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2022-03-31-accounts

Company Registration Number 04296856

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE (CHARITY NO. 1089995)

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE (CHARITY NO. 1089995)

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

CONTENTS

Page
Trustees’ report 1 - 8
Independent Examiners Report 9 - 10
Statement of financial activities 11
Balance sheet 12
Notes to the financial statements 13 - 15

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Status Speak Out In Hounslow has charitable status and is a
company limited by guarantee.
Trustees Joe Johnson (Chairperson)
Anthony Power
Sarah Ann Miller
Sean Douglas Wienand (Treasurer)
Punam Sharma
Jatinder Chohan (Appointed 4 August 2022)
Ramandeep Mann (Appointed 4 August 2022)
Ali Shah (Appointed 4 August 2022)
Directors Nicholas Benjamin
Sally Malit
Company Secretary Nicholas Benjamin
Company registration number 04296856
Charity registration number 1089995
Registered office Suite 2-03 Qwest
1110 Great West Road
Brentford
TW8 0GP
Bankers HSBC Bank Plc
127 High Street
Hounslow
TW3 1QP

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

The Trustees of the charity, who are also Directors of the company, present their report and the audited financial statements of Speak Out in Hounslow for the year ending 31st March 2022.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Speak Out in Hounslow is a registered charity. It is also constituted as a company limited by guarantee and is therefore governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association. Members of the charity elect trustees annually, who are then given induction training and access to further development opportunities including Safeguarding Adults training.

The staff team in the 2021-22 period comprised of:

Nick Benjamin and Sally Malit as part-time Co Directors with additional responsibilities in sharing the Strengthening Our Community Project Manager’s role. Sarfraz Kherdin as Campaigns Consultation and Partnership / Campaigns and Advice Coordinator with Jaspaul Vilkhu supporting as Project Worker. Rebecca Driver as Empowerment/Manage Your Life Coordinator. Jeff Munday the Outings and Taster Project/ Express Yourself and Keeping Safe coordinator. Terri Kember as Movement and Dance co-ordinator. Jo Chapman and Steve Joyce as project workers.

All Speak Out employees work on a part-time basis and are employed due to the wide range of skills and expertise they can draw from.

MISSION STATEMENT

Speak Out in Hounslow works to support and empower adults with learning disabilities and/or autism in Hounslow to speak up, be heard and listened to, affect change, and have real life and social opportunities.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Overall Aim

The overall aim of Speak Out in Hounslow is to improve the lives of adults with learning disabilities and/or autism in the London Borough of Hounslow.

Specific Aims

Speak Out in Hounslow seeks to achieve this overall aim through:

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

OBJECTIVES

Speak Out tries to achieve these aims by doing the following things:

● Working closely with adults who have learning disabilities and/or autism in Hounslow to ensure Speak Out continues to be people led.

● Offering a range of services for people with learning disabilities and/or autism that are wanted and needed by the members of Speak Out in Hounslow.

● Ensuring that experienced, competent and well-supported staff and volunteers provide these services.

● Establishing a fundraising strategy that will enable all of Speak Out’s projects to have secured funding at full cost.

As of 31st March 2022, Speak Out has 10 paid staff (all part time), and in the last year have worked with 1 sessional staff member and 31 volunteers. The Trustees wish to thank all of them for their commitment and achievement during the year. Speak Out would also like to thank all of its members with learning disabled and/or autism for their invaluable additional contribution to Speak Out’s work – without which the key aims and objectives of the organisation could not have been achieved.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

At the beginning of 2020 Speak Out reconfigured the project delivery to ensure that it reflected the changing needs of our members and ran 4 main projects.

Therefore, the Campaigns Consultation and Partnership Project was expanded to include advice and was renamed Campaigns and Advice, Empowerment project was divided into Express Yourself and Manage Your Life, Travel Training was expanded to Keeping Safe. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic other projects were put on hold.

Speak Out currently has 700 members and continues to produce well-regarded printed information in Easy Read.

The Campaign Project - Campaigns and Advice (C&A) This project is a user led campaign group that was identified by its learning disabled members, who wanted to make real and lasting change in Hounslow.

This project supports members to: Ensure people have an influence on what happens in their lives and in their community by raising the profile of people with learning disabilities and/or autism in the borough and working against changes in both mainstream and specialist services that exacerbate or do not aim to alleviate poverty, exclusion and disadvantage experienced by people with learning disabilities

The project achieves this by:

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

C&A currently has 27 members. Due to the pandemic, the project hosted 38 meetings with a total of 314 adults with learning disabilities and/or autism attending.

Example of project outcomes:

Individual: Speak Out member LG approached Sarfraz to seek advice and representation regarding a preliminary hearing she had coming up. It was regarding a legal claim against her employer on grounds of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination.

Sarfraz engaged with LG and asked her to gather all of her documents, as he wanted to refer the matter to Hounslow Citizens’ Advice Bureau (HCAB). Following a discussion with his contact within HCAB, they provided LG with a consultation with one of their pro-bono employment solicitors. The solicitor agreed to take the case on a conditional fee arrangement.

Sarfraz continued to engage with LG upon her request to explain the letter of representation sent by her solicitor regarding her employment case. She wanted to do this before instructing them and agreeing to their terms. Sarfraz also explained the litigation process, the conditional fee agreement (no win no fee) and the costs for any disbursements (such as expert evidence and barristers’ fees etc.) and the solicitors' fee at the end. He went through the letter and raised points that LG should be made aware. He would continue to explain legal terminology impartially and in a manner that a person with a learning disability was able to understand throughout her process.

LG approached Sarfraz regarding an offer from her former employer to settle the claim. LG wanted an explanation on how offers are accepted and rejected and, as well as the cost implications. Sarfraz explained this, but maintained that he cannot advise on the particular merit of an offer and that LG should consult her legal counsel.

LG’s claim against her former employer concluded with a large settlement offer made to her. She was extremely happy with the assistance that Speak Out provided throughout the process.

Group: Speak Out members wanted to carry out a mystery shop of the lift inside the Treaty Centre in Hounslow. Members wanted to do this mystery shop because prior to the pandemic, Debenhams in Hounslow’s Treaty Centre had the only accessible customer lift leading to the first floor. When Debenhams recently closed permanently, the lift access was also closed off. This raised concerns for many Speak Out members, as well as members of the disability community.

LS went into the Treaty Centre with Sarfraz and Jaspaul and she asked a security officer if there was lift access. He showed them to a service/cargo lift to the side of the Treaty Centre building. This lift was converted into a makeshift customer lift, leading to the first floor. It is only accessible if a person asks to use it. Otherwise, it is not visible.

When this mystery shop had finished, LS mentioned that the lift didn’t feel very safe and said that it would be hard to find, as there were no signs directing people to the lift. She also said that if you had a speech problem, the security might not understand or be able to help you find it.

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

The Campaigns and Advice Team had put in a Freedom of Information request to Hounslow Council and Treaty Centre Management. They also made many enquiries as to the adequacy of the lift. In November 2021, following the measures taken by Speak Out, the Treaty Centre Management announced that a lift was in development. Development of the lift was recently completed and is now in full working order.

Everyone:

Lewisham Speaking Up, an independent charity set up to champion the rights of people with learning disabilities, offered Speak Out in Hounslow’s members training on the Introduction to Hate Crime, as well as becoming a Hate Crime Advocate.

Both the Introduction to Hate Crime and Hate Crime Advocacy Training were carried out over Zoom. 10 members attended the training on the Introduction to Hate Crime. 5 members carried out the Hate Crime Advocacy training and are now advocates for the learning disability and autism community. SW mentioned that he benefited from ways to report hate crime. He feels more confident in making reports. He said that he would find it easy to report a hate crime to the police for someone else, but would find it stressful if he had to report it for himself. He is also happy that he did the training and will help people going forward.

PS feels that she can now help people who she knows are victims of hate crime, by showing them what they can do and where to go.

AB enjoyed learning something new and feels that she can use this to help people report hate crimes. She now has a better understanding of what hate crimes and mate crimes are.

LS enjoyed the training, particularly the videos. She also feels more confident, now that she knows how to report hate crimes.

RM said that she benefited from the role play scenarios and interactive questions from Gabriella, Tom and Oliver. She was happy to learn how to report hate crimes and looks forward to helping others.

Speak Out would like to thank the London Borough of Hounslow and the National Lottery for their generous and vital support.

The Empowerment Project - Express Yourself and Manage Your Own Life

The project supports adults with a learning disability in Hounslow to live more independently and have more choice and control over their lives.

This project supports members to:

The project achieves this by:

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Since April 2021, The Empowerment project has had contact 2407 times with adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. Due to the Covid -19 pandemic some contact was by phone, WhatsApp and Zoom, 1767 interactions were made this way. In addition to 1800 information and activity packs being produced and mailed out. With the easing of restrictions 640 attendees came to the in person activities.

The Empowerment Project worked in partnership during 2021/22 with Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, Let's Go Outside and Learn, The London Museum of Water and Steam and Will to Win Chiswick as well as many professionals from both mainstream and specialist services. Speak Out would like to thank all of these partners for their time, expertise and contributions towards helping Speak Out meet its aims.

When the National Restrictions eased Speak Out delivered 7 weekly activities. That included arts and crafts, gardening, multi-sports, line dancing, sensory stories, tennis and walks. The majority of which were outside due to on-going restrictions apart from multi-sports that was legally allowed from May 2021 to be held inside a sports hall. However, numbers of attendees were limited to all activities, the maximum being 15 participants that included parents and carers with 3 members of staff including a director to ensure that Covid guidelines were adhered to.

Examples of project outcomes:

Individual: One parent whose son has challenging behaviour and has been excluded from two colleges because of it said how pleased they both were that the arts and crafts group had started again. As he always enjoyed the activity and it calmed him down. The tutor Jaqueline is impressed by the work that he does and thinks that he has artistic talents. At every session she provides him with a more challenging project than the rest of the group.

Group: A new activity was developed called Sensory Stories that was aimed at members with higher needs, some of whom have sensory impairments too. The activity was initially suggested by Certitude staff in a consultation Speak Out carried out at the beginning of the year. Rebecca Driver – Manage Your Life Coordinator along with Terri Kember the Music and Movement coordinator developed the activity and delivered it together. The group met outside in the garden at the London Museum of Water and Steam which is ideal as it has a sensory area of the garden for people to explore. The aim of the group was to create a safe space for people to meet, explore their surroundings through sensory exploration, develop communication and interaction and have fun together.

We use short rhyming stories with associated sensory experiences to help members explore their world.

Everyone: At the end of the summer holidays Speak Out were invited to take part and have an information table in Clayponds Fun Day in Clayponds Garden Estate Brentford by the resident’s association. The Line Dancing group were asked if they could perform their routines for the visiting public. The last time they did a public performance was in October 2019 in Bedfont Community Centre, so they were really pleased to have been asked. However, in their eagerness they did the first dance a bit early in the day, so didn’t get the round of applause they were used to, so were a bit disappointed. But later in the day when they danced again they were warmly received. It was also really nice to see several members and their families who we hadn’t seen in a while.

Speak Out thank the Co-op, and the National Lottery for their generous and vital support.

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

The Keeping Safe project

This project started in January 2020 due to funding from The National Lottery. However, due to the Covid -19 pandemic the practical in-person activities were postponed until the autumn of 2021. Before this the main media for interacting with the members was via Facebook and Facebook Live. During this period there was an average weekly active interaction with 460 members and a yearly total of 23899.

This project supports members to:

Individual: Member DC has now proved to himself that he can get back on a bus and travel to destinations he knows. He is confident in travelling around his own area and is not put off by minor inconveniences such as his glasses misting up when wearing a mask. DC is also very well able to purchase items at the local supermarket; he plans the journey well, has a shopping list, bag and money handy and understands how to use the automated tills when paying. One item that may be improved upon is his attention to other shoppers - he sometimes forgets the need to allow them personal space when they are at the same area in which the items he wants are to be found.

His next challenge will be to do an accompanied bus trip to a location outside of his immediate vicinity. This will allow him to see how he copes with being on a bus for longer than 15 minutes and also to check how he feels when the landmarks he sees are not all totally familiar to him. When he develops confidence with this we will look at bus trips he might do on his own.

Community: Throughout this financial year Jeff Munday delivered confidence courses via Facebook Live and in-person. This was due to feedback and requests from our members, their parents and carers plus social workers from the Adults with Learning Disability and Autism Spectrum team (ALDAS) from Hounslow Council.

The courses explored the following: - Get a better understanding of what confidence is Get a better understanding of what makes me feel confident Explore ways of increasing my confidence Make an action plan of confidence boosting activities.

Everyone: One member who took part in the courses and one to one travel training shared his experience on Facebook Live with the project coordinator. DC, due to his autism, finds it difficult to talk and interact with others. However, with the support of the project coordinator Jeff Munday. He did a great job of letting us and the wider community know about his confidence building journey. This included bus journeys, wearing a face mask and shopping trips which he hadn’t been able to do independently since 2004.

Speak Out would like to thank the National Lottery for their generous and vital support

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

RESERVES POLICY

This policy outlines the total reserves we allow Speak out in Hounslow to have and their purpose. We recognise that if we ended our support it would be particularly hard for our users to understand and come to terms with, as all of them are adults with a learning disability. So we aim to have enough money to wind down over 3 months. In addition to this, a redundancy reserve is to be allocated to provide each affected staff member with a lump sum. This will cover them if, for any reason beyond their control, their post was ended prior to the end of their contract or the expected funding period of that post.

The maximum total reserves allowed will be one week’s pay per years’ service for each staff member, plus three months running costs for each project. Our redundancy reserve will be calculated on the salary costs only.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEES

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity’s financial activities during the year and of its results at the end of the year. In preparing those accounts, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable it to ensure that the financial statements comply with appropriate legislation. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

TRUSTEES

The Trustees, who are also Directors of the company, serving during the year are listed on page 1. This report was approved by the Trustees on 14 December 2022.

For and on behalf of the Trustees

Joe Johnson - Chair

Sean Wienand - Treasurer

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

I report on the accounts of the company for the year ended 31 March 2022, which are set out on pages 11 to 15.

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

The trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner's report

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

Independent Examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

and

have not been met; or

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

A and C Services

Flat 68 Ranton House 1B Commerce Road Brentford TW8 8FU

14 December 2022

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Unrestricted Unrestricted Restricted Restricted Year ended Year ended Year ended Year ended
Funds Funds 31 March 31 March
2022 2021
Charitable Activities £ £ £ £
Big Lottery Funds 118,173 - 118,173 118,173
London Borough of Hounslow 49,459 20,000 69,459 69,459
Co-op Funds - 843 843 4,183
Heathrow Community Trust - - - 125
Other Grants and Donations 726 - 726 399
Investment Income 9 - 9 28
Total incoming resources 168,367 20,843 189,210 192,367
Charitable activities
Directors’ remuneration 34,304 25,844 60,148 58,966
Salaries and wages 50,447 38,007 88,454 85,499
Employer’s NIC 5,986 1,111 7,097 5,910
Pension 2,087 819 2,907 2,606
Staff training 1,386 - 1,386 65
Project costs 399 440 839 369
Event and running expenses 5,106 5,814 10,919 3,358
Computer running expenses 711 - 711 361
Equipment 325 - 325 25
Rent and rates 12,000 - 12,000 12,029
Travel 207 48 255 113
Postage, printing, stationery and 2,309 - 2,309 2,938
publications
Subscriptions 737 - 737 773
Evaluation - - - 2,250
Telephone & Internet 3,069 1,223 4,292 4,563
Insurance 697 239 936 962
Tutor - 3,741 3,741 1,210
Payroll costs 1,013 - 1,013 1,104
Independent examiner’s fee 800 - 800 500
Miscellaneous expenses, AGM and 698 - 698 261
annual report
Total resources expended 122,281 77,286 199,567 183,862
Movement of funds 46,086 (56,443) (10,357) 8,505

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2022

Notes 2022 2021
£ £
Current assets
Debtors 3 1,932 1,932
Cash at bank and in hand 139,415 149,500
__ __
141,347 151,432
Creditors: Amounts falling due
within one year 4 (1,355) (1,055)
__ __
Net current assets 139,992 150,377
======= =======
The funds of the charity:
Unrestricted funds 6 133,470 130,688
Restricted funds 6 6,522 19,689
__ __
139,992 150,377
======= =======

For the financial year ending 31 March 2022 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Trustees/Directors’ responsibilities:

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.

Approved by the Trustees and authorised for issue on 14 December 2022.

Joe Johnson - Chair

Sean Wienand - Treasurer

Company Registration No. 04296856

The notes on pages 13 to 15 form part of these financial statements.

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

1. Accounting policies

The following accounting policies have been used consistently in dealing with items which are considered material in relation to the financial statements.

a) Accounting convention

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and on a going concern basis, which is dependent upon the availability of adequate continued funding. The nature of the charity’s funding is inherently uncertain as it is only agreed by the funding bodies every one to three years. Should grant funding be discontinued in future years, the charity would have to find other sources of funding or significantly curtain its activities.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS102), and the Charities Act 2011 and applicable regulations.

b) Incoming resources

Grants and other funds receivable are included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities as they are received.

c) Resources expended

Expenditure is charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on an accruals basis. Resources expended include VAT which cannot be recovered.

d) Taxation

Subject to agreement with HM Revenue and Customs, the company is exempt from the payment of any taxes to the extent it is a registered charity and therefore is not liable for Income Tax or Corporation Tax on income derived from charitable activities. The company does not have a liability to register for VAT.

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

1. Accounting policies (continued)

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Restricted funds are subjected to restriction on the expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of appeal.

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them. Governance costs included those costs associated with the meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the fees and costs linked to the strategic management of the charity.

f) Equipment

Purchases of equipment are expensed off in full in the year in which it is acquired.

g) Pension costs

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity. Pension costs are assessed in accordance with actuarial advice and based on the most recent valuation of the scheme. These costs are accounted for on the basis of charging the cost of providing pensions over the period during which the charity benefits from the employees’ services.

2. Directors’ remuneration

The remunerations for the directors for the year were as follows:

3.

Gross
Salary
Employer’s
Pension
2022
Total
£
£
£
N Benjamin
28,211
659
28,870
S Malit
31,937
773
32,710
Total
60,148
1,432
61,580
Debtors
2022
£
Other debtors
1,932
=======
==		 2021
Total
£
28,320
32,061
60,381
2021
£
1,932
=====

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

4. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

2022 2021
£ £
Accruals 1,355 1,055
======= =======
5. Analysis of Net Assets between funds
Unrestricted Restricted 2022 Total
Funds Funds
£ £ £
Funds 133,470 6,522 139,992
Debtors 1,932 - 1,932
Creditors (1,355) - (1,355)
134,047 6,522 140,569
6. Statement of Funds
Balance at Incoming Resources Balance at
01/04/2021 Resources Expended Transfer 31/03/2022
Restricted Funds £ £ £ £ £
CCP (formerly Heresay) 10,903 20,000 (24,381)
-		 6,522
Drama 1,432 - (8,229)
6,797		 -
Empowerment Project 7,354 843 (38,453)
30,256		 -
Total Restricted Funds 19,689 20,843 (71,063)
37,053		 6,522
Unrestricted Funds 130,688 168,367 (128,532)
(37,053)		 133,470
Total Funds as at 31 150,377 189,210 (199,595)
-		 139,992
March

7. Operating lease commitment

At the report end date, the charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payment under non-cancellable operating lease, which fall due as follows:

Within one year
Between 1 – 2 years		 2022
£
10,000
-
10,000		 2021
£
10,000
10,500
20,500

8. Related party transaction

There were no Trustees’ expenses paid during the year.

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