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2023-06-30-accounts

FOCUS SURREY

Registered Charity Number: 1178378

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From July 1[st] 2022 Period start date To June 30[th] 2023 Period end date

Charity name: Focus Surrey

Charity registration number: 1178378

Objectives and Activities

Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document.

Focus Surrey is an independent, not-for-profit volunteer-led Saturday club for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families. It aims to assist children with ASD to improve their communication, social and play skills within a nurturing, fun and child-centred environment.

Charitable Aims

  1. To relieve the needs of children with autism spectrum disorder and other communication difficulties and their families in particular but not exclusively by:

  2. Providing a structured Saturday club within a safe, nurturing, fun and child-centred environment for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

  3. Providing a friendly and sociable environment for parents/carers and siblings to meet

  4. The provision of information for parents/carers through organised talks on ASDrelated subjects

  5. To advance the education of the public in autism spectrum disorder and other communication difficulties in particular but not exclusively by:

  6. The provision of training and volunteer opportunities in autism teaching methods based on Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) methodologies

  7. The provision of information sessions on ABA and other interventions, developments and related topics with regard to ASD

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.

Focus Surrey provides a learning and social outlet for children and families in the wider Surrey area, including Sutton and neighbouring boroughs, via the evidence-based principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis.

The benefit of the club is threefold – not only are children with Autism receiving 1:1 support; the play assistants (previously called tutors) who are all volunteers are gaining training and experience working with children with Autism and the parents are receiving peer support, networking opportunities and information via a series of guest speakers.

At the start of the period 1[st] July 2022 to 30[th] June 2023 the main activities of the charity were running the Saturday club and all the activities associated with it; running an online guest speaker series and running an in-person SEN disco.

Term **Dates From/To ** **No of Volunteers **
11 34
17 September 2022 to
10December 2022
12 29
25 February 2023 to
27 May2023

We were pleased to be able to introduce a dance programme as part of the curriculum to enable the children to keep active; develop their coordination; imitation and gross motor skills and keep fit. With initial support of National Lottery Community Fund, we received funding for food technology and a SEN dance instructor. We trialled the sessions in November 2022 and introduced them full time in February 2023. We were able to host the dance sessions within the art room so that the children who were not interacting with or motivated by visual arts could participate in the dancing. The SEN dance instructor we hired was also a qualified SEN yoga teacher who started to introduce yoga to those children who preferred a quieter environment and were able to imitate movement. This helped with regulation and flexibility. We moved the dance session into a separate room where each group benefited from 30-minute combined dance and/or yoga session.

Dance teaches/assists these skills in children with ASD:

Learning yoga helps people with ASD to:

We have continued to develop these sessions and now use the dance session as a means to communicate by choosing a song either verbally or via visual symbols on a choice board. They are learning how to make choices as well as develop turn taking and sharing skills.

In Term 11 and 12 we were able to continue to build on the children’s functional and life skills by continuing with a food technology component for all children. They were practising their hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and developing independence skills by making fruit kebabs and and sandwiches. We also celebrated key dates in the calendar by decorating biscuits with icing during Halloween and making white chocolate crispies at Christmas and chocolate nests at Easter.

As a result of the support from grants and fundraising we were able to move to a venue in September 2022 that was specifically fitted out for young people with special needs and had secure outdoor space. This was also a result of the previous venue increasing its fees by 50 per cent, meaning hiring the Aurora provision in Merton College was now a comparable cost.

We have moved to the Aurora provision which has a secure garden space and ground level trampoline. We had previously trialled this venue and were drawn to the space where the children could run and enjoy the sun on their faces and wind in their hair.

This enabled the charity to have additional space to be able to offer more physical activities for the children, such as scootering, ball skills and running games, which helped with sensory regulation.

The club continued to provide an ongoing arts curriculum where the children have worked on a set art project each week, cutting and pasting, painting, using playdoh and working with different art materials and textiles. The art activities were themed to the yearly calendar and they produced art themed to Halloween or Fireworks night or poppies for Remembrance Day and art works specific to Easter or Eid. The children were developing their fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills, as well as learning about the benefits of expression, through the visual and performing arts component. All children in their first term at the club are able to receive an external art award by taking part in Trinity College London Arts Award http://www.artsaward.org.uk/site/?id=1346 thanks to an Accredited Arts Award adviser on staff.

Community Involvement

The charity also reached out to the local Merton volunteer community, with trustees taking part in collaborative meetings with Merton Connected and continuing our collaboration with Sutton Volunteer Centre. Trustees attended the Sutton Volunteer Showcase at Sutton Library on 18 April 2023 to showcase the volunteer opportunities at Focus Surrey and give people the opportunity to learn about what we did at the club – including making fruit kebabs.

We were able to celebrate the historic occasion of the Coronation of King Charles III with Focus Surrey families and volunteers. We celebrated at the club with parents and volunteers taking part in a Great British Bake-Off competition and a feast. Parents and volunteers all baked, cooked or brought food to share in a communal lunch. We were also treated to a live trombone rendition of God Save the King and Rule Britannia during the lunch by one of our volunteers. During the day the children also took part in royal-themed arts and craft and food technology activities by decorating both paper and biscuit crowns. It was wonderful to be a part of TheBigHelpOut and show what an impact volunteering has on our community.

Volunteers

We also recognised the contribution of all volunteers by taking part in the national Volunteers Week in 2023 and featuring a blog written by one volunteer each day of the week on our social media channels from 1 to 7 June 2023.

It was an opportunity to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make to our communities and say thank you. Focus Surrey recognised the more than 380 volunteers who have been pivotal to the success of the Saturday club which has been running since September 2016 https://www.focus-surrey.com/testimonials.

Three outstanding volunteers were recognised for their contribution to Focus Surrey at the Merton Partnership Civic Pride Volunteer Awards at a ceremony at AFC Wimbledon on Friday June 2nd. Tom Rasey, Louise Simon and Happy Sile Hu were nominated by Focus Surrey staff, parents and trustees for their contribution to the club. You can read about their nominations here https://www.focus-surrey.com/testimonials.

All volunteers are recognised for their contribution at the end of term graduation parties with bespoke certificates including individual feedback for each volunteer. We combined our graduation with a party at Christmas time with Father Christmas and his helper elf giving a gift to all the children.

From July 2022 to June 2023, we recruited and trained more than 63 volunteers. These volunteers worked directly with the children while another 10 additional volunteers supported behind the scenes with administration, operations and fundraising.

The impact of the volunteer experience has continued as we continue to support people of all ages to get experience working with children with special needs as well as building their teamwork skills. Volunteering helps volunteers to build practical skills and gives support to work with autistic children which assists people wanting to build a career in special needs. It is a positive environment which raises awareness in society by introducing disability and autism to many new people within the community including high school students. Volunteers learn transferrable skills they can take forward in their careers in other professions.

Volunteers at Focus Surrey receive two days of theoretical training on the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) as well as in-person shadowing and on the job training. Through training and practical experience, the volunteers gain/improve some of the following:

The majority of volunteers are 18 and over and come from varied backgrounds: people with family members with autism; university students studying psychology and education; carers; college students and people looking to gain work experience in childcare.

Volunteers play with the children in four different rooms: the art room, playroom, dance and music room and outdoor space where the children work towards targets set by a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst in consultation with parents. Volunteers included two siblings of past and current attendees at the club who volunteered as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award. This was the first time Focus Surrey had children volunteer as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme and it is fitting that the first volunteers were siblings of children with autism. They supported with running the food technology sessions as well as supporting running the outdoor play activities. Izzy aged 12 said:

“After attending Focus Surrey, I find it easier to help out with my brother and help my mum.”

“It has helped me to see other kids that are similar to him…I wanted to come to help not just to help my brother but other kids with autism.”

Focus Surrey also invites parents/carers to two full days of training each term.

We request feedback on all training. This included:

“The way it was presented made it enjoyable to learn and helped with understanding what children with autism find difficult and how they communicate.”

and

“I loved the effort put by all the speakers to explain elements and theoretical approaches we needed to be aware off.”

At the end of the term when reflecting back on the 12 weeks they volunteered at the club, volunteers said “The support, training, time and effort by the organisation… (is) amazing” and “incredible”.

One volunteer said: “Every Saturday is the highlight of my week”.

Parents and families

We encourage all parents to attend the training and volunteer with their child. The club also benefits parents who can volunteer with their child and get on the ground training for the 2 hours each Saturday they are at the club. Other parents benefit from networking together in the parents’ room. While the children are playing and learning, the parents have the chance to relax and take time to be with others going through similar life experiences with children with autism.

When surveyed why they enjoyed attending the club, parents said that Focus Surrey is a “great environment”, “enables me as a parent to let my guard down and relax and socialise with the other parents” and a “perfect place for children and parents to learn”.

One parent said “they have supported me immensely with useful information and advice whenever I needed it”

When asked what is going well for their children at the club, parents said their children are “becoming more interactive”, “starting to engage with other children” or “starting to use full sentences rather than one or two words”.

One parent said their child “enjoys coming to a place where they have fun and learn skills but most importantly are accepted and understood”.

Guest Speaker Talks

After taking our Guest Speaker series online after the Covid Pandemic we have continued to be able to support more families from throughout the UK with our online guest speaker series.

We had 208 people attend talks online and in-person between July 2022 and June 2023 (compared to 166 between June 2021 and 2022). The majority were online and viewed the talk either live or through a recording shared after the event. Where possible Focus Surrey also offers in-person talks for the parents who attend the club. We held two in-person workshops for parents at the club – a talk from parent author Sarah Ziegel and parents also

received a yoga therapy session while at the club. Qualified yoga therapist Claudia Nagorni treated the parents to a popular self-care workshop reminding them all that they should find time in their days for themselves, something which is often tough for carers to do.

Many of the online talk attendees were from the greater London area or Surrey, however we also reached families throughout the UK in Yorkshire, Wales and Ireland, who previously couldn’t access our in-person talks, as well as some families from outside the UK such as in Greece and the UAE.

We reached more than 123 additional children/families who didn’t or have yet to attend the club, through our online guest speaker series as parents, carers and professionals from outside the club attended talks on behaviour analysis and speech and language therapies. The talks benefited at least 208 children whose parents or professionals received advice and information on therapies and strategies for children and families with ASD: 59% of these attendees were not already club members; 55% were parents; 31% were professionals (e.g., SLTs); 6% were both parents and professionals; and 3% were students, so the impact of the advice given is infinite.

Guest speakers included:

Parents and guests were all impressed with the calibre of the speakers who gave their time for free. We shared the talks with volunteers to increase their understanding of autism and the different treatments and strategies that are available to children. We survey all talks and all respondents said they were pleased they joined the talk and gave positive feedback. These talks enabled the charity to continue raising ambitions and outcomes for children, young people and families. They enabled parents to help themselves, develop resilience and assist their children to live inclusive and independent lives.

In addition, many of the parent/carer volunteers go on to use these principles and ideas while playing and caring for their own family members. Focus Surrey is building a community who are committed to helping children with Autism.

Attendees from the guest speaker talks over the reported period said:

“The learning experience was refreshing. The instructor's approach was direct and concise.”

And

The talks were “very informative” with “lots of information to digest and then implement with clients” and “good tips and advice about using ABA therapy”.

SEN discos

Focus Surrey started running discos for children and young adults with disabilities in December 2021. After the overwhelming success and positive response to the first disco we have continued to run Summer, Halloween, Christmas and Easter discos with the venue kindly supplied free of charge by Frames Sports Bar in Coulsdon. The discos are open to all people with disabilities and provide an inclusive environment where everyone can dance, spin and let their hair down with no judgement. As well as having a professional DJ and lights the discos also provide other activities and a quiet place for people to take time out from the dance and lights if needed. As well as face painting and glitter tattoos, the children can also take part in themed arts and crafts. At Christmas the children were treated to a visit by Father Christmas who gave everyone a small gift and at Easter they all received an Easter egg.

The benefits of a SEN disco are plenty - some young people experience their first disco ever, while others bring their wider family who are all able to enjoy a dance in a safe space where everyone feels comfortable. Our SEN disco is purely for fun and enjoyment, a traditional experience of childhood in an inclusive, accepting and relaxed space. Our discos also enable families to network and build friendships as we have regular attendees who look forward to seeing each other and the volunteer team each time they attend.

Attendees of our popular SEN discos said they were “relaxed and perfect”, “a great vibe” and a “brilliant night”.

Looking forward

Our Saturday Club, guest speaker series and seasonal parties will all continue and we will pursue opportunities to widen our reach. Recently we have begun seeking funding for day trips and more carers respite to take place over school holidays, when parents/carers experience a long period of time without routine and a lack of resources, such as clubs and activities suitable for their families.

Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit

The trustees have taken into account the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit and are confident its activities fit that criteria outlined by The Charities Act 2011 definition of a charitable purpose, explicitly, as one that falls within numbers 4 and 12 of its descriptions of purposes.

4. The advancement of education

  1. The relief of those in need, by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.

Contribution made by volunteers

Focus Surrey is volunteer-based with no staff costs for management. All trustees provide expert advice from their fields to support the running of the club. All guest speakers are professionals or parents who voluntarily give their time and advice for free.

Volunteers also support with running the SEN discos.

Focus Surrey pays contractors to support the running of the club including the key role of the Autism professionals (BCBAs) and experienced ABA tutors who supervise the club. We also paid an operations lead to support with some administration tasks and to support with operations on club days.

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.

Focus Surrey is an in-demand service. It currently has 70 children on its waiting list (as of 23[rd] April 2024). There are no other opportunities locally for children with ASD to socialise and develop targeted social, communication and play skills using the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).

The charity has given some children the only specific ASD support their parents can afford, helping to motivate the children to engage in their learning; for others it is the only ABA and focused one-on-one support received.

The charity aims to support parents to gain practical information and training, and these families are empowered to help their family member with autism, progress their social development and understanding. We are also equipping parents with legal advice from independent SEN advocates and referring parents to legal charities such as SOS-SEN who assist them to update and improve EHCPs and thus improve the long-term education of their children.

The guest speaker series which we ran and developed as an online presence during the pandemic provided a vital element of support and continued to educate parents on different strategies and therapies for children with autism. It also gave practical advice and provided professional advice for some professionals who attended.

Most importantly we were still able to support our charitable aims by providing information for parents/carers through organised talks on ASD-related subjects, ABA and other interventions. This indirectly helped children with autism to develop their language, play and social skills to reduce isolation, and empower children and families.

It also provides a way of supporting parents on our waiting list before their children are able to join the club. We also frequently provide information sharing with people who do not join the club by answering queries via email, on social media or through our website.

The talks helped parents to increase resilience and reduce social isolation for them and their children and enabled social networks to be created and a community maintained. Advice was shared both formally through the guest speaker series as well as informally through the Q&A sessions after the talk. Attendees appreciated being connected.

Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set

All funds derived from fundraising activities were used to subsidise membership fees and to pay for the costs of running the club.

Fundraising activities included a raffle, quiz night on November 26[th] 2022; four SEN discos and using a bid writer to apply to charitable trusts to support the charity.

Financial Review

Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period

See Report of the Trustees and Unaudited Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2023.

Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held

Focus Surrey aims to have 50% of the cost of running a term in reserves to cover the costs of the next term with further fundraising to continue. At a bare minimum Focus Surrey should have reserves to cover support and governance costs.

Amount of reserves held: See the report further below.

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)

The principal source of funds was from membership fees, grants, donations and fundraising activities.

Significant grants in this period from charitable trusts included those from the National Lottery Community Fund and Tesco Community Grants and other generous charitable trusts of which we are incredibly grateful.

The main fundraising activities for the year were grants and membership fees. We also had significant corporate donations as well as donors running a ticketed club night playing Garage music. The night of Pure Garage Music with an array of DJs at Frames Sports Bar in Coulsdon had more than 300 people attending, who danced the night away to the music of 18 DJs. We are appreciative to the organisers and all the DJs who gave their time for free to support Focus Surrey.

Other fundraising activities included a Christmas raffle with generous donations of prizes from local businesses and the local community. These prizes were sourced by Focus Surrey parents and trustees.

We received a corporate donation of £4000 and many private donations linked to the club, our guest speaker series and SEN discos.

A description of the principal risks facing the charity

The national cost of living crisis and the strain on spending for average families means there has been a decline in raffle sales and donations.

We have benefited from the investment in a bid writer who supported us by writing for charitable bids.

Additional measures that were put in place after returning to operations after the pandemic were retained included ensuring air circulation, stricter cleaning protocols for any toys that were used or mouthed by children. We now provide home-made disposable playdoh each day and many other measures to ensure everyone stays safe. We also reminded volunteers

and families of the government’s covid compliance measures and ensured anyone who was ill did not attend the club and that everyone tested regularly.

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s
trusts:
Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)		 Charitable Incorporated Organisation
How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g., unincorporated
association, CIO)		 Foundation Model Constitution
Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions
e.g., election to post or
name of any person or body
entitled to appoint one or
more trustees		 Elected by majority decision

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees

The Management Committee is required to have a minimum of three and a maximum of 12 members at any one time and one third of them are to be re-elected annually by rotation at the Annual General Meeting.

Safeguarding, child protection and risk management.

Focus Surrey recognises its responsibilities in the management of risk, particularly in respect of the children attending and the volunteers trained by the paid staff as well as in its fundraising policy. Focus Surrey’s policies are reviewed and updated every term. They include:

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name Focus Surrey
Other name the charity uses
Registered charity number 1178378
Charity’s principal address 37 Stanhope Rd, Carshalton, SM5 4LH

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not for whole
year		 Name of person (or body) entitled
to appoint trustee(if any)

----- Start of picture text -----
1 Susan Archdall Chairperson Entire year
2 Amanda West Entire year
3 June Goh Entire year
4 Lisa Masarati Entire year
5 Kunhui Rimington Entire year
6 Kathy Kelly Entire year
7 Tracey Tibbals * April 2023 - current
8 Sam Rahman * April 2023 - current
9 Louise Simon * April 2023 - current
----- End of picture text -----

Declarations

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

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees.

Trustee 1

1. Full Name and Position: Susan Archdall, Chair of Trustees

2. Signature

3. Date: 27/04/2024

Trustee 2

1. Full Name and Position: Amanda West, Trustee

2. Signature

3. Date 27/04/2024

You can read more about Focus Surrey at focus-surrey.com or by following us on Instagram @focusabaclubsurrey; Facebook @ABASurreyFocus and Twitter @Focus_Surrey

FOCUS SURREY

CONTENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023

----- Start of picture text -----
Page
Reference and administration 1
Independent examination report 2
Receipts and payments account 3
Statement of assets and liabilities 4
Notes to the accounts 5
----- End of picture text -----

FOCUS SURREY

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023

----- Start of picture text -----
Registered Name Focus Surrey
Registered Charity Number 1178378
Principal Address 37 Stanhope Road
Carshalton
SM5 4LH
Charity Trustees Susan Archdall (Chair of Trustees)
Louise Simon
Tracey Tibbals
Samantha Jane Rahman
Kunhui Rimington
Kathleen Kelly
Lisa Masarati
June May Lee Goh
Amanda West
Bankers Barclays
Independent Examiner Community360
Winsley’s House
Colchester
CO1 1UG
----- End of picture text -----

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FOCUS SURREY

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023

I report on the accounts of Focus Surrey for the year ended 30 June 2023 which are set out on pages three to five.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The Charity’s Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Charity’s Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144 (2) of the Charities Act 2011 (The Act) but that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s Statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes considerations of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Shelley-Marie Rudling FMAAT AATQB for and on behalf of: Community360, Winsley’s House Date 29/04/2024 High Street, Colchester, Essex

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FOCUS SURREY

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023

----- Start of picture text -----
2023 2022
£ £
Income
Donations 11,617 7,034
Grants 18,713 11,637
Subscriptions 17,050 13,220
Fundraising events 3,411 6,151
Total income 50,791 38,042
Expenditure
Fundraising events 430 48
Fundraising costs 3,590 4,341
Staff costs 19,187 20,205
Management (operations) 586 815
Equipment and storage 654 1,203
Facility hire fees 10,203 5,050
Training 240 -
Insurance 420 377
Hospitality 286 336
Gift expenses 662 948
Goverance costs 2,205 1,151
Total expenditure 38,463 34,474
Net income/(expenditure) 12,328 3,568
Total funds brought forward 18,587 15,020
Total funds carried forward 30,915 18,587
----- End of picture text -----

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FOCUS SURREY

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 30 JUNE 2023

Monetary assets
Cash at bank and in hand
Total Monetary Assets
Unrestricted funds
Total funds
Non monetary assets and liabilities
Accruals
Accountancy fee		 2023
£
30,915
30,915
30,915
30,915
2023
£
340
340		 2022
£
18,587
18,587
18,587
18,587
2022
£
-
-

Signed on behalf of the Trustees: Date: 27/04/2024 Amanda West

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FOCUS SURREY

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023

1. Accounting policies

These accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis, following best practice as laid down in the Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" (SORP 2019) issued in 2019, with all revenue and expenses shown on a cash basis. Non-monetary Assets and Liabilities are shown as actual values at the end of the year.

Accounts prepared on a cash basis.

Going concern

These accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis.

Related Parties

There were no related parties during the year.

2. Resources expended

These have been analysed using a natural classification.

3. No remuneration was paid to any Trustee or to any person or persons known to be connected with any of them.

4. Movement in funds

Unrestricted
General		 Balance at
01/07/2022
18,587
18,587		 Income
resources
50,791
50,791		 Outgoing
resources
38,463
38,463		 Transfer
-
-		 Balance at
30/06/2023
30,915
30,915

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