## **SHINE Mentoring |Annual Report** **Report and Financial statements for year ended 31[st] August 2024** SHINE Mentoring Registered as a charity in England and Wales: 1124105 www.shinementoring.org.uk **SHINE Mentoring** Charity registered number: 1124105 Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31[st] August 2024 ## **Business address and postcode:** 30 The Quadrangle Cambridge Square London W2 2RN ## **Business email address:** admin@shinementoring.org.uk ## **Trustees** Shafaq Adnan Chair shafaq@shinementoring.org.uk Shivani Shah Treasurer shivani@shinementoring.org.uk Nafisa Ladha Trustee nafisa@shinementoring.org.uk Tara Sule Trustee tara@shinementoring.org.uk ## **Bankers:** HSBC Business – Community account SHINE Mentoring Registered as a charity in England and Wales: 1124105 www.shinementoring.org.uk ## **Annual Report** ## **1.1 Introduction** SHINE Mentoring is pleased to provide its annual and financial report for 2023/2024. SHINE Mentoring is a not-for-profit community intervention organisation registered as a charity in England and Wales. The organisation delivers a mentoring programme within the London Borough of Southwark. Annually, SHINE provides approximately 30-40 university student volunteers to mentor children aged 9-11 in a local primary school, providing both academic and pastoral support. Set up in 2004, the organisation has to date provided more than 1,800 volunteer mentors to local schools. SHINE Mentoring has been recognised both within London and on the national stage as a successful grassroots initiative receiving a Southwark Community Award and a Gold Award from Student Volunteering England. The organisation also received the Approved Provider Standard for Mentoring and Befriending in 2014. The specific methods by which SHINE Mentoring delivers its business aims are: 1. Recruiting, training and supporting university student volunteers to become mentors 2. Working with schools to provide each child with targeted support designed to meet individual development needs identified by their teachers 3. Raising aspirations of local children for further and higher education through mentoring and a programme of events including university visits and career activities 4. Supporting volunteers in their professional development through supported volunteer placements and a programme of training events 5. Supporting research and quality improvement activity concerning educational support for children and university students Notably, to date all of its activity has been conducted through voluntary activity by its operational staff, with none of its budget required for salary or wage support. ## **1.2 Constitutional structure** SHINE Mentoring was established to increase support for children in inner London schools through mentoring. During the 2019/2020 financial year, SHINE Mentoring changed its structure to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and adopted a foundation model constitution on 27[th] February 2020. There have been no constitutional changes in 2021/2022. The objects of the CIO is: - To advance the education of schoolchildren in London by the provision of mentors The activities of the organisation in this reporting year have all been in pursuit of these objects. SHINE Mentoring Registered as a charity in England and Wales: 1124105 www.shinementoring.org.uk ## **1.3 Organisational structure** The organisation is led by the Board of Trustees. The trustees are responsible for meeting the requirements of the Charity Commission and other relevant bodies, for developing the overarching strategy of the organisation and for volunteer supervision and the provision of training. Trustees are appointed for a period of three years (as of the date of adoption of the CIO structure). After this point **,** trustees can stand for reappointment for up to three consecutive terms after which the trustee must stand down for a period of at least one year before appointment can be considered again. In addition, trustees have specific remits within the organisation. Dr Shafaq Adnan is the Chair and leads relations with external organisations including schools. Dr Shivani Shah is the Treasurer and leads the financial governance and management. Dr Nafisa Ladha is the lead for Child Protection and is responsible for the organisation maintaining high standards of working with children. Dr Tara Sule is the Secretary and Fundraising Lead. Decisions are made jointly by the board and need to be agreed by a simple majority of all the trustees, with the Chair having the casting vote in the event of no clear majority. All members of the Trustee Board have a role description which outlines individual roles and responsibilities. Roles are reviewed annually. Collectively, the responsibility of the board is to: _1._ Ensure the charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit _2._ Comply with the charity’s governing document and the law _3._ Act in the charity’s best interests _4._ Manage the charity’s resources responsibly _5._ Act with reasonable care and skill _6._ Ensure the charity is accountable The day-to-day running of the mentoring programmes is achieved by a team of committee members who are trained and supported by the Board of Trustees. These volunteers are experienced volunteer mentors having completed both the mentor and Team Leader roles. Committee members lead the annual recruitment strategy, provide induction training, are the first point of contact for schools and volunteer mentors, and organise events including the end-of-year Celebration Events. Committee members also provide training and support to the Team Leaders, and individual volunteers. SHINE Mentoring Registered as a charity in England and Wales: 1124105 www.shinementoring.org.uk ## **1.4 Fundraising** SHINE Mentoring fundraising is performed solely for public benefit, that is, for the advancement of educational support for children through the provision of mentors. Funds are raised through competitive grant applications made to organisations working to achieve similar objectives. SHINE Mentoring operates with an ethos of value for money and therefore has successfully remained entirely volunteer-led since its inception in 2004. The greatest cost to the organisation are in support of project activities, most commonly education events including the annual celebration events and volunteer training. Other annual costs include project insurance. ## **1.5 Governance** All members (trustees and volunteers) have completed their annual mandatory training including safeguarding training. Risk assessment of all SHINE activities have been undertaken this year as required. There have been no safeguarding concerns or adverse events reported to the charity. In November 2020, the organisation underwent reassessment for the Approved Provider Standard for Mentoring and Befriending. As part of this process, we reviewed all our policies and updated these where necessary. We terminated our registration with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) during the 2020/2021 financial year as we were unable to increase the volume of our submissions to meet their minimum required number of applications per year. Since the termination of our registration, we have utilised the services of an Umbrella Body to carry out our DBS checks. ## **1.6 Public benefit** This work benefits the people of the London Borough of Southwark through greater education support for children who are of an age group approaching a significant life transition as they prepare to move to secondary school. Mentors are able to provide children with a positive role model and pastoral support in addition to providing support with their learning within the classroom. Through professional development events, volunteering opportunities and targeted support, SHINE Mentoring also supports students in developing professional and life skills essential for their own learning and for the workplace after graduation. ## **1.7 Impact of COVID-19 pandemic** The direct operational impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on SHINE Mentoring was minimal during the reporting period. The charity delivered face-to-face mentoring at its participating school. Organisational activities, including trustee meetings, committee meetings and mentor interviews, continued to be conducted remotely where appropriate, enabling the charity to operate efficiently and effectively. SHINE Mentoring Registered as a charity in England and Wales: 1124105 www.shinementoring.org.uk ## **2.1 Strategic Aims for 2024/2025** Our strategic aims for the coming year are to review the future delivery of the mentoring programme(s), strengthen relationships with existing and prospective partner schools, and explore opportunities to establish new school partnerships. ## **2.2 Future plans** We will explore opportunities to establish new partnerships with local schools to support the future delivery of the mentoring programme. We will also review the charity's delivery model to ensure it remains sustainable and responsive to the needs of potential partner schools and the children we aim to support. We will review opportunities for the future delivery of the mentoring programme, including the development of new partnerships with local schools. The charity will continue to assess how best to deliver its charitable objectives in a sustainable and effective manner. SHINE Mentoring Registered as a charity in England and Wales: 1124105 www.shinementoring.org.uk ## **Financial Report** ## **3.1 Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves** SHINE Mentoring raises funds to enable the organisation to undertake activities in pursuit of its objects. The mainstay of its charitable income/funding is from project grants from a variety of sources. Each grant received is applied for with a rigorously set out budget that is adhered to for each cost incurred and reported back to the grant provider. Any planned change in spending resulting from changes occurring to the project or the circumstances in which the charity operates are communicated to the grant holder and permission sought before any changes in spending outside the agreed budget occurs. Grant budgets include both project grants and core running costs. Many grants are paid in instalments once the provider is satisfied that the projects and the financial outlay is in keeping with that proposed. Thus individual projects are funded to a capped level as per the grant received. ## **3.2 Details of any funds materially in deficit** SHINE Mentoring is not in deficit. ## **3.3 Further financial review details** SHINE Mentoring did not receive any new sources of funding over the last year. ## **3.4 Financial summary** SHINE Mentoring Registered as a charity in England and Wales: 1124105 www.shinementoring.org.uk