**Home- Start North Wiltshire Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023** 




## Contents 

About Home-Start North Wiltshire (HSNW) ............................................................................ 5 There For Parents When They Need Us Most .................................................................... 5 Our Mission ............................................................................................................................... 5 Constitution............................................................................................................................... 5 Board of Trustees April 2022 - March 2023 ............................................................................ 6 Committees ............................................................................................................................... 6 Designated Trustees ................................................................................................................. 6 Staff Team 2022-2023 .............................................................................................................. 6 Chair’s Annual Report ............................................................................................................... 6 Families .................................................................................................................................. 7 Swindon ................................................................................................................................. 8 Volunteers ............................................................................................................................. 8 Trustees ................................................................................................................................. 9 Marketing Group ................................................................................................................... 9 Networking ............................................................................................................................ 9 Evaluation ............................................................................................................................ 10 The Future ........................................................................................................................... 10 Team Report ........................................................................................................................... 11 All Change With a New Name ............................................................................................ 11 The Staff ............................................................................................................................... 11 FSO Activities ....................................................................................................................... 11 Families .................................................................................................................................... 12 Group Work via Cafés ......................................................................................................... 12 Summary of Active Families Carried Forward .................................................................. 13 Referral Data ....................................................................................................................... 14 Referral Source and Location ......................................................................................... 14 Family Demographics ......................................................................................................... 15 Family Engagement ............................................................................................................ 15 Family Outcomes ................................................................................................................ 16 Safeguarding/Complexity ................................................................................................... 17 The Difference We Make ........................................................................................................ 19 Case Study 1 ........................................................................................................................ 19 

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Case Study 2 ........................................................................................................................ 19 Quotes ................................................................................................................................. 20 Feedback .............................................................................................................................. 20 Giving emotional support: .............................................................................................. 20 Volunteers ........................................................................................................................... 21 Volunteer Activities ............................................................................................................. 21 Feedback from the Volunteer ........................................................................................ 21 Partner Updates .................................................................................................................. 22 Social Media Online and Promotional Activity ................................................................. 22 Thank You ................................................................................................................................ 23 ACCOUNTS  2022-2023 .......................................................................................................... 25 Treasurer’s Report .................................................................................................................. 26 Independent Examiner’s Report............................................................................................ 28 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES – ........................................................................... 29 Deficit contributions ........................................................................................................... 32 

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## **About Home-Start North Wiltshire (HSNW)** 

## **We are a registered charity, based in Wiltshire. We support local families from all backgrounds, through their most challenging times.** 

Being a parent has never been easy. It can be lonely, frustrating, heart-breaking and overwhelming. Life-changing events can happen to anyone. 

All parents struggle at one time or another. We are there to support families through their toughest times. 

Families we help may be facing challenges such as: 

- Poor mental or physical health – including post-natal depression 

- Family breakdown or bereavement 

- Isolation 

- Financial worries 

- Twins, triplets … or more! 

## There For Parents When They Need Us Most 

We have a wonderful, committed team of volunteers who visit families once a week, in their own homes, for 2-3 hours. They aim to build family resilience, confidence and wellbeing.  Our volunteers offer no judgement; just compassionate, confidential help and support. 

## **Our Mission** 

We offer non-judgemental support, friendship and practical help to parents with young children. We train and supervise volunteers to visit families at home, or support them through group activities, working together in an informal, flexible and confidential way. We work with families at times of difficulty to promote family resilience and improve children’s life chances; our aim is to empower parents to give their children the best possible start in life. 

## **Constitution** 

We are a Company Limited by Guarantee – Registration Number 5208226 – governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association (incorporated on 17.08.04) and have a Charity Registration Number: 1106736. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member. 

Registered Office: Unit 1, Fordbrook Business Centre, Pewsey, SN9 5NU 

E: hello@homestartnorthwiltshire.org.uk   T: 01672 569457 W: www.homestartnorthwiltshire.org.uk 


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## **Board of Trustees April 2022 - March 2023** 

Chair Jo Owen-Jones Treasurer Marcia Johnson Trustee Sheree Whorlow Trustee Clare Messenger _(joined June 2022)_ Trustee Wendy Stuart Trustee Lois Smith _(joined August 2022)_ Trustee Lt Col Mick Haynes Trustee Kristy Green _(joined August 2022)_ Trustee Jason Waters _(joined Feb 2023)_ Trustee Susan Pitcher _(Left May 2023)_ 

We are seeking to appoint new trustees, up to a maximum of twelve. Applicants should have an interest in children, young families or the voluntary sector. We are particularly seeking skills and experience in marketing and developing supporter relationships; life experience and local knowledge of (and preferably based in), Swindon. We particularly encourage applications from people from black, minority ethnic, and LGBTQIA+ communities, as we want our board to be representative of the families we support. Successful candidates will be co-opted and come up for election at the next AGM. Induction and further training opportunities are provided. Full details are available on request. 

## **Committees** 

There are two sub-committees, which meet regularly and report to the Board: Human Resources (HR) Committee – Chair – Sheree Whorlow 

Finance and Fundraising (F & F) Committee – Chair – Marcia Johnson 

## **Designated Trustees** 

Data Protection - Wendy Stuart; Health and Safety - Mick Haynes; Safeguarding - Jo Owen-Jones 

## **Staff Team 2022-2023** 

Scheme Managers (job share) Tania Rackham Scheme Manager (job share) Lisa Kinnaird Family Support Organisers Caz Flippance, Tanya Dale, Aisling Hunt, Sally Green Jane Carter (also Rapid Response Worker, June 2022) Senior Administrator Dawn Wilson Data Analyst (for Lamplight) Sam Check Finance Officer Frank Pessell Fundraiser &  Community Joanne Kent 

Engagement 


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## **Chair’s Annual Report** 

Thankfully, the last twelve months have shown a gradual return to normality in Home-Start North Wiltshire (HSNW). We have all got used to our new name and the return of regular face to face home visiting by volunteers. However, there have been some changes introduced during the pandemic which have stayed with us and some new services introduced. We learnt that hybrid working improved efficiency and saved travel costs. This has been particularly important given that the numbers of families helped doubled between August 2021 and August 2022 while funding unfortunately did not double to match this. We did however manage to get generous funding from The Henry Smith Charity grant which allowed us to extend the area of north Wiltshire covered by Home-Start to include Melksham. 

## Families 

Supporting families and helping children to get the best possible start in life is the reason why HSNW exists. In order to maximise the numbers of families that can be reached, the Friendship Café in Tidworth has continued, thanks to a grant from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and the facilities kindly made available to us by the Army Welfare Service (AWS). 

In the autumn a Mums and Toddlers Brunch Café was started in Devizes to help families who might feel uncomfortable in a normal toddler group to build confidence in a protected setting and make friendships going forwards. This has been expertly facilitated by Sally Green our newest Family Support Organiser (FSO) with the help of dedicated regular volunteers. 

Last year I reported that we had recruited a Rapid Response Worker and Family Support Organiser, Jane Carter, to enable us to respond promptly to families where we did not immediately have a volunteer available. Jane has been kept very busy, not only in this role but also running the Tidworth Café and visiting some families in Swindon. Clearly this new role has been very valuable in giving urgent support until a volunteer can be found and the family can be handed over to a volunteer with one of the FSOs for ongoing help. Sometimes, however she has found that a simple immediate intervention and signposting will resolve things with only one or two visits. 

Caz ran her very popular baby massage group in the autumn. This is a wonderful way to help with bonding and to give new mothers confidence when handling their baby. 

All of the above are slightly different from the traditional Home-Start model but like other HomeStarts up and down the country, we are trying to give as much help as possible to as many families as possible within the resources available. Nonetheless, here in North Wiltshire we still believe that the unique Home-Start feature of home visiting and supporting families within their homes will remain at our core. All of the FSOs have been working as hard as possible to get appropriate and timely help to where it is most needed. 

Family support is not just emotional. We have found that more and more families are highlighting financial problems as a particular stressor. Clearly we are not able to help financially on a regular basis but volunteers are able to signpost families to other organisations who can assist. We have reviewed our Family Fund and are able, on a case by case basis, to provide crisis support for items such as a stair gate or cot. We know families sometimes need help urgently, for example, with food, baby milk, nappies etc and when volunteers are faced with this, they can contact their FSO who may 

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arrange a foodbank voucher or supplies paid for from the family fund. Very sadly last year we reported at the AGM the death of Kate Maurice who was a long time trustee and supporter of HSNW. Donations made in her memory have boosted the fund and we are very grateful to Kate’s family and friends for this. 

The team have also been arranging gifts, not just at Christmas and Easter but also Mother’s Day, the Platinum Jubilee and half term activity packs. Some of these contained kindly donated goods such as knitted hats and quilts as well as books and gifts from various stores who have supported us through the year. Recycled laptops have also been made available to some families thanks to our collaboration with Green Machine Computers Ltd and our thanks go to them too. 

## Swindon 

At the time of writing we have not yet heard whether we have been successful in our latest bid to the National Lottery Communities Fund. It is therefore not possible to say whether or not we will be able to continue with our plans to extend Home-Start cover back into Swindon. The pilot was successfully completed and uncovered, as was expected, a degree of need in some ways different from the rest of the patch as well as the usual issues raised by families. Swindon has a much more multi-ethnic population and it made us ever more acutely aware of the need to recruit more diverse volunteers. A Baby and Toddler Café is planned as an interim measure to try and help as many families as possible. We have repurposed some existing funding to enable us to run two short-term groups in Swindon this year, with the first due to launch in April 2023. 

## Volunteers 

Volunteer recruitment has continued to be a priority and three Volunteer Preparation Courses were run: In March and April 2022 there was a course in Wroughton to try and attract volunteers willing to work in Swindon, although many of them have in fact been deployed all over the patch. In July a small group was trained in the office at Pewsey and in November there was a course in Devizes. It was excellent to be able to welcome so many new volunteers into the HSNW fold and I’m delighted to say that we now have 44 active volunteers. Unfortunately the course planned for the spring of this year has had to be deferred and is now planned later in the year. Without so many willing volunteers we could not function and I am very grateful to all those who give up their time and commit with such energy to “being there” for families when they need a helping hand. As ever we continue to need to recruit more volunteers in order to be able to maintain and increase the service as the figures dictate we need to. 

The training given to new volunteers is always rated very highly in the feedback that we receive and ongoing training and support is provided to volunteers in the form of peer groups which happen every couple of months in different venues across the patch to try and enable as many people as possible to access them. The topics are very diverse from domestic abuse to crafting via learning through play and of course the annual safeguarding training which is mandatory for all volunteers and staff associated with HSNW. 

Jo Kent has not only continued to work hard as a fund raiser but also arranged a picnic in the summer to thank the volunteers. This was fated not to happen; –first it was too hot and then too wet, but the thought was there! We actively try to make our volunteers feel valued and my thanks go out to them all for their dedication and commitment. 

This year marks the 35th anniversary of HSNW/HSK and the 50th anniversary of HSUK and there are plans afoot for a celebratory party for all – may the weather look a little more kindly on us this time! 

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## Trustees 

We hold an annual skills review of Board members and this highlights where we could use more expertise. The Board has been greatly enhanced this year thanks to the recruitment of three new trustees. Kristy Green knew HSNW well having been a home visiting volunteer and it is very useful to have a volunteer perspective on the Board. Lois Smith is a retired solicitor and provides very welcome legal advice and Jason Waters has joined with a financial background to strengthen the team led by our hard working treasurer, Marcia. I would like to welcome and thank them all for agreeing to help with the governance of the charity. 

My thanks also go out to all the other trustees who have worked so hard this year especially Sheree who deals with all the HR issues and Wendy who has produced the Strategic Plan. Wendy also attended and contributed to a series of HSUK meetings on Board effectiveness and following this received a grant from HSUK which enabled us to hold a joint board and staff team building day to enable us to gain a better understanding of each others roles. The Board is aware that more needs to be done to try to improve our diversity in order to better reflect the families that we are here for and this remains very much on our agenda. Thank you also to Marcia who, with help from Frank in the office, continues to run our finances which get ever more complex due to multiple funding streams. 

## Marketing Group 

We have been trialling a new marketing group to try to find the most efficient way to raise the HSNW profile both to let families know that we are here for them and also to attract funding. This has so far consisted of trustees and some staff members but if it is to continue we would hope to attract and train special fund raising volunteers and this is the plan for the next year. 

## Networking 

Networking is ever more important in order not to duplicate services in the County and also to learn from others. Tania is working with Children and Families Voluntary sector Forum and the Wiltshire Inclusion Network, which promotes and supports equality, diversity and inclusion throughout the County, and she and Lisa have close connections with the Children’s Centres. Lisa spent a lot of time making connections in Swindon during the pilot and preparing the way for potential expansion of our work there if funding permits. 

The west country Home-Starts got together for a cluster day in Bristol in September which was very welcome as it was the first since 2019 because of the pandemic. This is a wonderful opportunity to share ideas and best practice and to get reassurance that the problems that one Home -Start has are very often shared by others. We continue to liaise with Home-Start South Wiltshire and were pleased to train one of their volunteers for them on our course in November. 

Home-Start UK (HSUK) has been running a lot of webinars this year and has support groups/forums which can be joined in order to discuss an issue. We have finally signed the new agreement with HSUK although there is still work to be done on aspects of the Handbook which goes with the agreement. The levy that we pay to HSUK is also still under discussion but at present the calculation remains the same and the support that we are receiving from them has been welcomed. 


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## Evaluation 

An important part of the work that we do is the evaluation to ensure that we are providing a cost effective service that is what families actually want. The total number of parcels of help for families this year amounted to 182 including 69 attending groups. The full break down of these figures are available in the Evaluation Report and the Scheme Managers’ reports which are provided to each Board meeting. The use of Lamplight as a Case Management System has enabled a much more detailed look at the issues that families really need help with and their reports of what interventions they have found helpful. My thanks go to Sam who has not only mastered the technology but has trained the team and even some of the trustees on how to get data from it. The plan for next year is to expand the use of Lamplight even further to try to eliminate paper wherever possible. I am very grateful to Alison Millett who has stayed on as an advisor to the Board for evaluation but who also puts in an enormous amount of work producing the Evaluation Report as well as the school readiness surveys, thank you Alison. 

My thanks to Dawn for ensuring all these reports are up on the website and for regularly updating this with all the HSNW news. Thanks to her perseverance we now have a good functioning website. 

## The Future 

Looking forward, we have just heard that sadly, Lisa who has been job sharing with Tania, is to leave us due to relocation out of the area. Both Scheme Managers work incredibly hard and we have regularly evaluated the job share every six months to ensure the most efficient way of working. They have been flexible and worked really well together and we will miss Lisa’s enthusiasm and her training skills very much and I wish her all the very best for the future. 

We are having a strategy day in May to plan the future work depending on the outcome of the bid to the National Lottery Community Fund. Even if successful this funding will need to be matched but it would be good to keep pressing onwards with the expanded coverage and services that we have been able to provide to families in the past few years. 

Finally, I am very grateful to Clare Messenger who has agreed to take over as chair of HSNW. I have been honoured to serve as chair for the last nearly seven years. I took over just before we were to have a change of Scheme Manager. Bel Crompton had managed Home-Start Kennet (as it then was) very successfully for many years but had decided the time was right for her to retire. It is with great sadness therefore that I have to report Bel’s untimely death in February of this year. Many of you will have known her and remember her fondly for her teaching skills and guidance and our condolences go to Bel’s family at this difficult time. 

We have weathered a few storms since 2016 not least the Covid pandemic but it feels that now is a good time to have a fresh pair of eyes looking at what more we can achieve. Thank you all, team, volunteers and trustees for all your support and I hope to continue as a trustee for the time being. 

_Jo and Wendy at the Ramsbury Fair 2022_ 


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## **Team Report** 

## All Change With a New Name 

Toward the end of the last financial year, the Board made the decision to change the name of the charity from Kennet to North Wiltshire.  I don’t think anyone had any idea how much work this would involve with updating all the documents, changing emails, a new website, informing Companies House and the Charities Commission.  Finally, because it was the obvious time to do it, changing banks to one with a more robust payments system. Everyone in the team has supported this work over the past year and we still have a few issues, but mostly we are thriving with a name that does mean something on a Google search. 

## The Staff 

The team has worked hard again to more than achieve the targets set for them by our funders. With a team of 11 part time workers, the only day we all overlap is a Wednesday which is the day for catching up, team meetings, lunches, case conferences, supervisions and any other gathering requiring most staff.  We do also do some fun things like manning a stall at the Army Welfare Service funday and Devizes Health and Well Being event, as well as taking some down time to do some crafting at the Scrapstore Resource Centre, Wiltshire. 


## FSO Activities 

- Expanding into Melksham – Aisling has visited Spurgeon’s Children Centre and delivered an online presentation to their wider team. HSNW and Home-Start South Wiltshire (HSSW) gave a joint presentation to the Health Visitors covering West Wilts. 

- New Groupwork in Swindon - unfortunately we have not yet found a suitable venue for our Tuesday morning toddler group. 

- Groupwork in Tidworth – Tidworth group needs more volunteers and families. A professional storyteller has been booked for the summer in the hope that it will attract more families via social media advertising. 

- Groupwork in Devizes – this group continues to be a success story with plenty of families and volunteers. 

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## **Families** 

We have supported 182 families this year including 326 children with 53 volunteers. This is a significant increase compared to 2021-2022 (when we supported 79 families and 156 children). We were delighted to reach to our pre-pandemic National Lottery Communities Fund target of reaching 100 families per year over three years , before this project ends in June 2023. 

## Group Work via Cafés 

New to the portfolio from April 2022 and with the support of our partners at the Army Welfare Service we launched a new Friendship Café in Tidworth.  The issue of a lack of volunteers willing to travel to that area meant we had to think of a way to support more families with fewer people.  It has taken a while to grow, but the informal format has proved very successful.  A second Café called the Mums and Toddlers Brunch Café was then successfully launched in Devizes in November 2022 to combat the cost of living and offer a meal for cash strapped children and parents.  It too has been extremely popular. 

We have supported 69 families through group (Café) work this year: 

- 24 families at the Tidworth Café (of which twelve were also home visiting (HV) families) 

- 39 at the Devizes Café (of which eight were also HV families) 

- Six at baby massage (one of which then came to Tidworth Café, and another one selfreferred for home-visiting) 

The growth in popularity of the Cafés can be seen through the increase quarter on quarter in the average number of families attending each session – Tidworth has doubled and Devizes increased by 150%.  The Devizes group peaked with an extremely busy session with 18 families attending in March! The cross-pollination effect of the support we offer is noticeable – even when looking at a small group like baby massage held in September 2022 - it results in families accessing other groups that we run and our home-visiting support. 

## _Group work summary as of 31[st] March 2023_ 

||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Tidworth**<br>**Café**|**Devizes**<br>**Café**|**Baby**<br>**massage**|**Total 2022-**<br>**23**|
||||||
|**No. families attending a session**|24|39|6|**69**|
|**No. families attending multiple sessions**|12|24|5|**41**|
|**Avg families per session (past three**<br>**months)**|6|12|NA|**18**|
|**Peak attendance (past three months)**|9|18|NA|**27**|



Our initial grant funding period for our Devizes Café ended, but due to the popularity and success of this group, we committed to continue delivering sessions until at least May half-term. 

We have also repurposed some existing funding to enable us to run two short-term groups in Swindon this year, with the first due to launch in April 2023. 


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## Summary of Active Families Carried Forward 

Active home-visiting caseloads have risen again from 46 on 31 December 22, to 55 on 31 March 23.  This was due partly to an increase in referrals received in the last quarter of the year (from 23 in the previous quarter, to 30 in the final quarter). We received 25 new referrals in the last two months alone, which resulted in the high figure of 55 active families, carried over into the new financial year. 

From 1[st] April 2023, FSO capacity will be reduced by seven hours per week, pending the outcome of our National Lottery Community Fund application. We all await the outcome with everything crossed and thank everyone for their input into this application. 

_Home-visiting Caseloads as of 31[st] March 2023_ 

|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Breakdown per FSO**|15h<br>p/w|20h<br>p/w|21h<br>p/w|25h<br>p/w|**Total**|
|||||||
|**Families waiting for an initial visit**|5|2|1|1|**9**|
|**Families waiting for a match visit**|2|2|3|3|**10**|
|**Families receiving paid worker support**|1|2|1|1|**5**|
|**Families receiving volunteer support**|9|8|9|5|**31**|
|**Total Home-visiting support**|**17**|**14**|**14**|**10**|**55**|



Total FSO hours available: 81 per week, up from 78 last year 

This is a marked increase in families carried forward compared to previous years; with 41 active families on 31[st] March 2022, and 15 on the 31[st] March 2021 (during the pandemic). 


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## Referral Data 

Referral Source and Location 

||**Breakdown of Home Visiting Referrals - by Location and**<br>**Referral Source(2022-23)**|**Breakdown of Home Visiting Referrals - by Location and**<br>**Referral Source(2022-23)**|**Breakdown of Home Visiting Referrals - by Location and**<br>**Referral Source(2022-23)**|**Breakdown of Home Visiting Referrals - by Location and**<br>**Referral Source(2022-23)**|**Breakdown of Home Visiting Referrals - by Location and**<br>**Referral Source(2022-23)**|**Breakdown of Home Visiting Referrals - by Location and**<br>**Referral Source(2022-23)**|**Breakdown of Home Visiting Referrals - by Location and**<br>**Referral Source(2022-23)**|**Breakdown of Home Visiting Referrals - by Location and**<br>**Referral Source(2022-23)**|**Breakdown of Home Visiting Referrals - by Location and**<br>**Referral Source(2022-23)**|**Breakdown of Home Visiting Referrals - by Location and**<br>**Referral Source(2022-23)**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||||||||||
||**Location**||||||||||||
||||||||||||||
|**Referral Source**|**Calne**|**Chippenham**|**Corsham**|**Devizes**|**Marlborough**|**Melksham**|**Swindon**|**Tidworth**|**Trowbridge**<br>**(not our rea)**|<br>**Westbury**|**Total**|**%**|
|**AWS**|||1|||||2|||**3**|3|
|**Children’s Centre**|1|||6|3|2||6|1||**19**|17|
|**Education**|1||1|5|1|||2|||**10**|9|
|**Family Support**<br>**Services**|1|1|||||||||**2**|2|
|**GP**||1|||||||||**1**|1|
|**Health Visitor**||1||2|2||20|7||1|**33**|30|
|**Internal Home-**<br>**Start**||||||||1|||**1**|1|
|**Mental Health**<br>**Services**|||||||1||||**1**|1|
|**Other1**||1||||1|1||||**3**|3|
|**Perinatal MH**<br>**Services**|1||||||||||**1**|1|
|**Self-Referral**|3|2|2|4|4|4||1|1||**21**|19|
|**Social Prescriber**|1|1|||3|||1|||**6**|5|
|**Social Services**|1||||||1|2|||**4**|4|
|**Support Extension**|||1||2|1|1|1|||**6**|5|
|**Total**|9|7|5|17|15|8|24|23|2|1|**111**|100|
|**%**|8|6|5|15|14|7|22|21|2|1|||



Differences noted in referrals received by location (compared with the previous financial year), include an increase in Swindon due to the pilot project, and a continuing drop off in Tidworth (32 to 23).  Melksham, Chippenham, Corsham, Calne have all seen increases in referrals, with Devizes and Marlborough very slightly down year-on-year. 

The main differences to point out in referral source include a decrease in referrals made by Social Prescribers (14 down to 6), and a large increase in self-referrals (from 8 up to 21). 

It is also notable that when excluding Swindon data, Health Visitor referrals drop significantly (21 down to 13). This reduction is particularly evident in Tidworth and Marlborough – areas which also 

> 1NHS Physiotherapist, Women’s Refuge, Citizens Advice 

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experienced a drop in Children’s Centre referral rates. However, overall activity in Tidworth remains high due to group provision. 

New this year is the inclusion of support extensions in our numbers for the first time, where support for a family has lasted longer than six months. 

## Family Demographics 

|**_Type of Housing_**|**_Percentage_**|
|---|---|
|**Social Housing**|49%|
|**Military Housing**|19%|
|**Private Owned**|16%|
|**Private Rented**|10%|
|**Temporary Accommodation**|0%|
|**Other**|5%|
|**No data**|1%|
|**TOTAL**|**100%**|
|||
|**_Access to vehicle?_**|**_Percentage_**|
|**Yes**|55%|
|**No**|44%|
|**No data**|1%|
|**TOTAL**|**100%**|



## Family Engagement 

Continuing improvement is being seen on FSO success rates at getting an initial visit – last year 45 out of 90 current year referrals (50%) reached initial visit; this year it is 68 out of 105 (65%). 

We have seen a 73% increase in overall families supported through home-visiting compared with last year – up from 60, to 113 families. 

We currently have 63 families supported who have two or more sets of home-visiting coping scores, which is 80% more than we had for the whole of last year (2021-22: 35 families with two sets of scores). 

If we exclude the Swindon project, referrals are at a similar level to last year, but we are busier because of the higher numbers engaging with our service! 

The average duration of volunteer support is currently 5.5 months, a slight decrease from six months last financial year. The majority of families ended this year have reached successful completion – a 47% increase on last year. 


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**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
Volunteer Support Endings<br>Successful completion<br>Family moved unexpectedly<br>Family decided they no longer wish to receive support<br>Scheme and/or volunteer unable to contact family<br>Volunteer could not continue to support family<br>Volunteer not available<br>Inappropriate to continue due to safety concern/statutory intervention<br>Change in type of match<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## Family Outcomes 

|**Outcome**|**Average %**<br>**change (2022-**<br>**23)**|**Comparative data:**<br>**Average % change**<br>**(2021-22)**|
|---|---|---|
|**Coping with own mental health**|27%|21%|
|**Parent's self esteem**|33%|17%|
|**Coping with feeling isolated**|28%|23%|
|**Coping with own physical health**|20%|10%|
|**Managing child's behaviour**|15%|12%|
|**Coping with extra work of multiple children**<br>**under five**|19%|4%|
|**The day-to-day running of the house**|14%|11%|
|**Stress caused by conflict in the family**|15%|10%|
|**Coping with financial pressures**|1%|2%|
|**Being involved in the children's development**|16%|4%|
|**Coping with child's mental health**|8%|3%|
|**Use of other services**|10%|18%|
|**Parents own learning needs**|5%|5%|
|**Coping with child's physical health**|-1%|-3.9%|



Family data taken from review and end visits shows that the top five categories where the average score was less than three at initial visit (meaning parents felt they were “really not coping” in these areas), all increased to an average score of higher than three (meaning parents feel they were “coping”), after support. Indeed, across almost all areas positive change has been achieved – and at a higher percentage than was achieved last financial year. 

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Coping with parent’s own physical health appears to be a rising but hidden need: it does not appear as a frequent need within the ‘family circumstances at referral’ data but is a disclosed by 64% of families at initial and review visits. 

Looking at average outcomes, there is a small change in ‘coping with financial pressures’ – it appears likely that Home-Start support is helping to stabilise these scores despite the challenging financial climate. 

The table below shows the improvement of family’s ability to “cope” following Home-Start support against the needs identified as requesting support at the initial visit.  Every category shows improvement (where the families provided at least two sets of data). This demonstrates the efficacy of the parent-to-parent support model. 

|**Coping Scores of Needs Identified**|**Need identified**|**Need Met**|
|---|---|---|
|**Category**|**%**|**Total**|
|Copingwith own mental health|78%|88%|
|Parents self esteem|76%|94%|
|Managingchildren's behaviour|75%|94%|
|Copingwith feelingisolated|70%|93%|
|Copingwith ownphysical health|67%|98%|
|The dayto dayrunningof the house|59%|95%|
|Copingwith extra work of multiple children under 5|56%|89%|
|Stress caused byconflict in the family|51%|97%|
|Beinginvolved in children's development|51%|100%|
|Copingwith financialpressures/household budget|46%|86%|
|Use of other services|38%|88%|
|Copingwith child's mental health|37%|91%|
|Parents own learningneeds|22%|86%|
|Copingwith child'sphysical health|13%|100%|



## Safeguarding/Complexity 

One fifth of our cases are deemed to be complex by their FSOs (typically presenting at their initial visit with more than seven support needs). This, alongside the overall increase in activity levels this year, is reflected in a continued increase in Records of Concern (ROCA).  This year, 18 home-visiting families had ROCA work records, compared to only six for 2021-22.  10 currently active families have ROCAs. 

Families have also been supported through a number of unexpected life events during the course of Hone-Start support, including: 

- Bereavement (affecting five families) 

- Returning to work/gaining new employment (affecting 11 families) 

- Losing employment (affecting two families) 

- Separation (affecting five families) 

- New parental relationships (affecting two families) 

- Serious illness of a parent (affecting four families) 

- Serious illness of a child (affecting two families) 

- New child/children in family (affecting eleven families) 

- Accident and emergencies (affecting six families) 

- New caring responsibilities (affecting five families) 

17 



- Change in housing (affecting 13 families) 

- Change in immigration status (affecting one family) 

- Domestic abuse (affecting five families) 

- Family Fund Use 

In total last year, we spent £5,318.23 within our Family Fund (including £350 on supermarket vouchers, ready for future distribution). Last quarter, essential items purchased included a refurbished freezer, a child’s coat, a car seat, a table, nappies, gas/electric top-up, a clothes airer, household curtains, and a double buggy; the majority of requests have been for emergency food provision. We continue to work closely with partners and help families access free or low-cost resources where possible. 

Contributions from Tesco Community Fund, the National Benevolent Charity and donations made in memory of Kate Maurice, will be added to our Family Fund for next year. 



18 



## **The Difference We Make** 

## Case Study 1 

When we first met Mum and child A, who were refugees, they were living in a tiny, one roomed studio flat. It was barely furnished; they shared a bed, there were no curtains, and, with only two wooden chairs, they couldn’t even cuddle up together and read stories. Child A, who had hearing loss, had no toys, and spent all day at home with Mum. Mum was a good mum but depressed. Living in a new area, they knew no-one. Things were tough and they were relying on the Foodbank. _“They had nothing.” (FSO)_ 

Then their Home-Start volunteer arrived. Seeing how little the family had, she liaised with HomeStart to arrange new curtains, toys, and food vouchers. She took them to visit places in their new area including a soft play centre - where they had lots of fun! The family enjoyed trips to the park (where the volunteer taught them to play football!). The volunteer said, _“We spent a lot of time giggling. I was mum’s only company once a week. It’s such a basic need, company, I was a friend to mum who was very lonely.”_ 

Mum was determined to improve their lives. The volunteer supported her - helping with housing, preparing for her driving theory test, registering Child A at pre-school, and (because mum had no transport) travel to job centre appointments/driving test centre. The volunteer also helped mum toilet train Child A preparing her for pre-school. 

When support ended, the family were much better placed. Mum had secured a new, spacious flat – with a bedroom each. Home-Start helped furnish it – providing a bed, washing machine and sofa (from Kennet Furniture Refurbiz). Child A was attending nursery five days a week, socialising with peers and receiving support with speech and language. Mum passed her driving theory! With her child at pre-school, Mum was using this time to study online – hoping to gain employment in Early Years. The family are happier, things are brighter. 

_“I think mum will excel now, she’s keen to drive, work…make her and A’s life better, they have a good future.” (Volunteer)._ 

## Case Study 2 

When Home-Start met three-year-old Child B, he was frustrated. He was experiencing speech delay and didn’t feel heard. Child B avoided eye contact and felt sad; he was trying to speak but wasn't understood. Sometimes, in frustration, he would throw things. His family were trying their best but had challenges too. They had no local support and English was their second language. Child B struggled with sharing/taking turns which, in addition to his language delay, made interaction with others fraught. Preschool felt a struggle as peers/staff couldn’t understand him; living in a bi-lingual house meant finding the right word was challenging. Child B often felt tearful, lonely, and cross. His parents needed support they wanted to help him but didn’t know how. 

That’s when Home-Start arrived.  The HSNW volunteer recalls a quiet, nervous, child who 'babbled'. Every week, our volunteer arrived with a bag of activities _- “He was always curious what was in my bag!”_ - spending 1-1 time with Child B, to help develop his speech. Whether with cards, puzzles or stories, our volunteer patiently encouraged Child B to identify objects. Our volunteer modelled the games and techniques she was using with Child B to Mum - encouraging her to do the same. Lots of playtime gave Child B practise learning to share and take turns (even if the adult’s turn was short, it was progress!) 

With our volunteer’s support, the family joined a group. Child B didn’t attend playgroups as his speech delay made it stressful. Here it was different. The group’s supportive setting enabled Child 

19 



B to utilise his newfound sharing skills and interact with new friends using new words! Volunteer and Mum saw his confidence soar. He loved it! 

After six months, when it was time to say goodbye, our volunteer took Child B and family on a special day trip, giving him happy memories to treasure. 

After HSNW support, Child B felt happier. He was being understood, was more confident with language and enjoyed better interactions with family/peers. He was less angry and frustrated. His Mum could now understand him more. 

Our volunteer said, _“Child B changed quite considerably. He was excited to see me, which was lovely, and used a lot more language; he was more spontaneous in saying things. He was asking questions, talking about what he could see/what interested him. Mostly, he was speaking in sentences you could make sense of. The turn taking/sharing had progressed too.”_ 

The FSO agreed, saying at her final family visit, _“Child B was talking to me!", "His speech has improved massively."_ 

Child B begins school next year and is much better placed to start. He knows he can communicate and make friends. He is happier and his family have the strategies to support him. Mum says Child B "misses her" but HSNW volunteer gave him the springboard to get 'ready' for school with optimism! 

## Quotes 

When asked ‘How did Home-Start make a difference to you?’, respondents answered: 

“ _Having someone as nice as our volunteer, to come and visit once a week was so nice, to have a cuppa with another adult. Mum (February 2022)_ 

_“It's been so good to get some support from Home-Start and I definitely feel better about things now." Mum (February 2022)_ 

_We have a few financial problems now, am trying to do weekly budgets. Our volunteer organised a food parcel, it definitely helped us. I’m scared about the fuel bills in the winter…” (Mum July 22)_ 

## Feedback 

All families who completed our End Support Survey said they were ‘very satisfied’ with Home-Start and would recommend our service. 

Feedback from 6-12 months surveys (via Survey Monkey or phone call) includes: 

_“Thanks so much for finding me our volunteer she’s so fab we are getting along so well. Had a great morning yesterday with my daughter I wish I knew about all of this years ago, but I’m so grateful for everything it means a lot thank you_ ❤️ _Thanks it’s so reassuring to hear my volunteer say I am a good Mum and that I’m doing everything really well with my daughter and how brilliant she is etc.” (Mum, September 22)_ 

_“They adored her. L even told her he loved her when she left. Thank you!” (Mum, October 22)_ 

## Giving practical and emotional support: 

Often, knowing someone is there for you makes all the difference.  Having emotional support and someone to listen to you when times are tough, can be all that some parents need. 

_“Hi. I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you and express just how fantastic it was having a volunteer here for a couple of hours today. She kept the kids busy for me, while I got on and caught up with housework - and I made sure I utilised every minute of having her here. I managed to wash up, hoover and steam clean the floors, clean all my windows and glass,_ 

20 



_clean the kitchen, clean the downstairs toilet, tidy the front room & sort all the kids toys out into the correct boxes and bring in my black bin from outside. I wouldn't have got any of that done today without her (maybe the washing up in dribs and drabs throughout the day, lol). Having so little time to do anything does affect my mental health, I feel very trapped and restricted and get very depressed sometimes (although I have felt better since being on antidepressants). Today was wonderful, not just for me having the freedom to get bits done but the little ones thoroughly enjoyed having her undivided attention - they absolutely love her (even my youngest, who usually just wants me constantly). I am so grateful for my volunteer, she is a perfect match for our family. Xx “ Mum, September 2022_ 

_“Home-visiting support is amazing. What would I do without my volunteer?! I get so little time for myself (this week has been so tough) and when she visits, I can have a shower and do some things. I am so thankful to her, I value those 2 hours a week, we do stuff, go out, I get some independence. She’s always there to help.” (Mum of two small children, July 2022)_ 

## Volunteers 

As of March 2023, we have over 40 active volunteers and a further nine volunteers who are resting. An additional three volunteers, our Community Champions’, are available to support on an ad-hoc basis with fundraising and events.  We also have several local ladies who create and donate hand knitted items for our families.  These items and other generous donations formed the Christmas Gift Boxes for families in 2022. 

We also provided opportunities for volunteers to stay involved with us in other ways. For example, by helping at new volunteer coffee mornings or supporting the groups. 

## Volunteer Activities 

- Our latest Volunteer Preparation is due to begin on 27[th] April, with five new trainees. Aisling will be working an extra day a week during this time, to deliver the course. 

- Fear Less delivered our latest Volunteer Peer group in March 2023. 

## Feedback from the Volunteer 

Volunteers are happy and engaged. Feedback from the Volunteer survey 2022 (July) includes: 

- 97% volunteers agree HSNW cares about their wellbeing. 

- 97% agree communication is good. 

- 93% feel valued. _“Have always been thanked.”_ 

- 75% agree ongoing training (Peer Groups) are good. _“Really helpful and informative.”_ 

- “ _Really enjoyed it and would be happy to do it again! Felt like a great team_ …” (Community Champion after helping at a HSNW stand, Dec 2022) 

Our volunteers are all amazing and are at the core of our service. We are always recruiting those special people who can support others through all kinds of trials. 


21 



## Partner Updates 

- Wiltshire Council are currently consulting with partners and residents, as they prepare to commission Family Hubs (which will replace Children’s Centre provision). 

- To support the development of a HSNW Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, we are now engaging with the Wiltshire Inclusion Network, which promotes and supports equality, diversity and inclusion throughout the County. 

## Social Media Online and Promotional Activity 

- New posts are added to the website every month and content is fully reviewed every year. 

- • Our Facebook activity remains high – over the last 90 days to April 1[st] 2023 , we have reached 9,200 people, engaging 381 comments and shares, with 450 regular followers. 

- Over the last month on Twitter, we have made 806 impressions, leading to three visits to our profile. 

- Instagram is our newest social media venture and here our reach has increased and grows steadily.  We are constrained however with the free version in that it does not permit website links or video content. 

- A large proportion of content is now provided via HSUK. However, Dawn is also very skilled at local content. A free professional version of Canva allows for graphic design that is “on brand” and bespoke. 

- Most posters and leaflets are produced inhouse with Tania or Jo writing the copy for Dawn to format to either print or publish in house or send out to a professional printer. 

- Our quarterly newsletter produced and printed in house is sent out to 181 supporters by post and a further 78 via email. 



22 



## **Thank You** 

To all who support us through Localgiving and Payroll Giving. To all volunteers and trustees who donate their expenses. To all of those listed below and to our anonymous donors please also consider leaving a gift in your will (after looking after loved ones). 

|||
|---|---|
|Anna Creed|National Lottery Community Fund|
|Adey JF and MB|Pewsey Co-op|
|Alistair Barr|Pewsey Rugby Club|
|Andrew and Virginia Reekie|Preshute Evening Group|
|Bruce Creed|P & J Noble|
|Children in Need|R & J Owen-Jones|
|Carol Langford|Sara Holden|
|Co-op Community Fund|S E Mackintosh|
|Devizes Lions|St George’s Church, Preshute|
|Diane Mackinder|St Peter’s and St Pauls|
|Dr N Maurice|Slimming World Devizes|
|East Kennet Carol Singers|Sue Titman|
|F Pessell|Tesco Bags of Help|
|HJ & EJ O’Regan|The Henry Smith Charity|
|HSUK Government Loneliness Covid 19 Fund|The Norrie Trust|
|J & K Saunders|Waitrose Marlborough|
|Jean Rickard|Waitrose Swindon|
|Marlborough Lions|Wiltshire & Swindon Community Foundation|
|Morrisons|William Wilks|



Thank you to all of our partners and referrers: 

|||
|---|---|
|Army Welfare Service|Green Machine Computers Ltd|
|Home-Start South Wiltshire|The Rise Trust|
|Home-Start UK|Unit Welfare Officers|
|Parent Support Advisers|HCRG Care Group|
|Spurgeons Children’s Charity|Wiltshire Public Health|



And finally a thank you to all those companies and individuals who donated time or other resources to our organisation and the families we support. 

23 



ACCOUNTS 2022-2023
fkME
STIRT
North Wiltshire
25

## **Treasurer’s Report** 

The Independent Examiner’s Report and Annual Accounts give a full and detailed picture of the income and expenditure of Home-Start North Wiltshire for the year ending 31st March 2023. The division of the expenditure between charitable activities and governance shows that 2.6% of our income was spent on the latter. 

A successful application for £410,000 over 3 years starting April 2020 was made to The National Lottery Community Fund. This combined with a three-year grant from The Henry Smith Charity Covid 19 Fund, a grant from Swindon Borough Council, a three-year grant from Children in Need for targeted work with children and a new three year Grant from The Henry Smith Charity provided the majority of the income for the year. 

Additional income came from Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation and from grants from HomeStart UK as well as from small donations and fundraising. These included donations from Devizes Lions, Tesco and Waitrose. 

Some of this additional income enabled us to support families by offering help when they struggled to purchase essential items, fund an Autumn Outing, provide activity packs for children and Christmas packs to families. In kind donations for some of the packs were provided by Waitrose and the Co-op. 

Expenditure exceeded income during the year, but this was covered by the money in Restricted Funds carried forward from 2021/2022. 

The Balance Sheet at 31st March 2023 shows assets less liabilities of £116,251 (£126,231 in 2021/2022).  Much of this money is in restricted funds and must be used to support the projects for which the grants were awarded. Also included is a prepayment (£3,478) to Green Machines for IT support for part of next year. 

HSNW has been awarded another three-year grant by the National Lottery Community Fund and this combined with the ongoing The Henry Smith Charity Grants means that the Charity has a firm financial basis for 2023/2024 although additional funds are still needed. 

HSNW holds sufficient funds in reserve so that if there was a sudden loss of Grant Funding there would not be an abrupt cessation of support to vulnerable families. Money is also held to cover a contingent liability to TPT, HSNW’s Pension Provider. 

We would like to thank all our funders and everyone else who has supported the Charity. 

## **Exemption from the appointment of auditors** 

For the year ending 31 March 2023 the Company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477(2) of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. 

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. 

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to small companies within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. 

Marcia Johnson Honorary Treasurer 

This report was approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by _________________________ Date: 4[th] October 2023 

26 



COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER 05208226 

ENGLAND & WALES 

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1106736 

## **HOME-START NORTH WILTSHIRE** 

COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE 

## **ACCOUNTS** 

**31 MARCH 2023** 

27 



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28

## STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES – 

## **Year Ended 31 March 2023** 

|||**Unrestricted**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Restricted**|**BIG Lottery**|**BIG Lottery**|**Total**<br>**Funds**|**Total**<br>**Funds**|**Total**<br>**Funds**|**Total**<br>**Funds**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**Funds**||**Funds**||**Funds**||**2023**||**2022**|
||**Note**||**£**||**£**||**£**||**£**||**£**|
|||||||||||||
||**INCOME**|||||||||||
||**Grants and**<br>**Donations**<br>**2**||**8,771**||**105,325**||**110,000**|**224,096**||**204,032**<br>**19**||
||**Income from**<br>**Investments**<br>**3**||**1,938**||**0**||**0**|**1,938**||||
|||||||||||||
||**TOTAL INCOME**||**10,709**||**105,325**||**110,000**|**226,034**||**204,051**||
|||||||||||||
||**EXPENDITURE**|||||||||||
||**Charitable**<br>**activities**<br>**4**||**5,735**||**93,552**||**130,739**|**230,026**||**201,400**||
||**Governance costs**<br>**5**||**403**||**3,335**||**2,250**|**5,988**||**5,274**||
|||||||||||||
||**TOTAL**<br>**EXPENDITURE**||**6,138**||**96,887**||**132,989**|**236,014**||**206,674**||
|||||||||||||
||**NET**<br>**INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)**||**4,571**||**8,437**||**(22,989)**|**(9,980)**||**(2,623)**<br>**0**||
||**TRANSFERS BETWEEN**<br>**FUNDS**||**0**||**0**||**0**|**0**||||
|||||||||||||
||**NET MOVEMENT**<br>**IN FUNDS**||**4,571**||**8,437**||**(22,989)**|**(9,980)**||**(2,623)**||
||**Reconciliation of**<br>**Funds**|||||||||||
||**Funds brought**<br>**Forward**||**58,852**||**4,288**||**63,092**|**126,231**||**128,854**||
|||||||||||||
||**FUNDS CARRIED**<br>**FORWARD**||**63,422**||**12,725**||**40,103**|**116,251**||**126,231**||



29 



|**BALANCE SHEET - as at 31 March 2023**<br>**CURRENT ASSETS**<br>**Note**<br>Debtors<br>**8**<br>Cash at Bank and in hand<br>**CREDITORS**<br>Amounts falling due within one<br>year<br>**9**<br>**NET CURRENT ASSETS**<br>**TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT**<br>**LIABILITIES**<br>**PROVISIONS FOR LIABILITIES**<br>Other provisions (existing)<br>**10**<br>NPV<br>of<br>deficit<br>recovery<br>contributions<br>**11**<br>**NET ASSETS**<br>**FUNDS**<br>Restricted<br>**12**<br>Unrestricted<br>**13**||**31.03.23**|**£**<br>137,427<br>137,427<br>20,335<br>841<br>**116,251**<br>52,828<br>63,423<br>**116,251**||**31.03.22**<br>**£**<br>34,820<br>160,819|**£**<br>147,885|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**<br>5,438<br>173,405|||||
|||178,843<br>41,416|||195,638<br>47,754||
||||||||
|||||||147,885<br>20,335<br>1,319|
|||||||**126,231**|
|||||||67,379<br>58,852|
|||||||**126,231**|



These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to small companies within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006, Charities SORP FRS102. 

For the year ending 31 March 2023 the Company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006. 

The members have not required the Company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. 

The Directors acknowledge their responsibilities for: 

- i) ensuring the Company keeps accounting records which comply with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006 and 

- ii) preparing accounts which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company as at the end of the financial year, and of its profit or loss for the financial year, in accordance with the requirements of section 393, and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to Accounts, so far as is applicable to the Company. 

The accounts on pages 27-40 were approved by the Board of Trustees on: October 4[th] 2023 

______________________ 

Marcia Johnson, Treasurer and Trustee` 

30 



**NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** 

## **Year ended 31 March 2023** 

## **1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES** 

## **Basis of accounting** 

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” (Charities SORP FRS102) and the Charities Act 2006. 

## **Going concern** 

Sources of substantial funding for the charity continue, so the trustees are confident that the charity will be able to continue as a going concern for the following twelve months. 

## **Donations** 

Grants and donations are allocated to income in the accounting period to which the funds relate.  They are recognised as soon as the Charity is informed, they are due and receivable.  Tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised when the donation is recognised. 

## **Fixed assets** 

It is the policy of the charity to write off in the year of purchase any individual item of equipment costing less than £2,000. Items of equipment costing in excess of £2,000 and considered to be worth more than that at the Balance Sheet date, will be capitalised and depreciated at rates to be determined at the time. 

## **Governance costs** 

Governance costs are made up of Management Committee expenses, Consultancy Fees, Independent Examination expenses, Book Keeping and Accountancy costs, and staff costs relating to Quality Assurance compliance. 

## **Pension costs – current service** 

The Charity operates a money purchase (defined contribution) pension scheme for the benefit of its current employees who wish to join and become members.  The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the Home-Start North Wiltshire.  Contributions are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period in which they fall due.  Home-Start North Wiltshire and the members each paid contributions at the rate of 5% during the accounting period to The Pensions Trust.  There were no unpaid contributions at the balance sheet date. 

## **Pension provision – past service** 

## **SCHEME: TPT Retirement Solutions – The Growth Plan** 

The company participates in the scheme, a multi-employer scheme which provides benefits to some 950 non-associated participating employers. The scheme is a defined benefit scheme in the UK. It is not possible for the company to obtain sufficient information to enable it to account for the scheme as a defined benefit scheme. Therefore it accounts for the scheme as a defined contribution scheme. 

The scheme is subject to the funding legislation outlined in the Pensions Act 2004 which came into force on 30 December 2005. This, together with documents issued by the Pensions Regulator and Technical Actuarial Standards issued by the Financial Reporting Council, set out the framework for funding defined benefit occupational pension schemes in the UK. 

31 



## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** 

## **Year ended 31 March 2023** 

The scheme is subject to the funding legislation outlined in the Pensions Act 2004 which came into force on 30 December 2005. This, together with documents issued by the Pensions Regulator and Technical Actuarial Standards issued by the Financial Reporting Council, set out the framework for funding defined benefit occupational pension schemes in the UK. 

The scheme is classified as a 'last-man standing arrangement'. Therefore, the company is potentially liable for other participating employers' obligations if those employers are unable to meet their share of the scheme deficit following withdrawal from the scheme. Participating employers are legally required to meet their share of the scheme deficit on an annuity purchase basis on withdrawal from the scheme. 

A full actuarial valuation for the scheme was carried out at 30 September 2020. This valuation showed assets of £800.3m, liabilities of £831.9m and a deficit of £31.6m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the Trustee has asked the participating employers to pay additional contributions to the scheme as follows: 

## Deficit contributions 

From 1 April 2022 to 31 January 2025: £3,312,000 per annum              (payable monthly) 

Unless a concession has been agreed with the Trustee the term to 31 January 2025 applies. 

Note that the scheme’s previous valuation was carried out with an effective date of 30 September 2017. This valuation showed assets of £794.9m, liabilities of £926.4m and a deficit of £131.5m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the Trustee asked the participating employers to pay additional contributions to the scheme as follows: 

## Deficit contributions 

£11,243,000 per annum              (payable monthly and From 1 April 2019 to 30 September 2025: increasing by 3% each on 1st April) 

The recovery plan contributions are allocated to each participating employer in line with their estimated share of the Series 1 and Series 2 scheme liabilities. 

Where the scheme is in deficit and where the company has agreed to a deficit funding arrangement the company recognises a liability for this obligation. The amount recognised is the net present value of the deficit reduction contributions payable under the agreement that relates to the deficit. The present value is calculated using the discount rate detailed in these disclosures. The unwinding of the discount rate is recognised as a finance cost. 

32 



## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** 

## **Year ended 31 March 2023** 

## PRESENT VALUES OF PROVISION 

## RECONCILIATION OF OPENING AND CLOSING PROVISIONS 

|RECONCILIATION OF OPENING AND CLOSING PROVISIONS|||
|---|---|---|
||**Period Ending**|**Period Ending**|
||31-Mar-23|31-Mar-22|
||(£s)|(£s)|
|Provision at start of period|1,318|6,325|
|Unwinding of the discount factor (interest expense)|25|36|
|Deficit contribution paid|(480)|(1,601)|
|Remeasurements - impact of any change in assumptions|(22)|(30)|
|Remeasurements - amendments to the contribution schedule|-|(3,412)|
|Provision at end of period|841|1,318|



## INCOME AND EXPENDITURE IMPACT 

|INCOME AND EXPENDITURE IMPACT|||
|---|---|---|
||**Period Ending**|**Period Ending**|
||31-Mar-23|31-Mar-22|
||(£s)|(£s)|
|Interest expense|25|36|
|Remeasurements – impact of any change in assumptions|(22)|(30)|
|Remeasurements – amendments to the contribution schedule|-|(3,412)|
|Contributions paid in respect of future service*|*|*|
|Costs recognised in income and expenditure account|*|*|



*includes defined contribution schemes and future service contributions (i.e. excluding any deficit reduction payments) to defined benefit schemes which are treated as defined contribution schemes. To be completed by the company. 

## ASSUMPTIONS 

||31-Mar-23|31-Mar-22|31-Mar-21|
|---|---|---|---|
||% per annum|% per annum|% per<br>annum|
|Rate of discount|5.52|2.35|0.66|



The discount rates shown above are the equivalent single discount rates which, when used to discount the future recovery plan contributions due, would give the same results as using a full AA corporate bond yield curve to discount the same recovery plan contributions. 

33 



**NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** 

## **Year ended 31 March 2023** 

The following schedule details the deficit contributions agreed between the company and the scheme at each year end period: 

## DEFICIT CONTRIBUTIONS SCHEDULE 

|**Year**|**ending**|**31**|**March**<br>**(£s)**|**2023**<br>||**31**|**March**<br>**(£s)**|**2022**<br>||**31**|**March 2021**<br>**(£s)**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Year|1||480||||480||||1,601||
|Year|2||400||||480||||1,649||
|Year|3||||-||400||||1,698||
|Year|4||||-||||-||1,457||
|Year|5||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|6||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|7||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|8||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|9||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|10||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|11||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|12||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|13||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|14||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|15||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|16||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|17||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|18||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|19||||-||||-|||-|
|Year|20||||-||||-|||-|



The company must recognise a liability measured as the present value of the contributions payable that arise from the deficit recovery agreement and the resulting expense in the income and expenditure account i.e. the unwinding of the discount rate as a finance cost in the period in which it arises. 

34 



## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2023** 

|**2. GRANTS AND**<br>**DONATIONS**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**NCLF**<br>**Lottery**<br>**Fund**|**Total**<br>**Funds**<br>**2023**|**Total**<br>**Funds**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Funds**|**Funds**|||**2022**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|||||||
|**NCLF Lottery (GST)**|**-**|**-**|**110,000**|**110,000**<br>**-**<br>**25,000**<br>**32,000**<br>**6,000**<br>**5,000**<br>**15,000**<br>**3,000**<br>**4,500**<br>**4,200**<br>**3,948**<br>**2,326**<br>**1,500**<br>**1,500**<br>**1,350**<br>**8,771**|**150,000**<br>**4**<br>**-**<br>**10,000**<br>**-**<br>**39,002**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**785**<br>**4,241**|
|**NCLF Corona Virus**<br>**Support Fund**|**-**|**-**||||
|**Swindon Borough**<br>**Council (pilot)**|**-**|**25,000**||||
|**The Henry Smith**<br>**Charity CLSG**|**-**|**32,000**||||
|**Children in Need**|**-**|**6,000**||||
|**Wilts & Swindon**<br>**Community Foundation**|**-**|**5,000**||||
|**The Henry Smith**<br>**Charity**|**-**|**15,000**||||
|**HSUK Army Central**<br>**Fund**|**-**|**3,000**||||
|**Armed Forces**<br>**Covenant Fund Trust**|**-**|**4,500**||||
|**HSUK   Empowering**<br>**Woman**|**-**|**4,200**||||
|**Co-Operative**|**-**|**3,948**||||
|**Families Fund General**|**-**|**2,326**||||
|**Families Fund Tesco**<br>**Groundwork**|**-**|**1,500**||||
|**Families Fund Wiltshire &**<br>**Swindon Community Fund**|**-**|**1,500**||||
|**Families Fund Waitrose**|**-**|**1,350**||||
|**Other Donations**|**8,771**|**-**||||
|||||||
|||||**-**|**-**|
||**8,771**|**105,324**|**110,000**|**224,096**|**204,032**|





## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2023** 

|**3. INVESTMENT**<br>**INCOME**||**Unrestricted**||**Restricted**||**NCLF**<br>**Lottery**|**Total**<br>**Funds**|**Total**<br>**Funds**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>19<br>**Total**<br>**Funds**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>147,351<br>2,800<br>1,745<br>84<br>3,396<br>1,305<br>14,913<br>14<br>4,108<br>1,557<br>1,674<br>4,841<br>1,447<br>6,048<br>-<br>5,470<br>4,648|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Funds**||**Funds**||**Fund**|**2023**||
|||**£**||**£**||**£**|**£**||
|General Fund|||||||||
|Interest receivable||1938||0||0|1938||
|**4. ANALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE**<br>**CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES**<br>Employment costs<br>(Note6)<br>Staff travel & general<br>expenses<br>Staff training<br>Staff recruitment<br>Volunteer travel &<br>general expenses<br>Volunteer training<br>Rent and rates<br>Covid & Cleaning Costs<br>Telephone, internet<br>and fax<br>Printing. Post and<br>stationery<br>Advertising and<br>promotion<br>Service charges<br>(Affiliation fees)<br>Insurance<br>Families fund expenses<br>Friendship Café<br>Resilience building<br>Equipment purchase||**ON**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**<br>3<br>54<br>186<br>-<br>23<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>5,470<br>-<br>**5,735**||**Restricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**<br>66,563<br>2,917<br>918<br>-<br>3,270<br>380<br>6,381<br>15<br>1,021<br>626<br>512<br>748<br>6,205<br>2,772<br>1,225<br>**93,552**||**NCLF**<br>**Lottery**<br>**Fund**<br>**£**<br>100,354<br>2,044<br>434<br>-<br>3,641<br>389<br>9,618<br>246<br>2,350<br>1,090<br>2,124<br>3,735<br>1,072<br>20<br>3,622<br>**130,739**|**Total**<br>**Funds**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>166,920<br>5,015<br>1,537<br>-<br>6,935<br>769<br>15,998<br>261<br>3,371<br>1,717<br>2,636<br>3,735<br>1,820<br>6,205<br>2,792<br>5,470<br>4,847<br>**230,026**||
|||||||||**201,400**|



36 



## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2023** 

|**5. GOVERNANCE COSTS**|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**|**NCLF**<br>**Lottery**<br>**Fund**<br>**£**<br>-<br>200<br>865<br>122<br>279<br>783|**NCLF**<br>**Lottery**<br>**Fund**<br>**£**<br>-<br>200<br>865<br>122<br>279<br>783|**Total**<br>**Funds**|**Total**<br>**Funds**|**Total**<br>**Funds**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>2,704<br>-<br>215<br>426<br>-<br>719<br>1,210<br>**5,274**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>143,131<br>3,966<br>6,364<br>(3,412)<br>6<br>**150,055**<br>147,351<br>2,704<br>**150,055**|**Total**<br>**Funds**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>2,704<br>-<br>215<br>426<br>-<br>719<br>1,210<br>**5,274**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>143,131<br>3,966<br>6,364<br>(3,412)<br>6<br>**150,055**<br>147,351<br>2,704<br>**150,055**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Funds**<br>**Funds**|||**2023**||||
||**£**<br>**£**|||**£**||||
|Salaries|-<br>2,812|||2,812||||
|Consultancy fees||||-||||
|Independent<br>examination|-|||200<br>1,196<br>235<br>302<br>1,244||||
|Management<br>committee expenses|268<br>62<br>113<br>22<br>-<br>0<br>461|||||||
|Management training||||||||
|Governance General||||||||
|Bookkeeping and<br>accountancy||||||||
|||||||||
||**403**<br>**3,335**|**2,250**||**5,988**||||
|||||||||
|**6. EMPLOYMENT COSTS**||**2023**||||||
|||**£**<br>159,175<br>4,155<br>6,880<br>(480)<br>3||||||
|Salaries||||||||
|Employer's NI||||||||
|Pension expense - current<br>service||||||||
|||||||||
|FRS102 - I&E finance expense re PV of pension deficit<br>contributions liability (Note 11)||||||||
|||**169,732**||||||
|Attributable to Charitable<br>activities||166,920||||||
|Attributable to Governance||2,812||||||
|Total employment costs||**169,732**||||||
|**There are no employees with emoluments exceeding £50,000**||||||||
|**The average number of staff employed by the charity during the financial**<br>**year amounted to:**||||||||
||||**2023**||||**2022**|
|**Number of staff**|||11||||10|
|These were all part time positions and represent:||||||||
|Average number of full time equivalent positions|||5.70||||4.78|



37 



## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2023** 

## **7. CORPORATION TAX** 

Home-Start North Wiltshire is a registered charity and is therefore exempt from Corporation Tax 

|**8.DEBTORS**||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**31.03.23**||**31.03.22**|
||**£**||**£**|
||253<br>3,478<br>1,451<br>255<br>5,438|||
|Other debtors –<br>Gift Aid tax refund|||284<br>25,000<br>8,948<br>588|
|Other debtors –<br>Grant Swindon Project||||
|Other debtors – Payment in Advance<br>Computer Contract||||
|Other debtors –<br>Prepaid Zoom<br>Subscription<br>(10months)+ NC Ins,<br>Ad World, PO drop&Go<br>Hire K&ACT(Devizes)||||
|Accounts Receivable (sales Ledger)  -  INV-<br>0263  Spurgeons||||
|||||
||||34,820|
||||**31.03.22**<br>**£**<br>6,629<br>41,125<br>47,754<br>**31.03.22**<br>**£**<br>20,335<br>20,335|
|**9. CREDITORS: Amounts falling**<br>**due within one year**||||
||**31.03.23**|||
||**£**|||
|||||
|Creditors & accruals|6,641<br>34,775|||
|Funds received in<br>advance||||
|||||
||41,416|||
|||||
|**10. OTHER**<br>**PROVISIONS**<br>**(existing)**|**31.03.23**|||
||**£**|||
|||||
|Provision for pension deficit (debt<br>on withdrawal)|20,335|||
|||||
||20,335|||



38 



## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2023** 

**11. NPV OF DEFICIT RECOVERY CONTRIBUTIONS** 

||**11. NPV OF DEFICIT RECOVERY**<br>**CONTRIBUTIONS**||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||**31.03.23**|||**31.03.22**|
|||||||**£**||**£**|
||Net present value|||||841||1,319|
||||||||||
||**12. RESTRICTED FUNDS: Movement in**<br>**resources**||||||||
||**resources**||||||||
||||**Incoming**|**Outgoing**||**Balance at**|**Balance at**||
|||||||**31.03.23**|**31.03.22**||
||NCLF Lottery (GST)||110,000<br>25,000<br>32,000<br>15,000<br>4,500<br>3,000<br>6,000<br>6,676<br>3,948<br>5,000<br>4,200|132,989<br>25,000<br>29,085<br>8,996<br>3,189<br>3,000<br>10,161<br>4,308<br>3,948<br>5,000<br>4,200||40,103<br>-<br>2,915<br>6,004<br>1,311<br>-<br>-<br>2,495<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>52,828|63,091<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>4,161<br>126<br>-<br>-<br>-||
||Swindon Borough Council<br>(pilot)||||||||
||The Henry Smith Charity<br>CLSG||||||||
||The Henry Smith Charity||||||||
||Armed Forces Covenant<br>Fund  Trust||||||||
||HSUK  Army Central Fund||||||||
||Children in Need||||||||
||Families Fund<br>(Tesco/Waitrose/WCF)||||||||
||Co-Operative||||||||
||Wiltshire & Swindon Community||||||||
||Foundation||||||||
||HSUK   Empowering<br>Women||||||||
||||215,325|229,876|||67,379||



|**13. UNRESTRICTED**<br>**FUNDS**||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**Transfer**<br>**Incoming**<br>**Outgoing**|**Balance at**<br>**31.03.23**<br>13,423<br>50,000<br>63,423|**Balance at**|
||||**31.03.22**|
|General|10,710<br>6,139||8,852|
|Designated|-<br>-<br>-||50,000|
|||||
||-<br>10,710<br>6,139||58,852|



39 



## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2023** 

**14. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS** 

||**14. ANALYSIS OF NET**<br>**ASSETS**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**Cash at Bank**|**Other net**|**Total**|
||||**and in hand**|**assets**||
||**Restricted:**|||||
|||||||
||NCLF Lottery (GST)||40,103||40,103|
||The Henry Smith Charity<br>CLSG||2,915||2,915|
||The Henry Smith Charity||6,004||6,004|
||Armed Forces Covenant<br>Fund Trust||1,311||1,311|
||Families Fund||2,495||2,495|
||(Tesco/Waitrose/WCF)|||||
||General||70,577|(57,154)|13,423|
||Designated||50,000||50,000|
|||||||
||||173,405|(57,154)|**116,251**|



40