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2023-03-31-accounts

Annual Report and Accounts 2022 - 2023

Contents Page
Chair’s Introduction 2
Reference and Administrative Details 4
Governance and Management 4
Objectives and Activities 5
Achievements and Performance 6
Public Beneft Statement 11
Financial Review 13
Independent examiner's report on the accounts 15
Statement of Financial Activities and Notes to the Accounts 16

Charity Number: 1163318

We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

Chair’s Introduction

[1st April 2022 - 31st March 2023]

Incredibly, it has been almost 10 years since We Are Family began as a grassroots adoption support community, and just four years since we took on our first staff member. So much of our work and rapid growth in this time has been possible because of the generosity and commitment of our incredible volunteers. I want to take this opportunity to thank them all for their resilience and commitment to supporting other adopters, through running events and activities in person and online and fostering and nurturing crucial friendships. So much of their work goes unseen but it is the lifeblood of We Are Family - thank you.

Offering free parent-led support, connection and community remains at the heart of We Are Family. We are proud that through volunteer input and staff time we have also been able to grow our work in the digital space to offer multifaceted support to our membership and beyond. This includes our ever-popular and topical WAF Talks webinar series and the Adoption Shared podcast which now has over 8,500 downloads!

This year, 57% of our members (2022 member survey) attended peer support groups, citing highlights as the ability to share openly about challenges (73%) and the opportunity to meet / connect with other adopters (71%). 44% attended parent socials, citing highlights as the ability to share openly about challenges (61%) and the opportunity to meet / connect with other adopters (85%) and 45% attended family friendly events, citing highlights as the opportunity to meet / connect with other adopters (76%) and likewise for their children (82%).

As well as delivering the services we have outlined above, through our volunteers and local groups, we have continued to grow in other areas. We have:

As a membership organisation, We Are Family have also contributed to a number of research initiatives over the past year, including a study into the experiences of adoptive parents with birth children led by the Rees Centre, Department of Education, University of Oxford. We established a working group to focus on the needs of adoptive families within the education system, and we continue to work closely with Adopt London to support the Black Adoption Project to better understand and evolve the experiences of Black adopters.

We have dreams of becoming a household name in the homes of adoptive families. We want to be somewhere they know they can go to make connections, receive important support and information and also add their voice to the issues adopters are experiencing.

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

We have reached a pivotal point in our evolution as we begin the early stages of planning to scale from a primarily London-based membership supporting around 1,250 members (though we know our reach and impact is closer to 3,100 once you factor in partners and children), to a UK-wide support network and platform, aiming to reach thousands[1] of adopters and their families within the next few years.

Our peer support provision has always been a cornerstone of We Are Family, however what has become increasingly clear over the last decade is that what truly unites our members, is the desire for connection. Delivering connection opportunities is critical. Sometimes our members connect to work through challenges, concerns and fatigue; and sometimes to share joy. They celebrate the milestones that non-adopters may not appreciate; laugh about the good (and the hard!); and have fun as an integrated family whether that be through picnics, park meetups, football clubs, trips to the theatre / museums and so much more. We are working hard to enable more of this, for more adopters and their families, for years to come.

Thank you for being part of our incredible support community.

You can read more details about many of these points in the following formal trustees’ report.

Mark Hoult-Allen Chair

1 2870 children were adopted in 2021. Children looked after in England including adoptions, Reporting Year 2021

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

The trustees of We Are Family CIO present their eighth annual report, covering the twelve months ended 31 March 2023 (‘the year’).

Reference and Administrative Details

The charity, We Are Family, is a charitable incorporated organisation which was registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales on 26[th] August 2015. The charity’s registration number is 1163318. The charity does not have any offices or other premises; its registered address is 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX.

The names of all those who served as the charity’s trustees during the year, and subsequently, are given below (in alphabetical order by surname), with the start and end dates of the term of office of each given, where relevant:

Name Start End
Esi Cathline 01.03.22
Mike Clarke 01.03.22
Liz Hocter 08.02.21
Mark Hoult-Allen 18.11.19
Diane McGrath 14.09.20
Stuart Meek 08.02.21
Sobia Shamim 08.02.21
Andrew Taylor-Dawson 08.06.20
Jody Tranter 20.03.18 31.12.22
Anna Willow 01.03.22
Stephanie Wong 08.02.21

Governance and Management

We Are Family existed as an unincorporated organisation before its registration as a charitable incorporated organisation in August 2015. It was originally founded in 2013 by a small group of adoptive parents to provide locally based peer-to-peer support for adoptive parents. From one group in Hackney and Islington, the organisation grew to seven groups in just over two years. Registration as an incorporated charity was sought to support the organisation’s growth, facilitate future fundraising and consolidate its existing reputation within the adoption field.

The charity’s constitution provides for the appointment of trustees by the board of trustees, having regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the charity. The charity’s trustees from time to time are its only legal members (to be distinguished from adopters and prospective adopters who have joined one of the charity’s groups and who are referred to elsewhere in this report as ‘members’).

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

During the year, the board maintained an ongoing trustee recruitment process with the appointment of one trustee The trustees wish to thank Jody Tranter, who left the board during the year.

The board has four regular board meetings a year whilst also constituting two Away Days each year as board meetings, which means the board meets formally at least six times a year. Meetings during the year continued to be focussed on overseeing the strategy and operations of the charity and the provision of services to members, setting up systems for running the charity; and securing funding to ensure the sustainability of the charity.

The work of the board is supported by two standing committees, the Finance, Fundraising and Resources Committee and the Programmes and Strategy Committee.

Objectives and Activities

We Are Family’s objects are to promote the health and wellbeing of prospective adopters and adopters. This covers the predictable stresses, strain and sense of isolation that comes with being an adoptive parent and in parenting traumatised children. There is a lack of targeted and tailored peer support for adoptive parents during the adoption journey and so We Are Family’s key objective is the improved wellbeing of adopters through regular peer support opportunities both online and in person.

The charity’s vision, which was refined and agreed by the board in 2021, is: “We want to see a world in which adoptive parents and prospective adopters feel connected, benefit from peer support and are part of a community which enables them to thrive." Its mission is to work “to ensure that adoptive parents and prospective adopters are part of a community, offering each other support, from a place of lived experience, through the highs and lows of parenting”.

The activities of We Are Family fall into the following areas:

Connection & Relationship

Information & Inspiration

Structured support

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

Achievements and Performance

Infrastructure and Governance

Figure 1

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

Service Delivery

From in-person and online peer support groups, to playgroups, picnics and our developing programme of creative sessions; providing opportunities for our members to connect and forge friendship and community remains at the heart of We Are Family. We are proud of the following achievements this year:

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

Membership

In both 2019 (original database launch) and 2021 (database v2 launch) there were big system changes which meant that member totals dropped down and then up again, as some current members did not rejoin the new system but new people joined. We have also periodically cleaned up data, removed accounts, and fixed bugs so our membership totals go up and down, rather than just up. However, our growth is clearly shown in the table below (Figure 2).

Figure 2

Year Ended Membership Numbers
31st Dec 2019 449
31st Dec 2020 735
31st Dec 2021 637
31st Dec 2022 1054
To 31st July 2023 1252

As at the end of July 2023, We Are Family had 1252 fully validated members (1067 fully validated members at end of March 2022). We also acknowledge that although we encourage individual applications - i.e. for those in a couple each join as individual members - we are aware that this does not happen consistently; therefore the actual number of membership beneficiaries, including adopted children is likely to be closer to 3,100. Future work with our IT consultants will see us introducing a ‘partner linking’ mechanism to allow validated members to most efficiently invite their counterparts to become members.

We ran a survey in September 2022, to gather member feedback across our services, communications and to help shape the next season of programmes and support.

Key learnings from this survey include -

In relation to in-person support:

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

In terms of our outcomes and impact in this area,

In relation to our digital support:

The impact of these programmes has been that 83% of members agree or strongly agree that since joining WAF, they have access to more resources, information and support to manage the challenges of adoptive parenting.

We also used this opportunity to ask members about the messages they would like to communicate to the relevant authorities on the challenges they experience:

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

Testimonials include:

“WAF is a great support for me. I have met lovely parents who understand my situation and children without judgement.”

“I love WAF and what it does for adopters.”

“[Although] I haven't engaged much with WAF yet - we had our child placed in February and life has been busy - we see it as a resource that is likely to be useful in the future as we encounter different issues in our adoption journey. It is good to know support and advice is out there if we need it.”

“The peer support training has been amazing.”

“I have gained so much from being a We Are Family volunteer. As well as making new contacts and meeting people from different walks of life, I get the chance to use my professional skills from my previous working life in education to run activities.” - WAF Volunteer, 2022

“This was such a rich session as it offered multiple perspectives. I will definitely listen to the recording later as a refresher of all the great tips offered.”

“I found it to be the most lovely process, connecting me into WAF with the kind, supportive and inspirational Jay and Eddie. It offered me quality time to share, process, digest and reflect on my own story.”

Fundraising and Partnerships

We Are Family is very grateful to various trusts and foundations, organisations and individuals who provided funds to support the continued development of the charity.

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

The charity also further developed partnerships with external organisations to the benefit of the membership. This included:

Plans for 2023/24: Planning and Transforming

We have an ambitious plan to expand both our services and our reach. We also want to update our volunteering programme and mechanisms for connection.

Our peer support provision has always been a cornerstone of We Are Family, however what has become increasingly clear over the last decade is that what truly unites our members, is the desire for connection. Delivering connection opportunities is critical. Sometimes our members connect to work through challenges, concerns and fatigue; and sometimes to share joy. They celebrate the milestones that non-adopters may not appreciate; laugh about the good (and the hard!); and have fun as an integrated family whether that be through picnics, park meetups, football clubs, trips to the theatre / museums and so much more. We want to enable more of this.

Our strategic plan for 2023-26 are shown below in Figure 3.

Figure 3

SA1: Build & maintain strong foundations “A strong organisation”

SA2: Deepen & expand reach and engagement “More members who are engaged and co-producing”

SA3: Grow targeted service offer “Getting more stuff relevant to them”

SA4: Become a known voice on adopter issues “Sharing their experiences to effect change”

Public Benefit Statement

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers or duties and in offering peer-to-peer adopter-led support, through its local and cross-London groups and online service provision.

We Are Family supports the well-being of both adoptive parents and prospective adopters. This is of benefit to both individual adopters, in reducing the stresses and strains of adopting, and their families. Membership of We Are Family, and access to its support network and other services, is offered on an open basis, the only requirement being verification of adopter status by a social worker (at Stage 2 of the adoption process or further).

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023 The charity offers its services free and arranges activities so that they can be accessible to as many parents as possible, and to those with children of a variety of ages. We Are Family strives to be open to all sections of the community and sees developing this as a key aspect of its work. We Are Family continued to reimburse parents attending the single parent support groups for childcare costs, so that those members could more easily attend. The charity also continues to explore how to meet the needs of specific communities, such as BAME and trans-racial adopters.

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

Financial Review

Summary

During the year ended 31 March 2023 We Are Family raised £99,294 (prior year: £100,290) and spent £103,107 (prior year: £76,062).

Substantial grants from the Tudor Trust, Adopt London and APSE have enabled WAF to expand the support we offer to adopters, offer more online services to help adopters manage the impact of the pandemic and perhaps most significantly, grow our membership throughout the year despite the impact of the pandemic on the operation of face-to-face support groups.

Sources of income

£46,900 of restricted funding was received from the Adopt London consortium of regional adoption agencies, £6875 from Adoption Partnership South East, £3000 from Tudor Trust and £2,000 from the Alex Timpson Trust amongst other restricted grants and donations.

£30,000 of unrestricted income was received from The Tudor Trust, £5000 from the Forrester Family Trust and other smaller amounts were raised through The Big Give and Magic Little Grants, amongst other sources, including individual giving.

Unrestricted funds

£39,189 (prior year: £46,179) of unrestricted funding was raised during the year. Expenditure of £43,042 (prior year: £35,825) was offset against this leaving a small deficit of £ 3,853 which was covered from brought forward unrestricted reserves. Total unrestricted reserves at the year-end were £26,098 (prior year: £29,951) of which approx. £13,100 was earmarked in accordance with our reserves policy (see further details below).

The bulk of unrestricted funding came from the Tudor Trust (£30,000) and was used to fund our Operations Manager costs.

Restricted funds

£60,105 (£54,111) of restricted funding was raised during the year. Expenditure of £60,065 (£40,236) was offset against this leaving a surplus of £40. Total restricted reserves at the year-end were £41,550 (£41,510).

Expenditure against restricted funds predominantly related to staff and project costs (continuing work on our member platform, WAF Talks and the Adoption Shared Podcast).

The £41,550 left in restricted reserves at the end of the year is due to be spent on staff and project costs in the 2023/24 financial year.

Basis of Preparation

The accounts for the year are drawn up on an accruals basis. Further details are noted in the accounting policies note (1) appended to the accounts.

No funds were or are held as a custodian on behalf of others.

Independent Review

The accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023 have been independently reviewed with the independent examiner confirming that accounting records have been adequately kept, the submitted accounts correspond with those accounting records and that there are no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts.

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

Reserves Policy

The Board of Trustees has agreed an increased reserves policy whereby the unrestricted funds not committed should provide sufficient funding for an orderly wind down of the charity if necessary at some future date. The policy aims to keep reserves equivalent to three months of general operating expenses plus one to two months’ worth of staff costs, currently calculated in total at £13,100.

Total unrestricted reserves at the end of the year were £26,098 of which £13,100 has been earmarked in accordance with the reserves policy, leaving £12,998 in general unrestricted reserves.

Funding received since the year end

Since the year end the following significant funding has been gratefully received by We Are Family:

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WÈ Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023 Independent Exarninerjs Report Independent ex3rninerfs report to the trustees of We Are Family I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the We are Family Ithe Charity) for the year ended 31 March 2023 Responslbllltles and basis of report As the charity trustees of the Charity, you are responsible for the p￿paration of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 20111'the Act')- I report in respect of my examination of the Charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515llbl of the Act. Independent examinerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: l. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act- or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records- or 3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the fgrm and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2￿8 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. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention sl)ould be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Name.. Tracey Skates Fellow Chartered & Cerhfied Accountant Address: 15 Menmarsh Road, Worminghall. HP18 9JT Date.. 1111212023 15

We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

Statement of Financial Activities

For the Year Ended 31 March 2023

£
Notes
Income from Endowments
From:
Donations and Legacies
Fundraising Events
Trading Income
Interest Received
Total
Expenditure On:
Raising Funds
Charitable Activities
Total
Net Income / Expenditure
3, 4
Transfer Between Funds
Reconciliation of Funds
Total Funds Brought Forward
Total Funds Carried Forward		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
2023
2022
39,189
60,105
99,294
100,290
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
39,189
60,105
99,294
100,290
-
-
-
2,100
43,042
60,065
103,107
73,962
43,042
60,065
103,107
76,062
(3,853)
40
(3,813)
24,228
-
-
-
-
29,951
41,510
71,461
47,233
26,098
41,550
67,647
71,461

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

Statement of Financial Position

As At 31 March 2023

£ Notes Notes 2023 2022
Tangible Assets – Member Hub Software & 2 22,393 25,192
Website
Cash at bank and in hand 47,864 41,367
Other debtors 727 727
Prepayments and accrued income - 5,698
Creditors: Amounts Falling Due Within One Year (3,336) (226)
Net Current Assets (Liabilities) 45,254 47,566
Total Assets less Current Liabilities 67,647 72,758
Accruals and deferred income - 1,296
Net assets 67,647 71,461
The Funds of the Charity
Restricted Income Funds 41,550 41,510
Unrestricted Income Funds 26,098 29,951
Total Funds 67,647 71,461

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

Notes to the Financial Statements

For the Year Ended 31 March 2023

1. Accounting Policies

Basis of Accounting

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, except for investments which are included at market value and the revaluation of certain fixed assets and in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) ‘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 2015)’. Financial reporting Standard 102 the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), and the Charities Act 2011.

We Are Family CIO 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 note(s).

Tangible assets and depreciation

Tangible assets are included at cost less depreciation and impairment. Depreciation has been provided at the following rates in order to write off the assets over their estimated useful lives:

We Are Family made a significant investment towards the construction of a database and a website, both of which are expected to have a useful economic life of 10 years.

Software & Websites 10% straight line

2. Tangible Assets

2.
Tangible Assets
Software & Websites Total
Cost or Valuation At cost
At 1 April 2022 27,991 27,991
Additions - -
At 31 March 2023 27,991 27,991
Depreciation
At 1 April 2022 2,799 2,799
Charge for the period 2,799 2,799
At 31 March 2023 5,598 5,598
Net book value
At 1 April 2022 25,192 25,192
At 31 March 2023 22,393 22,393

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

3. Income and allocated expenditure by activity

£ BROUGHT
FORWARD
21/22		 Income in 22/23 Spent in 22/23 CARRIED
FORWARD
23/24
Restricted
Adopt London - Core 4,525 28,000 32,184 341
Adopt London - Member Hub
Access		 4,620 - 4,690 -70
Adopt London - Picnics 680 900 390 1190
Adopt London - Podcast -941 6000 4315 744
Adopt London - Talks 4,646 12,000 10,830 5,816
Adopt London - Sub Total 13,530 46,900 52,409 8,021
Alex Timpson - 2000 - 2000
APSE 75 6875 4382 2568
Tudor Trust Wellbeing Grant -788 3000 1944 268
University of Reading - 1330 1330 -
Total Restricted 12,817 60,105 60,065 12,857
Unrestricted
The Big Give 1,058 1,850 238 2,670
Forrester Family Trust - 5000 - 5000
Individual Giving - 940 - 940
Garfeld Weston 9,891 - 6,009 3,882
Magic Little Grants - 500 417 83
OTHER -5,964 899 1,598 -6,663
Tudor Trust 6,427 30,000 34,779 1,648
Total Unrestricted 11,412 39,189 43,042 7,559

From 1 April 2021, We Are Family moved from receipts and payments accounting to accruals accounting, where additional tracking was established. Detailed tracking on activity by donor has been established from this date on, explaining the discrepancy in brought forward reserves versus the balance sheet.

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

4. Detail of income and expenditure

£ Unrestricted Restricted 2023 2022
Restricted grants - 60,105 60,105 54,111
Unrestricted donations 9,189 - 9,189 1,179
Unrestricted grants 30,000 - 30,000 45,000
Donations and Legacies 39,189 60,105 99,294 100,290
Fundraising Costs - - - -2,100
Fundraising Activities - - - -2,100
Advertising & Marketing - -998 -998 -524
Audit & Accountancy fees 1,296 -3,435 -2,139 -1,440
Bank Fees - -44 -44 -17
Charitable and Political
Donations		 - - - -5
Childcare Costs - Parent
Reimbursement		 - -100 -100 -40
Consulting -3,706 -3,482 -7,188 -7,770
Depreciation -2,799 - -2,799 -2,799
Employers National Insurance -238 - - -90
Event Entertainment -279 -697 -976 -287
General Expenses - -131 -131 -450
Guest Speaker Fees - -6,375 -6,375 -5,520
Insurance - -789 -789 -781
IT Consultancy - -8,905 -8,905 -126
IT Equipment Expense - -49 -49 -475
IT Software and Consumables - -177 -177 -875
Legal Expenses - Support - - - -420
Member Resources (incl
Zoom)		 -2,303 -160 -2,463 -2,822
Other Event Expenses - -150 -150 -100
Pensions Costs -712 -607 -1,319 -1,081
Postage, Freight & Courier - -70 -70 -237
Printing & Stationery - -134 -134 -
Rent - -272 -272 -
Salaries -34,068 -29,076 -63,382 -45,035

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

Small Gifts - -75 -75 -748
Staff Training - -389 -389 -38
Subscriptions - -166 -167 -150
Telephone & Internet - -96 -96 -80
Travel - National - -355 -355 -20
Venue Hire - -1,418 -1,418 -34
Volunteer Training -233 -350 -583 -1,400
Website costs - -1,564 -1,564 -600
Charitable Activities -43,042 -60,065 -103,107 -73,964
Net Income / Expenditure -3,853 40 -3,813 24,226

5a Fees for the Examination of the Accounts

The Accountancy fees include the cost for the independent examination of the charities accounts .

5b Staff Costs

No employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) for the year of more than £60,00 0

5c Average Staff Headcount This Last
Year Year
Average number of staff employed in the year 3 3
5d Contributions to Pension Scheme This Last
Year Year

Contributions made to a defined contributions scheme all relating to the Unrestricted Fund activities

£ 1319 1081

Basis of Accounting

The accounts were prepared on an accruals basis.

The accounts were prepared on a going concern basis.

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We Are Family Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023

This report was signed on behalf of the Trustees of We Are Family CIO on 16th October 2023

Mark Hoult-Allen, Chair

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