**Annual Report and Financial Statements For the Year ended 31st March 2024** **Charity Number: 1128325 Company Number: 06782971** **Because childhood can’t wait** ## **Home-Start Elmbridge** **Annual Report and Financial Statements For the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **Home-Start Elmbridge** **Charity House, 1 The Quintet, Churchfield Road, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey KT12 2TZ** **T: 07731 861598** **E: enquiries@home-start-elmbridge.org.uk** **W: www.homestartelmbridge.org.uk** **facebook.com/HomeStartElmbridge** **twitter.com/hselmbridge** **instagram.com/home_start_elmbridge** **Registered Charity No. 1128325** **Company Registration No. 06782971** **Home-Start Elmbridge Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **Report of the Trustees for the Year to 31 March 2024** ## **A - OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES** Home-Start Elmbridge (HSE) is an independent family support charity serving vulnerable families in the local community. Any family can be referred to Home-Start for assistance, primarily those with at least one child under five, although we also offer support services for older children. Our support is free, confidential, non-judgmental, and tailored to each family’s pace. Our unique approach involves carefully matching trained and supported volunteers, all with significant parenting experience, to families facing challenging times. We collaborate with other agencies to provide high-quality support that is both flexible and responsive to the needs of these families. Home-Start Elmbridge, one of over 160 nationwide, is an independent charity affiliated with Home-Start UK. We adhere to their aims, ethos, guidelines, policies, methods, training, and quality assurance processes. In 2023-2024, we supported 196 families with the help of 76 volunteers, offering various specialized groups, including crèche facilities, a drop-in café, one-to-one counselling, and crisis support. Emergency grants from Walton Charities enabled us to provide practical assistance to families in crisis, such as white goods, baby supplies, food vouchers, school uniforms, and care packages. Throughout the year, we also helped families manage the energy crisis by distributing energy vouchers as needed. Our staff received training in delivering Money Management courses, equipping us to offer this advice to the families we support. Additionally, we continued to assist Afghan refugees who relocated to Elmbridge last year through our weekly parent and toddler group. 3 | P a g e **Home-Start Elmbridge Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **Our main objectives are:** - To safeguard, protect and preserve the good health, both mental and physical, of children and parents of children. - To prevent cruelty to or maltreatment of children, physically or emotionally. - To support families where they are dealing with sickness and/or disabilities. - To improve children’s outcomes through reducing poverty and isolation in families where the financial gap has a big impact. - To educate parents and make the public more aware of the importance of child welfare and upbringing, within Elmbridge. - To provide an enabling support increasing the confidence and independence of parents, strengthening relationships with their children, and widening their links with the local community. - To provide a non-judgmental and confidential service to all families with full respect for culture and race. - To be inclusive to all families arriving in Elmbridge regardless of culture or residence status. ## **Public Benefit Statement** We primarily offer support to families with a child under 11 years old and living in Elmbridge. Families are referred to us by health visitors, social workers, schools, and other early help professionals. Families increasingly self-refer, often through recommendation of friends or social media. We work with a broad community of diverse families across Elmbridge inclusive of background, culture, and race. Support is bespoke and holistic to include all family members, often provided through regular visits by a volunteer supported by specialised groups, parenting courses and specialised, counselling and crisis work. We continuously assess the needs of the Elmbridge community and their ability to assess appropriate support services. We assess the services available and what services our families require. Our activities provide public benefit to the Elmbridge community by: - Reducing family isolation and increasing social support networks. - Strengthening parent – child relationships/bond/attachment. - Improving parents’ physical health and emotional well-being. - Developing and improving parenting skills. - Improving the home environment. - Improving children’s health, well-being, and development. - Increasing access to health, education, and community services for all. **“Home-Start's support helped me to get out of my house, it made me stop being so isolated. The support gave me access to things that I didn't even know existed.”** 4 | P a g e **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **Home-Start Elmbridge** ## **B - STRUCTURE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT** The Charity is governed by a board of Trustee Directors who undertake induction training provided by Home-Start UK. New Trustee Directors are introduced into the organisation by interview and a structured induction process. This ensures that each member has the necessary qualities, skills, and knowledge to help govern and lead the scheme effectively. All board members are volunteers drawn from the local community and are responsible for a specific area to support the staff and ensure effective management of the organisation. Ongoing specialised training is provided. Trustee Directors are subject to re-election at least every three years. When nominating new Trustee Directors, care is taken to identify what experience, expertise and contact will be most helpful and to ensure reasonable diversity. Day-to-day management of the charity is the responsibility of the Director, who is responsible for the management of staff and the training and supervision of our volunteers. The charity’s staff consists of a Director, a Senior Family Coordinator and a team of Support Coordinators who are involved in the recruitment, preparation, and support of the group of volunteers who directly support the families. The work of the charity is supported by a Charity Support Officer and funding and finance by a highly skilled Development Officer. In addition, the team also co-ordinate crisis support work, specialist carer support work, group work, and counselling services. ## **Risk Management Statement** The Trustee Directors recognise and accept their responsibility for ensuring that the risks to which Home-Start Elmbridge may be exposed are reviewed and that appropriate steps are taken to mitigate against any potential damage by use of appropriate preventative controls and corrective actions. Trustee Directors are aware of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice and accept the requirement, in relation to all aspects of the organisation, for regular assessments of operating strengths and weakness. Risk management is incorporated into regular Board meetings and the yearly audits of the governing Home-Start UK policies. For the main risk areas i.e., Finance, Safeguarding, Volunteers, Employee Well-being and Health & Safety, the audit outcomes are submitted to the HSE board by the Chair, Director, and accountable trustee. Any outstanding actions that need to be implemented to mitigate a risk are put in place and progress on these items is tracked. The implementation of these procedures has been designed to minimise any potential impact on the charity should any of those risks materialise. 5 | P a g e **Home-Start Elmbridge Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **C - ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE** ## **a) - Director’s Report** 2023-24 was a year where Home-Start Elmbridge saw a dramatic increase in families requesting support with children with additional needs diagnosis and families discovering not only the additional demands this placed but the change in their direction. I believe the poem by Emily Perl Kingsley, ‘Welcome to Holland’ describes some of the feelings families feel, extract below. _After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The flight attendant comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."_ _"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."_ ## **© 1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley** ## **All rights reserved** ## **Reprinted by permission of the author** We continue to provide a holistic package of support incorporating peer-to-peer support, counselling service, crisis support, volunteer weekly home visiting support and carer family support work. We have introduced feedback weeks, looking at different methods of hearing the voice of not only the parents/carers but also the children, both verbal and non-verbal. Additionally, these weeks look to increase the feedback from volunteers and referrers to enable Home-Start Elmbridge to continually evaluate the service. From the feedback we receive, it is clear that we continue to provide appropriate support to families which enables them and has a positive impact for families now and in the future. Feedback examples: _“An essential support and a listening ear when times were tough”_ _“1. Less isolated, helping with trust issues, that there are people who genuinely care. 2. Respite from intensity of my son’s demands. 3.My son learning more about visitors, regulating his excitement and playing nicely.”_ _“Home start has made a big difference not only to me but also to my family! It is the first time I have ever had someone to turn to, to ask any questions about raising a child, to get help and support to find nursery, or even just to talk about daily life issue and especially to feel that someone does care about you and can be there to help, even when the partner shamelessly always put all burden on my shoulder.”_ This year has seen Home-Start Elmbridge look more deeply at Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Our vision for Home-Start Elmbridge is to be part of a network of charities where every family, every volunteer, every member of staff and every supporter, funder and partner feels welcomed, included and valued as part of the Home-Start movement. None of the above would be possible without an outstanding team of 10 staff, with an average number of years’ service supporting Elmbridge families of 10 years. As always, the team attend courses for continuous professional development (CPD) and work in close partnership with both statutory and voluntary agencies. The family support team have specialists in several areas including 6 | P a g e ## **Home-Start Elmbridge** ## **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** education, fostering and adoption, SEND and counselling. Our back-office staff are the backbone of the organisation and without their experience Home-Start Elmbridge would not be able to adapt and fund the service so swiftly and quickly to provide the support for families. Myself, I have worked passionately for Home-Start Elmbridge for over 16 years as I believe the ethos of Home-Start, providing support in the early years is essential to long term positive futures for our children. I continue to work closely with the various boards in Elmbridge and Surrey to help shape the services and provide a voice for children and their families. I have a passion for ensuring children and their families receive support early with the aim to allow children to flourish and achieve their full potential Without the 73 volunteers supported during 2023-24, including 14 new volunteers who attended a 6-week training course, Home-Start Elmbridge could not support families. Home-Start Elmbridge feel it is vital that volunteers feel valued and supported and provide continued opportunity for further training. Volunteers reported after training we provided: _“Really enjoyed the course. It was interesting and informative. The opportunity to meet different staff members was very welcome. I particularly enjoyed getting to know my fellow volunteers. The course seemed to be the ideal length. The safeguarding training was excellent.”_ _“A lot of information covered quite quickly but it was concise and to the point. Efficient.”_ The Home-Start model is a cost-efficient model which in times of tight budgets and limited or no statutory funding available ensures children and their family receives the support they require. The band of 73 volunteers last year includes an outstanding governing board which is led by a highly efficient and dedicated Chair, Kathy Clark who ensures the governance of the charity is excellent. The board comprises of volunteers who have experience and specialise in their skill, finance, HomeStart Elmbridge home visiting volunteering, PR and social media, safeguarding, governance and risk and a parent who has experiencing in utilising Home-Start Elmbridge’s services. We are fortunate to have members on the board who show a high level of dedication and enthusiasm and share the passion the staff and I have in supporting families. 7 | P a g e **Home-Start Elmbridge** **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **b) - Chair’s Report** 2023 marked 50 years since our founder Margaret Harrison set up the very first Home-Start. Margaret’s founding ethos was that the best way to give children the strongest start in life is to offer families friendly, volunteer-led support in their own homes. Simple, yet so powerful. The celebrations surrounding the 50-year campaign has truly brought home to us the need for the Home-Start support services. These have developed over the decades, but Margaret’s ethos remains at the heart of what we do. This year has seen major financial challenges primarily due to reduced government funding which has led to more competition for the funds available from local councils and funding providers. The knock-on effect on both the statutory services, and other charities who provide family and children support, has created an unforeseen increase in the need for our services. The financial crisis we were facing towards the end of 2023 led to a joint consultation between trustees and senior staff, resulting in the formation of a business continuity plan that could be mobilised should our reserves fall to a certain level. Action was avoided due to a significant donation in the final month of the financial year. Our reserves and cashflow will continue to be constantly monitored. This was a difficult time as referrals were growing and there was an increasing demand for our support for families. I’m extremely proud of the working relationship between our board and staff, with ongoing support from all the trustees allowing Home-Start Elmbridge to operate in a balanced way, managing our resources in terms of volunteers, staff capacity and financial resources. A Fundraising subcommittee was set up in response to the financial concerns at the end of last year, made up of both staff members and trustees. However, we are always aware that whatever difficulties we face as a charity, they are nothing compared with the challenges faced by most of the families whom we support. Further sub-committees covering EEDI, Finance and Safeguarding are also in place which again involve the staff and trustees working together. I am privileged to have a board of trustees who are committed to this organisation and always go ‘that extra mile’ to support myself, the staff, and our volunteers. We have an excellent spread of knowledge and experience. This year we welcomed 2 new trustees to the board bringing a wealth of experience in terms of governance and communications and they have made an effective contribution to the team in helping manage our risks and moving forward on some of our strategic projects. An exciting development has been “Dad Matters” which we launched last year in partnership with two other Surrey Home-Starts. Obtaining funding to move this forward has been a challenge, however there is a 3-year plan to tackle this with an immediate action plan being agreed with the support of the other Home-Start Surrey schemes. I would like to thank those who have been so very loyal in funding us in the past, they are vital to our being able to fulfil our mission. We are so grateful for the commitment and support from our patron, Ruth Langsford, who continues to be instrumental in helping us increase our profile and securing alternative funding avenues. We have also been nominated as the Mayor of Elmbridge’s Charity of choice for 2024-25 and I extend my heartfelt thanks to Neil Houston & his wife Veronica for their support. I want to thank Carol Hodges and her fabulous team. They should be very proud of what they achieve year-in year-out and the testimonials they receive from so many families are heart-warming and humbling. And, finally, we thank everyone providing your support in so many ways. It is never taken for granted and it is always received with our gratitude and thanks! 8 | P a g e **Home-Start Elmbridge** **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **D – FUNDRAISING** As an organization, we benefited from a diverse range of income sources, with various funders continuing to support our efforts. We maintain excellent relationships with all our funders, most of whom are long-term supporters who appreciate and respect the quality of our services. Our existence relies on the generosity of our funders and donors. We extend our heartfelt thanks not only to the main grant funding bodies but also to the many local organizations and individuals who have generously supported us throughout the year. We would especially like to thank: Bentley Rachel Lucas Central Surrey Voluntary Action Rochills, Walton-on-Thames Church of the Holy Name, Esher Sable Interiors Community Foundation for Surrey Saputo Dairy UK Co-op Local Community Fund Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust Councillor Ashley Tilling Spurgeons Charity Elmbridge Borough Council St Faith's Trust Elmbridge Choir St James Church, Weybridge Georgie Hill Stripey Stork Harry Wilkinson Surrey County Council Henry Smith Charity TY Danjuma Family Office Limited KFC Foundation Waitrose & Partners Esher, Hersham and Weybridge Lidl Toy Bank Trust Walsingham Care Nicky Mangold Walton Charity PA Housing Weybridge Land Charity Peter Harrison Foundation Weybridge WI Postcode Society Trust 9 | P a g e **Home-Start Elmbridge** **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **E – FINANCIAL REVIEW** The accounts for the year to 31 March 2024 are shown on pages 13 to 17, preceded by the report of the Independent Examiner. Income for the year was £296,569 (2023: £128,706) and Expenditure was £249,092 (2023: £214,293). This resulted in an increase in reserves of £47,477 (2023: deficit £85,587). Reserves as of 31 March 2024 were £191,407 (2023: £143,930) in total, split into £128,640 (2023: £114,701) of Unrestricted Reserves and £62,767 (2023: £29,229) of Restricted Reserves. This year saw major new funding from Henry Smith start on 1[st] October 2023 for 3 years, and together with continued support from local charities Walton Charities and the Community Foundation for Surrey, grants income almost doubled compared to 2023. We also received a significant donation in March this year which boosted funds further. Higher staff costs were due both to a cost-of-living pay rise as well as the appointment of a Dad Matters co-ordinator. The higher “Family Activities / Support” costs reflect the increased number of projects being run to support family needs. ## **F – TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES** Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charity at the end of the year and of the incoming and outgoing resources for the year then ended. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are required to select appropriate accounting policies and then apply them consistently, making judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. The trustees must also prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue its activities. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006 and SORP FRS 102. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. ## **Small company provisions** This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under the Companies Act 2006 and SORP FRS 102. ## **Approved by the Trustee Directors on 5[th] September 2024 and signed on their behalf by** ## **K Clark Trustee Director and Chair** For and on Behalf of the Trustees 10 | P a g e **Home-Start Elmbridge** **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **G - REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION DETAILS** ## **Legal status** Home-Start Elmbridge is a Company Limited by Guarantee (06782971) and a Registered Charity (1128325). It was incorporated on the 5[th ] of January 2009 and is governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association. The registered address is: 1 Quintet, Churchfield Road, Walton on Thames, Surrey KT12 2TZ ## **Management Committee** **Trustees and Directors:** Kathleen Clark Independent Appointed April 2021, Chair Sally Blackwood Independent Appointed May 2019, Treasurer Nicky Mangold Independent Appointed February 2017, Volunteers Elizabeth Jones Independent Appointed January 2022, Safeguarding, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Staff Wellbeing Sherrie Beckett Independent Appointed February 2023, Families Jeremy Sharples Independent Appointed September 2023, Governance & Risk Eleanor Miller Independent Appointed November 2023, PR & Marketing Resigned: _Heather Horler Independent September 2023, PR & Marketing_ In accordance with the charitable company’s Articles of Association S.Blackwood and E. Jones retire by rotation and offer themselves for re-election at the Annual General Meeting. ## **Advisor to the Trustees:** Neil Clark Independent GDPR and Information Technology Rod Horler Independent HR and Employment Law **Company Secretary** Ann Charlton Independent Appointed February 2022 ## **Independent Examiner** Jackson-Scott Associates Limited, 100 Gilders Road, Chessington, KT9 2AN ## **Bankers** CAF Bank Limited, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ 11 | P a g e **Home-Start Elmbridge Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **’ - Independent examiner s report to the Trustees of Home Start Elmbridge.** I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of Home-Start Elmbridge for the year ended 31[st] March 2024. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the charity Trustees of the Charity you 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** If the Charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of The Association of Accounting Technicians which is one of the listed bodies. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records. 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. Angela Eden FMAAT ATT(Fellow) - 13 August 2024 12 | P a g e Home-start Elmbridge Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31. March 2024 MOME-START ELMBRIDGE Stat*￿Qnt￿Nnar￿aI ALtMtl•6 IlnrluthThJ Incarn• aTrd Exp•ndltsr• A(C4￿nt) Forth• Y••r ETrded 31 Marth 2024 Notes Unrestrlcted Funds Restrkted Fund5 2024 2023 IntomlniA•sourt Grnnts Ihcome (h)naiions Fund-Ral* irterest Income 67,592 60,735 5W7 2,476 159,959 227,551 114,798 60,735 10,414 5.807 2.434 Z.476 i.Df4) T•tsi Incw• 136.610 159.959 196.569 128.706 A￿urt*S Expend Charikble Costs Staff costs Famlv Arthrtlesl Supwt Voluoteer Costs 45.222 139,448 124,374 32,195 23,458 1,479 1,358 32,195 2N79 Ttytal Charftable Costs 47.701 126.421 174.121 149.190 Funth*isih8 C4)Sts Staff Costs Othwcosts 14,396 105 24,501 24,396 105 24,501 19.412 T￿11 FundrnisiN4 Cos1S 19,412 Adfflkn15tratlon Supwrt Costs Stsff Costs 15.716 15.716 13.9ts) 16.029 3.202 1.622 50,469 14.974 11,8IK) 15,284 2.298 1,335 45,691 16.029 3,202 1.622 50,469 HtsmÈ-Start Fét Audit *nd Attourtih8 Totsi Admin and Support Costs Totsl Resour¢es Expended 121,671 126.421 249,092 214.293 Net tra05fertollfrtynl Reserye5 13,939 47,477 185.5871 Total fundsatOIA4rf1202J 114.701 29.229 143.gao 229,517 Tot*lfunds*t 31 M*rth 1024 128,640 62.767 191.407 143,930 **Home-Start Elmbridge** ## **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** The Trustee Directors are satisfied that the Charity is entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. The Trustee Directors acknowledge their responsibilities: - the members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 477, - the directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts, - these accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime. These financial statements were approved by the members of the Trustee Director Board on 5[th] September 2024 and are signed on their behalf: ## **S Blackwood Trustee Director and Honorary Treasurer** For and on Behalf of the Trustees 14 | P a g e **Home-Start Elmbridge Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 March 2024** ## **1 – ACCOUNTING POLICIES** ## **Accounting Convention** These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP 2015) and applicable UK Accounting Standards and the Charities Act 2011. They have been drawn up on the historical cost accounting basis. ## **Grants Due** Grants due are accounted for in the year in which they are receivable. ## **Resources Expended** Resources expended are accounted for on an accruals basis. ## **Pension Schemes** The Charity contributes up to a maximum of 5% of gross salary to employee personal pension schemes where the employee contributes an equal amount. ## **General Reserve** It is the policy of the Charity that unrestricted reserves should not be allowed to fall below six months’ expenditure, to allow the Charity to maintain services to families in the event of a sudden unexpected fall in income. ## **Funding Policy** This fund arises from grants or donations given to the charity where the donor specifies the use to which the funds may be put. We are therefore required by law to comply with the donor’s wishes in the use of these funds. 15 | P a g e ## **Home-Start Elmbridge** ## **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **2 – INCOME** ## **3 – STAFF COSTS** |**– STAFF COSTS**||| |---|---|---| ||**2024**|**2023**| ||**£**|**£**| |**Salaries**|**161,768**|144,135| |**Social Security**|**7,344**|4,939| |**Pensions**|**6,142**|5,400| |**Travel and Training**|**4,306**|4,286| ||**179,560**|158,760| |**Allocated to:-**||| |**Charitable Costs**|**139,448**|124,374| |**Fundraising**|**24,396**|19,412| |**Administration and Support**|**15,716**|14,974| ||**179,560**|158,760| 16 | P a g e ## **Home-Start Elmbridge** ## **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **4 – CURRENT ASSETS** |Prepayments including insurance
Accrued Income|**2024**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**309**
3,247
**1,891**
1,343| |---|---| ||**2,200**
4,590| ## **5 – CURRENT LIABILITIES** |**LIABILITIES**|| |---|---| |Payables|**2024**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**7,017**
5,251| ||**7,017**
5,251| ## **6 – RESTRICTED FUNDS** ## **7 – PAYMENTS TO TRUSTEES** Any payments to trustees related to reimbursement of expenses incurred on behalf of the charity. ## **8 – RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS** There were no related party transactions in the year. 17 | P a g e **Home-Start Elmbridge** **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **Appendix A** ## **Our Services** Working alongside parents, our early intervention support helps to build independence and resilience empowering parents to build positive and healthy futures for their young children. The support we give is not judgemental, it’s compassionate, confidential, and as individual as each family is. The families we work with are often experiencing multiple difficulties and those struggling to cope with problems such as learning difficulties, disabilities, mental health, wellbeing issues, physical illness, domestic abuse, addictions, isolation, vulnerability, poverty, and homelessness. As such HSE recognized the need to introduce additional services to compliment the traditional Home Visiting support. Our vision is to deliver a holistic approach to support, during the last year we have offered the following services: ## **Home-visiting volunteer support** Our home-visiting volunteer service offered one-to-one confidential practical and emotional support to families in their own homes. Our highly trained staff and volunteers provided high quality peer-topeer support, working alongside parents, making sure they had the skills needed to nurture their children. We work at each family’s individual pace with no time limit for support. ## **Crisis Support** For families who needed immediate intervention, our Crisis Support Coordinators worked with them directly, visiting for 2 hours each week, helping to resolve urgent needs and deal with emergency type situations. This support is viewed as short-term intervention over a few months, until such time families are ready to avail of our other services or can cope on their own. ## **Carer Support** For families who are living with an illness, disability, or Special Educational Needs (SEN), specialised support is provided by a dedicated member of staff. Liaising with the supervising FSC, our Carer Support Coordinator visits families for 1-2 hours each week. Initially, we offer emotional support to these families as often when we are introduced to the family, the family member is not yet or newly diagnosed. We help with access to appropriate benefits, with appeals when disability benefits have been declined, provide awareness and knowledge of disability issues as often parents ‘don’t know what they don’t know’ and help them access to appropriate services and build up independent support networks to reduce isolation. This support tends be for about 3-6 months. These families can also attend our 1-hour monthly Zoom 'get togethers' and our bimonthly playgroup/clinic sessions at the Lower Green community centre in Esher. ## **Counselling Support** Our counselling service was provided by a professionally qualified integrative-relational counsellor and is provided to parents that we have identified having complex emotional needs. We offer 12 free counselling sessions (50 minutes) on a weekly basis in the family home. Our counsellor usually works with 3 families at any given time. 18 | P a g e **Home-Start Elmbridge** **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** ## **Group work** We ran several specialist peer support groups aimed towards parents dealing with poor emotional health, low self-esteem, and isolation. When possible, crèche facilities were provided to parents who had young children. We have added new groups and closed existing groups in an attempt to keep abreast of the changes the needs of the families we support. We aim to be flexible and as a result at times these groups can be up and running very quickly to meet demand. Our groups included: • **Over 5s Parent Support Café** - a regular drop in café held at the Cromwell Centre in St John’s estate, on alternate Tuesdays open to parents with children aged 5 to 13 years old. These sessions provided opportunities for parents to meet with others in similar circumstances and provided mutual support and developed connections. • **Parenting Courses** – we ran two 10-week courses for parents to help them with Challenging Behaviour and are currently in the middle of a third course. The courses are held in the Refresh Centre in Molesey on Wednesday mornings. The course is designed to provide support in circumstances where parents are experiencing significant detrimental impact due to the behavioural challenges of their children because of neuro developmental disorders. Apart from developing several key parenting skills to support improved relationships with their children, parents benefitted from meeting others who are experiencing similar issues. Many of the referrals for these courses come from the Elmbridge Family Centres. • **Under 5s Playgroup and Café** - following the success of our Over 5s café, we are now offering a new group to our families with children aged under 5 years of age. This is similar in that it would be run at the same venue, again every other Tuesday from 9.30am to 11am. However, this group will be different in that these parents will have young children in their care, and we will therefore we will provide playgroup activities for the children under the supervision of their parents. This group started on the 7[th] of November 2023. • **Carer Support Online Group** – a peer to peer group for parents with children under 5 who are living with an illness, disability, or SEN. This group was held a virtual Zoom group that was held one evening for 1 hour each month. This group brought parents experiencing these challenges together and provided parents with a safe place to share their concerns and learn from one another without fear of judgement. • **Carer Support Playgroup and Clinic** is a new group that we started in October 2023. It is being run as a regular weekly drop-in session at the Lower Green Community Centre, Esher. Families are welcome to join in between 10am and 12pm. These sessions are open to our Carer Support families (families who are living with an illness, disability, or Special Educational Needs), with children aged 0 to 5 years old, however parents of older children (aged 5 to 11 years old) can also attend (without children) to get advice and peer support from other parents. The idea of this group is to offer these families a safe, informal, and non-judgemental environment where the children can have fun taking part in activities. • **Stay and Play Summer Park Sessions** – over the summer holidays, we ran 4 meet up in the park sessions for families to attend. These popular sessions were held on Wednesday mornings each week in August 2023, and families reported they have provided a lifeline over the long summer holidays. **• Afghanistan Refugees Group** - We ran a weekly baby/toddler play group at a local hotel for the Afghan refugee residents. This will be a one-hour session every Thursday afternoon facilitated by a 19 | P a g e ## **Home-Start Elmbridge** ## **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** member of HSE staff and volunteers. It was a welcoming, friendly space where they could play and socialise, helping support the parent-child relationships. In total we ran 17 sessions, up until the point that the residents were to be rehoused. **• Money Management Courses** - We delivered two of our Money Management courses to some of the families we support in May 2023 and November 2023. This short course is designed to help people create workable budgets, helping them see exactly what they are spending, prioritise their spending and save money. The course had 3 individual sessions, each session lasted 2.5 hours and was held on Tuesday afternoons over a 3-week period. We hired the Parish Rooms at the Church of the Holy Name, Esher to host the sessions. Families that we felt could benefit from the course were invited to attend. Out of the families we invited we had 4 families take up the opportunity and attended. We provided a friendly environment with support from 3 of our trained staff. We also provided a creche for parents who had young children to care for. The creche was manned by some our trained volunteers. ## **Dad Matters** A new project aimed to help dads have successful relationships with their families, and to support dads with anxiety, stress, and mental health issues. The key operational initiatives include providing support to new dads in the following ways: 1. Outreach Outreach volunteers meet dads in various places, such as at events, green spaces, through organised groups and in particular maternity settings. A scan or antenatal appointment is the most likely place to be able to engage with dads (over 92% of dads attend these appointments with their partners). The aim at this engagement point is: - Distribute information and resources. - Ask dads #howareyoudad. - Have conversations about their babies and children to support that relationship as early as possible. - Collect information on how many dads are seen and spoken to, what things they are concerned about and any signposting that has been done, leading to the creation of online content, and feedback for services, MVP and other leads. 20 | P a g e **Home-Start Elmbridge Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] March 2024** Outreach is also achieved via events such as Walk and Talks, where dads spend time with the volunteers, exploring their relationship with their baby, and providing the opportunity to speak with our peer supporters. ## 2. Groups Volunteers facilitate “Dad Chat” groups within antenatal classes where dads are given the opportunity to talk about their concerns away from partners. In these discussions, we would offer: - Peer support and signposting. - Online _New Dad Workshops._ ## 3. Targeted Support The Dad Matters Coordinators recruit, train, and support volunteers to deliver the universal Dad Chats, and deliver more targeted support for NICU dads, young dads, LGBT+ dads and dads who are supporting mums with perinatal mental health issues. Volunteers who have “lived experience” facilitate at specific target groups such as: - Supporting mums with perinatal mental health issues. - Dad’s perinatal mental health. - Child loss and miscarriage. - Children with disabilities etc. ## 4. 1:1 Support Staff to support individuals face-to-face or phone/video support. ## 5. Relationship with Healthcare Providers These initiatives have three purposes: - a) Securing access to healthcare facilities, such as hospital maternity facilities, to help support dad outreach. - b) Training healthcare professionals to help support new dads. - c) To develop relationships with and within healthcare to maintain long term sustainability. - d) To be promoted as an accessible service in all new baby packs given to new parents, initially in Elmbridge, and expanding this to all of Surrey in the future. Throughout the year, many of our families have continued to encounter unprecedented financial difficulties. The cost-of-living crisis has profoundly impacted them, and we have directly witnessed its effects. Our staff and volunteers have offered emotional support to address the heightened anxiety and declining emotional well-being of parents. Some families required emergency supplies, including baby items, food, and care packages. We received grants from Walton Charity and John Beane S charity to help meet this increased demand for assistance. 21 | P a g e