2023-04-05-accounts - Stand Alone Charity

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Trustees' Annual Report for the period

From Period start date To[Period end date ] 06 04 2022 05 04 2023

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1154710

Stand Alone

Charity's principal address 34B York Way, London,

Postcode N1 9AB

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Dates acted if not for whole Name of person (or body) entitled Trustee name Office (if any) year to appoint trustee (if any) June 2022-March 2023 1[Geraldine ] McAndrew 2 Beth Watts-Cobb August 2022- March 2023 3 Ben Jordon August 2022- March 2023 4 Gordon Hunt April 2022 – March 2023 – 5 Lucy Blake April 2022 July 2022

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Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name Dates acted if not for whole year

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser Name Address

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

Rebecca Bland, CEO

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Constitution of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation whose only voting Type of governing document members are its charity trustees Date of constitution (last amended): (eg. trust deed, constitution) 24[st ] Nov 2013 CIO How the charity is constituted

(eg. trust, association, company)

Appointment Trustee selection methods

(eg. appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
the charity’s organisational
structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
relationship with any related parties;

● Complaints handling ● Conflicting interests ● Investment ● Paying staff

Risk management

● Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries

Volunteer management
trustees’ consideration of
major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

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Section C Objectives and activities

To promote social inclusion for the public benefit by preventing people who are estranged from their family or members of their family from becoming socially excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are socially excluded and assisting them to integrate into society. For the purpose of this Summary of the objects of the clause ‘socially excluded’ means being excluded from society, or parts of charity set out in its governing society, as a result of family relationship breakdown. To advance education document among the public on the subject of family estrangement. Throughout the financial year 2022/23 Stand Alone charity continued to drive significant changes in higher education policy around estranged young people nationally across the UK. Most notable progress was achieved in Scotland. Following a series of conversations and round tables with the then MSP with a remit for higher education in Scotland, the Scottish Government commissioned ScotCen Social Research to undertake research on the experiences of estranged students in Scotland. The aim was to provide an insight into the contexts and experiences of estranged students in further and higher education (FE and HE) to inform future higher education policy in Scotland. The Scottish Government also committed to exploring a national guarantor scheme for estranged students studying higher education. Stand Alone worked with the Welsh Government towards improved data on estranged students in higher education to inform Welsh higher education policy in the future. Stand Alone advised the Welsh Government to introduce a new field on the HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) data collection platform for higher education providers to gather and submit institutional Summary of the main activities data on estranged students. The new field was confirmed to go live in the undertaken for the public academic year 2023/24. benefit in relation to these objects (include within this Following the move to online support during Covid 19 the charity chose to section the statutory deliver a mix of online and in person support during the first half of 2022. An declaration that trustees have in-depth review of the hybrid model was undertaken to understand the had regard to the guidance advantages and disadvantages of modes of delivery for beneficiaries. The issued by the Charity findings recommended a digital offer only. The support groups and Commission on public benefit) workshops were more accessible to beneficiaries online and allowed the charity to extend its reach across the UK and beyond. The report also took into account beneficiaries’ desire for a closed community where they could safely meet and interact with likeminded people with experience of estrangement to reduce their feelings of loneliness and isolation. The report’s recommendations gave rise to a new programme of online support groups starting from September 2022 which included a monthly online community support space. The charity continued to increase the awareness and understanding of estrangement among staff working in universities and colleges across the UK through its national training conferences and delivery of training at external events. For the first time training was aimed at staff in particular roles who had in the past not engaged with the charity and the topic of estrangement, such as careers advisers. Stand Alone also widened its reach to improve the understanding of estrangement and its barriers to progression into tertiary education through a new collaborative project with the UniConnect

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Partnerships in England. A CPD accredited training for staff and teachers in secondary education was created and online delivery was rolled out.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

policy on grantmaking;
policy programme related
investment;

Stand Alone charity’s 5-year strategic plan 2017 – 2022 was reviewed to inform the development of the 5-year strategy for 2023-2027 within the context of staff changes and a limited funding environment. The CEO had informally announced her intention to leave the charity by the end of 2023 in a Board meeting in November 2020. Stand Alone’s Advocacy and Policy Officer (Scotland) was leaving by the end of October 2022. The Esmee Fairbairn grant for the higher education project was due to end in early 2023 and the 2-year grant from the Robertson Trust Grant was due to end in the summer 2023. Discussions around the strategic direction of the charity 20232027 therefore took into account the consequences of the departure of the CEO and the Advocacy and Policy Officer (Scotland) as well as the need to generate new income streams from grant giving organisations and find ways to become more financially self-sufficient and sustainable.

● contribution made by volunteers.

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Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

Research to inform national policy and to support the charity’s campaigns to raise awareness and understanding of the impact of estrangement on individuals remained at the heart of the charity’s strategy. The publication of the Scottish Government commissioned independent research in November 2022 into the barriers and difficulties estranged young people face was the first of its kind in the UK. It gave rise to further discussions with policy makers to improve statutory support for estranged students in Scotland.

Collaboration with other third sector organisations active in the estranged and care-experienced space on research, policy consultations and campaigns enhanced recognition of estrangement as a measure of inequality in higher education in England.

To improve the service provided to estranged students in England and Wales by Students Loan Company (SLC), Stand Alone delivered a training session on estrangement directly to members of SLC’s Customer Experience team. The aim was to upskill SLC staff in helping to provide an intuitive, supportive, and trusted service for their most vulnerable customers, including those estranged from parents.

The new UCAS flag for applicants to higher education to self-identify as estranged was introduced and went live for the first time for the 2023 application cycle. The flag will support institutions with the identification of new estranged students enrolling on a higher education course enabling them to proactively offer institutional support to these individuals. The data collected by UCAS will give insight into the number of students estranged at application stage and their acceptance rate to higher education as a cohort. The data will also allow comparisons with other disadvantaged cohorts in the longer term.

The restructured programme of online support was successfully rolled out. It gave rise to a new regular monthly session for beneficiaries to become part of an online community of adults with experience of estrangement. Close to 300 beneficiaries attended a support group of which approx. 68% identified as estranged adult children and approx. 27% identified as estranged parents. The size of a support group remained limited at 15 to be able to offer a safe and contained space for people who have experienced trauma, to meet one another and share painful, and often rarely discussed, experiences.

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Section E Financial review

3 months reserves – see accounts

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves

Details of any funds materially in deficit Further financial review details (Optional information)

Grants from grant giving organisations continued to cover staff salaries: You may choose to include Esmee Fairbairn grant for the part-time higher education project director additional information, where relevant about: Tudor Trust part-funded the full-time CEO role together with the Robertson Trust. ● the charity’s principal The Robertson Trust also funded the part-time Advocacy and Policy Officer sources of funds (including any (Scotland). fundraising); The Big Lottery Fund grant covered the part-time Support Programme ● how expenditure has Manager role. supported the key objectives of the charity; ● investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.

Section F Other optional information

Section G Declaration

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

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Full name(s) Geraldine McAndrew

Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Trustee

May 2024

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Date 10" May 2023 TAR May 2024

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Stand Alone	Stand Alone	Stand Alone

5 April 2023	Charity no (if any)	1154710

1

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 5 April 2023 .

Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”) .

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention other than that disclosed below in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed: Name: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:	Date:
		16 May 2024

	FJ Wilde

	FCCA DChA

	4 Marigold Drive
	Bisley
	Surrey GU24 9SF

October 2018

IER

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

The Trustees advise that challenges related to the operation and governance of Stand Alone in recent years have hindered the presentation of a comprehensive picture of accounting records in accordance with Section 130. That many of the financial challenges that have emerged in recent months have been longstanding, and predate the tenure of the existing Board. This includes a delay to the submission of accounts, of which existing trustees were not aware.

The departure of the previous CEO has presented further challenges in compiling financial records. Existing staff have worked tirelessly to provide documentation and records to present as complete a picture as reasonable possible. However, this has not be possible in every case and as examiner I have therefore not been able to test four of ten income items and eight of ten expenditure items and cannot conclude that accounting records have been kept in accordance with Section 130 of the Act due to the restriction of access.

October 2018

IER

	Stand Alone Charity Name	Stand Alone Charity Name	Stand Alone Charity Name	1154710 No (if any)	CC16a
	For the period from	01/04/2022 Period start date	To	05/04/2023 Period end date

Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ - - 1,173 12,076 272 3,000 - - 16,521 - - - 16,521 6,911 38,847 4,917 189 4,608 490 2,537 123 2,928 6,090 67,640 - - - 67,640 - 51,119 - 108,592 57,473	Restricted funds to the nearest £ 4,650 - - - - - - - 4,650 - - - 4,650 91,952 - 3,355 - - - 50 - 242 659 96,258 - - - 96,258 - 91,608 - 173,996 82,388	Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Total funds to the nearest £ 4,650 - 1,173 12,076 272 3,000 - - 21,171 - - - 21,171 98,863 38,847 8,272 189 4,608 490 2,587 123 3,170 6,749 163,898 - - - 163,898 - 142,727	Last year to the nearest £
Grant Income	-				146,115
Legacies	-				-
Donations	1,173				13,023
Income from Events	12,076				-
Interest	272				-
Unknown Income	3,000				-
	-				-
	-				-
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	16,521				159,138

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-
	-				-
*Sub total*	-				-
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
					159,138

Wages/ Salaries	6,911				108,412
PAYE/NIC	38,847				7,054
Sessional Support	4,917				2,170
Training	189				86
Overheads	4,608				5,953
Insurance	490				477
Website & Research costs	2,537				4,609
Travel	123				614
Fundraising	2,928				2,730
Staff Expenses	6,090
**Sub total **	67,640				132,105

A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
	-
	-
**Sub total **	-				-
*Total payments* *Net of receipts/(payments)* A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end *Cash funds this year end*
					132,105

	- 51,119	- 91,608	-	- 142,727	27,033
	-	-	-	-	-
	108,592	173,996	-	282,588	255,555
	57,473	82,388	-	139,861	282,588

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

16/05/2024

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets	Signature Details Details CAF Bank Details Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 57,473 82,388 - - - - 57,473 82,388 OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name Geraldine MCAndrew	Endowment funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			OK
			Endowment funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			When due (optional)






			Date of approval
		Geraldine MCAndrew	16 May 2023

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

16/05/2024