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← Simeon Centre Counselling Service

2022-03-31-accounts

SIMEON CENTRE COUNSELLING SERVICE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AGENDA 24[th] September 2022 12:00 – 14:00

– Chair Peter Green

– Treasurer Natacha Thompson

– Simeon Centre Manager Kevin Illingworth

– Annual General Meeting Guest Speaker Elisabeth Long

– Chair Peter Green

Simeon Centre Counselling Service is a Registered Charity (No. 1098428). Regulated in England and Wales by the Charity Commission Victoria Hall (Back Entrance), Knowsley Street, Bolton, BL1 2AS Kevin@simeoncentrecounsellingservice.org.uk www.simeoncentrecounsellingservice.org.uk

01204 387363

SIMEON CENTRE COUNSELLING SERVICE

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Registered Charity Number: 1098428

SMITH & GOULDING LIMITED Chartered Accountants

& Registered Auditors 2-4 Southport Road CHORLEY

SIMEON CENTRE COUNSELLING SERVICE

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR TO 31 MARCH 2022

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Charity Number 1098428

Principal Address

Victoria Hall Knowsley Street Bolton Lancashire BLI 2AS

Trustees

Mr R Bradley Mr P Green Ms C Greer (appointed 28/02/2022) Ms J Orrell Ms M Turner (resigned 13/12/2021) Ms N Thompson Ms E Lewis Rev Dr B Tomkins

Independent Examiner

Smith & Goulding Limited Chartered Accountants 2-4 Southport Road Chorley Lancashire PR7 1LD

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The Simeon Centre Counselling Service is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust dated 27th March 2003 (revised in 2008 and 2016) and constitutes an unincorporated charity. It is a non-profit making organisation and its trustees are volunteers. The Charity was registered on 8 July 2003.

Recruitment and Training of Trustees

The trustees are appointed by the members of the organisation at the Annual General Meeting and the trustees have the power under the governing documents to co-opt individuals who support the objects of the organisation to fill vacancies on the Board of Management. As part of their induction, new trustees are provided with information about the charity, the management structure, its history and working practices. In addition, they are also provided with extracts of the Memorandum and Articles of Association plus information from the Charity Commission regarding the duties and responsibilities of trustees.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The objectives and activities of the Charity are to offer confidential counselling in a safe accepting environment to all members of the community irrespective of race, religion or gender. We offer a generic counselling service that is free at point of need. The charity aims to provide a one to one counselling service in a peaceful, safe and accepting environment where people can take time out to talk freely without fear of being judged.

Public Benefit

We have referred to and have complied with the guidance in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future events. In particular the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set, both through the use of unrestricted and restricted funds where appropriate.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Volunteers:

 2020-2021 = 43  2021-2022 = 40 (7% Reduction) Volunteers Left:  2021-2022 = 17

Volunteers Started:  2021-2022 = 14 Qualified Volunteers:  2020-2021 = 23  2021-2022 = 26 (13% Increase)

Placement Volunteers:  2020-2021 = 20  2021-2022 = 14 (30% Reduction)

Clients Accessed:  2020-2021 = 349  2021-2022 = 362 (4% Increase)

Scheduled Sessions:

 2020-2021 = 2,545  2021-2022 = 3,476 (37% Increase)

Sessions Attended:  2020-2021 = 2,063  2021-2022 = 2,509 (11% Real-Term Decrease)

Did Not Attend:  2020-2021 = 108  2021-2022 = 146 (1% Real-Term Decrease)

Advanced Cancellations:  2020-2021 = 82  2021-2022 = 220 (96% Real-Term Increase) Same Day Cancellations:  2020-2021 = 129  2021-2022 = 215 (21% Real-Term Increase) Service / Therapist Cancellations  2020-2021 = 163  2021-2022 = 386 (73% Real-Term Increase)

The above cancellations are heavily skewed due to COVID and the return to face-to-face session

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE continued

2021-2022 saw the return of face-to-face counselling at the Simeon Centre and the phased transition from seeing clients remotely (via online video and telephone) for sessions, back to in person therapy.

We continued to see clients who preferred the remote format over the face-to-face option, which was in keeping with several of our volunteers who decided to remain as remote counsellors. For those who came back to in person therapy, sessions were spaced out to allow for the rooms to be aired out and cleaned between sessions. Due to those factors, our capacity for seeing clients was largely impacted.

Part way through the 2021-2022 financial year, our manager Gary announced his intention to retire from the role of Simeon Centre Manager. Gary then left the charity at the start of the 2022-2023 financial year.

Despite the reduction in volunteer counsellors, the number of clients who accessed the service increased, along with the number of scheduled sessions, which is a testament to all our volunteers.

We would like to thank Gary for his years of commitment to the Simeon Centre. If it was not for his insight, his warm nature, and his unwavering support, we are certain that our team would not have become the counsellors they are today. If it was not for his drive and keenness to develop and maintain bonds with other services in Bolton (1-Point, Beacon, Fortalice, MhIST and St Georges), we are equally as certain that the Simeon Centre would not have developed into the service it has become, whereby under his leadership, thousands of people in the community have accessed high quality therapeutic services.

We would also like to thank Jen, our Service Coordinator, who has been with the Simeon Centre for several years, and the support she has offered since our new Centre Manager started the role in May 2022. We are also aware of the amount of support and guidance she has offered our volunteers in their times of need.

Our biggest thanks go to all the volunteers who give their free time to support those who are in need. Without them, so many people in our community would be left to suffer from the severe impact of poor mental health. They all save lives, change lives, and make the world a better place one person at a time.

We would like to highlight both Alena and Joan, who have been volunteering with us for 12 years (starting in 2010); Fozia and Natacha, who have been volunteering with us for 8 years (starting in 2014); Wendy, who has been volunteering with us for 6 years (starting in 2016); and Emma, Peter, and Vinita, who have been volunteering with us for 5 years (starting in 2017). Their length of time volunteering in the community is truly inspiring.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Summary of the Year

The financial results for the year and the position at the year-end are set out in the following Receipts and Payments account and Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

Risk

The trustees recognise that the most significant risk of the charity is that of loss of external funding. Contracts between 1point and the NHS are reviewed on a regular basis, usually covering a three-year period. Each renegotiation period represents a risk for 1point and hence for the Simeon Centre. Due to the nature of our work, a sudden cessation of service is likely to have detrimental impact on our clients. Furthermore, should current funding cease, the most likely source of alternative income would be via a grant. Application procedures for grants tend to be lengthy and drawn out, further impacting on the ability of the charity to continue providing services.

Reserves Policy

To effectively manage the risk described above, the trustees have reviewed the reserves policy this year and decided that reserves equal to one year’s running costs should be set aside. The amount will be reviewed regularly.

Investment Policy

Investment decisions are made by the management committee. Currently, surplus funds are held in a high interest savings account. Surplus funds are held for the purposes of maintaining reserves as described above.

DECLARATION

The trustees declare that they have approved the Trustee’s Report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature: Full Name: Mr P Green Position: Chair Date:

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS TO THE TRUSTEES

OF SIMEON CENTRE COUNSELLING SERVICE

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Simeon Centre Counselling Service for the year ended 31 March 2022, which are set out on the following pages.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 (2) of the Act and that an independent examination is needed.

I report in respect of my examination of the Trustees’ accounts carried out under s.145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145 (5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiners’ statement

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 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

I have completed the examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Stephen Gardiner ACA CTA Chartered Accountant SMITH & GOULDING LIMITED 2-4 Southport Road CHORLEY Lancashire PR7 1LD

Dated:

SIMEON CENTRE COUNSELLING SERVICE

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

AS AT 31 MARCH 2022

Unrestricted Restricted
funds funds Total 2021
Monetary assets
Cash at bank - current account 30,704 - 30,704 30,656
Cash at bank - deposit account 74,026 - 74,026 73,293
Cash in hand 229 - 229 121
104,959 - 104,959 104,070
Non-monetary assets
Fixed assets
The Charity's fixed assets which are stated
at cost are maintained on a regular basis and
are all in good condition.
Fixtures, fittings and equipment (acquired
from 2013 to 2022) 5,063 - 5,063 4,654
Other assets
Debtors - 1point 24,388 - 24,388 19,386
Liabilities
Rent 1,042 - 1,042 1,042
PAYE 561 - 561 466
Pension 491 - 491 471
Expenses claims 1,198 - 1,198 840
Accountancy fees
 570
-		 570 570

The accounts were approved by the Board of Trustees on……………………….and were signed on their behalf by:

………………...............…………........ Mr P Green, Chair

SIMEON CENTRE COUNSELLING SERVICE

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Unrestricted
 Unrestricted
 Restricted
funds
 funds Total 2021
Receipts
Donations 1,781 - 1,781 680
Gift Aid claims 122 - 122 -
Provision of counselling services 73,931 - 73,931 73,083
Other trading income - - - 1,090
Deposit interest 733
-		 733 903
Total receipts 76,567
-		 76,567 75,756
Direct charitable expenditure
Supervision and training 9,357 - 9,357 8,906
Travel 1,139
-		 1,139 91
Professional subscriptions 1,360 - 1,360 848
Other support costs
Wages and pension 46,579 - 46,579 42,336
Rent, rates and water 12,570 - 12,570 9,714
Insurance 534
-		 534 921
Telephone 1,503 - 1,503 1,487
Postage and stationery 168
-		 168 190
Sundries 187 - 187 915
Meeting expenses 346 - 346 144
Accountancy 750
-		 750 840
Professional fees 296
-		 296 10
Equipment purchases 408
-		 408 243
Repairs and maintenance 481
-		 481 344
Total payments 75,678
-		 75,678 66,989
Net receipts for the year 889 - 889 8,767
Bank and Cash Balances
at 31 March 2021 104,070 - 104,070 95,303
Bank and Cash Balances
at 31 March 2022 104,959 - 104,959 104,070

NOTE: These accounts have been prepared on the Receipts & Payments Basis and comply with the appropriate legal requirements for this basis to apply.

SIMEON CENTRE COUNSELLING SERVICE

NOTES FOR AGM ON 24 SEPTEMBER 2022

As in earlier years, I am presenting a short report on the accounts for the Simeon Centre for the year to 31 March 2022. The pandemic had a major impact on the previous year’s accounts for 2021, which reflected the impact of the lockdowns and the move to remote working during the year. The 2022 accounts reflect more of a return to normality after the previous year.

It is not necessary for a charity of this size to prepare a full set of detailed accounts on an annual basis. As in previous years, an alternative cash-based approach has therefore been used so that the accounts consist of a summary of the actual receipts and payments for the year, together with a list of the various assets and liabilities at the year-end. This is a standard approach for accounts, approved by the Charity Commission, and has been used by charities for many years.

The Receipts and Payments account simply sets out the actual amounts received and paid during the year and does not make any adjustment to the figures for the amounts owing at the beginning and end of the year as would be the case in the more detailed set of accounts.

Receipts

Donations

The level of donations has increased again this year following the return to the Victoria Hall for the counselling sessions, but this is still much lower than before the pandemic, although hopefully this should continue to improve now due to the ongoing use of the Hall. The majority of donations this year were received in cash as in earlier years, after a change to donations being paid direct to the bank account in 2020/21 which has declined this year. The level of the Gift Aid claim is also still much lower than in earlier years.

Counselling services

This source of income relates to the amounts charged to the alliance organisation 1point on a quarterly basis for services provided to individuals by the centre. Since the accounts are prepared on a cash basis, the figure for the provision of counselling services includes the amounts actually received during each of the two years.

Although the actual cash receipts have remained similar from year to year at around £73,000, this is partly due to the inclusion in 2021 of a large additional one-off receipt from 1point of £11,616 for the previous year to March 2020 to help all members of the group deal with the cost of transitioning to remote counselling.

If the provision of counselling services in the accounts for the two years was adjusted to take account of the opening and closing 1point debtor, the actual amount earned during

2021 was about £67,000 up to about £79,000 in 2022. This increase reflects an increasing level of charges to 1point each quarter during the year to March 2022.

Other income

There is now no amount received for other trading income in 2022’s figures since this had related to the consultancy fees charged to 1point for additional services carried out, where the work was brought in-house by 1point part way through the previous year.

The Centre does keep a certain amount of funds in reserve to cover fluctuations in income and other unexpected changes. The funds are held in a deposit account and the level of interest received on this has fallen in 2022 due to a general fall in the level of interest rates during the year.

Payments

Direct costs

The circumstances of 2020/21 had reduced the level of a number of expenditure items, such as supervision and training, travel and subscriptions although the figure for supervision and training would have been lower still but for the amount of £2,500 paid for training costs for telephone and zoom counselling work. The costs have now increased again in the improved circumstances of 2021/22, although these are all still down on the figures two years ago.

In the case of travel costs the total still reflects a certain level of on-line counselling particularly during the early part of the year but later months are showing a marked increase in this expenditure. Professional fees in respect of DBS costs have also increased again this year after the negligible figure in 2021.

Other costs

There has been a rise in the level of wages costs again as a result of salary increases for both Gary and his assistant Jen from the start of the year.

The level of rent payments has increased from 2021, partly due to concessions given during the pandemic as well as the timing impact when the rents moved from quarterly to monthly payments last year. The figure for telephone has remained at the increased level shown last year as a result of the on-line counselling. The figure for sundries in 2021 included an amount of £880 for the vouchers at Christmas 2020 given as a oneoff thank you to the volunteers for their support during the year.

Overall therefore although the level of income has remained similar to 2021, the level of expenditure has increased and the net receipts for the year of £889 are therefore showing a large reduction compared to 2021. The new balance at March 2022 of £104,959 is reflected in the total of monetary assets shown in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

Assets & Liabilities

The figure in the Receipts and Payments account is reflected in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities which shows the breakdown between the various balances and in particular shows the balance on the deposit account where the charity’s reserve funds are held and on which the deposit interest was paid.

As a precaution the Trustees hold reserves sufficient to cover one year’s running costs which would allow the activities of the charity to be wound down in a sensitive and ethical manner if there was ever any serious issue with regard to funding at some point in the future. This prudent approach was critical in helping the Centre cope with the issues caused by the Covid 19 pandemic.

Apart from the bank balances there are also a number of other assets and liabilities at the year-end. The main item is the amount owing from 1point for the latest quarterly charge up to the end of March 2022.

The figure for fixtures, fittings and equipment has increased since there have been a few minor acquisitions during 2022. The various liabilities have changed to a small degree but simply reflect timing differences in terms of the payments.

The charity was therefore in a sound financial state at the year-end and, while having to continue adapting to deal with the impact of the pandemic, has still been in a position to continue providing its much-needed services on an ongoing basis despite the unprecedented circumstances during the last couple of years.

Stephen Gardiner ACA CTA Chartered Accountant and Independent Examiner SMITH & GOULDING LTD 2-4 Southport Road CHORLEY Lancashire PR7 1LD