The Bridge Foundation Annual Report and Accounts 31 March 2023 Charity Number: 1178918 The Bridge Foundation was founded in 1983 in Bristol, by a psychotherapist trained at the Tavistock Clinic – a world-leading centre of excellence for psychotherapy training. The Bridge soon established a regional reputation for clinical quality, dealing with acute mental health difficulties and making life-changing differences to local lives. Almost 40 years later, with our role as leaders in mental health firmly established, The Bridge’s support services remain a vital contribution to Bristol communities. **----- Start of picture text -----**
“There is no money
“You are literally
in this world that can
the reason my child “I don’t know how
pay for the good
comes to school.”
I would have coped
you did me, the good
(Parent of child with secondary school
that will last for my life.
receiving therapy, without you.” There are no words
Bridge in Schools)
(Young person, Bridge to describe my gratitude
Psychotherapy Service)
for having you in my story.”
(Parent receiving parent
therapy, Bridge in Schools)
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
“The work I did at The Bridge
allowed me to continue
taking the steps in my recovery
I needed, and eventually
lead the life that at one point
I didn’t know if I would
ever be able to live.”
(Young person, Bridge
Psychotherapy Service)
**----- End of picture text -----**
_“I have come away from my therapy with a beter understanding of myself, and a set of tools for when I experience either new stresses or the reappearance of the old.”_ (Adult, Bridge Psychotherapy Service) ## Schools-embedded early intervention mental health support Through Bridge in Schools, we have channelled decades of experience and an evidence-based approach into providing high-quality psychotherapy to children and families, where deprivation and entrenched inequalities lead to disproportionate levels of mental health difficulties. Our “life-transforming support” (Schools Trust Deputy CEO) brings the best help to the most vulnerable to give children a beter start in life. ## Individualised person-centred therapeutic work through client-led services Our Bridge Psychotherapy Service helps individuals and families feel secure and supported in their mental health. Our expert multidisciplinary team support children, young people, families and adults from all backgrounds and experiences. Our clinicians who work with clients under 18 also have in-depth training in child and adolescent development. ## Expert professional support services, training opportunities and events The Bridge supports professionals to manage work involving complex situations and vulnerabilities. We provide our rich clinical expertise through commissioned referrals, supervision and training, and well-atended conferences, and are highly reputed throughout professional networks in the region and nationally. ## School partnerships Our school partnerships are built around collaboration, to co-create a mental health service that builds on the individual school’s existing expertise and provision. Our model brings specialist mental health into the heart of the school community. We work with local primary, secondary and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools across the Bristol region, focusing on the most deprived areas. Placing our highly qualified child and adolescent mental health experts within local schools overcomes barriers to access. Schools refer children with the greatest mental health struggles into our in-depth therapeutic services, which we deliver within an environment that is familiar and safe. ## Outreach programme We designed our innovative Bridge in Schools outreach programme to provide specialist mental health services from within an environment that is already safe and accessible to children by embedding our expert therapists as part of the pastoral team. Children and families see highly trained staff, rarely to be found outside specialist NHS services or costly private clinics. We are uncompromising about maintaining this level of expertise, so that the best help is there for the most vulnerable. ## Whole-school wellbeing programme expert mental health support through a therapeutic offer that is responsive to the particular and current needs of the school community. The Bridge in Schools whole-school wellbeing programme includes: _“What’s so great about The Bridge is that they don’t come and go; they’re in it for the long haul and that’s what makes the difference.” (Head Teacher)_ - 1:1 therapy - Group sessions - Classroom observations - Professional assessment - _“The knowledge and experience Bridge in Schools therapists share with staff to help support our children is rich and inspiring.”_ (Learning Mentor, June 2023) - Supervision and training - Treatment planning - Consultation We augment our positive impact on children’s emotional wellbeing through a holistic approach and support for teachers and parents to help sustain the emotional and behavioural improvements gained. _“The additional supervision space for staff is vital, especially in the current climate. I doubt I would have survived SENDCoing for 10 years so well without the support of Bridge in Schools – they just know how to make you feel safe to share, think and problem solve.”_ (SENDCo, May 2023) _“The Bridge in Schools’ work with children has always shown exceptional impact and the work with parents has also been crucial to the emotional health of their children (and them).”_ (SENDCo, May 2023) _“Many schools do not have therapeutic interventions. I feel blessed to be part of a school that has The Bridge involved, as its impact is great, supporting children, families and staff to thrive.”_ (Learning Mentor/Family Support/ Atendance Officer, June 2023) ## This year we: Provided young people with 1:1 in-depth therapeutic support, 316 including children and young people within SEND schools.68 Embedded our support within partner schools, including SEND schools 17 6 across Bristol and South Gloucester through long-term partnerships. Delivered clinical sessions of therapeutic support within term time.5,054 Our established data set shows that, despite rising levels of severity, we continue to make a consistently positive impact on children’s mental health. We measure mental health outcomes using established clinical tools, comparing the change in emotional and behavioural symptoms between the start and end of the therapy. ## We see the following results after therapeutic intervention: Children’s relationships with both peers and adults show improvements. Parents are more able to understand and respond to the needs of their children. During this period of respondents reported that 86% problems had been much or a bit beter since coming to therapy. ## Tailored support to individual needs, to benefit the mental health of children, young people, families, and adults. Our experienced and highly qualified multidisciplinary team is dedicated to supporting life-long improvements for individuals who are suffering mental health difficulties and challenges. We help people across the Bristol region feel secure and supported in their mental health; working with all ages, backgrounds and experiences. ## This year we: Supported 357 clients, of which: - 22% were services commissioned by social services or adoption support for children and families. Of these, approximately 82% were for children and young people with additional needs or struggles in accessing or continuing with their education. - 80% paid a subsidised, means-assessed rate. - Delivered clinical sessions.6,257 Provided subsidised group therapy to parents. 11 Launched a new psychotherapeutically-informed autism assessment service. Began a pilot for psychotherapy outreach in a nearby community, providing free therapeutic support to clients with low incomes.2 _“I cannot thank you enough for the new awareness you have given me. The skills and ability to think differently have helped me so much and I feel like they are leading the way to the next stage of my life.”_ (Young person) _so many useful insights into our situation and has increased our confidence in parenting our challenging teen. We will always be grateful for her advice.”_ (Parent) _“Until recently he was head banging, now I can’t remember the last time this happened. He is much happier now.” (Parent)_ _“My therapist’s gentle encouragement has given me the safe space to explore things from my past that I have never spoken about.”_ (Adult) _“Meeting other parents going through similar struggles has been helpful. Sharing experiences helped me feel less alone.”_ (Parent Group atendee) The Bridge Foundation’s diverse income streams include our (not-for-profit) fee-paying service; contributions from our partner schools; commissioned services through Local Authority funding and government schemes; and charitable grants: **----- Start of picture text -----**
20%
Charitable grants including
27% growing numbers of
Fee-paying service long-term relationships
with funders
(not-for-profit)
26%
Commissioned services
through Local Authority
27% funding and government
Contributions from schemes (Adoption Support
our partner schools Fund; Pupil Premium)
Percentage of income
**----- End of picture text -----**
We have a strong loyal supporter base among local funders, many of whom have funded our work for nearly a decade. Partnering long term with trusts and statutory sources who know our work well, we also seek to expand our range of funders each year. ## Trusthouse Charitable Foundation We would like to thank Trusthouse Charitable Foundation Linnet Trust all funders and partners Henry Smith Foundation Inchrye Trust who have generously Medlock Charitable Trust Gilbert Lane Trust supported our work Lloyd Robinson Family Trust Casey Trust during this year Nisbet Trust Estelle Trust John Thaw Foundation Portishead Nautical Trust Edward Gostling Foundation England Charitable Trust Walter Guinness Charitable Trust Alfred Hill Fund Souter Charitable Trust We also extend our sincere thanks to the funders and partners who wish to remain anonymous, as well as members of the public who have raised funds, and the individuals and close supporters who have donated to our cause this year. work to diverse and vulnerable communities, we have been reflecting on all of the learning we have gained over the last four decades as we look to the future. Mental health awareness may be higher than ever in the public sphere but challenges on mental health are also at crisis point for many, and especially among our children and adolescents, who have experienced disproportionate levels of challenge over recent years. We intend to build on our position as a local and trusted mental health expert in the Bristol region and play our part in leading lasting and sustainable solutions to the mental health crisis, through our innovative and evidence-based approaches. In our 40th year, we are focused on how we can bring the proven outcomes of psychotherapy and our highly effective psychodynamic, psychoanalytic approach and model to benefit our local communities as fully and accessibly as possible. We are working to capitalise on the successes of our past while ensuring continual improvements and positive evolution. We do so from a place of relative strength and stability – especially given the considerable uncertainty of the times – through a proven combination of unrivalled clinical excellence and effective professional processes underpinned by a robust and diverse financial model. We approach the next stage of our journey with high ambitions and a healthy level of confidence in our ability to reduce the damaging impact of poor mental health among local individuals and families. 11 ## Leter from our Chair has been achieved over those years. The organisation has grown and changed in myriad ways as old friends and colleagues move on and new people with different skills and ideas take the helm. The focus of the work may change and develop with time; our current emphasis being on our two core services – Bridge in Schools and Bridge Psychotherapy Service. What doesn’t change are the fundamental principles behind the work. We continue with our aim of widening access to and understanding of psychodynamic ideas and interventions while offering a range of services that make a difference to the lives of children and families. The quality of our service is paramount and we continue looking for innovative and yet sustainable ways to achieve this. This year has seen four important developments within the organisation. Firstly we said good bye to our CEO, Michelle Windle at the end of 2022. Michelle made a hugely valuable contribution in her two years with The Bridge – particularly in the development of a robust infrastructure for the organisation that will stand us in good stead for the future. We have not replaced Michelle with another CEO. Instead we have opted for a Joint Leadership Model where our three senior managers now act as Directors and work closely with the Board of Trustees to lead and manage the organisation. It is early days for this model of leadership but we aim to review the change during the later half of 2023 and should be able to report on its progress next year. Secondly, we have the good fortune to be able to buy the property next door to the one that we currently rent. We are buying from another therapeutic organisation so the space needs litle alteration for the delivery of our services. It was within this new building that The Bridge was originally housed so it feels a litle as though The Bridge is coming ‘home’. We are enormously grateful to all those involved in facilitating this transaction. It means a great deal to us all. The third development I would like to mention is to do with service delivery. Although our core services remain the same, we are continuing to diversify within those services. For example, we are starting to work with groups – parent groups at the moment – and are developing a multi-disciplinary autism assessment service that will provide therapeutic support for families. We are also developing our support for honorary and trainee therapists. This not only contributes to the wider profession but it allows us to offer therapy to a wider range of people and meet some of our diversity objectives. Lastly, whilst navigating the change of leadership arrangement we have been reminded of the value of reflection as a way of meeting some of our core aims and objectives. When working hard it is possible to get tied into strategy and business and leave litle time for thinking. This seems at odds with a psychodynamic approach and we have now introduced reflective space for all those involved in management and leadership including the Board of trustees. to strength. That includes our wonderful staff and Directors, our commited Board of Trustees, our partner schools, our funders and all the other supporters who quietly wish us well in the background. Thank you for another successful year at the Bridge. Best wishes, Cathy Benjamin 12 # The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Reference and administrative details The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Report of the trustees 13 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Report of the trustees 14 15 # The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Report of the trustees 16 # The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Report of the trustees 17 # The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Report of the trustees 18 # The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Report of the trustees 19 # The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Report of the trustees 20 # The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Report of the trustees 21 # The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Report of the trustees The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Report of the trustees 22 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Independent examiner’s report to the trustees 23 24 to 37. ## Alison Godfrey The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 24 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 25 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 26 27 # The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 28 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 29 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 30 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 31 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 32 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 33 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 34 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 35 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 36 The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2023 Financial Statements 37 13 Sydenham Road Cotham, Bristol, BS6 5SH Charity Number: 1178918