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2025-03-31-accounts

Company registration number: 09476111 Charity registration number: 1161247

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

(A company limited by guarantee)

Annual Report and Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Daryl Denson ACMA VAST The Dudson Centre Hope Street Stoke on Trent ST5 1DD

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Contents

Reference and Administrative Details 1
Trustees' Report 2 to 17
Independent Examiner's Report 18
Statement of Financial Activities 19 to 20
Balance Sheet 21
Notes to the Financial Statements 22 to 36

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Reference and Administrative Details

Trustees Carole Dawn Johnson - Chair Dilys Beard - Vice Chair David Williamson - Treasurer Julie Cooper (resigned 13 November 2025) Neil Dudley Yvonne Flood Timothy Wolley Katrina Alcock (appointed 28 May 2025 resigned 14 November 2025) Senior Management Team Wendy Hocking - Scheme Manager Registered Office c/o Bowcock & Pursaill Solicitors 2 Ridge House, Ridge House Drive Festival Park Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5SJ Independent Examiner Daryl Denson ACMA VAST The Dudson Centre Hope Street Stoke on Trent ST5 1DD Bankers CAF 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ Charity Registration Number 1161247

The charity is incorporated in England. Company Registration Number 09476111

Page 1

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

The trustees, who are directors for the purposes of company law, present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charitable company for the year ended 31 March 2025.

Structure, governance and management

Nature of governing document

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and registered charity. It is operated under the rules of its memorandum and articles of association dated 6th March 2015. It has no share capital and the liability of each member in the event of winding-up is limited to £1.

Recruitment and appointment of trustees

Trustees are recruited through a variety of advertising channels, including personal recommendations from current trustees, advertising, posters displayed promoting the scheme’s work in public places and disseminating information via our partnerships in the locality, and the VCSE advocacy organisations such as VAST (Voluntary Action Stoke on Trent), SCVYS (Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Organisation) and Support Staffordshire.

Expressions of interest are followed up by the Chair. Interested individuals are invited as guests to observe the management committee meetings and subject to a successful meeting with the Chair and Scheme Manager and agreement that they wish to be nominated for a position on the trustee board, they are invited to complete a formal application, provide references, undergo a DBS enhanced level check and sign up the scheme’s code of conduct.

With reference to the Memorandum and Articles of Association, a third of the committee is required to stand down at the AGM and if they wish to continue in their role as a trustee and a director of the organisation, they can be re-elected by the committee.

Objectives and activities

Objects and aims

The charitable objects of the charity are:

a) To safeguard, protect and preserve the good health, both mental and physical of children and parents of children

b) To prevent cruelty to or maltreatment of children

c) To relieve sickness, poverty and need amongst children and parents of children

d) To promote the education of the public in better standards of child care, principally but not exclusively within the area of Newcastle Borough and its environs.

The aims of the charity are to provide support for local families and to give these families the means to cope with the difficulties they are experiencing. We aim to build better lives for both the child or children of the family and their parents by improving their confidence, health, mental wellbeing and to improve and encourage better family relationships.

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

The trustees of Home-Start Newcastle Borough oversee the governance of the scheme which works within the local community supporting families with children under 12 across Newcastle-under-Lyme, where there are many deprived areas. With over 26 years of experience, providing crucial support during the critical formative early years of childhood, reaching out early on to parents facing difficulties, with homelife and parenting, aiming to prevent family crises and mitigate the potential negative impacts on children.

The Home-Start approach is supporting families early on, with no predefined level of need; instead, Home-Start believe that any family seeking help does so because they need it at that moment. The aim is to help parents build better lives for their children by helping them to tackle issues that they face such as loneliness and isolation, coping with multiple children, children’s behaviour that challenges and ill health, disability or special needs.

Charitable Activities undertaken for public benefit

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Home-Start Newcastle Borough provides front-line family support services within Newcastle-under-Lyme. Our expert staff and lived-experience volunteers support parents with children under 12.

Newcastle has pockets of deprivation; 19 neighbourhoods within the top 30% and Knutton, our location; in the top 10% most deprived. (IMD 2019).

Newcastle Borough is an old coalmining area, an industrial town encompassing disparate areas, with pockets of deprivation, alongside more affluent streets and estates. This characteristic mask the bleak reality for many residing in our most deprived areas. Whilst we have neighbourhoods within the 30% most deprived in England (2019 Indices of Multiple Deprivation) .A vast number of our beneficiaries reside in Knutton, our base, and neighbouring wards Cross Heath and Holditch and Chesterton. Living in the top 10 most deprived areas of the county disadvantage is exacerbated as

5.24% of residents receive PIP due to mental health conditions 25.62% of children are income deprived 16.3% are involuntarily excluded from employment 27.71% have no qualifications 34.75% are claiming DWP benefits There is higher than average housing in poor condition (IoD score of 0.231)

With limited affordable/free community facilities for families with only 2 family hubs. Poverty and hardship prevent parents meeting their children’s basic needs or provide developmental opportunities, they are at risk of the worst life outcomes.

To support families in overcoming these challenges Home-Start Newcastle Borough provides free one-to-one tailored support at home.

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

As a local Home-Start, at our core is delivering home-visiting support via our volunteers, often parents themselves, there is a great deal of evidence highlighting the distinctive value of volunteer-led support, for a comprehensive support offer, we also have an experience staff team, who are more able to support alongside statutory agencies, or with parents who have more complex needs, who we are able to engage with successfully, building relationships and helping them access the service and support they need. Our service brings real impact to the lives of families.

Home-Start Services

We provide practical and emotional support for families in their own homes and in the community. Our support is tailored to the individual needs of our families who may be experiencing difficulties and challenges including poor emotional wellbeing of parents or children, child development and learning needs, isolation, and financial worries.

The earliest years make the biggest impact, and we work to make sure those years count.

Through our family support service, we deliver weekly contact with families through home visits or telephone calls. Families are personally matched to a volunteers or staff members based upon the level of need a family may have.

The earliest years make the biggest impact, and we work to make sure those years count. For example, our service supports parents to

The success of our support is rooted in the non-judgemental, compassionate relationship that a family develops with their support worker hence their matched worker will remain with them throughout their time with us in all but exceptional circumstances. Out and about we support families to:

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

In line with Staffordshire County Council’s Early Help Strategy "Right Help, Right Time, Right Place” effective early help relies on collaboration with organisations being able to play to their strengths, and as a trusted provider; a wide range of people rely on the Home-Start service which includes local schools, nurseries, social prescribing teams, Health & midwifery services, social care teams and parents themselves. They access our services via our easy accessible online referral forms on our website.

We have a dedicated Family Support Advisor (FSA) who complements our volunteer service, they address the more complex needs of families, they use their professional knowledge and excellent familiarity with other available services and working relationships to provide comprehensive, holistic support to the entire family including direct support to the children.

The FSA supports.

o Families who require short but intense intervention o Children who require direct work. o More complex needs families, (3 or more identified needs) o Families that require more than 1 visit a week.

We are also lucky to have a specialised Family support Worker (FSW) for families who have a child with additional needs or special educational needs or disability. (SEND). They support;

o Parents to implement strategies and routines specific to children’s needs o Supporting referrals to specialist organisations

o Assistance to navigate application processes to secure support such as Disability Living allowance, Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP) and specialist equipment. o Identifying and securing correct support in educational settings.

o Parents attend medical appointments.

o The provision to help parents with learning needs understand correspondence from bodies such as Schools and Social Workers.

o Assistance to parents with physical disabilities to engage and play with children or take them out.

Our SEND support is helping families to break down the obstacles that physical and learning needs often present which can prevent them from participating in community life. Helping parents develop confidence to manage their child(ren) outside the home; become less isolated and more able to access groups, service’s, people and facilities in their community.

Helping families access the right equipment, advice and provide reassurance so parents can provide a nurturing a positive home environment in which children can flourish and meet their potential because every child matters

Our main goal is to provide extra support and resources to local families facing challenges. We aim to level the playing field, giving everyone a fair chance to strengthen their resilience and engage fully in their community.

We draw on the strengths of the people in our local community building the assets in the community, one family at a time. Those with parenting experience can utilise their knowledge and enhance their skill set through our training opportunities and personal development opportunities volunteering with Home-Start. We are not only helping to increase the resilience of families at home by helping them to connect with others, but it also improves the community for all. Helping the volunteers and families actively participate and benefit from and with a wide range of community-based support and to move forward as contributors to their communities.

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

Our Approach

Having a staffed delivery service alongside our volunteer service, enables us to respond to the needs of Newcastle families more effectively. Our traditional placed based approach aims at local empowerment pairing local volunteers, parents themselves with lived experience who embody local knowledge and parenting experience, with local families in need. Often having previously received support themselves our volunteers have an intimate understanding of the challenges families face and the obstacles in accessing support and shape their support to harvest trust and non-judgemental approach to promote open communication.

We provide timely support to parents, and children preventing issues escalating into crises, fostering resilience and independence, and reducing strain on statutory services through:

Family Support;

Over the year we supported 71 families, 139 children and 21 volunteers. Within our supported families;

Parenting Together

We were lucky enough to gain further funding following a successful 3 year grant, for the ‘Parenting Together’ project. provided by The National Lottery's Reaching Communities grant.

The funding awarded in October 2024 enabled us to continue our work when we had financial uncertainties.

The funding continues funding a volunteer home-visiting service and the three Stay and Play community group sessions.

The Parenting Together Project aimed at providing comprehensive support to families facing various challenges and recognising the value that volunteering brings to the community. We provide a versatile hybrid approach to support which includes a mix of home-visiting and telephone support, tailored to each family's specific needs.

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

We are extremely grateful to The National Lottery for their extra funding for external support to help us achieve the outcomes in our Financial Sustainability Plan.

Enhanced Referral Process:

Families specify their preferred method of support; the majority want home visiting with a few opting for telephone support only. However, we often provide a hybrid solution, primarily based on home-visiting and supplemented with telephone support when necessary.

Triage and Welcome Process:

Following a referral, which is increasingly facilitated through our streamlined online system, our weekly triage team ensures that we can meet the needs of the families as indicated in the referral form. Communication often begins with a comprehensive welcome letter, acknowledging their placement on a waiting list while assuring them that we will maintain regular contact which we call Keep In Touch (KIT) calls,

Managing Waitlists and KIT Calls:

We understand the anxiety that being on a waiting list can evoke, and to alleviate this, we promptly assign each applicant to a KIT team member who contacts them weekly or fortnightly based on their circumstances. The objective is to provide continuous support, monitor changes in their needs, and address any safeguarding concerns or urgent support requirements.

Matching Process:

Our Family Services Coordinator meticulously matches parents with a suitable volunteer or staff member after engaging in a discussion with both parties. This ensures a harmonious partnership that is instrumental in achieving the goals set during the initial meeting.

We provide personalised support for each family, completing a simple assessment of needs with them, and identify areas where they want change. Together with their volunteer or support worker, they can be helped to gain the outcomes identified.

The length of the support needed to meet their needs can vary from family to family, depending on what outcomes are identified. The support given to each family is regularly reviewed until the outcomes have been met and there is a positive change for the children and parents in the household.

Personalised Support and Outcome Plans:

Every family we serve benefits from personalised support, including a needs assessment, goal identification, and a detailed outcome plan. Our volunteer or support worker collaborates with the family to help them achieve the specified outcomes, addressing areas identified in need of change.

Ongoing Review and Duration of Support:

The support provided to each family is regularly reviewed until the agreed outcomes are met, as a family’s journey to success is not always a linear one, we adjust as we go along to ensure positive changes for both children and parents in the household. The duration of support varies but on average, families receive support for approximately nine months.

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

Information Advice and Guidance

Where families do not require full family support, we have our IAG element to or service. This element of the service is primarily delivered by the family support team, due to the need for extensive knowledge required about the range of services, referral gateways and information required for the variety of families supported under the IAG service. The IAG service allows parents to access support on a more personalized, flexible basis, especially when specific concerns arise, without the need for a comprehensive outcome plan or a family-wide assessment.

As this element of the service is less intensive, it has enabled us to support more families, as the support offered through telephone or email takes less time than a home visit or support phone call. Our experienced staff have developed and learnt how to support families with many varying needs. Learning how to support them effectively by working closely with them, listening to them regarding the difficulties they were facing, and hearing what they felt would help them. The staff team deal with a higher number of families than our volunteers, and as such gain and develop a higher level of skills, utilised, by sharing information and guidance with the volunteers.

Parenting Together / Home-Start Together

Our Family Support Service is complemented by the delivery of community groups, and mainly concentrating on delivery to the 0-4, under school age children fitting with Home-Start UK’s focus and our early years support offer. Accessed free to anyone with a child under 4 residing in Newcastle, we also signpost our families with young children into our groups, assisting our family support work with the family.

Our aim is to provide a free, local group in a friendly, accessible venue to counter the inequity they are likely to experience “socially isolated children tend to have lower subsequent educational attainment, be part of a less advantaged social class in adulthood and are more likely to be psychologically distressed in adulthood” (Lacey, Kumari & Bartley, 2014)”. The sessions provide opportunities for parental engagement and age-appropriate play to support learning and development.

During the year, over 1000 attendances were recorded at our Stay and Play sessions. The groups are a place for parents to engage in developmental and fun activities with their baby or pre-school toddler. We held 108 FREE sessions, including the delivery of Rhyme and Craft in Kidsgrove library and Newcastle Family Hub, (originally at Clayton Library) these are 45-minute sessions encouraging story time, rhymes and craft activities.

Additionally the Lunch and Play session, in Kidsgrove Children’s Centre, which includes and a make and take craft activity and a messy play area, gratefully acknowledged by parents, is held around lunch time, so we can provide a healthy children’s meal, and parents with tea and toast, utilising it as an opportunity to highlight healthy eating and energy efficiency, providing food cooked with a slow cooker.

In the last 12 months, over 130 parents/carers, and 160 children, have enjoyed the activities at our weekly 0-4 Stay and Play groups, registering over 1000 attendances, we are proud to have provided 493 healthy meals.

We constantly review the sessions, to ensure that we meet our community’s needs. Using the feedback and listening to parents’ comments and discussions with the Family engagement Worker, when asking what they would like included in the next sessions; they enjoy the opportunity to engage and mix with others within their local community and widen their social networks, and for many these are the stepping-stones to gaining the self-confidence to access other support and services available in the community.

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

Holiday sessions including the under 12’s

During the school holidays, we hold various play and stay groups which include older children and siblings (up to 11 years), We held five sessions in Newcastle under Lyme this year, and for many families this is the first time they have attended one of our sessions.

• We had 88 families and 151 children who enjoyed these five larger group sessions plus the extra-special Christmas Party, which this year was held for the under 5’s while the older children were still in school which was due to the timing of the Christmas school holidays.

We consistently receive lots of positive feedback for the sessions, families stating that they valued them being free, that they were fun, and helped keep the children entertained in the holidays. We are happy to see many families returning for the other sessions, indicating how much the family has benefited from the sessions.

Summer Fun Holiday group Session - July 2024.

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

Peer to Peer

We hold a weekly parents Peer Support Group where the parents can get together and provide support for each other. The sessions are chosen by the group themselves, who love to do cooking more than anything else. We support the parents to join in with activities such as baking, crocheting, quizzes, bingo, walks and many other crafts. We arranged for a First Aid session to be held, which the parents found also arrange for visitors to come and share.

The group’s aim is for parents to

20 parents attended the sessions this year, with six parents attending for many weeks, making lasting friendships and thoroughly enjoying the difference that the group has made in their lives. These sessions are currently being devolved so that our staff are less involved, and they become truly volunteer led.

Sam, Becky and volunteers undergoing First Aid Training

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

The National Lottery – Reaching Communities Fund

This grant supports our volunteer service, their training, supervision and expenses and support by the Family Services Coordinator, as well as our successful Play and Stay groups delivered by our Family Engagement Worker who developed a partnership with the Salvation Army in Chesterton, and now holds a weekly Play group in their premises every Tuesday. This is a wonderful partnership enabling local families to continue to get support and attend our FREE play groups for the under 5’s. The photo depicts our Scheme Manager Wendy Hocking and Samantha Hinks our Family Services Coordinator, being overjoyed with the award.

The award from the National Lottery also has provided a level of security for our future, along with extra funding for external organisational development support, to help us achieve and sustain the outcomes outlined in our financial sustainability plan.

Home-Start UK/ Cadent Warmth Programme

The Cadent partnership has provided us with extra funding towards helping keep our community warm, safe and connected. They have provided us with resources and materials to help us keep the community safer, so we can help prevent fuel poverty, providing energy efficiency awareness, carbon monoxide alarms and awareness to highlight the risk and dangers of CO. We hand out Cadent energy saving packs, and the project has provided us with blankets and heated throws as well as the slow cookers encourage energy efficient cooking, every item from Cadent is provided free to the families who we provide them to.

Coalfields Regeneration Fund

As our service operates in an area that once had a working coal mine, we are eligible for support from the Coalfields Regeneration Fund. We gain support and access to the Coalfields Community Investment Program, providing access to many guidance documents for research and support, as well as regular updates from the service which highlights training and grant funding opportunities, sent out by their regional grant manager.

Children in Need Grant

The Children in Need grant ended during this financial year in October 2024, they fund Charities who support disadvantaged children, and their support has been invaluable as we work across many areas within Newcastle affected by significant deprivation and they funded our core costs, supporting back office administration and core staff costs for 3 years.

The project’s aim was that

At the end of the project, we applied for further funding but unfortunately we were unsuccessful they cited this was due to the high number of applications that they received. We must now wait another year before we can apply again.

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

Awards for All

Increasingly families are experiencing more complex needs; a combination of challenges including low income; fuel poverty; social isolation; poor mental health and behavioural problems; impeding families ability to cope and flourish. Awards for All funding for 12 months, provided us with the means to provide these families with more intensive; immediate 1-1 support, sometimes before our volunteer support in the home can begin.

We offered holistic and comprehensive support via our experienced Family Support Advisor (FSA)

Working alongside families with children under the age of 12, our FSA intervenes early, before problems escalate; providing tailored, compassionate support that helps families build resilience, confidence, and practical skills to manage everyday life.

Last year our FSA supported 35 families with 72 children.

With Awards for All funding we have been able to continue delivering this service, benefitting families who do not meet the threshold for statutory intervention but whose initial needs require more intensive support than can be delivered through volunteer home-visiting.

Our Family Support Advisor (FSA) complements our volunteer service, providing comprehensive, holistic support to the entire family including direct support to the children.

The FSA supported.

o Families who require short but intense intervention o Children who require direct work. o More complex needs families, (3 or more identified needs) o Families that require more than 1 visit a week.

Severn Trent Community Fund

We were delighted to be awarded Severn Trent funding towards the essential core costs of running costs our service including management, administration and rent.

The Community Foundation for Staffordshire – VCSE Supportive Communities

This grant funded the delivery of our Home-Start Health Happy Homes projec. Supporting Staffordshire County Council’s ‘Better Health Staffordhsire’ encouraging people to live their happiest, healthiest lives in Staffordshire. Food and Nutrition and Food affordability

Through the unique connections and relationships that we share with the families in Newcastle Borough, as part of our support we will help families to introduce and adopt healthy, nutritious meals into their daily routines through one to one and group cookery sessions, nutritional advice and the distribution of slow cookers (in partnership with Cadent)

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report

Volunteers

21 volunteers supported us during the year. Our volunteers commit to support, one or occasionally two families at a time, donating 3-4 valuable hours per week. Volunteers usually parents or grandparents themselves, are recruited from our local community and provided with a quality training schedule to support the families in a non-judgemental, empathetic way; The Home-Start approach.

We are here to ensure that children thrive, and we do this by being alongside families, in the children’s early years providing.

Babies, infants, and children develop within the relationships and environments that are created around them. By prioritising strong attachments, loving caregivers and a focus on their whole development needs, children can be protected from the extreme impacts of adversity and the challenges and difficulties experienced by families from time to time.

We provide earliest help, supporting parental and child wellbeing with a listening ear, a volunteer is that friendly, non-judgemental person, who families can confide in, not a family member, to remove the worry of ‘what will they think’ or ‘will this be held against me’.

Parents tell us that having someone they trust alongside them is often the most significant factor in our support being effective. Volunteers, with their understanding and experience, help build trust and good relationships with parents.

Families tell us that having someone close who cares is important to them and the positive feeling of people who give their time freely helps build a trusting relationship. Volunteers give their time, experience and understanding to help ensure we can be there when needed most.

Because Home-Start is invited into the homes and lives of families with young children, it remains critical that our offer is a voluntary relationship for families, on their terms. This is part of building a mutually respected relationship between Home-Start volunteers and staff and the families we work with, therefore volunteer recruitment remains an issue within the sector and as a volunteer led service it presents a key challenge to us.

Our volunteering opportunities and roles are designed to improve wellbeing and reduce social isolation for those choosing to work with us whilst building our community activity. We provide fantastic training, and support and many opportunities for people to volunteer to improve their employability, skills and support their local community and we have many volunteering opportunities within Home-Start.

During 2024-2025, 21 volunteers used their valuable time for Newcastle families. Our intensive home-visiting support which can last an average of 7 months, supported 71 local families, and 139 children.

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

Following our home-visiting support, families responses showed that

During December, the volunteer help us collect and wrap up the doated Christmas gifts for the children that they support. It is aways a fun time to get together. This year we also provided some families with the ingredients for Christmas Dinner!

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

Our Social and Added Value

Measuring just 2 indicators of the HACT social value calculator, in 2024/25 the social value impact this year was just under £2 million: £1,932,997. Counting the 48 parents who gained relief from anxiety or depression, and the 21 volunteers who were regularly volunteering.

We take pride in our comprehensive approach to delivering family support services. Through our partnerships, we gain access to specialised services that excel in their respective domains, benefiting the families we serve in ways that one organisation alone couldn’t do.

Relationships with related parties

Home-start UK

Home-Start Newcastle Borough is a local, independent charity operating within the ethos, guidance and policies of the Home-Start UK as part of its international network of schemes.

Working in Partnership

The premises we work in are under the management of Elim Church, which granted us the flexibility to collaborate with Newcastle Foodbank. Together. Newcastle Foodbank operate a foodbank service from our offices on Wednesday afternoons, offering a convenient and local venue for residents in the area to seek assistance and collect their essential food parcels. We view this partnership as a valuable opportunity, mutually benefiting both organisations. Families who visit the foodbank for their parcels can access support from Home-Start and discover the range of services we provide.

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

Financial review

The results for the year are set out in the Statement of Financial Activities.

We again had a year with significant challenges in raising funds and generating income. With some previous funders being unsuccessful applications, we then had to wait to apply again. Sourcing income has become the trustees' main priority. Trustees prioritised resources to increase grant writing efforts and enhanced their scrutiny of our finances and forecasting.

. At the start of this financial year, the charity's financial position had improved considerably, as we experienced grant funding successes, notably with support from the Garfield Weston Foundation, and secured three years of funding from The National Lottery, also funding us with external organisational development support to help us achieve and sustain the outcomes outlined in our financial sustainability plan. However, we have had less success in the latter months, with financial sustainability remaining a major priority.

Policy on reserves

The trustees have set a reserves policy which requires:

1) Reserves are maintained at a level which ensures that Home-Start’s core activity could continue during a period of unforeseen difficulty

2) A proportion of reserves are maintained in a readily attainable form.

The calculation of the required level of reserves is an integral part of the scheme’s planning, budget and forecast cycle and considers:

1) Risks associated with each stream of income and expenditure being different from that budgeted 2) Planned activity level

When reviewing the financial policy in September 2023, and having considered the risk, activity and commitments of the organisation trustees have agreed that the scheme need to retain a level of reserves not dropping below £52,000 which equates to scheme closure costs. The calculation of the required level of reserves is an integral part of the scheme’s planning, budget and forecast cycle and considers risks associated with each stream of income and expenditure being different from that budgeted, the planned activity level and the organisation’s commitment.

At the year end the charity holds £29,000 (2024: £52,000) in a designated fund to be used in event of the scheme closing, £20,407 (2024 £17,209) in general unrestricted funds and £12,706 (2024: £26,287) in restricted funds.

Risks arising and management of those risks

Our Risk Register persisted in highlighting a significant financial risk due to our continual reliance on trusts and grant funding for income generation. We commenced actions to mitigate this risk and initiated efforts to improve our income diversity through the development of a financial sustainability plan, which included the development of an Income/Fundraising sub-committee. Our external organisational development support will play a crucial role in minimising this risk

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Trustees' Report (incorporating Directors' Report)

Small companies provision statement

This report has been prepared in accordance with the small companies regime under the Companies Act 2006.

The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on .................... 02/12/2025 and signed on its behalf by:

~~...............................~~ Ca ~~r~~ ole Dawn Johnson (Nov 28, 2025 17:29:49 GMT) .......... Carole Dawn Johnson - Chair

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of Home-Start Newcastle Borough ('the Company')

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of Home-Start Newcastle Borough as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view' which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

  4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities [applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)].

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

...................................... Daryl Denson ACMA

VAST The Dudson Centre Hope Street Stoke on Trent ST5 1DD

28/11/2025 Date:.............................

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Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (Including Income and Expenditure Account and Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses)

Note
Income and Endowments from:
Donations and legacies
3
Other trading activities
4
Investment income
5
Total income
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
6
Total expenditure
Net expenditure
Transfers between funds
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
17		 Unrestricted
funds
£
34,612
1,157
1,915
37,684
(57,317)
(57,317)
(19,633)
(169)
(19,802)
69,209
49,407		 Restricted
funds
£
111,698
-
-
111,698
(126,148)
(126,148)
(14,450)
169
(14,281)
26,987
12,706		 Total
2025
£
146,310
1,157
1,915
149,382
(183,465)
(183,465)
(34,083)
-
(34,083)
96,196
62,113

The notes on pages 22 to 36 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 19

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (Including Income and Expenditure Account and Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses)

Note
Income and Endowments from:
Donations and legacies
3
Other trading activities
4
Investment income
5
Total income
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
6
Total expenditure
Net expenditure
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
17		 Unrestricted
funds
£
6,450
1,166
2,302
9,918
(58,609)
(58,609)
(48,691)
(48,691)
117,900
69,209		 Restricted
funds
£
116,534
-
-
116,534
(132,141)
(132,141)
(15,607)
(15,607)
42,594
26,987		 Total
2024
£
122,984
1,166
2,302
126,452
(190,750)
(190,750)
(64,298)
(64,298)
160,494
96,196

All of the charity's activities derive from continuing operations during the above two periods.

The notes on pages 22 to 36 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 20

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

(Registration number: 09476111) Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2025

Note
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
12
Current assets
Debtors
13
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year
14
Net current assets
Net assets
Funds of the charity:
Restricted income funds
Restricted funds
Unrestricted income funds
Unrestricted funds
Total funds
17		 2025
£
717
1,145
94,016
95,161
(33,765)
61,396
62,113
12,706
49,407
62,113		 2024
£
1,742
195
110,824
111,019
(16,565)
94,454
96,196
26,987
69,209
96,196

For the financial year ending 31 March 2025 the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors' responsibilities:

The financial statements on pages 19 to 36 were approved by the trustees, and authorised for issue on .................... 02/12/2025 and signed on their behalf by:

~~.................................~~ Ca ~~r~~ ole Dawn Johnson (Nov 28, 2025 17:29:49 GMT) ........ Carole Dawn Johnson - Chair and Trustee

The notes on pages 22 to 36 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 21

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

1 Charity status

The charity is limited by guarantee, incorporated in England, and consequently does not have share capital. Each of the trustees is liable to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 towards the assets of the charity in the event of liquidation.

2 Accounting policies

Summary of significant accounting policies and key accounting estimates

The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all the years presented, unless otherwise stated.

Statement of compliance

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102). They also comply with the Companies Act 2006 and Charities Act 2011.

Basis of preparation

Home-Start Newcastle Borough meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.

Going concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis.

The trustees assess whether the use of going concern is appropriate i.e. whether there are any material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. The trustees make this assessment in respect of a period of one year from the date of approval of the financial statements.

Exemption from preparing a cash flow statement

The charity opted to early adopt Bulletin 1 published on 2 February 2016 and have therefore not included a cash flow statement in these financial statements.

Reclassification of comparative amounts

The prior year figures have been retated to adjust for grant income which was previously accrued into the period for the full 3 year period but has now taken advantage of implied time contraints to recognise the grants over the 3 year life of the projects.

Page 22

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Income and endowments

All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of the income receivable can be measured reliably.

Donations and legacies

Donations are recognised when the charity has been notified in writing of both the amount and settlement date. In the event that a donation is subject to conditions that require a level of performance by the charity before the charity is entitled to the funds, the income is deferred and not recognised until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the charity and it is probable that these conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period.

Grants receivable

Grants are recognised when the charity has an entitlement to the funds and any conditions linked to the grants have been met. Where performance conditions are attached to the grant and are yet to be met, the income is recognised as a liability and included on the balance sheet as deferred income to be released.

Deferred income

Deferred income represents amounts received for future periods and is released to incoming resources in the period for which, it has been received. Such income is only deferred when:

Expenditure

All expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to that expenditure, it is probable settlement is required and the amount can be measured reliably. All costs are allocated to the applicable expenditure heading that aggregate similar costs to that category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of resources, with central staff costs allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset’s use. Other support costs are allocated based on the spread of staff costs.

Charitable activities

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.

Support costs

Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of resources, for example, allocating property costs by floor areas, or per capita, staff costs by the time spent and other costs by their usage.

Page 23

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Governance costs

These include the costs attributable to the charity’s compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements, including audit, strategic management and trustees meetings and reimbursed expenses.

Government grants

Government grants are recognised based on the accrual model and are measured at the fair value of the asset received or receivable. Grants are classified as relating either to revenue or to assets. Grants relating to revenue are recognised in income over the period in which the related costs are recognised. Grants relating to assets are recognised over the expected useful life of the asset. Where part of a grant relating to an asset is deferred, it is recognised as deferred income.

Tangible fixed assets

Individual fixed assets costing £300 or more are initially recorded at cost, less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.

Depreciation and amortisation

Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets so as to write off the cost or valuation, less any estimated residual value, over their expected useful economic life as follows:

Asset class Depreciation method and rate
Computer equipment Straight line method over four years
Furniture and equipment Straight line method over four years

Trade debtors

Trade debtors are amounts due from customers for merchandise sold or services performed in the ordinary course of business.

Trade debtors are recognised initially at the transaction price. They are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method, less provision for impairment. A provision for the impairment of trade debtors is established when there is objective evidence that the charity will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the original terms of the receivables.

Trade creditors

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Accounts payable are classified as current liabilities if the charity does not have an unconditional right, at the end of the reporting period, to defer settlement of the creditor for at least twelve months after the reporting date. If there is an unconditional right to defer settlement for at least twelve months after the reporting date, they are presented as non-current liabilities.

Trade creditors are recognised initially at the transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Page 24

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Fund structure

Unrestricted income funds are general funds that are available for use at the trustees discretion in furtherance of the objectives of the charity.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds set aside for specific purposes at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted income funds are those donated for use in a particular area or for specific purposes, the use of which is restricted to that area or purpose.

Pensions and other post retirement obligations

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme which is a pension plan under which fixed contributions are paid into a pension fund and the charity has no legal or constructive obligation to pay further contributions even if the fund does not hold sufficient assets to pay all employees the benefits relating to employee service in the current and prior periods.

Contributions to defined contribution plans are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities when they are due. If contribution payments exceed the contribution due for service, the excess is recognised as a prepayment.

Page 25

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

3 Income from donations and legacies

Donations and legacies;
Donations from companies, trusts and similar
proceeds
Donations from individuals
Grants, including capital grants;
Government grants
Grants from other charities
Donations and legacies;
Donations from companies, trusts and similar
proceeds
Donations from individuals
Grants, including capital grants;
Government grants
Grants from other charities		 Unrestricted
funds
General
£
3,082
530
-
31,000
34,612
Unrestricted
funds
General
£
6,100
350
-
-
6,450		 Restricted
funds
£
-
-
76,794
34,904
111,698
Restricted
funds
£
-
-
72,676
43,858
116,534		 Total
2025
£
3,082
530
76,794
65,904
146,310
Total
2024
£
6,100
350
72,676
43,858
122,984

Page 26

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

4 Income from other trading activities

Local fundraising and street collection income
Local fundraising and street collection income
5
Investment income
Interest receivable and similar income;
Interest receivable on bank deposits
Interest receivable and similar income;
Interest receivable on bank deposits		 Unrestricted
funds
General
£
1,157
1,157
Unrestricted
funds
General
£
1,166
1,166
Unrestricted
funds
General
£
1,915
1,915
Unrestricted
funds
General
£
2,302
2,302		 Total
2025
£
1,157
1,157
Total
2024
£
1,166
1,166
Total
2025
£
1,915
1,915
Total
2024
£
2,302
2,302

Page 27

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

6 Expenditure on charitable activities

Support for Families
Support for Families
Gross Salary Costs
Temporary Staff and Recruitment Costs
Family Activity Costs
Training for Staff and Volunteers
Staff and Volunteer Expenses
Other Expenses
Allocated Support Costs		 Unrestricted
funds
General
£
57,317
Unrestricted
funds
General
£
62,537
Activity
undertaken
directly
£
82,685
557
1,853
104
2,786
470
95,010
183,465		 Restricted
funds
£
126,148
Restricted
funds
£
128,213
2025
£
82,685
557
1,853
104
2,786
470
95,010
183,465		 Total
2025
£
183,465
Total
2024
£
190,750
2024
£
81,082
798
5,018
383
3,416
739
99,314
190,750

Page 28

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

7 Analysis of governance and support costs

Support costs allocated to charitable activities

Salary costs
Recruitment
Staff training
Travel expenses
Rent, insurance and office costs
Professional fees
Affiliation fees
IT costs
Marketing and promotion
Governance costs
Depreciation
Other costs
Governance costs
Independent examiner fees
Examination of the financial statements
Independent examiner fees
Examination of the financial statements		 Support
costs
£
68,698
-
32
193
16,170
3,224
2,278
1,573
439
900
1,025
478
95,010		 Total
2025
£
68,698
-
32
193
16,170
3,224
2,278
1,573
439
900
1,025
478
95,010
Unrestricted
funds
General
£
900
900
Unrestricted
funds
General
£
900
900		 Total
2024
£
73,390
6
234
92
19,065
1,206
(1,026)
1,553
908
900
2,629
357
99,314
Total
2025
£
900
900
Total
2024
£
900
900

Page 29

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

8 Government grants

In the year ended 31 March 2025 the charity received a National Lottery Community Fund Awards for All grant of £19,989 to fund support for complex families and £56,805 from the National Lottery Community Fund Reaching Communities to fund the Parenting Together project.

In the year ended 31 March 2024 the charity received National Lottery Community Fund RC Midlands Region £72,677 (2023: £69,854) grant funding for the Parenting Together project. The amount of grants recognised in the financial statements was £76,794 (2024 - £72,676).

There were no unfulfilled conditions at the year end.

9 Trustees remuneration and expenses

No trustees, nor any persons connected with them, have received any remuneration from the charity during the year.

During the year the charity made the following transactions with trustees:

Julie Cooper (resigned 13 November 2025)

£14 (2024: £35) of travel expenses were reimbursed to Julie Cooper (resigned 13 November 2025) during the year.

No trustees have received any other benefits from the charity during the year.

10 Staff costs

The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:

Staff costs during the year were:
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs		 2025
£
136,573
5,407
9,403
151,383		 2024
£
139,910
5,545
9,017
154,472

Page 30

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

The monthly average number of persons (including senior management team) employed by the charity during the year was as follows:

Scheme Manager
Finance and Administration Co-ordinator
Administration Assistant
Family Support Service Co-ordinator
Family Support Advisor
Family Engagement Worker
SEND Family Support Worker		 2025
No
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
7		 2024
No
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
7

No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 during the year.

The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £31,302 (2024 - £30,894).

11 Independent examiner's remuneration

2025 2024
£ £
Examination of the financial statements 900 900

12 Tangible fixed assets

Cost
At 1 April 2024
At 31 March 2025
Depreciation
At 1 April 2024
Charge for the year
At 31 March 2025
Net book value
At 31 March 2025
At 31 March 2024		 Furniture and
equipment
£
2,298
2,298
1,006
575
1,581
717
1,292		 Computer
equipment
£
14,361
14,361
13,911
450
14,361
-
450		 Total
£
16,659
16,659
14,917
1,025
15,942
717
1,742

Page 31

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

13 Debtors

Accrued income
14 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Trade creditors
Other taxation and social security
Other creditors
Accruals
Deferred income
Resources deferred in the period		 2025
£
1,145
2025
£
2,549
2,369
1,872
3,134
23,841
33,765		 2024
£
195
2024
£
9,384
4,761
1,133
1,287
-
16,565
2025
£
23,841

The income deferred in the year relates to multi year grants received in advance.

15 Obligations under leases and hire purchase contracts

The total value of future minimum lease payments was as follows:

Within one year
In two to five years		 2025
£
1,652
2,891
4,543		 2024
£
1,652
4,543
6,195

16 Pension and other schemes

Defined contribution pension scheme

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The pension cost charge for the year represents contributions payable by the charity to the scheme and amounted to £9,403 (2024 - £9,017).

Pension costs are apportioned between unrestricted and restricted funds depending upon which project the employee works on.

Page 32

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

17 Funds
Unrestricted funds
General
General fund
Designated
Scheme Closure
Total unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
The National Lottery
Community Fund - RC
Midlands Region
BBC Children in Need
Home Start UK - Cadent
Grant
The National Lottery
Community Fund -
Awards for All
Home Start Warm Spaces
Tesco Community Grants
Home Start UK -
Breathing Space Fund
Comic Relief
The National Lottery
Community Fund-
Reaching Communities
The Community
Foundation for
Staffordshire – VCSE
Supportive Communities /
Better Health
Severn Trent Community
Fund
Total restricted funds
Total funds		 Balance at
1 April
2024
£
17,209
52,000
69,209
15,583
5,585
4,315
81
828
573
22
-
-
-
-
26,987
96,196		 Incoming
resources
£
37,684
-
37,684
-
5,450
4,375
19,989
-
-
5,143
3,435
56,805
7,600
8,901
111,698
149,382		 Resources
expended
£
(57,317)
-
(57,317)
(15,850)
(11,035)
(8,119)
(19,987)
(828)
(403)
(4,577)
(3,435)
(44,889)
(7,607)
(9,418)
(126,148)
(183,465)		 Transfers
£
22,831
(23,000)
(169)
267
-
-
(83)
-
-
(22)
-
-
7
-
169
-		 Balance at
31 March
2025
£
20,407
29,000
49,407
-
-
571
-
-
170
566
-
11,916
-
(517)
12,706
62,113

Page 33

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Unrestricted funds
General
General fund
Designated
Scheme Closure
Total unrestricted funds
Restricted
The National Lottery
Community Fund - RC
Midlands Region
BBC Children in Need
Home Start UK - Cadent
Grant
The National Lottery
Community Fund -
Awards for All
Home Start Warm Spaces
Tesco Community Grants
The Knutton Quarry
Community Projects Fund
Home Start UK -
Breathing Space Fund
Total restricted funds
Total funds		 Balance at
1 April
2023
£
52,900
65,000
117,900
25,089
8,976
-
7,701
828
-
-
-
42,594
160,494		 Incoming
resources
£
9,918
-
9,918
72,677
23,982
4,375
-
-
1,000
4,000
10,500
116,534
126,452		 Resources
expended
£
(58,609)
-
(58,609)
(82,183)
(27,373)
(60)
(7,620)
-
(427)
(4,000)
(10,478)
(132,141)
(190,750)		 Transfers
£
13,000
(13,000)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Balance at
31 March
2024
£
17,209
52,000
69,209
15,583
5,585
4,315
81
828
573
-
22
26,987
96,196

Page 34

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

The specific purposes for which the funds are to be applied are as follows:

National Lottery Community Fund - RC Midlands Region

Parenting Together is a 3 year project and funds Time 4 You - Telephone befriending, Parent to Parent - Family support, Home-Start Together; Community Group and Bookstart sessions.

BBC Children in Need

This grant funds core costs, supporting back office administration and core staff costs for 3 years.

National Lottery Awards for All

This grant funds SEND Support for Families.

Home Start UK - White Stuff’s Warm Spaces Friendly Faces

This grants funds community-based activities for families in heated spaces during the colder months.

Home Start UK - Breathing Space Fund

This funding is support Home-Start services that are most at risk by providing much needed breathing space in order to keep key services open.

Home Start UK - Cadent Centre for Warmth

This funding is to give have access to a warm space and support.

Tesco Community Grants

This funding is to help children with special needs.

The Knutton Quarry Community Projects Fund

This funding is a contribution towards the volunteer costs.

During the year there were some small transfers between funds to clear small over/underspends when the grants have been completed.

18 Analysis of net assets between funds

Tangible fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Total net assets		 Unrestricted funds
General
£
Designated
£
436
-
24,709
29,000
(4,738)
-
20,407
29,000		 Restricted
funds
£
281
17,611
(5,186)
12,706		 Total funds
at 31 March
2025
£
717
71,320
(9,924)
62,113

Page 35

Home-Start Newcastle Borough

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Tangible fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Total net assets		 Unrestricted funds
General
£
Designated
£
1,235
-
29,443
52,000
(13,469)
-
17,209
52,000		 Restricted
funds
£
507
29,576
(3,096)
26,987		 Total funds
at 31 March
2024
£
1,742
111,019
(16,565)
96,196

19 Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions in the year.

Page 36