**Children Heard and Seen End of Year Trustee Report April 1[st] 2021 – 31[st] March 2022 Charity Number: 1157879** ## **Reference and Administrative Information** **Charity Name:** Children Heard and Seen **Charity Number:** 1157879 **Principal Address:** Hill End Centre, Eynsham Road, Oxford OX2 9NJ ## **Management Committee (Trustees):** Bryony Rowe Chair Helen Kilby Safeguarding Lead Georgia Parry Treasurer (until 20[th] October) – remains a trustee Sir Tony Baldry Kelly Gardener Treasurer (from 20[th] October) Ralph Lubowski ## **Senior Management Team** Sarah Burrows CEO ## **Our Aims and Objectives** ## **Purposes and aims** Our charity’s purpose, as laid out in our constitution, is as follows: _“The promotion of social inclusion for the public benefit among children and young people of prisoners who are socially excluded on the grounds of their social and economic position. This includes: mentoring support and guidance for children, young people and their families, advocacy and partnership working”_ The aims of the charity are to improve outcomes for children impacted by parental imprisonment, raise awareness and public empathy surrounding the issues this group of young people face, and break the cycle of intergenerational offending. Our aims fully reflect the purposes that the charity was set up to further. ## **The focus of our work** Our main objectives for the year continued to be the promotion of the social inclusion of children impacted by parental imprisonment. The strategies we used to meet these objectives included: 2 **07557 339258 childrenheardandseen.co.uk** - Providing a range of tailored support services to ensure children, young people, and their families, affected by parental imprisonment can access appropriate and timely support during an incredibly difficult time. - Formalising our learning surrounding the experiences of children to build a strong evidence base for research led policy that results in the implementation of a national framework of identification and support. - Raising awareness regarding the experiences of children with a parent in prison to influence social attitudes and reduce feelings of stigma, shame and social isolation. ## **Ensuring our work delivers our aims** Our primary beneficiaries are children aged 0-18 impacted by parental imprisonment. We currently have an active caseload of 275 children. We are primarily based in Oxfordshire, but the introduction of online support during the pandemic means that we now also offer online support to families across the country. Approximately 30% of the families we now support live in Oxfordshire, with the rest living in different parts of England, including London, Essex, Liverpool, Manchester, Cornwall and many more. The trustees have taken regard of the guidance issued by the Charity Commissioners on public benefit. The main activities undertaken include the provision of 1:1 support with trained practitioners, facilitating group work for children with a parent in prison, and providing volunteer mentoring for children. These activities, among others, and the achievements that flow from our work are described below. ## _**Providing 1:1 Support**_ We provide intensive weekly one to one support for children with a parent in prison. Sessions provide an opportunity for the child to talk about their feelings relating to having a parent in prison, help them to develop strategies to manage those difficult feelings and to help children understand the process of imprisonment by covering each stage of the custodial sentence. We have developed a workbook for children to complete with their worker which takes them through these stages, and ends by looking to the future and encouraging children to think about what they want to achieve, where they want to be in 10 years and the steps, they need to take to make it a reality This is designed to instil a lasting positive self-image that empowers a young person to choose a different path to the offending parent. We also use Drawing and Talking sessions with young people, which is a non-intrusive and attachment based therapeutic intervention that allows the child to find a symbolic resolution to conflicts and for their trauma to begin to heal. Our 1:1 support focuses on: - Capturing the voice of the child – demonstrated in early stages of the workbook - Taking a child-focused and strength-based approach that reminds children of positive influences: safety, who they can turn to for support. - Fostering a greater sense of self, sense of purpose and sense of belonging, ensuring that children can believe that they can achieve and aren’t defined by their parent’s offence. 3 **07557 339258 childrenheardandseen.co.uk** - Recognising the complexity and breadth of lived experiences, as no two children are the same – adapting support accordingly. - Providing a safe space to discuss the absent parent. This may be a topic that a child feels they are not able to discuss with their own family - Tailoring our approach to the individual needs of the child, taking into account their experiences, strengths and interests to make sure they receive the full benefit of our support. This year, we delivered over 2800 1:1 support sessions for children impacted by parental imprisonment. ## _**Group Work for Children**_ We provide peer support work and group work for children with a parent in prison. These sessions combat feelings of shame by showing children that they are not alone. In group activities, our qualified practitioners use creative activities to help young people explore complex emotions in accessible and indirect ways. By speaking with other young people, children are able to share coping strategies and manage complex emotions surrounding their parent’s imprisonment. This improves the emotional wellbeing of children who attend, allowing them to maximise their own potential in other areas. ## _**Group Work for Adults Caring for a Child with a Parent in Prison**_ We support and empower volunteers with lived experience to lead the delivery of peer support groups for adults looking after children with a parent in prison. Some peer support groups are general for families impacted by imprisonment, some are for families where the parent is in prison specifically for sexual offences. Tailoring sessions in this way allows us to respond to complex needs. ## _**Volunteer Mentoring**_ A Children Heard and Seen mentor is a caring and responsible adult volunteer who, in partnership with a child, develops a trusting relationship through which the child can seek and receive support and guidance. A volunteer mentor helps to ensure that a child has the opportunity to try new things, access resources, develop resilience, coping strategies and life skills to help the child make sense of their situation and feelings in order that they are able to make positive life choices and maximize their potential. Volunteer mentors aim to provide: - A neutral and consistent person outside of the family home to talk about feelings. - A respectful relationship – both mentor and mentee, prior to matching, agree to boundaries how the relationship will look. For more information about our work this year, please view our latest **Impact Report** , available here. ## **Contributions Made by Volunteers** This year, our service benefitted from the support of more volunteers than ever before. The work of volunteers forms a key pillar of our ability to effect positive change in the lives of young people, be it 4 **07557 339258 childrenheardandseen.co.uk** through our volunteer mentor scheme or through facilitating online groups and activities, providing admin and data support, and much more. This reporting year, volunteers contributed: - **1870** combined total volunteering hours - **204** group sessions supported - **36** active volunteers - **12** new volunteer mentors recruited. ## **Achievements and Performance** _“Since my family found Children Heard and Seen, my son feels like he isn’t the only child in the world that this has happened to, and he feels as though he has joined a community with no judgement, just support” -_ _**Bonnie, Mother of two children**_ In the most recent reporting year, **April 2021 – March 2022** , here are some of our key achievements: - **2800** one-to-one sessions delivered to children with a parent in prison - **150** in person and online activity groups for children - **858** volunteer mentoring hours given, providing children with a neutral person outside of the family home to talk about complicated feelings - **80** children provided with specialised letter-templates to help them write to a parent in prison - **75** second hand laptops provided to families, allowing them to access online support Nationally speaking, research suggests that 65% of boys with a parent in prison go on to offend. This is not a predetermined outcome for children with a parent in prison. Through offering trauma-informed support tailored to the needs and circumstance of each child, we can break the cycle of intergenerational offending and achieve better outcomes for families. Of the 700+ children we have supported since inception, only two have gone on to commit an offence, showing a fall to just 0.4%, highlighting the difference we are making in breaking the cycle of intergenerational offending and setting young people on a better path. In March, Children Heard and Seen were awarded the Positive Impact Award 2022 by the Violent Crime Prevention Board (VCPB) for our work in supporting children with a parent in prison. Our Founder and CEO, Sarah Burrows, also won the Leading Innovation and Social Change Award at the same ceremony. The VCPB Awards 2022 sought to recognise people and organisations that make a difference within our communities. ## **Additional Information** ## _**Operation Paramount**_ There are currently no statutory provisions to support or identify children with a parent in prison. We have partnered with TVP, Thames Valley VRU and Oxfordshire County Council to launch a pilot initiative helping to deliver a rapid support to children with a parent in prison. For the first time, the VRU will use Ministry of Justice data to identify children of individuals sent to prison. When a child is identified, the family is 5 **07557 339258 childrenheardandseen.co.uk** contacted and offered a referral to support provided by Children Heard and Seen. We hope the pilot will mark the first step towards a national framework of identification and support for children with a parent in prison. Launching Operation Paramount resulted in a significant amount of media attention, and our work was featured TV on BBC South and ITV News. We were also featured on BBC Radio Oxford, BBC Radio Berkshire, Jack FM, and in the Oxford Mail. During the week of the launch 17 new families from across the country referred themselves to us as a result of this coverage. ## _**Break the Cycle Campaign**_ In January, the Daily Express worked with us to launch a media campaign called Break the Cycle, raising awareness surrounding parental imprisonment. We were a significant contributor to the launch article and the campaign plans to conduct interviews with families we support for future articles. Hopefully the Break the Cycle Campaign will drive change and address the shame and stigma faced by young people with a parent in prison. ## _**Specialised Support**_ Our long-term assessment of the needs of children shows large-scale systemic change is necessary in the way the government responds to them. Our goals do not centre purely on scaling up the charity to offer support to more children, we also advocate for more systemic change by shining a light on the difficulties experienced by children with a parent in prison. Our long-term goals involve introducing a series of specialised and innovative posts to develop learning surrounding the experiences of children with a parent in prison, where influenced by particular factors. In April, we secured multi-year funding from The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to support children who have a parent in prison for sexual offences. In July, we secured funding to launch an innovative new project providing direct support to children with a mother in prison. ## _**Family Blogs**_ One of our core aims is to raise awareness surrounding experiences of parental imprisonment and encourage families impacted to have their voices heard. To meet this aim, we began two new blog series this year. These included: **Parent’s Story:** A series created by those caring for children with a parent in prison that we have supported. The series aims to shine a light on the harms experienced by children and families when a parent goes to prison and highlight the benefits that providing good support can bring. **Hidden Voices:** A series created by adults with lived experience of parental imprisonment. By sharing these hidden voices, we hope to show how the impacts of parental imprisonment can stay with people well into adulthood, whilst also highlighting the positive things young people can go on to achieve. 6 **07557 339258 childrenheardandseen.co.uk** ## _**Summer Residential**_ This year's Summer Residential at Hill End was extremely successful. 150 family members attended, travelling from as far as Cornwall, Manchester, and Leeds. The children who attended had a fantastic time, taking part in bug hunts, campfire socials and more, connecting with nature and building strong bonds with other children in similar situations to their own. Many who attended had previously accessed our online activity groups and one-to-one support during the pandemic. The residential offered the children an opportunity to meet and connect with their new friends in person. ## **Structure Governance and Management** ## **Governing Document** The organisation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered on 16[th] of July 2014. The charity was established under a constitution which established the objects and powers of the CIO. ## **Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees** Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. A new potential trustee must be proposed by a member of the board and seconded to be considered for the role. The existing trustees then vote to determine whether the new trustee will be accepted onto the board, 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. ## **Financial Review** ## **Reserves Policy** Children Heard and Seen maintains reserves to ensure sufficient funds to discharge its responsibilities to employees, including any cover for unforeseen events such as prolonged sickness or redundancy. As a small charity, income from grants and donations may be received ahead of the project to which they are to be applied and may cause reserves to rise at certain points in time. The charity aims for a minimum of six months running costs in reserves, plus a small contingency, subject to project funding, held in specific identified accounts. ## **Principal Funding Sources** Our work is unique, and as such, we do not fit into most conventional funding streams. We are reliant on innovative funders that can understand the impact of parental imprisonment on children. We are so grateful to all of our supporters for their continued generosity, and we are committed to ensuring our income is used effectively and responsibly. This year, we have been so lucky to be supported by such a wide range of fantastic donors, including these donors, who contributed in excess of £500: 7 **07557 339258 childrenheardandseen.co.uk** Milton Keynes Community Foundation HCD Memorial Fund Bernard Lewis Charitable Trust Mazaars Charitable Trust Visual Education The Sisters Trust TFN - The Funding Network ESC Lottery - ESC National Lottery Community Fund Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Thames Valley police and Crime Commissioner Community Grant Woodward Charitable Trust Trusthouse Charitable Foundation Berkshire Community Foundation Buckinghamshire Community Foundation Garfield Weston The Weavers Benevolent Fund Ennismore Foundation Paul Hamlyn Foundation Little Lives UK Charles Hayward Foundation HMP Hewell BCL Solicitors Arnold Clark High Sheriff of Devon Peter Baker foundation Doncaster Prison Charlotte Blackman D J Ashmore Rathbone Charitable Trust Jane Hearn The Bartlett Family Anson Charitable Trust Meridian Rotary Club ## **Declarations** The Trustees declare that they have approved the trustee’s report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustee’s Signature(s) ____________________ | __________________________ Full Name(s) ____________________ | __________________________ Position ____________________ | __________________________ Date: 8 **07557 339258 childrenheardandseen.co.uk** Children Heard and Seen Incomo & expenditure account for the year ended 31st March. 2022 Children Heard and Se•n Income & Expendlturg Account for Ihe year ended 31st March. 2022 2022 2021 Income Donations Grants 48.536.09 322,734.68 43,014.41 155,745.00 Total Income 371.270.77 198,759.41 Ex endltur Administraton costs Fund raising costs Charitable activities 27,256.89 0.00 235,658.96 12,961.27 156.00 178,502.25 Totsl Expendlture 262,915.85 191,619.52 Nol Income 108.354.92 7,139.89 Balance as at 1st April 2021 142,287.65 135,147.76 Totsl funds at 31st March, 2022 250.642.57 142,287.65 Rgprosgnted by: Cash reseNes Debtors Creditors 251.327.00 222.00 -906.43 142,287.65 0.00 0.00 250,642.57 142,287.65 Children Heard and Seen Independent examiners report Independ8nt examinei's report to the trustees of Chlldren Heard and Se8n I report on the accounts for the year ended 31st March 2022 Respective responsibilities of Iru$tees and examlnor The Charity's Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Charity's Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 I and that an independent examlnalion is needed. 11 is my responsibillty to.. examine the accounts (under section 145 of the 2011 Chariti8s Act., - to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under section 14515}Ibl of the 2011 Act),- and - to state whether particular matter$ have come lo my attention. Basss of independent examinerfs report My examination was carried OLrt in accordance with the General DiTections given by the Charrty Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charty and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. 11 also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as Irusle8S concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the eviden￿ that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as lo whether the account3 p￿sent a 'true and lair vi8w' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examlnerfs ststsment In connection with my exam1r￿tI0n, no matter has come to my attention: {11 whiGh gives me reasonable caus& to believe that in any material respect the requirements - to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act,. and - to prepare accounts which accord with the xcounling records and comply with the accounting requlremenls of the 2011 Act have not been met., or 12} to which, in my opinion, attention should b8 drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed . Name.. Professional qualification.. Address.. Date.. P T Skinner FCCA 30 Bankside Court. stationfields, Kidlington, Oxon OX5 1JE 10-May-22 cHAR￿y (OMMISSIO FOR El￿[AND AND W Receipts and payments accounts 31st 2D22 Section A Receipis and payments RestrKted En4JD*mEnl Al A•e•l ARJ A••l*) I91￿19 c￿ Rl Section B Sia emenl of assels and liabilities al the end ol the period Endowrnwt Det311s B1 (X•h fvnd• 181W4 Det•ll* B5 Lts￿l￿ Date of q f7/2&