## **The Local Carers Network** ## **1[ST] APRIL 2021 – 31[ST] MARCH 2022** **The Local Carers Network** **Charitable incorporated Organisation Number 1155280** **1** ## Annual report **1[st] April 2021 – 31[st] March 2022** ## **Status** The Local Carers Network is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Charity Registration No. 1155280 Company registration number CE000647 ## **Address** The Welcome Centre 43 Hamilton Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 5AA ## **Contact details** Email: support@tlcnetwork.co.uk Phone: 0151 647 9584 ## **Trustees** The Trustees who held office during the year were as follows:- **2** Laura Carman (Chair person) Appointed 2016 Susan Mahoney (Trustee) Appointed 2015 Louise Reecejones (Secretary) Founder Trustee January 2014 Selena Chisholm Appointed 2019 All trustees are reappointed at our Annual General meeting and this year there was no changes to be made. ## **Charities Bankers** Barclays Bank, Liscard branch, Wallasey ## **The principal activity of the Charity** To promote and advance the knowledge, education and well-being in life of all persons with special needs or disabilities and to support their families by such charitable means as the trustees think fit. To ensure as far as possible such persons with special needs may advance in life and develop as individuals and members of society. ## **Services Offered** Special educational needs (SEND) is a legal term, referring to any condition, difficulty or Disability TLC Network is an independent advice and support network for families, carers, young people and children affected by the issues and challenges of living with Special Educational Needs or disabilities. Since starting our charity has made a real difference working practically with families at a grass roots level to prevent and overcome barriers and to reduce isolation, self-harm, re-offending, child abuse, domestic abuse, segregation, financial poverty, homelessness, bullying, this includes bullying and exclusion from school or school activities. We provide a free independent advocacy service - inclusion projects - outreach service, training events, direct family, and guardian’s support. We also just sit down and have a cuppa when just a simple chat about the weather is needed. Not every family needs full support, some just need to feel like they have a friend who just gets them and won’t judge. **3** We work in conjunction with other professionals and organisations to provide the best possible support in a joined-up way. We provide activities for families to access which includes our tots group, children’s activity groups, parent and Carer support sessions, training on specific diagnosis or general disability training for parents, professionals, schools and businesses, Adult ADHD advice and guidance is also available, and we have trained volunteers on hand to support any adults who approach. We have a team who specialize in giving advice and guidance in special educational needs and disabilities, this is by far our biggest area of support. We set up our direct payment’s hub, this was in response to families struggling to find carers when they are awarded direct payments. This is a paid service through direct payments and is working well. We match carers to members who need the support and coordinate them going out on a weekly basis. The carers we currently have are amazing and have come up with some great ways to spend their day with the child or adult they look after. We have also been able to start to teach travel training. This has had a great success with everyone having fun on public transport. We want to increase what we offer in our weekly sessions, so we are able to bring more children in safely to have fun, or to learn. We hope to get more carers on board so we can access more children needing that support. The demand is extremely high, but it is a very skilled job and some of our young people can be very challenging so we ensure all carers are given training so they can deliver the highest level of care. We offer support for Deaf families, working closely with local agencies, we provide deaf advocates to ensure the voices of D/deaf parents are heard and that children who are both deaf or born to deaf Parents have a strong voice. Children born to deaf parents are known as CODA’s, these children can very often face abuse from agencies who use them as interpreters for their parents. Often these children can then become exposed to conversations that they should not be hearing or involved in. We ensure services we work with understand the rights of the deaf community and the rights of CODA children. The right to fully trained qualified interpreters when accessing statutory services is still a frequent challenge that the deaf community face daily. We are advocates and not interpreters and we make it very clear what our role is in supporting families. **4** Our deaf families often find themselves in child protection, this is not because they are struggling to parent or because of abuse. This is, is most cases because agencies cannot communicate with the family, they are then seen as not engaging and then taken through a process they struggle to follow. This area is one we plan to develop further as it is a huge area of need. ## **We also provide training to parents in representing their children in school meetings.** - We are independent of the statutory services, and we believe constructive challenge is healthy. - Our approach is based on transparency, mutual respect, and trust. - We work collaboratively and in equal partnership; we expect the same in return - We are parents of children, young people or adults with SEND and collectively make decisions. - Our roles are to contribute different perspectives and be as representative as possible, of the families of children and young people with SEND in Wirral. - We seek to increase family’s participation and co- production in the developing & commissioning of services that affect us - We work on a pan-disability basis, without exclusion or bias. ## **Our Values and principles** ## **Our charity is run by volunteers and abide by the Nolan principles of public life. These are our values:** - **Selflessness** – we take decisions in terms of our values and mission, for universal benefit (not personal benefit) - **Integrity** – we do not place ourselves under obligation to individuals or organisations that might influence us - **Objectivity** – we ensure that we are representative of SEND and our localities - **Accountability** – we accept accountability for our decisions and actions and submit ourselves to appropriate scrutiny **5** **Openness** – we are open about all decisions and actions that we take; and where required give reasons for our decisions - **Honesty** – we declare private interests relating to our duties and takes steps to resolve conflicts in a way that protects our reputation, values and missions - **Leadership** – we promote and support these principles by leadership and example Our volunteers have given over 3000 hours of volunteer service during the past year, making a huge difference to families lives from across Wirral and the North West _**“The Welcome Centre is the most welcoming place to be, my family has been supported and without their help I do not know where we would be now. Thank you so much everyone”**_ **Jane, Wirral** **6** ## **A message from our Chair** I want to thank everyone who has helped the Charity over some very difficult years, we have had the pandemic which hit our centre very hard. Volunteers have changed the way they support families with so much moving online. This year we have expanded our Direct payments service, and this has been a huge success, we will continue to grow this with caution. I am so proud of all our volunteers for the amount of work and dedication they have shown once again to the charity, without all their work, and the hours they put in many families would have not had anywhere to go to get help. We are all one family at The Welcome Centre, and I look forward to welcoming more new families or members of the community into our fantastic Centre over the next year. Watching the charity grow each year, and the difference we make to the community is humbling. I am so proud and honored to be the chair of a genuine charity powered by volunteers. Who needs fairy dust when you have such an amazing team. Best Wishes ## Laura Carmen Chair Of Trustees **7** ## **We have received support and funding from:** We have also received private donations from many of our members, from the smallest to the largest we are very grateful to you all. We would also like to thank everyone who has nominated us on Facebook for Birthday donations. Easy fundraising and Amazon Smile has also been successful in bring in much needed funds too, thank you to all members who think of us every time they shop online, all those small pennies really do add up. **8** ## **Financial Statement TLC Network April 2021 – March 2022** The Local Carers Network For the 12 months ended 31 March 2022 Excluding VAT ## **Income** |Consultancy fee|£1,620.00| |---|---| |Contribution Cash Donation|£100.00| |Fundraising Income|£1,843.08| |Grant Received|£19,325.00| |Interest Received|£3.41| |payment for services|£25,990.00| |Purchase Returns|£0.44| |Refund Received|£11.50| |**Total Income**|**£48,893.43**| |**Less Operating Expenses**|| |Administration Expenses|£1,578.82| |Audit & Accountancy fees|£331.04| |Cleaning|£108.80| |Direct Expenses|£232.42| |Direct invoices paid|£9,875.00| |General Expenses|£6,921.37| |Grant Expenditure|£3,311.70| |Insurance|£866.71| |IT Software and Consumables|£4,877.72| |Office Stationery|£121.79| |Postage, Freight & Courier|£6.85| |Premises Rent|£12,744.70| |Repairs and Servicing|£4,332.65| **9** |Staff Training|£237.60| |---|---| |Telephone & Internet|£1,644.21| |**Total Operating Expenses**|**£47,191.38**| |**Summary**|| |Opening Balance|£28,770.00| |Total Income|£48,893.43| |Total Spent|£47,191.38| |
Closing Balance|£30,472.05| **This report is agreed as a true and accurate account by all trustees Submitted Tuesday 31[st] January 2023** **10**