reserves policy which seeks to maintain sufficient reserves to cover the running costs of the organisation for six months.

Investments

Under the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Charity has the power to make any investments which the Board of Trustees see fit.

Fundraising

There is not a formal fundraising policy in place currently. Although we have historically done very little fundraising other than from grants, we intend to increase this and so are putting in place appropriate policies and procedures.

Going concern

The Trustees have assessed whether the use of the going concern basis is appropriate and have considered possible events or conditions that might cast significant doubt on the ability of the charitable company to continue as a going concern. The Trustees have made this assessment for a period of at least one year from the date of the approval of these financial statements. As in previous years, the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on its success in raising funds from the government, other public authorities and donations, none of which can be guaranteed. The Trustees remain in regular contact with sponsoring public authorities and government departments to secure ongoing financial support for the charitable company’s operations going forward. Accordingly, the Trustees have determined there are no material uncertainties as to the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern in the foreseeable future and therefore believe it remains appropriate to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis.

The charitable company’s Trustees (who are also the Board of Directors of Rape Crisis South London for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing a trustees’ annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the charity 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 the group and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable group 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 Charities SORP;
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.

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.

Statement of disclosure of information to the auditors

We, the Board of Trustees of the Charity who held office at the date of the approval of these Financial Statements, as set out above, each confirm so far as we are aware, that:

there is no relevant information, as defined by Companies Act 2006, being information needed by the auditor in connection with their reports, of which the company’s auditors are unaware; and
we have taken all the steps that we ought to have taken as Board of Trustees to make ourselves aware of any relevant information and to establish that the Company’s auditors are aware of that information.

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual report of the Board of Trustees’ for the year ended 31 March 2025

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

OPINION

We have audited the financial statements of Rape Crisis South London (‘the charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and Notes to the Financial Statements, including 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 2025 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice, including FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland”; and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.

BASIS FOR OPINION

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

CONCLUSIONS RELATING TO GOING CONCERN

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded 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.

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

OTHER INFORMATION

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially 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.

MATTERS ON WHICH WE ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT BY EXCEPTION

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

the information given in the Trustees’ Report is inconsistent in any material respect with the financial statements; or
sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEES

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities (set out on page 9), 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

We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

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:

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

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

the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
we assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence; and
we identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.

We considered the nature of the charitable company’s sector and its control environment, and reviewed the charitable company’s documentation of their policies and procedures relating to fraud and compliance with laws and regulations. We also identified the laws and regulations applicable to the charitable company through discussions with the Trustees and other management, and from our cumulative audit, knowledge and experience of the charitable company.

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual report of the Board of Trustees’ for the year ended 31 March 2025

We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the Charitable company operates in, and

identified the key laws and regulations that:

had a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. These included the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, the Charities SORP, and UK financial reporting standards as issued by the Financial Reporting Council; and
do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which may be fundamental to the Charitable company’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty. These included the Charitable company’s regulatory requirements, employment and taxation legislations.

USE OF OUR REPORT

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Records) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors’ 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 trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

We assessed the susceptibility of the charitable company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:

making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud; and
considering the internal controls and policies in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:

reviewing financial statement disclosures by testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with provisions of relevant laws and regulations described as having a direct effect on the financial statements;
performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud;
enquiring of the Trustee concerning actual and potential litigation and claims, and instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations; and
reading minutes of Trustee meetings, reviewing internal audit reports and reviewing correspondence with the Charities Commission.

There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the Trustees and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of nondetection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

Shaw Gibbs (Audit) Limited

Chartered Accountants & Statutory Auditors

Date: 22 December 2025

Salatin House 19 Cedar Road Sutton, Surrey SM2 5DA

Shaw Gibbs (Audit) Limited is eligible for appointment as auditor of the charity by virtue of its eligibility for appointment as auditor of a company under section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

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

36 RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual report of the Board of Trustees’ for the year ended 31 March 2025

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

(including income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2025

	Notes	Unrestricted	Restricted	2025	2024
		Funds	Funds		as restated
		£	£	£	£
Incoming Resources
Income from:
Donations and legacies	2	175,988	-	175,988	21,710
Charitable activities:
Grants receivable	3	-	3,886,401	3,886,401	3,330,269
Other income	4	25,073	-	25,073	27,985
Investment income		18,799	-	18,799	17,658
Total Income		219,860	3,886,401	4,106,261	3,397,622
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities	5	155,770	3,772,675	3,928,445	3,135,779
Governance	6	101,551	-	101,551	16,132
Total Expenditure		257,321	3,772,675	4,029,996	3,151,911
Net (deficit) / surplus for the year		(37,461)	113,726	76,265	245,711
Transfers		431,487	(431,487)	-	-
Reconciliation of
Funds:
Total Funds brought forward		1,621,683	317,761	1,939,444	1,693,733
Total Funds carried forward		2,015,709	-	2,015,709	1,939,444

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure relates to continuing activities.

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2025

(Company no. 04113588)

	Notes	2025	2024
			as restated
		£	£
Fixed Assets
Tangible assets	10	88,636	88,950
Current Assets
Debtors	11	1,168,337	923,791
Cash at bank and in hand		931,857	1,310,206
		2,100,194	2,233,997
Creditors:amounts falling due within one year	12	(173,121)	(383,503)
Net Current Assets		1,917,073	1,850,494
Total Assets less Liabilities		2,015,709	1,939,444
The Funds of the Charity
Restricted Funds	14	-	317,761
Designated Unrestricted Funds	15	88,636	88,950
General Unrestricted Funds	15	1,927,073	1,532,733
Total Funds carried forward		2,015,709	1,939,444

For the financial year ended 31 March 2025 the charitable company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The members have not required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. However, an audit was required in accordance with section 144 of the Charities Act 2011.

The Trustees, who are regarded directors for the purpose of the Companies Act 2006, acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and for the preparation of the accounts. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime. These financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees on [leave space for date] and signed on their behalf by:

The notes on pages 39 to 49 form an integral part of these financial statements.

………………………………………… Za Sheetal Dalal, Chair Board of Trustees 13 October 2025

The notes on pages 39 to 49 form an integral part of these financial statements.

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual report of the Board of Trustees’ for the year ended 31 March 2025

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

For the year ended 31 March 2025

	Note	2025	2024
		£	£
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash (provided by) / used in operating activities	17	(330,730)	394,710
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchase of tangible fixed assets		(47,619)	(40,788)
Disposal of tangible fixed assets		-	-
Net cash used in investing activities		(47,619)	(40,788)
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period		(378,349)	353,922
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting period		1,310,206	956,284
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period		931,857	1,310,206

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31 March 2025

1. Accounting policies

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation or uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:

a) Going concern

b) Basis of accounting

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland – (Charities SORP(FRS102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Rape Crisis South London is a charitable company limited by guarantee and meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).

The functional currency of the Charity is considered to be pounds sterling (£) because that is the currency of the primary economic environment in which it operates. The financial statements are presented in pounds sterling (£).

c) Prior year restatement

During the preparation of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025, the Trustees identified an historical error in classification relating to the prior year. An amount of £695,222 had been incorrectly recognised within restricted funds as at 31 March 2024, due to misallocation of costs as more should have been classified under restricted funds. Following a review, the Trustees concluded that the projects under the restricted funds met all outcomes and were successfully completed to the satisfaction of the donors.

In accordance with FRS 102 Section 10 – Accounting Policies, Estimates and Errors, the comparative figures have been restated to correct this error. The adjustment has resulted in a decrease to restricted funds and a corresponding increase to unrestricted funds of £695,222 as at 31 March 2024. There is no change to total funds or net assets.

The correction has also affected the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) for the year ended 31 March 2024, with a transfer of £695,222 from restricted to unrestricted income, reflecting the corrected classification. The opening fund balances as at 1 April 2024 have been restated accordingly.

40 RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual report of the Board of Trustees’ for the year ended 31 March 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

d) Incoming resources

Income is recognised when the Charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Incoming resources from donations and legacies are recognised when there is evidence of entitlement, receipt is probable and the amount can be reliably measured.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the Charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions, such as service agreements, attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

e) Resources expended

Expenditure is recognised when a liability is incurred. Funding provided through contractual agreements is recognised as services are supplied and when a constructive obligation arises that results in the payment being unavoidable.

Costs of generating funds are those costs incurred in attracting voluntary income, and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds.

Governance costs include those incurred in the governance of its assets and are primarily associated with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the Charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities. The bases on which support costs have been allocated are set out in note 8.

f) Fund accounting

The funds held by the Charity are either:

Unrestricted general funds – these are funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds – these are funds which can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the Charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

g) VAT

The Charity is not registered for VAT and accordingly expenditure includes VAT where appropriate.

h) Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets are stated in the balance sheet at cost, less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses. The cost of tangible fixed assets includes directly attributable incremental costs incurred in their acquisition and installation.

Depreciation has been charged so as to write off each asset over its anticipated economic useful life. The following rates have been used:

Computers, office equipment 33% straight line

Improvements to leasehold property over 15 years straight line

i) Leases

Leases in which substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership are retained by the lessor are classified as operating leases. Payments made under operating leases are charged to the statement of financial activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

j) Debtors

Debtors are recognised initially at the transaction price. They are subsequently measured at amortised cost, less provision for impairment. A provision for the impairment of debtors is established when there is objective evidence that the Charity will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the original terms of the debt.

j) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

k) Financial Instruments

The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

l) Creditors

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the Charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

2. Income from donations and legacies

	Unrestricted	Restricted
	Funds	Funds	2025	2024
	£	£	£	£
Gifts in kind	155,770	-	155,770	-
Gifts and donations	20,218	-	20,218	21,710
	175,988	-	175,988	21,710

The gifts in kind relates mainly to pro bono support from Emperor to support with our new brand which was launched in May 2025. Income from donations during 2024 was all unrestricted.

3. Income from charitable activities

	Unrestricted Restricted	Unrestricted Restricted
	Funds	Funds	2025	2024
Grants	£	£	£	£
London Borough of Croydon	-	-	-	46,000
London Councils	-	33,970	33,970	67,939
Mayor’s Office Policing & Crime	-	1,726,227	1,726,227	1,287,377
Women & Girls Network	-	381,156	381,156	187,204
Rape Crisis England & Wales	-	1,181,541	1,181,541	1,125,562
NHS England	-	357,844	357,844	466,187
London School of Economics	-	18,163	18,163	-
The Haven’s King’s College	-	187,500	187,500	150,000
	-	3,886,401	3,886,401	3,330,269

Income from charitable activities in 2024 was all restricted.

42 RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual report of the Board of Trustees’ for the year ended 31 March 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

4. Other income

4. Other income
	2025	2024
	£	£
Training income	24,810	27,501
Miscellaneous income	263	484
Total	25,073	27,985

Other income received during the year and for 2024 were unrestricted.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

6. Governance costs

6. Governance costs
	2025	2024
	£	£
Bank charges	532	186
Auditor’s remuneration – audit fees	6,900	3,000
Auditor’s remuneration – other services	1,818	4,806
Legal and professional fees	91,321	6,180
Ongoing RCSAS costs	-	1,960
Other Governance costs	980	-
	101,551	16,132

5. Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Governance costs during the year and in 2024 were from unrestricted funds.

	Un-restricted	Restricted	2025	2024
			Total	Total
Counselling	£	£	£	£
Counsellors’ fees and staff costs	-	631,462	631,462	633,402
Specialist counsellors	-	347,680	347,680	324,113
Group counsellors	-	5,951	5,951	14,327
Other costs	-	93,597	93,597	35,720
Support costs	-	659,857	659,857	413,849
	-	1,738,547	1,738,547	1,421,411
Helpline
Operators	-	955,102	955,102	935,846
Telephone	-	52,413	52,413	40,318
Other costs	-	57,533	57,533	28,595
Support costs	-	284,246	284,246	188,481
	-	1,349,294	1,349,294	1,193,240
Advocacy
Staff costs	-	455,085	455,085	346,731
Other costs	-	20,840	20,840	9,092
Support costs	-	20,303	20,303	13,463
	-	496,228	496,228	369,286
Training, Prevention and
Outreach
Trainer’s fees	-	133,194	133,194	116,651
Other costs	-	4,653	4,653	1,530
Support costs	-	20,303	20,303	13,463
	-	158,150	158,150	131,644
Other Support Costs	-	30,456	30,456	20,196
Gifts in Kind	155,770	-	155,770	-
Total Spend on Charitable Activities	155,770	3,772,675	3,928,445	3,135,779

7. Support costs

7. Support costs
	Staff costs	Premises	Other costs	2025	2024
				Total	Total
	£	£	£	£	£
Counselling	185,283	136,386	330,676	652,345	413,850
Helpline	79,815	58,751	142,445	281,010	188,482
Training & Operations	5,701	4,196	10,175	20,072	13,463
Advocacy	5,701	4,196	10,175	20,072	13,463
Other Support Costs	8,649	6,368	15,438	30,456	20,196
	285,149	209,897	508,909	1,003,956	649,454

Support costs have been allocated using the following estimates:

	Chief Executive’s /	Other costs
	Admin costs
Counselling	65%/65%	65%
Helpline	28%/28%	28%
Advocacy	2%/2%	2%
Training & Operations	2%/2%	2%
Other Support Costs	3%/3%	3%

Estimates for allocating support costs are reviewed annually.

Expenditure on charitable activities in 2024 was all from restricted funds.

44 RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual report of the Board of Trustees’ for the year ended 31 March 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

8. Employee Information

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

10. Tangible Fixed Assets

Staff costs

8. Employee Information Staff costs
	2025	2024
	£	£
Wages and salaries	2,242,059	2,015,474
Social and security costs	203,011	184,426
Pension costs, defined contribution scheme	44,956	40,397
	2,490,426	2,240,297

The average number of full – time equivalent employees (including casual and part time staff) during the year was as follows:

staff) during the year was as follows:
	2025	2024
	Number	Number
Counselling	15	16
Helpline	23	24
Advocacy	13	11
Outreach	1	1
Support	5	5
Training and Operations	2	2
	59	59

There were no employees with emoluments above £60,000.

	Computer	Office	Improvement	Website	Total
	Equipment	Equipment	To Leasehold
			Property
	£	£	£	£	£
Cost
At 1 April 2024	153,775	49,169	95,615	490	299,049
Additions	30,048	17,571	-	-	47,619
Disposals	-	-	-	(490)	(490)
At 31 March 2025	183,823	66,740	95,615	-	346,178
Depreciation
At 1 April 2024	121,527	43,877	44,205	490	210, 099
Depreciation charge	Depreciation charge 31,260	10,247	6,426	-	47,933
Disposals	-	-	-	(490)	(490)
At 31 March 2025	152,787	54,124	50,631	-	257,542
Net Book Value
At 31 March 2025	31,036	12,616	44,984	-	88,636
At 31 March 2024	32,248	5,292	51,410	-	88,950

None of the trustees received any remuneration or reimbursement of expenses during the year.

9. Net income resources

This is stated after charging:

This is stated after charging:
	2025	2024
	£	£
Depreciation	47,933	45,638
Auditors’ remuneration – audit fees	6,900	3,000
Auditors’ remuneration – non-audit services	1,818	3,490

11. Debtors

	2025	2024
	£	£
Grants receivable	1,064,741	904,397
Other debtors	58,334	5,039
Prepayments & accrued income	45,262	14,355
	1,168,337	923,791

12. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year:

	2025	2024
	£	£
Trade creditors	77,037	-
Other creditors	8,158	13,917
Other tax and social security	44,413	50,159
Accruals and deferred income	43,513	319,427
	173,121	383,503

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual report of the Board of Trustees’ for the year ended 31 March 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

13. Transfers between funds

Designated funds show the current use or expected future use of unrestricted funds in the financial statements as decided by the trustees. Transfers are made between unrestricted general funds and designated funds to reflect changes in these funds.

Transfer of funds from unrestricted funds to restricted funds reflects own and external funding contributions required to meet specific project funding requirements.

An amount of £695,222 had been incorrectly recognised within restricted funds as at 31 March 2024, due to misallocation of costs as more should have been classified under restricted funds. Following a review, the Trustees concluded that the projects under the restricted funds met all outcomes and were successfully completed to the satisfaction of the donors.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

Restricted funds are to be used only for the following specific purposes:

– Advocacy provision of unbiased information concerning the criminal justice system to female survivors of sexual violence by Independent Sexual Violence Advocates.

Helpline – offers emotional support, practical information and referral guidance to women and girls from 13 years old who have suffered any form of sexual violence either recently or in the past, their families and friends.

Counselling – these funds are used to provide therapeutic services to clients by specialist qualified therapists.

Training – offers awareness raising talks, training and workshops to statutory and non-statutory organisations about sexual violence, the myths and effects, and how best to support survivors. Outreach – provision of initial emotional and information based sessions with marginalised survivors.

14. Analysis of movements in restricted funds

Current year

Current year
	Balance at	Incoming	Outgoing	Transfer to	Balance at
	1 April	resources	resources	Unrestricted	31 March
	2024			funds	2025
	£	£	£	£	£
Advocacy	178,011	728,081	(496,229)	(409,863)	-
Helpline	7,084	1,181,541	(1,349,294)	160,669	-
Counselling	85,315	1,852,468	(1,738,547)	(199,236)	-
Training	36,916	124,311	(158,150)	(3,077)	-
Support	10,436	-	(30,456)	20,020
	317,762	3,886,401	(3,772,676)	(431,487)	-

Previous year

Previous year
	Balance at	Incoming	Outgoing	Transfer to	Balance at
	1 April	resources	resources	Unrestricted	31 March
	2023			funds	2024
	£	£	£	£	£
Advocacy	43,185	540,796	(369,289)	(36,681)	178,011
Helpline	45,307	1,193,500	(1,193,240)	(38,484)	7,083
Counselling	425,311	1,462,866	(1,441,606)	(361,256)	85,315
Training	304,061	87,107	(95,985)	(258,267)	36,916
Support	629	46,000	(35,659)	(534)	10,436
	818,493	3,330,269	(3,135,779)	(695,222)	317,761

15. Analysis of movements in unrestricted funds

Current year

Current year
	Balance at	Incoming	Outgoing	Transfers	Balance at
	1 April	resources	resources		31 March
	2024				2025
	£	£	£		£
Designated funds - property	88,950	47,619	(47,933)	-	88,636
General funds	1,532,733	172,241	(209,398)	431,487	1,927,073
Total unrestricted funds	1,621,683	219,860	(257,321)	431,487	2,015,709
Previous year
	Balance at	Incoming	Outgoing	Transfers	Balance at
	1 April	resources	resources		31 March
	2023				2024
	£	£	£		£
Designated funds -	93,800	17,658	(22,508)	-	88,950
property
General funds	781,440	49,695	6,376	695,222	1,532,733
Total unrestricted	875,240	67,353	(16,132)	695,222	1,621,683
funds

RAPE CRISIS SOUTH LONDON

Annual report of the Board of Trustees’ for the year ended 31 March 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

16. Analysis of net assets between funds

	General	Restricted	Total
	Fund	Funds
	£	£	£
Fixed assets	88,636	-	88,636
Current assets	2,100,194	-	2,100,194
Current liabilities	(173,121)	-	(173,121)
	2,015,709	-	2,015,709
Previous year
Fixed assets	88,950	-	88,950
Current assets	1,916,236	317,761	2,233,997
Current liabilities	(383,503)	-	(383,503)
	1,621,683	317,761	1,939,444

17. Reconciliation of Net Income to Net Cash Flow from Operating Activities

	2025	2024
		as restated
	£	£
Net income / (deficit) for the reporting period	76,265	245,711
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charges	47,933	45,638
(Increase) / decrease in debtors	(244,546)	(93,032)
(Decrease) / increase in creditors	(210,382)	196,393
Net cash (provided by) / used in operating activities	(330,730)	394,710

18. Pension Scheme

Defined contribution pension scheme

The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charitable company in an independently administered fund. The pension cost charge for the year represents contributions payable by the Charitable Company to the scheme and amounted to £44,956 (2024: £40,397). There were £8,158 (2024: £8,315) contributions payable to the scheme at the end of the year.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

19. Lease commitments

The Charity’s total of future minimum lease payments under non – cancellable operating leases at 31 March 2025 were as follows:

	2025	2024
Payable:	Total	Total
	£	£
Within one year	86,000	46,000
Later than one year and not later than five years	93,750	217,000
More than five years	-	36,250
	179,750	299,250

The amount of non – cancellable operating lease payments recognised as an expense during the year was £86,000 (2024: £68,000)

20. Capital commitments and contingent liabilities

There were no capital commitments or contingent liabilities at either 31 March 2025 or 31 March 2024.

21. Events after the reporting period

There have been no other significant events between the year end and the date of approval of these financial statements which would require a change to, or disclosure in, the financial statements.

22. Related party transactions

During the year, the Charitable Company received a grant from their umbrella charitable company, Rape Crisis (England & Wales) amounting to £1,181,541 (2024: £1,125,562). The Charitable Company also enjoys a close working relationship with entities which provide funding to enable the Charity to carry out its charitable company. During the year the Charity provided counselling sessions / services to Solace and Women & Girls Network and received an amount totalling £381,156 (2024: £187,204) in the form of grants.

23. Corporation taxation

As a Charitable Company, Rape and Sexual Support Centre is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the Charity.

Specialist South London support for women and girls who have experienced rape and/or childhood sexual abuse.

To discover more about this report and/or the work of RCSL, please contact us:

T: 0208 683 3311

info@rapecrisissouthlondon.org media@rapecrisissouthlondon.org

www.rapecrisissouthlondon.org Charities Commission number: 1085104 Company number: 4113588