2022-03-31-accounts - Street Talk

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Street Talk

Registered charity no. 1117588

Trustee’s Annual Report

April 1st 2021 - March 31st 2022

Objectives and Activities

Street Talk’s mission is to provide professional, specialised mental health care of the highest quality to women trapped in street prostitution, women who have been the victims of trafficking, or any vulnerable woman. To listen to each woman’s personal story, to enable each woman to overcome those obstacles which keep her trapped in a life of exploitation and to enable her to live in safety and with dignity. To share the learnings accrued over Street Talk’s two decades of operation with other organisations within the sector and to promote Therapy of Presence, the clinical model pioneered by Street Talk that has already enabled hundreds of vulnerable women to engage successfully with psychotherapy. To campaign and influence policy in areas relevant to Street Talk beneficiaries and to give a voice to marginalised women.

This year Street Talk has provided the following services

individual psychotherapy, in-person and remotely
individual art therapy
art therapy groups
telephone helpline
advocacy
mentoring
practical support
campaigning
onward referrals
support through court family/immigration court proceedings

In setting our objectives and planning our activities our Governors have given due regard to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance.

Quantification of Street Talk’s services is complex due to the nature of the women’s engagement, which, according to the needs of each individual, may be chaotic in the early stages, and in the long-term may be sporadic.

Over the course of the year, 141 women engaged with Street Talk (up from 125 in the previous year) and over 1900 individual contacts were recorded. Broken down (with some overlap between categories) this meant

89 women received one-to-one therapy
48 participated in group activities
11 received just practical support with a specific issue (without engaging in group or one-to-one therapy)
7 received support with asylum proceedings
5 received pro bono legal support
4 were mentored by a volunteer mentor
2 were accompanied on a five-day retreat for respite
2 children of service users took part in one-to-one art therapy

Street Talk’s model emphasises quality, long-term work over raw quantity of beneficiaries and this informs our strategy of sustainable growth. With this in mind, the observed moderate increase in number of women in contact over the period was in line with our aims.

Achievements and Performance

Each of the 141 women who had contact with Street Talk over the period has reported some positive outcome. These may include ‘hard’ such as managing addiction, exiting abusive relationships, exiting street prostitution, getting off the street and into accommodation, moving from supported accommodation to independent living, etc.

However, for many of the women, these outcomes are distant goals. Street Talk has learnt that, ‘soft’ outcomes which may seem insignificant (e.g. simply engaging with service or attending an appointment with a therapist), will, given time, eventually lead to hard outcomes.

The overall aim of Street Talk’s work is to enable women who have been brutalised to encounter their own humanity. When women feel entitled to live in safety and with dignity the hard outcomes follow. It is constantly challenging to quantify outcomes. Small acts of kindness go a long way in recovery from trauma, but they are almost impossible to measure. Below are the outcomes we have been able to measure.

None of the women who took part in one-to-one therapy or art therapy would have been able to access therapy through any conventional practitioners. All would be excluded for reasons such as addiction, homelessness, learning-difficulties, chaotic lifestyle or poor self-advocacy. The fact that around 130 vulnerable women with complex needs saw a therapist is, in and of itself, arguably Street Talk’s most significant outcome

This year we have noted an increasing number of women among our population of migrant women who have survived multiple attempts on their own life. A very significant outcome this year is not one woman who came to us following attempts on her own life has made another such attempt while in contact with a Street Talk therapist. It seems that when women have an experience of a therapist caring whether they live or die, they gradually place a value on their own life. One of our more spectacular successes this year was a woman who came to us 2 years ago having survived 5 attempts on her own life. She ended therapy with Street Talk in October having got leave to remain, independent accommodation and a place on an Access course with a view to starting university. In the relationship with her therapist, she discovered her own worth. The practical progress came from that and she took responsibility for that. We place increasing emphasis on group work where women find human contact, friendship and discover they are not alone in their suffering. Women engaging in groups have made more progress overall.

Asylum

All the women who Street Talk has been supporting through asylum proceedings have either been granted leave to remain, or are still waiting for a decision. None were deported or forced underground.

Family Proceedings

The two families who Street Talk has been supporting through family proceedings have both achieved a greater degree of contact with children.

Entry into education

One woman began a degree course in journalism and another woman began a professional development course, also in journalism. Another two women began Access courses, and four women began English language courses.

Sharing our Key Learnings

Street Talk provided consultation to five other organisations interested in incorporating therapy services modelled after Street Talk’s, into their own offering.

Street Talk has distributed literature detailing Therapy of Presence, Street Talk’s clinical model, to contacts within the charity and psychotherapy sectors.

Campaigning

Street Talk has continued to allocate more resources towards campaigning on relevant issues.

Street Talk has taken part in government consultations on topics around asylum and modern slavery, and used its platform to directly involve the women in this process where appropriate.

Street Talk shared the unique insight gained from its work with journalists and researchers.

Challenges

At the start of year Trustees identified a number of key challenges

Ensuring the mental wellbeing of Street Talk team members working closely with trauma.

All precautions are taken to prevent vicarious trauma. These include clinical supervision, limiting client load, team and peer support as well as a weather eye on all therapists.

Staff retention has been good – there was a single departure by a therapist who entered full-time education – and feedback indicates that the team feels well supported. The lesson taken is that precautions against vicarious trauma are well worth the investment of time and resources.

Finding therapists who are able to take on Street Talk complex and challenging work.

Street Talk adopted a strategy of developing closer relationships with educational institutions that are known to Street Talk to have high quality programmes. Street Talk can provide places for students on placement and in return course tutors can direct students who they believe have the correct aptitudes and interests to make good Street Talk therapists

Recruitment has been successful. Four new therapists have joined the team, three of whom came to Street Talk via links with educational institutions. The lesson learned is that Street Talk should continue with this more proactive approach to recruitment in future

Fundraising – an ongoing and now familiar challenge is that Street Talk’s work lies at the intersection of multiple areas that are ‘hard to fund’, and from necessity, Street Talk often operates in a hand-to-mouth manner.

More time was devoted to fundraising through trusts and foundations, and a particular emphasis was placed on applications for multi-year grants. This approach came to fruition and at present Street Talk has 5 active multi-year grants and is more financially stable than at any time since 2019, which allows for better planning and implementation of services.

Providing a mental health service to migrant women in the context of the ‘Hostile Environment’ immigration policies – a system seemingly designed to damage the mental health of migrants.

All Street Talk is able to do it to continue to work with women on an individual basis while contributing whatever we can to campaigns that call for a more compassionate system – to not be passive and to not feel complicit in a harmful system.

Meeting increasing demand without compromising the quality of the work and while ensuring growth is sustainable.

A new approach to recruitment was adopted and the clinical team was expanded. Monitoring a larger clinical team, which is vital to maintaining the quality of the work, necessitates even more work. New supervisors were sought and procedure for documenting contacts with clients was streamlined. Case load across the service was carefully managed.

Time was allocated to meet with other organisations to encourage incorporation of therapy services modelled on Street Talk’s and thereby help meet demand.

Awards

Street Talk was selected as the winner at the London Impact Awards (London Community Foundation, Citi) under the Collaboration category for women-led organisations going above and beyond in collaboration with other charitable organisations, statutory bodies, private sector partners, schools or other entities.

The Year Ahead

Street Talk plans to continue to offer all of the services which were provided over the past year.

Street Talk plans to continue to expand the reach of its services without compromising the quality of the work and always ensuring that growth is sustainable. Street Talk’s newest partnership (SHP / Project Kali) will continue to develop, and we expect the number of referrals to grow. A new partnership with St Mungo’s Kilburn Women’s Centre is planned where a group art therapy service has been requested.

Street Talk plans to continue to offer consultancy within the sector to promote Therapy of Presence and ultimately better meet demand for this type of service by seeding new services.

Street Talk plans to continue campaigning activity and continue to provide a voice for the women through government consultations, reports, academic research and the press when the opportunities arise.

A conference is planned for the autumn on and around the topic of how therapy can be made to work for vulnerable people and the reasons why the most vulnerable are excluded from

therapy. We hope to raise awareness of Street Talk’s work and the Therapy of Presence model, promote discussion around these topics and share Street Talk’s learnings directly with a relevant audience, and encourage other organisations that are considering incorporating therapy into their services.

Street Talk plans to continue with a more proactive recruitment strategy and to forge closer links with education. This will also link to the long-term goal for Therapy of Presence to be represented on academic syllabuses.

Financial Review

Income	£133,000
Trusts and Foundations	£91,000
Donations and Fundraising	£17,000
Major Donors	£15,000
From Solace Women’s Aid/WiSER Project	£10,000
Expenditure	£120,000
Salaries, Pensions and Tax	£86,000
Sessional Staff	£27,000
Staff and Volunteer Expenses	£3,000
Admin and Overheads	£3,000
Practical Support	£1,000
Total cash funds at end of year:	£184,000
Income secured/pledged for the upcoming year:	£117,000

Street Talk’s top funders over the period were Tudor Trust, Segelman Trust, The Aurum Charitable Trust, The London Community Foundation, and Rosa.

The Trustees are satisfied that there are no uncertainties about the charity’s abilities to continue as a going concern.

Reserves Policy

Street Talk’s policy is to aim to hold reserves equal to at least six months operating costs in order to guarantee safe cessation of therapeutic services. This figure is currently estimated to be £72,000. At the end of the year reserves were £72,000.

Structure, Governance and Management

Street Talk is a registered charity. The governing document is the Constitution. Trustees are selected by the Board.

Trustees

Aoife Ritchie Charlotte Littlewood Colleen Rhodes Keran Burris Rebecca Hammond Sophie Jones

Partnerships

Aside from external and independent referrals which saw significant growth this year, Street Talk also works in partnership with the following organisations.

Chrysalis Project (St. Mungo’s Broadway)

Two hostels exclusively for women involved in street prostitution in the London Borough of Lambeth.

St Mungo’s Safer Space

Enhanced support for women involved in street prostitution across three hostels and one drop-in centre in the London Borough of Camden.

Medaille

Hostel for women who have escaped from traffickers in East London. Street Talk takes referrals from the hostel for psychotherapy and remote one-to-one art Therapy.

Hibiscus Women’s Centre

Day centre for vulnerable women, including women involved in street prostitution, women in the criminal justice system, women who have been trafficked, asylum seekers and those who have no recourse to public funds in the London Borough of Islington.

Solace Women’s Aid / The WiSER Project

Service for hard-to-reach women who are extremely vulnerable but not able to access other women’s services, sometimes because they are from a culture where asking for help is not permitted.

Single Homeless Project / Project Kali

Housing First project offering intensive, wrap-around support to women with complex needs who have experience of homelessness.

Resource for London

Resource centre for charities in the London Borough of Islington.

HERA

Programme designed to equip women with the business skills to start a career or launch a business.

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the above report.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Rebecca Hammand Trustee 8/12/2022

No (if any) 1117588

Charity Name Street Talk

Receipts and payments accounts For the period Period start date To from 4/1/2021

Period start date Period end date To 4/1/2021 3/31/2022

Section A Receipts and payments

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds
funds funds funds
to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£
A1 Receipts
Solace Women's Aid WISER Project - 9,480 - 9,480
Donations & Fundraising 17,205 - - 17,205
Rosa Fund - 5,200 - 5,200
Aurum Trust 15,000 - - 15,000
London Community Foundation - 7,000 - 7,000
Major Donor 15,000 - - 15,000
London Catalyst - 2,000 - 2,000
Segelman Trust - 25,000 - 25,000
Royal Warrant Holders Association Charitable Fund 2,000 - - 2,000
Tudor Trust 30,000 - - 30,000
London Quaker Service Trust 5,000 - - 5,000
Family Action - 200 - 200
National Lottery Community Fund - Covid Response - - - -
CSJ Awards Prize -
London Community Response Fund - Wave 3 Covid Response -
Smallwood Trust -
Euromonitor
Bancroft Trust
Sewell Trust
St Martin-in-the-Fields
London Community Foundation - - - -
- - -
Sub total (Gross income for AR) 84,205 48,880 - 133,085
A2 Asset and investment sales, (see
table).
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - -
Total receipts 84,205 48,880 - 133,085
A3 Payments
- - - -
Volunteer & Staff Expenses 662 2,226 - 2,888
Practical Support & Beneficiary Expenses 229 1,197 - 1,425
Charity Administration, IT & Publicity 661 2,159 - 2,820
Grants Given - - - -
Sessional Staff 7,246 19,514 - 26,760
Salaries 8,813 42,055 - 50,867
Tax & National Insurance - 19,592 - 19,592
Training - 7 - 7
Pensions - 15,854 - 15,854
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total 17,611 102,604 - 120,215
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----- Start of picture text -----
A4 Asset and investment purchases,
(see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total - - - -
Total payments 17,611 102,604 - 120,215
Net of receipts/(payments) 66,594 - 53,724 - 12,870
A5 Transfers between funds - 69,456 69,456 - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 36,255 135,268 - 171,523
Cash funds this year end 33,393 151,000 - 184,393
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Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

			Unrestricted		Restricted
Categories	Details		funds		funds
B1 Cash funds		*Total cash funds*	to nearest £ - - - 33,393		to nearest £ - - - 151,000
	(agree	balances with receipts and payments account(s))	OK	OK
			Unrestricted		Restricted
			funds		funds
B2 Other monetary assets	Details		to nearest £ - - - - - -		to nearest £ - - - - - -
B3 Investment assets	Details		Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) - - - - -
B4 Assets retained for the	Details		Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) -
charity’s own use					- - - - - - - -
			Fund to which		Amount due
B5 Liabilities	Details		liability relates		- - - - - (optional)
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees		Signature	Print	Name
			Rebecca	Hammond

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CC16a
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Last year

to the nearest £

9,000 14,409 5,000 15,000 7,000 7,000 - 20,000 - - 5,000 15,578 44,035 10,000 9,700 13,486 7,500 1,000 1,000 150 15,150 - 200,008

200,008

1,569 4,192 2,869 2,801 23,920 48,681 13,948 75 42,930 - - - - - - - - - - 140,985

140,985 59,023 - - 59,023

Endowment funds to nearest £

OK

Endowment funds to nearest £

Current value (optional)

When due (optional)

Date of approval 12/8/2022

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner s Report Rert to thg trustevsl JTRECT T4 L On accounts for the year ended 31 03.1012 Charity no (rf any IIIPT) 8 charty (Ihe Tr ts tre ended Rmponslbllltles and As the charity trustees of the Tnjst, you are responsiue for the Preparation basis of report ol the aCCnts in a¢c<Xdan ith the requirwnenls of the Charities Act 2011 W. I repNI #i respect ol my exaMwWi of the Twsl's awwnts out under seclM)n 145 of the 2011 Act and in out rny eInaln, I under section 145151(b) of the Act. Indepondent examlrnfs Slatomo COFiie to my attent (ts than that dSed ") Hi t<)nnecn with the exaMWl10n whiclj gives me cause to believe that in. any material the Act . Plea délet8 Ihe in the brnckets rf they do not appfy. Signed: 8.12. ££ W$1*4S qualfficallon(s) or body rrf any)= ÈA AAT. IER October 2018