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2021-03-31-accounts

Support Service

Annual Report 2020-2021

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Trustees’ Annual Report And Financial Statements 1[st] April 2020 - 31[st] March 2021 Contents Report of the Trustees Pages 3 - 19 Reference and Administrative Information Page 20 Acknowledgements Page 21 Report of the Independent Examiner Page 22 Statement of Financial Activities Page 23 Balance Sheet Page 24 Principle Accounting Policies Pages 25 - 26 Notes to the Financial Statements Pages 27 - 33

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Report of the Trustees

The Trustees of Walsall Bereavement Support Service (WBSS) have pleasure in presenting their annual report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2021.

The financial statements comply with the Charities Act, the Charity’s Constitution and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (updated 1 January 2019).

Chair’s Report

Well, what a year we have all had!

Despite the upheaval of national restrictions resulting in our staff and volunteers having to work remotely from home, during this period we have continued to support 332 bereaved adults and children/young people who felt unable to cope with their grief and its impact on their lives. Referrals to both our adult and children/young people’s support services did reduce because of school closures and businesses, medical, and community organisations reducing or closing their services. At the time of writing my report we are now well on our way to restrictions being lifted and as the country returns to new type of normality we anticipate that our referrals this coming year will increase rapidly. We know that people bereaved over the past year have had to endure the pain of being unable to be with their loved ones when they have died, find comfort from friends or families living in different households, or hold the funerals they would have chosen to have. Historically, we have found that most people who find it difficult to manage their grief seek support within the first 2 years following their bereavement. The impact of the pandemic on the bereaved, irrespective of how their loved one died, will become clear as we work through 2021.

When national restrictions came into place in March last year, the trustees decided that all staff and volunteers should work from home until it was safe to return to our counselling offices. A grant enabled us to update staff laptops and telephones to make this transition as smooth as possible and ensure continuity of support for our service users. We also introduced a new digital policy and staff were able to train to offer remote counselling via Zoom. Thankfully, by September 2020, we were able to reopen our offices in a phased return and we continue to ensure that all procedures are in place to protect everyone.

Over the past few years, we had been working towards developing our community fundraising income and had welcomed the support of local people raising money to help fund the delivery of our services. Unfortunately, national restrictions prevented any of our plans from going ahead and we have been more reliant on grants and donations from trusts and foundations this year. We are very grateful for the continued support of the National Lottery Community Fund who fund our adult service ‘Let’s Talk’ and for their additional support over the past year through their COVID-19 Emergency Fund. Their grant enabled us to purchase vital PPE to ensure that our offices were safe for staff, volunteers, and service users to return, helped with our running costs, and enabled us to launch our new outreach project to support local people affected by bereavement who were feeling isolated and in need of someone to talk to.

We are also very grateful to the Henry Smith Charity and Children in Need for their continued support for our children, young people, and family project THE SWING , and to the many other grant makers who have helped us.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Some of these funders have supported WBSS for many years including the Eveson Charitable Trust, the Grantham Yorke Trust, and the Turner Trust and we are extremely grateful for their commitment to our work. As a small local charity, every donation makes a huge difference to what we are able to deliver.

In our report last year, we were able to introduce our new Head of Service, Rhiannon Brown. Unfortunately, due to ill health, Rhiannon sadly had to resign later in the year. At this time the country was going into its second lockdown, so the trustees chose to put an interim structure in place to manage the charity. Bev Richardson, WBSS Finance Manager and children’s counsellor, stepped up to take responsibility for running the charity. Bev had been working for WBSS for 15 years and had a firm understanding of the operational needs of the organisation and the support needs of its service users. This smooth transition ensured there was no disruption to any of the services that we provide. In March 2021, we advertised for a new Head of Service, and we were pleased that Bev decided to apply for this position and was successful in her application.

Finally, I would like to thank WBSS team of staff and volunteers for their dedication and hard work over the past 12 months. Our volunteers are integral to our service delivery, especially to our adult bereavement support service because they provide over 96% of the adult counselling support. The quality of this support is outstanding because our volunteers are already training to become qualified counsellors and in addition, they receive specialist bereavement training from WBSS. Many of our volunteers continue to provide support for many years, even after they are fully qualified.

I look forward to the year ahead and no doubt a few more challenges, but we are determined to ensure that everyone who needs our support will be cared for.

Jim Green

Charitable Objectives

provide caring and sensitive support that is free, confidential, and open to all residents of Walsall, irrespective of their relationship to the deceased, the cause of death, or the time that has elapsed since the death. reduce the potential negative long-term impact that bereavement can have on a person’s physical/mental wellbeing, education or employment, by providing appropriate support to enable each person to cope with their loss and begin to rebuild their lives. prevent the effects of bereavement from damaging family cohesion through developing understanding and improving communication within the family unit.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in Chapter 1 Section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit ‘Charities and Public Benefit’. In the opinion of the trustees, the objectives of the charity as detailed on the previous page are for the public benefit.

The support offered by Walsall Bereavement Support Service is currently available free of charge to bereaved children, young people, and their families who live within the Walsall borough or those registered at a Walsall GP surgery or educated within a Walsall school. Support is offered irrespective of the relationship to the deceased, the cause of death, or the length of time that has elapsed since the death.

Our Strategic Aims

To establish WBSS as the main local provider in the field of emotional bereavement support

To raise awareness about the impact that bereavement has on a person’s emotional and physical health and where and when to seek support and advice

To provide and promote high quality support services to the bereaved in the borough of Walsall

To raise awareness amongst the general public about ‘Dying Matters’ to help reduce the negative stigma that is attached to death and dying

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services free of charge to all Walsall Residents
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WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Our Service

During the year, WBSS helped 186 bereaved adults and 146 bereaved children, young people, and their families. In total, 1,351 hours of support was provided to the bereaved.

Our support is provided through 3 projects:

‘Let’s Talk’ Bereavement support for adults

HOPE GROUP Specialist support for adults bereaved by suicide

THE SWING Bereavement support for children, young people, and families

Our support is tailored to the specific needs of our service users and includes:

The process of support

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Initial contact/Triage Assessment Tailored support
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Our Services are Open to all people

WBSS wants its projects and services to be open to as wide a range of people as possible and as such, we do not discriminate clients by age, race, gender, sexual orientation, relationship to the bereaved person, the time elapsed since the death, or cause of death.

We utilise the skills of staff and volunteer counsellors from different backgrounds and ethnicities, to ensure that we can provide the most appropriate support to each individual client. We work with schools across the borough, many of whom have high levels of students who have additional support needs such as ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s syndrome etc. To help support these potentially challenging students, counsellors have all undergone specific training relating to supporting this client group.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Our Projects

‘Let’s Talk’

The people who turn to WBSS for support are unable to cope with the overwhelming feelings of grief that they are experiencing and the impact on their mental, physical, and emotional health.

Many of our clients have anxiety, depression, and more complex issues that have developed as a result of how they feel. For adults this can include dependency upon substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, or cigarettes.

Some are unable to work, have withdrawn from family and social life, and are less able to take care of themselves.

Over the past 12 months ‘Let’s Talk’ received 186 referrals and

delivered 697 Hours of Support

Difficulties experienced by adults referred for support

Emotional issues 53%

Physical/well-being issues 21%

Problems with day-to-day living 10%

Support and social issues 16%

75% of service users had been prescribed medication to help them with the effects of their bereavement

The adults that we helped

79% sought support within 2 years of bereavement; however, we support people whenever they need our help and during this period 6% of service users sought our help 5 years or more after their bereavement

77% were of working age (between 20-69 years of age)

72% of referrals who gave their postal addresses lived in areas falling in the top 10% most deprived areas in the UK. A further 16 (9%) lived in areas in the top 25% most deprived areas. In total, 146 (81%) of clients lived in the top 25% most deprived areas of the UK

63% of referrals were female, 30% male, and 7% unknown

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Referral sources

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6% 4%
5%
17%
59%
9%
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Self referral/family/friend

Health professional

Other third party organisation

Internet, literature, word of mouth and other Already known to the service

Unknown

85% of adults seeking support had experienced a significant family death such as a parent, spouse, sibling, grandparent or child

Cause of death

Prenatal/Neonatal Alzheimers/Dementia Sudden death including RTA &… Suicide COVID-19 Other illness including alcohol/drugs Unknown Cancer & Heart related

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0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
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HOPE GROUP

Since early 2000, we have offered a monthly support group specifically for adults bereaved by suicide. Although the group is facilitated by two people connected to WBSS, either volunteers, staff, or group members can lead the meeting. The HOPE Group provides a sympathetic and nurturing environment in which attendees can feel safe to express their thoughts and feelings without fear of being judged.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

THE SWING

Children/young people referred to our service are struggling to understand or manage their reactions to grief, which can lead to psychological / physiological difficulties.

Without appropriate support, these issues can spiral out of control and in the worst cases, we see service users excluded from school for behavioural issues and family breakdown due to misunderstood grief/poor communication.

Over the past 12 months of the 146 referrals to THE SWING and delivered 868 Hours of Support

Difficulties experienced by children and young people referred for

support

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Emotional issues
Physical health issues
Behavioural issues
Family relationship issues
Education issues
Social issues
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Age Breakdown

Gender Breakdown

47% were 11 years and under 52% were 12-18 years of age 1% were over 18 years of age

51% were male 49% were female

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

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Ethnicity
27% British
White
BAME
73%
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Referral Sources

60% Education 14% Local Authority 9% NHS/CAMHS 17% Other

The significance of their bereavement

The impact of our work

We understand the importance of monitoring and evaluation because it enables us to hear and respond to the views and experiences of our beneficiaries. The learning that we gain from evaluating our work informs the development of any of our new work streams.

We measure success by evaluating improvements made by each client against the issues affecting them due to their bereavement. At the onset of support, we undertake an assessment and record the issues facing each person via a questionnaire. We then monitor change under four main categories: emotional, behaviour, physical, and social/educational. These are broken down further into specific issues that include anxiety, depression, self-harming, substance/alcohol misuse, mental/physical health, etc. In doing this, we are able to gain an overall picture of the difficulties each person is experiencing and create a support plan tailored to their specific needs.

We monitor the progress of clients throughout their support and adjust their support plan if necessary. Finally, we ask all clients to complete an end of support questionnaire to compare where they were at the start of their support to the end. This determines our outcomes. For children/young people we also ask parents to complete a similar questionnaire, enabling us to compare the child’s view of their progress against their parents’. This helps us to measure outcomes more accurately.

Our monitoring system is designed using guidance from the National Child Bereavement Network. This enables us to analyse information and provide statistical evidence about the impact of our work.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Outcomes

For adult service users

For children and young people

100% felt that their social life issues had improved/were no longer a problem for them

92% felt that their behavioural issues had improved/were no longer a problem for them

88% felt that their emotional symptoms had improved/were no longer an issue for them

84% felt that their physical issues had improved/were no longer a problem for them

82% felt that their family relationships had improved/were no longer a problem for them

70% felt that their education had improved/was no longer a problem for them

From the parents’ / carers’ perspective

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92% parents felt that their child’s issues with family life had improved or were no longer a
problem
80% of parents felt their child’s emotional issues had improved or were no longer a
problem
73% of parents felt that their child’s issues with education had improved
68% of parents thought that their child’s physical health issues had improved or were
no longer a problem
68% of parents felt that their child’s behavioural issues had improved or were no longer
a problem
60% of parents felt that their child’s social life had improved or was no longer a problem
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WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Spotlight on our Volunteers

Our volunteers are our most vital asset. In 2020/21, they donated over 400 hours of their time to support the bereaved

Since WBSS started to provide placement opportunities it has trained 147 counsellors to help provide bereavement counselling.

Whenever possible, WBSS operates a rolling recruitment programme to attract volunteer counsellors to ensure that we have the staffing resources to provide a high skills base for us to draw from to support our clients. Over the years, we have developed a reputation for providing very good placements for those training to become counsellors and our volunteer mentoring is recognised as being excellent. This is evidenced in our retention rate of volunteers; we currently have 5 qualified counsellors who have been providing their services on a voluntary basis for between 10-15 years and 1 who has been with us for 18 years.

WBSS volunteers, providing support to adults, are all either qualified to at least Diploma Level 4 in Counselling or are training towards this qualification.

Prior to being able to provide support, all volunteers, regardless of qualification and/or experience, must complete our in-house ‘Bereavement and Loss’ 10-hour training programme. In addition, they must complete annual on-line safeguarding adults training.

Volunteers providing support to children and young people must be qualified to at least Diploma Level 4 in Counselling. In addition, they must also complete THE SWING ‘Working with Children and Young People’ 10-hour training programme as well as annual on-line safeguarding children training.

We recognise the importance of continually refreshing and expanding volunteer knowledge and experience and aim to offer additional training whenever opportunities arise.

Feedback from volunteers about how our training will help them with their future practice…

“It reassured my understanding of counselling skills. It's all in ‘the context’ it's about the client’s needs. It encouraged me to celebrate with the clients their happy memories even though they are going through this difficult time in their life.”

“Some very specific techniques for how to support people with their bereavement.”

“Death changes everything. I realise I know more than I thought about bereavement. I realised that it isn't all sadness there will be lighter sides to working with the bereaved.”

“Potential structure to sessions, how to work creatively with complex and complicated grief.”

“I have learned something new from each session, there are so many different layers to grief that I hadn't previous knowledge of.”

“I loved the fact that working with the bereaved can have a lot of positives that I didn't know about previously. I'm glad that we learned about the six ways of helping and we didn't focus on theories and models of bereavement because I can learn and research that outside of this course.”

“The simple fact that everything changes after death and grief can manifest in so many different ways.”

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Notable Achievements during 2020-21

In addition to all the counselling support we have delivered we have also….

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Our Future Plans for 2021-22

During the next year, we will be writing a new 5-year business plan and fundraising strategy. These documents will present an overview of the activities and services of WBSS and explain how we plan to develop and fund our services over the coming years. The ongoing impact of COVID-19 will be taken into account within our plans.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Financial Review

We do not charge our clients for our services to ensure that we are accessible to all. However, we do encourage donations if clients feel they are able to support our charity. We fund all of our services through voluntary donations and grants.

Despite being unable to progress with our community fundraising, our overall income has remained fairly consistent with the previous year, decreasing slightly from £169,996 (2019/20) to £168,021 (2020/21). Our expenditure has increased slightly rising from £157,927 (2019/20) to £158,673 (2020/21). This was mainly due to additional staff costs being incurred. The end reserves balance increased by £9,348 as a result of deferred income being released into the accounts.

Grants and donations from charitable giving organisations continue to be our primary source of income. In June 2020, our three-year grant from The Henry Smith Charity towards the costs of running THE SWING came to an end. Fortunately, we were able to reapply for continuation funding and were awarded a further three-year grant of £30,000 per year for the period 1[st] November 2020 to 31[st] October 2023. We are extremely grateful to The Henry Smith Charity for their continued support and to Children in Need, whose main grant also ended this year. However, we were awarded a small three-year grant of approximately £6,500 per year from Children in Need, to deliver a series of workshops to groups of students at various schools.

Our National Lottery Community Fund which supports the running of our adult bereavement support service ‘Let’s Talk’ , is due to end in January 2022. We will shortly be preparing an initial proposal to The National Lottery to hopefully secure continuation funding for a further 3 years, which will include extending our support services further into communities across Walsall.

During this period, we secured £2,273 from the CAF Coronavirus Emergency Fund to purchase mobile telephones for staff to enable them to continue to support clients remotely. Additionally, we secured a grant for £36,194 from HM government and The National Lottery Coronavirus Community Fund, which enabled us to purchase safety equipment to make our centre COVID-19 secure and reopen for face-to-face support much more quicker.

At the time of writing this report, we have been fortunate to secure £27,500 (April 21) and a further £36,685 (July 21) from the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. This funding is for the charity as a whole to increase the number of support hours we provide. In addition to this, Walsall Council has committed to provide WBSS with a one-off grant of £60,000. The trustees feel that given the current waiting times, these two donations would be best used to employ additional staff on a temporary fixed term contract initially.

Moving forward, we are aware that we need to develop our income base, especially from community support and events. As a small charity, without a dedicated fundraiser, this does remain a challenge. However, we are considering options such as developing chargeable Continual Professional Development packages that can be delivered to other organisations to increase our income.

We are also aiming to set up a fundraising group, hopefully consisting of some past clients to organise fundraising events with some input and guidance from WBSS. Due to the continuing uncertainties around COVID-19, it is not possible to predict to what extent we will be able to develop this aspect of our income at this time.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Principal Funding Sources

The National Lottery Community Fund

This has been the charity’s largest funder during 2020/21, with income totalling £52,456 to fund

the adult bereavement support service ‘Let’s Talk’ .

The Henry Smith Charity

During this financial year, we entered our final year of a three-year grant from the Henry Smith Charity for £30,000 per annum. This grant was for THE SWING . We reapplied for a further three-year funding for this project in February 2020 and were informed in August 2020 that our application had been successful. We were awarded a further grant of £90,000 to be spread over the next 3 years.

BBC Children in Need

We received £14,712 for THE SWING from our three-year BBC Children in Need Main Grant and £4,047 from its Small Grants Programme. We reapplied to their Small Grants programme and were awarded £19,490 over three-years, to deliver a structured three-week therapeutic support programme within schools. We have also reapplied to Children in Need Main Grant programme for three-year funding for salary and associated costs of THE SWING Coordinator. A decision on the outcome of our application is expected towards the end of 2021.

Other notable grants

We are grateful for the continued support for THE SWING from repeat funders that include The Eveson Trust and The Grantham Yorke Trust, who both donated £5,000. We also received donations of £2,000 from The Souter Charitable Trust, Albert Hunt Foundation, The Saintbury Trust, William Cadbury, and The Roger and Douglas Turner Trust.

The Heart of England Community Foundation Coronavirus Resilience Fund donated £6,000 and The Toy Trust donated £2,597. Both of these grants were awarded for the purchase of resources and materials to support bereaved children and young people.

Community Fundraising and gifts in kind

As a result of the pandemic, community fundraising was drastically reduced this year. However, we are extremely grateful to the people of Walsall who helped us to raise £2,275. We received £432 in donations from clients, £300 from our local Asda, and £150 from St Lawrence church. A further £735 was raised from TSB Walsall and £776 through various fundraising activities by The Crossing at St Paul’s. We would like to thank everyone who donated either their time or money to help support us. In addition, £764 was donated through JustGiving and PayPal.

Reserves Policy

The Trustees continue to review the charity’s requirements for reserves considering the main risk to the organisation, that funding to run the organisation is not secure. The trustees have established a policy whereby the reserves in total that are not invested in tangible fixed assets held by the charity, should be up to the equivalent of 6 months of the total anticipated expenditure of the charity.

The level of these reserves has been determined by the need to meet the working capital requirements of the charity. This period represents the necessary amount of time required to deliver counselling sessions to all the clients who are on our waiting list for support and for the charity to carry out all its legal obligations.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

At the end of March 2021, the total of the charity’s reserves stood at £120,259 of which £49,013 was unrestricted and £71,246 restricted. Expenditure last year was £158,673, however this will increase during the next financial period due to increasing the number of staff. Therefore, the unrestricted free reserves represent 25.3% of our estimated expenditure of £193,764 for 2021/22. This will therefore be equivalent to approximately 3.04 months of the charity’s running costs.

The financial strategy of WBSS continues to be that of building unrestricted reserves to meet our 6-month target, through planned cost-effective operational procedures and further fundraising. The Trustees will continue to take all necessary actions regarding the prevailing economic climate.

Risk Assessment

The Trustees are very aware of the need to assess and minimise risks to the operation of the charity. As such, a comprehensive set of policies and procedures are maintained, reviewed, and where necessary, updated to comply with changes in legislation and the requirements of funding bodies. Following the guidance of these policies covers the main risks to the operation of the charity.

The risk of being unable to adequately fund projects is our main concern. In order to minimise this risk, the trustees hope to diversify income streams. Expenditure is constantly reviewed in order to ensure that funds continue to be used effectively

The risk of not supporting clients and volunteers professionally is managed by having a supervision programme in place in line with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) procedures. It is WBSS’s policy that every new volunteer is supported by way of an obligatory training course followed by induction, prior to client contact time. Staff meetings, project meetings, and individual meetings are conducted monthly, and the board of trustees meet at least bi-monthly to review, amend and update working procedures and to eliminate risks. These meetings are held more frequently if required. Disclosure and Barring checks are made every three years for all members of staff, trustees, and potential new volunteers.

General Data Protection Regulation is adhered to as well as Vulnerable Adults and Child Protection policies regarding all work with children and families. Procedures are in place to ensure compliance with Health and Safety of all staff, volunteers, clients, and visitors to the centre. These ensure a consistent quality of delivery for all operational aspects of the charity. In addition, the regular meetings of the Trustees at the charity’s premises facilitate the constant review of the environment in which the charity exists.

COVID-19

As a result of a national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the charity closed its offices on Monday 23[rd] March 2020 and the Trustees implemented a work from home policy for staff and volunteers. The charity did not furlough any staff to ensure that bereaved clients could continue to be offered support. Trustees conducted monthly meetings via Zoom and regular meetings were held by the staff, also via Zoom, to offer guidance and support to each other.

All face-to-face counselling sessions were suspended and replaced with telephone support. Staff returned to working in the office on a rota basis from August 2020 and our centre re-opened for face-to-face support from September 2020.

The grant of £2,428 received from The CAF COVID Fund allowed us to purchase a laptop and printer to enable the Head of Service to work from home. In addition, we were also able to purchase mobile telephones for all staff to ensure support of clients could continue as cost effectively as possible. Previously, mobile phones were pay as you go.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

In August 2020, WBSS also had confirmation that the charity would receive £36,194 from The National Lottery COVID Response Fund, to set up our Community Response Project. This project was to enable the charity to deliver outreach counselling support across Walsall in targeted communities. Unfortunately, due to continuing lockdown restrictions and venues being unable to hire rooms, we were unable to reach out into the community in the way that we had planned. However, this is still a project we plan to deliver because we want our services to be more accessible to those who cannot afford to travel into Walsall town centre or those who are fearful of travelling due to the pandemic. This grant also enabled us to purchase PPE equipment including an infrared thermometer, protective screens, hand sanitiser machines etc. and facilitated the safe reopening of our centre and the safe recommencement of face-to-face counselling support.

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

Walsall Bereavement Support Service is a registered charity that aims to meet some of the needs of bereaved people within the Walsall Borough. The charity, originally formed as an unincorporated charity in 1998, became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 4[th] July 2013 and is governed by a constitution approved by the Charity Commission of England and Wales .

Appointment of Trustees, Induction, and Training

The focus of the charity is that of supporting bereaved adults, young people and children. The Board of Trustees seeks to ensure that the needs of these groups are appropriately reflected through the diversity of the trustee body. To enhance the potential pool of trustees the charity has sought to identify members of the community who are willing to use their own experiences to assist the organisation.

The Board of Trustees is well represented by a wide range of individuals from various aspects of the community. Trustees have the power to appoint additional trustees to act jointly with them for all purposes. A trustee whose term of office has expired can be appointed for a further term of office.

Whilst there is no formal induction process in place, all new trustees are invited and encouraged to visit the offices of WBSS in order to familiarise themselves with the organisation and the context within which it operates. The Head of Service will then discuss the following aspects of the organisation with the new trustee and answer any questions arising.

In addition to the above, a copy of the latest Annual Report is given to all new trustees along with a trustee role description, a copy of the constitution, the Charity Commission’s Trustee Handbook, the organisation’s main policy documents and the latest financial statements.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Organisational Structure

WBSS has a Board of Trustees of at least 5 members who meet at least quarterly and are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. At present there are 6 trustees from a variety of professional backgrounds relevant to the work of the charity.

The Head of Service is responsible for overseeing and maintaining the day-to-day operational management of the organisation in line with the constitution and quality procedures. They are required to attend trustees meeting but has no voting rights.

Responsibilities of the Trustees

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period.

In preparing these financial statements the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charity (Accounts Reports) Regulations 2008. They 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.

Approved by the Trustees and signed on its behalf on 19[th] October 2021 by Jim Green (Chair)

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Name : Walsall Bereavement Support Service

Charity Status : Charitable Incorporated Organisation Charity Number : 1152724 Registered Office : Office Suite 2 The Crossing at St Paul’s Darwall Street Walsall West Midlands WS1 1DA

Telephone : 01922 724841 / 01922 645035

Website: www.wbss.org.uk

Trustees:

Chair: James Green Treasurer: Neil Simpson Trustees: Dr Robert Crundwell Bev Simpson Alyson Green Elaine Bullen (stepped down 13 May 2021) Verity Baker (appointed 11 March 2021)

Employees:

Head of Service Rhiannon Brown (until Nov 2020) Dip.Couns. Registered Member BACP Bev Richardson (from Nov 2020) Dip.Couns. Registered Member BACP Finance Manager Bev Richardson MAAT THE SWING Co-ordinator Sally Robinson Dip.Couns. Registered Member BACP THE SWING Counsellors Amanda Holtham Dip.Couns. Registered Member BACP Bev Richardson (until Jan 2021) Dip.Couns. Registered Member BACP ‘Let’s Talk’ Co-ordinator Ian Davies (from Oct 2020) Dip.Couns. Registered Member BACP ‘Let’s Talk’ Administrator - Claire Hastings (until Apr 2021) Nikki Preene (from Apr 2021)

Independent Examiner:

Karen Hanlan Karen Hanlan Independent Examiner Limited 12 Waterloo Close Wellesbourne Warwickshire CV35 9JG

Banks:

Barclays Bank Nationwide 1 Breadmarket Street 18 Bridge Street Lichfield Walsall Staffordshire West Midlands WS13 6JY WS1 1DE

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Acknowledgements

Walsall Bereavement Support Service would like to publicly acknowledge and thank the following organisations and donors for their financial support during 2020/2021.

We would also like to thank the following organisations for fundraising on behalf of Walsall Bereavement Support Service during 2020/2021

And finally… many thanks go to all of the volunteers for the skills, commitment, and time that they have contributed throughout the year. Without their support we simply would not be able to provide this valuable service.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Independent Examiners Reported to the trustees of Walsall Support Service

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Walsall Bereavement Support Service (‘the Charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2021 which are set out on pages 23 to 33.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 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 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I can 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:

2) the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3) the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

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.

Karen Hanlan, Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales Karen Hanlan, Independent Examiner Limited 12 Waterloo Close, Wellesbourne CV35 9JG

Date

19[th] October 2021

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Statement of Financial Activities



Income from:
Note

Donations & legacies
1
Charitable activities
2
Trading activities
3
Investments – bank interest
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Charitable activities


Total expenditure
4
Net income and net
movement in funds for year

Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward
Transfers between funds
Total funds carried forward		 Un-restricted
Restricted
Total
Total
funds
funds
funds
funds
2021
2021
2021
2020
£
£
£
£
1,180
53,247
54,427
77,911
1,325
109,682
111,007
88,291
2,275
-
2,275
3,212
312
-
312
582
5,092
162,929
168,021
169,996
-
12,822
12,822
13,007
-
145,851
145,851
144,920
-
158,673
158,673
157,927
5,092
4,256
9,348
12,069
41,433
69,478
110,911
98,842
2,488
-2,488
-
-
49,013
71,246
120,259
110,911

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Balance Sheet

Note

FIXED ASSETS
Tangible assets
7

CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
8
Cash at Bank

CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one
year
9

NET CURRENT ASSETS
NET ASSETS

FUNDS
11
Restricted Funds
Unrestricted Funds

TOTAL FUNDS		 2021
£
3,770
1,609
132,633
134,242
(17,753)
116,489
120,259
71,246
49,013
120,259		 2020
£
2,718
1,549
131,683
133,232
(25,039)
108,193
110,911
69,478
41,433
110,911

The accompanying accounting policies and notes form part of these financial statements. Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Mr J Green, Chair of Trustees

Date: 19[th] October 2021

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Principle Accounting Policies

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (updated 1 January 2019) – (Charities SORP (FRS102)) and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102).

Walsall Bereavement Support Service meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

Going Concern statement

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which assumes that the Charity will continue to operate. The validity of this assumption is dependent upon the continuance of support from the Charity’s key funders and stakeholders and in response to the progress made by the Charity in pursuing a viable budget including the obtaining of further grants and donations.

The Charity’s business plan shows that the Charity will be able to operate in the foreseeable future. Based on this understanding the Trustees believe that it remains appropriate to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis. The financial statements do not include any adjustments, which would result from the basis of preparation being inappropriate.

Funds

General accumulated funds are unrestricted funds available for general purposes and include funds designated for a particular purpose; the use of such funds remains at the discretion of the Trustees.

Restricted funds are funds subject to conditions imposed by the donor or by specific terms of the appeal under which the funds are raised. The restrictive conditions are binding upon the Charity.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities when the Charity is legally entitled, ultimate receipt is probable and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

Income relating to future periods, as a result of donor-imposed conditions specifying the time period, has been treated as deferred income.

Income dependent on certain conditions, amounting to more than mere administrative requirements, is recognised when the conditions have been fulfilled.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the Charity to the expenditure. All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

Costs of raising funds comprises the costs of fundraising activity and includes an allocation of staff costs relating to time spent on fundraising activity.

Expenditure on charitable expenditure includes the costs of project delivery to further the purposes of the Charity and their associated support and governance costs.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Principle Accounting Policies (continued)

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

Interest receivable

Bank interest is shown on the basis of amounts received in the year.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at a rate calculated to write off the cost on a straight-line basis over a period of less than the estimated useful life of the assets, which is estimated at 4 years.

Fixed assets are capitalised when their value exceeds £500.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash at bank and in hand and short-term deposits repayable on or within a three-month notice period.

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Creditors

Creditors are recognised where the Charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably.

Pensions

The Charity contributes to employee’s individual personal pension plans. The employer contributions to the scheme in 2021 were £2,349 (2020 £2,469) and are charged to the statement of financial activities as incurred.

Taxation

As a registered Charity no provision is considered necessary for taxation.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements

1. Donations & legacies
Un-restricted:
Donations
Grants
Restricted:
Donations
Grants
The Henry Smith Charity (The Swing)
Other Charitable Trusts (The Swing
Other Charitable Trusts (Hope Group)
Total
2. Income from Charitable Activities
Un-restricted:
Training & Support
Restricted:
The National Lottery (Let’s Talk)
Children in Need small grant (The Swing)
Children in Need main grant (The Swing)
CAF Coronavirus Emergency Fund
HM Government & The National Lottery
Coronavirus Community Support Fund
Total
3. Trading activities
Un-restricted:
Fundraising events
Restricted:
Fundraising (The Swing)
Fundraising (HOPE Group)
Total		 2021
£
730
450
1,180
-
20,000
33,247
-
53,247
54,427
2021
£
1,325
1,325
52,456
4,047
14,712
2,273
36,194
109,682
111,007
2021
£
2,275
-
-
-
2,275		 2020
£
4,111
1,500
5,611
250
30,000
42,050
-
72,300
77,911
2020
£
1,125
1,125
52,436
9,665
25,065
-
-
87,166
88,291
2020
£
2,294
78
840
918
3,212

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

4. Analysis of Expenditure

Staff Costs
Fundraising Costs
Centre Rent
Unit 3 Rent
Room Hire
Utilities
IT
Telephone
Stationery
Postage
Printing
Office Equipment
Refreshments
Materials
Resources
Travel / Parking
Training
Supervision
Assessment
Client Support
Volunteers
Publicity
Insurance
DBS Checks
Legal & professional Fees
Bank Charges
Covid-19 PPE
Sundries
Depreciation
Resources Expanded
Fundraising Costs
Direct Costs
Support Costs
Governance		 Unrestricted
Restricted
2021
2020
£
£
£
£
-
112,137
112,137
112,528
-
11,105
11,105
8,876
-
7,800
7,800
11,650
-
1,897
1,897
-
-
45
45
705
-
774
774
-
-
1,881
1,881
1,175
-
975
975
494
-
162
162
134
-
1,095
1,095
1,017
-
898
898
753
-
1,878
1,878
413
-
3
3
100
-
637
637
145
-
251
251
297
-
142
142
1,143
-
1,574
1,574
2,369
-
4,913
4,913
4,600
-
975
975
1,440
-
120
120
75
-
-
-
-
-
1,206
1,206
852
-
2,010
2,010
1,941
-
452
452
366
-
1,508
1,508
1,276
-
100
100
190
-
2,547
2,547
-
-
283
283
4,672
-
1,305
1,305
716
-
158,673
158,673
157,927
Unrestricted
Restricted
2021
2020
£
£
£
£
-
12,822
12,822
13,007
-
105,858
105,858
99,455
-
37,789
37,789
41,122
-
2,204
2,204
4,343
-
158,673
158,673
157,927

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

5. Net expenditure/income for year

. Net expenditure/income for year
Net income is stated after charging:
Independent Examiners fee
Depreciation
. Staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses
Salaries
National Insurance
Pensions
Total		 2021
2020
£
£
890
890
1,305
716
2,195
1,606
2021
2020
£
£
105,435
103,604
4,353
5,494
2,349
2,469
112,137
111,567

6. Staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses

No employee has employee benefits in excess of £60,000 (2020: nil).

The equivalent of 3.82 full-time members of staff were employed during the year (2020: 3.93)

Key management personnel comprise the Head of Service and the Finance Manager whose employee benefits total £39,779 (2020 £46,468).

The charity does not operate its own pension scheme but contributes towards NEST Pension scheme for all employees.

There were no trustees’ remuneration or other benefits in the year (2020: None). No trustee expenses were reimbursed in the year (2020: None).

There are no further related party transactions that require disclosure in the accounts

7. Tangible fixed assets

. Tangible fixed assets
Cost
At beginning of year
Additions
At end of year
Depreciation
At beginning of year
Charge for the year
At end of year
Net Book Value
At 31 March 2020
At 31 March 2021		 Computer
Equipment
£
Fixtures &
Fittings
£
Total
£
16,049
2,182
18,231
2,357
-
2,357
18,406
2,182
20,588
13,331
2,182
15,513
1,305
-
1,305
14,636
2,182
16,818
2,718
-
2718
3,770
-
3,770

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

8. Debtors

8. Debtors
Prepayments
Rental Deposit
9. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Accruals
Deferred income		 2021
2020
£
£
1,109
1,049
500
500
1,609
1,549
2021
2020
£
£
1,581
890
16,172
24,149
17,753
25,039

Movements in deferred income are as follows:

At beginning of year
Released to income in year
Deferred in year
At end of year		 £
24,149
(24,149)
(16,172)
16,172

Deferred income relates to funding received in advance of project activity.

10. Analysis of net assets between funds

Fund balances at 31 March 2021 are represented by:

Restricted Total
Un-restricted Funds Funds Funds
£ £ £
Fixed Assets 3,770 - 3,770
Current assets 45,243 88,999 134,242
Current Liabilities - (17,753) (17,753)
Total 49,013 71,246 120,259
und balances at 31 March 2020 were represented by:
Restricted Total
Un-restricted Funds Funds Funds
£ £ £
Fixed Assets - 2,718 2,718
Current assets 41,433 91,799 133,232
Current Liabilities - (25,039) (25,039)
Total 41,433 69,478 110,911

Fund balances at 31 March 2020 were represented by:

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

11. Movement in funds

1. Movement in funds
Balance at Transfers Balance
beginning of
year		 Income Expenditure between
funds		 at end of
year
£ £ £ £ £
Restricted funds
The National Lottery 7,443 52,456 (44,799) - 15,100
Let’s Talk 250 - - - 250
The Swing 49, 324 30,650 (29,383) - 50,591
The Henry Smith Charity
-		 20,000 (20,000) - -
BBC Children in Need –
small grant 746 4,047 (4,793) - -
BBC Children in Need –
main grant 769 14,712 (15,481) - -
Grantham Yorke 388 - - - 388
St James’s Place 7,316 - (7,316) - -
HOPE Group 3,242 - (45) - 3,197
The Toy Trust - 2,597 (877) - 1,720
CAF Coronavirus
Emergency Fund - 2,273 (1,801) (472) -
HR Government & The
National Lottery
Coronavirus Community
Fund - 36,194
(34,178)		 (2,016) -
69,478 162,929 (158,673) (2,488) 71,246
Un-restricted funds
General fund 41,433 5,092 - 2,488 49,013
Total funds 110,911 168,021 (158,673) - 120,259

Transfers between funds relates to expenditure on capital items funded by a grant.

The National Lottery Community Fund is the final year 3 of a three-year grant. This enabled us to provide support to bereaved adults under the project name of Let’s Talk.

The Swing provides counselling support to children, young people and families. Funding is provided by various charitable giving organisations and grant providers.

The Henry Smith Charity is year 1 of a new three-year grant towards The Swing project.

Both BBC Children In Need grants ended during this year, they were part of a three- year grants towards salary costs associated with The Swing.

St James’s Place provides funding for a third counsellor working with The Swing.

Grantham Yorke provided funding for sessional workers to support bereaved children and young people as and when required.

HOPE Group (formally the Bereaved by Suicide Support Group) provides monthly support to the families who have lost loved ones as a result of suicide.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

The CAF Coronavirus Emergency Fund enabled to charity to purchase electrical equipment to enable staff to work from home more efficiently.

The Coronavirus Community Support fund, funded by HM Government &The National Lottery Community Fund partnership enabled the charity to buy PPE and equipment to ensure the centre was covid secure as well as pay towards costs in increase the charity capacity and assist with core costs.

General funds consist of unrestricted reserves brought forward, general donations and fundraising; they may be used for any charitable purpose as deemed by the trustees.

Balance at Balance
beginning of at end of
2020 funds year Income Expenditure year
£ £ £ £
Restricted funds
The National Lottery 5,084 52,436 (50,077) 7,443
Let’s Talk - 250 - 250
The Swing 48,001 32,128 (30,805) 49,324
The Henry Smith Charity - 30,000 (30,000) -
BBC Children in Need –
small grant 653 9,665 (9,572) 746
BBC Children in Need –
main grant 645 25,065 (24,941) 769
The Wesleyan Foundation
7,288		 - (7,288) -
Grantham Yorke 463 - (75) 388
St James’s Place - 10,000 (2,684) 7,316
Hope Group 2,600 840 (198) 3,242
64,734 160,384 (155,640) 69,478
Un-restricted funds
General fund 34,108 9,612 (2,287) 41,433
Total funds 98,842 169,996 (157,927) 110,911

12. Controlling Interest

The Charity is controlled by the Trustees.

WBSS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

13. Comparative Statement of Financial Activities



Income from:
Note

Donations & legacies
1
Charitable activities
2
Trading activities
3
Investments – bank interest
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Charitable activities


Total expenditure
4
Net income and net
movement in funds for year

Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward

Total funds carried forward		 Un-restricted
Restricted
Total
funds
funds
funds
2020
2020
2020
£
£
£
5,611
72,300
77,911
1,125
87,166
88,291
2,294
918
3,212
582
-
582
9,612
160,384
169,996
-
13,007
13,007
2,287
142,633
144,920
2,287
155,640
157,927
7,325
4,744
12,069
34,108
64,734
98,842
41,433
69,478
110,911