2021-03-31-accounts - The Listening Centre

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Annual Reports 2020 - 2021 The Listening Centre

Chair’s Report

In the year that will be remembered for the Covid pandemic, by any measure we have had one of the most successful 12 months in our 28-year history. We ended the year with 24 counsellors, had more than 2,000 client sessions in the year, none of which were face-to-face – they were either on Zoom or the telephone – and our bank balance ended the year nearly £15k healthier.

Zoom sessions

Most of our counsellors took to Zoom very quickly. Some did not want to work online, which we respected. We supported our counsellors with regular community meetings to help the transition. Naomi Garrido, our IT Manager, set us up with the iZettle cashless payment system and trained everyone how to use it. We take all major credit cards or direct bank payments.

Clarifying and articulating our policies and procedures

As with many organisations the pandemic brought some of our shortcomings into sharp focus. These were made all the more evident by the departure of our longstanding Counsellor Coordinator Anne Timpson. We urgently need to clarify and articulate our policies and procedures and bring them together in a way that is easily accessible to our clients, our counsellors and our support team.

This transformation project is being undertaken by our Transformation Team and we have allocated a budget of £13k in the year to 31 March 2022, which we are funding out of last year’s surplus.

New Practice Management team

As part of the transformation we have a new organisational structure. At the heart of this is the new Practice Management team, which consists of:

Marie George	Practice Coordinator
Kay Tillyer and Susie Masterson	Client Allocation
Lynn Errey	Acting Clinical Director
Naomi Garrido	Admin, IT Manager and Process Developer

I am taking on the role of CEO and when we find a replacement will relinquish my role as Chair of the Trustees.

We will be recruiting for a professional Fundraising Manager to take over from our fundraising trustee, Juliet Henderson, and a Clinical Director to replace Lynn Errey who will be leaving at the end of the year.

We are also actively seeking three new trustees by the end of 2021.

Contact me for more details on these roles including job descriptions.

Vision, mission and values

Mid-pandemic we were lucky to be joined by Chrissie Allanson, an experienced marketing executive. She helped us clarify our vision mission and values as a first step towards being able to communicate with our audiences – prospective clients, counsellors, trustees and support staff. You can find the output of our work on page 6 of this report.

Safeguarding our clients

As part of our strategy to become better at safeguarding our clients we have now made the group supervision we offer mandatory, and sessions will become three hours rather than two. The result is an increase in costs of £5,000 per year and we will be actively fundraising to find this money as we think it is critical for the service we offer.

The Old Schoolhouse – nearly our new home

I can report that we are getting ever closer to the Old Schoolhouse in East Oxford being our new permanent home. Our plan is to take a 25-year lease on one of the big rooms there and convert it into three therapy rooms. We will use these for our work and when they are not in use we will rent them out by the hour to private counsellors, therapists and alternative medicine practitioners. We estimate that the conversion will cost at least £30k and as soon as we get the green light from Oxford City Council Planning Department we will be fundraising for this.

Last but absolutely not least, I want to thank Anne Timpson for everything she has done for us over the years, most lately as our Counsellor Coordinator, and Linda Gillham who gave us priceless consultancy advice in her short time with us as Practice Manager. I also want to thank all the people who make donations each month via direct debit. They make a vital contribution to our continued ability to offer our service.

If you would like to set up a direct debit yourself here are our bank details:

The Listening Centre Bank: CAF Bank Sort code: 40-52-40 Account number: 000121222

Your donation is in safe hands – we will use it wisely.

With best wishes,

Julian Sharples CEO

Treasurer’s Report

For those of you who are new to our finances, it’s quite simple. The money that comes in each year (our income), minus the money we spend each year (our expenditure), creates either a surplus (if it’s positive) or a deficit (if it’s negative). This surplus or deficit then directly affects our bank balance.

Income and expenditure: This year vs last year

----- Start of picture text -----
2019–2020 2020–2021 Difference
Income £25,397 £37,256 Up 47%
Expenditure £29,034 £22,495 Down 23%
Surplus/Deficit -£3,637 £14,761 Up 506%
Opening bank balance £14,214 £10,577
Closing bank balance £10,577 £25,338 Up 140%
----- End of picture text -----

We reduced our expenditure because there was no requirement to hire rooms or to pay for counsellor travel expenses, and we increased our revenue through negotiating more realistic fees at the assessment stage, rather than leaving this to the counsellors themselves, and going cashless, which meant clients did not miss payments.

Income breakdown: This year vs last year

----- Start of picture text -----
2019–2020 2020–2021 Difference
Grants £7,910 £10,500 Up 33%
Client fees £14,485 £23,578 Up 59%
Individual donations £2,019 £3,173 Up 57%
----- End of picture text -----

Once again we have to thank Juliet Henderson and her team for continuing to bring in grant money and our individual donors who, through their monthly donations of £5, £10 or £20, make a vital contribution to our finances.

Budget for 2021-2022

For the coming year we are budgeting to break even on our operations while investing £13,280 in our transformation programme to clarify and articulate all our policies and processes. This will still leave us with a bank balance of £12k, which is up on our opening bank balance last year.

Income Cost of operations Surplus/Deficit on operations Transformation project costs Total deficit Opening bank balance Closing bank balance*	Actual 2021 Budget 2022 Difference £37,256 £37,305 £49 £22,495 £37,322 £14,827 £14,761 -£17 -£14,778 - £13,280 £13,280 £14,761 -£13,297 -£28,058 £10,577 £25,338 £25,338 £12,041 Pf

Red figures donate a negative amount

*The increased cost of our operations results from:

Hiring a Clinical Director
Hiring a Fundraising Manager
Paying the market rate for the work done by our Practice Coordinator and Client Allocators.
Increased supervision costs, now that we have 24 counsellors

We are not budgeting for the new Fundraising Manager to bring in any additional revenue in the year.

Julian Sharples Acting Treasurer

Vision, mission and values

This year we clarified and articulated our vision, mission and values. The purpose of this exercise was to help our decision-making and ensure that our communication is based on firm foundations.

Our vision

A vivid and compelling picture of a better future. An inspirational statement of an ideal future

A society where mental wellbeing is the foundation of a healthy community and psychotherapy and counselling are accessible by all those who need them.

Our Mission

What we are doing to get there

We offer face-to-face and online psychotherapy and counselling that are affordable, professional and safe. We work to raise awareness of and promote the benefits of psychotherapy and counselling. We work with training institutions to provide placements for students.

Our values

Principles and standards that guide us

Affordable

We believe that psychotherapy and counselling should be available to all those who need them and can benefit, regardless of their income.

Inclusive

We want everyone to feel welcome, enabled and supported to achieve their potential without discrimination. We are committed to having a diverse range of clients, therapists, trustees and associates.

Safe

We provide clients with a safe space in which to develop and grow at their own pace, by providing suitable counsellors or psychotherapists who adhere to strict codes of ethics and safeguarding that are aligned with recognised accrediting bodies.

Supportive

We nurture and encourage mutual support and self-care among all members of the organisation.

Innovative

We embrace change and aim to continually improve our service through listening, learning and innovating.

Financial support and people

Financial Support

The Listening Centre gratefully acknowledges financial support during the year from:

Sir Victor Blank Charitable Settlement J A Pye Settlement Yapp Charitable Trust St Michael & All Saints The Albert Hunt Trust Salesian Sisters Individual donors

Trustees

Julian Sharples (Chair and Acting Treasurer) Ian Eastwood Lynn Errey Juliet Henderson Dawn Robinson

Administrative Assistant

Naomi Garrido

Practice Coordinator Marie George

Counsellors

Adrian Osbourn Beata Kruszelnicka Catherine Mason Christine Marie Jones Claire Green Daisy Beckham David Field Drew Cooper Helen Brocklehurst Kanika Lang Kay Tillyer Linda Luckhurst Lucia Sarmiento Mandy Happe Marie George Nicky Reed Polly Khalid Rachael Bentovim-Gill Rodney Young Simon Hughes Susie Masterson

Client Allocators

Kay Tillyer Susie Masterson

Bookkeeper

Robin Frazer

Accountants

Mercer Lewin, Chartered Accountants 41 Cornmarket Street, Oxford OX1 3HA

Bankers

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

Clients’ words

“I can’t thank my counsellor enough. She was fantastic, made me feel at ease, was very friendly and always on the end of the phone for me.”

“This therapy happened just at the right time. I would not have been able to carry on without these weekly counselling sessions.”

“I found the fact I could pay an affordable amount extremely helpful. It really helped me speaking to ‘the counsellor’,
who is very good at what he does. Thank you very much!”

“After one or two sessions it was life saving. The more I talked to the counsellor, the better I felt. She made me feel so much better about myself.”

“I have seen these things on American programmes where people go to talk to someone. I knew it was what I needed but did not know it was here. Thank you very much.”
“I have been in counselling for almost ten years. Now I’m hoping for the first time in my life that I may no longer need professional help.”

“It was very helpful and made me start valuing myself, thanks to your counselling and great help.”
“Supportive, understanding, helpful, sympathetic – very, very useful at a difficult time in my life.”
- “I feel I’ve got what I needed and more importantly improved massively.”

The Listening Centre Leys Children’s Centre Cuddesdon Corner 61-63 Cuddesdon Way Blackbird Leys Oxford OX4 6SB

Tel: 01865 794794 www.thelisteningcentre.org.uk

Registered Charity No: 1098571

REGISTERED CHARtrY NUMBER: 1098671 THE LISTENING CENTRE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Mercer Lewin Ltd Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditofs 41 Cornmaiket Street Oxford OX13HA

THE LISTENING CENTRE ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 Thg Listening Centre Is registered with the Chanty Commission (No 1098571)- The charty is constituted by deed, dated 21 June 2(K)3. Charity Address.. The Leys Children's Centre 61-63 Cuddesdon Way Blackbird Leys Oxford OX4 6SB The Charty is administered by a Mmmittee of management comprfsing.. Chair.. Other trustees.. Jullan Sharples lan Easlwood Juliet Henderson Lynn Errey Dawn Robinson The objeclive of The Listening Centre {TLCI Is the pr8seNation and protection of good heallh for p in need in Blackbird Leys and the surrounding area by providing a counselling service. The charty offers, and has offered slnce 1993, a regular, Iow-COSt counselling servtce, provided bj counsellors under supervision. This supetvised counselling also helps the trainee counsellorg to a1 necessary experience required for their profess¢onal qualifications. TLC prov*Yes regular group Supervision sessions for 11$ volunt8ers, and has an ongoing programm professional development for its Gounsellors through the delivery of workshops and training sessio Julian Sharples

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE LISTENING CENTRE I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2021 which are sel out on the li Exp8nditiJre Account and Balance Sheet appended to this report. Respective responsibililles of Commlttèo of Management and Examln•r The committee of management are spOnsible for the preparation of the accounts., they con8 audit requirement of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility, w performing an audrt, lo Carry out an examination of the a9UntS and to report to you. Basls of Examinefs ststamont My report Is in respect of an examinaliDn Gqrried out under $145 of the Act and in accordan directions given by the Charity Commissioners under subsection 5lbl of that section. An exan includes a review of the a¢wunting records kept by the committee of management and a corr accounts presented wf(h those records which is primarily limited to analyiical procedures and of such enquiries of the committee of management 8$ was necessary for the purposes of this procedures undertaken do not constitute an audit. Examiner's slat•mont Based on my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reason8ble believe that in any maleTial respect, accounting records have not been kept in accordance wil Art, or that the accounts presented do not accord with those records or comply wtth the accoi requirements of the Act. No matter has corne to my attention lo which. in my opinion. altentior drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the aw)unts to b8 reached. A Churchill Slong FCA DChA Mercer Lewn Ltd Chartered A¢¢ounlants 41 Cofnmarkel Street Oxford OX13HA 11 F¢bruary 2022

THE LISTENING CENTRE INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH General Restricted Totsl funds funds 2021 Income Bank inlere8t Client contributions Donations and other income Grants Workshopg 23,578 3,173 10,500 23,578 3,173 10,500 37,256 37,256 Direct charltablo expendltur• Adminislralion expenses Advertising expenses Bank charges Bookkeeping fees Cfrordination fees DBS checks Independent examine¢$ fees Insurance18ACP membership Printing, stationery ar postage Recriutmenl expenses Room and office hire Sundry expenses Supervision. cllni¢al and consultancy Telephone Volunteer expenses aThJ travel Website and inlemet 4,348 420 401 288 5,760 263 600 1,151 4,348 420 401 288 5,760 263 600 1,151 2,743 102 2.743 102 364 4.953 775 100 228 4,953 775 100 228 22,494 14,761 10,577 22.494 14,761 10,577 Surpluslldeficitl for tho year Balan brougm foThvard Balance Garrled forward £25,338 £25,338 STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 31 MARCH 2021 2021 Accounts receivable Bank current account Bank deposit accounl Pr8payments 1.988 23.505 707 26,200 862 Accounts payable £25,338 Non4nonetary ass•ts In addition to the above assets, the charity also owns items of office equipment which are kep centre and elsewhero. The costs of Ihese items are included in the receipts and payments accoun a¢quisition. The total cost of these assets is £3,182. Julian Sharpl8S