2024-03-31-accounts - Family First

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date Day Month Year Day Month Year From 01 04 2023 To 31 03 2024

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name Family First

Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1166175

Charity's principal address The Hope Centre 10 St Margaret’s Street Ipswich Postcode IP4 2AT

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year
Dot Cordle	Chair
David Sansom	SafeguardingLead
Jan Baker
Mark Crawley
Dan Somers
Sajani George













Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
Name		Dates acted if not for whole year

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Nov 2020

Type of adviser	Name Address	Name Address
Patron	Liz Harsant

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document

(eg. trust deed, constitution)

[Constitution adopted March 2016]

Charitable Incorporated Organisation How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) Appointed by existing Trustees Trustee selection methods

(eg. appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

We have a Disclosure and Barring Service policy for all paid and volunteer staff in place.

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

Additional policies include: Children and Vulnerable Adult Protection and Safeguarding Policy, Data Protection, Recruitment, Use of Mobile Phones, Health and Safety, Equal Opportunities, Managing Performance, Money Handling, Privacy, Expenses, Supervision and Appraisal, Special Leave, Grievance, Complaints, Lone Worker, Risk Management and Anti-Fraud. All have regular (annual/bi-annual) review dates.

policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
the charity’s organisational structure and any wider All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or other
network with which the charity benefits. works;
relationship with any related Any organisational risks are identified and discussed as a standing parties; agenda item at all trustee meetings.
trustees’ consideration of We work with a wide network of voluntary and statutory organisations
major risks and the system including: Suffolk County Council Early Help team, Schools, CAP
and procedures to manage (Christians Against Poverty), Top-Up shops and food banks etc.
them.

Section C Objectives and activities

Nov 2020

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)	The objectives of the CIO is, for the public benefit (and in accordance with Christian principles), the relief of those in need by reason of financial hardship, unemployment, ill health and such other economic or social disadvantage.
	Our focus is on helping families to help themselves by offering support from a trained Family Volunteer or Family Worker who is able to work with the whole family, helping them to find solutions to their challenges and bringing hope and order to chaotic lives. The aim is to manage their own lives and that of their family. Once a family is referred to us, our Family Coordinator arranges to meet the family to get to know them and starts to map a family journey, looking at what’s important to them and what they want to see changed. They are then matched with a Volunteer or Family Worker who supports the family on a weekly basis encouraging them to take small steps to move towards their identified goals. There are regular reviews to monitor progress. Referrals are received mainly from Early Help Teams in Suffolk County Council, Schools and Children’s Centres. We continue to work closely with them and other statutory and voluntary agencies. Our organisation works with any family with a child/children aged up to 18, offering long term (up to one year) structured support and mentoring to help families move forward and change their situations. We are committed to working with, serving and relating to all people in our community and are keen to ensure our services are accessible to all families regardless of race, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity or marital status. We are committed to not only facilitating change in families’ circumstances, but also in how they view themselves so they are empowered to make better choices. The feedback provided below by a mum who engaged with our service shows the positive input she felt we had on her and her family: EMAIL FEEDBACK F220 APRIL 2023 I think the visits helped me and I used to open up about my worries with my children, their health and needs and my health. Taking to someone who will listen without judgement and with kindness was a great outlet for me. K was very knowledgeable and tapped in to things which made a happy impact on both mine and my daughter’s life. We had a little holiday granted to us which K applied for for us, we had some Christmas presents donated to us which was really lovely. My daughter and me are going to be sharing a beautiful coral colour handbag this summer, and she loved the pink ear buds. Then most recently we had a Coop voucher given to us so that helped with some grocery shopping. I’ve also purchased a book K recommended to me that may help my daughter understand things and she’s given me loads of groups and people to contact for various information and support. I have had a very positive experience with Family First and would recommend to anyone who may need some input for different things to contact them. You never know what or how they may be able to help you. I really don’t think they could do anything better. I had such a positive experience and help of different types I feel I was very lucky. If there is anything else I can do for family first now or in the future please let me know.

Summary of the objects of the
charity set out in its
governing document
Summary of the main
activities undertaken for the
public benefit in relation to
these objects (include within
this section the statutory
declaration that trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit)

The objectives of the CIO is, for the public benefit (and in accordance
with Christian principles), the relief of those in need by reason of financial
hardship, unemployment, ill health and such other economic or social
disadvantage.

Our focus is on helping families to help themselves by offering support
from a trained Family Volunteer or Family Worker who is able to work
with the whole family, helping them to find solutions to their challenges
and bringing hope and order to chaotic lives. The aim is to manage their
own lives and that of their family.
Once a family is referred to us, our Family Coordinator arranges to meet
the family to get to know them and starts to map a family journey, looking
at what’s important to them and what they want to see changed. They are
then matched with a Volunteer or Family Worker who supports the family
on a weekly basis encouraging them to take small steps to move towards
their identified goals. There are regular reviews to monitor progress.
Referrals are received mainly from Early Help Teams in Suffolk County
Council, Schools and Children’s Centres. We continue to work closely
with them and other statutory and voluntary agencies.
Our organisation works with any family with a child/children aged up to
18, offering long term (up to one year) structured support and mentoring
to help families move forward and change their situations.
We are committed to working with, serving and relating to all people in
our community and are keen to ensure our services are accessible to all
families regardless of race, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation,
gender or gender identity or marital status.
We are committed to not only facilitating change in families’
circumstances, but also in how they view themselves so they are
empowered to make better choices.
The feedback provided below by a mum who engaged with our service
shows the positive input she felt we had on her and her family:
EMAIL FEEDBACK F220 APRIL 2023
I think the visits helped me and I used to open up about my worries with
my children, their health and needs and my health. Taking to someone
who will listen without judgement and with kindness was a great outlet for
me.
K was very knowledgeable and tapped in to things which made a happy
impact on both mine and my daughter’s life. We had a little holiday
granted to us which K applied for for us, we had some Christmas
presents donated to us which was really lovely. My daughter and me are
going to be sharing a beautiful coral colour handbag this summer, and
she loved the pink ear buds. Then most recently we had a Coop voucher
given to us so that helped with some grocery shopping.
I’ve also purchased a book K recommended to me that may help my
daughter understand things and she’s given me loads of groups and
people to contact for various information and support.
I have had a very positive experience with Family First and would
recommend to anyone who may need some input for different things to
contact them.
You never know what or how they may be able to help you.
I really don’t think they could do anything better. I had such a positive
experience and help of different types I feel I was very lucky.
If there is anything else I can do for family first now or in the future please
let me know.

Nov 2020

I’m forever grateful to you all.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

We are very grateful for the enormous contribution made by our volunteers. Our team of family volunteers give many hours to listen, support and encourage our families. Without their valuable contribution of time, commitment, enthusiasm and expertise the families would not be able to achieve the goals they had identified.

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

policy on grantmaking;

We continue to try and grow our team of volunteers in all areas: family support, fundraising and networking.

In addition, we appreciate and acknowledge the financial support we have received from a range of grant funders. This has enabled us to maintain our financial viability to grow our organisation.

policy programme related investment;
contribution made by volunteers.

Section D Achievements and performance

Nov 2020

Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

The team at Family First are committed to continuing to support the families of Ipswich. Highlights this year include:

Our celebration of 10 years of supporting families. We had a wonderful thanksgiving service including testimonies from staff, volunteers and a family.
We completed evaluations for 65 families referred to our service. 81% of people saw an increase in their self-esteem and overall wellbeing scores improved by 26.4%
Taking on two new Family Workers as well as more volunteers
Continuing to see new referrers using our service as we grow our presence and reputation in the town
Making strong links with both statutory and voluntary services looking at how we can best work together to support the people of Ipswich

In October 2023 we held our annual strategy day. This was a fantastic day with input from across the team from volunteers, employees and trustees. We identified areas of success and areas for improvement and drew up a detailed action plan for the year ahead. Feedback was really positive with team members stating how much they enjoyed their roles and felt part of a productive team. They felt their views were respected, they were listened to and, importantly, that the work they, and the charity, do made a difference.

Throughout the year, we have received 44 new referrals to our service, which is an increase of 6 from the previous year. These referrals have come from a broader range of sources, totalling 12 different referrers, including self-referrals.

One of our main areas of support is enhancing self-esteem. By focusing on this initially, families are more likely to engage positively with us and achieve their other goals. We use a recognized tool to measure selfesteem at the beginning of our work, at each review, and at the end of our involvement. This tool provides a score between 0 and 30, indicating low to healthy self-esteem. Among the referrals we received this year who have completed our program, all but one showed an increase in their self-esteem score, with an average improvement of 5.7 points. All these families reached the healthy self-esteem range, with 57% moving from low to healthy, and the rest remaining within the healthy range while still improving their scores.

Additionally, 100% of the families who completed our program saw an improvement in their overall mental wellbeing, with an average increase of 5.4 points.

This year, we invested in training for staff and volunteers on selfresilience and plan to continue providing additional resources for our team and the families we support in the coming year.

Section E Financial review

Nov 2020

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves

Trustees have agreed a reserve of £9000. This represents 2 months core costs and a further month of salary costs.

Details of any funds materially in deficit

N/A

Further financial review details (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.

The main source of our funds is through successful grant applications. These have included: The Grant Foundation (The Entertainer Toyshop), Ropes Trust and Irving Memorial Trust.

We have continued to raise additional resources through our own fundraising activities and have seen continued giving via private donations and giving from churches.

The grants awarded have enabled us to meet core running costs, invest in more workers and necessary equipment and improve our training offer. Whilst we strive to keep our running costs as low as possible; we don’t have our own building there are no utility costs as we pay peppercorn rent on office space at a local church; we do have to invest in a core of paid staff. This ensures we run safely and effectively as an organisation. Salaries are by far our highest cost. The rise in complexity of referrals and reduction in number of people volunteering has led to an increase in paid staff over the last year increasing these costs further. We have also invested in a computer system which will enable us to grow as a charity and provide safer and more user friendly record keeping. We expect costs to continue to rise and we invest in further staff over the next year and deal with the effects of increasing wages and other costs.

Section F Other optional information

Plans for the next year:

To improve recruitment and retention of volunteers and staff including improving the training offer to ensure workers have up to date skills and knowledge
Clarify our core service offer to ensure we get appropriate referrals
Continue to increase our reach across Ipswich and see referrals coming in from a wider range of sources

Section G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signed online Signature(s) D Cordle Full name(s) Dot Cordle Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair of Trustees etc)

Nov 2020

Date 28111124 Nov 2020

FAMILY FIRST

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 21ST MARCH 2024

Registered Charity Number – 1166175 Address: Family First The Hope Centre 10 St. Margaret's Street IPSWICH IP4 2AT

FAMILY FIRST

Charity number 1166175

Receipts and Payments Account

for the year 22nd March 2023 to 21st March 2024

Note Receipts Donations, Legacies, Fundraising income 1 Grants 2 Bank Interest Received Total Receipts Payments Charitable activities - gifts to families Staff costs 3 Administration and Other costs 4 Fundraising costs Total Payments Net incoming resources for the year Transfer between funds Cash funds b/fwd Cash funds c/fwd 5	Unrestricted Restricted funds funds £ £ 5,441 0 40,710 849 6,290 40,710 0 1,185 0 39,687 0 3,147 50 50 44,019 6,240 (3,309) 21,721 58,235 27,961 54,926	Total £ 5,441 40,710 849 47,000 1,185 39,687 3,147 50 44,069 2,931 79,956 82,887	Last year £ 8,105 41,800 0
			49,905
			0 33,013 5,949 158
			39,120
			10,785 69,171
			79,956

Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 21st March 2024

Cash funds Bank current account Charity bank account Lloyds Deposit accounts	Unrestricted Restricted funds funds £ £ 27,887 0 0 74 54,926 27,961 54,926	Total £ 27,887 0 55,000 82,887	Last year £ 79,956 0 0
			79,956

Signed on behalf of the trustees:

Signed online

5/9/2024

FAMILY FIRST

Charity number 1166175

Notes to the Accounts

for the year 22nd March 2023 to 21st March 2024

1) Donations, Legacies Fundraising Income

Donations Gift aid Fundraising income Grants received Ludlow Trust 2022 SCF/ Maurken Fund SCF/ Henry Smith Fund Smith and Mount Trust SCC Locality budget funds Arnold Clark community fund Tudwick Foundation fund The Grant Foundation Ropes Trust 2 Ropes Trust (specific expenses) Irving Memorial Trust	Unrestricted Restricted 2024 £ £ £ 4122 4,122 242 242 1077 1,077	2023 £ 5,415 300 2,390
	5,441 0 5,441	8,105

	Unrestricted Restricted 2024 £ £ £ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,500 4,500 10,000 10,000 1,210 1,210 25,000 25,000	2023 £ 20,000 1,500 10,000 5,000 1,300 1,000 3,000 0 0 0 0
	0 40,710 40,710	41,800

2) Grants received

3) Staff Costs Salaries and Staff Costs Non-salaried family workers' fees Employer pension costs Travel costs Phone costs
	Unrestricted Restricted 2024 £ £ £ 33,790 33,790 4,190 4,190 354 354 915 915 438 438	2023 £ 30,823 1,112 302 392 384
	0 39,687 39,687	33,013

FAMILY FIRST

Charity number 1166175

Notes to the Accounts (continued)

for the year 22nd March 2023 to 21st March 2024

4) Administration and Other Costs

Website Website design Flyers/leaflets/banners/publicity Equipment - phones Equipment - printer Equipment - laptops Office/venue hire Training Legal / Licences Postage, stationery, printing Insurance Software Meeting / hospitality expenses Refreshments Gifts to Volunteers/ Staff Subscriptions Accountancy / Independent examination fees DBS checks	Unrestricted Restricted 2024 £ £ £ 0 0 270 270 138 138 0 0 541 541 243 243 35 35 175 175 440 440 404 404 22 22 0 291 291 267 267 220 220 101 101	2023 £ 108 750 623 262 220 1,961 280 260 35 85 435 101 64 16 283 138 200 128
	0 3,147 3,147	5,949

Restricted Funds cf 21st March 2024 Ludlow Trust 2022 Ludlow Trust 2022 (2) SCF/ Henry Smith Fund Scroeder Charity Fund Smith and Mount Trust (1) Smith and Mount Trust (2) Tudwick Foundation The Grant Foundation Ropes Trust 2 Ropes Trust (specific expenses) Irving Memorial Trust Total cash and bank funrds	Cash funds Fund Fund Tfr to at 21st March income expenditure unrestricted 2023 in the year in the year funds £ £ £ £ 10,000 (7,571) 18,229 (6,942) 16,877 (16,877) 2,000 (2,000) 5,000 (5,000) 5,000 (3,290) 1,129 (1,129) 4,500 10,000 1,210 (1,210) 25,000	Cash funds at 21st March 2024 £ 2,429 11,287 0 0 0 1,710 0 4,500 10,000 0 25,000
	58,235 40,710 (44,019) 0	54,926

5) Restricted Funds cf 21st March 2024

Inde ndent Examlnerfs Re rt to the Trustees of Famll First For the ear ended 21" March 2024 number 1166175 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charlty for the year ended 21$1 March 2024. Res onsibilities and basis of re As the charity trustee5, you are responsible for the preparatlon of the accounts In accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {the Charities Act). I report In respett of my examlnatlon of the charttys accounts carrled out under section 145 of the Charities Act. and in carryin8 Out my examination, I have followed the applicable dirertions given by the Charity Commlssion under section 14515llb) of the Charities Act. Inde ndent examlnerfs statement I have completed my examlnatlon. I confirni that no materlal matters have come to my attention in connection wlth the examination which 8ive me cause to believe that,*in any material respect, account¢ng records were not kept In accordance wlth sertion 130 of the Charities Art, or that the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. I have no concerns, and have come auoss no other matters In connectSon wlth the examlnatlon to which attention should be drawn In order to enable a proper understandSn8 of the accounts to be reached. Si8ned:.......................... 02¢ Mrs. Carole Cow8111 ACA 4 Penny Meadow Capel St. Mary Spswlch IP9 2UU IcAew CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT