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2022-03-31-accounts

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 04135225 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1086151

Report of the Trustees and

Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2022

for

Advocacy Focus

Mayes Business Partnership Ltd 22-28 Willow Street

Accrington Lancashire BB5 1LP

Advocacy Focus

Contents of the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

Page
Reference and Administrative Details 1
Chair's Report 2
Chief Executive's Report 3
Report of the Trustees 4 to 15
Trustees' Responsibility Statement 16
Report of the Independent Auditors 17 to 20
Statement of Financial Activities 21
Statement of Financial Position 22
Statement of Cash Flows 23
Notes to the Statement of Cash Flows 24
Notes to the Financial Statements 25 to 33

Advocacy Focus

Reference and Administrative Details for the year ended 31 March 2022

TRUSTEES Denise Bond
Darcey Parr (resigned 4/1/22)
Dean Rodgers Treasurer
Zabeda Khatoon Maqsood (resigned 28/1/22)
William Gareth Shepherd (resigned 23/7/22)
Diane Burridge (resigned 23/7/22)
Christopher Bryan Lintern
Anne Phillips (resigned 15/10/21)
Linda Stewart
Emma Yates
COMPANY SECRETARY Denise Bond
REGISTERED OFFICE The Old Tannery
Eastgate
Accrington
Lancashire
BB5 6PW
REGISTERED COMPANY 04135225 (England and Wales)
NUMBER
REGISTERED CHARITY 1086151
NUMBER
AUDITORS Mayes Business Partnership Ltd
22-28 Willow Street
Accrington
Lancashire
BB5 1LP

Page 1

Advocacy Focus

Chair's Report for the year ended 31 March 2022

Welcome to our Advocacy Focus' Annual Report for 2021/22. As the Chair of Trustees, I am delighted to introduce you to the outstanding work and impact delivered by our award-winning Charity over the last year.

The pandemic crisis and ongoing recovery, continues to present significant pressures and challenges for the health and social care sector. There are few people in our communities who have not been affected in some way by the instability and uncertainty of the last couple of years, but for those experiencing difficulties with their mental health, physical health and social exclusion, the negative impacts have been profound in many cases. The wide-ranging services that we deliver at Advocacy Focus are a vital lifeline that supports anyone in a situation where they need to understand their rights, have their voice heard and be central to any decisions made about them.

Over the last year we have invested in a Building Back Stronger strategy, ensuring we deploy the collective resources we have available to create the greatest impact and outcomes for the 6381 people we have supported during that time. Growing the different strands of our advocacy work has been an important theme in continuing to develop our adult core statutory and non-statutory delivery and our preventative and specialist services for children and young people, responding in all these areas to ever growing demand. Considering the number of people in our communities needing different forms of advocacy, we have also built a portfolio of self-advocacy tools and resources during this year including the launch of our new app and website.

Significant changes are also in progress within the policy and legislative environment with consultations and reforms to the Mental Health Act, Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) replacing Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), and a reform of the Human Rights Act (HRA) with a Bill of Rights. In addition to remaining informed on the impacts these changes have on our work; we also actively provide leadership through participation in the Leaders in Advocacy national network. We also co-signed with our sector colleagues the recent letter to the Prime Minister in May 2022, outlining in detail the detrimental effects on the important role of advocacy and the removal of independent scrutiny of public services that would follow the potential repeal of the HRA.

Another highlight in 2021 was our bi-annual Breaking Barriers Conference, bringing together industry professionals, expert speakers and everyone who is working hard to grow the work and awareness within the advocacy sector. I was fortunate to be able to attend this and I was so proud to see many members of our fantastic team in action, promoting the impact of our work and leading by example on ways to collaborate to grow, develop and respond to the rapidly changing environment, and secure the future of the sector.

Our plans for 2022-2023 will focus on securing this stable future for our charity in this rapidly changing environment in both the work that we do, further developing our early intervention, prevention, self-advocacy, training services and community engagement. This will strengthen the resilience and diversity of our revenue streams, alongside structuring the internal skills and infrastructure to respond to and support the growth and change that will emerge from the current external environment.

As we celebrate a second year in the Mind Charity Workplace Wellbeing Index 2021/22, ranked number two in the gold standard employer's category, I would like to give my sincerest thanks to every member of the Advocacy Focus team who consistently deliver outstanding work to the many people in so much need of our services in our struggling communities.

Thank you also to my fellow trustees and our wide network of partners for the many ways in which you have helped us deliver significant impact. Collaboration is key to our success, so if you don't currently work with us and can share an opportunity to grow our impact then please do get in touch!

I continue to be inspired by the work of Advocacy Focus and I am confident that you will be too when you read this report our team have created for you.

Diane Burridge, Chair of Trustees, Advocacy Focus

Page 2

Advocacy Focus

Chief Executive's Report for the year ended 31 March 2022

This year was focused on coming out of 'survival mode' as an organisation and coming back stronger post Covid-19. No mean feat when the pandemic continued to impact on all aspects of the health and social care sector, people accessing our services and of course our team of keyworkers. As restrictions eased, our team, although glad to be back in their communities and holding more face to face meetings, were met with access challenges into care homes and hospitals, as the vaccination status debate for healthcare workers continued. The team however rose to the challenge and over the last 12 months have fully embraced a more flexible and autonomous way of working, either remotely or via a hybrid model. The advocacy sector was bracing itself for an amendment to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, via the introduction of Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) to replace the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Therefore, a key focus over the next year will be to further prepare for this expansion of the advocacy role and the numbers required to deliver quality services on the ground. We are also preparing for changes as a result of the Government's white paper on reforming the Mental Health Act which will further impact on our ever changing sector. Dedicated specialist roles, training and development will be a key focus of our work during 2022, to ensure that our team are fully appraised of the Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) role and can offer a seamless service during the transition from DoLS to LPS.

Although we didn't see the 'grand resignation' that many organisations reported, we did have some movement of personnel and the recruitment environment became significantly more challenging. During 2022 we will have to come up with more creative ways of recruiting into the third sector and the niche role of advocacy. We have strong links with universities and local health and social care cohorts and work collaboratively with the local business community to share best practice in terms of engagement, recruitment and retention. We will continue to promote our ongoing commitment to our organisational and team's wellbeing, which will hopefully pitch us as an employer of choice and attract new talent. For the second year running we achieved Gold Award status in national charity Mind's Workplace Wellbeing Index and placed second overall nationally. Normalising conversations and supporting our team to turn up as the best version of themselves continued to reap dividends for our charity, even with a modest wellbeing budget.

Funding opportunities continued to be challenging. The procurement process become even more competitive and with an expectation to provide measurable social value and early payment clawbacks, many advocacy contracts run at a potential loss. This will be one of our biggest challenges during 2022 as we focus on sustainability for our charity and how we respond to a process that focuses more on the bid writing and the financial envelope, than it does on impact on the ground and the outcomes achieved for people accessing our services. I fear that many grassroots charities will not survive these procurement challenges, when advocacy services have never been more important for the independent checks and balances in health and social care.

Our team however, continued to demonstrate best practice and tirelessly worked towards achieving the best possible outcomes for the people they served and were a credit to their profession. Caseloads remained high, and due to unprecedented demand, we had small waiting lists in place, however, this encouraged us to review and scrutinise our practice, to ensure ease of access and a timely response. As a result, the quality of our service helped us to secure several new funding tranches at the end of the financial year, with a focus on preventative services to support people that were disproportionately disadvantaged by the pandemic, thus helping people before they reach crisis point. The next year won't be without its challenges, but the team are focused and committed to it being another successful year for Advocacy Focus and our communities.

Justine Forster, Chief Executive Officer, Advocacy Focus

Page 3

Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2022

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2022. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Objectives and aims

The objects of the charity as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association are:

The charity's objects are specifically restricted to the following:

For the public benefit, the relief and assistance of people who are disadvantaged by illness, disability, age, sexual orientation or social exclusion within England, via the provision, promotion and accessibility of high quality independent advocacy and its associated services. The charity will promote wider social inclusion for the public benefit, by supporting and enabling people to represent themselves in health and social care matters, obtain appropriate services and increase their life quality and choices.

Our mission:

To help people to achieve the outcomes that matter to them in their lives, by providing high quality advocacy.

Vision and Values:

VISION: Ensuring that advocacy is available to all who may need it in our communities.

As a team, we are passionate about what we do, and we actively encourage our people to fully embrace our shared core values with all those that they come into contact with. Our values were co-produced with our team to create new values that reflect who we are as a growing organisation. The decisions we make reflect our values and beliefs, and they are always directed towards a specific purpose.

Quality: We deliver high quality advocacy - we have over 20 years' experience of providing expert, person-led advocacy and are sector leaders with the awards to prove it!

People: We put people at the heart of everything we do - we care about people and want to enable them to make positive change in their life.

Respectful: We are a respectful team - we treat everyone equally and make sure everyone feels valued, respected and listened to.

Trust: You can trust us to keep your information private and safe.

Independent: We are independent of councils and health services and we are on your side.

Learning: We never stop learning - we are always improving and developing our services. We learn from the people we support, our partners and each other.

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Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2022

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Significant activities

Service delivery:

2021-2022 has been a remarkable year for Advocacy Focus, our staff team and volunteers have been committed to supporting people to have their voices heard and to be central to any decision-making processes. This hasn't been without its challenges due to the impact of Covid-19 and the difficulties people have faced in accessing health and social care services. The demand on our services across the North has significantly increased as people faced crisis during times of uncertainty and became disconnected and isolated from their family, friends, and their wider community. We have supported 6381 people with complex advocacy needs across all our contracts. The way we delivered our services had to change, in light of Covid-19, which created a space for Advocacy Focus to work even more innovatively in meeting the needs of the people we support. A key focus this year has been on post-covid recovery and helping people reintegrate and engage with their community, whilst focusing on empowerment and the development of community and self-advocacy services. We have supported 2750 people via our community and self-advocacy provision to enable them to become their own best advocates.

During these unprecedented times, we secured two new contracts within Lancashire, South Cumbria, and Trafford to enable us to target the widespread unmet need within our service areas. We have made significant impact within our communities with the support of our partners, but this is only the tip of the iceberg, our plans for 2022-2023 will have a real drive towards early intervention, prevention, and strengthening individuals, groups, and communities. Advocacy Focus is a person-led organisation that responds to our community's needs, which has led to the shaping of our plans for the forthcoming year. But first, let's take you through 2021-2022 to show you what impact our support has had in our communities.

Advocacy services:

We offer a full range of advocacy services across Lancashire and Trafford including:

Our team are multi-skilled, allowing them to provide holistic support across the differing strands of advocacy, ensuring that the person using our service is able to experience consistency, familiarity and advocacy expertise from one advocate. Our advocates work in a person-led way, ensuring that the person using our service is treated equitably and is front and centre of the work we do. Where possible we ensure that members of our community are able to experience culturally appropriate advocacy. This means that our advocates can meet the needs of people's particular religious, cultural or language requirements to help them more effectively advocate the persons views, wishes, beliefs and values. Throughout this year, and for future years, we will continue to raise and promote the importance of advocacy and the impact advocacy can have on a person's life. There was a total of 5336 people supported across Lancashire and Trafford.

Page 5

Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2022

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Public benefit

New services launched in 2021-2022:

We have launched our extended offer to Trafford and now provide community advocacy and a self-advocacy peer network group to residents who require support who would ordinarily not be able to access statutory advocacy services. Holding both statutory and non-statutory advocacy contracts within Lancashire and Trafford offers the people using our service a more holistic and streamlined service in terms of obtaining the support they require. We have found this particularly useful when individuals have contacted us and asked for support to request a social care assessment. Our Advocacy Coordinators can support that individual to request the assessment and then follow the process through to ensure that the individual is informed of their rights in relation to advocacy support under the Care Act.

One of our new services enables us to provide advocacy support to informal inpatients with autism across Lancashire and South Cumbria, as well as ongoing engagement with detained patients with autism across the same area. The overall scope of the project aims to address the gap in legislation and support potentially vulnerable people who are inpatients to have their views heard and be more involved in their care and treatment. Part of this work involved providing information to NHS England around the views of autistic inpatients in relation to advocacy and their care and treatment in hospital. Following from this we were able to produce recommendations aiming to lead to improved quality of life, treatment and care for autistic inpatients and inform strategic development.

Our advocates have supported Gail Petty and Kate Mercer with a review they were conducting around advocacy with people with autism and a learning disability in restricted settings. The review aims to gain a better understanding of the delivery of independent advocacy to people with a learning disability and autistic people who are inpatients in mental health, learning disability or autism specialist hospitals. It aims to explore and understand the issues impacting on the provision of high-quality independent advocacy to people who are inpatients. Our team of advocates participated in a group session discussing their experiences and providing their opinions and ideas for improvement.

Leanne Hignett (Service Delivery Director) contributes to the Leaders in Advocacy Network. The Leaders in Advocacy Network is a collaboration between several advocacy providers across the country who make for an influential voice for the advocacy sector, striving for positive change for the people using advocacy and public services.

Mental health reform:

Discussions continue about the reform of the Mental Health Act and we ensure that we are involved in all possible meetings around this, to shape the way access to advocacy will look under this and ensure that the voices of people in our community are heard in processes and procedures which are being developed.

Our Mental Health Act Development Worker has attended policy workshops and panel discussions around this, aiming to influence the reformed legislation to ensure the people using our service will benefit from this.

5 key headlines :

  1. The detention criteria under sections 2 and 3 are tightened to require 'serious harm' to the patient and others, and consideration must be given to the nature, degree and likelihood of the harm and how soon it will happen.

  2. A new therapeutic benefit test is added to section 3 detentions.

  3. Learning disability and autism is excluded (without a co-existing mental health disorder) from section 3 detentions.

  4. The nominated person replaces the nearest relative role, with new powers to be consulted before patients are transferred or placed on a Community Treatment Order (CTO).

  5. Rights to an Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA) for informal patients.

Liberty Protection safeguards:

Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) has been on the agenda for several years. We were anticipating the publication of the consultation documents, including the draft Code of Practice (which at this point was due to be published in Spring 2021), to give us further information around the extensive changes that will be introduced by the Liberty Protection Safeguards. An impact assessment was also published in January 2021.

We dedicated time to digesting this, familiarising ourselves with the estimates around advocacy - estimates around caseloads, training, the number of new advocates required and costs. We started to think about whether we felt these estimates were accurate in line with the information we already had and planned to review this when the consultation documents were published. As a result of these key changes happening within the sector, we recruited an LPS lead who will guide us in developing the way we will provide advocacy, as well as playing a key role in consultations with the Department of Health and Social Care to influence and shape the way the Code of Practice will look.

Page 6

Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees

for the year ended 31 March 2022

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Reserves policy

The increase in activity by the charity requires a sensible approach to setting its reserves policy. At 31 March 2022, the estimated redundancy/closure costs for the organisation amounted to £280,000 (2021: £280,000), and this is set aside as a designated fund to provide cash flow so that service delivery could be continued or redundancy/closure costs met whilst further funds were sought or the organisation wound up.

At 31 March 2022, this leaves £528,031 available to increase advocacy provision, ensure readiness for the external legislative changes in advocacy and the implementation of measures to increase advocacy accessibility within other minority and rural communities.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The charity is controlled by its governing document, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

Recruitment of Trustees is an open process with applications welcomed at all times from any sector of the community. An annual review of the Board is completed and targeted recruitment is undertaken if the Board identifies gaps in skills or representation. Appointments are made by the Board and are subject to confirmation at the Annual General Meeting. There is a rolling programme of election periods to ensure continuity.

Induction and training of new trustees

Trustees are inducted by the Chair and Chief Executive. All Trustees are encouraged to undertake advocacy training and are offered access to other relevant training to support them in their role as well as peer support through fellow Trustees. A job description detailing levels of responsibility is provided during induction. All Trustees are subject to DBS clearance.

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Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2022

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES Success story:

What was the person's situation before working with Advocacy Focus?

David* lives alone with 24-hour support from a team of staff, who help David with his support needs arising from his learning disability. David had reported dental pain to staff and, following examination by the specialist dentistry team, the dentist tried to remove a tooth under local anaesthetic. David presented as too anxious to undergo this procedure and, due to the painful tooth and concerns about the overall health of his teeth (periodontists and many loose teeth), David was referred to a senior dental officer to consider further treatment. Treatment options proposed included the removal of loose teeth under general anaesthetic, with the possibility of full dental clearance. David was assessed as lacking capacity to make this decision himself and a referral was made for an IMCA, as per the duties of the Mental Capacity Act.

David's care plan states that he is unable to read or understand paperwork, even if it is read to him. David can communicate verbally, however he has significant difficulty with both receptive and expressive language. David also tends to rely on learned phrases an will often agree to the first or last choice put to him.

What did advocacy do to help the person?

David's Independent Advocate visited him three times at home to gather his views on the different treatment options and explain the procedures that were being considered. David's difficulty with expressive language was apparent when his Independent Advocate discussed the proposed treatment with him, and they were unable to establish clear views from the conversation. David's Independent Advocate brought a selection of items to engage David in conversation, including manual and electric toothbrushes. David became animated when they showed him the electric toothbrush and went on to speak about his teeth. David's Independent Advocate showed him an egg timer designed for counting 2 minutes to support good dental hygiene and also showed him their watch and pictures of clocks. By doing so, it became apparent that David was unable to tell the time. David told his Independent Advocate in short simple sentences that he was no longer experiencing pain, and that he would be happy to have more support from staff to brush his teeth effectively for the recommended 2 minute period.

From building rapport with David, the Independent Advocate discovered that he likes superheroes and they made a visual resource using superhero characters to show the difference between a full dental clearance and removal of one or two teeth. David engaged with this visual resource, changing his body language by sitting forward, reaching out to take the picture from the Independent Advocate and looking at the paper and smiling. David indicated very consistently that he preferred the look of the characters without the full dental clearance. During another visit the Independent Advocate sourced a number of photographs of people with varying amounts of teeth, ranging from a full set of teeth, to people who have had a full dental clearance. David also engaged with these visual resources, and again consistently indicated that he preferred the look of pictures where a full dental clearance had not been completed.

David's Independent Advocate discovered from his care file that David has a busy lifestyle, which includes meals out and the social aspect of dining with friends when at his day centre activities. David appeared to be a "foodie", with meals such as baked salmon and asparagus recorded in his file. David and his Independent Advocate looked through his fridge where he indicated to them what his favourite foods were. Using the food in his fridge as objects of reference, David was able to respond in simple terms of "happy" or "sad" when asked about how he would feel if he had difficulty chewing items such as pizza.

What was the outcome?

At the best interest meeting David's Independent Advocate was able to put forward that David did not appear to like the appearance of people with no teeth, based on his responses to the visual resources used.

After the Independent Advocate had brought the toothbrushes to a visit with David, support staff reported that they had bought an electric toothbrush for David, as he appeared to be so interested in it. Staff stated that David had been happy to use this and was accepting of staff support with this.

David had his teeth examined by the decision maker just before the best interest meeting took place. The decision maker noted that despite some teeth being loose, they were very clean, indicating that he was consistently accepting support with cleaning them. Based on David's views on people with missing teeth, and the fact that he has not consistently expressed pain, the decision was made not to go ahead with any treatment under general anaesthetic, including a partial or full clearance of teeth. The decision maker also noted the key role that food plays in David's life and his enjoyment of a wide variety of foods, which could be limited by a full dental clearance.

The decision maker has arranged for David to have more frequent check-ups with the dental officer in order to build a relationship with them, which may boost his confidence to have treatment under local anaesthetic if needed in future.

Why was advocacy support so effective?

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Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2022

Getting to know David and his interests meant that his Independent Advocate was able to create communication tools that interested and engaged David. Through using these tools, David was able to express opinions on the possible outcomes of treatment options, despite his difficulty with expressive language. The decision maker took these into account when weighing the treatment options and decided that treatment under general anaesthetic was not proportionate, which appeared in line with David's views and wishes.

Children and young people advocacy:

We are a preventative and specialist service that prides itself on having purely delivered advocacy services for over 20 years. All our advocates adopt a person-led and strengths-based approach, to enable the people we work with to achieve their outcomes and create lasting and sustainable change.

We are passionate about supporting children and young people to have a say in the things that matter to them. Our advocates will champion the rights of young people and ensure that their voices are heard, valued and at the centre of any decisions that affect their lives.

We provide services to children and young people in Rochdale, St Helens, Trafford, and Bradford

Through 2021-2022 we worked tirelessly to tackle and prevent child exploitation, improve young people's access to mental health services and wellbeing support, and provided a safety net for children facing loneliness, isolation, and crisis situations. We continued with initiatives set up in the previous financial year, including our Pen-demic Pals project, community book shares and befriending service. The pandemic saw Advocacy Focus become more creative in the way in which we communicated with people, reverting to 'old school' methods such as letter writing. This was received well, especially amongst the young people we supported.

Times continued to be unprecedented due to Covid-19, and we needed to continually adapt and change our service delivery in line with the ever-changing world. We have worked with 615 young people, exceeding our expected reach, and helped achieve the outcomes in their lives that mattered the most.

We received 1712 return to care interview referrals and all requests were attempted within the statutory 72-hour timeframe. We are dedicated and committed to making a real difference in young people's lives. We aim to keep young people safe and get young people the help and support they need to reduce them going missing again in the future. We are often the first point of contact for young people when they are experiencing difficulties or facing a crisis. A key part of our role is explaining the dangers of risk-taking behaviours and explaining how a young person can keep themselves safe. We give practical tips and support on what to do if a young person finds themselves in danger. We have been using the 'Signs of Safety' model with young people, and have clear processes in place around sharing a young person's information with the local authority and other key partners. Our commitment to young people has led to many positive outcomes and has supported the young person's transition into adulthood.

Children and young people feedback:

"I was nervous about you coming to see me before I met you, but when you came to see me, you made me feel better because you listened to me, and I felt like I could relate to you. You seem like a normal person and not a scary professional. I liked speaking with you and hope I get to see you again. Thank you so much for your help because you got me the outcome I wanted."

"She fought for me and helped me get what I was entitled to and my very own flat. I loved working with my advocate and I would definitely recommend Advocacy Focus."

"I would like to say she has been a fantastic advocate and a great support for the young person, I really don't want her to go. One of the best, and an excellent service. You have definitely helped to get his views heard both in meetings and through the calls. We wouldn't have got through it without you."

Success story:

What was the person's situation before working with Advocacy Focus?

Jay* is 12 years old and identifies as non-binary and was referred to Advocacy Focus ahead of their Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC) for support in ensuring their voice was heard throughout the process. Jay expressed that they were quite anxious about speaking to professionals without Mum present and this was deemed to be a barrier to intervention. Jay was not attending school and was becoming increasingly isolated, spending much of their time at home and playing games online.

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Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2022

What did advocacy do to help the person?

The advocate met with Jay ahead of the ICPC at their home. Jay said that they wanted to know more about the process of the ICPC and so the advocate spent time explaining the process and the format of these meetings. On the day of the conference, the advocate met with Jay early so that they could attend together and helped Jay to prepare for the conference. Jay shared their views and wishes prior to the conference meeting, as they did not feel they would be able to express themselves fully in a pressurised situation, and so the advocate was able to share these with the conference on Jay's behalf. Notes were taken during the conference so that Jay was able to look over them and discuss together afterwards.

Jay said that they would like to attend core group meetings separately from Mum, to allow them space to independently share how they are feeling and discuss anything they feel needs to happen. The advocate was able to help facilitate this, by meeting with Jay so that they could join the core group meetings together. Jay was supported to attend every core group meeting since, and meetings with Jay occur regularly to discuss their views and wishes. Over time Jay expressed a wish to have more involvement in voicing their own wishes and views during meetings, but explained that they did not feel confident enough. The advocate spent time supporting Jay to make notes of exactly what they wanted to say during meetings and spent time helping them to practice voicing their views and wishes prior to the meeting. Jay and the advocate made an agreement that if Jay felt overwhelmed and wanted them to take over voicing their views and wishes at any time during the meetings, Jay could click their fingers, and this would signal that they wanted their advocate to take over.

Prior to Jay's review conference, the advocate met with them to prepare their wishes and feelings. Jay also worked in partnership to write the conference report to ensure that their views and wishes were put forward in Jay's exact words. Jay had also said that they were spending all their time at home and playing games online because there was very little for young people their age to do. Jay explained that they feel isolated because they belong to the LGBTQ+ community, but there are no services or groups for people who are younger, therefore they do not have any peers that they feel like they can relate to. Jay explained that they did not know anyone else around their age who identifies as non-binary, and they don't speak to anyone around their age from the LGBTQ+ community. Jay expressed that this is the reason they feel so isolated, and they wanted to connect with people of a similar age from the LGBTQ+ community. Support was given for Jay to contact their local LGBTQ+ service and speak to them about setting up a group for young people.

What was the outcome?

Jay built up the confidence to share their views and wishes and instruct their advocate in what they would like them to support with. Jay's Mum has also noted how Jay has expressed trust in their advocate, stating, "Jay says they trust you will do what you say you will do."

Jay expressed that they are feeling more positive about the future, and they are hoping to reengage in education now. Jay's confidence has grown. They have worked with their local LGBTQ+ organisation to set up a group for young people, which not only will help other young people in the community, it will also allow Jay to make friendships with people they can identify with and reduce feelings of isolation.

Why was advocacy support so effective?

Jay has expressed that they feel involved in the child protection process and that with the support of advocacy, they feel that their voice has had a significant impact on the child protection plan. Jay has explained that they feel, for the first time, that professionals are listening to them and have shown that their views and wishes are valued. They feel that having the support of an Independent Advocate to support them to prepare and articulate their views and wishes has played a huge part in this.

Spot purchase Advocacy:

Spot purchase advocacy has supported people in times of great need, where people have fallen through the gaps in services, due to a variety of contractual and need related reasons. Advocacy Focus believes advocacy should be available to anyone who needs it, and this is why we deliver the bespoke services that we do. 114 people have been supported via our spot purchase advocacy service by our specialist team who operate across the North of England. We provide the following advocacy support services:

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Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2022

Spot Purchase Us - Advocacy Focus

Success story:

What was the person's situation before working with Advocacy Focus?

Simon* lives in a supported living placement in Manchester and there is a CoPDoL in place to authorise the deprivation of liberty. Simon needs a 1.2 Representative to support him through the CoPDoL application and authorisation period. This role is not covered by any statutory advocacy contract and so the local authority was struggling to find anyone to support Simon. The local authority approached Advocacy Focus to act as the 1.2 Representative on a spot purchase basis.

What did advocacy do to help the person?

The Independent Advocate met with Simon numerous times and informed him of the reason for the CoPDoL and what would happen during the application. Simon was happy with the restrictions at first but, once the CoPDoL was authorised, said that he would like to challenge the capacity assessment as he felt that he should be able to make his own decisions about his residence and care. Simon also felt that he was being overly restricted and that he would like to have more time without staff.

What was the outcome?

An independent mental capacity assessment was completed at the request of the judge. The Independent Advocate requested an oral hearing in court on behalf of Simon, to ensure that he could speak with the judge and have his rights upheld. A full day's contested hearing was required, and Simon's counsel were provided with the opportunity to cross examine the independent assessor.

The judge ruled that Simon did indeed lack capacity to make these decisions, but Simon felt satisfied that his rights had been upheld and that he had his day in court.

Simon was however able to negotiate a plan to gradually increase his unsupported time, and now spends the majority of his days without any supervision from staff.

Why was advocacy support so effective?

Without the support of the Independent Advocate, Simon would not have been aware of his rights and would not have been able to access the court to challenge the deprivation.

Community engagement:

It's been a successful year for our community work, continuing our involvement with existing groups, meeting new groups and spreading awareness of advocacy services, and most importantly self-advocacy in Lancashire and beyond. Throughout the year we've had 950 community engagement contacts with groups and individuals.

We've attended different information hubs throughout the year. Our role is to raise awareness and offer information to people as and when they need it. These hubs offer a chance for anyone who is facing a dementia diagnosis, or who is a carer for someone with dementia, to meet with services all in one place. At the hub we can meet multiple people at any one time, offering on the spot information related to advocacy in health and social care services. This also includes attending events around disability awareness. These events have meant that throughout the year we have supported people with immediate information on 295 occasions.

We have attended awareness sessions; these are often professionals' meetings and community group meetings. Awareness sessions tend to be one off meetings, but these often lead to developing other engagement activities, such as supporting groups and drop in events. Awareness sessions have enabled us to meet and spread awareness with 538 people.

Supporting local groups, self-advocacy groups and other community groups enables us to be part of the community, offer support from a statutory advocacy perspective, and promote self-advocacy. We have developed resources, tools, and supported people in their journey to find their voice. Throughout the year we have promoted self-advocacy with 314 people.

Volunteer services:

Page 11

Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2022

2021-2022 saw the employment of our new Volunteer Community Engagement Coordinator, to support the growing volunteer team. Due to Covid-19, our volunteer services took a huge hit when the nation was subject to restrictions which saw the disruption of some of our key volunteer services. Volunteers are vital to the delivery of all our services, they provide us with additional capacity, as well as bringing a diverse range of experience, skills, and knowledge to Advocacy Focus. Without their support we could not work with as many people as we do, or offer the same level of preventative assistance. Within 2021-2022 our volunteers provided 748 hours of support to Advocacy Focus and the people we work with.

Many volunteers join Advocacy Focus to broaden their social networks, gain meaningful experiences, and give back to others in the community who may need additional support. Our volunteer team have also found that the experience they gain working with us, increases their chances of employment within Advocacy Focus, or in external health and social care organisations.

Advocacy Focus has a robust training and mentoring programme which supports our volunteers to undertake their various roles to the highest standard. We are committed to all our volunteers and have a significant reward and recognition programme to acknowledge the added value that volunteers bring to our organisation. We hold the 'Investing in Volunteers' accreditation, and will do so for the next three years, which ensures we continue to support volunteers to the best of our ability and provide an outstanding volunteer experience.

Student placements:

We work with universities to place social work students within our advocacy services, to provide a hands-on front-line experience to students whilst adding value to our delivery.

We place 6 students per year across our advocacy contracts.

The placements range from 30 days up to 120 days per student; some of our final year student placements have led to employment within Advocacy Focus. We have supported work experience students from high schools to give them a taster of what it's like to work in the third sector, as well as offering numerous apprenticeship opportunities.

Outcome measures feedback:

"She came to support me with the doctor which was really what I needed because I felt so on my own, so that was really good."

"She was kind and understanding, she helped me articulate the complaints letter so well."

"A big thank-you for getting us this far. Without all your hard work and tenacity, none of this would have happened. Now she has a chance for a brighter and much happier life."

"I recently had contact with Advocacy Focus in regard to the RPR position for a relative who is subject to DoLS. This person was appointed to my relative's case and contacted me to discuss. I found this lady to be such a wonderful person to speak to, very attentive and made me feel so much more at ease about the whole situation. I can't thank her enough. The whole experience was great from start to finish. Nothing was too much trouble, any questions I had were answered in depth and helped me and my family a great deal. Highly recommended!"

Training and development:

Alongside our comprehensive in-house training schedule, our team attended a number of seminars and legal workshops to keep our knowledge base current and to further develop relationships with key partners in the health and social care sector and the legal profession. Training for us is not just advocacy related, although, that is the core of our services. Our scope is wider than that as we have a big commitment to support the health and wellbeing of our team, and offer a wide range of accessible training and development sessions in things such as resilience, time management, and handling stress.? Most of our staff are also Mental Health First Aid trained, ensuring there is always someone available to support our staff's mental health.

All of these additional courses help our team to understand the importance of self-care and to consider what their colleagues may be going through in regard to their physical or mental health. Such is our commitment to training and upholding our organisational value of 'Learning', we were winners of a prestigious Red Rose Award for In-House Training and the North-West Charity Award for Skills, Education and Training! We recognise at Advocacy Focus that our staff are our most valuable resource, and this is further evidenced by our Gold Award in Mind's Wellbeing Index, which recognise our organisation as having done sector-leading and impactful work to support the wellbeing of our teams.

100% of our delegates stated that our mental health sessions will help them take better care of their own, and their colleagues', mental wellbeing.

Since April 2021 our team have logged over 200 external training sessions

"It made me reflect on my own mental health and how enlightening it can be to give yourself time to do so."

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Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2022

Breaking Barriers:

Once again, we held our remarkable Breaking Barriers conference, showcasing the impact and importance advocacy has. We had ground-breaking talks and workshops from leading industry professionals, expert key speakers and more. We discussed the latest trends, case law. and legislation changes affecting the health and social care industry, and much more. Additionally, we took a look into how the pandemic has affected advocacy, and what the future holds for the sectors.

"The content and quality of speakers was exceptional and some of the legal perspectives on old and new legislation were mind blowing. I really enjoyed the Maximising Participation workshop with Ian (Community Engagement Advocate) and James from React. Listening to the people from React share their experiences first-hand was brilliant." - Chair of the Board

"Amazing speakers, of such a high quality. Fascinating topics from capacity to consent to sex workers, through to Justine's call to arms for collaboration in the sector (so many nodding heads). Leanne's 'back stronger' presentation showed the resilience of the organisation with all of the last few years challenges." - Social Work Professional

Marketing statistics:

My Focus - Self advocacy app:

There was never a better year, than in the midst of a pandemic, to launch a new digital tool to help our communities overcome the challenges they faced. This year, we launched our very own app, based on the principles from our Self Advocacy Toolkit. Our new app helps people to be their own best advocate, as well as allowing people to reflect on their current issues, make notes, build confidence, learn new skills, and track and measure progress. My Focus can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Simply search 'Advocacy Focus' in the app store search bar.

Accreditations:

Quality Performance Mark (QPM) in Advocacy

Advocacy Focus has held the highly acclaimed QPM accreditation since 2009, and our most recent glowing review and assessment will see us retain this accreditation until 2023. The QPM accreditation assesses the entirety of our organisation's advocacy delivery, and our effectiveness and efficiency in meeting and exceeding the QPM standards and the nationally recognised Advocacy Charter.

Investors in Volunteers:

Advocacy Focus received their accreditation in October 2020 and will retain this accreditation until October 2023, which ensures we continue to support volunteers to the best of our ability and provide an outstanding volunteer experience.

Awards:

Health and wellbeing:

Page 13

Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2022

This was another year when we focused on ensuring that our team had optimal support in relation to their mental wellness and resilience, as Covid-19 measures continued to impact professionally and personally. Whole team Wellbeing Huddles continued online and when restrictions eased, we invited our whole staff team to attend a face to face event where the focus was purely on coming back stronger, post pandemic, and regrouping as a team. As an organisation with an inclusive and supportive culture we trained our team in resilience and topics, such as PTSD, so that our team had the tools and strategies in place to look after themselves, their colleagues, and people accessing our service. We participated in national charity Mind's Workplace Wellbeing Index for the second year running, and secured Gold Award once more whilst coming second overall nationally. Advocacy Focus also signed the 'Charter for Employers Positive about Mental Health' and became a Mindful Employer, which clearly stated how our organisation would further commit to supporting the mental wellbeing of our team. During 2022 we intend to build on our cultural and organisational strength in this area by participating in the Workplace Wellbeing Index for a third year, and increasing our wellbeing budget to include some dedicated internal wellbeing resources.

Operations:

Covid-19:

Although the ongoing pandemic impacted on our team's already stretched capacity, and legislation changes resulted in constant reviews and implementation in an ever changing local and national environment, it did allow us to embed our hybrid and remote ways of working as a team. This in turn offered far more flexibility to people accessing our services and a better way of working for our keyworker team. The much debated vaccination status for keyworkers at government level dominated much of the conversation, and we had to capture information about vaccinations, allow time off for our team to receive them, and on occasion, recover from them. We also had to monitor and review take up, as many care homes and key establishments that we worked with refused entry to our team unless they had proof that they had been vaccinated, or had an exemption certificate. However, the decision to legalise this approach was dropped by the government before we had to formalise this contractually and potentially lose team members. Challenging times for our team, which necessitated open and transparent communications, and a robust interpretation of restrictions that were impacting on the health and social care sector and the ability to carry out a crucial advocacy role.

Key members of our team worked with our local authority colleagues to ensure that processes and protocols were robust, understandable, and in the best interests of the people we supported, during a second challenging year for our sector. Our offices remained open for the duration of the pandemic for health and wellbeing support for our colleagues, some of whom struggled to work from home or access remote venues as restrictions eased. This worked well and enabled us to carry out organisational and individual temperature checks with our team, many of whom experienced personal losses or succumbed to the virus themselves. At the time of writing, our organisation continues to adhere to national guidance and best practice in relation to infection control, and has reviewed and strengthened a number of our policies on the back of the impact of the pandemic.

IT:

Over the last 12 months we have further embedded our digital development as a charity, and work across various platforms to offer people accessing our services choice and control as to how we work with them to achieve the outcomes they are hoping for. With the support of our external IT provider, Seriun, for all our cloud based software support, we had no downtime during this reporting period and embraced web based technology such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and a system, called Improve for all of our training needs, which negated the need to train in a physical space and could be accessed online and at a time that suited our team. Our referral and triage team handled all incoming calls and referrals via a Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephony system which allowed them to make calls over the internet via their laptops, which meant they could work in the office or remotely without any detrimental impact on people or professionals accessing our service. This was incredibly beneficial when members of the referral team were too unwell to attend the office, but were still well enough to work, which they did from their homes, without risk of cross contamination to the wider team. We intend to move our whole team to a VOIP system during 2022-23 to offer a more responsive and cost effective service, which will streamline the kit required by our team to carry out their roles effectively, and save costs in the mid to long term.

Premises:

We continued to benefit from cost savings, as we had downsized our premises portfolio to a smaller office in Leyland and a shared space in Trafford the year before. Both have worked well and enabled our team to have a base of operations for essential tasks and peer support. This year we have decommissioned kit that was rendered redundant when we downsized, and we have consciously recycled some kit with our carbon footprint in mind and sold some equipment, where possible, to clawback some outlay costs. Plans for 2022-23 in relation to our head office are to repurpose our space so that we have hot desking space and room for training and peer support meetings. Our head office will also have a Wellbeing Room for our team and reinforce our commitment to workplace wellness.

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Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2022

Marketing / Website:

As pandemic restrictions eased, we focused on our self-advocacy provision in a bid to come 'back stronger' post Covid-19. Our starting point as a charity is self-advocacy and we are committed to enabling people, where possible, to be their own best advocate. We do this via a range of resources, such as our mobile phone app, our downloadable materials on our website via a 'healthy self' series of booklets, and this year we invested in a credibility video, involving people that access our services, to drive home the importance of self-advocacy. This in turn will help reduce the reliance on crisis intervention and the impact on stretched statutory services, and give people back control over their own health and social care decisions.

Our plans over the next year are to review and update our website and strengthen resources available via this platform so that people accessing our services, our team, and members of the public have the content they need to navigate their way through health and social care processes. Our digital plans will be to capitalise on our social content, so that we are providing both universal and targeted information and further demystifying advocacy and the wider sector. A big focus will also be on promoting our mental health and wellbeing expertise in the form of training packages, that will benefit both individuals and organisational development and generate much needed income for our charity in what are proving challenging financial times.

Service delivery objectives:

AUDITORS

The auditors, Mayes Business Partnership Ltd, will be proposed for re-appointment at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 15 August 2022 and signed on its behalf by:

Dean Rodgers - Trustee

Page 15

Advocacy Focus

Trustees' Responsibility Statement for the year ended 31 March 2022

The trustees (who are also the directors of Advocacy Focus for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) including Financial Reporting Standard 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland"

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those 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 charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

In so far as the trustees are aware:

Page 16

Report of the Independent Auditors to the Members of Advocacy Focus

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Advocacy Focus (the 'charitable company') for the year ended 31 March 2022 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Statement of Financial Position, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland'.

In our opinion the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors' 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 the provisions available for small entities, in the circumstances set out in note 18 to the financial statements, 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 trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report, other than the financial statements and our Report of the Independent Auditors thereon.

Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

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

Page 17

Report of the Independent Auditors to the Members of Advocacy Focus

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Report of the Trustees.

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

Responsibilities of trustees

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

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

Page 18

Report of the Independent Auditors to the Members of Advocacy Focus

Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue a Report of the Independent Auditors 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.

The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

(i) Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.

(ii) Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the company's internal control.

(iii) Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the directors.

(iv) Conclude on the appropriateness of the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor's report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor's report. However, future events or conditions may cause the company to cease to continue as a going concern.

(v) Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

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

Page 19

Report of the Independent Auditors to the Members of Advocacy Focus

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an 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 members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Craig Peter Fishwick FCCA (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of Mayes Business Partnership Ltd 22-28 Willow Street Accrington Lancashire BB5 1LP

15 August 2022

Page 20

Advocacy Focus

Statement of Financial Activities (Incorporating an Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Charitable activities
4
Provision of advocacy services
Investment income
3
Total
EXPENDITURE ON
Raising funds
5
Charitable activities
6
Provision of advocacy services
Total
Net gains/(losses) on investments
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD		 Unrestricted
funds
£
1,797,020
8,395
1,805,415
(27,572)
1,885,303
1,857,731
31,920
(20,396)
828,427
808,031		 Restricted
fund
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 31/3/22
Total
funds
£
1,797,020
8,395
1,805,415
(27,572)
1,885,303
1,857,731
31,920
(20,396)
828,427
808,031		 31/3/21
Total
funds
£
1,691,772
10,254
1,702,026
(33)
1,749,843
1,749,810
(1,945)
(49,729)
878,156
828,427

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 21

Advocacy Focus (Registered number: 04135225)

Statement of Financial Position 31 March 2022

Notes
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible assets
12
Investments
13
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
14
Cash at bank and in hand
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one year
15
NET CURRENT ASSETS
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT
LIABILITIES
NET ASSETS
FUNDS
16
Unrestricted funds
TOTAL FUNDS		 Unrestricted
funds
£
33,781
232,481
266,262
223,462
454,903
678,365
(136,596)
541,769
808,031
808,031		 Restricted
fund
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 31/3/22
Total
funds
£
33,781
232,481
266,262
223,462
454,903
678,365
(136,596)
541,769
808,031
808,031
808,031
808,031		 31/3/21
Total
funds
£
35,990
200,561
236,551
225,112
472,788
697,900
(106,024)
591,876
828,427
828,427
828,427
828,427

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 15 August 2022 and were signed on its behalf by:

Dean Rodgers - Trustee

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 22

Advocacy Focus

Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes
Cash flows from operating activities
Cash generated from operations
1
Net cash used in operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Purchase of fixed asset investments
Sale of tangible fixed assets
Sale of fixed asset investments
Interest received
Dividends received
Net cash used in investing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in
the reporting period
Cash and cash equivalents at the
beginning of the reporting period
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of
the reporting period		 31/3/22
£
(17,637)
(17,637)
(7,894)
-
(749)
-
150
8,245
(248)
(17,885)
472,788
454,903		 31/3/21
£
(139,385)
(139,385)
(24,386)
(83,054)
-
(1,945)
5,703
4,551
(99,131)
(238,516)
711,304
472,788

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 23

Advocacy Focus

Notes to the Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 March 2022

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

RECONCILIATION OF NET EXPENDITURE TO NET CASH FLOW FROM
ACTIVITIES		 OPERATING
Net expenditure for the reporting period (as per the Statement of
Financial Activities)
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charges
(Gain)/losses on investments
Loss on disposal of fixed assets
Interest received
Dividends received
Decrease/(increase) in debtors
Increase in creditors
Net cash used in operations		 31/3/22
£
(20,396)
10,103
(31,920)
749
(150)
(8,245)
1,650
30,572
(17,637)		 31/3/21
£
(49,729)
6,920
1,945
-
(5,703)
(4,551)
(135,641)
47,374
(139,385)
  1. ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN NET FUNDS
At 1/4/21 Cash flow At 31/3/22
£ £ £
Net cash
Cash at bank and in hand 472,788 (17,885) 454,903
472,788 (17,885) 454,903
Total 472,788 (17,885) 454,903

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 24

Advocacy Focus

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022

1. LEGAL STATUS OF THE CHARITY

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital, registered in England and Wales. The charity's registered number and registered address can be found on the Charity Information page. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £10 per member of the charity.

2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, with the exception of investments which are included at market value, as modified by the revaluation of certain assets.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Allocation and apportionment of costs

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 which support the Trusts advocacy services and activities. These costs have been allocated to other resources expended. The bases on which support costs have been allocated are set out in note 5.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.

Improvements to property - 20% on cost Fixtures and fittings - 25% on cost

Tangible fixed assets are initially recognised at cost.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds 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.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

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Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the year ended 31 March 2022

2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued

Hire purchase and leasing commitments

Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

Financial instruments

Basic financial assets, including trade and other receivables, cash and bank balances and investments in commercial paper, are initially recognised at transaction price, unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest.

Basic financial liabilities, including trade and other payables, bank loans, loans from any fellow group charities and any preference shares that are classified as debt, are initially recognised at transaction price, unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest.

Fixed asset investments

Fixed asset investments are initially recorded at cost and reviewed annually with an adjustment to the current market value being passed through the Statement of Financial Activities.

Government Grants

Covid-19 grants provided by central government (even if administered by local government) are revenue-based grants and have been accounted for using the Accrual model. The grant has been recognised as income on a systematic basis over the period in which the entity recognises the related loss for which the grant is intended to compensate.

3. INVESTMENT INCOME

INVESTMENT INCOME
31/3/22 31/3/21
£ £
Other fixed asset invest - FII 8,245 4,551
Deposit account interest 150 5,703
8,395 10,254

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Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the year ended 31 March 2022

4.
INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
Activity
Service level agreements
Provision of advocacy services
Training and private contracts
Provision of advocacy services
Other income
Provision of advocacy services
Grants
Provision of advocacy services
Grants received, included in the above, are as follows:
CJRS Grants
Coronavirus lockdown support grant
Kickstart
5.
RAISING FUNDS
Raising donations and legacies
Support costs
Other trading activities
Purchases
Aggregate amounts
6.
CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS
Direct
Costs
£
Provision of advocacy services
1,386,867		 31/3/22
£
1,669,340
5,513
95,173
26,994
1,797,020
31/3/22
£
21,054
-
5,940
26,994
31/3/22
£
-
31/3/22
£
(27,572)
(27,572)
Support
costs (see
note 7)
£
498,436		 31/3/21
£
1,604,670
3,995
69,040
14,067
1,691,772
31/3/21
£
9,846
4,221
-
14,067
31/3/21
£
162
31/3/21
£
(195)
(33)
Totals
£
1,885,303

continued...

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Advocacy Focus

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the year ended 31 March 2022

7. SUPPORT COSTS

7.
SUPPORT COSTS
Governance
Management
costs
£
£
Provision of advocacy services
494,293
4,143
8.
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting):
31/3/22
£
Auditors' remuneration
3,750
Depreciation - owned assets
10,103
Other operating leases
34,639
Deficit on disposal of fixed assets
749		 Totals
£
498,436
31/3/21
£
3,750
6,920
48,185
-

9. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2022 nor for the year ended 31 March 2021.

Trustees' expenses
Trustees' expenses
10.
STAFF COSTS
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:
Charitable
Support
No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.		 31/3/22
£
393
31/3/22
£
1,338,434
108,837
62,643
1,509,914
31/3/22
40
16
56		 31/3/21
£
162
31/3/21
£
1,310,671
98,804
61,652
1,471,127
31/3/21
44
14
58

continued...

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Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the year ended 31 March 2022

11.
COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
Unrestricted
funds
£
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Charitable activities
Provision of advocacy services
1,691,772
Investment income
10,254
Total
1,702,026
EXPENDITURE ON
Raising funds
(33)
Charitable activities
Provision of advocacy services
1,749,843
Total
1,749,810
Net gains/(losses) on investments
(1,945)
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
(49,729)
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
878,156
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD
828,427
12.
TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
Improvements
to
property
£
COST
At 1 April 2021
3,084
Additions
-
At 31 March 2022
3,084
DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2021
2,136
Charge for year
190
At 31 March 2022
2,326
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2022
758
At 31 March 2021
948		 Restricted
fund
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fixtures
and
fittings
£
109,695
7,894
117,589
74,653
9,913
84,566
33,023
35,042		 Total
funds
£
1,691,772
10,254
1,702,026
(33)
1,749,843
1,749,810
(1,945)
(49,729)
878,156
828,427
Totals
£
112,779
7,894
120,673
76,789
10,103
86,892
33,781
35,990

continued...

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Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the year ended 31 March 2022

13. FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS

FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS
Listed
investments
£
MARKET VALUE
At 1 April 2021 200,561
Revaluations 31,920
At 31 March 2022 232,481
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2022 232,481
At 31 March 2021 200,561
There were no investment assets outside the UK.
Cost or valuation at 31 March 2022 is represented by:
Listed
investments
£
Valuation in 2022 47,481
Cost 185,000
232,481
If fixed asset investments had not been revalued they would have been included at the following If fixed asset investments had not been revalued they would have been included at the following historical cost:
31/3/22 31/3/21
£ £
Cost 185,000 185,000
Fixed asset investments were valued on an open market basis on 31 March 2022 by the Trustees.
14. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
31/3/22 31/3/21
£ £
Trade debtors 179,808 166,305
Prepayments and accrued income 43,654 58,807
223,462 225,112

continued...

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Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the year ended 31 March 2022

15. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

Trade creditors
Social security and other taxes
Other creditors
Accrued expenses
MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
Unrestricted funds
General fund
Running costs
TOTAL FUNDS
Net movement in funds, included in the above are
Unrestricted funds
General fund
TOTAL FUNDS
Comparatives for movement in funds
Unrestricted funds
General fund
Running costs
TOTAL FUNDS		 as follows:
Incoming
resources
£
1,805,415
1,805,415		 At 1/4/21
£
548,427
280,000
828,427
828,427
Resources
expended
£
(1,857,731 )
(1,857,731 )
At 1/4/20
£
598,156
280,000
878,156
878,156		 31/3/22
£
11,405
29,802
17,627
77,762
136,596
Net
movement
in funds
£
(20,396)
-
(20,396)
(20,396)
Gains and
losses
£
31,920
31,920
Net
movement
in funds
£
(49,729)
-
(49,729)
(49,729)		 31/3/21
£
18,523
26,649
22,672
38,180
106,024
At
31/3/22
£
528,031
280,000
808,031
808,031
Movement
in funds
£
(20,396)
(20,396)
At
31/3/21
£
548,427
280,000
828,427
828,427

16. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

continued...

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Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the year ended 31 March 2022

16. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds
General fund
TOTAL FUNDS		 Incoming
resources
£
1,702,026
1,702,026		 Resources
expended
£
(1,749,810 )
(1,749,810 )		 Gains and
losses
£
(1,945)
(1,945)		 Movement
in funds
£
(49,729)
(49,729)

A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined position is as follows:

Unrestricted funds
General fund
Running costs
TOTAL FUNDS		 At 1/4/20
£
598,156
280,000
878,156
878,156		 Net
movement
in funds
£
(70,125)
-
(70,125)
(70,125)		 At
31/3/22
£
528,031
280,000
808,031
808,031

A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds
General fund
TOTAL FUNDS		 Incoming
resources
£
3,507,441
3,507,441		 Resources
expended
£
(3,607,541 )
(3,607,541 )		 Gains and
losses
£
29,975
29,975		 Movement
in funds
£
(70,125)
(70,125)

17. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 March 2022.

continued...

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Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the year ended 31 March 2022

18. FRC ETHICAL STANDARD - PROVISIONS AVAILABLE FOR SMALL ENTITIES

In common with many other businesses of our size and nature we use our auditors to prepare and submit returns to the tax authorities and assist with the preparation of the financial statements.

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