OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator. This document is also available as Markdown.

← Migrant Help

2025-03-31-accounts

Migrant Help

Annual Report and Financial Statements

31 March 2025

Company Limited by Guarantee Registration Number 04172880 (England and Wales)

Charity Registration Number 1088631 (England and Wales)

Charity Registration Number SC041022 (Scotland)

Contents

Reports

Reports
Reference and administrative information 1
Message from our Chair & CEO 3
Trustees’ report 6
Independent auditor’s report on the
financial statements 34
Financial statements
Group statement of
financial activities 39
Group and Charity balance sheets 40
Group and Charity statements
of cash flows 41
Principal accounting policies 42
Notes to the financial statements 46

Migrant Help

Reference and administrative information

Trustees & Directors Sir Hugh Bayley (Chair, appointed 1 June 2025)
Madhavi Vadera (Chair, resigned 31 May 2025)
Najwa Alabdallah (appointed 3 July 2025)
Katherine Arie
Daniel Cook (appointed 1 August 2024)
Dave Crapnell (resigned 10 February 2025)
Simon Gallow
Dr Yusef Gojikian
Amelia Knott
Eric Kolodner (appointed 1 January 2025)
Loretta Okeke (appointed 1 April 2024; resigned
17 September 2025)
Frank Omare (resigned 31 December 2024)
Brandon Perlberg
Victoria Quek
Jamie Seaford
Mayan Shah
John Smart (resigned 30 June 2024)
Boshra Sayed (appointed 1st October 2025)
Piramindhan Thillainathan (resigned 31
December 2024

Executive Team

Chief Executive Officer Caroline O’Connor Director of Asylum Services Helen Bransfield Director of Technology and Transformation Will Lowrie (appointed 20 May 2024) Director of MSVC Rabiya Rabat Director of People & Culture Fiona Stephens Director of Strategy & Engagement Anna Ware Director of Finance, Infrastructure & Quality Melvin Witt Deputy Director of Risk & Compliance Robert Bush (appointed 18 August 2025) Deputy Director of Finance Denise Farrell Deputy Director of Asylum Services Juliet Halstead Deputy Director of Strategic Programmes Chris Hammond Deputy Director of Asylum Services Anna Konieczny (resigned 1 October 2024) Deputy Director of Asylum Services Daisy Noble Deputy Director of Commercial Tina Riley Chief of Staff Debbie Pemberton Registered address 128 City Road London EC1V 2NX Company registration number 04172880

Migrant Help 1

Reference and administrative information

Charity registration number 1088631 (England and Wales) SC041022 (Scotland) Auditor Buzzacott Audit LLP 130 Wood Street London EC2V 6DL Bankers National Westminster Bank Plc Europa House 49 Sandgate Road Folkestone Kent CT20 1RX Solicitors Browne Jacobson LLP Mowbray House Castle Meadow Road Nottingham NG2 1BJ

Migrant Help 2

Message from our Chair & CEO Year to 31 March 2025

Welcome message

Organisational highlights

This has been another year of high demand on Migrant Help’s services and the resulting growth saw our workforce increase to more than 600 members of staff.

We were delighted to be awarded new contracts to support refugees in transitioning to eVisa, provide refugee resettlement services in Watford, as well as an extension to our EU Settlement Scheme advice service.

We continued to support our strategic projects, funded by Migrant Help, such as our Youth Welfare Officer service which is now being delivered by four partner organisations in seven different locations in England and Wales. We have significantly expanded our team of National Referral Mechanism (NRM) advisers to ensure that more potential victims of modern slavery get the support they need. Our schools programme held its inaugural in person event with 100 students attending and learning about the challenges faced by people seeking asylum in the UK.

Our Lived Experience Advisory Panels kept growing and extending their impact both within and outside of Migrant Help. Panel members have been involved in a number of key projects, from working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to improve their understanding of how best to engage with vulnerable populations through community-centred approaches, participating in policy consultations, planning our annual sector-wide Building Bridges conference, delivering conference talks and presentations, and volunteering at Glastonbury Festival. We are delighted to share that 337 clients were involved in co-produced activities, delivering 211 internal improvements, contributing to 31 external policy and research projects, and much more.

We were very proud of our CEO, Caroline O’Connor, who won the ‘Charity Chief Executive of the Year’ at the 2024 Third Sector Awards in September.

Our efforts to end the digital divide has been acknowledged at the House of Lords, where Migrant Help was recognised as the top national databank hub of the year by The Good Things Foundation.

We responded to requests by our partner organisations for more in-person opportunities to connect, network, and share best practices and created a series of ‘Connecting the sector’ events with five taking place during the year, and more already in the planning.

Our people are the most valued assets at Migrant Help, and we are very proud to be a diverse organisation that welcomes people from different backgrounds. We were pleased to retain our accreditation in Investors in Diversity, achieving the new level of ‘Silver’ for 2024 to 2026. We also ranked 23[rd] on the National Centre for Diversity’s Top 100 Inclusive UK Employers Index for 2024.

Our award-winning social enterprise subsidiary - Clear Voice – continues to support a growing number of organisations with high-quality interpreting and translation services. Last year, it achieved a 21% increase in revenue, resulting in a Gift Aid donation of £3.7 million to Migrant

Migrant Help 3

Message from our Chair & CEO Year to 31 March 2025

Organisational highlights (continued)

Help, a substantial portion of which funded our essential strategic projects including capital investment in places of safety are recovery.

Clear Voice’s innovative ‘InPower Project’ trained and supported 210 refugees in obtaining qualifications, thereby empowering them to thrive and become beacons of change.

Service demand and support

The past twelve months have again reminded us how closely local action is woven into the global fabric. 2024–25 was a year of political turning points and deepening humanitarian need, yet also of extraordinary resilience, much of it shown by the people Migrant Help walks alongside every day.

The riots that erupted during the summer 2024 were a stark reminder of the divisions that exist within our society fuelled by misinformation and hateful rhetoric. During this worrying time, our main focus was on keeping our clients and colleagues safe and while we were shocked by the acts of hate and racism, we were also heartened by the displays of solidarity and community support.

In July, a new Labour administration entered office. In the first few months, the Government formally scrapped the Rwanda offshoring plan, confirmed that the Bibby Stockholm barge would not be used beyond January 2025 and began transferring arrivals to the new site at RAF Wethersfield as part of a pledge to phase out hotel accommodation.

According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2024, long-term migration to the UK was around 948,000. Of these, approximately 95,000 were people seeking asylum, representing around 10% of all immigration to the country that year. 19,125 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office in 2024, representing a 13% increase compared to the preceding year and making this the highest number in a year since the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) began.

As a charity that supports refugees, people seeking asylum and survivors of slavery, we have a duty to counter misinformation and promote a more compassionate narrative around immigration and asylum. We continued doing just that last year, through our public engagements, policy work and awareness raising campaigns.

Our asylum services saw the highest number of clients yet, with more than 120,000 people supported and over a million phone calls to our helpline answered. We continued delivering high-quality frontline support to survivors of modern slavery and trafficking across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Our teams assisted more than 3,000 survivors, often with very complex needs, making our trauma-informed approach all the more crucial.

Our EU Settlement Scheme advice team continued to reach the most vulnerable populations, advising more than 30,000 people and submitting nearly 1,500 applications to the scheme. The newly introduced eVisa support team reached over 24,000 clients and helped to submit more than 2,000 applications.

Migrant Help 4

Message from our Chair & CEO Year to 31 March 2025

Service demand and support (continued)

We continued to support families establishing new lives in the UK via official resettlement schemes. We helped 60 families across the year to settle into their new communities and access key services and educational and employment opportunities. Our Refugee Employability Programme assisted 173 clients on their journey to securing employment.

None of the above would be possible without the dedication and professionalism of our staff who choose to dedicate their working lives to the support of those affected by displacement and exploitation.

Caroline and I are proud of the work Migrant Help does, both by delivering our contracted services, and through our strategic projects that aim to identify and bridge gaps in provision through partnership working and capacity building.

This past year, we continued strategic projects in collaboration with other charities in our sector. Our Age Dispute Adviser services, Community Cohesion and Building, Empowering, Protecting and Supporting (BEPS) grant programmes; our Reducing Exploitation initiative via the Just Good Works App; and our Connecting the Sector events illustrate Migrant Help’s ongoing dedication to enhancing the clients’ experience and promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing within our sector.

We are particularly delighted to see the growth of our co-production initiatives - our commitment to working in equal partnership with people who have lived experience to design and improve our services - that reach across all levels of Migrant Help. The quarterly meetings between the Senior Leadership Team and the National Lived Experience Advisory Panel with the shared objective of “working together and making changes, amplifying voices to change perceptions for a better future” are a true reflection of the dedication to co-production across the charity.

I will be stepping down as a Chair of the Board of Trustees at the end of May 2025, but I leave Migrant Help in the capable hands of Sir Hugh Bayley.

Looking ahead, we can see challenges caused by conflicts across the world, the worsening climate crisis and misinformation that leads to division within our communities. We will continue to work hard to champion the voices of people affected by displacement and exploitation as they seek to rebuild their stolen lives.

Madhavi Vadera, Chair of the Board of Trustees

Caroline O’Connor Chief Executive

Migrant Help 5

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Our aims

The objects for which the charity is established are:

Our purpose

Our vision is for a global society that protects vulnerable people, treats them with respect and enables them to reach their full potential.

We operate across the United Kingdom, providing excellent and highly valued services - supporting people seeking asylum, survivors of modern slavery, EU citizens and those settling into this country as recent refugees.

We deliver excellent value under national, regional and local government contracts. This has provided us with opportunities to broaden our scope, and we focus on forming partnerships across the statutory, voluntary and private sectors to achieve better outcomes for our client groups and fill some of the gaps in existing provision, using our knowledge and expertise from a range of service areas.

Migrant Help 6

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights

Asylum Services

Last year was an extremely busy year with many clients approaching our services.

Our Asylum Lived Experience Advisory Panels (LEAP) have worked with operational colleagues to introduce a training video for all new starters. They also reviewed the Induction booklet that all new clients receive and the complaints information that we share. Their next project is a welcome video that will be sent via a link to clients when they contact us for the first time.

In July, we held our annual Building Bridges conference which was co-produced with the members of the Asylum LEAP.

We have made significant improvement in our call waiting times and, at the end of this financial year, our average wait was around two minutes. We will continue our efforts to reduce these even further.

One of our key focus areas this year was our new bespoke database which went live on 19 March 2025. This is already evidencing improvements, and we will be introducing further innovations over the next year which will empower clients who wish to access self-serve options.

Modern Day Slavery Services

This has been a challenging year for survivors of modern slavery and the migrant support sector as a whole. In this context, we recognise the importance of partnership and collaboration in driving meaningful change for the people we work with, and strategically for the modern slavery sector. During this last year we have continued delivering high-quality front-line support to survivors of modern slavery and trafficking across the UK.

In England, Modern Slavery Victim Care (MSVC) team supported 1,418 clients over the year, with the most prevalent forms of exploitation being domestic servitude, criminal, sexual and labour exploitation.

Our Modern Slavery Lived Experience Advisory Panels (LEAP) have gone from strength to strength, with co-production being embedded into our working practices. Our MSVC LEAP were involved in co-producing and delivering content for our annual Modern Slavery Staff Conference, they have also produced a number of tools and resources to complement our service delivery ensuring Migrant Help’s services are trauma informed and accessible to all.

In July 2024 representatives from Migrant Help participated in the UN Office On Drugs and Crime Constructive Dialogue on Trafficking in Persons to shape thought leadership and share best practice with other international organisations.

Staff and LEAP members were involved in assisting at the Glastonbury Festival 2024 and we also received a very kind donation which is currently being used to refurbish and redecorate our safehouse.

Migrant Help 7

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights (continued)

Modern Day Slavery Services (continued)

Earlier this year, Migrant Help worked collaboratively with partners to create a Manifesto for Long Term Improvements in the government’s response to modern slavery in the UK. Just recently, Migrant Help’s Unfair Jobs Fair campaign (highlighting risks in recruitment processes for job seekers) was shortlisted for the Purpose Awards in the Best Use of Creativity category.

In Scotland, our team continued to grow and supported 1020 clients in the last year with more than half of our clients being subject to labour exploitation. The service worked alongside the co-production team to help facilitate a focus group led by the Scottish Government at the start of February to consult on the Scotland-wide human trafficking strategy.

In our Northern Ireland service, we have continued to grow and have supported 643 clients. We continued our successful partnerships with Flourish NI and IOM to provide longer term support for those most in need, and to empower our clients with skills development for the next steps in their journeys.

This is just a snapshot of some of the activities we’ve undertaken as part of our anti-slavery work, none of which would have been possible without the involvement and support of those with lived and learned experience working positively and collaboratively towards ending the horrific crime of modern slavery once and for all.

Refugee Resettlement

This year saw us expand our offer as we mobilised a new resettlement service in Watford. This allowed us to support 60 families and a total of 255 clients. Assisting with integration support during the first few weeks and months of their new lives in the UK, employability, ESOL, health and education, our resettlement services have been praised for their innovative and client centred approach.

Members of our Resettlement Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) continued to support the development of English language learning, befriending services and partnerships with specialist mental health providers. Thanks to all this, we were able to ensure a robust, holistic approach so that our clients receive the support they need to successfully adapt to life in their new communities.

EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

Our EUSS service continued to support a large number of vulnerable clients including those who are elderly, isolated, disabled, or have experienced domestic abuse or human trafficking.

In the past year we provided face to face and remote support to 30,966 clients, helping to submit 1,496 applications to enable people to continue living and working in the UK. To make this possible, we set up more than 30 face-to-face clinics with local community partners, ensuring we have a presence across England.

Migrant Help 8

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights (continued)

eVisa

In August 2024, we were notified by the Home Office that we had been successful in our application to deliver the new ‘transition to eVisa’ service in England. This is for an initial period of twelve months from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025. This service supports vulnerable and at-risk clients who need help with creating their UKVI account and getting access to their eVisa.

Following an initial mobilisation period, this service employs 22 members of staff, delivering services both remotely and face to face from more than 90 locations across England. As with our EUSS service, this model is based on developing relationships with local community organisations who align with our organisations aims. So far, this programme has supported 16,322 clients to access their eVisa as documents such as biometric residency permits are phased out.

Refugee Employability Programme (REP)

As we moved into the second year of our delivery of the REP, our established partnerships with both statutory and non-statutory organisations including Jobcentre Plus, local authority resettlement teams, refugee charities and strategic migration partnerships meant that our service was increasingly accessible and gave clients the opportunity to access intensive language, integration and employment support.

As sub-contractors to Growth Company in Yorkshire and Humber and Palladium in Kent, we developed beneficial partnerships with local and national employers who could provide sustainable, rewarding employment opportunities.

With referrals to the REP coming to an end in December 2024, we have seen 104 new clients join the programme with over a third successfully securing employment.

National Referral Mechanism

Migrant Help is a listed 'first responder organisation' authorised to refer into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), a government framework to identify potential victims of modern slavery and trafficking.

Our NRM Advisers and NRM Lead are now fully embedded in the Safeguarding Team. In depth training was provided and guidance documents created to ensure we had the appropriate processes in place.

The team submitted 259 NRM statements in the year and 203 (78%) received a positive reasonable grounds decision. In comparison, nationally only 53% of referrals made by statutory and non-statutory first responders received positive reasonable grounds outcomes. The high rate of positive decisions evidence that our client centred, trauma informed approach to supporting our clients leads to better outcomes for potential victims of modern slavery.

During the year, we have an introduced a CRM software that tracks and monitors our referrals and provides a confidential system to record case notes and client information. Our NRM Lead regularly provides training and awareness sessions both internally across the charity and externally, helping people to recognise modern slavery and understand the NRM.

Migrant Help 9

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights (continued)

Disability Adviser

The Disability Adviser continues to provide additional support to clients with disabilities. The support offered varies based on needs and includes social services follow-ups, signposting to specialist organisations and accessibility advice.

The adviser assisted 318 clients in the year and has provided disability awareness training to client facing teams across the organisation. They continue to support staff with advice for supporting clients with disabilities and create a range of resources to increase their knowledge and understanding of different disabilities, including ‘disability factsheets’ highlighting how best to support clients based on their needs.

We continue to review ways to make Migrant Help more accessible and our hope for the next year is to have a Lived Experience Advisory Panel for our clients with disabilities.

Safeguarding

Over the last year, the Safeguarding Manager has been implementing the recommendations from the external safeguarding audit that took place in January 2024. This included reviewing existing safeguarding training packages, the development of a safeguarding strategy and creating a yearly plan for the Safeguarding Champions. All recommendations have now been taken forward and we are planning for our next external audit in July 2025.

Incident reporting remains a core responsibility for the Safeguarding Team. We implemented a review function for managers, along with written and video guidance on reviewing incidents, alongside additional video training for front line staff on completing incident reports. We are also changing how we review incidents, focussing on the Safeguarding Team reviewing a smaller number of incidents but in more depth.

The Safeguarding Manager regularly leads lesson learnt meetings - 10 were facilitated during the year. All actions are tracked through our Integrated Management System and monitored by the Safeguarding Team. Learnings are shared across the organisation through our newsletter, Teams site resources and Safeguarding Champion meetings. Migrant Help attended coroner’s investigations, and the Safeguarding Manager has supported with file and call reviews, alongside putting together relevant information for the court.

The Safeguarding Team is a constant support for teams across the organisation, regularly assisting with queries on our specialist areas, alongside general safeguarding questions.

We have expanded the number of meetings attended for more oversight on Safeguarding across the organisation and issues raised by our external partners. This includes introducing monthly meetings with the four asylum accommodation providers to discuss safeguarding cases, attending meetings with subcontractors and Home Office safeguarding related meetings. The Safeguarding Manager continues to work in close partnership with the Home Office Safeguarding Service Delivery team, regularly assisting with safeguarding queries and attending monthly complex case meetings with accommodation providers and the Home Office.

Migrant Help 10

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights (continued)

Safeguarding (continued)

Wellbeing initiatives have been put in place for the team, as the advisers support exceptionally vulnerable clients who recall traumatic events to them. The team now have regular clinical supervision sessions with a qualified supervisor to reflect on their cases and enhance their wellbeing.

Grants

Through our community hubs grant, we have allocated an additional £70,000 to support 25 charities, providing funding for small organisations to establish new hubs or expand on existing provisions. This has proven to be particularly impactful, facilitating access to initiatives such as sports programmes, cooking sessions, mental health support and providing safe spaces for clients to meet and engage with local services.

Expanding on the success of this grant, we subsequently developed another opportunity - ‘Building, Empowering, Protecting and Supporting’ (BEPS). It was established to support projects which may struggle to receive funding elsewhere, and since its inception we have provided funding of £151,000 to 33 charities based on the following criteria:

Protecting and supporting the most vulnerable . This criterion evaluates the extent to which a funding application demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding and assisting the most vulnerable members of the community or target population.

Empowering and building communities . This criterion focuses on the potential of the funding application to promote community development and empowerment.

Connecting the Sector

Our series of ‘connecting the sector’ events is an opportunity to develop communities of practice across the sector. They are held every three months in different locations across the UK. The events have focused on topics such as supporting young people in the asylum system, partnerships and volunteering, and co-production and client voice which included a workshop delivered by our own co-production team.

These events have been very well received with universally positive feedback from those that have attended. They provide an opportunity to build relationships with partners, discuss the challenges we are facing as well as strategies to address these.

With the continued success of these events and demand from the sector to deliver more, we will be considering how we can develop these further and expand our reach to a broader range of partners.

Youth Welfare

Since the original Youth Welfare pilot was established in 2021, the project has grown significantly and now includes four providers who are delivering services to support young people seeking asylum in seven different locations.

Migrant Help 11

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights (continued)

Youth Welfare (continued)

Our partners on this project are Young Roots, who support clients across Brent, Croydon and Kings Cross, TGP Cymru who are working in Swansea and Cardiff, Stockport Race Equality Partnership, in Stockport and the surrounding areas and finally Chilypep who are based in Sheffield. By funding these organisations who are specialists in working with young people, we have not only been able to expand the geographical reach and number of clients we can support but also enhance our delivery by sharing best practice amongst partners.

With all our Youth Welfare Partners now well established, we continue to look at how we can develop and improve this service. In order to incorporate the skills and experiences of our diverse partners, we have established a quarterly best practice session, where we visit one of our Youth Welfare organisations along with the other providers and deliver a themed session focusing on specific challenges or issues. These themes included how we measure impact, age disputes, accessibility for disabled clients and supporting clients who are homeless or are at risk of homelessness. These sessions have been a great opportunity to connect with our partners and understand some of the complex challenges our clients are facing.

To build on the shared knowledge we have developed through the delivery of this service and based on the success and demand for similar events that have been delivered through our Community Hubs project, we are now developing a Youth Welfare Community of Practice. Also, under the ‘Connecting the Sector’ banner, these sessions will be aimed specifically at organisations who support young people in the sector and will provide a great opportunity to share best practice and discuss various challenges.

With the Youth Welfare project now in its fourth year, we are reviewing the membership of our steering group to ensure it best reflects the needs of the service and how we can ensure its sustainability. We are in the process of identifying those with lived experience, both existing and past clients who have been supported by the Youth Welfare project to join the group. This will provide a valuable insight into areas for development as well as ensuring our clients have meaningful input into the future of this service.

Happy Baby Community

With support from Migrant Help, the Happy Baby Community (HBC) managed to expand its service, offering support to over 2,000 women who are either seeking asylum or survivors of modern slavery. Support is provided both throughout the various stages of pregnancy and to those already with young children. The service provides a comprehensive range of support, including doula assistance, a 24/7 telephone helpline, advice and guidance on health and nutrition and breastfeeding support.

With many of the clients HBC supports feeling isolated and uncertain about the UK health system, the service they provide is an indispensable resource. HBC plays such a huge role in its clients’ lives that, without it, support for them would be scarce at best.

Migrant Help 12

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights (continued)

Digital Inclusion

Our digital inclusion project started in June 2021 through our partnership with VM02. Seeking to distribute refurbished, donated devices and access to free data for those who are seeking asylum, refugees, resettled families and survivors of slavery and trafficking. This partnership provided a national reach, and we have been able to help those we support through our frontline services, our teams and through collaboration with charity partners.

We continue to deliver this service in partnership with the Good Things Foundation and other charity partners, supporting clients across the UK. We have been recognised by several national awards for our efforts in providing devices and data to reduce isolation amongst our clients.

Reducing Exploitation

Migrant Help recognised that there was limited information available to people seeking asylum on the risks of exploitation. Due to the limited financial support available and the rising costs of living, we were seeing more and more people seeking asylum at risk of being exploited. This has been intensified by longer stays in temporary accommodation lasting for up to year. Lacking awareness of the dangers involved in cash in hand work or county lines, people seeking asylum may enter into arrangements which can lead to manipulation and corruption.

To address these challenges, we have established our Reducing Exploitation Lived Experience Advisory Panel to support with our first fully co-produced strategic project. The group has now developed the following resources.

To ensure these resources are as accessible as possible, they have been translated into fifteen different languages and have also been developed into a series of animated videos to provide accessibility for those with limited literacy.

We are in discussions with several local authorities across the country who have agreed to work in partnership with us to promote these resources. Our Reducing Exploitation Coordinator has also attended Community of Practice events and Youth Welfare best practice sessions to talk about and promote the support that is available, and we will continue to explore how we can raise awareness as widely as possible.

Migrant Help 13

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights (continued)

Migrant Workers Advice and Guidance (Just Good Work)

Our Migrant Workers Advice and Guidance project has been in development for the last year as we provide resources to support clients relating to their rights at work. Migrant workers are often at risk of exploitation and are unsure how to access quality support and advice.

The aim of this project is to ensure they have the relevant information to avoid many of the challenges associated with this vulnerable cohort. To make these resources as accessible as possible we have worked with Fifty-Eight Global, the team behind the Just Good Work App, providing content that is available through this platform. The app is widely regarded across the sector as a trusted source of information for anyone looking to work in the UK. Our extensive catalogue of resources aims to specifically target some of our most vulnerable clients who could potentially be at risk of exploitation as they take their first steps into employment.

Within a dedicated ‘Migrant Help’ area of the app, clients can find information and resources on topics such as recruitment agencies, immigration and visa requirements, fees and charges and your rights at work. The content is translated into ten different languages with both audio and written content available. The app allows clients to access content when offline and to store information such as employment contracts, visas, passport or ID documents in a secure location that is only accessible to them.

Building Bridges Conference

In July, we held our fourth annual Building Bridges conference. The event aims to bring together those working in the asylum and immigration sectors - other charities, community organisations, statutory bodies, healthcare services, and local authorities. The purpose is to discuss ways in which we can work together and collaborate to best support our clients.

This year’s event theme and agenda were co-produced for the first time with four of our Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) members. The outcome was the theme ‘Sharing Hope', and with topics of co-production, partnership working to benefit clients, countering negative narratives in communities and media, storytelling, and more, it shone throughout with a very positive and hopeful feel in the room.

We were pleased with the positive feedback, people told us they left feeling inspired, having had thought-provoking conversations, created new connections and sparked collaborative ideas.

Schools Programme

Our Schools Programme continued to grow in its second year of delivery, visiting 16 schools in eight different counties across Scotland, England and Wales and engaging over 2,000 students from 5 to 18 years old.

We continued with our aim of engaging with teachers and pupils across the UK to help them understand the positive impact of migration and integration whilst also empowering young minds.

Migrant Help 14

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights (continued)

Schools Programme (continued)

The highlight of the Schools Programme during this time was the delivery of the first in person schools conference which saw almost 100 students from eight schools attending the event in Brimingham. The day consisted of talks from guest speakers as well as thoughtfully constructed activities and exhibits which included the ‘Bags of Hope’ and ‘Eskander’ exhibits.

The Schools Programme exhibited for the first time at the Festival of Education at Wellington College in partnership with Clear Voice, which was a huge success managing to gather over 200 contacts from the two-day event.

We hosted our second annual Schools webinar in October for 33 attendees from schools, local authorities, charities and other interested individuals, which opened doors to more bookings through follow-up discussions and meetings.

The feedback received from school staff and students was very positive with 93% of feedback received stating that the sessions were informative and enjoyed by students.

Finally, we created the Schools Programme webpage which offers information on the programme, downloadable resources and media content to help promote this offer.

Refugee Week

The theme of Refugee Week 2024 was ‘Our Home’, inviting us to all reflect on what home means to us – is it a physical space, or something we carry within us? Is it in that one treasured possession that comes with us no matter where our home currently is, or the one dish we cook to remind ourselves of where we come from?

And how does it feel to have to leave all of this behind, to pack your life into a bag or two and move into the unknown? That is something that many of our clients, and colleagues, went through. And it is this feeling that we tried to relay through our Refugee Week campaign ‘Leaving’.

The video-based campaign featured a family in just that situation – frantically packing their belonging as they’re forced to leave at a moment’s notice. The film was accompanied by beautiful words written exclusively for Migrant Help by the Somali-British poet Momtaza Mehri, read by the wonderful Adjoa Andoh.

Policy

This was a year of turbulence with a change a government, new legislation affecting our areas of work being introduced, and increase in divisive rhetoric and misinformation about refugees and people seeking asylum.

We continued engaging with policy makers, contributing to legislative processes and working in partnership with other organisations to raise our voices in support of those we work with.

Our Lived Experience Advisory Panels were increasingly involved in policy discussions, from working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to improve their understanding of how best to engage with vulnerable populations through community-centred approaches, to contributing to the Work and Pensions Committee’s consultation on Reforming Jobcentres.

Migrant Help 15

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights (continued)

Policy (continued)

In June, in partnership with the Coalition to Stop Slavery, we organised a roundtable event attended by leading figures from the anti-slavery sector to discuss low levels of prosecution and low sentences of perpetrators of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Migrant Help’s representatives attended a number of international conferences, including the Summit of the Future at the UN in New York and the Global Forum on Migration Development in Geneva.

Co-Production

Over the past year, our co-production work has grown stronger, shaped by the voices and experiences of 337 people with lived experience and 172 staff. Our Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) members have been at the heart of this journey, helping to shape services, influence policy, and build a culture where collaboration is the norm. Their insights reached a wide range of audiences, including at Migrant Help’s annual Building Bridges conference, and have helped guide over 30 responses to research and policy to issues like trauma-informed care, public health, modern slavery, and immigration policy.

Lived experience is now shaping decisions at the highest levels of the charity, supported by regular strategy meetings between the National LEAP and Senior Management, and a LEAP Trustee speaking at board level.

Together with people with lived experience, we’ve made 211 improvements across our work including clearer, more accessible client information and developing digital tools such as the Just Good Work app. The co-production toolkit supported 17 projects, and we piloted client involvement in staff recruitment. Highlights include a co-designed Employability Mentoring Programme, with 66% of participants feeling more job-ready, and an expanded Conversational English programme, where everyone made progress.

Learning and development have also grown, with LEAP members taking part in training on leadership, research, and public speaking. As one staff member shared, working with clients was “profoundly insightful.” A LEAP member described the community as “a beehive where we are all working together.” These reflections say it all, co-production is not just a method, it’s a movement that’s making a real difference.

Development

We delivered 13,602 hours of learning and development for our staff last year. Learning topics ranged from safeguarding, cybersecurity, psychological first aid, to stress awareness, and a wide selection of short “how to” videos covering a variety of practical subjects.

Our e-learning platform continued to support staff development by offering a streamlined way to book training, track learning deadlines, and enable managers to monitor progress effectively. The live reporting function on our Learning Management System (LMS) ensures real-time compliance tracking for skill sets, enhancing our ability to monitor and report effectively.

Migrant Help 16

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights (continued)

Volunteering

Migrant Help's volunteering programme has continued to expand and grow in 2024 - 25 with increased number of roles and volunteers. We have recruited and onboarded a team of activity lead volunteers in the West Midlands, helping with integration projects in the area.

After a series of co-production sessions, we've designed another befriending project - for survivors of modern day slavery in Scotland and Northern Ireland. We have continued with our mentorship programme for Lived Experience Advisory Panel members where they are connected with a professional from a law firm and together work towards personal goals aimed at improving employability skills and confidence.

We have also continued with our annual Christmas Shoe Box Appeal event in the West Midlands and engaged with even more volunteers from communities and local businesses. With the help of volunteers, thousands of people seeking asylum received a gift in December.

In an effort to make sure that we always adhere to best practice, we have also continued with attendance in ongoing volunteer networking and best practice events and meetings.

Sustainability

The accelerating threats of climate change, resource depletion, and environmental degradation have compelled Migrant Help to fundamentally rethink how we operate. This issue is of vital importance to us, not only because climate change increasingly drives forced migration, but because we recognise our responsibility to reduce the environmental impact of our own activities. In response, we have begun taking meaningful action to better understand and mitigate our environmental footprint.

Over this period, we have developed the framework for our Sustainability Delivery Plan, which outlines how we intend to embed sustainability across all aspects of our operations. It sets out our key objectives and the steps we will take to achieve them. Our overarching goals are to:

Through a combination of strategic initiatives, incremental actions, strong governance, and meaningful partnerships, Migrant Help is committed to reducing our environmental footprint, supporting the global response to climate change, and ensuring our long-term operational resilience.

Migrant Help 17

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Highlights (continued)

Sustainability (continued)

As part of this commitment, over the period we have met all mandatory environmental reporting requirements. We submitted our data through the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) and Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR). These compliance processes have been instrumental in helping us understand our energy usage and emissions, identify areas for operational improvement, and benchmark our performance against regulatory expectations. The insights gained have directly informed the development of our Sustainability Delivery Plan and underscored the value of data-driven decision-making. We have also commenced ensuring that sustainability and environmental updates are a standing agenda item throughout all our Committees and Senior Management Team meetings, to further ensure that these aspects are embedded as a business-as-usual function.

Looking ahead, we will continue to refine our pathway to Net Zero by identifying the investments and phased actions needed to meet our ambition, in line with our broader organisational strategy and available resources. We are committed to exploring the feasibility of procuring green energy across our estate, adopting smarter building and travel practices, and embedding sustainability principles into our procurement and contract management. We recognise that achieving meaningful change requires careful planning, resource alignment, and stakeholder engagement.

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) Statement

In line with the UK Government’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) regulations, Migrant Help is required to disclose specific information about its UK energy use and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This includes:

Our commitment to the environment

Migrant Help is a UK-based charity that supports vulnerable migrants, refugees, and victims of modern slavery. We operate across multiple locations, providing essential services including accommodation and advice. As a responsible organisation, we recognise that our activities, both directly and through our supply chain, have environmental impacts at the local, national, and global levels.

We acknowledge our duty to proactively minimise any adverse environmental and social effects. This includes identifying our most significant impacts and putting in place practical, innovative measures to reduce them.

Migrant Help 18

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) Statement (continued)

Our commitment to the environment (continued)

We understand that our operations not only affect the environment but also influence the health and wellbeing of our employees and the communities we serve.

Reducing our carbon footprint is a key part of our organisational strategy. Migrant Help is committed to reaching Net Zero carbon emissions, aligning with national policy and third sector goals. We are focused on improving our energy efficiency, reducing waste, and continuously improving the way we work to ensure that we contribute positively to environmental sustainability.

This SECR report establishes our emissions baseline for the year and demonstrates the steps we are taking to reduce our environmental impact as we move toward our Net Zero ambition.

Organisational Profile and Reporting Boundary

For the 2024–2025 reporting year, this SECR statement covers three key sites where Migrant Help holds direct financial or operational control and for which accurate, reliable energy and environmental data is available:

These three sites form the core estate included in our emissions reporting boundary. Each location has either its own utility account or a robust data sharing arrangement that enables direct access to metered consumption data for electricity, gas, water, and waste.

These sites are therefore considered to be under Migrant Help’s equity share of control, in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and are included in all relevant Scope 1, 2, and selected Scope 3 calculations.

Exclusions from reporting boundary

A number of other buildings and working locations used by Migrant Help staff, particularly those hosted by partner organisations or landlords, are not included in this year’s report due to limitations in data accessibility or utility billing arrangements. These exclusions are temporary, and we are actively working with stakeholders to improve the availability of thirdparty energy and waste data.

In addition, supply chain emissions (e.g. emissions generated by our procurement of goods and services) are not currently included, as many of our partners are at different stages of their own sustainability journeys. Establishing consistent reporting mechanisms across our suppliers will be a key focus in future years to enable a more complete understanding of our total carbon footprint.

Migrant Help 19

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) Statement (continued)

Reporting obligation

Migrant Help meets the criteria for mandatory SECR reporting as defined by the UK Government. This requirement is based on our annual turnover and employee headcount. As such, we are committed to full compliance with the environmental reporting requirements under the Companies (Directors’ Report) and Limited Liability Partnerships (Amendment) Regulations 2018, and we view this as both a legal responsibility and an ethical imperative.

This report reflects the best available data for the 2024–2025 financial year and forms a reliable platform on which to track future progress toward our Net Zero target.

Carbon Reduction Plan

Migrant Help’s Carbon Reduction Plan forms a central part of our environmental strategy and reflects our organisational commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions. The plan sets out a clear pathway to reduce our carbon footprint through targeted action across energy use, travel, waste, and procurement. Each year, we aim to make measurable and meaningful reductions in our emissions, supported by improved data accuracy and sustainable decision making.

Methodology and Intensity Metric

Migrant Help applies the equity share approach to greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting, meaning we report emissions from sites and activities where we have direct financial or operational control. This ensures our emissions data reflects areas where we can influence outcomes and take meaningful action.

For this reporting period, we have selected tonnes of CO ₂ e per full-time equivalent (FTE) employee as the most appropriate intensity ratio. This reflects the nature of our organisation, which is primarily office based and staff-driven, with emissions closely linked to employee activity rather than physical outputs or facility size.

Alternative metrics, such as emissions per square metre of floorspace were considered but found unsuitable due to the co-tenanted and landlord managed nature of many of our locations. As a result, only those sites where Migrant Help has direct control over energy procurement have been included in this report. This approach supports transparency and accuracy in line with SECR guidance and best practice in the third sector.

Energy consumption and emissions summary

Emission-releasing activity Activity
Electricityuse 179,328 kWh
Naturalgas use 3,772 m3
Employee travel(Petrol) 152,458 miles
Employee travel(Diesel) 87,189 miles
Employee travel(EV) 922 miles
Water Supply (estimated) 4,109 m3
Mixed Recycling 4,327 kg
Paper Recycling (Confidential Waste) 1,302 kg

Migrant Help 20

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) Statement (continued)

Energy consumption and emissions summary (continued)

Carbon Emissions
Scope 1(Direct Energyandprocesses) 79.46 tCO₂e
Scope 2(Indirect import from electricity) 64.67 tCO₂e
Scope 3(Other indirect emissions) 10.26 tCO₂e
Total 155.75 tCO₂e
Intensity Ratio
Intensity Ratio (tonnes CO₂e/FTE) 0.32 tCO₂e per FTE

Comparative data

During the 2024–2025 reporting period, Migrant Help recorded a total carbon footprint of 155.75 tonnes of CO ₂ equivalent (tCO ₂ e). This figure includes emissions from a wide range of operational activities across three primary sites and is broken down by emissions scope as follows:

Whilst the year-on-year comparison indicates an increase in emissions, this is primarily due to the previous data focusing mainly on Charlton House, which was the most complete information available at that time.

Since then, the Facilities team has expanded the scope of data collection to include additional sites, specifically Dover Accommodation and Scotland Accommodation. This broader coverage now provides a more accurate and comprehensive representation of emissions across all sites under our management.

Therefore, the apparent increase in emissions reflects improved data completeness and reporting accuracy rather than a substantive rise in our overall carbon footprint.

**Emission Type ** 2023/24 2024/25
Scope 1 39.48 tCO₂e 79.46 tCO₂e
Scope 2 10.61 tCO₂e 64.67 tCO₂e
Scope 3 0.21 tCO₂e 10.26 tCO₂e
Total 50.3tCO₂e 155.75tCO₂e

*2023/24 boundary: Charlton House only; 2024/25 boundary: Charlton House + Dover + Scotland

Migrant Help 21

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) Statement (continued)

Energy Efficient Actions Undertaken

A rolling programme of measures have been undertaken throughout the period (Financial Year 2024-25). As part of ongoing refurbishment works of sites several retrofit, and efficiency projects have been undertaken inclusive of:

Governance

Responsibility for sustainability and carbon management at Migrant Help sits at the highest level of organisational leadership. The Senior Management Team and Board Trustees actively oversees our environmental strategy and ensures that climate and carbon considerations are embedded into key decision-making processes.

Day-to-day responsibility for delivering sustainability outcomes and environmental reporting is held by the organisation’s Sustainability Manager who acts as the central coordinator for data management, emissions reporting, and internal engagement across departments.

Environmental performance is reviewed both quarterly and annually by the Board of Trustees or committee with delegated powers, who provide strategic oversight and ensure that our environmental objectives remain aligned with the organisation’s long-term goals and charitable mission.

This SECR report has been prepared in line with internal governance procedures, including data validation and cross functional review, and reflects Migrant Help’s commitment to transparent, responsible environmental reporting.

Limitations and Data Gaps

This report is based on the best available data at the time of publication. It includes only those sites and activities where accurate, verifiable information could be obtained, and where Migrant Help holds either direct financial or operational control.

Some locations, such as those managed by third-party landlords or delivery partners, were excluded due to the absence of accessible utility data or clear contractual visibility over energy usage. These exclusions are acknowledged and represent an area for future improvement.

Supply chain emissions (purchased goods and services, subcontractor impacts, etc.) are currently out of scope due to inconsistent data availability and a lack of standardised reporting from suppliers.

However, we recognise the growing importance of Scope 3 emissions and are actively developing mechanisms to engage with suppliers, improve transparency, and build capacity for future reporting.

Migrant Help 22

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) Statement (continued)

Future Commitments

Migrant Help is committed to strengthening its approach to carbon management and deepening its understanding of the environmental impact of all operational activities. In the coming years, we will:

Expand the scope of our reporting to include additional sites and previously excluded Scope 3 emissions categories, including commuting, procurement, and digital services.

Work proactively with suppliers to obtain emissions data and integrate it into future carbon footprints.

Continue delivering energy efficiency and carbon reduction initiatives aligned with our Net Zero goal.

These steps will be supported by staff training, improved internal systems, and cross organisational collaboration to ensure climate action becomes fully embedded across the organisation.

Section 172 Statement

Migrant Help complies with Section 172 under the Companies Act 2006, which requires our Board of Trustees to act in a way that they consider, in good faith, will most likely enhance and promote Migrant Help’s impact on the people we support, while considering the long-term effect of decisions on our stakeholders, including beneficiaries, employees, partners, commissioners, supporters, suppliers, local communities and the environment.

Internal Stakeholders

Our internal stakeholders are our employees. Engaging employees and improving their experience is an integral part of our culture, strategy and values.

We have a comprehensive learning and development programme including a Leadership Academy. We deliver a wide range of training including support for staff wellbeing. We have an Employability Assistance Programme that also offers enhanced support where required.

We communicate regularly with our employees through newsletters, blogs and Teams Channels. Employees can engage with Senior Management through regular Q&A sessions and Town Hall meetings available to all staff.

Employee matters are discussed with Trustees at the Remuneration Committee and escalated to the full Board where necessary.

We monitor salary gradings against market rates and review our employee benefits package to ensure it’s still relevant.

Migrant Help 23

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Section 172 Statement (continued)

External Stakeholders

The people we support include migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and survivors of slavery. We provide advice, support and guidance, helping our clients to rebuild their lives after displacement or exploitation. We have a strict Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Policy that protects our clients and ensures they are safe. Our Safeguarding Team makes sure we work within the latest best practice and offers specialist support to vulnerable groups. We have a Coproduction Team which develops our Lived Experience Advisory Panels and ensures client voice is included in our service design and improvements. We review the effectiveness of our services regularly, and report on our continuous improvement projects.

Our Partnerships take many forms and are a vital part of our charity. We recognise many of our partners work closely in the communities of the people we support, and we have activities in place to capacity build the sector. We follow robust procedures and due diligence with our partners and conduct partnership mapping. We hold events for charities in the sector and participate in sector networks and meetings.

We provide services to a multitude of Commissioners across the UK and are committed to delivering high quality outcomes through everything we do. We attend regular meetings to review our deliverables against contract requirements and provide reporting on our outputs and impact.

Our Supporters include individual and corporate donors. We share newsletters to update them on our activities and engage with them on social media. We keep information up to date on our website and recognise donors for their support. We share our media campaigns and show the impact their donations have made. We follow all fundraising guidelines on our engagement and comply with GDPR.

We engage with several Suppliers and have a range of policies that support our approach to procurement. We promote ethical practices, due diligence, and engagement within our supply chain and have a Supplier Code of Conduct that forms part of the contractual terms. We map and assess our supply chain for modern slavery risks and conduct checks to ensure suppliers share our commitment to prevent workplace practices which enable, or are defined as, modern slavery.

As a national charity, we also aim to work at a local level, ensuring our work benefits the Local Communities where our clients are. We attend regional meetings and engage with organisations to welcome asylum seekers and refugees. We work with local Police Forces and Local Authorities to get the best outcomes for our clients.

We are committed to reducing our impact on the Environment and recognise the intersection of climate change and the people we support. We monitor and report on our carbon emissions and waste in line with our Environmental Policy and have a Carbon Reduction Plan which aims to help us achieve Net Zero. We are in the process of developing an employee engagement programme.

Migrant Help 24

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Section 172 Statement (continued)

External Stakeholders (continued)

In the financial year covered by these accounts, and in the period since then, we have reported 4 matters to the Charity Commission as Serious Incidents

We also provided updates to the Charity Commission on 1 previously reported serious incident:

Migrant Help 25

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Risks

We have continually reviewed the principal risks to achieving our strategic plan and have focused on the key strategic risks that we have sought to mitigate during 2024/25.

Risk Commentary
1.The Charity is not selected as either a
prime or subcontractor for the ongoing
retender to provide Modern Day
Slavery services in England and
Wales. This leads to a loss in work
and income.		 The charity is monitoring the changes in the
Modern
Slavery
landscape
and
the
developments of the new contract; the
Charity has committed additional resources
to ensure that internal staffing working on
these bids have the capacity to meet existing
commitments and this new undertaking.
Where additional expertise is needed,
external consultants have been engaged.
The charity’s prime bid is being projected
managed with engagement with Trustees, so
they are aware of the impact of such a large
contract on the culture and infrastructure of
Migrant Help.
2.The Charity and its Service Users are
negatively impacted by the
government policies and legislation
and the way it is enacted – both
domestically and internationally. The
impact of this on the volatility of
volumes of Service Users can reduce
income and work or not allow the
charity to plan and meet surges in
demand.		 The Charity engages with both sector bodies
and commissioners in local and central
government to develop policies – both as part
of its contract and beyond. The charity uses
external communication agencies to help
promote the story of its Service Users.
Internally, the charity monitors work-force
needs following changes in demand for its
services so it can make changes in a timely
manner.

Migrant Help 26

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Risks (Continued)

Risk Commentary
3. The Charity’s performance negatively
impacts our Service Users, our
reputation, future contract renewal and,
through service credits, our financial
standing. Service Credits are impacted
by poor performance and unmet volume
levels. Fluctuating volume levels could
also lead to overcommitting our financial
resources if volumes drop.		 The charity monitors data trends and makes
resourcing decisions based on meeting
KPIs and minimising service credits. KPIs
are
discussed
regularly
with
service
commissioners, in line with current sector
demands. It follows a structured induction
process and ongoing training for its staff
and has ongoing quality management
systems to monitor performance levels.
4. The Charity’s ability to support its
Service Users is negatively impacted by
the variety of accommodation they are
housed in due to pressures from
volumes and lack of appropriate
housing. The appropriateness of
accommodation also impacts the risk of
hostility from anti-immigration protests.		 The Charity work with commissioners to
identify
appropriate
accommodation
through its own risk assessments and
health and safety checks. The Charity
suggests changes to the funding model of
contracts to better encourage the use of
appropriate accommodation.
5. The Charity’s contractual financial
obligations with its commissioners are
open to interpretation and differences
can give rise to additional liabilities
arising from past performance. Volatility
of volumes leading to volatility of
surpluses impact the way the Charity
effectively plans its deployment of
resources at certain times of the year.		 The
Charity
engages
with
its
commissioners about its monitoring and
calculations
as
per
their
contractual
obligations and is transparent in its
disclosure.
Prudent
estimations
are
provided
for
the
Charity’s
financial
statements. Financial and operational
systems have been upgraded to provide
better
data
and
record
keeping
in
supporting financial assumptions.

Migrant Help 27

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Financial review

Income

During the year, our income was £69.79m (2024: £58.16m), an increase of 20% from the previous year. This increase has been attributed to the continued growth of the contract to provide advice, issue reporting & eligibility guidance to people seeking asylum in the UK. This contract commenced in September 2019 at volumes vastly in excess of even the highest levels of Home Office estimates – in terms of calls and support needs. Those volumes have continued to grow month on month throughout 2024 - 25. The growth of this contract has also impacted directly on the turnover of our trading subsidiary, Migrant Help Trading Limited, who provide interpreting services for this contract for those service users and for external clients.

Expenditure

Our expenditure rose to £65.62m from £55.81m, an increase of 17.6%. These are costs associated with servicing the growth in our major contracts throughout the year along with the continuation of some strategic projects to further the charity’s aims. Due to the nature of our work, staff costs represent the major element of expenditure and these increased by 29% to £41.37m (2024: £32.10m). Staff costs include subcontracted operations of the charity’s First Response Centre and its Move-On service provision as part of operating the Asylum contract

Commercial trading subsidiary

Our commercial trading subsidiary, Migrant Help Trading Limited, provides interpreting and translation services. A profit of £3.80m (2024: £3.24m) was generated in the year, primarily from providing interpreting services that supported the expanded AIRE contract. It has been covenanted that Migrant Help Trading Limited will gift aid 100% of its taxable profit to the charity by 31 December of the following financial year. For 2025, the amount of £3.70m is to be donated in October 2025 (2024: £3.24m in October 2024).

Reserves policy and current status

The Trustees wish to secure the future of Migrant Help and its ability to continue its charitable activities. To achieve this, they have carried out an assessment of the risks facing the charity and the financial consequences of those risks. Consequently, they aim to retain sufficient reserves, to protect against the risk to the charity of a temporary reduction in funding or the loss of a major funder, and to provide funds for development of new services to meet the needs of migrants and asylum seekers in alignment with our strategic aims.

At the time of each quarterly forecast, risks are re-assessed, together with the adequacy of reserves, in light of any changes in costs and circumstances. If reserves fall below the target, Trustees may act to reduce future costs. Alternatively, if reserves are in excess of target, Trustees may consider opportunities for initiating new developments. The Trustees may examine the level of reserves each year when setting the following year’s budget and the reserves policy will be reviewed each year.

In addition to ensuring reserves are retained for risks and project commitments, the charity retains approximately 8 weeks of total expenditure to ensure it has the operating capital to service its larger contracts. The Trustees are working to arrive at a target reserves level but this is currently difficult due to the fluctuating volumes and changing regulatory and legal frameworks that impact its core Asylum and modern-day slavery operations.

Migrant Help 28

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Financial review (continued)

Reserves policy and current status (continued)

At 31 March 2025, the Charity had total unrestricted funds of £21.11 (2024: £17.35m), an increase of £3.76m from last year. The Trustees meet regularly to review its forecast reserves and its required operational working capital. Reserves were again designated for use in longer term projects so the charity could provide support and assistance to vulnerable groups. These projects aim to go beyond any existing contractual services. There were designated reserves of £6.36m (2024: £5.55m). This leaves free reserves of £14.75m (2024: £11.80m); made up of £3.76m (2024: £3.22m) reserves from our trading subsidiary, Migrant Help Trading Limited and other general funds of £10.99m (2024: £8.58m).

The Trustees are implementing the new five-year strategy. The continued volume growth of the Asylum and Modern Slavery contracts and the ability for the Trustees to designate funds for long term projects allow Migrant Help to widen the scope of the future opportunities it can provide its current and prospective service users.

Principal risks and uncertainties

The Trustees and Executive Team have identified the major strategic and operational risks to which Migrant Help is exposed and have established controls and actions to mitigate them. Risk assessments and a risk register are in place and are subject to continual review and monitoring by the Executive Team, and quarterly review by the Trustees. The principal risks are outlined above.

Structure, governance and management

Governing document

Migrant Help has its origins in the Kent Committee for the Welfare of Migrants, which incorporated as Migrant Helpline in 2001. Today, Migrant Help is a Company Limited by Guarantee governed by its Articles of Association, last amended on 19 July 2015. It is registered as a Charity with the Charity Commission in England & Wales and with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator in Scotland. The wholly-owned trading subsidiary is a Company Limited by Shares, registered at Companies House.

Appointment of Trustees

Our Articles of Association provide that Migrant Help may have up to 14 Trustees and the present members of the Board are listed in this report.

Trustees, including the Chair, are recruited by open selection and are appointed for a threeyear term, renewable for a further three years. The Trustees for the purposes of charity law and under the company’s Articles are also the members of the organisation. Since the start of the financial year, four new trustees joined and seven resigned.

Trustee induction and training

New Trustees have an Induction Day and are invited to visit offices across the UK to meet staff and clients. We have a Trustee Handbook and code of conduct which is issued to Trustees. Trustees are also provided with the Charity Commission’s guide: The Essential Trustee and other relevant Charity Commission publications. There are regular governance reviews and Trustees are provided with Safeguarding training. The Trustees will form other sub-groups to manage particular projects as and when required.

Migrant Help 29

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Structure, governance and management (continued)

The Migrant Help Board of Trustees

Migrant Help’s Board of Trustees is charged with ensuring a sharp focus on our mission and values. It sets the strategic direction, checks progress against strategy, ensures financial stability, and makes certain that Migrant Help is compliant with all the relevant laws and regulations. The Board has a zero-tolerance policy on fraud and corruption.

The Board delegates day-to-day decision making and operations to the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Team. The Board meets formally at least four times a year, in addition to holding an away-day to consider Migrant Help’s strategic direction given the changing context in which we operate.

There are five standing committees that feed into the Board.

The Finance and Audit Committee (FAC) is responsible for assurance oversight of the highest standards of integrity, financial reporting and internal control. In addition to reviewing organisational performance and results against the plan, the committee also ensure that Migrant Help’s systems of financial control comply with Charity Commission guidelines and provide reasonable assurance against material misstatement or loss.

The People & Remuneration Committee sets Committee sets out the remuneration policies for the organisation and reviews the People Strategy, EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion), Employee Engagement and Wellbeing. It also sets the remuneration for the CEO and directors. It also ensures that the Corporate Management Team implements the policy

The Quality-of-Service Committee upholds the aims and objectives of the Charity considering all service delivery matters to ensure the Charity’s services are run on a sound and businesslike basis, in line with our charitable aims. It advises on all matters in relation to the quality of Migrant Help’s services ensuring that contractual, statutory, and other quality standards are understood and monitored.

The Strategy and Communications Committee upholds the aims and objectives of the Charity when considering strategy matters to ensure the Charity’s execution of the strategy is in line with our charitable aims. It advises on strategic matters in relation to the quality of Migrant Help’s communications ensuring the branding, messaging and images are understood.

The Nominations Committee is responsible for the composition of the main Board, it’s committees and their relevant skills and attributes to further achieve the Charity’s objectives. It oversees Trustee Leadership performance and development as an ongoing priority and supervises succession planning.

Key management personnel remuneration

The Trustees consider that they, and the Executive Team comprise the key management personnel of the Charity, in charge of directing and controlling, running and operating the Charity on a day to day basis. All Trustees give their time freely and no Trustee received remuneration in the year. The pay of the senior staff is reviewed annually and normally increased in accordance with average earnings.

Migrant Help 30

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Structure, governance and management (continued).

Key management personnel remuneration (continued)

In view of the nature of the Charity, the Trustees benchmark against pay levels in other charities of similar size and activity to ensure that the remuneration set is fair and not out of line with that generally paid for similar roles. Further details of remuneration can be found at note 9 to the financial statements.

Related parties and co-operation with other organisations

Any interest between a Trustee or senior manager of the Charity and the Charity must be disclosed to the full board of Trustees in the same way as any other contractual relationship with a related party. In the current year no such related party transactions were reported.

Trustee responsibilities for reporting and financial statements

The Trustees (who are also directors of Migrant Help for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the report of the Trustees including the strategic report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

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 income and expenditure of the charitable company for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper and adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with Companies Act 2001, the Charities and Trustee Investments (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). 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.

Migrant Help 31

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Structure, governance and management (continued)

Going concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the Board of Trustees has a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, it continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the accounting policies.

Public Benefit statement

The Charities Act 2011 requires all charities to have a purpose that is for the public benefit. The public benefit requirement has two aspects: the “benefit” aspect and the “public” aspect. All our services provide an identifiable benefit that is capable of being proved by evidence and are made available to the public or sufficient sections of the public. This is entirely in accordance with the two aspects of the public benefit requirement. The Trustees can confirm that they have complied with the duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit, “Charities and Public Benefit”. Our charitable purpose is enshrined in our vision and mission statements, and the Trustees ensure that this purpose is carried out for the public benefit by delivering services in accordance with our strategic aims.

Disclosure of information to the auditor

In so far as the Trustees are aware there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware; and the Trustees have taken all steps that they ought reasonably to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information. 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 UK governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Internal control

The Trustees have overall responsibility for Migrant Help’s systems of internal control. Trustees recognise that systems of control can only provide a reasonable and not complete assurance against inappropriate or ineffective use of resources, or against the risk of errors or fraud. Trustees remain satisfied that Migrant Help’s systems provide reasonable assurance that the charity operates efficiently and effectively, safeguards its assets, maintains proper records and complies with relevant laws and regulations.

Migrant Help operates a comprehensive accountability system. This includes annual planning, with plans approved by Trustees, and annual budgets. Trustees consider actual results compared with plans and forecasts, and non-financial performance data. Other controls include delegation of authority, segregation of duties and the completion of an internal control self-assessment checklist as advised by the Charity Commission.

Migrant Help 32

Trustees’ report Year to 31 March 2025

Structure, governance and management (continued)

Members’ Guarantee

Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 each to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees at 31 March 2025 was 18 (2024: 14).

Trustees indemnities

Trustees benefit from indemnity insurance to cover the liability of the Trustees which by virtue of any rule of law would otherwise attach to them in respect of any negligence, default or breach of trust or breach of duty of which they may be guilty in relation to the charity. The aggregated cost of this and management liability insurance is included within the charity’s overall insurance cover and cannot be separately identified (2024: £6,733). This provides cover up to £5,000,000 (2024: £5,000,000).

Fundraising

Migrant Help exist to support people affected by displacement and exploitation and we secure most of our income through grants and contracts. During 2024-2025, we have undertaken a strategic review seeking voluntary donations and support from the general public and through partnerships. These voluntary donations and partnerships support our two main campaigns; Our Crisis Fund supports survivors of slavery and asylum seekers with essential items when no other provision is in place to help. Our Neil Wildman Children’s Fund supports children and young people who have been through unimaginable hardship. Through our newly enhanced website and using social media channels, we aim to grow voluntary donations and continue to explore alternative income sources to enable us to help the people we support.

Auditor

In so far as the trustees are aware:

Buzzacott Audit LLP were appointed as our auditor during the year and they have indicated their willingness to continue in that capacity.

The Trustees’ report, incorporating a strategic report, approved by order of the members of the Board of Trustees on 17 September 2025 and signed on its behalf by:

Sir Hugh Bayley Chair of Board of Trustees

Migrant Help 33

Independent auditor’s report on the financial statements 31 March 2025

Independent auditor’s report to the Members and Trustees of Migrant Help

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Migrant Help (the ‘parent charitable company’) and its subsidiary for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the group statement of financial activities, group and charity balance sheets, group and charity statements of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant 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:

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 group 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 group and charitable parent 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.

Migrant Help 34

Independent auditor’s report on the financial statements 31 March 2025

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 auditor’s report 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 there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

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

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

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

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulation 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Migrant Help 35

Independent auditor’s report on the financial statements 31 March 2025

Responsibilities of Trustees

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

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

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

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

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:

Migrant Help 36

Independent auditor’s report on the financial statements 31 March 2025

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements (continued)

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

To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:

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

As a result of our procedures, we did not identify any key audit matters relating to irregularities.

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.

Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.

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

Migrant Help 37

Independent auditor’s report on the financial statements 31 March 2025

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 and to the charity’s Trustees as a body, in accordance with Section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and Regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Edward Finch For and on behalf of Buzzacott Audit LLP, Statutory Auditor 130 Wood Street London EC2V 6DL

Date: 13 November 2025

Buzzacott Audit LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

Migrant Help 38

Statement of financial activities Year to 31 March 2025

Notes
Unrestricted
general
fund
£’000



Restricted
funds
£’000


2025
Total
funds
£’000



Unrestricted
general
fund
£’000



Restricted
funds
£’000


2024
Total
funds
£’000
Income from:
. Donations
2
. Investment income
3
Income from charitable
activities
4
Income from trading activities

. Commercial trading
operations
5
Total


Expenditure on:
Costs of raising funds
. Commercial trading
operations
5
Expenditure on charitable
activities
6
Total

Net income (expenditure)
Transfers between funds
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total fund balances brought
forward
Total fund balances carried
forward
46

313

59,987


3,088
89

—

6,269

—

135

313

66,256


3,088

131

267

48,961


2,667
614

—

5,523

—
745

267

54,484

2,667

63,434
6,358
69,792
52,026
6,137
58,163


2,918

56,949
—

5,749



2,918

62,698



2,454

47,115
—

6,244
2,454

53,359
59,867
5,749
65,616
49,569
6,244
55,813

3,567
192
609

(192)

4,176

—

2,457


(225)
(107)
225
2,350

—
3,759
17,348
417

311

4,176



17,659

2,232



15,116
118

193
2,350

15,309
21,107
728
21,835
17,348
311
17,659

There are no recognised gains or losses other than those shown above. All of the above results derive from continuing activities.

The notes on pages 39 to 601 form part of these financial statements.

Migrant Help 39

Group and Charity balance sheets 31 March 2025

Group Charity
2025 2024 2025 2024
Notes £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Fixed assets
Intangible fixed assets 11 **1,371 ** — 1,371 —
Tangible fixed assets 11 **1,284 ** 316 1,267 315
Investments 12 **— ** — 100 100
**2,655 ** 316 2,738 415
Current assets
Debtors 13 **8,166 ** 10,235 7,441 10,042
Cash at bank and in hand **20,615 ** 14,856 17,313 11,743
**28,781 ** 25,091 24,754 21,785
Current liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due
within one year 14 (5,401) (4,248) (5,215) (4,258)
Provision 16 **(4,200) ** (3,500) (4,200) (3,500)
**(9,601) ** (7,748) (9,415) (7,758)
Net current assets **19,180 ** 17,343 15,339 14,027
Total net assets **21,835 ** 17,659 18,077 14,442
Funds
Restricted funds 17 **728 ** 311 728 311
Unrestricted funds 18 **21,107 ** 17,348 17,349 14,131
Total funds **21,835 ** 17,659 18,077 14,442

The financial statements on pages 39 to 61 were approved by the Trustees, and authorised for issue on 17 September 2025 and are signed on their behalf by:

Sir Hugh Bayley, Chair

Company Limited by Guarantee Registration Number: 04172880 (England and Wales)

Migrant Help 40

Group and charity statements of cash flows Year to 31 March 2025

Group Charity
2025
£’000		 2024
£’000
2025
£’000		 2024
£’000
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income for the year
Adjustments for:
Depreciation
Amortisation
Investment income
Decrease (increase) in debtors
Increase (decrease) in creditors
Increase (decrease) in deferred income
Increase in provisions
Net cash generated from (used in) operating
activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Interest income
Purchase of intangible fixed assets
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Net cash (used in) generated from investment
activities
Increase (decrease) in cash in the year
Cash at the beginning of the year
Total cash at the end of theyear
4,176


164
—
(313)
2,069
1,072
81
700		 2,350
105
33
(267)
(2,238)
(604)
(63)
1,243

3,635



159

—

(313)

2,601

876

81

700		 1,401
105
33
(267)
(2,281)
(1,336)
(63)
1,243
7,949 559
7,739		 (1,165)


313
(1,371)
**(1,132) **		 267

—
(248)


313
(1,371)
**(1,111) **		 267
—
(248)
**(2,190) ** 19
**(2,169) **		 19

5,759

14,856
 578
14,278

5,570


11,743
 (1,146)
12,889
20,615 14,856
17,313		 11,743

A Analysis of changes in net debt

At 1 April
2024
£’000		 Cash
flows
£’000		 New
loans
£’000		 Other
non-cash
changes
£’000
At 31
March
2025
£’000
Cash 14,856
5,759
—		 — 20,615
14,856
5,759
—		 — 20,615

Migrant Help 41

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2025

Basis of preparation

These financial statements are 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 (FRS 102) (Charities SORP FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note. The financial statements are prepared in sterling and rounded to the nearest £’000s.

Group financial statements

These financial statements consolidate the results of the charity and its wholly owned subsidiary Migrant Help Trading Limited on a line by line basis. A separate statement of financial activities has not been presented because the charitable company has taken advantage of the exemption afforded by Section 308 of the Companies Act 2006.

Public Benefit Entity

The charitable company meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

Going concern

The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The Trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

Fund accounting

All funds raised by the charity are used in the furtherance of its charitable objects. The three types of funds are as follows:

Unrestricted funds

General unrestricted funds represent funds which are expendable at the discretion of the Trustees in the furtherance of the objects of the Charity.

Designated funds

Designated funds are funds set aside by the Trustees for a specific purpose.

Restricted funds

Restricted funds represent grants received which are allocated by the donor for a specific purpose.

Migrant Help 42

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2025

Income

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

Income from government and other grants and contracts, whether “capital” grants or “revenue” grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants or contracts have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

Income received in advance of the provision of a specified service is deferred and included in creditors until the criteria for income recognition are met and where entitlement arises before income is received the income is accrued.

Interest from 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.

Income from commercial trading operations comprises of the invoiced value of goods and services supplied by the subsidiary, Migrant Help Trading Limited, exclusive of Value Added Tax and trade discounts.

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit is probable and the economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), the value of general volunteer time is not recognised.

Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probably that the settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

Support costs include expenditure on general management, human resources, finance, communications and general support staff. Costs are allocated across the charitable expenditure on the basis of an estimate of the proportion of time spent by staff on those activities. No support costs were considered to be attributable to costs of raising funds which are incurred by the Charity’s trading subsidiary.

Migrant Help 43

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2025

Expenditure (continued)

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

Operating leases

Rentals applicable to operating lease contracts, where substantially all the benefits and risks of ownership remain with the lessor, are charged to the statement of financial activities on a straight line basis over the lease term.

Intangible fixed assets

The cost of any intangible fixed assets are amortised over the useful life of that asset and specifically the life of any contracts to which that intangible asset may be used and give value.

Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets costing more than £1,000 are capitalised and included at cost, including any incidental expenses of acquisition and are depreciated over their useful economic lives as follows:

Office equipment 33% on cost Motor vehicles 25% reducing balance

Investment in subsidiaries

Investments in subsidiaries are at cost.

Pensions

The Charity participates in a group pension scheme. This is a defined contribution pension scheme for all members of staff. The assets of this scheme are held separately from those of the Charity, being invested with an insurance company. Pension costs charged in the statement of financial activities represent the contributions payable by the Charity in the year. Pension costs are based upon 8% of gross salary.

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due. Prepayments are

valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Cash at bank and in hand

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

Migrant Help 44

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2025

Creditors and provisions

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.

Foreign currencies

Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded using the rate of exchange ruling at the date of transaction. Any foreign currency balances are translated at the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date. Gains and losses on translation are included in the statement of financial activities.

Taxation

As a registered charity, Migrant Help is potentially exempt from tax on income and gains falling within Sections 466 to 489 of the Corporation Taxes Act 2010 as all its income is charitable and applied towards charitable purposes.

No tax is payable in the trading subsidiary due to the profit being donated to the charity under Gift Aid. No provision is made for current or deferred tax.

Related party disclosures

The charity has taken advantage of the exemption that is conferred by FRS 102, which allows it not to disclose transactions with group undertakings that are eliminated on consolidation.

Critical accounts estimates and assumptions

The charity makes estimates and assumptions concerning the future. The resulting accounting estimates and assumptions will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results. The only material estimates at the year end are in relation to provisions for potential liabilities arising out of a compliance review and the interpretation of income recognition from the AIRE contract.

Legal status of the Charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. 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.

Migrant Help 45

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

1 Financial performance of the Charity

The consolidated statement of financial activities includes the results of the charity’s wholly owned subsidiary which provides interpreting and translation services.

The summary financial performance of the charity alone is:

2025
Total
funds
£’000		 2024
Total
funds
£’000
Income
Gift aid from subsidiary company
Expenditure on charitable activities
Net income
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Represented by:
Restricted income funds
Unrestricted income funds		 66,762
3,242
55,590

2,285
70,004
(66,369)
57,875

(56,475)
3,635
14,442
1,400

13,042
18,077
14,442
728
17,349
311

14,131
18,077
14,442

2 Donations

Donations
Unrestricted
funds
£’000		 Restricted
funds
£’000		 2025
Total
funds
£’000		 Unrestricted
funds
£’000		 Restricted
funds
£’000		 2024
Total
funds
£’000
Donations receivable
Partnership for Digital
Inclusion Project
Donations receivable		 46
—		 —
89		 46
89		 131
—
—
614		 131
614
46 89 135 131
614		 745

3 Investment income

Unrestricted
funds
£’000		 Restricted
funds
£’000		 2025
Total
funds
£’000		 Unrestricted
funds
£’000		 Restricted
funds
£’000		 2024
Total
funds
£’000
Bank interest 313 — 313 267
—		 267

Migrant Help 46

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

4 Income from charitable activities

Unrestricted
funds
£’000


Restricted
funds
£’000		 2025
Total
funds
£’000		 Unrestricted
funds
£’000		 Restricted
funds
£’000		 2024
Total
funds
£’000
Asylum Advice, Issue
Reporting & Eligibility
Anti – Trafficking
European Settlement
Scheme
Community
Vulnerable Persons
Resettlement Scheme
Refugee Employability
Programme
E-VISA Scheme
Watford Resettlement
Scheme
Other services		 51,529
8,364
—
1
—
—
—
93
—

4,338
403

909
303
272
44
—		 51,529
12,702
403
910
303
272
44
93		 39,291
9,604
—
—
—
—
—
66		 —
4,733
272
435
83
—
—
—		 39,291
14,337
272
435
83
—
—
66
59,987
6,269		 66,256 48,961 5,523 54,484

The Charity’s main source of income from charitable activities is government grants and contracts. The total income from the Home Office was £51,529,000 (2024: £39,291,000).

5 Commercial trading operations

The wholly owned trading subsidiary, Migrant Help Trading Limited, is incorporated in England and Wales (company number 05684239) and pays all its profits to the charity under the gift aid scheme. Migrant Help Trading Limited operates as an interpreting and translation service provider. The summary financial performance of the subsidiary alone is:

2025
Total
funds
£’000		 2024
Total
funds
£’000
Turnover
Cost of sales and administration costs
Net profit
Amount gifted to the charity
Available for distribution
The assets and liabilities of the subsidiary were:
Fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Total net assets
Aggregate of share capital and reserves		 14,974
(11,259)
12,400

(9,159)
3,715
(3,242)
3,241

(2,285)
473
956
17
4,968
(1,190)
2

4,414

(1,093)
3,795
3,323
3,795
3,323

Migrant Help 47

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

6 Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Staff
costs
£’000
Direct
costs
£’000
Support
cost
allocation
£’000
Governance
cost
allocation
£’000
2025
Total
£’000
Charitable activities
Support costs		 34,398
4,214
20,970

3,116
6,780

(6,780)
550
(550)
62,698
—
38,612
24,086
—
—
62,698
Staff
costs
£’000
Direct
costs
£’000
Support
cost
allocation
£’000
Governance
cost
allocation
£’000
2024
Total
£’000
Charitable activities
Support costs		 26,938
3,536
20,187

2,698
5,777

(5,777)
457
(457)
53,359
—
30,474
22,885
—
—
53,359

Of the charitable activities set out above, £5,749,000 (2024: £6,244,000) was funded from restricted funds and £56,949,000 (2024: £47,115,000) from unrestricted funds.

Included within direct costs above are grants awarded totalling £354,060 (2024: £386,757), comprising a grant to the Happy Baby Community of £263,000 (2024: £151,843), and a number of small grants relating to the upscaling of the Community Hubs Project totalling £90,944 (2024: £234,914).

7 Support costs

Support costs comprise the following items:

General
support
£’000		 Governance
function
£’000
2025
Total
£’000		 General
support
£’000
Governance
function
£’000		 2024
Total
£’000
Communications
Finance
General management
Human resources
Support services		 609
831
158
1,034
4,148		 9
37
428
34
42		 618
868
586
1,068
4,190		 676
569
178
906
3,448
7

35

359

41

15		 683
604
537
947
3,463
6,780 550 7,330 5,777
457		 6,234

Migrant Help 48

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

8 Net income (expenditure) for the year

This is stated after charging:

2025
£’000		 2024
£’000
Auditor’s remuneration:
. statutory audit current year
. accounting and tax services
Depreciation
Amortisation
Operating leases:
. property
. equipment		 32
3
164
—
304
9		 29
3
105
33
466
28

9 Staff costs

The total remuneration of employees (full-time and part-time) was:

2025
£’000		 2024
£’000
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension contributions
Sub-contract labour
Settlement
Other related staff costs including staff benefits		 19,415
1,814
1,622
18,326
49
146
15,852

1,462

1,323

13,422

37

7
41,372
32,103

The average number of employees (head count based on number of staff employed) during the year was:

2025
Number		 2024
Number
Charitable activities
Support staff
Trading subsidiary staff		 533
103
48
453

101

43
684
597

The average number of full-time equivalent staff in the year was 565 (2024: 483).

Migrant Help 49

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

9. Staff costs (continued)

The number of staff whose emoluments are great than £60,000 are:

2025
Number
3
3
3
2
—
—
1
12		 2024
Number

2

2

2

—

1

1

—

8
£60,001 - £70,000
£70,001 - £80,000
£80,001 - £90,000
£90,001 - £100,000
£100,001 - £110,000
£130,001 - £140,000
£150,001 - £160,000

Of the employees who earned £60,000 or more during the year, employee contributions were made to defined contribution pension schemes in respect of 12 (2024: 8) employees. During the year this amounted to £97,932 (2024: £70,817).

The key management personnel of the group and parent charity comprise the Trustees and the Senior Management Team, comprising of 14 staff (2024: 14). The total employee benefits of the key management personnel were £1,218,682 (2024: £1,126,669).

10 Trustees’ remuneration

No remuneration or other payments have been made to the Trustees for their services as board members in the year (2024: £Nil).

The most significant element of Trustees’ expenses is the cost of travel and subsistence. In the year 10 Trustees incurred a total of £1,541 (2024: £7,520 was paid to 9 Trustees) through expenses reimbursed and costs incurred by the charity on their behalf.

11 Fixed assets

Intangible
Computer
software
Total
intangible
£’000
Tangible
Land &
Buildings
£’000		 Tangible
office
equipment
£’000		 Total
tangible
£’000
Group £’000
Cost
At 1 April 2024
Additions
Disposals
At 31 March 2025
Amortisation
At 1 April 2024
Charge in year
Disposals
At 31 March 2025
Net book value
At 31 March 2025
At 1 April 2024		 507
1,371
(507)		 507
1,371
(507)		 96
841
—		 618
291
—		 714
1,132
—
1,371 1,371 937 909 1,846
507
—
(507)		 507
—
(507)		 —
—
—		 398
164
—		 398
164
—
— — — 562 562
1,371 1,371 937 347 1,284
— — 96 220 316

Migrant Help 50

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

11 Fixed assets (continued)

Intangible
Computer
software
£’000
507
1,371
(507)
1,371
507
—
(507)
—
1,371
—		 Total
intangible
£’000
Tangible
Land &
Buildings
£’000		 Tangible
office
equipment
£’000
601
270
—
871
382
159
—
541
330
219		 Total
tangible
£’000
Charity
Cost
At 1 April 2024
Additions
Disposals
At 31 March 2025
Amortisation
At 1 April 2024
Charge in year
Disposals
At 31 March 2025
Net book value
At 31 March 2025
At 1 April 2024		 507
1,371
(507)		 96
841
—		 697
1,111
—
1,371 937 1,808
507
—
(507)		 —
—
—		 382
159
—
— — 541
1,371 937 1,267
— 96 315

12 Fixed asset investments – charity

Shares in group undertakings:

2025
£’000
100
—
100
Cost at 1 April 2024
Additions
Cost at 31 March 2025

The charity holds £100,000 (2024: £100,000) shares of £1 each in its wholly owned subsidiary company, Migrant Help Trading Limited, which is incorporated in England and Wales. These are the only shares allotted, called up and fully paid. The activities and results of this company are summarised in note 5.

13 Debtors

Debtors
**Group ** 2025
£’000

911

8

26

557

5,939

7,441		 Charity
2025 2024
£’000
7,118
56
—
1,437
1,624
10,235		 2024
£’000
6,702
56
132
1,419
1,733
10,042
£’000
Trade debtors
Other debtors
Amounts due from subsidiary undertaking
Prepayments
Accrued income		 1,557
5
—
612
5,992
8,166

Migrant Help 51

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

14 Creditors

Creditors
**Group ** 2025
£’000

2,382

630

219

979

127

878

5,215		 Charity
2025 2024
£’000
2,157
681
419
—
46
945
4,248		 2024
£’000
£’000
Trade creditors
Taxation and social security
Other creditors
Amounts due to subsidiary undertaking
Deferred income (note 15)
Accruals		 3,259
734
227
—
127
1,054		 1,599
599
301
870
46
843
5,401 4,258

15 Deferred income

Deferred income
**Group ** 2025
£’000

46

(133)

214

127		 Charity
2025
£’000		 2024
£’000
109
(303)
240
46		 2024
£’000
Balance at 1 April 2024
Amount released to income
Amount deferred in the year
Balance at 31 March 2025		 46
(133)
214		 109
(303)
240
127 46

Deferred income relates to grant income received and interpreter services invoiced in respect of future accounting periods.

16 Provision

Provision
**Group ** 2025
£’000

4,200		 Charity
2025
£’000		 2024
£’000
3,500		 2024
£’000
Balance at 31 March 2025 4,200 3,500

A provision was added to acknowledge a potential liability arising from the interpretation of income recognition from the AIRE contract.

17 Analysis of movements in restricted funds

Balance at
1 April 2024
£’000
311
—
—
—
—
—
—
311		 Income
£’000
4,338
909
89
403
303
272
44
6,358		 Expenditure
£’000
(4,083)
(672)
(89)
(361)
(257)
(245)
(42)
(5,749)		 Transfers
£’000
Balance at
31 March
2025
£’000
Anti-Trafficking Scotland
Vulnerable Persons
Resettlement Scheme
Partnership for Digital
nclusion Project
EU Settlement Scheme
Refugee Employability
Programme
E-Visa Scheme
Watford Resettlement		 (124)
(45)
—
(16)
—
(7)
—
442

192

—

26

46

20

2
(192) 728

Migrant Help 52

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

17 Analysis of movements in restricted funds (continued)

Balance at
1 April 2023
£’000

Income
£’000
Expenditure
£’000
Transfers
£’000
Balance at
31 March
2024
£’000
Trafficking Scotland
Vulnerable Persons
Resettlement Scheme
Partnership for Digital
Inclusion Project
AIRE Mobilisation
Hong Kong Welcome Project
EU Settlement Scheme
Refugee Employability
Programme		 —
111
—
3

79
—
—
4,733

435

614

—

—

272

83
(4,422)

(715)

(614)

(3)

(88)

(290)

(112)
—

169

—

—

9

18
29
311

—

—

—

—

—

—
193
6,137
(6,244)		 225
311

Transfers are made from the unrestricted general fund to cover the fair allocation of support costs to the above restricted fund projects and where additional spend is seen as appropriate in achieving success for those activities.

The nature and purpose of each restricted fund is as follows:

Trafficking – Scotland

Migrant Help have provided accommodation and support services to victims of human trafficking. The level of support is dependent upon individual needs and eligibility to access services.

Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme

This project is directly aimed at providing support services to refugees in Kent.

Partnership for Digital Inclusion Project

Our digital inclusion project started in June 2021 through our partnership with VM02. Seeking to distribute refurbished, donated, devices and access to free data for those who are seeking asylum, refugees, resettled families and survivors of slavery and trafficking. This partnership provided a national reach, and we have been able to help those we support through our frontline services, our teams and through collaboration with charity partners. We continue to deliver this service in partnership with the Good Things Foundation and other charity partners, supporting clients across the UK and have been awarded several national awards for our efforts in providing devices and data to reduce isolation amongst our clients .

AIRE Mobilisation

All costs have been incurred following the end of the AIRE mobilisation period, but the Charity continues to amortise capital costs funded by AIRE Mobilisation over their useful economic life.

Migrant Help 53

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

Hong Kong Welcome Project

This project is directly aimed at providing Hong Kong nationals requesting resettlement with access to education, training and employment opportunities.

EU Settlement Scheme

This grant is aimed at providing support to EU citizens, advising them on the requirements for them to remain in the UK after the UK has left the European Union.

Refugee Employability Programme (REP)

The REP provides a package of tailored support for refugees who face barriers to employment which cannot be fully addressed by mainstream employment programmes.

E-visa Scheme

This scheme delivers free support and guidance to vulnerable people who need to create a UKVI account and access their eVisa since the transition from a physical to a digital document.

Watford Resettlement

This scheme is designed to support displaced individuals who have fled their home countries due to conflict, persecution, or human rights violations. We aim to provide refugees with comprehensive services that enable them to rebuild their lives in a new, safe environment.

18 Analysis of movements in unrestricted funds

Balance at
1 April 2024
£’000

Income
£’000
Expenditure
£’000
Transfers
£’000
Balance at
31 March
2025
£’000
Designated funds
Community Hubs
YWO Experience
Investment Property Fund
Happy Baby Community
Migrant Workers Advice &
Guidance
Reducing the Risk of
Exploitation
NRM First Responder
ESOL & Employability Grant
Bryan Hogwood Fund
BEPS Project
The Leila Bursary
Neil Wildman Children’s
Fund
Project Haven
Bids and Tenders
Speciality Advisers
Schools Programme
Internal Infrastructure &
Strategic Reserve		 385
1,587
1,025
176
176
235
283
83
4
181
2
10
1,400
—
—
—
—
—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

—
(91)

(597)

—

(263)

(121)

(74)

(161)

(2)

(1)

(174)

(7)

(10)

—

(11)

—

—

—

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

Total designated funds
General funds
Trading Subsidiary		 5,547
1
(1,512)		 2,319
6,355
8,584
60,345
(55,616)		 (2,319) 10,994
14,131
60,346
(57,128)		 —
17,349
3,217
3,088
(2,739)
192		 3,758
17,348
63,434
(59,867)		 192
21,107

Migrant Help 55

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

18 Analysis of movements in unrestricted funds (continued)

Balance at
1 April 2023
£’000

Income
£’000
Expenditure
£’000
Transfers
£’000
Balance at
31 March
2024
£’000
Designated funds
Community Hubs
YWO Experience
Age Dispute
Investment Property Fund
Happy Baby Community
Migrant Workers Advice &
Guidance
Reducing the Risk of
Exploitation
NRM First Responder
ESOL & Employability Grant
Bryan Hogwood Fund
BEPS Project
The Leila Bursary
Neil Wildman Children’s
Fund
Project Haven
Total designated funds
General funds
Trading Subsidiary		 220
1,578
16
1,000
117
300
250
330
100
—
216
5
23
—
—

—

—

25

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—
(235)

(741)

(19)

—

(152)

(124)

(15)

(47)

(17)

(1)

(35)

(8)

(13)

—
400

750

3

—

211

—

—

—

—

5

—

5

—

1,400
385

1,587

—

1,025

176

176

235

283

83

4

181

2

10

1,400
4,155
25
(1,407)		 2,774
5,547
8,694
49,340
(45,708)		 (3,742) 8,584
12,849
49,365
(47,115)		 (968) 14,131
2,267
2,661
(2,454)
743
3,217
15,116
52,026
(49,569)		 (225) 17,348

The nature and purpose of each designated fund is as follows:

Community Hubs

This project has been developed to help support grass roots organisations within the sector to build capacity. This is through a combination of grants and practical support. The grants are aimed at helping to expand the reach and delivery of pre-existing hubs or to assist with the delivery of brand-new hubs that can support our clients by bringing together a wide range of local organisations from within the community.

Youth Welfare Officer (YWO) Experience

The YWO Experience is focused at delivering help to unaccompanied young people (18-25) who are living in hotel accommodation. This project assists with reducing isolation and delivering support to those navigating the asylum system whilst also providing opportunities to participate in a wide variety of activities.

Age Dispute

The fund has been set-up to resources services for those Asylum service users who claim to be under 18. The service assists with referrals to social services and signposting to legal representation.

Migrant Help 56

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

18 Analysis of movements in unrestricted funds (continued)

Investment Property Fund

Following the purchase of our Dunstable property in June 2024, there has been significant renovation and refurbishment to bring the property into use. This has included re-configuring the property into six-, one- and two-bedroom flats, replacing doors and windows throughout the property, removal and installation of new kitchens, replacing the premises with new energy efficient heating and repair of the roof. The flats have been redecorated throughout ensuring they are now ready for clients to move into.

Happy Baby Community

The Happy Baby Community offer essential support to their pregnant women and parents with young children, providing access to practical, emotional and educational support. Many of the women with new babies are supported at the community hubs facilitated by the Happy Baby Community, giving them and their children access to a caring and safe environment.

Migrant Workers Advice and Guidance

Working in partnership with 58 Global, the developers of the Just Good Work app, we are producing resources that will be hosted on this platform and will provide extensive information on all aspects of workers’ rights, enabling clients to be informed about the UK employment market and reducing the risk of exploitation.

Reducing the Risk of Exploitation

Working closely with members of our Lived Experience Advisory Panel to identify the situation and risks our clients face, we will create a broad range of resources and information to communicate to our client group. By liaising with internal and external partners internally we will identify how to get the information to clients in an appropriate way and at key points in their engagement within our services.

NRM First Responder

This project will provide additional dedicated resourcing to support people who may have been trafficked or exploited to be referred to the National Referral Mechanism framework. There has been an increase across the UK in the number of people requiring assistance and with changes in legislation, the process of completing referrals is more complex.

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) & Employability Grant

This project has been developed to support organisations within the sector to provide additional ESOL and employability provision. It has been identified that our clients have significant issues accessing good quality ESOL and Employability services and this grant will provide funding to support with the development and delivery of these provisions.

Migrant Help 57

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

18 Analysis of movements in unrestricted funds (continued)

The Building, Empowering, Protecting and Supporting (BEPS) project

This funding is specifically for our staff to submit small projects that they feel will help our clients to thrive. Projects must meet the following themes, protecting and supporting the most vulnerable or empowering and building communities with a particular focus on the following topics:

The Leila Bursary

The fund has been set up to provide children of staff from Migrant Help and Migrant Help Trading Limited, the opportunity to apply for funding to help towards fees and expense for higher education and post-secondary training.

Neil Wildman Children’s Fund

The fund has been set up to provide additional support to families who use our services and are in need of children’s clothes and equipment.

Bryan Hogwood Fund

This fund was set up to support clients and their children within the initial accommodation and our offices to use towards a holiday party for clients in December.

Project Haven

This fund has been set up for the creation of Project Haven, a new CRM system. Project Haven’s implementations will improve efficiency for frontline staff, enhance our reporting functions and provide a better service to our schools Projects. Following a period of development, the new CRM went LIVE at the end of March 2025 for use in the AIRE contract. The development costs have been recognised in the balance sheet and will be amortised over the assets’ useful economic life.

Speciality Advisers

Following the success of the Age Disputes and Disability Adviser posts, it was identified that there was a requirement to increase the capacity within our safeguarding team to ensure the team have the necessary skills and specialisms to support individuals from underrepresented groups. These will include LBTQI+, older people and survivors of domestic violence.

Migrant Help 58

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

18 Analysis of movements in unrestricted funds (continued)

Schools Programme

Migrant Help’s Schools Programme is an innovative initiative designed to foster inclusivity, challenge stereotypes, and promote environmental and civic awareness among young people. By engaging with schools, we equip students with the knowledge, empathy, and social responsibility needed to build cohesive communities that embrace diversity.

Our Schools Programme delivers engaging workshops, assemblies, and school visits that:

Internal Infrastructure & Strategic Reserve

Following a period of significant growth, the Trustees have ringfenced funds to provide more robust support for internal systems so the Charity can further meet its objectives. Individual allocations have been identified in areas such as Fundraising, Digital Inclusion, Technological improvements, overseas working and implementing the 5-years strategy.

General Funds

This unrestricted fund includes the surpluses made on the key contracts with the Home Office and The Salvation Army. It is supported by the transfer of unrestricted funds from the Charity’s trading subsidiary. Transfers are made from the general fund to cover the fair allocation of support costs to certain restricted fund projects and where additional spend is seen as appropriate in achieving success for those activities.

Trading Subsidiary

The fund encompasses the financial results of the Charity’s trading subsidiary and the distributable reserves remaining in the company at the year end. Taxable profits are transferred into the general fund under Gift Aid arrangements.

Migrant Help 59

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

19 Analysis of Group net assets between funds

Restricted
£’000
Designated
£’000
General
£’000
Subsidiary
£’000
2025
Total
£’000
Fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Provision		 —
728
—
—
2,308

4,047

—

—
330

20,079

(5,215)

(4,200)
17

3,927

(186)
—
2,655

28,781

(5,401)

(4,200)
728
6,355
10,994
3,758
21,835
Restricted
£’000
Designated
£’000
General
£’000
Subsidiary
£’000
2024
Total
£’000
Fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Provision		 —
311
—
—
—

5,547

—

—
315

15,921

(4,158)

(3,500)
1

3,312

(90)
—
316

25,091

(4,248)

(3,500)
311
5,547
8,578
3,223
17,659

20 Pension commitments

All staff under 70 are eligible to participate in a defined contribution pension scheme managed by Aviva or the Pension Trust. The assets of the scheme are held separately from the Charity. The Charity contributes 8% of pensionable salary.

The pension cost for the year represents contributions payable to the scheme and amounted to £1,622k (2024: £1,140k). At the Balance Sheet date, the charity owed contributions of £130k (2024: £51k) to the schemes.

21 Operating lease commitments

At 31 March 2025, the charity had the following future minimum commitments under noncancellable leases:

Group and Charity
Amounts payable:
Within 1 year
Between 2 and 5 years
Total		 Land and
buildings
£’000		 Equipment
£’000		 2025
£’000		 Land and
buildings
£’000		 Equipment
£’000		 2024
£’000
341
637		 9
—		 350
637		 304
—		 9
9		 313
9
978 9 987 304 18 322

22 Related party transactions

During the year ended 31 March 2025, the charity received a donation of £5,000 from Lifeline, if which M Vadera is a common Trustee. There were no other related party transactions (2024: £5,000).

Migrant Help 60

Notes to the Financial Statements Year to 31 March 2025

23 Financial instruments

The carrying amounts of the group and charity's financial instruments are as follows:

Group Charity
2025
£’000		 2024
£’000
2025
£’000		 2024
£’000
Financial Assets
Debt instruments at amortised cost:
Trade debtors
Amounts due to subsidiary undertaking
Other debtors
Accrued Income
Equity instruments measured at cost less
impairment:
Fixed asset unlisted investments
Financial Liabilities
Measured at amortised cost:
Trade creditors
Other creditors
Amounts owed to group undertakings
Accruals
1,557
—
5
5,992		 7,118
—
56
1,624
911
26

8

5,939		 6,702
132
56
1,733
7,554 8,798
6,884		 8,623

—		 —

100		 100



3,259
227
—
1,054		 2,157
419
—
945



2,382

219
979

878		 1,599
301
870
843
4,540 3,521
4,458		 3,613

Migrant Help 61