2025-03-31-accounts

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Annual Report and Financial Statement for

FAMILY EQUIP

registered as a charitable incorporated organisation in England and Wales

Charity number 1112769

Year ending 31 March 2025

FAMILY EQUIP

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS
Legal and Administrative details	3
Report of the Trustees	4
Independent Examiner’s Report	8
Statement of Financial Activities	9
Balance Sheet	10
Notes forming part of the financial statements	11

FAMILY EQUIP

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LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Charity name:	Family Equip
Address of Charity:	c/o St Philip’s Church Centre
	Manor Road
	Dorridge
	Solihull
	B93 8DX
Charity Registration No.	1112769
Trustees	Rebecca Kiddoo (Chair)
	Stephen Bates (Secretary)
	David Wort
	Peter Brett
	Laura Bates
	Debby Allen
Advisors:	Heather Cole
	Chloe Aldridge
	Adam Partridge
	Alex Manners
	Tracy Inman
	Marilynn Wort
	Lorraine Mills
Bankers:	Metro Bank
	One Southampton Row
	London
	WC1B 5HA
Independent examiner	Gary Holland FCA
	44 Rowney Croft
	Hall Green
	Birmingham
	B28 0PL

FAMILY EQUIP

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2025

Structure, governance and management

Family Equip was registered as a company limited by guarantee in October 2005 and this company was registered as a charity in January 2006. The charity was converted to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in November 2023. A team of Trustees and Advisors manages the charity. We pay sessional workers who supervise play activities in our therapeutic clubs.

The company was constituted under a Memorandum and Articles of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and was governed under its Articles of Association. Subsequently, the Charitable Incorporated Organisation adopted a ‘foundation’ model constitution. Under this constitution, the members of the CIO have no liability to contribute to the assets of the CIO if it is wound up, and no personal responsibility for settling its debts and liabilities.

All Trustees and volunteers adhere to the Faithworks Charter. Part of this charter states:

We will develop a professional approach to management, practice and funding by:

1. Implementing a management structure, which fosters and encourages participation by staff at all levels to facilitate the vision of Family Equip.

2. Setting and reviewing measurable outcomes: regularly evaluating our management structure. We will recognise the need for organisational flexibility and the good stewardship of resources.

3. Doing all we can to ensure that we are not over dependant on any one source of funding.

4. Implementing best practice in terms of Health and Safety and Safeguarding in order to protect our staff and volunteers and clients.

5. Handling our funding in a transparent and accountable way and to give relevant people from outside Family Equip reasonable access to our accounts.

Risk Management

Family Equip has given particular attention to issues surrounding the safeguarding of children and our Safeguarding policy has been updated and was agreed by trustees during 2021.

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A resolution was signed on 10 April 2006 requiring all cheques to require two signatures for sums over £50.

All volunteers agree to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service for a DBS Check.

As more volunteers undertake family support work, we will need to give attention within our training to lone working and health and safety matters. All volunteers will be reminded of our personal responsibilities when transporting children or adults in our cars on any occasion when this is necessary. A recording system has been introduced as a safeguarding measure to confirm who is picking up the young people from the clubs. Parents have now become familiar with the system.

Family Equip takes out annual insurance from Howden Professionals. This covers public liability, professional indemnity, liable and slander and any civil liability other than as described above.

Indemnity Limit: £1,500,000. (£10,000,000 Public Liability)

Professional Services: covered are our counselling, support, advocacy, stress management and therapeutic groups including, where applicable, the provision of supervision and training in these activities.

Cover is provided by Beazley Lloyds syndicate AFB 2623/623.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

The Trustees are appointed by consideration of their expertise in their field and their known contribution to the objects of the charity. Appointments are considered by the full Board and the skills mix of the Board is kept under regular review and are supported by a team of advisors whose skills are complementary to the Trustees.

Objects of Charity

The purpose of our charity is to preserve and protect the health and advance the education of families with mental health problems, development disorders and behaviour difficulties. We do this through a variety of voluntary activities.

Activities

• Telephone helpline

• Family support work

• Support group for parents and parenting training

• Therapeutic clubs, workshops for understanding anger, loss, anxiety and selfconfidence

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Summary of Developments from April 2024 to March 2025

Staffing - Change of Trustees

We were saddened to hear of the terminal diagnosis of David Wort who founded the charity (and his subsequent death in April 2025). There has been much discussion to see how the charity continues without his expertise.

Work Supporting Families

During this period we continued to receive regular phone requests for support related to emotional challenges and more serious mental health issues.

The team continued to work closely with community services particularly family support through local councils and SOLAR (CAMHS) council funded work supporting children and young people with mental health challenges

Befrienders

The befrienders answer the Family Equip phone on set days, record any referrals or pass on information to volunteers. The aim is to allow a family to feel connected to the community through Family Equip and less isolated and lost in the system. These are requests are then followed up as appropriate. These befrienders adhere to Family Equip’s confidentiality policy.

Work Supporting Children

Therapeutic work

Following the Covid pandemic, parents and young people have been reluctant to engage with the therapeutic clubs. We have held several family night activities in an effort to remove this barrier. These have had limited success.

Work has been undertaken on our website and Facebook pages to raise our profile in the community.

The 16+ group continues to meet regularly and benefit from their interaction.

Fundraising

The Trustees recognise the vital way our charity supports the lives of vulnerable young people. As a result, we have sought to build up enough reserves to run our services.

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We have received significant donations from the following:

• MAPP - Mapp is a property management specialist for Fraser Property UK and they are responsible for Blythe Valley Business Park. They have continued to support Family Equip through various activities throughout the year.

• We received a gift of £2,000 from an alumni of Family Equip following David’s death.

• Our regular donors provide approximately £230 each month.

FAMILY EQUIP

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES

I report on the accounts of the CIO to the year ended 31 March 2025, which are set out on pages 9-13.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under s144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is needed.

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

• examine the accounts under s. 145 of the Charities Act 2011;

• follow the procedures laid down in the general directions given by the Charity Commission under s. 145(5)(b) of the Act (as amended); and

• state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes

consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanation from you as trustees concerning such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect:

• the accounting records were not kept in accordance with s. 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.

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

G. P. Holland FCA

FAMILY EQUIP

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

For Year Ended 31 March 2025

	Restricted	Restricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Total Funds	Total Funds
	Funds 2025		Funds	2025	2025	2024
INCOMING RESOURCES
from generated fund:
Voluntary income:
Donations and grants		-		6900	6900	9899
from charitable activities:
Grants and contracts		-		-	-	-
Interest received		-		-	-	-
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES		-		6900	6900	9899
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Charitable activities
Therapeutic Clubs					2823	2564
Family Support Services					-	1207
Training					-	-
Governance Costs		-		-	205	804
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED		-		-	3028	4575
NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING) RESOURCES					3871	5324
Total funds brought forward					23090	17766
Total funds carried forward					26961	23090

FAMILY EQUIP

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BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2025

	Note	2025	2024
Fixed assets – tangible	5	-	-
Cash at bank		26961	23090
Creditors deferred income		-	-
Net Assets		26961	23090
Charity funds
Unrestricted funds		26961	23090
Restricted fund		-	-
Total funds		26961	23090

The charity is exempt from audit under the terms of the Charities Act. These financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and were signed on their behalf by:

Date:

Rebecca Kiddoo Chair of Trustees

The notes on the following pages form part of these financial statements.

FAMILY EQUIP

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1. Accounting policies

The principal accounting policies are summarised below. The accounting policies have been applied consistently throughout the period.

a. Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention unless otherwise specified within these accounting policies and in accordance with Section 1A of Financial Reporting Standard 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities (effective January 2015).

b. Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.

c. Restricted funds

Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes laid down by the grant-making body or donor.

d. Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

• Voluntary income including donations and grants that provide core funding or are of a general nature are recognised where there is entitlement, certainty of receipt and the amount can be measured with sufficient reliability. Such income is only deferred when:

• the donor specifies that the grant or donation must only be used in future accounting periods; or

• the donor has imposed conditions which must be met before the charity has unconditional entitlement.

• The value of services provided by volunteers has not been included in these accounts.

e. Resources expended

Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be recovered and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates:

• Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.

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• Administration expenditure includes overhead costs incurred in operating the charity. They include insurance, telephone and accounting costs.

f. Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are depreciated on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives, commencing in the year of acquisition, as follows:

Equipment 25%

2. Related Party Transactions

The charity’s trustees were not paid or reimbursed expenses during the period and no charity trustee received any emolument or payment for professional or other services.

3. Trustee Remuneration and Expenses

No remuneration or expenses directly or indirectly out of the funds of the charity were paid or payable for the year to any trustee or to any person or person known to be connected to them.

4. Taxation

The company is a regulated charity and no provision is considered necessary for taxation.

5. Tangible Fixed Assets

Equipment

	Equipment
Cost
As at 1 April 2024	-
Additions	-
As at 31 March 2025	-
Depreciation
As at 1 April 2024	-
Additions	-
As at 31 March 2025	-
Note book value
As at 1 April 2024	-
Additions	-
As at 31 March 2025	-