2021/2022 ANNUAL REPORT
Supporting children and young people with Down's syndrome and their community.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
This year has been one of change at 21 Together. We have grown rapidly over the past few years and this has necessitated some restructuring behind the scenes to ensure our growth is sustainable in the long term. As we have emerged from the pandemic into a cost of living crisis, our focus has been on ensuring the charity is resilient and can continue to provide quality services during these turbulent times, in the face of growing demand.
We have still been feeling the after effects of the pandemic this year, particularly as many in our community are vulnerable - not only in health but also to the loss or disruption of their education. It has been nice to see our groups back face to face for the majority of the year, providing that muchneeded community connection that has been missing.
We are acutely aware of the strain on people’s finances and have endeavoured to make our service provision accessible for all; reducing the cost of many of our services and ensuring our financial support policy is available. We have always believed no one should be unable to access our support due to financial concerns, and this is something that feels even more important in today's climate.
We were finally able to celebrate with our World Down syndrome day events, which were a great success. There are plans in place for an increasing number of community and social events in the future to help our community continue to reconnect after an isolating couple of years. It is clear from our feedback that this is something we have all been missing.
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and thanks to everyone who has supported 21 Together in the last year. To our incredible staff team who always go above and beyond for our community, our wonderful volunteers and the board of trustees who so willingly give their time to support the charity. Our people are what makes 21 Together the charity it is. With your support, we will continue to try and provide services and support for even more families in Kent.
TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT
"My young man has made amazing progress attending 21 Together groups, his confidence and communication has vastly improved."
Objects of the Charity
CIO - Foundation Registered 25 Jan 2016 as amended on 25 Sep 2020.
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To relieve the needs of people with Down's syndrome, living particularly but not exclusively in Kent, and their families and carers through the provision of training, support, education, and practical advice, and by such other means as the trustees may determine.
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To advance the education of the public and in particular the parents and carers of people with Down's syndrome and professionals involved in their care and education, in the specific needs and abilities of people with Down's syndrome.
VISION
Everyone has the right to live their lives to the fullest of their potential, regardless of disability or disadvantage.
MISSION
To support children and young people with Down's syndrome and their families to access the right support to live full and vibrant lives.
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OUR AIMS
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Enable people with Down's syndrome to be fully included in society by giving them access to the early intervention and skills needed to achieve the best possible outcomes in their lives.
Educate families and professionals to enable them to provide the best possible support for people with Down's syndrome.
Support families through peer networks, parent support groups and online forums.
Advocate and build awareness of the achievements of people with Down's syndrome. Recognising the positive impact of our community on the wider world is key in promoting true inclusion and cohesion.
Promote raised expectations of what is possible within our community and the wider community.
Nothing for us, without us!
Putting the communities voice at the heart of everything we do.
This remains a priority area, with staff and volunteers tasked to continually gather feedback from children and young people using communication techniques that allow them to voice their view and be heard.
It is not enough just to listen , we have to make real changes with the information we gather. We have seen sweeping changes to the way we manage parent feedback with our younger groups, as well as plans to re-structure our parent support services. The Trustees and staff have paid due regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit when planning all services and ensure the services delivered are in line with our Objects and Mission Statement.
"This year we have continued to develop how we engage with our community, with a particular focus on those families from socioeconomic backgrounds that are less likely to seek out extra support " - Charity Manager
"21 together training is an absolute godsend for us and Elodie’s school. The school have adapted their teaching significantly based on the training . Thank you so much, please keep doing your fabulous work.” - Claire Canham, parent.
Pandemic and cost of living
The impact of Covid continues to ripple through our community. Many children and young people are seeing the long-term effects of losing services, support, and learning during the lockdowns. For our younger generation, we are seeing many coming to us with more behavioural difficulties and cognitive challenges. For our young people, we are finding that the impact on their social skills and ability to build meaningful friendships remains an issue.
We can't change the past but we can ensure these children have access to language-rich social experiences, with access to professionals with the right skills to support their journey and start to fill some of the void left by Covid.
This is particularly evident in our baby and pre-school groups where families have lacked that real face-to-face interaction with other families and children.
Scope's "Disability Price Tag" research showed "Families with disabled children, on average, face extra costs of £581 a month and for almost a quarter (24%) of families with disabled children, extra costs amount to over £1,000 a month." We have certainly seen this issue becoming more and more prevalent. With increasing numbers accessing our financial support and many struggling to meet day-to-day costs, we took the decision to slash the costs of any paid-for services (these costs were already low). We took this approach rather than expanding our financial support scheme to reflect the fact that nearly all our families are struggling with increasing costs, not just those on a low income.
No family should have to choose between supporting their disabled child with us and putting their heating on!
"21 Together are a vital part of the Down's syndrome community and offer a standard of support and care not found elsewhere in Kent. Everyone is made to feel part of the 21 Together family and the resources they provide are invaluable. We would be lost without the support they provide."
Karen - Parent
Challenges
Covid -19
Covid-19 mortality incidence in vaccinated individuals is highest for those with Down's syndrome (12.7-fold increase). Many of our children and young adults were considered extremely clinically vulnerable and spent long periods in isolated situations. This continues to impact our sessions and the numbers of children we can include in each group.
Economic Impact and Staffing Shortage
While we remain very aware of the potential impact on finances of the economic instability, our main challenge has been recruiting enough staff to keep providing high-quality services. The Trustees have been actively involved in this process, reviewing pay and conditions, and promoting our values to support our recruitment processes.
Growth
While growth is positive and we endeavour for this to continue, we must be mindful of the sustainability of projects and ensure that with growth also comes clear and strategic plans for maintaining this growth and ensuring we can continue to provide the same quality of intervention as well as adapting to the new ways of working.
Volunteers
The economic impact has had a direct impact on the availability of our usual volunteer base. Previously, we have had consistent uptake of volunteer positions from students from local universities. As there are now so many vacancies and an increase in the cost of living, these people are tending to dedicate much less time to volunteering.
Fundraising
As we go forward we have to be mindful of a likely recession, increasing inflation and the cost of the energy crisis. Whilst we can put plans together about how we will weather that storm, we must be aware that the local business, as well as grant-making trusts, will also be needing to find ways to save money. This is equally true of community fundraising.
WHO DO WE HELP?
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USER TYPE TOTAL
UNIQUE USERS 33% 288
INDIVIDUALS with DOWN'S
90
SYNDROME
FAMILY GROUPS 127
PROFESSIONALS 30
ESTABLISHMENTS/SETTINGS 16
PREVIOUSLY KNOWN INDIVIDUALS 112
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*Compared to last year's figure.
288 TOTAL CHARITY USERS IN KENT
Our overall number of unique individuals being supported by the charity continued to rise, with a 33% increase on last year.
We directly supported 90 children and young people (CYP) with Down's syndrome, 30 professionals, and 168 individuals made up of family members/carers/supporters of a person with Down's syndrome. This included 127 family groups, meaning 37 families accessed services not directly aimed at CYP, like training, wellbeing, and community support. This sits well with our commitment to supporting wider networks as well as the CYP.
We saw a decrease in establishments and professionals accessing services. Schools are facing ever-increasing pressures on funds for training, staff time and general resources. In the coming year, we will need to review how we interact with professionals and what are the barriers to accessing support. This is likely to be impacted by parents using our community support service and therefore getting things like teacher training provided within their Education, Health and Care plans.
We are now looking to directly monitor the number of people with Down's syndrome accessing our services. Although we have changed how we gather this data, it is clear we have seen a huge increase in this number. Next year we intend to continue this growth and support even more CYP directly.
SERVICE OVERVIEW
Below is a breakdown of the services accessed based on the survey responses. Training Days/Workshops were our most accessed service, with family Event Days being the second most accessed.
SERVICE OVERVIEW
Service users were asked to rate their experiences with accessing services. At least 97% of survey responses either Strongly Agreed or Agreed with all statements. However, there was one response which disagreed with the statement, “the ability to access the required service from 21 Together was straightforward and easy .” This is the same user that responded neutrally to “my overall experience of 21 Together services is positive” . They qualified their response by stating that they did not live locally to Maidstone and that the date and time of the service they would like to access was not convenient to them. We are aware of the geographical challenges we face, and as the charity grows we hope to replicate services across Kent to allow improved access.
We remain committed to being as accessible and inclusive as possible. We are also actively seeking new and improved ways to better access hard-to-reach communities, particularly those from different cultural backgrounds. The recent appointment of a Community Support Co-ordinator means that we can now work more closely with statutory services, community groups and individuals to ensure our services are offered and advertised within all communities in Kent.
"21 together is like having that old friend, you don't have to be in regular contact, but if you need them they're there." - Parent/carer
"You have been a lifeline to us parents please continue to provide all your services you help us to see all the possibilities that our children can achieve and bring fun and laughter back into our lives among all the stress we have to put up with fighting for all our children's needs, educationally and physically. You show us and the world that they have a place in this world." - Parent/carer
THE FUTURE
It's not just feedback we have been reviewing this year! We have also been ensuring that the voice of the community is the single most important driving force behind our plans for the future. So our community survey provided the foundations for our most recent Trustee strategy day which saw the board agree on the main areas for development for the next 3 years being: Post 16 support, sibling services, and improved provision for those with more complex needs.
Here is what the community said:
"More social events for our children to connect with their peers."
“The social days that have recently started have been brilliant, if these could continue that would be fantastic”
“It would be good to have a buddy service whereby young people could go out together in small groups to visit things like the cinema or bowling, especially for those that don't have access to a PA or support”
“More mixed age gathering. My experiences have only been in my child’s age group and it would be valuable to be able to interact with families of all ages.”
"Youth club for our young people from Secondary School age upwards."
"Provide sibling services / a group for siblings."
SERVICE OVERVIEW
Every service we provide fits into our goal of supporting children and young to reach their potential, whilst simultaneously empowering and supporting the surrounding networks. No one child exists in isolation, if we can give the parents, carers and professionals the skills to successfully and positively support our children and young people we have the best possible chance of reaching their potential and living full and vibrant lives.
Children and Young People
With direct intervention services now available from birth to 25 years old, we have different services for each step into adulthood. This includes speech and language, education services, wellbeing groups, social groups, life skill groups and access to expert teaching on personal safety, friendships and relationships. We now plan to shift our focus to post-16 provisions and looking at wider community inclusion and work skills.
Families / Carers
As parents and carers, life is always busy - they rarely have time to focus on themselves! Therefore, 21 Together's support sessions are specifically aimed at those parents/carers/family members who deserve a little time to recharge and regroup. Parents also access our training services, and our advice and support service, alongside many community events where they can meet other families and build new connections. Empowering our families to face the struggles they face at home, and the difficulties accessing education, health and social care remains a focus.
Professionals
Professionals form a vital part of our network around the children and young people. With a new job role planned to better connect with these networks and more provision made for our education lead and specialists to support professionals and spread their knowledge and skills into school, health and social care. We continue to have excellent connections with Canterbury Christchurch University and provide guest lectures to undergraduate health professionals
Feedback:
“ I feel with the help of 21 Together that we can better support our son. Thank you, 21 Together for all your help.”
“When my daughter was first born, my mental health suffered as I was extremely anxious she was going to become ill because of some of the conditions associated with having the additional chromosome. I was able to talk to one of the Trustees on a personal call and was invited to the meet up where I could meet other parents, which really helped with my anxiety.”
Volunteers
OUR UNSUNG HEROS
Volunteers continue to be a vital lifeblood of 21 Together. This year we saw our university student volunteers formalised as we started delivering access to practical learning and assessment for 1st year Speech and Language students. As well as these placements, we continue to thank many volunteers for their time.
We are very thankful for those volunteers working in the background to help build more efficient IT systems and help with building maintenance and equipment.
Finally, our Trustee board continues to diligently give their time and energy to ensure the charity is fulfilling its objectives and building firm foundations for the future.
"This year we have loved our seeing young people continuing their volunteering online and as well as face-toface. They do a fantastic job, supporting us at events, while simultaneously being the role models that our younger children need and deserve." - Charity Manager
Finance Statement
21 Together aims to be the go to, inclusive, Kent based charity promoting skills for life to allow individuals with Down's syndrome to be able to actively participate in society.
In spite of the backdrop of economic uncertainty following the Covid-19 pandemic over the course of the financial year 2021/22, this has continued to be a sustainably funded charitable organisation. The vast majority of income for the Charity is from grants and trusts which allows the Charity to continue to plan its services over the short to medium term. The pipeline of grants and trust applications coupled with the Charity’s closing reserves gives the Trustees’ certainty over the Charity’s ability to continue providing its existing core services to users. Therefore, these accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis.
Following the end of this financial year, there has been further economic uncertainty following the invasion of Ukraine and the UK’s cost of living crisis. This economic uncertainty increases the financial risk of the Charity in future periods given:
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the increase in cost of providing services to users;
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potential reduction of income where funding streams are reduced or redirected by funders; and
reduction in income for services where more users apply for financial hardship.
The Charity continues to closely monitor budgets prepared for grant funding to ensure these accurately represent the full cost of services being provided. New and one-off services only commence once they have sufficient funding available. This helps to mitigate the financial risk to the Charity. The Teach Me Too project has been successfully handed over to Learn and Thrive to continue its good work and build on the success of the project. That fund is now closed.
As at year end, the Charity’s reserves were £104,567, which is in excess of the Charity’s reserves policy. The main reason for this was due to a number of unfilled staff vacancies. The recruitment difficulties (which are in line with the charity sector as a whole) have since been resolved and the expectation is that, with a full headcount, and increased costs due to the cost of living crisis and expansion of the Charity’s services within its objects, the reserves will reduce back in line with the Charity’s reserves policy.
The Trustees continue to keep the Charity’s reserves under review, particularly within the context of the wider economic uncertainty to ensure continuity of services to users. The Charity will continue to provide its core services in line with its objects and will seek to expand services to include complex needs; 16-25 year olds and sibling support over the next 12-24 months.
Trustees are recruited from various pools including adverts to carers and families and to wider volunteer networks. Specific skill sets are reviewed to ensure a breadth of knowledge across the Board and a balance of parent and carer Trustees and nonparent and carer Trustees which allows the Charity to ensure its purpose is meeting the needs of its users whilst also allowing objectivity in its governance. Appropriate professional references and DBS checks are undertaken for all Trustees.
In addition to financial risks, recruitment and staff retention is the other main risk for the Charity and its ability to continue to provide high-quality services to users. Ensuring staff vacancies are filled has proven a challenge over the last 12 months and this recruitment challenge has been seen across the Charity sector. The Charity ensures roles are attractive to potential applicants; salaries and benefits are benchmarked whilst also ensuring recruitment and staff performance process continue to be robust to ensure the right applicants are employed and use of Charity’s funds is appropriate.
We look forward to being able to continue to provide high quality services to our users over the next 12 months with our robust financial policies providing financial stability to be able to do so
Melissa Jones - Treasurer
REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: CE005262 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1165305
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND
UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
FOR
21 TOGETHER
Ashdown Hurrey Chartered Accountants & Business Advisers 20 Havelock Road Hastings East Sussex TN34 1BP
21 TOGETHER
CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
| Page | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 1 | ||
| Independent Examiner's Report | 2 | ||
| Statement of Financial Activities | 3 | ||
| Balance Sheet | 4 | to | 5 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 6 | to | 12 |
21 TOGETHER (REGISTERED NUMBER: CE005262)
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2022. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing document
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Company number
CE005262 (England and Wales)
Registered Charity number
1165305
Registered office
Maidstone Community Support Centre Maidstone Kent ME14 1HH
Trustees
R Smith (appointed 25.5.22) R Butcher (appointed 16.6.21) M Jones (appointed 16.6.21) J Kemp (appointed 16.6.21) R Clark (appointed 16.6.21) S P M Ainsworth
Company Secretary
Independent Examiner
Ashdown Hurrey Chartered Accountants & Business Advisers 20 Havelock Road Hastings East Sussex TN34 1BP
Approved by order of the board of trustees on 19 January 2023 and signed on its behalf by:
R Clark - Trustee
Page 1
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF 21 TOGETHER
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of 21 Together ('the Company')
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2022.
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
Since your charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a registered member of Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales which is one of the listed bodies.
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:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by Section 386 of the 2006 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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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
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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.
S.R. SAMPSON BFP FCA FCIE DChA Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Ashdown Hurrey Chartered Accountants & Business Advisers 20 Havelock Road Hastings East Sussex TN34 1BP
19 January 2023
Page 2
21 TOGETHER
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
| Unrestricted fund Notes £ INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations, legacies and grants 31,370 Charitable activities Charitable Activities 4,823 Other trading activities 2 11,072 Total 47,265 EXPENDITURE ON Raising funds 1,451 Charitable activities Charitable Activities 9,121 Other 1,331 Total 11,903 NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) 35,362 RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 69,205 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 104,567 |
Restricted funds £ 168,438 36,666 - 205,104 - 202,966 3,179 206,145 (1,041) 122,012 120,971 |
31.3.22 31.3.21 Total Total funds funds £ £ 199,808 213,603 41,489 18,349 11,072 3,252 252,369 235,204 1,451 775 212,087 119,442 4,510 2,947 218,048 123,164 34,321 112,040 191,217 79,177 225,538 191,217 |
31.3.22 31.3.21 Total Total funds funds £ £ 199,808 213,603 41,489 18,349 11,072 3,252 252,369 235,204 1,451 775 212,087 119,442 4,510 2,947 218,048 123,164 34,321 112,040 191,217 79,177 225,538 191,217 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 235,204 | |||
| 775 119,442 2,947 |
|||
| 123,164 | |||
| 112,040 79,177 |
|||
| 191,217 |
The notes form part of these financial statements
Page 3
21 TOGETHER (REGISTERED NUMBER: CE005262)
BALANCE SHEET 31 MARCH 2022
| Unrestricted fund Notes £ FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets 6 2,916 CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 7 - Cash at bank 102,551 102,551 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year 8 (900) NET CURRENT ASSETS 101,651 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 104,567 NET ASSETS 104,567 FUNDS 10 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds TOTAL FUNDS |
Restricted funds £ - 1,454 125,255 126,709 (5,738) 120,971 120,971 120,971 |
31.3.22 Total funds £ 2,916 1,454 227,806 229,260 (6,638) 222,622 225,538 225,538 104,567 120,971 225,538 |
31.3.21 Total funds £ 2,916 - 188,531 188,531 (230) 188,301 191,217 191,217 69,205 122,012 191,217 |
|---|---|---|---|
The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2022.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2022 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for
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(a) ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and
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(b) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.
The notes form part of these financial statements
continued...
Page 4
21 TOGETHER (REGISTERED NUMBER: CE005262)
BALANCE SHEET - continued 31 MARCH 2022
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 19 January 2023 and were signed on its behalf by:
R Clark - Trustee
M Jones - Trustee
The notes form part of these financial statements
Page 5
21 TOGETHER
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparing the financial statements
The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared 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 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
Income
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Expenditure
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Tangible fixed assets
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.
Taxation
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
Hire purchase and leasing commitments
Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.
Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits
The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.
2. OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES
| OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES | ||
|---|---|---|
| 31.3.22 | 31.3.21 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Fundraising events | 10,396 | 2,565 |
| Shop income | 469 | 97 |
| Christmas cards | 207 | 590 |
| 11,072 | 3,252 |
continued...
Page 6
21 TOGETHER
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
3. NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting):
| 31.3.22 | 31.3.21 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Other operating leases | 16,853 | 10,678 |
4. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2022 nor for the year ended 31 March 2021.
Trustees' expenses
There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 March 2022 nor for the year ended 31 March 2021.
5. COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
| Unrestricted fund £ INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations, legacies and grants 29,391 Charitable activities Charitable Activities 5,333 Other trading activities 3,247 Total 37,971 EXPENDITURE ON Raising funds 775 Charitable activities Charitable Activities 33,085 Other 1,333 Total 35,193 NET INCOME 2,778 RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 66,427 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 69,205 |
Restricted funds £ 184,212 13,016 5 197,233 - 86,357 1,614 87,971 109,262 12,750 122,012 |
Total funds £ 213,603 18,349 3,252 |
|---|---|---|
| 235,204 | ||
| 775 119,442 2,947 |
||
| 123,164 | ||
| 112,040 79,177 |
||
| 191,217 |
continued...
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21 TOGETHER
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
6. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
| 6. | TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer | ||||
| equipment | ||||
| £ | ||||
| COST | ||||
| At 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022 | 2,916 | |||
| NET BOOK VALUE | ||||
| At 31 March 2022 | 2,916 | |||
| At 31 March 2021 | 2,916 | |||
| 7. | DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR | |||
| 31.3.22 | 31.3.21 | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| Trade debtors | 1,454 | - | ||
| 8. | CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR | |||
| 31.3.22 | 31.3.21 | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| Bank loans and overdrafts (see note 9) | 5,234 | 230 | ||
| Social security and other taxes | 504 | - | ||
| Accrued expenses | 900 | - | ||
| 6,638 | 230 | |||
| 9. | LOANS | |||
| An analysis of the maturity of loans is given below: | ||||
| 31.3.22 | 31.3.21 | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| Amounts falling due within one year on demand: | ||||
| Bank overdrafts | 5,234 | 230 |
The above overdraft relates to funds where funds were spent prior to the grant being received. This has since been received and is no longer overdrawn.
continued...
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21 TOGETHER
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
10. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
| MOVEMENT IN FUNDS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net | Transfers | ||||
| movement | between | At | |||
| At 1.4.21 | in funds | funds | 31.3.22 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Unrestricted funds | |||||
| General fund | 69,205 | 35,362 | - | 104,567 | |
| Restricted funds | |||||
| Communication for Life | 7,762 | 17,665 | - | 25,427 | |
| Operations and Development - Core Costs | 77,086 | (10,382) | 202 | 66,906 | |
| Training | 7,196 | (6,407) | - | 789 | |
| Early Years Full Project | 2,572 | - | - | 2,572 | |
| Community Support Service | (230) | 179 | - | (51) | |
| FSG | 2,283 | (1,113) | - | 1,170 | |
| Teach Me Too | 25,343 | (25,343) | - | - | |
| KCC Reconnect | - | 9,502 | - | 9,502 | |
| Morrisons | - | (5,183) | - | (5,183) | |
| Whitehead Monckton | - | 1,200 | - | 1,200 | |
| KCC Strategic Fund | - | 6,704 | - | 6,704 | |
| Cobtree | - | 223 | - | 223 | |
| Kent Police | - | 200 | - | 200 | |
| Activities for C&YP | - | 2,320 | - | 2,320 | |
| CIN - Money Heroes | - | 1,000 | - | 1,000 | |
| The National Lottery - EFL | - | 8,394 | (202) | 8,192 | |
| 122,012 | (1,041) | - | 120,971 | ||
| TOTAL FUNDS | 191,217 | 34,321 | - | 225,538 | |
| Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: | |||||
| Incoming | Resources | Movement | |||
| resources | expended | in funds | |||
| £ | £ | £ | |||
| Unrestricted funds | |||||
| General fund | 47,265 | (11,903) | 35,362 | ||
| Restricted funds | |||||
| Communication for Life | 75,019 | (57,354) | 17,665 | ||
| Operations and Development - Core Costs | 11,990 | (22,372) | (10,382) | ||
| Training | 409 | (6,816) | (6,407) | ||
| Community Support Service | 5,000 | (4,821) | 179 | ||
| FSG | - | (1,113) | (1,113) | ||
| Teach Me Too | (16,895) | (8,448) | (25,343) | ||
| KCC Reconnect | 9,764 | (262) | 9,502 | ||
| Morrisons | - | (5,183) | (5,183) | ||
| Whitehead Monckton | 2,000 | (800) | 1,200 | ||
| KCC Strategic Fund | 8,000 | (1,296) | 6,704 | ||
| Cobtree | 984 | (761) | 223 | ||
| Kent Police | 500 | (300) | 200 | ||
| Activities for C&YP | 3,599 | (1,279) | 2,320 | ||
| CIN - Money Heroes | 1,000 | - | 1,000 | ||
| The National Lottery - EFL | 103,734 | (95,340) | 8,394 | ||
| 205,104 | (206,145) | (1,041) | |||
| TOTAL FUNDS | 252,369 | (218,048) | 34,321 |
continued...
Page 9
21 TOGETHER
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
10. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
Comparatives for movement in funds
| Net | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| movement | At | ||
| At 1.4.20 | in funds | 31.3.21 | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted funds | |||
| General fund | 66,427 | 2,778 | 69,205 |
| Restricted funds | |||
| Communication for Life | - | 7,762 | 7,762 |
| Operations and Development - Core Costs | 638 | 76,448 | 77,086 |
| Training | 9,527 | (2,331) | 7,196 |
| Early Years Full Project | 2,572 | - | 2,572 |
| Community Support Service | 13 | (243) | (230) |
| FSG | - | 2,283 | 2,283 |
| Teach Me Too | - | 25,343 | 25,343 |
| 12,750 | 109,262 | 122,012 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 79,177 | 112,040 | 191,217 |
| Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: | |||
| Incoming | Resources | Movement | |
| resources | expended | in funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted funds | |||
| General fund | 37,971 | (35,193) | 2,778 |
| Restricted funds | |||
| Communication for Life | 44,713 | (36,951) | 7,762 |
| Operations and Development - Core Costs | 76,448 | - | 76,448 |
| Training | 3,098 | (5,429) | (2,331) |
| Community Support Service | 6,200 | (6,443) | (243) |
| FSG | 7,000 | (4,717) | 2,283 |
| Teach Me Too | 59,774 | (34,431) | 25,343 |
| 197,233 | (87,971) | 109,262 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 235,204 | (123,164) | 112,040 |
continued...
Page 10
21 TOGETHER
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
10. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined position is as follows:
| Unrestricted funds General fund Restricted funds Communication for Life Operations and Development - Core Costs Training Early Years Full Project Community Support Service FSG KCC Reconnect Morrisons Whitehead Monckton KCC Strategic Fund Cobtree Kent Police Activities for C&YP CIN - Money Heroes The National Lottery - EFL TOTAL FUNDS |
Net movement At 1.4.20 in funds £ £ 66,427 38,140 - 25,427 638 66,066 9,527 (8,738) 2,572 - 13 (64) - 1,170 - 9,502 - (5,183) - 1,200 - 6,704 - 223 - 200 - 2,320 - 1,000 - 8,394 12,750 108,221 79,177 146,361 |
Transfers between funds £ - - 202 - - - - - - - - - - - - (202) - - |
At 31.3.22 £ 104,567 25,427 66,906 789 2,572 (51) 1,170 9,502 (5,183) 1,200 6,704 223 200 2,320 1,000 8,192 120,971 225,538 |
|---|---|---|---|
continued...
Page 11
21 TOGETHER
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
10. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
| Unrestricted funds General fund Restricted funds Communication for Life Operations and Development - Core Costs Training Community Support Service FSG Teach Me Too KCC Reconnect Morrisons Whitehead Monckton KCC Strategic Fund Cobtree Kent Police Activities for C&YP CIN - Money Heroes The National Lottery - EFL TOTAL FUNDS |
Incoming resources £ 85,236 119,732 88,438 3,507 11,200 7,000 42,879 9,764 - 2,000 8,000 984 500 3,599 1,000 103,734 402,337 487,573 |
Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (47,096) 38,140 (94,305) 25,427 (22,372) 66,066 (12,245) (8,738) (11,264) (64) (5,830) 1,170 (42,879) - (262) 9,502 (5,183) (5,183) (800) 1,200 (1,296) 6,704 (761) 223 (300) 200 (1,279) 2,320 - 1,000 (95,340) 8,394 (294,116) 108,221 (341,212) 146,361 |
|---|---|---|
11. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 March 2022.
Page 12
THANKYOU TO OUR FUNDERS . COMMUNITY FUND Childpen in Need THE Whitehead Monckton ALBERT HUNT TRUST COLYER FERGUSSON Kent County Council Garfield Weston kent.gov.vk FOUNDATION KENT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Morrisons TESCO WestKent Bags of Help THE Places to live. Space to grow. MERCERS. COMPANY
Review Date: April 2022
21 Together Reserve Policy
April 2022
21 Together is a charity supporting people with Down’s syndrome, their families and the professionals that support them. We deliver a wide range of projects to fulfil our charitable purposes with wide variations in cost and expense. We run communication groups, early intervention, parents support groups, training programmes, awareness programmes and individualised support. We have an office base and 6 part time members of office staff, including a Charity Manager. We also have a therapy room base and parent support space. We have core running costs and additional project costs. Additionally, we currently employ 8 - 10 members of staff, all on a part-time basis to run our direct contact projects. We contract with Speech Therapists, OT’s, specialist teachers and Physios to provide supervision and support for our staff. Our training is delivered by outside expert speakers and is contracted on a course-by-course basis.
21 Together are committed to ensuring that we act in the charity’s best interests and manage the charity’s resources responsibly. As a charity, we are directly supporting vulnerable children and young people. It is vital that we can sustain our support over prolonged periods without the need to pause/cease support if funding streams fluctuate or stop. 21 Together has a fluctuating funding structure. Much of our income is derived through trusts/grants along with corporate supporters. A smaller proportion comes through individual giving and other routes. This means that we could be significantly financially impacted if any of our corporate partners decide not to support the charity in that year or if the trust/grant market becomes even more competitive, as is the case since the pandemic. Both these funding streams are unpredictable in nature. We also have multi-year restricted projects funded by a specific trust that are a large proportion of our costs and are due to cease in April 2023. Alongside that, we have seen a big increase in requests for financial support for our paid services, and we expect this to increase over the next few years. All these areas mean our income has become more unpredictable. We need to consider gaps in funding for key projects that directly deliver young people coming up in the next year that require significant levels of financing as a proportion of total outgoings. This will be considered when setting our reserves target level.
21 Together have ongoing liabilities and overheads. We rent office space, rooms and employ staff. We must recognise the stable nature of our outgoings compared to the relative instability of our income. This does not mean that this approach is not appropriate for the charity, but it does mean that we must ensure our reserve policy can build the necessary stability into the charity finances. Therefore, it is vital that our reserve policy builds in staged alerts to changes in reserve levels and that it identifies clear steps to be taken to ensure financial stability.
These factors have led us to set a reserve level of £80,000; this considers the certainty of multi-year funding for specific projects from The National Lottery and Children in Need over the next two/three years. It also considers the increase
This policy must be reviewed in line with any significant budget changes or at least annually.
1
April 1, 2021
Review Date: April 2022 in running costs associated with significant growth last two years and the likelihood of continued increases in demand for services. It incorporates the need to increase the reserves from previous years in line with charity growth and the current economic backdrop. Our reserve limit reflects the 3-6 months running cost guidance set out by the charity commission.
As a charity supporting children and young people with disabilities, it is sensible and prudent to acknowledge that unforeseen costs can often be expensive. Costs are likely to include specialist equipment as well as expensive expert contractors to supervise projects or deliver training. We also have highly trained staff which means the loss of a staff member would be expensive to cover and would also cost the charity significant sums to train a new member of staff to the appropriate level. Our reserve limit is designed to be a dynamic figure and should be reviewed whenever the budget is reviewed and at least annually.
Our current reserve target is £80,000 . This is using the projected year budget of £230,000 for the 2021/2022 and then considering the certainty of multi-year funding for specific projects from The National Lottery and Children in Need. Current confirmed grant funding is also considered. It is important to note that this relates to free reserves and does not include designated monies.
| not include designated monies. | |
|---|---|
| Reserve Level | Steps to be taken |
| More than £100,000 | Trustees to formally review charitable purposes and plan how they will spend the money to best meet the charitable purposes. It may be necessary to review and alter charitable purposes to allow the money to be spent effectively. |
| Reserve target - £100,000 | To be kept under review by manager – no action needed. Trustees to continue using the information to plan future spending. |
| £60,000 – reserve target | Trustees to be alerted. Trustees to consider future spending and fundraising opportunities and to record their plans in the minutes. Action to be taken in accordance with their plans. |
| Below £60,000 | Trustees to be alerted – Review of the financial plans, activities and future activities of the charity. Substantial steps to improve/change the funding streams and considered removing some services to save funds. Should be viewed as a high alert and needs a significant and unified response by the trustee board. Trustees must agree on a financial plan with immediate effect. |
This policy must be reviewed in line with any significant budget changes or at least annually.
2
April 1, 2021
| Review Date: April 2022 High level alert. Emergency Trustee meeting to be called if it is unexpected or unplanned for. Approx. 3 months of running cost left. Steps should be taken immediately to give notice on any contractual obligations including office rent and staff unless a clear, substantial and concrete finance plan is in place and the trustees are in agreement to continue the charities activities. To be reviewed monthly until the reserve goes above £40,000 |
|
|---|---|
| Less than £40,000 | High level alert. Emergency Trustee meeting to be called if it is unexpected or unplanned for. Approx. 3 months of running cost left. Steps should be taken immediately to give notice on any contractual obligations including office rent and staff unless a clear, substantial and concrete finance plan is in place and the trustees are in agreement to continue the charities activities. To be reviewed monthly until the reserve goes above £40,000 |
This policy must be reviewed in line with any significant budget changes or at least annually.
3
April 1, 2021
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Charity Registration Number: 1165305
Trustees during the reporting period:
Rebecca Clark - Chair Melissa Jones - Treasurer Rachel Butcher Jemma Kemp Sinead Ainsworth Robin Smith (appointed 26/05/2022)
Trustees standing down during the reporting period:
Sarah Wildgoose (stood down 31/12/2021) Katerina Pollard Stood down (31/01/2022) Diane Jenner 16/06/2021 - 18/04/2022
The Key Management Personnel are the Trustees and the Charity Manager:
Johanna Aiyathurai – Charity Manager
Registered Office & Operational Addresses:
MCSC, 39-48 Marsham Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1HH
Independent Examiner:
S R Sampson BFP FCA FCIE DChA, Ashdown Hurrey Auditors Limited, 20 Havelock Road, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 1BP
Bank:
CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4TA
Governance and Structure:
Type of governing document
Foundation Registered 25 Jan 2016 as amended on 25 Sep 2020
How the charity is constituted
Foundation CIO
Trustee selection methods
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Trustees are appointed by the existing Trustees
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DECLARATION:
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees:
Rebecca Clark Chairman
Melissa Jones Treasurer
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Signature
Date
Signature
Date
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