2023-04-11-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 1[st] April 2022 Period start date To March 31[st] 2023 Period end date

Charity name: Reach Out – Support In The Community

Charity registration number: 1171740

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	Reach Out provides one to one support to children and young adults. This is offered on a weekly/fortnightly basis with a support volunteer, Counsellor or Therapist. Therapeutic activities are also offered. We look at the needs and interests of individuals to improve their overall wellbeing.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	Over the last year the charity has continued to support the children at Wolverley and other secondary schools across the Wyre Forest area. There has been an increased demand in primary schools for our services. We have focused on early intervention and providing support at the earliest opportunity. This has been via primary school and parental referral. Local GP’s have also been referring parents with children suffering with emotional and mental health issues to Reach Out as they are currently not referring all children to CAMHS.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	The charity has continued to provide a service in supporting especially children/young people struggling with emotional and mental health issues. Which impacts their day-to-day life. The charity continues to grow as demand has increased greatly in the surrounding community. The majority being at our Wolverley offices.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

	SORP reference
Policy on grant making	Para 1.38	The charity does not routinely make grants.

Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38	The charity does not have sufficient funds to invest.
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	Our volunteers are the mainstay of Reach Out. Their contribution and commitment is paramount in the charity’s growth and continued work within the community. The volunteers give their time and expertise freely with different levels of commitment ranging from 1 - 4 hours per week. Our established volunteers with exceptional life skills and wide range of work experience provide induction/safeguarding training for new volunteers. This has proven to work well due to their commitment of over seven years.
Other		We have Counsellors who join us to provide their services voluntarily and Therapists who can provide an alternative approach in helping to improve emotional wellbeing.

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	Our achievements this year have been to continue providing much needed support in our community. Build positive relationships with the Wyre Forest district council sustainability officer, Worcester County YP suicide prevention group. Actively engaging in meetings. Providing feedback with regards the work Reach Out do. Reporting on male self- harm and our findings has continued to be an important part of our work. We continue to work with LAC children, providing activities and teaching them life skills from our wonderful team of volunteers. We are looking at art therapy in groups and other important activities to help children with certain issues as it is proven to improve wellbeing. 32 children/young people were supported at Wolverley and in the Wyre Forest area. We have experienced an increase in referrals from CAMHS (NHS), social services and other organisations and local charities wanting Reach Out to

support children in need of in many cases urgent support for their mental health. Parents continue to contact us directly as they have children with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, autism, ADHD, anger issues and bereavement. Parents have taken their children to their GP to be told that there is no help for them. They are unable to refer to CAMHS. We have worked tirelessly to support these children/young people even though we have become stretched ourselves. We hope to set up a suicide prevention organisation for the Wyre Forest and collaborate with a local charity KDYT to provide support in urgent cases, when young people hit crisis. Anecdotal evidence remains that our service within the Wyre Forest community is highly appreciated by children/young people, parents, adults, school pastoral team, governors, local charities and organisations. We continue to support the Mitch’sLaw campaign and petition to get better services for children/young people. We have taken part in a large local showcase to promote Reach Out and the campaign, open to children/young people in the Wyre Forest. This was very successful and we hope to take part in other events arranged in the future.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:	Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:	Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41	This being the eighth year of the Charity’s existence. Our main objective is to continue to support children/young people and adults in our community. Being able to cope with an increased demand for our service. As we have now established a good reputation and are considered to be a valuable service. Remaining professional, accountable and competent.
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41	We have continued to focus on securing funding in order to become sustainable in the future, as the need for our service increases each year. Members of the community have raised money in several ways to show their support. We continue to promote the Mitch’s Law campaign to get better services for our children/young people. We have applied for funding from a large youth organisation who were focusing on mental health, unfortunately without

		success. The reason given was, over subscription. It has been increasingly difficult, disheartening and frustrating to be turned down when this work is so important. There is a need to secure this funding in order to have paid positions within the charity and cope with demand of those seeking help. Volunteers time is limited. This remains a priority for the growth of the Charity, and we will continue to apply for funding. This year we will look at smaller organisations in the hope for success.
Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41	The Charity holds no investments.
Other		We recruited 3 new volunteers. Some potential volunteers interviewed, were not suitable for our work. It is of great importance to Reach Out to have the right people joining us who are passionate about the work and not what is written on their CV. Unfortunately, there was an increase in these types of enquiries. It has to be made clear that a young person can potentially need many hours of support and a quick fix is not an option as addressing all issues for continued improvement is key. Our approach has always been this way and has worked overtime and given us many successes. We continue to put the wellbeing of all the children/young people we support as paramount in our continued work. We now comprise of 12 volunteers who are all DBS cleared and checked. We continue to recruit volunteers and counsellors. We are now in a position to take on students from Worcester University. This will be a great help in coping with the demand for our service. We have students who are studying for their CAMHS degree. They will join us to do all their counselling hours. They will be DBS checked and undergo our induction/safeguarding training along with our suicide policy/procedure before starting with us. We continue to look at training to offer our volunteers in helping them work with children/young people. Looking at new alternative therapies and courses.

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	The Charity started the reporting period with £4,570.11 in the bank. We have received donations of £11,482.18. The account balance at the year end showed a balance of £11,001.52
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	No reserves held.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	None
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22	The Charity occupies premises provided free of charge by Wolverley C E Secondary School. It does not employ anyone. It therefore has no financial obligations.
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24	The Charity is not in deficit.
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	Applying for funding remains a priority as we have and continue to grow. The reputation and the awareness of Reach Out means we have seen an increase in referrals. This means there is a possibility that we become overwhelmed with demand and children/young people will wait longer to be seen. We continue to be in a position that we do not require any major expenditure and so there is no concern about the Charity’s future financial viability.
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	The Charity continues to apply for funding. The local community have raised money in various ways, and some have made small contributions when family members have been supported by Reach Out. Local organisations have also made small donations. In support of our work.
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46	There are not sufficient funds to warrant investments.
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46	The greatest risk to Reach Out is the same as last year, namely that of an incident impacting on its reputation. These risks would fall into two broad categories: 1. Volunteer related. For example, allegations of inappropriate behaviour by a volunteer, failure to disclose information during the DBS process, misrepresenting their credentials, breaches of trust and confidentiality and

		the like. 2. Client related. Self- harm, suicide or acts of aggression while receiving support from Reach Out. This could call into question the competence of the service. On this latter point, it is precisely risk of self- harm and problems managing anger which frequently lead to young people being referred to Reach Out. If we turned these people away simply to reduce the risk to our reputation, there would be little other support available for them. The local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service is unable to meet demand and has to prioritise its service to those deemed to be at greatest risk and for only a limited number of sessions. During the current reporting period Reach Out has built its reputation even further and is highly respected by staff and management of Wolverley C E Secondary School.
Other		Our suicide/self-harm policy/procedure is now active part of our daily work with children/young people. This was needed urgently due to the increase in self harm, suicidal thoughts amongst children/young people. All new volunteers receive training to ensure compliance. We continue to collaborate with Worcester County Council to develop a countywide and multi-agency strategy on suicide and self-harm reduction among young people. We will also continue our work in raising awareness of the Mitch’sLaw campaign for better services for our children/ young people.

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Standard charity constitution document.
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	The Charity is constituted as a CIO.
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	Trustee nominations considered, nominated and seconded at AGM.

Additional information (optional)

Additional information (optional)	Additional information (optional)	Additional information (optional)
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51	We have completed policies and procedures for inducting/training trustees.
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51	The Charity works within a teamwork structure and only provides its services within the Wyre Forest area.
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51	None
Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	Reach Out–Support In The Community
Other name the charity uses	N/A
Registered charity number	1171740
Charity’s principal address	AIG Centre Wolverley CE Secondary School Blakeshall Lane Wolverley, Kidderminster DY11 5XQ

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)
	Luke Whitehouse		Wholeyear
	Lucinda Wood		Wholeyear
	Angie Gibbs		Wholeyear
	Rob Collins		Wholeyear
	Lisa Collins		Wholeyear

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved Director name

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets None held in this capacity Name and objects of the Not applicable charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for Not applicable safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of Name Address adviser

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Mrs Andrea Whitehouse

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Not applicable

Other optional information

This report has been signed off by Luke Whitehouse and Angie Gibbs 27-01-24

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s)

Angie Gibbs Full name(s) Luke Whitehouse Position (eg Secretary, Trustee Chair Trustee Secretary Chair, etc) Date 27-01-24

Northern Butterflies

Income and Expenditure 10th April 2022 - 11th April 2023

Expenditure

Income					Expenditure
VCSE
		6,020			Art materials	2,610.60
Scew Fix Foundation		1,500.00			Volunteer Expenses	1,425
Northumberland C.C		500.00			Merchanise	170
Mind Strong		250.00			Printing Ink	232.75
P.C.C		1,000			Stationary	600.95
NHS Trust		1,710.00			Publicity	877.69
National Lottery Fund	RC	33,750			Travel	400
North East Region					Printer	196.98
Eyes Open		100.00			Allotment Materials	521.87
Citizens Advice		400			Training	685
Citizens Advice Multiply		10,000			Computer software	83.52
Unrestricted Funds		4,414			Staff/sessional staff	48,691.80
					Care check	24
					Subsistence expenses	1,079.05
					Fixtures and Fittings	837.37
Total Income		59,644			Pat testing	93.60
Starting Balance		9,743			Insurance	232.11
Total Income		69,387			Fire Extinghishers	139.80
Balance		69,387			Accontant	97.19
Less total Expenditure		58,999.28
Balance Thisis asum ary of o	income	10,387.72 dexnd•	e		Total Expenditure	58,999.28
				Name
				Signature
				Position
				Date