**Home-Start Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow Charity Number 1108975 Company Number 5386801** **Report of the Trustees and Annual Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2024** **Here for parents when they need us most because childhood can’t wait** ## **Home-Start Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow** ## **Legal & Administrative Information** Charity Name Home-Start Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow Charity Registration Number 1108975 Company Registration Number 5386801, company limited by guarantee Address Parkway House, Room 211, Sheen Lane, East Sheen, SW14 8LS Telephone, email and website T: 020 8487 8500 E: info@homestart-rkh.org.uk W: homestart-rkh.org.uk Governing Documents Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 8[th] July 2020 Objects 1. To safeguard, protect and preserve the good health, both mental and physical of children and parents of children 2. To prevent cruelty and maltreatment of children 3. To relieve sickness, poverty and need amongst children and parents of children 4. To promote the education of the public in better standard of childcare within the areas of the London Boroughs of Richmond upon Thames, Hounslow and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and their environs Trustees Alison Goodbrand (Chair) Nancy Jo Baldwin Ian Andrew Bellinger Rahel Biddle (Treasurer) Lonne Maree Cannon Brookes (appointed 24[th] January 2024) Laura Ferreira Anupa Damle Grant Helen Margaret Hodges Frances Houston Margaret Annette O’Connor Gina Vyvyan Roughan Miranda Jane Tottman Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Cristiana Camisotti Key Management Personnel The CEO is responsible for managing the charity on a day-to-day basis Bankers CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ Independent Examiner Rebecca Tweed ACA, 5 Well Lane, East Sheen, SW14 7AJ 1 ## **Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2024** The trustees, who are also directors of the charity for the purpose of the Companies Act, present their annual report and the financial statements of the company for the year ended 31[st] March 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practices (SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” in preparing the report and the financial statements. ## **About us** The first 1001 days of a child’s life are essential to their life-long development and our goal is to give every child the best start in life. Through one-to-one and group support in the home, in community spaces and online, we partner with families and help them to get the most from being parents. Each family’s situation and needs are unique and so is their Home-Start support, grounded in a nonjudgmental ethos that meets every family where they are. We support families to build attachment and confidence, create nurturing home environments and connect to their community. At the core of our charity is our network of 115 highly trained and experienced volunteers who provide lifechanging support to the families we serve: families with children under the age of five and mothers in the third trimester of pregnancy. ## **A statement from Alison Goodbrand, our Chair of Trustees** How do we know that the work of Home Start is making a difference? How can we be sure that our involvement is improving the lives of young families? These are key questions to ask as we review another year of support to the youngest children and their families in Richmond, Kingston, and Hounslow. The work of the family teams and the role of our volunteers in supporting families is the bedrock of our service. Everything we do in relation to fundraising, awareness raising and marketing is to enable us to work better and more effectively with the children and families that need us. So, these questions need to be at the front of mind as we look back on the year. The answers are found in the information captured by our volunteers and coordinators showing the impact made when we are invited into the home of a family, when a family comes along to one of our groups or when we offer support in other ways. For example, the emotional health of the primary carer in the family improved for 89% of families visited by a volunteer, 84% of families were delivering more effective basic care, including hygiene, sleep, and nutrition and 75% of families attending the family groups saw their child’s confidence improve. So, we can be confident that our work is changing lives for the better, but it doesn’t mean that we are complacent or believe that we can’t improve or work in different, more effective ways. There are many ways to support families and we are prepared to challenge ourselves and be open to new ideas to deliver a relevant and vibrant service. We continue to listen to the views of our families and other stakeholders and build on the growing body of evidence that shows the importance of early years and ways to ensure that the first 1001 days of a child’s life are as rich and rewarding as possible. A huge thank you as always to our volunteers, staff, trustees and generous supporters. We could not do any of this vital work without you. With your help we will ensure that a child’s earliest years continue to be a priority and Home-Start will be here, providing life-changing support for parents, when they need us most. 2 ## **A snapshot of our achievements** ## **Families** - Support provided to 290 families with 462 children, through face-to-face and remote contact that flexed to meet the needs of families through the challenges of the year - Total hours of support to families remained similar to the previous year at 4344 hours (4321 in FY2022-23). Face to face contact made up half of these hours. - 78 families attended Family Groups in person and online, with group contact hours increasing from 842 in FY2022-23, to 956 in FY2023-24 - 37% of families supported identify as Black, Asian and minority ethnic - Referrals into our service remained at similar levels, with 304 received (289 in FY2022-23), with 48% from health sources (49% in FY2022-23, and 41% in FY2021-22) - Improvements observed in outcomes for families across all measures of family life and wellbeing, with families most often making improvements in the primary carer’s emotional health, and level of access to services and the community - 9 family events and activities attended by 140 families and 300 children; 23 Chromebooks loaned to families; and £2,390 distributed to families in grants for emergency essentials ## **Volunteers** - 24 new volunteers joined the team of 115 - 28 volunteers trained in Women and Money, Refugees and Asylum Seekers and the Impact of Faith on Safeguarding Children ## **Funding & Operations** - Developing a long term, sustainable and diversified funding strategy has been a priority for FY2023-24, following a potential 50% reduction of our statutory funding in Richmond and Kingston. This included applications to long term funders, leveraging new opportunities (eg Heathrow Community Trust), and further developing relationships with large multiyear funders such as Garfield Weston and National Lotteries. We continue to build on fundraising success using the Big Give platform and our proven model of leveraging match funding campaigns which allow donations to be doubled. This gives supporters an even greater incentive to donate, building brighter futures for local families and children. We were delighted to be chosen as a charity partner of The Richmond May Ball in 2023, together with Skylarks. The significant commitment in planning and executing the Ball delivered a groundbreaking sum which we were able to double through match-funding. The event additionally provided us with an invaluable platform to raise awareness of our work. - We continue to review all our family support journey processes, ensuring they are rigorous and effective, efficient and streamlined. We held staff workshops to share best practice, surface issues and find solutions, resulting in more relevant and streamlined data collection processes. - Listening to our service users and stakeholders and embedding their experiences at the heart of our service, has been an important workstream this year. Families, volunteers and referrers are all asked to input into regular feedback survey. As new initiatives, we held Family Feedback Sessions to gather insight on service user experience and conducted family peer to peer interviews. Feedback allows us to identify where we can further develop our service, through more explicit and open exploration of needs and response plans with families at the start of support; and more transparent communication about preparing for transitioning out of support. 3 ## **Structure and Governance** The charity is constituted as a company limited by guarantee and is therefore governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Board of Trustees ensures the charity operates in line with the objectives stated in the Memorandum and Articles of Association. Together with the charity’s CEO, the Board is responsible for setting the charity’s strategic direction. The Board is reviewed regularly to ensure the diversity and skill mix is fit for purpose. As a family support charity, all trustees are required to undertake safeguarding training. Trustees serve for a term of three years. After a term of three years, trustees can be re-elected for a maximum of two more terms. Any trustee reaching nine years of service is required to retire. Prospective trustees are recruited through an advertisement followed by an application and interview with a minimum of two trustees. Trustees receive a comprehensive induction based on the Home-Start UK trustee induction framework. ## **Quality Assurance** As a member of the national Home-Start UK network, Home-Start Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow works to the Home-Start Quality Assurance (QA) framework, based on the Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations (PQASSO) framework. In the latest quality assurance audit undertaken by Home-Start UK in 2019, a 99% performance rating was achieved: Demonstrating High Quality across all areas. As this report is being prepared a QA self-assessment process is underway, involving staff and trustees, with submission to HSUK on 31st May 2024. Home-Start has clear, regularly reviewed and updated policies across all aspects of its operations including for example safeguarding, confidentiality and health and safety. Home-Start UK provides templates and updates for mandatory policies, which are reviewed and adopted at a local level. ## **Financial summary** The annual surplus of £144,679 (previous year £20,782) was a very strong performance in an uncertain fundraising environment. Our ability to deliver a strong financial result was due to our high-performing senior management team, a well-designed and executed fundraising strategy and tight control of expenses. Total income received for the 12 months to 31st March 2024 was £647,139 (£157,240 more than the previous year). Funding received from Achieving for Children (on behalf of the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames and The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames), and the London Borough of Hounslow was a key source of funds, providing just under 50% of our income. Total expenditure during the period was £502,460, increased by 7% from the previous year reflecting our investment in the staff team. Other expenses were very closely monitored, with indirect costs carefully controlled. ## **Reserves** Our reserves policy complies with the Accounting and Reporting Standards for charities set out in the Statement of Recommended Practice, SORP (FRS 102). The Board of Trustees has recently adopted a revised reserves policy that the unrestricted funds held by the charity should be equivalent to at least six but not more than nine months expenditure at the current average monthly 4 rate. This is to reflect the uncertainty around a couple of our key, historic funding sources. Our reserves held at the year-end are within this policy. ## **Thank you to our funders and fundraisers** Thanks to the kind generosity and support of our funders, fundraisers and those who give their support in kind, we have been able to help hundreds of local families over the last year, providing a reliable, empathetic source of connection and understanding during what has been a difficult and challenging time for so many. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last year and helped us to provide such vital support to families. Achieving for Children • Barnes Fashion Show • Barnes Fund • Bellinger Donnay Charitable Trust • Champions Funds • Fullers • Garfield Weston Foundation • Goldman Sachs Gives • Greater London Authority • Hampton Fund • John Lewis Partnership • Kingston Charitable Foundation • London Borough of Hounslow • National Lottery Community Fund • Richmond May Ball • Richmond Parish Lands Charity • Royal Borough of Kingston • The Big Give • The Childhood Trust Together with those organisations listed above, we are indebted to the many individual donors whose generosity and ongoing support through this year has been especially important in enabling us to respond quickly to families in need. Thank you. 5 ## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Home-Start Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow** I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Home-Start Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow for the year ended 31[st] March 2024. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees who, as a body, are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. ## **Independent examiner’s statement** The charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS). I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which give me cause to believe that in, any material respect: - the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or - the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or - the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a “true and fair” view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: 13[th] June 2024 Rebecca J Tweed ACA Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) 6 ## **Home-Start Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow** ## **Statement of Financial Activities** ## **For the year ended 31 March 2024** |Note
**Income from:**
**2**
**Donations**
**Charitable activities**
**Other trading activities**
**Investments**
**Total**
**Expenditure on:**
**3**
**Raising funds**
**Charitable activities**
**Governance costs**
**Total**
**Net income/(expenditure)**
**Transfers between funds**
**9**
**Net movement in funds**
**Balance of funds brought forward**
**Total funds carried forward**|**Year ended**
**31/03/2023**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Prior year**
**funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
35,901
580
36,481
40,415
0
455,432
455,432
331,803
140,813
0
140,813
114,455
14,414
0
14,414
3,225
**191,128**
**456,012**
**647,139**
**489,899**
101,575
0
101,575
80,361
21,923
376,594
398,517
388,569
2,368
0
2,368
186
**125,866**
**376,594**
**502,460**
**469,116**
65,262
79,418
144,679
20,782
**0**
**0**
**0**
**0**
**65,262**
**79,418**
**144,679**
**20,782**
**339,758**
**47,119**
**386,877**
**366,094**
**405,020**
**126,537**
**531,556**
**386,876**
**Year ended 31 March 2024**| |---|---| 7 ## **Home-Start Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow** ## **Balance Sheet** ## **As at 31 March 2024** ||**Note**||**2024**||**2023**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**| |**Fixed Assets**|||||| |Tangible fixed assets|**4**||1,657||4,391| |**Current Assets**|||||| |Cash at bank and at hand|**5**|590,924||436,209|| |Prepayments||12,190||1,507|| |Debtors|**6**|21,315||2,717|| |**Total Current Assets**|||624,429||440,433| |Creditors: amounts falling|||||| |due within one year|**7**|5,000||5,759|| |Income received in advance|**8**|89,530||52,189|| ||||94,530||57,948| ||||||| |**Net Current Assets**|||529,899||382,486| ||||||| |**Total Net Assets**|||**531,556**||**386,877**| |**Funds of the Charity**|**9**||||| |Unrestricted Reserves|||405,020||339,758| |Restricted Reserves|||126,537||47,119| ||||**531,556**||**386,877**| For the year ending 31/3/2024 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476. The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and for the preparation of accounts. These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies' regime. They were approved by the Trustees on 3rd July 2024 and signed on their behalf by: Rahel Biddle - Treasurer Company Number: 5386801 8 ## **Home-Start Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow** ## **Notes to the Financial Statements** ## **For the year ended 31 March 2024** **________________________________________________________________________________** - **1 Accounting policies** ## **Statutory information** Home-Start Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow is a charitable company and is incorporated in England & Wales. The charity is limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The registered office is Parkway House, Room 211, Sheen Lane, East Sheen, SW14 8LS. ## **Basis of accounting** The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (Charities SORP (FRS 102), effective 1 January 2019) and the Companies Act 2006. ## **Going concern** The Trustees believe that the Charity is a going concern in accordance with Charities SORP (FRS 102), effective 1st January 2019. ## **Income** Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably. Income from government and other grants is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred. ## **Interest receivable** Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank. ## **Expenditure** Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. ## **Debtors** Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due. 9 ## **Cash at bank and in hand** Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account. ## **Creditors and provisions** Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due. ## **Financial instruments** The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method. ## **Tangible fixed assets** Depreciation is charged on a straight-line basis method over the estimated useful life of the asset. The depreciation rates in use are as follows: - office equipment 25% and computer equipment 33%. Small capital items (cost of under £500 each) are written off in the year of purchase. ## **2 Income** |**Unrestricted**
**Charitable Activities**
**£**
**Grants and Contract Income**
Achieving For Children - Family Support Services
Barnes Fund
DWP - Access to Work
Garfield Weston Foundation
Greater London Authority - Mayors Skills Grant
Hampton Fund
Home-Start UK: Empowering Women Grant
Kingston Charitable Foundation
London Borough of Hounslow - Borough Based Partnerships
London Borough of Hounslow - Early Years
London Borough of Hounslow - Family Hubs Perinatal Peer Support
London Borough of Hounslow - MINT
London Borough of Hounslow - Thriving Communities
National Lottery Community Fund
Richmond Parish Lands Charity
Royal Borough of Kingston - Community Resilience Fund
-|**Restricted**
**£**
180,000
3,500
20,000
26,985
35,500
1,750
11,066
60,000
34,944
12,000
16,115
10,000
38,500
5,072
455,432|**2024**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
180,000
180,000
3,500
-
-
366
20,000
-
26,985
-
35,500
35,000
-
4,779
1,750
970
11,066
3,689
60,000
60,000
34,944
-
12,000
12,000
16,115
-
10,000
-
38,500
35,000
5,072
-
455,432
331,803| |---|---|---| 10 |**Donations**
Barnes Charity Fashion Show
Featherstone Leigh Estate Agents
Ham Open Gardens
John Lewis Partnership/Waitrose
Kew Midsummer Fete
Teddington & The Hamptons Rotary
Other donations
Gift Aid refunded
**Other trading activities**
Fundraising and events
**Investment Income**
Bank interest
**Total Income**
**3 Expenditure**
**Raising Funds**
Staff & personnel costs
Publicity
Events & expenses
**Charitable Activities**
Staff & personnel costs
Volunteer training & support
Direct grants to families
Direct support to families and family events
Office costs
Premises costs
Affliations and fees
**Governance costs**
Management committee expenses
Other
**Total Expenditure**
**a Staff Costs**
Included within expenditure are the following staff c
Wages & salaries
Employer's national insurance
Employment allowance
Pension contributions
Consultants
Of which the following staff costs including pension
contributions and employer's national insurance
were in respect of key management personnel|**Unrestricted**
**£**
3,400
2,200
21,096
9,205
35,901
140,813
14,414
**191,128**
**Unrestricted**
**£**
99,631
250
1,694
101,575
**Unrestricted**
**£**
21,923
21,923
**Unrestricted**
**£**
1,597
771
2,368
**125,866**
osts:
**Unrestricted**
**£**
91,070
7,038
(1,202)
6,297
16,400
119,603
20,478|**Restricted**
**£**
580
580
-
**456,012**
**Restricted**
**£**
-
**Restricted**
**£**
322,094
2,270
2,390
1,068
14,116
20,838
13,818
376,594
**Restricted**
**£**
-
**376,594**
**Restricted**
**£**
269,262
22,234
(3,798)
19,227
8,200
315,125
30,717|**2024**
**£**
3,400
-
-
2,200
-
-
21,676
9,205
36,481
140,813
14,414
**647,139**
**2024**
**£**
99,631
250
1,694
101,575
**2024**
**£**
344,017
2,270
2,390
1,068
14,116
20,838
13,818
398,517
**2024**
**£**
1,597
771
2,368
**502,460**
**2024**
**£**
360,332
29,272
(5,000)
25,524
24,600
434,728
51,195|**2023**
**£**
3,500
675
6,000
334
1,094
500
19,162
9,150| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||40,415| |||||| |||||114,455| |||||| |||||3,225| |||||| |||||**489,899**| |||||**2023**
**£**
68,400
280
11,681| |||||80,361| |||||**2023**
**£**
338,615
2,539
1,815
1,980
14,609
21,548
7,463| |||||388,569| |||||**2023**
**£**
95
91| |||||186| |||||| |||||**469,116**| |||||**2023**
**£**
348,510
27,384
(5,000)
24,985
6,360| |||||402,239| |||||46,771| ## **3a Staff Costs** No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000 in the current or the previous financial year. The average number of employees of the Charity in the year was 16.2, or 10.2 full-time equivalent (FTE). In 2023, it was 17.4 staff and 10.5 FTE. 11 ## **3b Direct grants to families** Included within expenditure are the following direct grants to families that were distributed as goods, supermarket vouchers or payments made directly to the family's utility provider: |**Funds received from:**|**Grants**
**made £**| |---|---| |Isleworth & Hounslow Charity|350| |Kingston Charitable Foundation|1,750| |Surbiton Rotary|230| |The Richmond Charities(prioryear funding)|60| ||2,390| Grants were made to 4 families at an average of £598 per family. Support costs allocated to grant making activities were not material as grants were made to families already in receipt of our support. |**4 Fixed Assets**
**Office**
**Equipment**
£
**Cost**
At 1 April 2023
8,045
Additions
1,898
Disposals
-
**At 31 March 2024**
9,943
**Depreciation**
At 1 April 2023
7,574
Charge
712
Disposals
**At 31 March 2024**
8,286
**Net Book Value**
**At 31 March 2024**
**1,657**
As at 31 March 2023
471
**5 Cash at bank and in hand**
**2024**
**£**
Bank accounts
590,924
Petty cash
-
590,924
**6 Debtors**
**2024**
**£**
HMRC Gift Aid
3,483
Accrued income
16,832
Sundry debtors
1,000
21,315
**7 Creditors: amounts falling due for payment within one year**
**2024**
**£**
Trade creditors
-
Other
5,000
Total
5,000|**Computers**
**Total**
£
£
21,370
29,415
-
1,898
-
-
21,370
31,313
17,450
25,024
3,920
4,632
-
21,370
29,656
**(0)**
**1,657**
3,920
4,391
**2023**
**£**
436,148
61
436,209
**2023**
**£**
1,717
-
1,000
2,717
**2023**
**£**
-
5,759
5,759| |---|---| 12 ## **8 Income received in advance** Funding received during the current period relating to the following year |Bellinger Donnay Charitable Trust
Hampton Fund
London Borough of Hounslow
National Lottery Community Fund
Richmond Parish Lands Charity
Royal Borough of Kingston|**2024**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
5,000
-
18,750
-
11,510
3,689
-
10,000
39,270
38,500
15,000
-
89,530
52,189| |---|---| ## **9 Movement in funds** |**Restricted funds**
Home visiting and family support
**Unrestricted funds**
General fund
**Total**|**As at 31**
**March 2023**
**Income**
**Expenditure**
**Transfers**
**As at 31**
**March 2024**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
47,119
456,012
(376,594)
126,537| |---|---| ||47,119
456,012
(376,594)
0
126,537| ||339,758
191,128
(125,866)
405,020| ||**386,877**
**647,139**
**(502,460)**
**0**
**531,556**| ## **10 Description of funds** **Home Visiting and Family Support** - Funds received to further the core purpose of Home-Start Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow which is to provide a network of trained home visiting volunteers, who together with expert staff, support families with children under five years old who are experiencing challenging times. ## **11 Trustee remuneration and related party transactions** The expenses of the trustees amounting to £79 (2023: £95) in relation to costs incurred in fulfilling their duties, including for training, travel and subsistence, accommodation, equipment and other expenses were met during the year. During the year, donations were received from trustees, key management personnel and related parties, totalling £400 (2023: £7,495). No restrictions or conditions were attached to any of these donations. £8,818 (2023: £7,092) was paid to Home-Start UK to cover the annual membership levy for centralised services provided, such as branding, policy guidance and legal services. 13