Global Action on Relocation & Return with Kids Charity Number: 1170455
Trustees' Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Period April 2021 – April 2022
April 2022
GlobalARRK
Trustees' Annual Report for the Period Ended April 2022
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
Trustee Name
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1: Ian Burden
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2: Miranda Theobald
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3 Duncan Millard
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4: Ruth Lamont
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5: Onyoja Momoh
Rosalind Osborne Costas Calamvokis
Office (if any) Appointed Retired Chair November2021 Treasurer July2021 February2021 March 2021 March 2021
December2021 September2021
The Organising Committee
Name Role Rosalind Osborne CEO Amy Carlse Parent Support Coordinator Tatiana Roche Lawyer Liaison Virginy Moderator & Befriender Bianca Admin Katie Befriender Lisa Befriender Julie Befriender Laura Mental Health support Alyson Mental health project William Parent support volunteer
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 2022
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. This year we employed our first CEO to manage the charity alongside the parent support coordinator. We support ‘Stuck Families’ by assessing their needs and providing information, signposting to expert legal professionals and specialist charities (eg domestic violence, immigration, homelessness etc) and speaking to parents to offer emotional support via a free call back helpline and befriending support. We also offer parents the chance to join our peer support groups. Parents report that our peer support groups reduce isolation and increase empowerment enabling them 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 2022
Educating and Raising awareness
The problem we are trying to solve:
International Family Law regarding the wrongful movement of children across borders by one parent and the Relocation of children is complicated. Parents and the wider public struggle to understand it which can lead to unwittingly falling foul of the law or ending up ‘stuck’ in a foreign country.
Evidence of need: taken from our contact form (223 responses), survey (114 responses this year) and consultation (40 parent responses)
85% said they were unaware they would be unable to return home with their children unless the other parent gave permission.
70% said that if they had been made aware of the Hague Abduction Convention it would have affected their decision to emigrate.
100% said the government did not make them aware of the law before they moved abroad
100% said there was not enough awareness of the Hague Abduction Convention
Our activities this year:
We educate and raise awareness through our website, social media, external media interviews, presentations, networking events. We also educate parents through our Guides, website resources, workshops and helpline.
Our outputs this year:
This year our website received 4.24K clicks and 39.5K impressions.
We have radically improved our social media communications this year putting out almost daily well designed and targeted posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Our Facebook Page reach has increased this year by 111% to 24K. We have had 3K Page visits, 157 new likes. We have 2.22K Followers on Facebook. We introduced Instagram this year to aim to reach out to younger parents and we have a reach of 308 on Instagram. Since December 2021 we have started Tweeting every day and now have around 1,674 tweet impressions and have 539 followers.
In terms of external outreach and media we have presented at events e.g., Bath University Community Law event, given interviews for press articles in national & international publications e.g., VICE, NZ Law Gazette, a book on international divorce and taken part in a podcast on Divorce.
Our impact this year:
Over 4,000 people have been reached and are better informed about this subject.
Over 200 parents are better informed about the law and how it works.
Indirect impact: More of the general public and international parents are informed which will result in better outcomes for families fewer international custody crises in the future.
Vision: That families and the public are aware of the law and its consequences so that fewer families will suffer.
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GlobalARRK
Trustees' Annual Report for the Period Ended April 2022
Family Support
The problems we are trying to solve:
Parents are ‘stuck’ in a foreign country and struggling to cope. They are at high risk of harm from intimate partner violence / domestic abuse and other risk factors such as poverty, isolation, homelessness, lack of immigration status, mental health issues.
Evidence of need:
81% report having suffered partner violence / domestic abuse
43% say they feel unsafe
70% say they need emotional support
62% say they are experiencing financial difficulties
75% say they miss their family and friends
47% say they don’t have legal representation
43% experience language barriers where they are ‘stuck’
38% are in insecure housing
20% do not have a visa to stay where they are ‘stuck’
7% of mothers are internationally separated from their children
Our activities this year: We provide support to stuck parents: free helpline and emails, peer support groups, befriending calls, relocation advice, signposting to legal support and other charities
In February we launched a new befriending project where Ex- stuck parent volunteers call currently stuck parents each week for a supportive chat.
We work to safeguard families by following our safeguarding policies and procedures
Our outputs this year: We have supported 223 new and 189 existing stuck parents this year. We have supported 245 families with free supportive phone calls. 79 parents have been added to a peer support group. We sent 2,496 supportive emails.
We have dealt with 69 safeguarding concerns.
Our befriending team of 4 volunteers have befriended 19 stuck parents so far this year.
We have welcomed 18 new specialist international family law firms into the legal network this year from a range of countries: NZ, Australia, Netherlands, United States, Portugal, Canada and France. These firms all offer pro bono consultation and follow are ethical code of practice. This year we referred 88 parents to an expert lawyer.
Our impact this year:
49 parents have filled out our feedback form this year.
91% said the call was extremely helpful
94% said the guides were extremely helpful
80% said lawyers links were extremely helpful
95% said they would recommend GlobalARRK to a friend
69 families are safer from risk of harm.
“It has put my mind to rest, Amy has given me advice and links so I know that I will get help and I will do everything I can to bring justice and get my daughter back and safe with me.”
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GlobalARRK
Trustees' Annual Report for the Period Ended April 2022
“I appreciate that there exists an organization that helps people who are in need of help with a complicated situation involving parental child custody between countries. Very valuable international service for people like me who don’t know who to turn to.”
Indirect impact: There is now provision where there was none before: “ It is the safest, friendliest, most reliable charity for stuck parents. The community is amazing and a place where you don’t feel judged.” “There seems to be no other service like it for situations like these”
There are fewer families at risk of harm.
Vision: That stuck parents have ALL the support they need and are safeguarded and protected across borders.
Feedback from a few parents this year:
This is one of the very few charities that is making a difference from all levels
Because we are all in the same boat a very similar picture and tale told by us all sadly.
Because you are the only one who care about stuck parents. I feel you give us the voice has been silenced by local authorities and our exes.
Only service of its kind
The call was supportive and informative
There seems to be no other service like it for situations like these
Safe, supportive, free to speak,
It’s a relief to know about this. as I am starting, I am sure there are opportunity to get to know a lot and be able to advance my life with kids in a good manner,
It’s just what stuck parents need
Amazing source of help and information
Advocating
The problem we are trying to solve : Relocation proceedings are often unaffordable and can take many years to be resolved in court. Therefore, many families are unable to apply to go back to their home country and are ‘stuck’ in a foreign country where they struggle to survive. Some ‘stuck’ parents take their children ‘home’ without permission from the other parent and are then accused of ‘international child abduction’ under the Hague Convention 1980 which can have devastating consequences for families.
Evidence of need: 43 parents and 9 professionals surveyed unanimously agreed that changes needed to be made to the way that the Hague Convention on Child Abduction operates in England and Wales. The areas where improvements are most needed are: equality of access to legal support, hearing and listening to children and young people, safeguarding of children, safeguarding of vulnerable ‘taking’ adults and awareness and understanding of the law.
Our activities this year: We have conducted a consultation of parents and professionals to collect their thoughts and feelings about what improvements need to be made and have produced a summary report.
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GlobalARRK
Trustees' Annual Report for the Period Ended April 2022
Our outputs this year: 43 parents and 9 professionals took part in the consultation and many more will have read it and been made aware of some of the issues. We have written principles and recommendations to publish and promote regarding improvements to systems.
Our impact this year: Through our efforts to raise awareness and via the consultation we have raised awareness of improvements that need to be made to systems.
Indirect impact: The results of this consultation and our new policy will be published and will help to inform other organisations and public bodies on this little understood issue
Vision: Systems will work in the best interests of families and children will be safe as they move across borders.
Research
The problem we are trying to solve: There is a general lack of research and data on this subject so systems are not well informed and families are suffering as a result.
Evidence of need: There is a global data gap on this issue. We believe that in England and Wales the Ministry of Justice do not collect enough data on Hague / Relocation cases to fully inform policy making. They do not know: How many cases involve primary carer mothers. In how many cases is domestic abuse reported? In how many cases does the child object?
Our activities this year: We collect statistics, case studies, stories and support other research. We have begun a new study on Mental Health and Stuck Parents which will be underway this coming year. We will be presenting at a conference in the Autumn.
Our outputs this year: This year 114 parents filled out our survey, 8 parents have shared their story. We have highlighted the need for more statistics.
Our impact this year: We have published statistics on social media to raise awareness and thousands of people have seen and reacted to these posts.
Indirect impact: There are now statistics available to better help inform interested parties and start to build up a picture of how the systems are working for ‘stuck’ migrant families.
Vision: For decision makers to have access to more data and statistics to better inform policy decisions.
Strategic goals
Goals from last year- all achieved:
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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.
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To re-start the volunteering scheme and increase peer support opportunities
Our 2022-23 goals:
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To reach out to and support 50% more stuck parents in the UK 2. To double our reach using social media
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To launch a new campaign to advocate on behalf of stuck parents
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To double the law firms in our network
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GlobalARRK Trustees' Annual Report for the Period Ended April 2022
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.
Financial Review
Brief Statement of the Charity's Policy on Reserves. We aim to have between three and six months running costs.
Further Financial Review Details : This year we were extremely grateful to have received grant funding from the National Lottery and from the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.
In addition, we have been grateful for an increase in donations from law firms in our network.
Due to the pandemic, we have missed out on some funds we might usually receive via events such as the sponsored walk however we have received an increase of online donations especially via Facebook where our parents have selected us for their ‘birthday fundraiser’.
This year we have benefitted from working with a charity financial consultant who supported us in setting up a new book-keeping system in Quickbooks. This allows us to produce detailed reports to inform our strategic financial planning.
We are incredibly grateful to all of the individuals and organisations who have donated this year. We now have a fundraising strategy and pipeline in place to further support the financial sustainability of the charity and to be able to increase the depth of support we can provide to beneficiaries.
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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGND AND WALES GlobaiARRK 1170455 Receipts and payments accounts For the period from To Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearesi io the neares1£ the neaiest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts Grant funding TNL and SH Donations Law firm donations Palpal donations 17,470 17,470 1,368 4,258 371 1,368 4,258 371 Sub total (Gross income for AR) 5,997 17,470 23.467 A2 Ag9•1 and Inv•stm•nl $al•¥, 18•• labl•l. Sub total Total recelpts 5.997 17.470 23,467 A3Pa ments 234 759 839 592 25 ?34 759 839 592 25 987 8.418 55 35 Phone I Communications Office and Running Costs IT Cos15 Marketing I ProTnolions Listing staff cos15 Staff Cos15 Olher Slaft Costs Fundraising Expense 987 8.418 55 35 Sub total 987 10.957 A4 Asset and investment urchases see table Sub total Total payments 987 10.957 11,944 Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds 5,01 6.51 11,52
A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end 8,770 13,78 649 9,419 20,942 7,16 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds Re$trieted fund$ Categories Details to neaiest £ to neaie$t £ B1 Cash funds Total cash funds 13,780 7,162 aCt(SI1 Unrestrlcted funds to neaiest £ Restrleted fund$ to Deaie$t £ Details B2 Other monetary assets Fund to which asset belon Details C09t loptionall B3 Investment assets lo which a$5et belon Details C091 loptlonall B4 Assets retained for the charity's own use Puge 10 of 11
Fund 10 which Jnouni due Detai15 85 Liabilities Signed by one or trustees on behalf of all the ttustees Signature Print Name lan Burden PtJge 11 of 11