The Dog, Duck and Cat Trust (DDCT) – Annual Report 2024-25
The trustees of the Dog, Duck and Cat Trust (DDCT) are pleased to present their annual report and financial statement for monitoring period ending 31[st] March 2025. The DDCT is governed by its constitution, adopted 15[th] August 2017. There are currently 3 Trustees one of whom is new to the DDCT and was appointed following an existing trustee needing to resign due to family commitments.
The board of Trustees come from a range of professional backgrounds relevant to the DDCT objectives. The new trustee is a school teacher and new mother, so she brings professional and life experience into her role with the DDCT.
The Trustees met at least quarterly, and four formal meetings were held during the period 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025; Finance meetings were also held quarterly. Informal meetings also took place as and when needed to discuss day to day matters.
Aims of the DDCT
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For children to learn about staying safe in a way that is fun and age appropriate
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For children to learn about topics and subjects relevant to their day to day lives at home and in the wider world
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To address, and educate on, subjects that affect a child’s mental health and emotional well being
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To promote ‘safety first’ thinking, both inside the home and in the community
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To ensure children receive consistent safeguarding messages to prevent accidents and incidents
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To assist Parents and Carers (P&C) in building rapport with their children
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To provide resources to facilitate Quality time taking place between P&C and their children, to build a child’s resilience
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To ensure children know, and they believe and understanding, that they have a person in their life that they trust and can talk to, if they are ever worried or scared about anything, no matter how awful or small their concern may be
The Dog, Duck and Cat Trust (DDCT) – Annual Report 2024-25
About the DDCT
The DDCT provides educational, preventative, harm minimisation resources for young people, aged 0 to 11 years of age, with a focus on safeguarding, promoting safety and developing a child’s resilience.
The approach is simple yet effective. Stories, animations and activities have been and are created to help adults educate children about a range of different subjects. The resources have also been created to allow older children to use them for themselves, thus increasing opportunities for the messages to be delivered to our audience.
The resources are available online, but the DDCT endeavour to make printed resources available whenever possible.
For the DDCT to be able to reach its audience partnership working is essential. We work with professionals in the community in settings such as primary schools, the NHS, early years providers, and the local authority. All partners are then supported, in a variety of ways, to use the DDCT resources.
Bespoke educational programmes, aligned to the statutory Department for Education’s (DfE) RSHE (Relationships, Sex, and Health Education) framework, have been created for use by those working in educational settings, but also have been developed to suit the needs of specific professionals in the community, such as health visitors, midwives, and for use in libraries and other venues.
The DDCT also provides a full set of Dog, Duck and Cat (DDC) story resources for Parents and Carers (P&C) and the local community to use. To keep children safe, the homes they live in, and the people that care for them, need to be aware of the risks that those children may face. P&C and the local community are vital partners for the DDCT, to omit them would vastly diminish the chances of DDCT achieving its aims.
For P&C we are also promoting the concept of spending Quality Time with their child(ren). By providing story resources, and activities to be done together, we are looking to those that have children in their care to spend some fun-time interacting with those children.
By doing this we are looking to create positive attachments. This can be a tremendous way to build a child’s trust, resilience and thus encourage them to be open and talk if they are ever concerned, worried or scared about anything.
The focus, until the end of 2017, had been on helping children stay safe from accidents, but the remit has now been broadened due to demand. Emotional wellbeing, bereavement, loss, domestic abuse, positive peer relationships, racism, preventing violence towards women and girls, and each other, and a range of other subjects are now being addressed by the DDCT resources.
The Dog, Duck and Cat Trust (DDCT) – Annual Report 2024-25
Activities and Achievement’s in 2024/25
Partnership with Connex Education Academy (CEA)
As with many other charities in the UK the DDCT has found income generation more challenging than ever before since the COVID pandemic.
The DDCT began conversations in late 2023 with Connex Education Academy (CEA), part of Connex Education Partnership (CEP), about entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to begin on April 1[st] , 2024.
CEA had approached the DDCT as they wanted to use the existing DDCT schools’ resources, invest in them, develop new resources, and then market all of these resources to schools for sale, or to enhance the CEA offer for the schools they worked with.
The DDCT CEO and trustees discussed this at some length, looking into the validity of this approach and proposed the following MoU to CEA which they accepted.
The MoU agreed that CEA would:
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Continue to fund the free to access web site, www.dogduckandcat.co.uk, containing all existing DDC stories for members of the public to use
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Fund the creation of new resources and enhance existing DDC resources
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Ensure all newly created DDC stories, for use in schools, are placed on www.dogduckandcat.co.uk ensuring new content now and in the future for the public to use free of charge
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Continue to provide a small range of free to access resources for schools featuring the DDC characters – minimum 5 resources
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Access for all Dudley and Sandwell schools to the full range of DDCT/CEA educational resources, existing and new, until 31st August 2026.
Essentially the MoU states that CEA will fund the goals and objectives of the DDCT charity, in perpetuity, and this will essentially be the ongoing MoU ‘fee’ to CEA.
The DDCT will monitor the MoU from April 1[st] , 2024, to ensure it is being upheld. The DDCT CEO will also be working with CEA on a full-time basis, beginning 1[st] April 2024, for the duration of the MoU to ensure it’s goals are followed and achieved.
A planning meeting between CEA and DDCT was held in April 2024 to decide what new resources would be completed and created in 2045/25. The following was agreed:
Auntie Duck – air quality resource
This piece of work began in September 2023 when the Trust were successful in gaining funding from Sandwell Public Health (SPH).
The Dog, Duck and Cat Trust (DDCT) – Annual Report 2024-25
Working with SPH partners it was identified that air quality was an issue worrying children and adults that work and live with them. The quality of the air we breath is impacted by a number of factors, and it was decided to highlight these, and what could be done about them, as the focus of the work.
This resource was completed in summer 2024 and then became part of the resources portfolio that was free of charge to access for schools.
Miss PennyBea – Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing (EWB) resource for Key stage 1
Schools and professionals had long requested an EWB resource for key stage 1. This was created in the spring and summer of 2024 and was launched at the beginning of academic year 2024/25 in September/October 2024.
Schools have used this resource and feedback has been positive.
Animations for all DDC stories
It was agreed that all DDC stories should have an animation to sit alongside the electronic storybook’s that existed and would be created. About 50% of the existing stories in April 2024 had an animation so the task of recording and creating the animations for the other 50% began.
CEA’s in house creative team were worked with and all animations were completed by February 2025 and have been live for anyone to use since then.
All animations can be used by professionals, but also by P&C and children, who have stated that it is nice to be able to just ‘put a story on to play, listen to, and enjoy’.
Everyone deserves a friend – neurodiversity partnership project with Barnardo’s
Barnardo’s, the national charity, approached the DDCT/CEA in August 2024 about creating a new DDC story about neurodiversity, aimed at children in years 3 and 4 as part of their PINS (Promoting Inclusion and Neurodiversity in Schools) project in the Black Country.
Coproduction on this piece of work began in September 2024 with the DDCT/CEA devising the story and resources and Barnardo’s staff then taking that content and trialling it with primary schools across the Black Country.
The feedback received was invaluable and greatly enhanced the resources; in short, the resources became bigger and more comprehensive following the extensive piloting.
The impact in the schools was also very positive and provided ‘bridges’ for children with and without neurodiversity to talk about themselves and the things going on for them.
The Dog, Duck and Cat Trust (DDCT) – Annual Report 2024-25
The resources were launched in March 2025 and will be included in the free to access set of resources moving in to monitoring year 2025/26.
Ant and Us – PSHE/RSHE scheme of work for upper key stage 2 (years 5 and 6)
Up until the 1[st] April 2024 the DDCT had created resources for children aged 9 and under, essentially year 4 and below.
With the new partnership with CEA, it was decided to also create resources for upper key stage 2, so that the DDCT/CEA offer would be for all children in primary school and not stop at year 4.
After discussion with all key partners, including children themselves, it was decided that using the Dog, Duck and Cat characters would not be appropriate for years 5 and 6. With this in mind a new character, called Ant, was created.
After initial piloting of Ant, it was felt that they were an appropriate character, but not in a story format. Again, the audience were consulted with, and it was decided to use animations at the start of each topic rather than a story, to set the scene and start the conversation off in an engaging way.
8 subject areas were identified for upper key stage 2 and work began on developing the resources. Titles for resources were then created and materials were devised for:
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What is emotional wellbeing and resilience?
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Why do people take risks?
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How can being online not be safe?
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What is consent?
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What are human relationships and families like?
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What is equality?
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The wrap up – knowledge consolidation from the first 6 subject areas
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How can humans stay healthy and well?
Resources went live in December 2024 and have been available since then.
Feedback, especially on the misogyny resources in ‘What is equality?’, has been very positive with teaching staff commenting on how much the children have learnt but also that they enjoyed the style of the ‘Ant and Us’ resources.
Pollinators Patch Challenge – importance of pollination coproduction project with Bee1 Community
Bee1 Community, an organisation based in Wales, had been working with CEA for a while before DDCT joined. Some resources had been developed but it was felt that they needed some polishing.
After initial meetings and conversations DDCT/CEA and Bee1 agreed to create a resource that highlighted the importance of pollination and to aim this resource at children in years 2 to 4.
The Dog, Duck and Cat Trust (DDCT) – Annual Report 2024-25
Development of the resources began in October of 2024, and development was still taking place in March 2025 with an expected rollout of May 2025.
Teacher tracking and planning resources
Whilst classroom delivery resources had always been provided by DDCT it was also identified by teaching staff that some assistance for them would be greatly appreciated with planning, demonstrating success and evidencing learning outcomes.
DDCT/CEA worked together with school partners and certain key areas were identified to develop some support materials for classroom staff to use:
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Policy Devising
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Procedure and Delivery
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Monitoring of outcomes
The on this project began in January 2025 with an expected completion in June/July 2025.
Puberty Packages – for years 4 to 6
As part of the statutory DfE curriculum requirements it was identified that puberty resources would need to be created for pupils in years 4 and above.
Work began on creating the resources in January 2025 with an expected completion in June 2025.
Linking to existing good practice
Whilst the new partnership between DDCT and CEA gave all parties significantly more opportunities to devise and create resources a decision was also made not just to create things for the sake of it.
The former CEO of DDCT, now working for the DDCT/CEA partnership as the Director of Citizenship (DoC), spent time identifying best practice resources that could be linked to the DDCT/CEA resource portfolio to save having to create the resource(s) from scratch.
DECCA, the young persons alcohol and drug service in Sandwell, were initially identified as a potential partner. The DoC worked with DECCA to identify and fill any gaps they had in their resources, which led to the creation of a vaping resource for years 3 and 4. In turn DECCA agreed for DDCT/CEA to use their resources.
This partnership began in November 2024 and will be reviewed in November 2025.
The Dog, Duck and Cat Trust (DDCT) – Annual Report 2024-25
Dudley Public Health (DPH), Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) and Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council (WMBC) access
SMBC and DPH began free of charge access to all DDCT/CEA resources in September 2024. Approx. 78% of Sandwell schools and approx. 80% of Dudley schools were registered to use the DDCT/CEA resources in March 2025.
WMBC again paid for universal access for all Wolverhampton schools so they could have open access to all the DDCT/CEA resources.
DDCT/CEA has worked extensively with school colleagues across the Black Country to ensure they are able to deliver its resources to the best of their abilities.
The DoC continues to carry out a great many teacher training events, school staff meetings and school events to show the resources and how to use them, and attended larger professionals events to promote the DDCT/CEA partnership and get people involved and accessing the resources.
The DoC is also working with a more diverse group of professionals in the community. Links have been made with school health nursing services, family hubs, SEND providers and other community groups, to further advertise the resources and to encourage people to engage.
Finances
Please see attached report for a full financial breakdown for the trust for 2024 - 25.
Accounts
DDC - The Dog, Duck and Cat Trust
3 St Johns Road Oldbury B68 9RP
| Money In | Money In | Money In |
|---|---|---|
| DATE | ACCOUNT | DESCRIPTION |
| 4/8/2024 | DDC | Emergencyloan |
| 4/10/2024 | DDC | Sandwell Public Health - payment one of two;airquality project |
| 4/29/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 5/30/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 6/28/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 7/31/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 8/29/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 9/30/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 10/30/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 11/28/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 12/24/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 1/30/2025 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 2/27/2025 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 3/28/2025 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| Total | ||
| Money Out | ||
| DATE | ACCOUNT | DESCRIPTION |
| 4/8/2024 | DDC | Cowens/Markel Insurance - Monthly payment |
| 4/8/2024 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 4/9/2024 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 4/10/2024 | DDC | Repayment of emergency transfer from CEO |
| 4/11/2024 | DDC | Social Media - February postngs |
| 4/11/2024 | DDC | Highfelds accountants - accounts for 2022-23 |
| 4/11/2024 | DDC | Illustrator - see invoice |
| 4/22/2024 | DDC | Screencast-O-Matc annual subscripton fee |
| 5/7/2024 | DDC | Cowens/Markel Insurance - Monthly payment |
| 5/8/2024 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 5/9/2024 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| Money In | Money In | Money In |
|---|---|---|
| DATE | ACCOUNT | DESCRIPTION |
| 4/8/2024 | DDC | Emergencyloan |
| 4/10/2024 | DDC | Sandwell Public Health - payment one of two;airquality project |
| 4/29/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 5/30/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 6/28/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 7/31/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 8/29/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 9/30/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 10/30/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 11/28/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 12/24/2024 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 1/30/2025 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 2/27/2025 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| 3/28/2025 | DDC | Donaton - Charites Trust |
| Total | ||
| Money Out | ||
| DATE | ACCOUNT | DESCRIPTION |
| 4/8/2024 | DDC | Cowens/Markel Insurance - Monthly payment |
| 4/8/2024 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 4/9/2024 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 4/10/2024 | DDC | Repayment of emergency transfer from CEO |
| 4/11/2024 | DDC | Social Media - February postngs |
| 4/11/2024 | DDC | Highfelds accountants - accounts for 2022-23 |
| 4/11/2024 | DDC | Illustrator - see invoice |
| 4/22/2024 | DDC | Screencast-O-Matc annual subscripton fee |
| 5/7/2024 | DDC | Cowens/Markel Insurance - Monthly payment |
| 5/8/2024 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 5/9/2024 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 6/6/2024 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
|---|---|---|
| 6/7/2024 | DDC | Cowens/Markel Insurance - Monthly payment |
| 6/10/2024 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 7/5/2024 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 7/8/2024 | DDC | Cowens/Markel Insurance - Monthly payment |
| 7/9/2024 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 8/6/2024 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 8/7/2024 | DDC | Cowens/Markel Insurance - Monthly payment |
| 8/9/2024 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 9/6/2024 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 9/9/2024 | DDC | Cowens/Markel Insurance - Monthly payment |
| 9/9/2024 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 10/7/2024 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 10/9/2024 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 11/6/2024 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 11/11/2024 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 12/6/2024 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 12/9/2024 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 1/6/2025 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 1/9/2025 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 2/6/2025 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 2/10/2025 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 3/6/2025 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| 3/10/2025 | DDC | Krystal Hostng- web site hostng |
| 3/24/2025 | DDC | Microsof - email accounts |
| Total | ||
| MoneyIn £3,150.00 MoneyOut £3,058.24 Bank Balance £91.76 |
||
| MoneyIn | £3,150.00 | |
| MoneyOut | £3,058.24 | |
| Bank Balance | £91.76 |
NAME Holly Layton POSITION Treasurer
| PROJECT | TOTAL | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 2500 | £2,500.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| Main Fund | 50 | £50.00 |
| 3150 |
| PROJECT | AMOUNT | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 67.61 | £67.61 | |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 | |
| All | 50 | £50.00 | |
| All | 250 | £250.00 | |
| All | 120 | £120.00 | |
| All | 1770 | £1,770.00 | |
| All | 16.42 | £16.42 | |
| All | 67.61 | £67.61 | |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 67.61 | £67.61 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 | |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
| All | 67.61 | £67.61 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 | |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
| All | 67.61 | £67.61 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 | |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
| All | 67.61 | £67.61 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 | |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 | |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 | |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 | |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 | |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 | |
| All | 23.52 | £23.52 | |
| All | 13.2 | £13.20 | |
| All | 5.52 | £5.52 | |
| £3,058.24 |
| Balance brought forward |
£78.19 |
|---|---|
| MoneyIn | £3,150.00 |
| MoneyOut | £3,058.24 |
| Balance to carry forward |
£169.95 |