Charity Number 1157675
Annual Trustee Report 2024-2025
The trustees of ACTS FAST present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended April 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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 (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).
1 | P a g e
| CONTENTS: | |
|---|---|
| Page number(s) | |
| Summary | 3 |
| Our mission, vision & objectives | 4 |
| Services | 5 |
| Signifcant Activities | 6 |
| Impact | 7 |
| Financial review | 8 |
| Trustees | 9 |
| Structure, Governance, Management | 10 |
| Administration Details | 10 |
| References | 10 |
2 | P a g e
SUMMARY
ACTS FAST are a specialist team of support workers and counsellors. ACTS FAST works in a trauma-informed capacity by providing a three-stage trauma-informed support service to parents, carers and adult family members of children who have been sexually abused, (CSA), and parents and family members of an individual who has accessed Indecent Images of Children (IIOC).
Following a disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) “the impacts experienced by nonoffending parents – and, in particular, mothers – as a result of their children’s CSA victimisation can mirror those outcomes experienced by victims and survivors” (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, 2022).
There is established and growing evidence, nationally and internationally, to both understand and demonstrate the impact on family members when someone is arrested for IIOC, widely referred to as “the knock”. Arrests usually take place within the family home when the rest of the family is present and recent research confirms the traumatic impact on the non-offending partner and children who witness not just the arrest of their loved one, but also witness the subsequent search of the family home and the removal of possessions for the purpose of forensic examination and analysis (Armitage, 2023).
Most partners of people arrested for possession of IIOC experience symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Armitage, 2023). The impact on children cannot be underestimated – one study illustrated that children were less likely to experience a “normal childhood” following “the knock” (Kilmer & Leon, 2017) and an earlier study found that instances of depression were high (Levenson & Tewkesbury, 2009).
3 | P a g e
OUR MISSION
“ACTS FAST provides support for non-abusive family members impacted by Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), breaking the cycle of trauma and abuse, empowering them to thrive”.
OUR VISION
To live in a world free of Child Sexual Abuse and the painful fall-out from when people access Indecent Images of Children.
OUR OBJECTIVES
In setting out our objectives and developing our services our Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance.
- 1) To increase and broaden our reach to potential clients in need.
2) To continue to enhance and improve our services in partnership with our professional staff, volunteers and client peers.
-
3) To continue to develop our Brighter Futures programme.
-
4) To sustainably increase our staff numbers with the rise of client numbers.
-
5) To continue to strive to have a minimal waiting period.
6) To continue to increase our links with the local community, national and international bodies.
4 | P a g e
SERVICES:
ACTS FAST provides a phased approach to recovery from trauma and each service involves a variety of psychoeducational techniques and integrates different ways of working. The three stages replicate Judith Herman’s Tri-Phasic Trauma Model (Herman, 2002) and our aim is that the clients move through each service consecutively. The introduction of this model has meant that clients experience a more structured service delivery.
-
1) Trauma Support service to provide safety and stability for our clients.
-
2) Counselling to assist our clients to process and integrate their memories and experiences.
-
3) Brighter Futures focuses on reconnection and integration, helping our clients rebuild their lives and achieve post-traumatic growth.
5 | P a g e
SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES
-
February ’24 – March ’25: therapy lead Vikki Taylor completed the Practice Leads Programme with the CSA Centre of Expertise . This is a 12-month course which provided access to leading academics and practitioners with support for developing our client services.
-
June 2024: CEO Simone Gosden flew to Taiwan to speak at an International Symposium ‘Exploring family support and parenting policies from a wellbeing perspective’, having been invited by the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families to share the innovative work of ACTS FAST.
-
‘Expert Voices’ was launched in April 2024 which recognises our clients as the experts and invites them to evaluate their experience of ACTS FAST and influence future service development. The project is delivered in two 1.5-hour sessions for 2-6 participants and is facilitated by a trustee and our CEO. The qualitative data from this project is currently being evaluated by Bournemouth University.
-
The ’Wellbeing Scale’ was developed in 2023/4 and we have continued to use this in-house scale over the last year. It continues to demonstrate a significant increase in overall client wellbeing. A quantitative evaluation is currently being undertaken by Bournemouth University.
-
December 2024: BBC South Today report on the work of ACTS FAST as their main feature throughout the days’ bulletins.
-
January 2025 – present: launch of a specialist training programme; ‘After The Knock’ - a trauma-informed support programme designed for professionals working with secondary victims of ‘the knock’, such as statutory services including the Police and Children’s Social Services. Evaluation of this training programme has been ongoing with the support of an Expert Working Party made up of police officers, academic researchers and leading national specialist practitioners within the field of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation.
6 | P a g e
IMPACT
“ACTS FAST helped me to separate my experience from my child’s. I am now able to hold my own trauma and my child’s trauma.”
“History is not going to repeat itself – I'm getting therapy so that I can be there for my child.”
“I no longer think about how to take my own life all day. ACTS FAST showed me life would get better. I know now that life is precious’.
In 2024/25 ACTS FAST supported 216 clients with 1965 hours of 1:1 support.
| Client numbers for the financialyear 2024/25 | Client numbers for the financialyear 2024/25 | Compared to 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
| Total number of clients supported in the timeperiod |
216 | 114 |
| Total number of new referrals | 196 | 108 |
| Clients (parent/carer) seeking support following a disclosure of childhood sexual abuse (CSA)from their child |
112 101 female 11 male |
68 61 female 7 male |
| Clients seeking support after a partner was arrested for downloading indecent images of children(IIOC) |
84 78 female 6 male |
40 39 female 1 male |
| Number of assessment appointments in the reporting period |
166 | 97 |
| Number of support sessions via telephone call or text that were recorded |
56 | 20 |
| Counsellingappointments | 460 | 324 |
| Trauma Support appointments | 1266 | 899 |
| Brighter Futures | 17 | 0 |
7 | P a g e
All clients receive trauma support before accessing Brighter Futures under the new model.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The last year has posed significant challenges for ACTS FAST from a financial perspective. We are nearing the end of our 4-year funding award from The National Lottery and this deficit means that the future of the service is uncertain. Our funding strategy encompasses bids and proposals which fulfil short-term needs as well as seeking to secure sustainable funding which enables ACTS FAST not just to remain active, but to proactively scale up our infrastructure and capacity in order to meet expanding client need.
TRUSTEES
The current Board of Trustees has been in place since January 2024 and comprises five members, bringing with them a diverse range of skills and knowledge including education, policing, business acumen, criminal and family court, counselling, and specialist knowledge in research and service delivery for primary and secondary victimsurvivors of sexual trauma. The Trustee Board works dynamically with the Senior Leadership Team and staff. The board conducts annual Staff and SLT appraisals, Team Appraisals, and is actively involved in wider tasks such as reviewing staff and client policies, contributing to funding ideas. The board’s collective passion and belief in the importance of this critical area of work is reflected in their ‘hands’on’ approach and willingness to be actively involved in contributing ideas and shaping strategy in ways which will encourage sustainability of service, and enable more clients to be supported.
Recruitment and Appointment of New Trustees
Trustees are appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.
In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
Trustees are advised of any online training specifically regarding their roles. Trustees have access to a "Trustees Information Pack" in addition to annual safeguarding training and access to Community Action Network trustee events and training.
The charity trustees will make available to each new charity trustee, on or before his or her first appointment:
(a) a copy of the current version of this constitution; and
(b) a copy of the CIO’s latest Trustees’ Annual Report and statement of accounts.
8 | P a g e
Trustees
S E Walls-MacDonald
Jill Suckling
Kerensa Butcher
Sarah Vile
Joe Whalen
Rachel Skinner (resigned 23.12.24)
C. Huang (resigned 11.07.24)
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing document
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a constitution, and constitutes an unincorporated charity.
Independent Examiner
Marianne Lucken, 28 Norfolk Avenue, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 2SE.
ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Registered Charity Number 1157675
Principal address
Unit 5 Manor Farm Business Centre Gussage St. Michael Wimborne Dorset BH21 5HT
Approved by order of the board on .....16/01/26.......and signed on its behalf by:
Sarah Vile.
Sarah Vile, Chair of Trustees.
9 | P a g e
REFERENCES
Armitage, R., Wager, N., Wibberley, D., Hudspith, L. & Gall, V. (2023) “We’re Not Allowed to Have Experienced Trauma. We’re Not Allowed to Go through the Grieving Process” - Exploring the Indirect Harms Associated with Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) Offending and Its Impacts on non-offending Family Members. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15564886.2023.2172504#abstract
Kilmer, A. & Leon, C.S. (2017) “Nobody worries about our children: Unseen impacts of sex offender registration on families with school-age children and implications for desistance”. Criminal Justice Studies, 30(2), pp. 181-201
Levenson, J. & Tewkesbury, R. (2009) “Collateral damage: Family members of registered sex offenders”. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 34(1-2), pp.54-68.
Receipts and Payments
| Charity Name | Charity Name | No (if any) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACTS FAST | |||||||||
| Receipts and payments accounts | Receipts and payments accounts | ||||||||
| CC16a | |||||||||
| Section A Receipts and payments ~~a~~ |
For the period from Period start date To Period end date 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 Unrestrict ed funds Restricte d funds Endowme nt funds Total funds ~~ |
~~ ~~ |
~~ | ||||||
| to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
|||||
| A1 Receipts | |||||||||
| Community | |||||||||
| Fundraising | 1,868 | - | - | 1,868 | 747 | ||||
| Corporate Donations | 5,455 | - | - | 5,455 | - | ||||
| Donations | 3,135 | - | - | 3,135 | 15,577 | ||||
| Grants | 75,000 | 53,930 | - | 128,930 | 97,565 | ||||
| Payroll Giving | 1,197 | - | - | 1,197 | - | ||||
| Training | 600 | - | - | 600 | - | ||||
| Other revenue | 367 | - | 367 | 300 | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross | |||||||||
| income for AR) | income for AR) 87,255 |
54,297 | - | 141,552 | 114,189 | ||||
| A2 Asset and | |||||||||
| investment sales, | |||||||||
| (see table). | |||||||||
| - | - | - | - | ||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total | Sub total - |
- | - | - | - | ||||
| Total receipts | 87,255 54,297 ~~PFJE~~ |
- 141,552 ~~JEEEE~~ |
114,189 |
10 | P a g e
| A3 Payments | 93,865 4,575 2,399 3,333 59 - - 298 1,980 1,847 1,102 12,282 3,761 167 575 203 226 126,672 - - - 126,672 - 39,417 9,050 - 30,367 |
24,470 3,400 434 - 1,213 42 4,129 - 1,129 34,817 - - - 34,817 19,480 24,359 43,839 |
- - - - - - - - - |
- - - - - - - - - |
118,335 4,575 2,399 6,733 493 - 298 1,980 3,060 1,144 16,411 3,761 1,296 - 575 203 226 161,489 - - - 161,489 - 19,937 - 33,409 13,472 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salaries | 93,865 | - | 118,335 | 110,420 | ||
| Employers NI | 4,575 | - | 4,575 | 3,841 | ||
| Pension | 2,399 | - | 2,399 | 2,363 | ||
| Counselling | 3,333 | - | 6,733 | 1,695 | ||
| Resources for service delivery |
59 | - | 493 | 552 | ||
| Consultancy | - | - | 1,856 | |||
| Fundraising Expenses | 298 | 298 | ||||
| Audit and Accountancy |
1,980 | 1,980 | 1,860 | |||
| Supervision | 1,847 | - | 3,060 | 2,480 | ||
| Expenses | 1,102 | 1,144 | 1,105 | |||
| Overheads | 12,282 | 16,411 | 15,104 | |||
| IT Costs | 3,761 | - | 3,761 | 4,708 | ||
| Staff Training | 167 | - | 1,296 | 1,315 | ||
| Venue Hire | - | 1,116 | ||||
| Insurance | 575 | 575 | 575 | |||
| HR & Recruitment | 203 | 203 | 184 | |||
| Subscriptions | 226 | - | 226 | 2,241 | ||
| Sub total | 126,672 | - | # | 161,489 | 151,415 | |
| - - - - - - - - |
||||||
| 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 |
- | - | ||||
| 151,415 | ||||||
| - 39,417 |
19,480 | - | - 19,937 |
- 37,226 |
||
| - | - | - | ||||
| 9,050 | 24,359 | - | 33,409 | - | ||
| - 30,367 |
43,839 | - | 13,472 | - 37,226 |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Unrestrict | Restricte | Endowme | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories | Details | ed funds | d funds | nt funds |
| to nearest | to | to nearest | ||
| £ | nearest | £ |
11 | P a g e
| B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
NatWest Bank Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Details Details Computer equipment Details |
13,472 13,472 Agreement Error Unrestrict ed funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs Unrestricte d Fund to which liability |
£ - - - - Agreeme nt Error Restricte d funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Cost (optional ) - - - - - Cost (optional ) 1,834 - - - - - - - - Amount due (optional |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| OK | ||||
| Endowme nt funds to nearest £ |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| When due (optional) |
12 | P a g e
----- Start of picture text -----
relates )
B5 Liabilities PAYE due unrestricte 01 April
d 296 2025
-
-
-
=== -
Signed by one or two
Date of
trustees on behalf of Signature Print Name
approval
all the trustees
19/01/202
Sarah Vile 6
Jill Suckling
19/01/202
6
----- End of picture text -----
13 | P a g e
Independent examinerfs report to the Trustees of ACTS FAST Independent examlnef s report to the Truslees of ACTS FAST I rewrt to the trUstS (m my exaMilI0n of the accounts of ACTS FAST fthe Trusf) the year eTrJed 2 W'I 2025. Responsibilitles and basis of report As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are resFCmSitle for the preparation of the aCc(nts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (-the Acr). I repyl in respect of my examinath)n of the Trus¥s accounts carried (xrt under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in caryirtsJ (yjt my examinatKw), I have followal the appliCae DirectIS gNen ty Ihe Charity Commission urKler sect¥M 145(5Mb) ol the ACL Independent examiner's ststement I have completed my examinatKffl. I crf1 that rK) materpl matter5 have ccxne to my attentKX) in connection wrth the examination which gNes me cause to bele that in, any material resFeCt: 1. acccAJnting re¢d$ were rnt kept In OrdanCe with Sect 130 of Act 2. the accounts do not accrxd with the acccwnb'rnj records 3. the accounts do not compty with the aptable reuirements COreming the form aTrJ content of accwnts set (xrt In the CharitEs (Acc(nIS arKI Re[s) RegUlatiCY 2)8 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true arKI fair which is rrtx a matter considered as part of an indepeIent I have rK) ccK)cems and have cc¥ne across rK• (ther matters in CneC1K With the examinatK to which attenti sk1 b8 drawn in C to enable a WKlerstarNJirwJ of the acC(nts to be reached. Marianne Lucken 28 Norfolk Aven Christchurch Dorset BH23 2SE Date: .- 29.l.o.7ji....... 141 Page