Global Action on Relocation & Return with Kids Charity Number: 1170455
Trustees' Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Period April 2020 – April 2021
April 2021
GlobalARRK
Trustees' Annual Report for the Period Ended April 2021
Reference & Administration Details
Charity name: GlobalARRK
Other names charity is known by: Global Action on Relocation & Return with Kids
Charity number: 1170455
Charity's operating address: The Guild Co-working Hub, High Street, Bath, BA1 5EB
Names of the Charity Trustees who Manage the Charity
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Trustee Name
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1: Rosalind Osborne 2: Costas Calamvokis 3 Duncan Millard 4: Ruth Lamont
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5: Onyoja Momoh
Iva Petzold Kim Fawcett
Office (if any) Appointed Retired Chair Founding Treasurer Founding February 2021 March 2021 March 2021 Feb.2021 Feb. 2021
The Organising Committee
Name Role Ellie Watson Parent Support Coordinator Tatiana Roche Lawyer Liaison Iva Petzold Payroll Sarah Normandale Finance & Accounts Virginy Moderator Bianca Parent Support Volunteer Katie Parent Support Volunteer Kim Moore Consultant: Marketing & Website
Description of the Charity's Trusts
Type of Governing Document: Constitution How the Charity is Constituted: Charitable Incorporated Organisation Trustee Selection Methods: Appointed by the chair and other trustees
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GlobalARRK
Trustees' Annual Report for the Period Ended April 2021
Objectives & Activities
Summary of the Objects of the Charity as set out in its Governing Document:
The charities objectives are:
To relieve the needs of children and families at risk of, or undergoing, international custody and residence conflict including international parental child abduction, by:
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Educating families and the public, raising awareness of the risks of relocating abroad and the possible legal implications for families
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Supporting children and parents in need who are ‘stuck’* in a foreign country
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Advocating for the rights and best interests of children and parents who are ‘stuck’* abroad
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Providing families with information and signposting to mediation, counselling and other support services
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Encouraging and undertaking research and study into such issues and publicising the useful results
*The term ‘Stuck’ means: unable to lawfully return to live in the country they consider ‘home’ with their children after an international residence / custody dispute with the other parent
Mission:
To prevent international custody disputes and reduce their devastating impact on children and parents stuck in a foreign country by raising awareness and connecting parents to support services to meet their needs.
Vision:
A world where few families go through international custody crisis but when it does happen the family have all the support they need
Values:
We work with Compassion, Courage and Persistence to reach our mission!
Summary of the Main Activities Undertaken for the Public Benefit in Relation to the
Charity's Objects: GlobalARRK is a user led charity with a strong community of volunteers many of whom were once were stuck in another country and share similar experiences. We support ‘Stuck Families’ by assessing their needs and providing information, signposting to expert legal professionals and specialist charities (eg domestic violence, homelessness etc) and speaking to parents to offer emotional support. We also offer parents the chance to join our UK peer support group. Our peer support groups reduce isolation and increase empowerment enabling parents to act legally and continue to care for their children. The aftermath of International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA) can be devastating: emotionally and financially. For the child it can mean several cross-border upheavals, exposure to high conflict and violent situations and can even result in the loss of contact with one parent and we will be supporting directly over the coming years. There is a huge amount of work still to be done but our charity has a solutions-based approach and plans to introduce innovative projects designed to tackle the root causes of IPCA and reduce conflict in international residence disputes.
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GlobalARRK Trustees' Annual Report for the Period Ended April 2021
Educating :
85% of ‘stuck’ parents said they were not aware of the International Law: The Hague Convention on Child Abduction before they moved abroad. GlobalARRK sees raising awareness as key in preventing ‘International Parental Child Abduction’.
Things we have done to raise awareness this year:
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Launched a new section of the website to help children going through The Hague 1980
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Presented at international events e.g. CFAB conference
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Contributed to press articles in national & international publications
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Spoken on BBC radio Scotland and local BBC radio
Supporting families: Despite COVID restrictions We have supported 205 new families this year. They got in contact needing: support with domestic abuse, legal information, signposting to a specialist law firm and emotional support.
Who are the beneficiaries of GlobalARRK? We support stuck families, those unable to lawfully return to live in the country they consider ‘home’ with their children after an international residence / custody dispute with the other parent.
How have we helped our beneficiaries this year?
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We have added 46 parents to our peer support groups. Here the parents share empathy and knowledge.
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We have held regular Virtual sessions for parents on Zoom including workshops on wellbeing, internet security, the law and Cafcass support.
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This year we have supported 130 parents via phone call and given emotional support
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and practical information including:
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➢ Information Guides on The Hague, Relocation, Know before you Go, Safety Plan, Wellbeing,
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➢ Specialist Mediation or lawyer contacts
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➢ Signposted to other organisations and charities that help with issues such as domestic violence, homelessness, immigration and benefits.
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Feedback from these virtual sessions:
I learned how I can access further help and support for the boys and myself that I was unaware of.
Gave some good ideas for managing anxiety, and also found the solidarity of the group really comforting. Feel helpful that I could also contribute with my own techniques.
It was informative and I learned about new coping mechanisms
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GlobalARRK Trustees' Annual Report for the Period Ended April 2021
Feedback from parents:
I feel less alone in an absolutely insanely scary and lonely place in my life that nobody can understand the complexity of, by connecting me with others who have or are suffering the same affliction. Without GlobalARRK I would have been completely lost .
I heard of GlobalARRK from a friend who I was introduced to by my lawyer when I was returned to Australia. She had gone through The Hague and she put me in touch with GA. GlobalARRK have been a lifeline for me in coming to terms with what was happening to me pre Hague and how to get through the next steps. The connections with other women gave me hope and the ability to keep fighting. An abundance of advice whether it was legal, mental health or strategies on how to keep composed and what to expect at court etc. I would never have gotten through things without them. I’ve also been fortunate to be able to give back to other women, sharing my experiences to help them with expectations.
It’s been a true lifeline since I've found myself in this harrowing experience. I am just at the start of my journey but I am so glad I have Global ARRK with me to face the frightening road ahead. Thank you for the wonderful work that you do.
Advocating:
We have attended expert meetings on International Family Law in order to represent the Stuck Families we support. We have attended meetings with other service providers and authorities to promote the interests of Stuck Families on Legal Aid, Domestic Abuse and Mirrored Orders.
Research:
We started to collaborate with CFAB and Manchester University to work towards a piece of research on the needs of children going through The Hague Convention in England & Wales. We still collect survey results from parents and publicise these online and during presentations.
Achievements & Performance
Statutory Declaration
The trustees declare that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the commission in exercising their powers or duties.
Summary of the Main Achievements:
Our achievements this year:
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50 parents have been added to a peer support group
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7 Volunteers have supported over 200 parents to find positive ways through their situation
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Given 100 parents recommendations for a lawyer or mediator
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Started collecting case studies for research and created own statistics
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Continued the Lawyers & Mediator Network
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Raised awareness using the media and presentations at online conferences
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GlobalARRK Trustees' Annual Report for the Period Ended April 2021
Progress towards 3 year goals started last year:
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To offer children going through international custody disputes targeted resources and support: Our website now has resources for children including an animation
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To publish our own research paper to inform policy change on the plight of Stuck Families- this is ongoing, see above.
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To make the majority of families aware of this issue before they move abroad – ongoing.
Goals for this year:
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To support 50+ new Stuck parents in the UK via call back Helpline / Emails
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To create a more active and supportive UK peer support group
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To have lawyers on our list in ALL the major countries – to double the numbers this year.
Financial Review
Brief Statement of the Charity's Policy on Reserves. We aim to have between three and six months running costs. We have minimum costs, so our reserves can be small.
Further Financial Review Details : We received National Lottery Funding this year. This has brought incoming funds this year which we hope to see increase over the coming year in order to increase the support we can provide to beneficiaries.
Declaration
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees' Report above.
Signed on behalf of the Charity's Trustees
Signature(s):
Full Name(s): Rosalind Osborne Position(s): Chair of Trustees Date: 09.05.2021
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