SOiITHEND W DEBT ADVI NTrE AccouKfs AND TRUSTEE REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 3151 DECEMBER 2023
SOUTHEND CAP DEBT ADVICE CENTRE ST YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS 2023 2023 Client Support 2023 2022 General fund Total Totsl RECEIPTS IndNldual giwng Church vIng Glft ald Fundralser Grants received Other Bank Inte5t 7,870 14,884 4,095 11.965 14.884 10,693 13.680 1.700 740 1.346 9.775 2,2fA) 1,346 10.075 12671 870 36,479 4,395 40.874 27.692 PAYMEPtrs Salary Nest Pension HMRC CAP InsurorKe Office expenses Travel expenses Cllent Support- Hampers Client Support- food & MIK Other Equipment 17365 17.365 IL201 1291 3,638 10,680 410 1.071 1.326 1567 1.266 1.027 660 34.236 10210 10.210 434 983 983 1.221 L402 1.221 1.402 2A68 30 2.468 30 32.898 624 35.521 Openlng balance QI10112023 Profit/ IL0551 Closin8 batance 3111212023 369 1.771 140 39.978 16.5441 33.434 3,581 36.647 5,353 38.787
5(xmiEND CAP DEBT ADVI CENTRE YEAR ENDED 31- DEMBER 2023 sfATEMEKf OF A55Efs AND UABIUTIES 2023 CASH FUNDS Bardays CurrentAccount Barday5 Active Saver Cash Balance 2J)24 36.763 3Jn5 30A19 38.787 33.434 UABILITIES NcAsH FUNDS 38,787 33.434 Gereral Fund Cltent Support Fund l Restrted) 36.647 2.1410 369 Signed_ Date...-.-.--.__....._-.-.... Mrs Julie Eady-chaimian Mr Paul Wllson-Treasurer
SOUThEND CAP DEBT ADVI C£NTRE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2023 TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT The charity 15 a Reglstered Charity No.1159193 estsblished in 2014. The Charity's principal address is Shoeburyness and Thorpe Bay Baptist Church. Thorpedene Gardens. Shoeburyness. E55ex SS3 9JD. The Trustees of the Charity are: Mrs Jurie Eady (Chair) Mrs Melanie Venables (Secretary) Mr Paul bwilson (Treasurerl Mr Robert Briant Mr Richard Higgs Mrs Joanna Hellenbrond Structure, G¢)vemance and Management Southend CAP Debt Advite cent has over 190 supporting member5 drawn from over 15 thurches across the borough of Southend on sea. In addition to social events and volunteer5 meetings, these member5 a invited to meet twice a year-one of these occasions beirÉ the AGM of the organisation. Trustees are elected by the rnembers at the AGM. At each AGM one third of the Trustees- those who have seThed longest since their lèst election- must retire but are eligible for re- election unless they have seNed three consecutive terms, when they are not ellgible for election for further two years. The Trustees are responsible for the governance of the CIO. Southend CAP DebtAdvrce cent has a paid. parttime manager. The manager is accountsble to the trustees and manages the day to day runnin8 of the Centre, induding line managing the volunteer debt coach and approximatety 50 volunteers. who act as befrienders forourclients. The organisation works in partnership with Christians A8ain5t Poverty (CAP). based in Bradford. They are accredited by the Flnanoal Conduct Authority to provide financlal and le8al 5UPPOrt and advice ts dients. Our mle is to explain the advice provided by CAP and provide pastoral supporL Oblertives and Athibe5 The objerts ofthe ao are The relief of poverty. including the provision of money management and debt advlce; The advancemenrof the Chrlstlan religlon; within the aa of SoutheNI on Sea. includiryd the borough of Southend and part5 of Rochford and Castle PoinL We provhde face to face debt advice by visiting clients and potential dients in their own homes. Our manager and volunteer Debt Coaches a trained to collect information and explain budgets and the advlce drawn up by Christians A4ain5t Poverty in Bradford. We have found the provi5ton of prattical support suth as emergenry food shops and fuel top-ups extremely beneficial to dients. Personal encouragement by the debt toaches arky befrienders continue5 for as long as It takes for the dient to become debt free.
The annual chris35 Hampers and Easter 8ifts to all of our cllents is a way of showlng God's love in a practical way. The door-stop deliveries a150 provided an opportunity to encoura8e clients on thelr journey to being debt free. We offer to pray wtth cllents and Invlte them to seNices and other activities in local churches as appropriate. We are conscious that many clients are vulrserable. so these offers are made without pressure. It is always emphasised that we provide ourservices unconditlonally. All ourservices are free of charge to clients. AchlevemeThts and PerfomiarKe Durin8 the year. we corresponded WFth 54 potential cllenty These were people in debt. all of whom had contarted us to enquire about ourservices. Of these. 50 became clients. During the year. we celebrated 17 people bett*ming debt free as a result of our worL Since we started the charity in 2014. 158 have become debt free. Since the charity started. 15 people have made first time commitments to Jesus Christ. We owe a huge thankyou to the Debt Coaches who commit their tirne and care working face to face with cfients. We have found the client cases are becoming more complex and therefore require additional 5UPPOrt beyond Debt help. These complexities make the Debt Coad) rgle even more challenBing and much patie is required. Our long Standing Debt Coach Jenny Martin stepped down in March 2023. Due to having recruited a new Coach in 2022 we were still able to rnaintain 6 new dients a month at the start of the year. However in September 2023 the new debt coach resigned due to personal reasons leaving only the Centre Manager as a Debt Coach. At this point wè reduced our capaaty to 4 new clients a month. Our aim is to increase back to 6 new clients in 2024. Our work has resulted in benefft to the public. From ihe moment people become clients, all disCU55ions with creditors are handled by Christians Inst Poverty and clients receive a budget to help them manage their ffinances. These actions have the effett of relievin8 dients of a great deal of stress and pressure. Although the effects of thls vary from client to client. for many thls results in an improvement in well-being and a redurtK)n in mental health problems. Many clients have partners and chlldren. so the benefKial efferts are experienced by a greater number of indivlduals than the clients alone. In some cases. potential relationship breakdowns have been avoided. Our work has resulted in an Increase in social inclusion. A number of clients have begun attending local churches. There they have built new frlendshlps and gained wider support networks in addition to finding a degree of Spirial peace and comforL Every client we deal with is unique wlth unlque sltuatlons. Sometlmes we have to stabilize a situation before we are able to move forward with helping them address their debts. At the moment we are dealing with an elderly lady who has early signs of dementia and her 9)n who is trylnE to support her and is now herofficial careT. He is waiknng on LPA'S to be confirmed which will make life easier but in the meantlme we are supporting the clientto make calls she could not do on her own
and buy a bit of time. Her 50n is tryin8 to set up regular payments which had been cancelled by hls mother. We are Partnered with the charity Arts435. and have an advocate managing this for client support items such as Debt Relief Orders and emer8ency items. Flnanclal Revlew The sources of general fund irKome to the end of 2023 have included donatlons from partner churches lapprox. 41%). donations from individuals and gift aid lapprox. 22%), 8rants127%1, fund- raising events {approx. 4%). and Qther lapprox. 6%). The restricted Client Support fvnd raised £4,095 malnly from individual giving from appeals and Quiz night donation5. This fund ensures Christma5 and Easter Hampers can be provided and adhoc food shops and prattical support when needed. This year we have active[¥ sought grdnt funding due to taklng on a new debt coach and planning for 2024 when there is a hand over period for the new Centre manager. In total £9.775 of grants for the general fund were received. In May we held a Charity fundralsing meal and aurtion raising £1.346 for the general fund. In October a Qulz Night for the'client Supporf fund was run at Avenue Baptist Church hosted by sume of our supporters raising E615. We alm to hold a sum equivalent to at least ten month5, general fund expenditure In reserve. If, at any time. reseNes were to drop below nine months. costs. the trustees would othvely pursue additional external grant fundin8 and assess the current operdtlonal structure of the charity. We are always artNety looking for grants that can be applied for. Expenditu15 used to support key objettNe& The two largest Costs are the salary of the Centre Manager and ftes paid to ChrirriarnS AÈainst Poverty headquarters in Bradford as a contribution towards thelr professlonal finandal and legal semces on behalf of our cllent> We are fortunate to have capable trust who provide a good level of 8(wemance voluntarily. We also have enthusiastic volunteers who organise fundraislng and manage other admlnistrative functions. This enables us to spend a Very high proportion of our income directly on our charitsble objertives.
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS OF SOUTHEND CAP DEBT AOVICE CENTrE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 318t DECEMBER 2023 Re8P•¢tlv• r¢8ponslblllttes ol tho trustees and examlner The charitls tnjstees are re5pon$ible for the preparation of Ihe accounts. The charity's trusteeg consider that an audil is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities ktl and Ihal an independent examination 1$ needed. It is my responsibiknty to= . examine the accounts under seciion 145 of Ihe Charilies Act lo follow the pr¢)cedures Iwd down In the general DirectK)ns gwen by tr Charity Commiss¢on lunder section 145151{b) of the Charities ACL and . 10 State whelher pa.¢lar matters have ojme to rny attenn. 8a$is of Indfrpendent •xamln•rfs statsment My examination was carried out in accordance ilh the general CAreC1)nS given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of Ihe pxcounting records kept by Ihe Charity and a compartson of the accounts piesenled wlh those Tecords. 11 also includes con5Jer81lon of any unusual items or disc105ures in the accounts and Seen9 explanations from the trustees conwnhng any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provida 811 the evwjence thatwould be required Èn an audi(, 8nd eonsequenUy no opinion 18 given as to whether the aOunts Present a'true and fai¢ ¥ie and the repjrt is limited lo those matters set out in the statement below. Ind•pondent Examlnerfs statsm•nt In conneckn'on wlh my examinatbn. no matt8r has co¥ne to my attenliorL 1 which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material spect. the requirements - lo keep accounling records in acu)rdance section 130 of the Charities Act.. and - lo ptepare accounts which accord wth the accounting t(dS aThJ c(¥nply the requirements of the Chaflues Act have not been met: or 2 to which, in my oplnlon. attentK)n should drawn in order to a Proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. J Clarke FCCA CKS Accountancy Umltod 1349-1353 London Road Leighvon4•a Euex 12th July 2024