Annual Report 2020-21 25 years serving the Community Home-Start Slough Home-Start Slough is a home-visiting charity offering friendship and support to families with young children Current address: Home-Start Slough 29 Church Street, Slough SL1 1PL T: 01753 572958 E: office@hsslough.co.uk W: www.hsslough.co.uk Patron: HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy, KG, GCVO Charity number: 1162003, Company number: 09563378 ## Home-Start Slough Supporting parents to give their children the best start in life “Home-Start Slough is an established, trusted voluntary service supporting the local community working in partnership with parents to empower them to give their children a better future.” ## Chair’s report We started the financial year making extensive changes to our services due to the pandemic and having to put our strategic plans on hold whilst we rapidly transformed our service to adapt to the “lock down”. Through the tremendous efforts of our staff, volunteers, and trustees we delivered our services to an increased number of beneficiaries and I am proud to report that we provided support to 113 families with transformational results and 621 individuals attended our digital engagements. Looking back on the year, throughout the lockdown period, we continued with the themes of our current services, such as supporting families to address mental health and health inequalities and adapted our services to provide digital engagement and support. We won some funding from the National Community Fund which enabled us to provide a full suite of digital services and develop our digital capability. Our staff and volunteers have worked extensively to adapt and provide the best service possible to our families, however, we recognise that the impact of our interventions have been limited and we are working towards getting back to deliver our services face to face, balancing the safety of our staff and volunteers. From a financial perspective all of our funders were very flexible and this enabled us to align their funding with the needs of our beneficiaries. We were very grateful for this flexibility, which, together with the additional funds that we were awarded, meant that we did not need to put any staff members on furlough and enabled us to cover all our additional costs. Our overall financial health has not been impacted by the crisis though we do recognise that potentially there will be future funding challenges as available sources are reduced. We are delighted that Home-Start UK developed a programme with the John Lewis Partnership which saw Home-Start’s profile being raised across the UK, and a generous amount of funding and gifts being made available to our families. It was fantastic to see the look of absolute delight and joy on families faces as our volunteers and staff delivered Christmas gifts and we are massively grateful for the joy of Christmas that we were able to bring to so many. We were pleased to welcome our new Scheme Manager, Anne Gilbert. Anne has helped us adapt to the “new normal” at pace, and we are very grateful for the leadership that she has provided to our staff team and volunteers. Looking forward, we continue to expand our horizons and are ambitious for our future. Income generation is a key aspect of our plans going forward, with further service diversification and a review of how we can start to develop our own funding stream. We are seeing a large increased need in the community as the impact of the pandemic continues and we are therefore re-aligning our strategic plan to ensure that we accelerate our ability to increase our capacity and deliver outcome driven interventions to ensure that we are attractive to funders in the future. As we celebrate our 25th birthday, we can be proud of the significant positive impact we have made on the lives of so many. These advances would not have been possible without all those who have contributed to the Charity over the years - staff, volunteers, Trustees and supporters, all of whom have shown belief, passion, commitment and total dedication to the Charity. This attributes have been further demonstrated this year of fast paced changed, not only did we move our service to remote support but we also had to deal with the increasing despair and isolation from our families. I fully recognise the fantastic effort and contribution from all our staff, volunteers, Trustees and supporters who have gone “above and beyond” ensuring that we are able to support our families whatever the circumstances. I am sure that every single one of the families we have touched over the past 25 years echo these thanks and I know that every single individual involved in Home-Start Slough will endeavour to ensure that we develop and grow our service to meet the needs of those that need our support. Lesley Michaelis, Chair. Our partnership with Reckitt has continued to provide us with significant benefits. They have provided funding to us to enable us to increase our service capability and support a greater number of families. We are very grateful for this support from a local company providing us not only funds but also skills and help to increase our sustainability. **----- Start of picture text -----**
Home-Start Slough
Managing our work
Scheme report
On 16th March 2020 people were asked to work from home,
schools were closed by 20th March and the government
announced on 23rd March that the country was in lockdown.
The impact on Home Start Slough’s services was significant and
the changes instantaneous. Staff and volunteers were no longer
able to support families and children face to face either as
individuals or as a group, and all of our planned project related
**----- End of picture text -----**
## Scheme report The impact on Home Start Slough’s services was significant and the changes instantaneous. Staff and volunteers were no longer able to support families and children face to face either as individuals or as a group, and all of our planned project related activities had to be put on hold. During the first quarter of the year we focussed on redeveloping our services, forward planning, and training for both staff and volunteers whilst also looking after each other in light of the isolation. We shared information with our volunteers on how conduct their “family support” over the telephone or on zoom with listening and communication skills. Sadly, we lost some of our volunteers to either the burden of poor metal health, their family circumstances and not wanting to continue with just telephone support. We noticed a trend in families referred to us with issues relating to domestic abuse. Lockdown restrictions and the fear of spreading the COVID-19 virus made it more difficult for women to seek support or leave their abuser during lockdown. Parents shared their frustrations with us regarding their children’s behaviour; struggling to keep to simple routines, study online and being generally disruptive were common themes. I joined the team as Senior Scheme Manager in July, and focussed on team and volunteer wellbeing, family support and project delivery, which are looked very different from previous years. The team pulled together under my direction, focussing on achieving the schemes’ purpose over and above their individual objectives. They all contributed to redeveloping services and committed to the new way of working. As such we have been able to deliver all our commitments to project funders, families, and stakeholders. The future is looking much brighter, and we are planning going back to face to face delivery, recruiting more volunteers and supporting all staff, volunteers, and stakeholders coming out of the restrictions we have faced over this year. Anne Gilbert, Senior Scheme Manager ## Home-Start Slough Who we are Home-Start Slough is a charitable company limited by guarantee that was set up in Slough in April 2015, incorporated in August 2015 and registered as a charity in June 2015. Home-Start Slough is affiliated to Home-Start UK. > [Trustees 2020-21 ] Chair Lesley Michaelis David Ashwell Cathy Benwell Andrew Gallagher Julie Melotte Leah Price Cox Irene Kyme Mary Mcilhone Mette Sorensen Kiran Dhoot Karen Olney Sandra Hennessy Treasurer Volunteer Representative Individual Representative Individual Representative Individual Representative Individual Representative Individual Representative Individual Representative Individual Representative Individual Representative Individual Representative Until November 2020 Until October 2020 Until April 2020 From July 2020 From October 2020 From December 2020 From September 2020 From February 2021 ## Staf 2020–21 Senior Scheme Manager Senior Scheme Manager Senior Family Support/Development Family Support Coordinator Family Support Coordinator Family Support Coordinator Admin Assistant Admin Assistant Office Coordinator Data Officer Anne Gilbert From July 2020 Dianne Roberts Until May 2020 Michelle Herring Nafisa Sarwar Claire Allison Caris Thomas From June 2020 Susan Harvey July 20—Sept 20 Lorraine Tritton From November 2020 Alison Bowers Julie Papworth From December 2020 Independent examiner: Martin Gatehouse, Microentity Limited Bankers: CAF Bank, West Malling, Kent ME19 4TA ## Home-Start Slough Funding our work ## Treasurer’s Report for the Year Ended 31st March 2021 In what has been a very challenging year I am delighted that Home-Start Slough has supported the local community throughout the pandemic by quickly adapting our core model and expanding our digital presence. This was only possible with the help of our fantastic staff and volunteers and the backing of our generous funders and partners who all deserve a lot of praise. Whilst we remain confident in our compelling service delivery model it is vital that we continue to innovate and adapt to the rapidly changing dynamics to enhance both our outreach and value for existing and potential funders in what is a highly competitive funding landscape. In the period we saw record levels of funding thanks to tremendous support from all our partners including specific COVID funding projects which helped to enable and accelerate our digital transition. We greatly appreciate all the contributions from our partners and donors and recognise the huge impact they make to the local community. ## A huge ‘thank you’ Finally, a huge thankyou and recognition to all our staff and volunteers for their efforts during this period, your dedication, commitment, and creativity to continue supporting the local community is inspiring and has made such a difference to so many lives. As we exit the year, we continue to maintain sustainable levels of reserves and roll over restricted funds for key projects in the anticipation of higher levels of referrals as restrictions ease. ## Financial highlights - Implemented a wide range of digital offerings with over 620 people participating in activities ## David Ashwell, Treasurer - Supported 113 families and 167 children - Record levels of funding of £233k 36% growth from prior year - £25k one off COVID specific funding - Fantastic support and backing from all our funders and partners including several new donors - Maintain sustainable reserves of ~ 3 months operating costs - £29k restricted funds carried over to help support pent up demand as restrictions ease ## Home-Start Slough Annual statistics ## Reasons families need us ## % of families expressing need ## How we have helped ## % of families expressing significant improvement Home-Start Slough Annual statistics ## Ethnicity of our Length of support Home-Start community ## Sources of referrals Family types ## **Home-Start Slough** ## Working in partnership ## Working with BBC Children in Need Addressing health inequalities in Slough We have now successfully completed our 3-year funding from BBC Children in Need, with outcomes based on behaviour, diet, exercise, and oral hygiene. ## Quote from funder: “ Although the online support approach has not been ideal the team at HSS have adapted really well and there have been obvious concerns over monitoring of positive dif f erences, but you have been able to capture some clear evidence of progress in very young children. Your team should feel a great sense of pride and achievement in what they have done to improve the situation for families in Slough.” BBC Child in Need were flexible, enabling us to support families from afar. Online groups that were offered and enjoyed by many over the year: Telephone support When the Covid crisis hit the UK, we quickly reconfigured support to deliver as much support via telephone. Our skilled Volunteers were able to provide emotional support to families, offering tips and strategies in parenting during the pandemic. Many volunteers were able to support more than one family and made bi-weekly calls to the most vulnerable parents. Walk and Talk group During school closures, many children spent the majority of their day indoors, lack of stimulation and socialisation with peers affected their emotional well-being and development. Home learning meant an increase of ‘screen’ time and decrease in physical activity. We organised weekly ‘Walk and Talk in the Park’ sessions. This allowed parents and children to meet other with their peers and take part in some gentle exercise, in a Covid safe group. We chose parks which had natural wildlife, vast greenery, and open space to ensure health safety of families were not compromised. Virtual Cook Along School closures meant that children were no longer receiving healthy lunches and breakfasts. Those parents that previously relied on those meals at school now had to find the time and resources to prepare these meals at home. Many parents said they lacked motivation and recipes idea’s each day. The online sessions supported parents and children with ideas for inexpensive healthy meal options. 1-1 Sleep support session All the worry during the pandemic meant that many children’s sleep routines became disrupted. Sleep and routine had become increasingly difficult, Home-Start Slough offered parents FREE '1-1 online support sessions with Sian Barwell'. In these confidential support consultations with Sian, parent’s received tailored tips and strategies, that helped to improve their child's sleep and routine. Virtual Cofee and Chat To support isolated families and children, Bernie and Paula held weekly Virtual Coffee and Chat sessions. During these informal online sessions, guest speakers discussed oral health, diet, exercise, and general health. The sessions gave parents and children an opportunity to interact with one another in safe and secure environment, sharing parenting tips and strategies. ## Home-Start Slough Working in partnership ## Working with The Henry Smith Charity Support service for families with children with autism Connect Parenting Course was increased from 2 – 4 a year in line with the new funding. The face-to-face course has been adapted to accommodate the Covid restrictions. Hence, we were able to continue offering this vital course over zoom. The course is still gratefully received, and the participants have given wonderful feedback. At the beginning of year 2, we adapted the course again to be in line with the Triple P Parenting programme to ensure terminology is streamlined. The Connect + Transition work with Years 5 – 7 was put on hold due to restrictions entering schools due to Covid-19. It was decided to create a transition booklet to continue and compliment the work we still hope to achieve in Year 3. We established contacts and developed a focus group to ensure we heard the voice of parents, children and professionals from health and education in Slough. The booklet incorporates information that is informative and helpful in guiding the multidisciplinary team and families in this important transition phase. Sibling fun ½ day sessions –Siblings of autistic children and young people, are to be invited to an activity to have time out from the challenges that they may be experiencing. These are yet to be established due to the restrictions in place for having face-to-face contact. CASE STUDY – Henry Smith Mr L heard about Home-Start’s Connect Course and after enquiry joined the next available course. He explained that he had moved to the UK a couple of years ago, when he realised his son was showing development delay. Mr L explained that no formal diagnosis had been sought and that his son turned three in lockdown. At the end of the course a volunteer was linked to the family to reinforce the messages and assist with the development of healthier routines, with sleeping, eating and behaviour management. This support was then provided to both parents, by the volunteer splitting her calls between both of them, as Mr. L required practical support in gaining the EHCP and accessing services and Mrs. L required emotional support coming to terms with diagnosis and building her self-esteem. Outcome: Better sleep patterns were developed, a better understanding of meeting C1 needs was gained. A diagnosis of Autism was confirmed, an EHCP was completed, a school was identified, and the place was secured. Mrs. L gained confidence and with better quality of sleep at more appropriate times she was able to pursue a part time job. “My sincere thanks to you and Paula for your consistent support, ef f ort, advice and guidance. I really appreciate the time taken for all the telephone conversations. The Connect Course was a wonderful platform with new ideas to understand and connect with a child having special needs.” ## Home-Start Slough Working in partnership ## Working with The National Lottery Community Fund Improving Mental Health in the Whole Family Our National Lottery funded project – Improving Mental Health in All the Family – started on 1 October 2019. It is a partnership project delivered in conjunction with Home-Start Reading and Home-Start Bracknell, with Home-Start Slough being the lead partner. Covid restrictions meant the Year 2 delivery of this project had to change, and the activities and support became virtual. Support included facilitating a dads group, virtual Antenatal support for mums, parenting support and mother and baby activities. ## Dads Group - Being Dad Home Start Slough, Bracknell & Reading offered online support to expectant dads and dads with babies under 6 months via virtual support sessions. The biweekly sessions included talks from guest speakers who facilitated them. The dads had an opportunity to talk to each other and engage in conversations which often lead to dads supporting each other. The session topics included – Baby First Aid, Dads Mental health, looking after yourself and Talk with the Midwife ## Feedback from some of the dads - This is the first time that I have had the opportunity to meet other dads. - I felt very lef t out of the pregnancy there were many times when I just had to sit in the car park. - I really enjoyed the still experiment ## Baby Safety in the home These online sessions looked at baby safety in the home. We discussed safety in beds, cots, and hosted a safety quiz. ## Baby Massage We offered our families with babies aged 6 weeks – 6 months a free baby massage sessions online. Baby massage is a special time to share, it helps the baby's emotional and physical development, promotes relaxation and sleep. It aids colic, reflux, constipation and makes for a secure and confident child. “I was really excited about attending the baby massage sessions, I wasn’t sure that I would get all of the techniques but I've surprised myself and we still use them now.” ## Mums in Mind In February 2021, Slough joined forces with HS Bracknell to deliver the support online. The mothers were mainly new mothers with babies born in Lock down. The anxiety levels were extremely high, and the course successfully looked at strategies to turn the negative thoughts and actions to positive ones. Feedback was extremely positive and an outside meet up was arranged when the restrictions lifted and the WhatsApp group set up, is still in use with these mother’s peer supporting each other. ‘ Yes, I enjoyed seeing the other mums and knowing I was not the only one finding things a bit dif f icult. I definitely have learnt strategies that I can use in the future’. - I cant wait to show my wife the baby first aid techniques that I have learnt tonight. ## Solihull Parenting In October 2020 two members of staff completed the Solihull Approach 2 Day Foundation Antenatal & Antenatal Parenting Group course. The training provided the skills to deliver face to face antenatal support for pregnant mums and their families. We are looking forward to new mums feeling confident to return to face to face group learning. In the meantime this year, we have been sharing guidance through telephone support. ## Home-Start Slough Big Hopes, Big Futures ## School readiness supported by the Masonic Trust During most of the year our support has been virtual. We have focussed on delivering information and guidance on routines, toilet training, behaviour management, just how to get through being at home and - How to encourage independence - Helping parents with skills to teach their children how to make friends - The importance of developing speaking and listening - What to say and how to say positive things about school - General good physical health As volunteers and staff begin to feel more comfortable engaging face to face, we have been able to introduce specific training to enable the volunteers to share activities with families. Full role out of the training will commence during the latter part of 2021. We distributed summer activity packs to all the families we have been supporting. These summer survival packs included toys/activities for all the children to keep them occupied and engaged during their time at home and the summer break. Parents have commented that these packs have been a life saver, and their children positively engaged with the resources. ## Volunteer diary entries Great chat today, M told me she’d been having a really tough day and had been looking forward to my call and to a chance to of f load. She is struggling with getting C2 to complete his schoolwork. We talked about various strategies to help him to focus. I reassured her that she’s doing a great job already and that she should avoid putting too much pressure on herself. We talked about her plans for this week; about the need to have a few plans in place every day. ‘Cathy has a calming ef f ect on me, and I feel she is extremely easy to talk to. I like the fact that Cathy does not judge me and that I can talk to Cathy freely, about MY frustrations and issues. I do not talk to my family and friends about my personal issues, but I look forward to sharing with Cathy each week!’ ## Home-Start Slough Our Covid Response COVID has an enormous impact on our staff and volunteers balancing work requirements with home-schooling and having to learn to operate a remote service, where our work is centered around face to face relationships. For those families that were able to engage remotely we customised and changed our service to enable us to support them during the difficult times, however, we were very aware of a number of families that we haven't been able to support as they were not able to engage remotely. We are seeing a large increase in our referrals in the aftermath of the crisis. Home-Start Slough played a major part in the One Slough Community COVID response and worked closely with all voluntary and public sector organisations to support the community. Our work was recognized by the Mayor who met with us to thank the team for their contribution during the difficult time. We are extremely grateful to our funders, volunteers, staff and Trustees who enabled us Home-Start Slough 25 years of supporting families in the community As we celebrate our 25th birthday, we can be proud of the significant positive impact we have made on the lives of so many. The quote below is from a family that we supported many years ago and we recently asked to reflect on the impact of Home-Start support on her life as it is currently . The feedback clearly demonstrates the transformation difference Home-Start has made to her life. These advances would not have been possible without all those who have contributed to the Charity over the years - staff, volunteers, Trustees and supporters, all of whom have shown belief, passion, commitment and total dedication to the Charity. “As for myself, I now have a Master’s degree, and even though my illness can still set me back, I have my children and a future to look forward to. All because of someone who gave up two hours a week of her own time to help me. The charity really does do an amazing job and should be supported to continue its work in the community. I can honestly say, that without the help of HomeStart Slough and my volunteer, I wouldn’t be here today – they saved my life and my family. I will be forever grateful to the charity for coming to my rescue.” Home-Start Slough service user Home-Start Slough Looking forward ## Our future is bright Home-Start Slough is committed to being there for parents when they need us, because childhood can’t wait. We want to ensure that no child’s future is limited due to issues experienced in the early years of their life. Our three-year plan sets out our aspirations to double the number of families we help in the community are very easy ## Home-Start Slough Feeling the love Hiya Claire, I just wanted to give a big thank you to you and Barbara for being there for me and being the people for me when I needed to talk to someone during the tough times I have been going through. I am very happy with the services and everything you and Barbara provided and done for me. I would definitely recommend you to anyone I know is struggling. It has been a struggle but with your support it has made it much easier for me and I am better person than I was before I started before I contacted you. Thank you for all the things you have done for me and my family. Much love to everyone and I will definitely miss you all. Hope you are well and enjoying the lovely weather we are having! Wanted to thank you sincerely for sending out the Homestart pack, there is a lot of useful and helpful information in it about preparing toddlers for school, healthy eating, dental care, recipe suggestions, managing routines which is wonderful. “ “"It's been nice to have someone to talk to, I looked forward to Ilhaam's calls each week. You found me the right person. It was perfect. The support was timed really well with other things going on in my family. It was great having someone independent to talk to outside of my family. She is a really great volunteer and I learned a lot from her. Thank you so much" Family supported by Home-Start Slough “'The atmosphere is really nice and relaxing. The parents and staff are nice too. My little one has so many things to choose from. She is so comfortable here which is surprising as she hasn't joined other groups before. Each week there something new for her to try.' Family supported by Home-Start Slough ## Home-Start Slough Bags of appreciation Thanks for all your help and support and guidance with my first family, you have been inspirational and generous with your time. I’ve been using your catchphrase, "we can’t always be Wonder Woman, wearing our knickers on the outside"!!! Stay well and safe and happy as we go into lockdown II. From Lydia to Claire at end of supporting family 1473 'I'm really pleased with this group. I was so worried about coming because I haven't interacted with people in person for many months. I had my second child in lock-down and this is the first group activity I have done. We don't have a garden at home so coming into the gar- Rewarding moments for the volunteer: Donna said “I feel privileged. I got to share when I saw the kids reach some major milestones: crawling, standing, first steps, birthdays. I also got a picture from the kids. It was just really the family’s eagerness to get on and move forward. They were like a breath of fresh air” If Donna was not ringing me weekly right now I don’t think I’d be managing. It’s having that person that will just listen. There is only so much I can burden my family with, especially in lock down, and I don’t want to add extra stress during this difficult time for all of us. My partner is working from home which is a change for us all. Donna’s support helps keep my relationship with my partner healthy and alleviates his and my stress. With Donna I feel like I can be open and I do not need to tread on eggshells around her. It’s one thing I really look forward to each week, knowing that she will call me and when I talk to her she won't judge me. Lovely closing call with F. She sings your praises! She says: Your support has really helped her, her confidence has increased massively since March. You have helped her find her voice when dealing with issues (hand, housing, etc) and given her coping strategies, e.g. take a breather, self care, prioritise things. "He is better than any Talking Therapies!" "The way he has helped me has been amazing." Home-Start Slough A huge ‘thank you’! ## OUR SINCERE THANKS GO TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SUPPORTED US THIS YEAR ## Our fantastic volunteers: Adam, Agnieszka, Amanda, Ameena, Ann, Ashleigh, Barbara, Belinda, Bernadette, Carly, Donna, Elizabeth B, Elizabeth D, Elizabeth J, Ilhaam, Jaswinder, Jenni, Julie, Justyna, Kamlesh, Kerry, Lydia, Navneet, Neil, Nicola A, Nicola P, Paula, Raman, Rupali, Ruth, Sajida, Sally, Sarah, Shumaila, Siara, Steph, Teresa, Talwinder, Vicki, Yvonne ## Our amazing Management Board: David, Irene, Karen, Kiran, Leah, Lesley, Mary, Mette, Sandra ## And to everyone who has supported Home-Start Slough in the past year, either financially or with donations of services, time s: or gif ## Alan Dorling Amanda Tibbels—Mamadadda Amanda Schenk (Zen Drawing) AmazonSmile Baby Bank BBC Children in Need Beatrice Laing Trust Berkshire Community Foundation Bernadette Burnett Big Lottery Bill Lidgate (aka Santa) Burnham Beeches Rotary Club Carly (Chilli Club Yoga) Christopher Jarratt (Kite Project) Caldicott School Caroline Bradley Circus Starr Colin Mace Complete Financial Dean Soden 4Motion Dorothy Milne Elaine Macey—4Motion Elizabeth Howe Faye Bowerman Frimley NHS Foundation Trust George Burbridge—MB Creative Cathy Carr—Get Berkshire Active Goodgym Groundworks Home Start UK Jenkins and Eyres Lauren McGuire—Student Social Worker John Lewis and Waitrose Partnership Louise Brooks—Parenting Success Liane Jackson—Daisy First Aid Lydia Mowll—Volunteer and Fundraiser Kayleigh Galvin (Creative eye) Mable Harper Charitable Trust Mark Williams-Fathers Reaching Out Martin Gatehouse Neil Winter Norden Farm Odney Club Orchard Community Paula Whittles Patrice Ashe (Magician) Robyn Bunyan (Education Outreach) Roly Richardson (Magician) Radian Raman Mann—Volunteer Reckitt Benckiser Shanly Foundation Seyram Mantey—Student Social Worker Sian Barwell Slough and Burnham Children Centres Slough Borough Council Slough CVS Slough Health Smiles Slough Outreach Spin Master Ltd St. Mary’s Hitcham Sun Chemical The Henry Smith Charity The Link Foundation Tony Alexander Victoria Kitcatt Waitrose Gerrards Cross Waitrose High Wycombe Waitrose Maidenhead William Baker Home-start Slough Report of the trustees lineorporating the directors reporti For the period ended 31 March 2021 The truste88 present their report and the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021 which also compr188S the Directors, Report required by the Cornpanies Ad 2016. Objectives and activrtias The principal objective of the charity is to provide voluntary suppotl friendship and practical help to farnilies with pre-school children in their own home5. Achievements and perlormanGe Home-start Slough has been suppotting local families going through a difficuh time foi 25 years as a local The 8UCC888 of Home-St8rt is dependent on dep8ndable staff and volunteers and on both counts this is the Case. We are very grateful to have $u¢h tledi¢ated worker$ and volunteers. Financial review Resprwe5 The unrestricted fund5 represent the free reserves which are required for QTTrgoing working caprtal and also Ihe funding required for contractual obli08tion8 to staff. Including potentsal pen8ion fund deficrt Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donor5 or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. Going concern The Covid pandemic had a major impact on our charity from an op&rational perspective 8$ we had to move all our seNiCÈS from f8ce to face to digital support and WÈ s2W 2 signifi¢8nt increase In funding to support 0￿r work and adapting our services. We successfully Tnoved our face to face support se￿iceS to a iemote model, and our staff and volunteers have worked hard lo adapt and provide the best 5etvice possible to our families. We fully recogni8e the Increase in need Caused by the pandemi¢ and are very fo¢u$$ed on gaining Increased funding to Incre8se our c8pacity- From a financial perspectwe all of our funder5 have been very llexible and this ha5 efiabled us to align their funding with the neèds of our beneficiarieÈ We are very gr8leful for th18 flexibility. which. together with the additional funds that we were awarded. meant that we did not need to put 8ny staff members on furlougtt 8nd en8bled us to cover all our addrtional costs Our overall financial health has not been Itnpacted by the crisis though we do reGognise that potentially there will be future funding Ghallenges as available 50urGes are reduced We are therefore re-aligning our strategic plan to ensure that we accelerate our ability to delwer increased rnmerGial value and outGorne dnven intetventions to ensure that we are attractive to funder5 In the future. Home-start Slough Report of the trustees (incorporating the directors reporti For the period ended 31 Ma￿h 2021 Structure* gowrnanco and managemont Legal and administrative slattss The organisation, incorporated on 27 April 2015, is a charitable company lirnited by Guarantee. with no share capital and registered as a charity with H M Revenue & Customs The company established under Mernorandutn of AssQGl8tion whiGh established the obieds and powers of the Charitable ¢ompany and Is governed under Its ArtIGles of A550Glation. The Organisation commenced acrtwie8 In August 2015, continuing the activrties of the unincoprorated charity Home-start Slough Icharity registration number 10547131. Org8nis81ion81 slnJclure The company is man8ged by a board of directors wh08e members are elected and co-opted In a￿Ordance th the Art￿leS ofAssociation Risk m&n898m8nl The board of directors has conducted its own review of the tnaioi risks to which the cornpany is exposed, In particular, those related to the operations and fin8nces of the comp8ny, and are s81isfied that 8y8tems are In place to mrtigate th08e ri8ks The procedures 8re periodically reviewed to ensure that they still meet the needs of the cornpany. Trustses and directors By oper8tion of law 211, trustees ar& directors und&r the Companies Act 20(K 2nd all directors are trustee$ under Charities legislation 8nd have responsibilrties. as such. under both company and charity legislation Those who served during the period and up to the date of thi8 report are as follows". Current truslees D Ashwell P Dhoot S Henne5$y M Mcilhone L Michaelis K Olney L Price-cox Sorene$en Appointed 12 DeGernber 2017 Pppoinled 1 MarGh 2021 Appointed 1 Mèrch 2021 Appointed 9 September 2019 Appointed 27 Apnl 2015 Appointed 10 August 2020 Appointed 10 August 2020 Appointed 9 September 2019 Formertru5tees." A Gallacher J Melotte C Benwell Removed 2 November 2020 Rernoved 2 Novernber 2020 Removed 14 De¢ember 2020 Home-start SIou9h Report of the trustees lincorporating the directors reportl Forthe period ended 31 March 2021 ststement oftrustoe5' and director5 responsibilities The charrty Iruslees, who are also the directors of the company under company law, are responsible for preparing the Report of the trustees and the accounts in accordanGe with applicable law and United Kingdo AGcountsng Standards (United Kingdoin Generalty AGcepted AGcounlino PractKel Comp8ny law requ1res the charity trustees lo prepsre 8¢counls for each ye8r which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the Incoming resources and application of resources. Including the In¢ome expenditufe, of the oharity for that penod. In preparing the awounts. the Iruslees are required to. $elect SU￿ble accounting policies and then applythem con51slently, obserlfe the methods and principles in the Charrties SORP-. rnakejudgements and estsmates that are reasonable and prudent, state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, 8ubiect to any m8ter181 departures disclosed snd explsined In the fin8n¢ial slalements., prepare the fin?ncial ststements on the going con¢em basis unless it rs inappropriate to presume Ihatthe chanty wll continue in business The trustees are responsible for keeping proper ac¢ountsng record8 that d16¢1ose with reasonable 8c¢ur8cy at any time the financial position of the charty and to enable them lo ensure that the accounts comply with the Companie5 Act 2006 and the Charrties Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the a55ets of the Gharty and henGe taking reasonable stsps for the prevention and deteGlion of fraud and other itregularities The trustees are re5pon51ble for the maintenance and Integiity of the corporate and financral Informatron on the charrtÈble Company s wèbsite. Infomiatign •bout ind•pgndgnt ¢x4min¢r These acwunts were examined by Mr M Galehou8e BAIHonsl ACA Member of the Instrtute of ¢h?rtered Accountants In England an¢ Wales CoDla¢t The Stables Old Vicarage. Blake5 Hill Road. Swimbridge. Devon EX32 OPH Small eompany provlsbn8 These accounts h8we been prepared in 8¢¢0rd8nc8 wth the provitsions in Part 15 of the Comp8nie8 Act 20 applicable to companies 5ubiectto the small companies regime. On beh81f ofihe b08rd 20th September 2021 Director and Iruslee Date Home-start Slough Indepond¢nt examin¢rf$ report to the tru$t¢¢$ Company number.. LI9￿78 ChArrty n￿1b￿r.. 116LNJ3 on the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021 I report to the trustees on my examin8tion of the a¢counl8 of the above ¢haritsble company I'lhe Company") for the year ended 31 M8rch 2021, as presènted on the following 10 pages Re5PDn5ibilitips Hnd bo515 01 report As the GhaFrtls trustees, you are responsib￿ for the preparation of the accounts in accori*ance with the requirernents of the Charities AGI 20111'lhe Art'i I report In respect of my examination of the Companws accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination. I have followed 811 the applicable Directions given by the Chanty Commi5510n under section 14515llbl of the Act. Indwndent examiner's Statement I have completed my exatninalion I confirm that no mÈteri81 mattets have come to my attention in GonneGtion with the exatllinalion vthich gives tne cause to believe that In. any rnaterial respect-. the accounting records were not kept In 8ccord3nce wi(h section 130 of the Charrties Act, or the accounts did not a¢¢ord wrth the 8ccounting records., or the a¢¢ounl8 did not Comply with the 8ppIIc8ble requirement8 Concerning the form and content of 8ccounts set out In the CharrfÈies (Accounts and Reportsl Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fail view which Is not a matter considered as part of an independent exarnination. I have no concern5 and have Gome acros5 no other matters in conneGlion with the examination to which attention should be dr2wn In this report In order lo enable 2 proper under8tÈnding of the Èccounts to be reached 19th September 2021 Martin GatÈhtsu$t BAIHon$l ACA M&mbèroflh& Institute of Ch8rterédAccouni8nts in England & Wal&s (mèmbership no 80104811. Addre55 The Stables Old VIGar?ge. 814ke5 Hill Roaij. Swimbndoe. Devon EX32 OPH Home-start Slough statement of financial activities (incorporating th8 income and exp&nditur8 account as required by the Companies Act 20161 For the year ended 31 March 2021 Rest￿tted fvnd5 2021 Total 2020 Total fund5 Income from: Donations Charitsble actwities other actNitie5 22.705 42,513 22.705 210,400 11.385 154,127 6,130 167,887 167887 233 105 Expenditure Cost of raising fvnds.. Fundraising event5 and costs Charilable acts-vilies, Employee costs Recruiting and advertising Employee training Employee expenses Volunteers expensès Rent and offic& running costs Stationery, printing and postage Telephone and IT costs Insurance Family Servi¢e Groupl¢ourses Volunteer re¢rurtment and training Digital delrvery Other ch8rrtable expenses other &xpendilur&.' Bank charges Accounting and prof&ssional Ho￿-Start Central fees Depreciation 2,444 37,208 334 112,990 1SO,198 334 145 3.8g)9 993 9.553 1.989 5,748 136,001 145 3.813 989 116 895 2,362 362 5,459 300 11.400 70 917 3.935 3.090 10.625 3.700 3,315 600 7,796 2,120 9.437 1.094 3,386 506 5,459 1,168 11.400 70 35 133 983 1.840 714 133 983 3,090 714 125 670 3.004 714 1,250 56 593 140 151 196744 179177 Net incomellexpenditurel 8,625 27,736 36,361 17,5351 Transfers beMeen fund$ Net movemnt in funds 8.625 27.736 36.361 7.535 Reconciliation of fijnds Total funds brought foward 40.173 1.015 41.188 48.723 Total funds carrled forward All activrties derive from continuing op&rations. A 8epaTate Statement of Total Reeognised Gains and Losses is not required 8S this statement includ88 all recognised gains and losses The not88 form an integral part of these accounts H0rn8-Start Slough Balance Sheet Ch£rily registered number. 1162(X)3 Company registration number 09ffi3378 As at 31 March 2021 2021 2020 Not¢¥ Taruible a6Eets 714 1,428 Current a$Eets DebtoY$ arMJ ¥¢¢rJed In¢ome Cagh al bank arQ In h¥ThJ 28,668 14,930 76.835 76.835 41,598 CrodltrKs.' amrAJnt8falllng duo ithin one year 1￿8 NWcurientas¥ets 76.835 39,7eo Tol81 not a888ts of the ch811ty Thp total T￿t assets of thp Gharity are fundwj by the lundsof the charity, asfo11ty￿'. Unrestrided Income fund5 Reslrided income funds 10 48.798 28.751 40,173 1,015 Tolal funds 41 188 The ￿lan￿ gheet continues onthe fdlThiro Foge The Mtes fomi an Integral part of Ihe9e acwunts Balance sheet Icontinuedl Trustees statements required by the Companies Act 2006 For the year ended 31 March 2021 In approving these 8¢¢ounls. as trustees of the Company we haraby confirm.. al that forthe year slated above the company was entitled to the exemption conferred by sectioll 477 of the Cornpanies Act 2006.. bl that no notice hats been deposited at the rtryistered office of the company pursuant to sedion 476 of the Cotnpanies Act 2006 requesting that an audit be conducted forthe year ended 31 March 2021. cl th81 we ackno%￿￿dge our rfrsponsibilrties for.. 11 ensuring that the company keeps proptr attounting records wthich comply ￿￿th section 386 of Ihe Cornpanies Act 2006. an 21 prepanng finan¢i81 tslalements w*i¢h give a true and fair view of the slats of affairs of the cotnpany as at the end of the financial year and of its profit or loss for the year then ended in accordance with the requirèments of sections 394 and 395. 8nd which olhtrrwisè comply wiltt the provisions of the Companie5 Act relating to financial staternents. so far as applicable to the ¢omp8ny. These financisl $tstemnls are prepared In 8¢cordan¢e wth the speci81 provisions of Part 15 of the Companie5 Act 2006 relating to small companies and in accordance with FRS102'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland The financial statementswere approved by the board and signed on rts behalf by.. rJ 20th September2021 Diiector and trustee Date Home-start Slough Notes to the accounts For the year ended 31 March 2021 1 pollcles The principa accounting rolici8s are summarised bdow. The accounting policies have apFli8d consistenlly throughoutthe peri(￿. 1.1 Basis of xcounting The financial statements have been wepared in accofdance with Accounting and Rewbng by Charib"es.' Ststernent of Recommended Practi￿ apkqi¢atAe to ¢haith"es preparing their 8¢¢ounts in accordance wth the Finanaal Rewfbng Standard apklicatle in the UK and RepuNic o* Ireland IFRS 1021 leffetbve 1 January 20151 (Charities SORP IFRS 10211, the Financial RÈwrbng St8nd8rd ap￿ICat￿e In the UK and Reputlic of Ireland IFRS 1021 and the Companies Act 2CQ6. Hom&Start Slough Tneets the defniboD of a public benefit entity under FRS 1￿. Assets and IiaLNlits"e5 ar8 in￿allY recognised at histontrAI eost 1.2 Incom1r￿ re50urce5 l incoming resources are induded in thÈ statement of financial actiwt&s when the charity is entil8d to the incoffle and the amount can be qU8ntified %%ith reasonaLle accuracy. The fdlowing 8wafic Foliaes are applied to particular categories of Ir￿me.. Voluntary income is rec*ved ty way of grants, donats"on& and gfis and i& induded in full in the st2tement of financial adivities when le￿1¥al￿e. Grants there entilement is not conditional on the delivery of a $pettfi¢ perfoiman¢e by the Charity, are re¢ogni$ed then th& charity becomes un¢ondity"¢)n8lly enbyed to the grant. Donated 6ervice5 and faulitie5 are Induded at the ¥alue to the chanty whEYe thi6 can be quanknfied. The value of semces wwded by VL4unteerg has not been induded. Giarts, inclu(I'ng giants for the purchase of fixed assets, are recognised in ftAI In the statement of finan(xal activities In the year In whid) tr*y are receiv8tle 1.3 Resources expended Expènditure 1$ re¢ognised on an awrua fJasi$ as 8 li8ts.lity 1$ Incurred. Expenditure indudes any VAT ich cannot b8 fully recovered, and is ieported as wrt of th& expenLlture to bthich it rdates. Costs of generaknng funib comprise the costs assooated with attracting voluntary income and the costs of trading forfundraisng wrposes. ChantsLle expenditure comprises those costs Incurred by the charity In the delivery of its adwitie5 a service8 for its benefici8rie8. It Indudes tx)th costs th8t can be allcthted direclly to suth 8ctivities 8 those ¢osts of an Indire¢t nature ne￿$Sary to support them. &JppK)rt costs arethose c08ts incurred direcly in 5UPPOrt of expenditure on the objects of the charity and include project management In accordance wth the SORP, and in recognition of the difficults'es in plaang a monetary value on the ¢ontTibLrtion from v(Aunteers, the ¢Ontri￿￿Orn of v(Aunteers Is n(* in¢luded wrthin the in¢ome of the tharity. Home-start Slough Notes to the accounts Forthe yearended 31 March 2021 Accounting w)lirie5 Icontinuedl 1.4 Reserves policy Home-start Slough has a Re8eNes Policy. FactOf8 taken Into account Mthen formulati￿ this wlicy included the need to cover fluctuations in Income due to the need to constanly apk4y for grant funding due to the lack of sUstsina￿e funding from Statutory Services, cuirent liabilits'es and unplanned expenditure The minimum re8eNe of 3 months running costs has been 8dopted In order to ensure all li8￿11*e8 can be adrjressed and the appropr18te rntice ￿riod gven to eM￿0Yee8. The poliw 16 reviewed annually in line the FinanJal Contr(As documetrt a rew)rt iEing presentsd to the full board of trustees. Tangiblefixed a55ets and depreciation Tangible fixed assets are staled at c(Ét less accumulated deweaaton Deprec18tron is prNided at rates alculated to write off the less residual value of each asset over its exppcted useful life, 35 fd19￿." Fixtures, fittings and equikynent 25% straight line 1.$ Leasing Rents15 payaLle under operating leases are charged against incorne on a straight line basis over the lease tetrn. 1.6 Oofined contwlbution penslon schemes The comp8ny D￿rateS a defined contiiMtion pension Stheme. Contr1t￿tions 8re chargèd to tt)e profit and Ioss account as they become payaNe In accord8nce with the rule8 ofthe Scheme. 1.7 Taxation Th8 charitys activities f811 ￿rythin the 8xemption8 afforded by the provison8 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 2010. Ac¢or(Sngly. there 1$ no tsxation charge In these a¢¢ounts. 1.8 Imndlng up or tllssolutlon of the charlty If upon ￿ryndIng up or dissolution of the charty ther8 remain any assets, after the satisfaction of all debts and I18￿lIties, the as88ts repre88nted ty the 8¢cumulated fund shall be transferred to som8 Other tharitaNe body or L￿deS having &milar objeds to the chanty. Home-start Slough Notes to the accounts For the year ended 31 March 2021 2 Incornefrom charitable xlivities Unrestrfcted funds Restrkted lunds 2021 Total 202D Totsl Berkshire Community Foundath)n Big Hopes, Big Fu￿r¢S Reckitt Fleetwood Ar¢hle¢tual Aluminuim Henry Smith The National Lottery CoThnunty Fund Co Operative BBO Syfvia Adams BBC Children in Need e,583 3,125 6,563 3,125 38.513 S,998 38,513 33,238 5,0 13,800 35,400 4,350 19,381 27,550 92,212 27.550 .212 4.OOD 4.000 38.437 38,437 35,960 167 887 210400 154 127 3 Incornelroffl other aGtivities 2021 Totsi 2020 Totsl funds lunds Fundrai%ng events 6,130 4 Net Sn¢omlngqoutgoSnol re8¢ur¢es tho ywr 2ty21 2020 Net I￿o￿1nglIoU1golngl resour¢e$ 1$ ststed after charging". Depreciation and Dther arnunts wrtten ofttangible fixed assets Independentexaminers lee 714 90 Home-start Slough Not•s to the accounts For th• year ertd￿ 31 March 2021 5 Ernployees 2021 2020 Employment costs Wages and $818ries Social securrty costs Pension costs Other costs 112.973 23.483 13,742 100,219 21.487 14,315 150198 No employee recaived emolun*nts of mre th8n £60.000 In the current or previous year. Number ofernployees The average monthly numbers of employees léxcluding the trustees) calculated on the basis of full tirfft equivalents, was 8$ follows.. 2021 No 2020 No Management and admin￿tration 6 Trustees renwneratlon and exF*nses The Trustees neither received or wawed any ernoluments during the year. Trustees did Dol claim expenses relating to activities other than those re￿11￿9 lo their dutie$ a5 a trustse, and being for furtherawe of charitabkg objectives. Tanylble fixed a$80ts Flxiures flttlngs ar eqUIp￿nt Total C05t Brought fothard 2.142 2.142 Depreciation Brought ft>Thward Charge for penod 714 714 714 714 Net book val A5 at 31 March 2D21 714 714 As at 31 March 2020 Hom*-Strrt Slough Notes to th• accounts For the ywr ¢nd•d 31 Mar¢h 2021 2421 Cth8rdebtOT5 26.868 8 Cr•Jltorn'. rnnt• 14lMry du• wtthln 1 y•ar PtyrrAI taxes and socill securty P•nsion ¢osts C4her t*ed*ots and actru Defe￿ed Income 1,838 9 Andy￿• oln•t •Mot• behvoon fvnd¥ Unrnstrfct•J fuThJs A•strfctqd funds 2D21 Tolal 2D20 Fund bakrynces at 31 2021 a5 represented by. Tangib￿ tsed assets Current a55ets Curreni liabi*s 714 91,690 714 76,835 1.428 41.598 11.8381 114,8551 10 UnreStrlc￿ frjnds Op•)Ii)q In￿MIng* Owtgolthqs 2021 Ge￿ra1 unrestrrted fund5 56.593 48.798 General unrestrided funds Indudes £38.513 frotn Reekntt which helped support us to increase our (xpacty to 5UPPOrt the incrta5ed needs caused by the pandemic forwhith the outgoings are irtluded wihin the£￿.593 ortotal unrestrthd outg￿n9$. HoMe￿tart Slough Notes to the accounts For the year endèd 31 March 2021 11 Restricted funds Openlng Inconthnll$ t￿¢gOIng5 2021 Children In Need Henry Smith Big Hop8s. Big Future Berkshire Community Foundation The Nation81 Lottery Communty Fund (Note 121 The National Lottery Communty Fund Covid Project (Note 121 13,6531 939 38.437 27.550 3.125 6,563 136,4541 123,9651 13.1251 16,2061 11,6701 4,524 198 555 3.531 74.962 154.3721 24.121 17.250 118,0291 1,221 167.887 140 151 Children in Need This project will support children froffl low income families and experiencing poor hea￿h in Slough. Childrèn will develop a heatthier lifestyle, Improve tsmily relationship$ antl have greatsr ¢onfitlence Henry Smith Th15 project will promde a specialist, bespoke support serrfice to families With chi￿￿en ￿1th Autism. Slough has 8bove average number of autistic children 8nd thÈ project aims to reduce the long term support costs by providing help and support to the p8rents in the early years Df di8grnsis. Big Hope5, Big Future The Big Hopes Big Future project supports families with school readiness. It aims to increase the readiness of ¢hiltlren to attentl $¢hoDI wffch a number of masures an fo¢u$ interventions. The National Lottery Commursity Fund This project Is a joint project with HorrE-Start Reading and Bracknell wth the key objective of improving ￿ntaI health throughout the whole family Through a number of different Interventions e.g groups, courses and horn8 visiting the support package is tailored to provide the best possible tsutcome for the beneficiary. The Natlonal Lottery Communrty Fund Covld Proje This projett provided us funding to Inereaso our digital tapability and crÈatÈ spÈcific gropus I tourses I sessions for our families remotely We worked wrth Home-start Bracknell and Reading and have full set of digital offering5 that we can combine wrf(h our face to face service Berkshire Commtsnlty Foundallon Th18 project en8bl88 US to provid8 SUPPOrt to young car8r8. through supporting f8mili88 where there 18 a youn9 carer involved. Parents often feel isolated & PLwertess and the child feels responsible for the parent. A volunteer gosng Into the family home for 2-3 hours per week Can make a huge drfferen¢e to th& family SItuat￿n. HoMe￿tart Slough Notes to the accounts For the year endèd 31 March 2021 12 The National Lottery Community Fund The National Lottery Cotnmunrty Fund Is provided through e con50ttium of Bracknell, Reading and Slough Hom&-Starts to represent the Th8mes Valley region Home-St8rt Slough Is the lead for th8 con50rtiurn and conSol￿ateS the reporting and distributes the funding on behalf of the group. The underspend for tt)e yèar was pnmarily to COVID Ènd not being abk to deliver the antitipatèd tste to face groups W8 h8V8 agreed with the fund8r how we will utilise th8 underspend in fijture years of the project. Beknw ale the details ofthe Tharnes Valley region as a whole. Openlng In￿MIng5 Oulgolngs 2021 Br8cthell Reading Slough 2.678 12041 3,531 24.204 40.895 74,962 127,0821 132.7601 154,3721 7.g31 24,121 8.205 140.061 114.214 32.052 The National Lottery Commuity Fund - Covid Project Openlng Incomlnos Outgolrws 2021 Br8cth811 Reading Slough 14.000 14,000 17.250 114.0001 114,0001 116.0291 1,221 13 Charitable company limit￿ by guarantee Home-start Slough is 8 company limited by guarantee controlled by its ￿MberS and accordingly does not have a share capital. Every ￿mber of the company undert8kes to contribute such 8mount as m8y be required not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charitable cornpany In the event of rts being wound up while he or 8he Is a member. or wtt)In one year afcer he or She cea8È8 to be a member. The charty was formally registered with the Charty Commission&rs in 2015 under charity registered number 1162(h)3 land forrnerty under unincotporated charrty registered nurnber 10547131. The registered office of the charity for Companie5 Act PUFposes is 111 High Stre< Bumharn, 8ucks SL17JZ. +ITrME STIRT Slough