## Newcastle Women’s Aid Registered Charity Number 1139393 Company Registered Number 07413723 ## **ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** For the year ended 31 March 2021 ## **Newcastle Women’s Aid** ## **CONTENTS** ||PAGES| |---|---| |Trustees/Directors Annual Report|2 - 6| |Statement of financial activities|7| |Balance Sheet|8| |Notes to financial statements|9 -13| |Independent examiners report|14| 1 **Newcastle Women’s Aid** ## **TRUSTEE/DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT** The Trustees are pleased to present their report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 March 2021 ## **Reference and Administrative Details** **Charity Name: Newcastle Women’s Aid Registered Charity:** 1139393 **Registered Company:** 07413723 ## **Registered and** **Operational Address:** 3[rd] Floor, Mea House, Ellison Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8XS **Bankers:** Unity Trust Bank Plc Nine Brindley Place, Birmingham B1 2HB Barclays Bank Plc 141 Northumberland Street Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7BH **Trustees/Directors:** Justine Massingham (Chair) Sandra Carlisle (resigned 2020) Cara Smith Cindy Barrow Judith Farquharson (Treasurer) **Manager and Company Secretary:** Elaine Langshaw **Auditor:** Ruth Tomlinson ACMA CGMA ## **Structure, Governance and Management** ## **Governing Document** Newcastle Women’s Aid was established and registered as a charity on 24 June 1976. The organisation is now a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 20[th] October 2010 registered as an incorporated charity on 21[st] December 2010. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. ## **Appointment of Trustees/Directors** The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law and under the company’s Articles are known as trustees. The Board of Trustees consists of not less than 3 and not more than 9 members who will be elected at the Annual General Meeting. It addition they may appoint not more than 3 co-opted members. All the members of the Board retire from office at the Annual General Meeting after they came into office but they may be re-elected or re-appointed. 2 **Newcastle Women’s Aid** ## **Trustee Induction and Training** New trustees are invited to meet the Manager and the Board of Trustees. All new trustees receive copies of all relevant documentation including the Memorandum & Articles of Association, organisational management chart, financial data, information relating to their role, the scope and responsibility of the Board and the system of delegated authority together with information about the cycle of meetings and the opportunities for meeting staff. ## **Organisation** The Board administers the charity. The Board meets bi-monthly and when necessary more regularly. A Manager is appointed by the Board to manage the day-to-day operation of the charity. There is a system of delegated authorities in place to determine which decisions can be undertaken by the manager. ## **Risk Management** The Charity created a risk register in October 2003. A full review of the risk register was undertaken during 2018. Risk assessment is an important and critical step in protecting staff, trustees, residents, visitors’, service users and the organisation as well as complying with the law. The process used by Newcastle women’s Aid is straightforward in that it clearly identifies risks, evaluates the likelihood and impact of any risk, ensures adequate resources are available to deal with the risks and regularly monitors and reviews risks. ## **Objectives and Activities** The objects of the charity are the relief, protection and support of persons, including children, who have suffered or are in danger of suffering domestic abuse through the provision of, advice, support, representation and other services, and to create awareness together with advance education in all aspects of domestic abuse including its causes, prevention and the relief of its consequences. The central aim of the charity is to provide a holistic support service to women and their children who are experiencing domestic violence and abuse. The main objectives of the organisation are: - To provide advice, information, practical support, representation and mediation to women and children affected by domestic abuse - To provide floating support to women in the community affected by domestic abuse. Offering intensive support to minimise the risk of repeat victimisation, and assisting women to remain in their own homes. - To offer services to children affected by homelessness and domestic violence. - To liaise with other agencies and participate in forums to raise awareness of domestic violence and to influence policy/practice and service provision across Newcastle upon Tyne. - To offer preventative group work programmes for women. The organisation continues to provide support to women and children and the office is staffed between 9-5, Monday to Friday. Following Newcastle City Council’s decision to award a contract for the operation of a new refuge in the west end of Newcastle NWA restructured its services during 2016/17. Whilst refuge accommodation is no longer provided by NWA women receive advice, emotional and practical support around the domestic violence they have experienced together with practical help and advice upon issues such as re-housing, health care, legal issues, benefits and any other issue or problem they have identified. 3 ## **Newcastle Women’s Aid** NWA provides specialist support services to women and girls affected by domestic violence and abuse. Support includes; - Domestic Abuse Flexible Support (DAFS) which provides one-to-one specialist support focussing on safety, coping and recovery. - Group Programmes including The Freedom Programme and Recovery Group Programme - Women’s Peer Support group - Information, advice and support service including a free telephone helpline - Education and Public Awareness within schools, colleges and other services - Indirect support for children through supporting and empowering Mum to safeguard herself and children. We have a small creche facility within our office to assist staff to provide uninterrupted support to women - Website – offering an excellent reference resource alongside advice & information Our Domestic Abuse Flexible Support service (DAF’s) s a community-based outreach service; women are offered appointments in our centrally located, fully accessible offices or in safe, convenient venues across the city. This service supports women in the community who do not want, or need, to access refuge accommodation. DAFS provides practical help regarding safety, legal issues, benefits, re-housing and other issues identified by the client herself and also provide emotional support around the domestic abuse the client has suffered. NWA Group programmes include the Freedom Programme. This is a programme that explores in detail the different tactics perpetrators use to abuse victims and attempts to equip victims with the knowledge to keep themselves and their children safe in the future. This programme has received positive feedback from clients & remains popular and successful. We have also introduced our bespoke Recovery Programme in consultation with our clients. We regularly review our aims and objectives to ensure we remain focused on our stated purposes. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commissions guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and when planning our future activities. ## **Achievements and Performance** ## **Service Provision** In the financial year 2020-2021 Newcastle Women’s Aid provided advice, information, advocacy and support directly or indirectly as follows; ## **Statistics:** - **435** referrals were made to Newcastle Women’s Aid for advice and support during the year. - **298** self-referrals were made directly from victims of domestic violence/abuse. - **232** women who contacted us had children - **431** women had suffered a range of domestic abuse including physical, sexual, coercive/emotional, financial, stalking and harassment at the point of referral. - **52** referrals were homeless at the point of referral - **60** women had mental health needs - **22** women were repeat victims of domestic abuse - **27** women and girls accessed Domestic Abuse Flexible Support service (DAF’S) - **19** women and girls accessed Group Programmes. - **51** women and girls were from Black, Asian Minority Ethnic & Refugee communities ## **Demographics** - Newcastle (307), Gateshead (32), Northumberland (24), North Tyneside (20), South Tyneside (4) and Rest of UK (48). ## **Accreditations** - NWA have been awarded the WAFE (Women’s Aid Federation of England) National Quality Standard. 4 **Newcastle Women’s Aid** ## **Financial Review:** Against a backdrop of a difficult economic climate and global pandemic the organisation has developed services to generate a positive financial outcome and to achieve prudent expenditure through cost efficiencies. Newcastle Women’s Aid has continued to receive funding from a range of charitable sources and from individual donations. Donations have also been received from individuals and businesses who have chosen to support the work of NWA. At the end of November 2016 funding from Newcastle Council for Newcastle Women’s Aid ceased as a result of the Council awarding a contract to operate a new refuge to a Housing Provider. The Trustees therefore agreed that Newcastle Women’s’ Aid would continue its services from more accessible premises in Newcastle City centre, with no refuge accommodation. Initially the restructured service has used its reserves to establish the service in new premises and to fund two full time members of staff. Since that time funding has been secured and additional staff have been employed. ## **Investment Powers and Policy:** Under the Memorandum and Articles of Association the charity has the power to invest in any way the trustees wish. The trustees/directors have operated a policy of investing some of the funds in an interest bearing deposit account. ## **Reserves Policy:** Newcastle Women’s Aid believes it is prudent to have a policy on the holding, management and accumulation of its reserves. Reserves may be accumulated over the organisation’s life from donations and bequests from supporters, and modest surpluses on the income and expenditure balance of some years. Having taken into account the relevant risks to income streams and the planned activities over the next year the trustees feel the most appropriate level of reserves for the organisation to hold would be nine month’s running costs, which are approximately £325,000. This figure would need to be reviewed in line with increased activity and demand placed upon Newcastle Women’s Aid. However, now the level of reserves would allow for staff salaries and other general running costs to be paid until such time alternative income is secured or, in the worst-case scenario, for the organisation to be wound up. The three months period would allow for redundancy notices to be issued to staff and for staff to find alternative, appropriate support service for clients. This policy is considered to be in the best interests of the service users, staff and trustees of the charity. The Trustees have allocated reserves to the value of £100,000 to assist in funding future NWA developments or projects. 5 **Newcastle Women’s Aid** ## **Plans for Future Periods:** The charity plans to continue and develop its activities as outlined in the Aims and Objectives and to maintain its presence in our current offices in the City of Newcastle. ## **Statement of Trustee’s/Directors Responsibilities:** The trustees/directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with law applicable to charities in England and Wales together with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements that give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity at the end of a financial year and of its incomings and outgoings for that year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently, making judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. The trustees must also prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue its activities. The trustees/directors 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 financial statements comply with the charities Act 1993. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. On behalf of trustees/directors ## _**J Massingham**_ Justine Massingham Chair/Director Approved by Trustees/Directors on 19 October 2021 6 ## **Newcastle Women’s Aid** ## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES for the 12 Months period ended 31st March, 2021** |**STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES**
**for the 12 Monthsperiod ended 31st March, 2021**|| |---|---| ||**Year ended**
**31-Mar-2021**
**Year**
**ended 31-**
**Mar-2021**
**Year**
**ended 31-**
**Mar-2021**
**Year ended**
**31-Mar-2020**| ||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**| ||**£**
**£**
**£**
£| |**INCOMING RESOURCES**
**Note**|| |**INCOMING FUNDS FROM GENERATED**
**FUNDS**|| |Donations and Grants Other Income
2|31,988
1,500
33,488
14,528| |Interest Receivable.
3|82
82
332| |**INCOMING FUNDS FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES**|| |Grants and Contracts
4|10,000
123,776
133,776
91,050| |**TOTAL NCOMING RESOURCES**|42,070
125,276
167,346
105,910| |**RESOURCES EXPENDED**|| |**COST OF GENERATING FUNDS**|| |Cost of generating voluntary income|-
-
-
-| ||| |**CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES**|| |DAFS
5|-
25,883| |Domestic Abuse Support
5|113,376
113,376
25,709| |Domestic Abuse Training & Support
5|-
47,908| ||-
113,376
113,376
99,500| |Governance Costs
6|21,060
21,060
22,588| |**TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED**|21,060
113,376
134,436
122,088| |**NET INCOME / (OUTGOING) RESOURCES**
**FOR THE YEAR BEFORE TRANSFERS**|21,010
11,900
32,910
( 16,178 )| |transfers between funds|
-
-
-
-| |**NET INCOME / (OUTGOING) RESOURCES**
**FOR THE YEAR**|21,010
11,900
32,910
(16,178)| |**RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS**|| |Balance brought forward|66,207
352,547
418,754
434,932| |Balance carried forward
87,217
364,447
451,664
418,754|| 7 ## **Newcastle Women's Aid** |**BALANCE SHEET**|| |---|---| |**As at date shown**|| ||**As at 31st**
**March**
As at 31st
March| ||**2021**
2020| ||**£**
£| |**Note**|| |**CURRENT ASSETS**|| |Debtors
7|-
-| |Cash at bank and in hand|473,238
419,760| ||473,238
419,760| |**CREDITORS**|| |Amounts fallingdue within oneyear
8|(21,574)
(1,006)| |**NET CURRENT ASSETS**|451,664
418,754| |**TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES**|451,664
418,754| |**NET ASSETS**|**451,664**
418,754| |**FUNDS**|| |Restricted income funds
9|364,415
352,547| |Unrestricted income funds
10|87,249
66,207| |**TOTAL FUNDS**|**451,664**
418,754| 8 ## **Newcastle Women’s Aid** ## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the 12 months ended 31 March 2021** ## **1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES** BASIS OF ACCOUNTING The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with: - Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP 2005); - Financial Reporting Standards for Smaller Enterprises; - and with the Charities Act 1993. ## 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 qualified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income: Voluntary income is received by way of grants and donations and is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities. Grants where entitlement is not conditional on delivery of a specific performance by the charity becomes unconditionally entitled to the grant. Investment income is included when it is receivable. Income received by way of donation or grant for the purchase of a fixed asset is credited to the restricted funds in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable. Depreciation on the fixed assets purchased with these funds are charged against the restricted fund. ## FUNDS ACCOUNTING ## Funds held by the charity are either: ## Unrestricted general funds These are funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. ## Designated funds - These are funds set aside by the trustees out of unrestricted funds for specific future purposes or projects. - Restricted funds - These are funds that can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objectives of the charity. - Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. ## RESOURCES EXPENDED Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates. - Costs of generating voluntary income funds comprise the costs associated with attracting voluntary income. - 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 to support them. 9 ## **Newcastle Women’s Aid** **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the 12 months ended 31 March 2021** Governance costs include those costs associated with the compliance to the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include all costs linked to the strategic management of the charity. All costs are allocated between the expenditure categories of the Statement of Financial Activities on a basis designed to reflect the use of resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are allocated directly, others are apportioned on staff time across project work, generating funds and governance. ## FIXED ASSETS AND DEPRECIATION Tangible fixed assets costing £100 or more were capitalised and included at cost including any incidental expense of acquisition. The Trustees have agreed to write off the balance of fixed asset cost as a result of recognising the condition of the existing premises together with the equipment and their net realisable value and expected life. Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost of an asset, less its estimated residual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows: Equipment ........................ 25% reducing balance Fixtures and Fittings ........... 5 & 7 years straight line Leasehold improvements...... 7 years straight line OPERATING LEASE AGREEMENTS Rentals applicable to operating leases, where substantially all of the benefits and risks of ownership remain with the lessor, are charged against income on a straight-line basis over the period of the lease. ## PENSION COSTS The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity. The annual contributions payable is charged to the Statement of Financial Activities. 10 ## **INCOMING FUNDS FROM GENERATED FUNDS - Donations, Grants & Contracts** ||Unrestricted Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total Funds
to Mar 2021
Total
Funds to
Mar 2020| |---|---| |**Donations**|£
£
£
£| |A & AE Buchan|1,000
-
1,000
-| |C Smith|100
-
100
-| |CAF|478
-
478
25| |Co Durham Community Foundation|-
-
-
5,000| |
DAC Beachcroft LLP|500
-
500
-| |David Gray Solicitors|-
-
-
40| |
Jesmond Parish Church|-
-
-
1,130| |John Lewis Community Matters|930
-
930
-| |
Lisa Elliot|-
-
-
400| |Local Giving|21,960
-
21,960
4,296| |
Lowes Financial Management|-
-
-
3,000| |
Mary Jackson will Trust|1,500
-
1,500
-| |
Northumbrian Leisure|1,500
-
1,500
-| |Other|-
-
-
165| |PayPal Giving Fund|244
-
244
172| |
St Andrews Benton|-
-
-
100| |St Gabriel's Church|185
-
185
185| |Unison Newcastle|2,000
-
2,000
-| |Via PayPal|690
-
690
-| |
Virgin Money Giving|901
-
901
15| ||31,988
-
31,988
14,528| |**Interest Receivable**|| |Bank Interest Received|82
-
82
332| ||82
-
82
332| |**INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES**|| |**Grants and Contracts**|| |Community Foundation - Lily Mathews
Fund|-
-
-
3,193| |LGA Foundation|-
10,000
10,000
-| |National Lotteries Community Fund
Grant|-
55,811
55,811
54,039| |Newcastle City Council (Covid 19)|10,000
-
10,000
-| |
Northumbria PCC Supporting Victims|-
32,645
32,645
31,818| |
Northumbria PCC Ministry of Justice
Covid|-
13,620
13,620
-| |Victim Support|-
1,500
1,500
2,000| |WAF|-
1,170
1,170
-| |WAF Comic Relief|-
10,530
10,530
-| ||10,000
125,276
135,276
91,050| |**Total Income**|42,070
125,276
167,346
105,910| |11|| ||**CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES**|Domestic
Abuse
Flexible
Support
Services
Total
Funds
for year
to Mar
2021
Total
Funds for
year to
Mar 2020| |---|---|---| |||£
£
£| ||Staff costs|66,885
66,885
73,420| ||Professional Fees|770
770
825| ||Travel costs|235
235
117| ||Other cost|-
-
3,800| |||67,890
-
67,890
78,162| ||Support costs|| ||
Staff costs|9,555
9,555
7,250| ||Premises and office costs|30,952
30,952
12,966| ||Professional Fees|4,363
4,363
-| ||Travel costs|-
-
61| ||Other costs|616
616
1,061| |||45,486
-
45,486
21,338| |||113,376
-
113,376
99,500| |||| |||| ||**GOVERNANCE**
**COSTS**|Unrestricted
Funds
Restricte
d Funds
Total
Funds
for year
to Mar
2021
Total
Funds for
year to
Mar 2020| |||£
£
£
£| ||Staff costs|13,490
-
13,490
13,281| ||Trustee expenses|43
-
43
1,230| ||Audit fees|1,500
-
1,500
1,234| ||Professional Fees|1,502
-
1,502
3,578| ||Premises and office costs|4,156
-
4,156
1,944| ||Other costs|369
-
369
1,321| |||21,060
-
21,060
22,588| |||| |||| 12 ||||| |---|---|---|---| |**DEBTORS**||As at 31st
March,
2021|As at 31st
March,
2020| |||£|£| |Amounts receivable within one year||-|-| |||-|-| |**CREDITORS**|||| |Amounts falling due within one year.||£|£| |
Rent||20,020|-| |Consumables/Lloyds Card||54|6| |
Professional Fees & Audit/Accountancy||1,500|1,000| |||21,574|1,006| ||||| ||||| ||||| |**RESTRICTED INCOME FUNDS**|||| ||As at 1st
April 2020
Incoming
Resources|Outgoing
Resources
Transfers|As at 31st
March
2021| ||£
£|£
£|£| |DAFS|166,824
125,276|( 67,890 )
-|224,210| |Domestic Abuse Support|126,426|( 45,486 )
-|80,940| |Domestic Abuse Training
& Education|9,297|
-
-|9,297| |Future projects|50,000|-|50,000| |Total|352,547
125,276|(113,376)
-|364,447| ||||| ||||| ||( 21,060 )
-
87,217
Tangible
Fixed
Assets
Other Net
Assets
Total
£
£
£
-
364,447
364,447
-
87,217
87,217
-
451,664
451,664| |---|---| |**UNRESTRICTED**
**INCOME FUNDS**
66,207
42,070|| ||| ||| |**ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS**|| ||| |Restricted income funds|| |Unrestricted income funds|| |Total|| ||| ||| ||| |13|| |**Newcastle Women’s Aid**|| ||| |**INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT**|| |**For the 12 Months ended 31st March 2021**|| ||| ## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner** The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the 1993 act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: examine the accounts under section 43 of the 1993 act and to follow the procedures laid down in the general directions given by the Charity commission (under section 43(7(b) of the 1993 Act) and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. ## **Basis of independent examiners report** My examination was carried out in accordance with the 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 these records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any 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 give a "true and fair" view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. ## **Independent examiner' statements** In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: (1) Which will give me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the 1993 Act, and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the requirements of the 1993 Act have not been met; or (2) To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Ms. R Tomlinson ACMA CGMA 20 The High Gate Kenton Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 4LS _**R.E.Tomlinson 1[st] September 2021**_