## **’ - Trustees Annual Report for the period 2020 2021** **From** 5th April 2020 – 4[th] April 2021 **Charity name:** FASD AWARENESS (Formerly FASD Awareness South East) **Charity registration number:** 1176933 ## **Objectives and Activities** |Summary of
the
purposes of
the charity
as set out in
its
governing
document|Our main aim is to support the prevention of alcohol exposed pregnancies
and to improve the quality of life for those living with Foetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and their parents and carers. Our vision is to be
a strong and effective voice for individuals and families living with FASD,
while supporting initiatives across the UK to promote prevention, diagnosis,
intervention and management.
To advance the education of the general public in all areas relating to Foetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) including the promotion of research for
the public benefit in all aspects of FASD and to publish the useful results.| |---|---| |Summary of
the main
activities in
relation to
those
purposes
for the
public
benefit, in
particular,
the
activities,
projects or
services
identified in
the
accounts.|1. To raise awareness of the prevalence, key features and outcomes
of individuals affected by Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)
2. To intervene and offer more support for the benefit of individuals
and families affected by FASD through diversification and use of
video support.
3. To understand and raise awareness to the public about the lived
experience from those affected by FASD
4. To understand and raise awareness to the public about the science
related to FASD
5. To develop relationships with key partners and create a system to
help the wider professional group to offer expert help in local
areas.
6. To continue to develop relationships with other charities in the
Alliance, Nationally and Internationally to gather research and
share resources and have a consistent language.
In this last year despite the continued restrictions of the Pandemic the
charity has continue to develop and thrive. As you will be aware our main
aim has always been to raise awareness of FASD through gathering
knowledge from the experts we work alongside, those with lived
experience and understanding the challenges parents, carers, adopters,
and other professionals face in trying to better understand FASD. We also
aim to supportpeople through sharingour learningwith as manyas| |||possible. This is so we develop assessment processes which increase the
quality of life for those living with, supporting, and working with FASD.
During the month of September 2020, FASD Awareness announced the
rollout of our #BeAware campaign. The campaign, ran across both
traditional and online media, included testimonials from those with first-
hand experience of living with the disorder, clinical guidance regarding
alcohol and pregnancy, online videos and much more. September is
officially recognised as FASD Awareness Month, a permanent expansion of
International FASD Awareness Day, observed each year since 1999 on
September 9th. We created a press release that was sent out to a targeted
audience of female editors, to many online blogs, national press and radio.
We received some very positive feedback, and BBC Newsroom South East
asked the charity to do a feature.
Tracy Allen, our Founder, was interviewed for local radio and KMTV. This
has also enabled the charity to start a dialogue with Mumsnet, and other
online bloggers before our January campaign. Our YouTube views have
increased by just over 20k.
On FASD day, FASD Awareness profile on all social media platforms was
very evident. Some posts were shared with images of FASD Awareness and
NOFAS as the leading organisations in the UK. A poet and ex-Headteacher
(Karen Stanley) was commissioned to write a poem for the day. We
created 2 films containing Karen reciting the poem with music and mood
enhancing footage to launch on September 9th.
FASD Awareness have maintained our training, consultations, and
presentation programme this year. The Zoom platform started in March
2020 enabled a continued and developed service to offer support to
groups and individuals through the pandemic and lockdown and was
crucial as families were isolated in their homes during lockdown.
Activity Days at Leeds Castle have been more limited due to the pandemic,
but the numbers have increased further and the days are greatly
appreciated by families.
FASD Awareness still plan to locate premises to the Oast Community
Centre, Rainham and the renovations are complete, but the move has still
not been possible due to COVID.
Pocket Parks Project– This project is still going ahead but again there has
been delay due to the pandemic. We have been given an extension on the
funding.| |---|---|---| |Statement
confirming
whether
the trustees
have had
regard to
the
guidance||The Board of trustees has met mainly online in this period. Agendas,
Papers and minutes were all supplied, and Minutes taken.
Our new Treasurer Trustee Debbie Matthews has proven to be a real asset
in terms of the accounts and ringfencing money for specific projects.
Supported by a new staff Member who is an expert in fundraising, finances
have more clarity. We follow a strict policy of safer recruitment. As part of
this we have interviewed new trustees to develop the charity further and
now have an educations specialist and local councillor.| |issued by
the Charity
Commission
on public
benefit|The trustees have reviewed some of the Charity policies and have a clearer
organisational chart that identifies our strengths and vulnerabilities in the
trustee, staff, and volunteer group.
Safeguarding training has continued online this year.
As a Board of Trustees, we have developed over the year and Board
Members old and new have found ways to develop their knowledge and
skills and share with others. The most significant change has been that
after taking advice from a small charities advisory team, our chair stepped
down from his role in September 2020 to take on the role of Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of the charity. This was supported by our Founder,
Tracy Allen, trustees, staff, and volunteers. In his role as Chair, he has been
very proactive within the charity, local community, Nationally and
Internationally in building links with professionals. His communication
skills, knowledge, and skills in sharing information with others allow him to
articulate to others and support our founder, and those with lived
experience to share our learning. Through utilising his film making and
skills in technology alongside Tracy and Max Blustin, film maker, we now
have more films in process to share Worldwide.
As a trustee, Paul Allen, and the family of volunteers have worked even in
lockdown to prepare our office and support fund raising and community
activities and I know Tracy, our founder would want me to report on their
support to her in the last year as in previous years and the significance of
their role in achieving the outcomes of the charity reported here.| |---|---| ## **Achievements and Performance** |Summary of
the main
achievements
of the charity,
identifying
the difference
the charity’s
work has
made to the
circumstances
of its
beneficiaries
and any wider
benefits to
society as a
whole.|This year 2020-21 has seen some dramatic developments in FASD
Awareness’s direction and increased public profile. Due to the Covid-19
emergency, all of our physical support groups have been closed until
more recently. Our relocation to The Oast Community Centre in Rainham
has been put on hold and a change of personnel and paid professionals
has reflected a more targeted skillset to assist the Board of Trustees and
management in attaining our objectives. The Chair, Andrew Keeping,
identified a conflict of interest and stood down as Chair to take on the
role of CEO of FASD Awareness. This enabled him to take on a more
managerial role and support the day to day running of the charity
alongside Tracy Allen Founder. Wendy Spears (Vice Chair) became Chair
for the interim period.
FASD Awareness, is a charity which in the last four years has grown from a
small local initiative into a national charity offering crucial and life
changing guidance and support to individuals living with FASD and their
families and carers. As a result of this development we changed the name
with the Charities Commission from FASD Awareness South East to FASD
Awareness.
Children with FASD are socially limited, isolation is common and their
families struggle findingappropriate childcare,activities,clubs and| |---|---| opportunities that the children can manage. The existing provision for children with FASD is currently very limited as it is still a much misunderstood and misdiagnosed condition. Those living with it and their parents/carers and families struggle to get the support they need and there is also a lack of understanding within the care system, often leading to huge delays in receiving treatment which further adds to the frustration, misery and confusion faced by those living with FASD. They need a safe environment which offers opportunities for them to develop friendships, essential skills and gain greater independence. The families/carers need signposting and guidance to enable them to support the individuals with all aspects of their lives as they struggle with finding appropriate schools, receiving relevant benefits, obtaining the correct diagnosis and managing even the most basic of activities such as days out, holidays, childcare etc. FASD Awareness are able to signpost families and carers to the relevant and necessary services and their network and considerable experience offers immediate reassurance helping them to reduce their frustration and feel less isolated. As the pandemic started to disrupt nearly every facet of society, it was rightly at the forefront of our public health professionals’ attention. In response to this emergency and the on-going social distancing regulations, the charity started running online support meetings to continue to fulfil the mission of raising awareness of FASD and supporting those who are living with FASD and their parents and carers. The virtual support groups have been hugely successful and a valuable experience for all involved. They have welcomed individuals from all corners of GB and parts of America too! Going forward, the move to the new offices, at The Oast, will enable the charity to grow its services, offer additional physical support groups, accommodate larger numbers of children and adults with FASD and undertake activities such as Sensory play, Lego therapy, Art therapy, Techno play and Music therapy. The move will also enable us to train new volunteers and offer more bespoke training courses for parents, carers, health professionals, teachers, justice professionals and service providers. Our founder, Tracy, has used her knowledge, experience and skills for group and one-to-one sessions which have been crucial in the COVID years and helped the charity to reach a wider knowledge. FASD Awareness are delighted to be a charity partner for Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), supporting the NICE programme, acting as specialist consultants and experts by experience. We will update the networks throughout the life of the programme in terms of what has been identified and provided around the three work strands: Prevention; Communications and Engagement and Workforce Development. |Achievements
against
objectives set|Over the year our primary objectives, as written in our business plan, have
been to improve awareness of FASD through our #BeAware campaign of
films, online training, social media and presentations. Our films have
increased views on YouTube and are shared worldwide and used as
training material by organisations worldwide. Our images and posts are
shared regularly among the wider FASD community on Twitter, Instagram
and via Facebook Pages. We have encouraged students volunteering for
FASD Awareness through the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme to create
a bespoke Social Media Image campaign for Instagram. These have been
shared worldwide by organisations such as DofE and MP Bill Esterson. Our
support groups have increased in numbers and the online Zoom support
group is seeing a considerable take up throughout the country and further
afield. Our FASD friendship groups enable us to work closely with
individuals to educate both ourselves, those living with FASD and help
create strategies to support our individuals.
Over the past couple of years, FASD Awareness has (as stakeholders)
helped make recommendations for the forthcoming NICE guidelines and
supported the CCG in running focus groups with Medway Voluntary
Action. This has led to a dialogue with the local CCG and NHS Trusts in
Kent & Medway. Our continued collaboration and a push for a provision
to cater for FASD Families in the South East of England has resulted in the
formation of the Kent and Medway Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
(FASD) System Partnership Group.
Together with the CCG and NHS Trust, we are developing a FASD system
partnership group to provide greater focus on this condition. As a
stakeholder in this area of work, we have invited related organisations
and a variety of leading professionals that will have a connection with
Neurodisability and FASD, to be a part of the developing partnership
across Kent and Medway. The first sessions established the initial focus of
the partnership group, and key areas that we addressed moving
forwards.
As well as forthcoming NICE guidance, the FASD Awareness, the
Department of Health and Social Care are considering improvements in
the following five areas, following stakeholder engagement:
• Focusing on prevention
• Improving education and awareness relating to FASD
• The whole system impacts and approach to FASD – health,
education, social care, employment and the benefits system, and
criminal justice
• Improving processes for diagnosis and treatment
• Improving data and intelligence relating to FASD prevalence
The partnership Board met for the first time on 22nd October 2020 via MS
Teams. We have now set up a Task and Finish Groups Scoping Document
with Groups covering, Prevention, Comms & Engagement and Workforce
Mapping & Training Progs.| |---|---| |||Partnering up with the CCG and NHS trusts in forming the Kent and
Medway Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) System Partnership
Group, has been a huge step forward in getting FASD understood and
acknowledged amongst professional organisations who have the most
profound connection with FASD this has progressed rapidly with the
support of one of our trustees after the input from the founder and CEO
in building relationships and sharing the work of the charity to date.
Our founder and CEO have continued to deliver bespoke training to
Student Midwives on the Kent and Canterbury University Degree Course
at Christchurch College. They have also delivered a presentation to
Professionals working with the Looked After Children. These have been a
direct impact of the new partnerships developed with the CCG and NHS
Trusts.
Dr Adesoji Abiona has been a continued strength to the trustees and
charity in his knowledge and experience in FASD and he aims to share this
in the future with others.
The support and friendship groups are proving very successful. The
parent/carers groups have been very productive for many of the families.
The advice and recommendations/tips from other families has proven
very useful to new families and lead to some positive outcomes. Many of
those who attend had stated that they would like an additional evening
support group, as this would be more manageable in their daily
timetables. Some have expressed that they don’t like to miss a session but
find the morning sessions difficult to attend regularly. These have proved
a great success.| |---|---|---| |Performance
of fundraising
activities
against
objectives set||_The Fore Raft Fund_– Allocation Summary 3-month period. Slight delays
due to Covid-19 and continued thereafter first lockdown and into second
lockdown.
Delivery of 1-2-1 sessions for 15-30minutes. These included “Show & Tell”
sessions, family fun discussions, how to use the Free Sports Packs, music
sessions, song writing sessions & Dance. Music and video editing advice
for social media.
Delivery of 11–16-year-old FASD Friends groups. Peer group for
discussions. 2-hour sessions.
Delivery of 16+ FASD Friends Groups. 8 x 2-hour sessions.
_KCF Covid-19 Emergency Fund_
Duration 29/04/20- 29/08/20 - IT support, Artwork design for social media
and advertising. Wix generated mailouts and publicity. Phone calls and
emails to connections within the FASD Community & local
charities/organisations/schools. Social media publicity on
Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn and follow up responses.
Safeguarding strategies designed and implemented via an individual
registration form for each group, follow up emails with strict rules around
group engagements. Initial vetting of registrants via phone call, or if
abroad email. Booking and advertising. Monitoring of sessions and note
taking. Report writing. Creation of 3x videospromotingthe new online| videos, a guide to using Zoom, and a message of reassurance to the FASD community from the Chair of FASD Awareness. _Pocket Parks Project_ A community project in collaboration with Greenspace Development, Medway Council, The Oast Community Centre Rainham and FASD Awareness to restore and create a sustainable Pocket Garden surrounding the Car Park and The Oast Community centre in Rainham, Kent. Project following Celebrity TV Gardner Mark Lane’s original plans and consultation with TPA Gardening. A film documenting the journey will be included in the project. _Sport England & Kent Sport.org._ Purchase of sensory sports packs for 50 individuals. Delivery of 2 Family Activity Days at Leeds Castle. Sports activities delivered with social distancing rules. Evidence the days with films and advertising on social media. Additional zoom sports sessions for clients who were unable to attend event using the sensory sports packs. _– National Lottery Funding Community Fund (HM Government)_ Support of our Online Support Groups. Produced a film dedicated to the Online support Groups, #BeAware Campaign, and continuation of our services through the Covid 19 pandemic. Posted on social media and copied in National Lottery, HM Government, Community Fund and promoted via their #CommunitiesCan campaign. _Comic Relief Community Fund (England) Project Delivery Grants scheme-_ Thus fund is for the purpose of continuing to run our Online Support Group. Regular donations were also received following online social media advertising onFacebook Birthdays, Facebook Charity Support, Amazon Smile, Local Businesses, Tesco Points, and Company Support. Our website donations and support pages have been designed to promote this area of fundraising. ## **Financial Review** |**Financial Review**|| |---|---| |Review of the
charity’s financial
position at the end
of the period|With the focus on fundraising, the charity’s financial position is
seeing a very positive growth and projections for the coming year
are promising to be even better. The COVID-19 pandemic has
shown the need for online support groups and additional funding is
looking promising to continue with these for the foreseeable
future. There are also other projects in the pipeline, funding for
which we have beenpromised.| |Statement
explaining the policy
for holdingreserves|As well as funds received for specific projects yet to be completed,
the charity holds reserves for the provision of online support
groups and to coverprojected administrative costs.| |stating why they are
held|| |---|---| |Amount of reserves
held|£ 16,805 (plus a further £ 14,810 ringfenced for
upcoming/continuing projects)| |Reasons for holding
zero reserves|N/A| |Details of fund
materiallyin deficit|N/A| |Explanation of any
uncertainties about
the charity
continuing as a
goingconcern|N/A| ||| |The charity’s
principal sources of
funds (including any
fundraising)|There is a balanced mix of charitable donations, corporate
partnerships and project specific funding.| |Investment policy
and objectives
including any social
investment policy
adopted|As we continue to grow our charity and fundraising/ bid
applications are only just starting to come to fruition, there has
been no need to develop a hard and fast investment policy.
However, with our focus on further developing our fundraising
profile for the upcoming year this is something which will be added
to the financial planning going forward.
2020/21 has been pivotal for all charities, COVID-19 has propelled
most of us into digital transformation at a pace we thought would
take years. Never has fundraising been such a challenging task. Not
only do fundraisers need to find remote, creative ways to engage
with donors, but also to make conscious efforts to broaden the
diversity of our donor pools. But the outcome is worth the work:
thriving in the digital world while building inclusive donor
experiences.
No need to say we find ourselves at a turning point now, and with
it comes many questions: What changes are needed to adapt to
the new normal? How do we thrive when we can’t meet donors
face-to-face? How do we continue to fundraise in economically
uncertain times?
What we do know now is post pandemic, humans are hungry for
connection and community right now – and we will focus on
building strong, mutually beneficial relationships with our
supporters.
Despite the challenges of the last 18 months, we have been able to
grow our services to those living with FASD and their families and
this is due to receiving crucial funding from:
• Kent Community Foundation.
• The Fore Trust
• Sport England.| ||• National Lottery
• Ministry for Housing Communities & Local Government -
• Moto in the community
• SEIB Insurance Brokers
Also, through regular funding from:-
Allied Fabrications, Chris Thomason and other generous supporters
We have also received further funding from the KCF of £5,000 for
our case studies films and £1,000 from Tesco Bags of Help Grant
Scheme.| |---|---| |A description of the
principal risks facing
the charity|As with any charity staffing and funding are the main issues. We
have a great team of volunteers, staff and trustees but are mindful
that our rapid growth and development has put a lot of pressure
on a few and we need to continue to recruit staff and volunteers as
funding allows and our main focus is on continuing with our
current objectives, projects and fundraising.
The support groups established during the recent COVID pandemic
have proven extremely popular and is something that we would
like to offer more of, particularly in the 1-2-1 category. Funding
must be sought to see these groups continue and grow and will be
the focus of our fundraising activities for the upcoming financial
year.| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |How is the charity
constituted?|Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), only voting members are
its charity trustees. ‘Foundation’ Model.| |---|---| |Trustee selection
methods including
details of any
constitutional
provisions.|In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the
charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and
experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be
appointed for a term of 3 years by a resolution passed at a properly
convened meeting of the charity trustees. They will retire by the next
AGM but may stand for re-election.
Trustees are interviewed in accordance with the Safer Recruitment
policy and all necessary DBS checks and References are taken.| ## **Conclusion** This has been a fantastic year and I cannot take credit for much of which is reported here today. The development of the CEO role and loss to the Board of Andrew Keeping has come with mixed emotions but has been a real asset to the charity. As I stand down from my role on the Board having ‘held the fort’ for six months I am pleased to report on the finding of our new Chair who was brought onto the Board at our AGM in October 2021. Tracy, our founder, continues with her determination, networking skills and resilience to develop services. As Dr Mukerjee said in a recent webinar “A lot of people with FASD are artistic and creative and our role as parents, carers, adopters and professionals is to scaffold their weaknesses and build on their strengths.” This is also true of our board and staff and volunteers, and it is evidenced and proven that our CEO and founder and the board of trustees and volunteers are working together to do that not only for the people living with FASD but also in the people involved in raising awareness through the charity and those we are working alongside. A participant in a recent support group referenced a book linked to FASD by Jan Griffin, “Find your Child’s Brilliance” and that is what we all aim to do for the children, their families and the professionals we are working with. We have found the brilliance of many of those who give up their valued time to be part of the charity’s work and those who have fed back on the use of the service. This has helped us to achieve our five year target in three years. ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charityname|FASD Awareness| |---|---| |Other name the charity uses|FASD Awareness South East| |Registered charity number|1176933| |Charity’s principal address|Hall Wood Business Park North Dane Way Chatham ME5 8YE| ## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |1
2

3
4
5
6
7
8|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person who interviewed/**
**appointed trustee**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Andrew Keeping|Chair|2018-March 2021|| ||Wendy Spears|Vice-Chair/Chair|Acting Chair April 2021
– September 2021|A Keeping and W Spears| ||Irene Hall|Chair|Appointed 20th
September 2021|| ||Dr Adesoji Abeona|(Medical)|Appointed 2018|| ||Deborah Matthews|(Treasurer)|Appointed January
2020|A Keeping and P Rorison| ||Paul Allen||Appointed 2018|| ||Colin Newbold||Resigned January 2020|| ||Pamela Rorison||Resigned August 2020|| ||Wendy Purdy||Appointed September
2020|A Keeping and W Spears| |9

|Sophie Cartwright||Appointed July 2020|A Keeping and W Spears| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Lyndon McLean||Appointed 20th
September 2021|| ||Andy Nichols||Appointed 20th
September 2021|| ## **Declarations** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** |**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary,**
**Chair, etc)**
**Date**||Paul Allen_(Digital Signature)_| |---|---|---| ||Wendy Spears|Paul Allen| ||

CHAIR|Trustee| ||20thSeptember 2021|| ||20thSeptember 2021|| ## **FASD Awareness Financials 2020 - 2021** |Code|Cost type|Amount||Code|Income type|Amount| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |0001|Admin|£10,588.62||1001|FASD training|£0.00| |0002|Training|£0.00||1002|Corporate Partnerships|£2,190.00| |0003|Board meetings|£0.00||1003|Grants|£43,705.82| |0004|Print/stationery|£95.89||1004|Donations|£5,280.63| |0005|Postage|£589.98||1005|Bank Interest on Reserve AC|£2.46| |0006|Website/emails|£360.00||||| |0007|IT|£63.10||||| |0008|Supportgroup|£389.10||||| |0009|Travel|£394.30||||| |0010|Telecommunications|£305.08||||| |0011|Marketing|£6,085.98||||| |0012|Advertising|£112.07||||| |0013|Fundraising|£6,000.00||||| |0014|Events|£80.00||||| |0015|Professional fees|£140.00||||| |0016|Days out and activities|£0.00||||| |0017|Entertainment|£0.00||||| |0018|Banking|£0.00||||| |0019|HMRC|£0.00||||| |0020|Wages|£0.00||||| |0021|Insurance|£276.08||||| |0022|General expenses|£1.60||||| |0023|FASD training|£0.00||||| |0024|Maintenance & Repairs|£39.92||||| |0025|Rent|£0.00||||| |0026|Park Project Costs|£8,425.00||||| |0027|KCF
£1,084.90|||TOTAL||£51,178.91| |0028|National Lottery
£1,800.00|||**Bank A/C @ 04/04/21:**
Current AC
Savings AC
NB: includes RingFenced Project
Specific Total
Free Reserves @ 05/04/2021||£26,592.20
£5,023.56| |0029|Sport England
£4,916.16|||||| |0030|MVA
£70.00|||||| |0031|Fore Trust
£6,104.00|||||| |||||||| |TOTAL||£47,921.78||||£31,615.76| |||||||
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