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2024-03-31-accounts

The Bridge Foundation Annual Report and Accounts 31 March 2024

Charity Number: 1178918

Who we are

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The Bridge Foundation was founded in late 1983 in Bristol, by a psychotherapist trained at the Tavistock Clinic – a world-leading centre of excellence for psychotherapy training. Over the past 40 years we have helped 11,000+ individuals and established a reputation for clinical excellence and effective results.

Today, we specialise in providing in-depth psychotherapeutic interventions that include arts, play and talking-based approaches. Our award-winning model sustainably combines schools-based outreach, commissioned services and fee-paying services, to make a difference to children, young people, families and adults suffering mental health difficulties across Bristol.

We were awarded a Bristol Social Impact Award for Good Governance in February 2024, in recognition of our strong and innovative governance.

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“The skills and ability to
think differently have “The work you do with “I can share my worries.”
my child is amazing (Child)
helped me so much…”
and incredible.”
(Young person)
(Parent)
“Pupils, staff and parents access
“This has been a lifeline for me.”
expert help on-site… a vital part
(Therapy group member)
of our mental health provision.”
(School leader)
“My therapist has helped me to
“The sun shines brighter
see that I am strong, and I will be
when you are here.”
forever grateful for that.“ (School staff)
(Adult)
----- End of picture text -----

What we do

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In 2023, one in five children and young people aged 8-25 in England had a probable mental health disorder (NHS Digital 2023). 50% of long-term mental health problems begin before children reach 14. Those growing up in deprived areas are three times as likely to develop mental health difficulties to better off peers. Children and young people with learning disabilities are more than four times more likely to develop a mental health problem than those without (SEND Network 2023). The latest national data showed around one in six adults (over 16s) were experiencing depression (ONS 2021).

The Bridge brings the best help to the most vulnerable, including looked after children, young people with special educational needs and disabilities, children from deprived backgrounds, and those experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or dealing with the consequences in their adult lives. Our holistic approach includes support for families and schools to enhance and sustain the impact of the improvements that the therapy brings.

As experts and local leaders in mental health, our breadth of experience and evidence-based approach are underpinned by in-depth psychodynamic training and rich professional insights from across our ever-growing multi-disciplinary team, which includes therapists with arts trainings. Our highly qualified clinicians have many years of experience.

Our diverse approaches use accessible means of communication – including play, music, art and drama – and are as individual as every child who uses our services.

Among the ~500 young people we directly support each year:

We also support ~200 adults each year, including parents of the children receiving our 1-1 support, and individuals experiencing difficulties or trauma in their adult lives.

What we do

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Schools-embedded early intervention mental health support

Bridge in Schools focuses its work in disadvantaged areas of Bristol and takes a holistic approach, including support for parents and schools, to increase resilience and enable long-lasting results. Through partnerships with local primary, specialist and secondary schools we embed highly qualified child and adolescent psychotherapists within pastoral teams to provide tailored solutions for wholeschool emotional well-being. Teachers refer children with complex needs into our 1-1 early intervention support.

Individualised therapeutic work through client-led services

Bridge Psychotherapy Service includes our fee-paying long- and short-term therapy for parents and infants, children, adolescents, parents and families; specialist work for adults; low cost and free therapy initiatives; and autism assessment services. Commissioned work through the Adoption Support Fund, Social Services, the NHS and others allows us to reach children, young people and adults who might otherwise be unable to access high quality, indepth, and often long-term, therapy.

Expert professional support services, training opportunities and events

The Bridge’s Professional Support services provide reflective practice support (“supervision”, in therapeutic terms), training, and conferences and events for frontline professionals working with children, including teachers, mental health workers and social workers. We are highly reputed throughout professional networks in the region and nationally.

Bridge in Schools

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School partnerships

We collaborate with local schools to co-create a mental health service that builds on their 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 are integrated into the familiar and safe school environment.

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 into school pastoral teams.

Children and families see highly trained staff, rarely to be found outside specialist NHS services or costly private clinics – so that the best help is there for the most vulnerable.

Bridge in Schools

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Whole-school wellbeing programme

Schools benefit from access to this in-house expert mental health support through a therapeutic offer that is responsive to the particular and current needs of the school community.

“Invaluable, life transforming support for pupils with significant and complex mental health challenges.” (Schools Trust Deputy CEO)

The programme includes:

“Bridge in Schools’ work with children has always shown exceptional impact, and the work with parents has been crucial to the emotional health of their children (and them).” (SENDCo, May 2023)

We augment positive impact on children’s emotional wellbeing through support for teachers and parents to help sustain emotional and behavioural improvements.

This year we also conducted a pupil voice evaluation pilot to gather views about emotional wellbeing and mental health needs in school from a pupil population.

“The knowledge and experience Bridge in Schools therapists share with staff to help support our children is rich and inspiring.” (Learning Mentor, June 2023)

“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/ Attendance Officer, June 2023)

“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)

Bridge in Schools: Impact

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This year we:

Provided young people with 1:1 in-depth therapeutic support, 287

including children and young people within SEND schools. 70

Embedded our support within partner schools, including SEND schools 19 6 across Bristol and South Gloucester through long-term partnerships.

Delivered clinical sessions of therapeutic support within term time. 5,119

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 are more able to think about and manage their difficult feelings.

Their relationships with peers and adults show improvements.

Their emotional resilience and self-confidence increases.

School staff are more confident to support pupils with complex needs.

Parents are more able to understand and respond to the needs of their children.

8 out of 10 children show improvement after their therapy, despite high levels of mental health severity and complexity.’

Bridge Psychotherapy Service

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This year we:

Supported 289 clients (196 children and young people and 93 adults) of which:

Delivered clinical sessions. 7,306

Provided subsidised group therapy to 38 parents.

Through our not-for-profit psychotherapy services we provide highly effective support, tailored 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.

We strive to increase our reach to people who might not be able to afford therapy. Initiatives have included time-limited therapy for adults through the NHS, free therapy for Bristol University students, and partnerships with a children’s centre and a community centre.

We also offer professional placements to trainee psychodynamic therapists who can deliver free or low fee therapy. Many join our team in longterm roles following full qualification.

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Bridge Psychotherapy Service

“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)

“Our therapist was able to offer us 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 attendee)

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Our financial model
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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:

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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
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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.

We would like to thank Henry Smith Foundation Linnet Trust all funders and partners Nisbet Trust Inchrye Trust who have generously John Thaw Foundation Alfred Hill Fund supported our work during this year Walter Guinness Charitable Trust Nagle Family Fund Souter Charitable Trust James Tudor Foundation Baily Thomas Charitable Fund G R Lane Health Portishead Nautical Trust

We 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.

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Plans for the future 11
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The Bridge has never stood still, there is always more work to be done and one thing that has been consistent over the past 40 years is that we are always growing. To this end we are in the process of purchasing a building into which we can expand and continue to deliver our services to as many people as possible.

In our strategy for the next five years, we are focusing on four strands:

We enter our next decade focused on supporting Bristol’s mental health, alongside the many other role players and experts in our local mental health ecosystem. We will do this by maintaining our high quality services and staying true to our values, while striving to support even more vulnerable individuals, sustainably and accessibly, for many more years to come.

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Letter from our Chair

Another busy year has passed at The Bridge Foundation. We have seen change on our Board of Trustees with three long-serving talented members standing down for personal reasons. Their presence around the Board table has been greatly valued over the years. We have welcomed four new trustees with backgrounds in clinical practice, psychiatry, accountancy and business development. These new members bring new energy, perspectives and expertise to our strong and established Board.

This has also been the first full year of the organisation being led through joint leadership. At the end of 2022, when our CEO left, we decided to trial a new arrangement where leadership was shared in a Joint Leadership Team (JLT) between our Operations and Finance Manager and our two clinical leads – all three now known as Directors. A performance review one year in, by trustees, staff and JLT Directors, showed overwhelming endorsement of the new leadership approach. It was felt to be efficient and effective while also allowing for increased collaboration, innovation, creative thinking and reflection.

At the same time, we learned of the end-2024 retirement plans of our Operations and Finance Director – one of the JLT members and our longest standing member of staff. It has meant that, as well as reviewing the JLT, we have concentrated on succession planning and the design of an adjusted model of leadership. After consultation, we are now working towards a joint CEO model where the two clinical leads share leadership with support from a Senior Management Team with enhanced responsibilities.

These changes have occupied considerable time and energy, so we were particularly thrilled to be awarded a Social Impact Award for good governance by our local third sector support organisation, Voscur, around the same time. The award recognises the innovation, effectiveness and sustainability of our governance practices - specifically our leadership innovations and thinking, and our sustainable diversified financial model.

In parallel to all of this, we have ensured continued service delivery excellence, and I am delighted that our Bridge Foundation services have prospered. We continue to offer a mix of free and fee-paying services; working in schools throughout Bristol and its surrounds, and offering therapy to children and families from our base in Cotham. Our commissioned caseload continues to grow; our new services – including group therapy sessions and diagnostic autism assessments – have been well received and we continue to organise our annual clinical conference. We are proud that our services remain of the highest quality, supported by our skilled and committed staff team.

As we prepare for another year, one in which we will celebrate our 40th anniversary and move into our new property, I find myself thinking of all those, past and present, who have made the work of The Bridge Foundation possible and helped it to have a bright future as a leading player in the field of mental health. It has been and remains a collective endeavour, the result of consistency, caring and commitment.

And so – to our staff team, our Directors, our Trustees, funders, partners and supporters – thank you for the continuing excellence of The Bridge Foundation. Let us work together to ensure the continuation of this excellence into the future.

Best wishes,

Cathy Benjamin

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Reference and administrative details

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Charity number

Charity number 1178918 Registered office 13 Sydenham Road Bristol BS6 5SH

Trustees

The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows:

Alison Appshaw - Treasurer Resigned 1 April 2023 Rob Barling Appointed 29 January 2024 Cathy Benjamin - Chair Chris Bird - Treasurer Appointed 29 January 2024 Itamar Cohen Kristian Cox Caroline Harris Resigned 1 January 2024 Martin McColl Appointed 25 September 2023 Jessica Miles Laura Vickers-Rendall Lindy Wootton Megan Yakeley Appointed 25 September 2023 Lucy Young Resigned 25 September 2023 Matthew Jenkins Joint Leadership Team Annabelle Patel Georgina Taylor NatWest Bankers 40 Queen's Road Clifton Bristol BS8 1BF

Auditors Godfrey Wilson Limited Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 5th Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QD

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Report of the trustees

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Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the Constitution and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities (effective from January 2019).

Objectives and activities

Purpose

The objects of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) are for the public benefit in Bristol and the South West (the area of benefit):

This is done through the advancement of the skills and application of psychoanalytically based therapeutic services and the pursuit of good practice through education, training, consultancy and promotion of the arts.

Aims

Our vision

At The Bridge Foundation we want a future where every person can feel secure about who they are and relate to others as fully and honestly as possible.

We provide counselling, psychotherapy, consultation and supervision, informed by psychoanalytic thinking in Bristol and the South West. We use a psychoanalytic approach to explore underlying patterns in behaviour and relationships and improve emotional wellbeing and mental health.

We do this by providing:

Our approach

The Bridge Foundation is a charity where:

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Report of the trustees

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- Strategic goals 2024 2029

Organisation developments and performance Joint leadership team

From late December 2022, Georgina Taylor, Clinical Director and Clinical Lead Bridge Psychotherapy Service, Annabelle Patel, Operations and Finance Director and Matthew Jenkins, Clinical Director and Clinical Lead Bridge in Schools, formed the Joint Leadership Team (JLT). The JLT have been in place for the entirety of 23/24 and have worked together to run the Bridge Foundation. They have focused on developing a five year strategic plan which they are beginning to deliver.

The trustees completed a review of the JLT and how it was functioning in early 2024 and the resulting paper reported that staff, trustees and the JLT (all of whom had been surveyed) found that it was a robust and effective leadership model and that The Bridge Foundation was thriving under it. This work is now being used to inform the succession planning that is in progress as the Operations and Finance Director is leaving The Bridge Foundation in December 2024.

Bridge in Schools (BiS)

As last year, the long term effects of the pandemic on families are still very much with us particularly in many of the areas of greater deprivation that we support, who were disproportionately affected. School staff are supporting children with complex emotional needs, while at the same time attempting to make up lost ground in terms of learning and development. Much of our work has included support for school staff and families as well as the direct therapeutic work with children.

This year we also piloted a pupil voice project which aimed to gather the views of primary school children in one of our partner schools about their mental health and emotional well-being needs, with the intention of using the evaluation to inform service delivery.

We continue to advocate our whole school partnership approach to wellbeing which helps schools to prioritise emotional wellbeing within the education system in the context of the many challenges they face.

Schools continue to experience ongoing financial pressures which impact on what they are able to offer. Some of our partner schools have been forced to implement reductions in therapeutic provision (as well as other services) in spite of clearly valuing the service. However this has been offset by some new partnerships over the course of the year and overall, the trajectory continues to be one of growth.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Report of the trustees

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Bridge Psychotherapy Service (BPS)

We continued to have a waiting list of around 4 months for children and young people; the waiting time was much shorter for adults (sometimes no wait at all), while for children and young people needing after school appointments it can be 6 months or longer. We had a new therapist start work in June and an existing therapist had increased her hours also from June. We have an open application invitation on the website, and from time to time get enquiries to work in the team.

Our autism assessment service is now fully up and running and we are now carrying a waiting list for these of around a year. We have had very positive feedback from all of the assessments conducted. We have expanded our group therapy provision from one to two parent groups, enabling parents of adolescents and of primary aged neurodivergent children to access therapeutic support at a low fee.

A new trainee child psychotherapist began work in the team in October 2023 and is progressing very well in what is the first year of his four year clinical training. He is able to offer low fee and free services to clients including some who could not otherwise access therapy services.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the BPS team has included issues such as neurodiversity, working with dreams and working with groups. Staff value the high quality training offered and the variety of both topics and approaches; these CPD sessions contribute to ensuring that we continue to offer the highest quality services.

At the end of the 2023-2024 financial year the number of commissioned cases had continued to grow, standing at:


tinued to grow, standing at:
BPS BiS
AdoptionSupportFund (ASF) 50 3
ASFSpecialGuardianship Order 11
 6
SocialServices 2
NHS 1
Schools
Other 1 Education Healthcare Plan (EHCP)

There were a further seven cases waiting for allocation at that time. The increase in commissioned work has contributed to the financial stability of the BPS service, though it continues to be uncertain in the long term whether or not the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) will continue; as the ASF provides the majority of the commissioned cases this would have a large impact on BPS if it was discontinued. The children and young people whose therapy is commissioned on the whole have a higher level of difficulty than would be average for cases in the BPS service and they are more likely to have complex networks and additional vulnerabilities (e.g. risk of exclusion, risk of family or placement breakdown).

Award

The Bridge Foundation were delighted to receive the Good Governance Award at the Bristol Social Impact Awards in February. This major awards event is organised by Voscur and brings together third sector organisations from across Bristol. This recognition of our work and strong governance was much appreciated by the whole organisation.

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Plans for the future

The new strategic plan for The Bridge Foundation reflects the vision and core values of our organisation. In developing this strategic plan the JLT (joint leadership team) decided to start with a blank sheet, rather than make adjustments to the previous plan or use a template. This is to ensure that the strategic plan fully reflects our current situation and our development needs, and that it aligns fully with our unique organisational ethos. The strategy is designed around four primary goals:

To ensure that a psychodynamic approach and values are at the heart of everything we do at The Bridge Foundation

To ensure that a psychodynamic approach and values permeates the organisation, we will continue to embed this ethos into all aspects of the service and organisation by:

To strive to deliver the highest quality services within a robust, effective learning organisation

We are committed to upholding high-quality service standards and organisational efficiency. We will achieve this by:

To improve equality, diversity and accessibility across the whole organisation

We wish to make our services accessible and relevant to as wide a section of the community around Bristol as possible; this includes people from diverse ethnic groups or who represent diversity of sexuality, gender identity, religious identity, class, disability, age or health issues.

We will also endeavour to improve the diversity within our staff group, celebrate diversity and expand our reach to those who need our services. We will do this by:

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To commit to sustainable growth

We are committed to sustainable growth while maintaining the highest quality services and ensuring that new therapist recruits are able to deliver high quality psychodynamic therapy. By growth we mean: increasing the number of children, families and individuals we see to better meet the need and to extend the range of services we can offer in order to address gaps in provision. To this end we will be:

These four strategic goals are interconnected and underpinned by several fundamental enablers:

Work we have done so far includes:

Marketing to schools to maintain growth in schools partnership contracts.

Public benefit

Trustees have regard to the two key principles of public benefit set by the Charity Commission. First that there should be clarity over benefits and that they must relate to organisational aims and that such benefits should be balanced against any harmful detriment. The second benefit must be to the public; that beneficiaries must be appropriate and that access to such benefits should not be unreasonably restricted. Trustees consider that the combination of fee paying and free services provided by the Bridge Foundation conform to the conditions and guidance offered by the Charity Commission in relation to public benefit.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Report of the trustees

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Financial review

Going concern

The trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. The pandemic has had a significant impact on the global economy but the charity has managed to maintain a solid financial position as a result of the mixed financial model that it operates.

The charity holds unrestricted, general reserves of £285,638 and a cash balance of £318,492 at year end. The charity has continued to secure income in 24/25 through its established mixed financial model and the trustees consider that the charity has sufficient cash reserves to continue as a going concern for a period of at least 12 months from the date on which these financial statements are approved.

Financial position

The year ended with expenditure of £954,358 against an income of £993,443. At March 2024, total unrestricted reserves amounted to £285,638.

Principal risks

Trustees regularly address risk management issues, which are the major strategic, business and operational risks which the charity faces, the maintenance of a risk register, the establishment of systems for the monitoring of risk, and the setting up of contingency arrangements. The Treasurer and Chair review financial performance and cash flow bi-monthly. Clinical risk is currently managed through regular clinical supervision and adherence to the ethics and best practice of relevant professional bodies (BACP, UKCP, BPC and ACP).

Reserves policy

Trustees have examined the charity's requirements for reserves in the light of the main risks to the organisation and have established a clear policy. The majority of the Foundation's project running costs are covered by income generated within the financial year or by funding from designated or restricted funds. Such funds fluctuate as a consequence of grants from major funders being received either in advance or in arrears of the financial year in which relevant expenditure is made.

Trustees have, therefore, established a policy whereby free reserves (the unrestricted funds not committed in tangible fixed assets or otherwise designated by a funder or donor) should be maintained at a minimum level equating to at least six months of unrestricted expenditure (the non-project core costs of the organisation). The intention is that such free reserves should provide sufficient cover for non-project management, administrative and other support costs in case of unexpected funding shortfalls and to allow time to deal with such unexpected events.

Support costs for six months amount to approx. £105,000 and at the end of the year general reserves are£285,638. The reason for this high figure is the fact that some of this amount

(£170,000) is intended to be used for a property purchase in 24/25. Therefore, available general reserves at the end of the year are£115,638 which is in line with the stated reserves policy.

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The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Report of the trustees

Structure, governance and management

Constitution

The Bridge Foundation was registered as an unincorporated charity on 1 February 1999 operating under a deed of trust dated 19 October 1998 as amended by a supplemental deed dated 12 May 2009 with charity number 1073759. As of 1 April 2019, the organisation has become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with charity number 1178918.

Method of appointment or election of trustees

Potential trustees are initially invited to have an informal discussion with the JLT and / or the Chair and to visit the organisation. Potential trustees are then invited to an interview with two trustees to gain an understanding of the organisation. This involves discussion of the mission, vision and strategic direction of the organisation; the roles and responsibilities of being a trustee, and the difference between governance and management. The meeting explores the skills and qualities the candidate can bring and their capacity and willingness to commit sufficient time to the role. In addition prospective trustees are asked to provide two references to ensure that they have the requisite skills and are of good character.

On appointment new trustees have the opportunity to attend a board meeting to get the feel of the board, and are later formally appointed by the board with confirmation at the AGM.

Trustee induction and training consists of a meeting with the Chair and JLT, a tour of the premises and introductions to the Senior Management Team. They also receive an information package that includes the Articles of Association, Annual Report and Accounts and Charity Commission booklets describing the responsibilities of the trustee role. New trustees are strongly encouraged to attend locally organised governance training opportunities details of which are circulated periodically to all trustees.

The Bridge Foundation is a member of Voscur – a Bristol based organisation that aims to support, develop and represent Bristol's Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector – and The Association of Chairs – a national membership organisation supporting Chairs and Vice Chairs of charities and social enterprises in England and Wales. Both of these organisations provide training and peer support opportunities for members of the board.

Trustees are appointed for a term of three years in the first instance.

Organisational structure and decision making

The board of trustees meets six times a year and is responsible for the finances, the strategic direction and policy of the charity.

The board of trustees aims to provide a balance of skills and experience relevant and applicable to the work of The Bridge Foundation, our beneficiary groups and the issues we are dealing with. Professions currently represented include child and adult psychotherapy, social work, education, finance, child protection, public relations and human resources.

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The board has adopted, and will keep under review, a set of policies relating to corporate governance including Equalities, Child Protection and Safeguarding, Vulnerable Adults, Confidentiality, Environment, Health & Safety, Complaints, Employment, Data Protection and Grievance.

Trustee recruitment has remained a focus of the last year with a number of long-standing Trustees standing down in recent years and new ones coming on board. The Trustees have committed to developing the membership of the Board and increasing its diversity. Planning has included more accessible recruitment procedures with wider advertising and clearer supporting information such as trustee job and role descriptions.

We have hybrid Trustee meetings with some attendees meeting in person and others remotely. These work moderately effectively whilst acknowledging that there is still work to do on making them equitable.

Trustees also meet three times a year for a facilitated in-person reflective meeting. Two of these meetings include JLT members while the third is trustees only. Trustees are strongly encouraged to attend these.

Two sub-boards meet regularly and report to the board.

Sub-boards

Strategy, Resources and Business Group (SRB) meets six times a year. Membership: Joint Leadership Team and 3 trustees – one of whom acts as Chair. Purpose:

Finance Group meets six times a year. Membership: JLT, the Bridge Foundation Treasurer and one other trustee. Purpose:

The JLT holds responsibility for the operational management of The Bridge Foundation, the management of clinical service teams and for the planning, delivery and monitoring of services.

The Operations and Finance Director, assisted by the Finance Assistant, holds responsibility for financial planning and monitoring and for the preparation of management accounts and for audit. The Monitoring and Evaluation Data Analyst has responsibility for the collection and analysis and presentation of monitoring and evaluation information.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Report of the trustees

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Pay and remuneration

Pay reviews and new posts are assessed and reviewed by a job evaluation panel made up of senior staff (JLT) and trustees. Recommendations relating to staff (pay, conditions of service, leave of absence, new appointments) are presented to the SRB and either agreed there or passed to the board for endorsement and/or approval.

Risk management

The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the charity, and are satisfied that systems and procedures are in place to mitigate the charity's exposure to the major risks.

Insurance

The charity holds employer liability, public liability and professional indemnity insurances.

Trustees' indemnities

Trustees exercise skill and care in the management of staff, finances, and the delivery of services and receive regular reports with documentation on all aspects of organisational activity. The composition of the board and its meetings and deliberations take place within the terms of the governing document.

Statement of responsibilities of the trustees

The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and the incoming resources and application of resources, including the net income or expenditure, of the charity for the year. In preparing those financial statements the trustees are required to:

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The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Auditors

Godfrey Wilson Limited were appointed as auditors to the charity during the year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.

Approved by the trustees on 23 September 2024 and signed on their behalf by

Cathy Benjamin - Chair of Trustees

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Independent auditors’ report

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Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Bridge Foundation (the 'charity') for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the statement of financial activities, balance sheet, statement of cash flows and the related notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Independent auditors’ report

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In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Other matter

The financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 were not audited because the charity was below the statutory audit threshold.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of the trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out in the trustees’ report, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Independent auditors’ report

26

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The procedures we carried out and the extent to which they are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, are detailed below:

2) We reviewed the charity’s policies and procedures in relation to:

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. Irregularities that arise due to fraud can be even harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities . This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Independent auditors’ report

27

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charityʼs trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charityʼs trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditorʼs report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charityʼs trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Godfrey Wilson Limited

Date: 23 September 2024

GODFREY WILSON LIMITED

Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 5th Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QD

Godfrey Wilson Limited is eligible for appointment as auditor of the charity by virtue of its eligibility for appointment as auditor of a company under section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 28 Statement of financial activities

Income from:
3
4
Donations
Charitable activities
Other income
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Charitable activities
6
7
Total expenditure
Net income and net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Note		 Restricted
£
-
112,500
-
112,500
-
97,500
97,500
15,000
143,441
158,441		 Unrestricted
£
48,726
831,182
1,035
880,943
43,259
813,599
856,858
24,085
261,553
285,638		 2024
Total
£
48,726
943,682
1,035
993,443
43,259
911,099
954,358
39,085
404,994
444,079		 2023
Total
£
41,130
919,157
3,054
963,341
29,750
796,065
825,815
137,526
267,468
404,994

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in note 13 to the accounts.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 29 Balance sheet

Note
10
11
12
13
Current assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due within 1 year
Net current assets and net assets
Funds
Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
General funds
Total charity funds		 2024
£
158,148
318,492
476,640
(32,561)
444,079
158,441
285,638
444,079		 2023
£
122,591
289,728
412,319
(7,325)
404,994
143,441
261,553
404,994

Approved by the trustees on 23 September 2024 and signed on their behalf by

Cathy Benjamin - Chair of Trustees

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Statement of cash flows

30

Cash used in operating activities:
Net movement in funds
(Increase) / decrease in debtors
Increase / (decrease) in creditors
Net cash provided by operating activities
Increase in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year		 2024
£
39,085
(35,557)
25,236
28,764
28,764
289,728
318,492		 2023
£
137,526
26,955
(14,259)
150,222
150,222
139,506
289,728

The charity has not provided an analysis of changes in net debt as it does not have any long term financing arrangements.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Notes to the financial statements

31

1. Accounting policies

a) Basis of preparation and general information

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities in preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

The Bridge Foundation meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

The Bridge Foundation is a registered charity, with its registered address at: 13 Sydenham Road, Bristol, BS6 5SH.

b) Going concern basis of accounting

The accounts have been prepared on the assumption that the charity is able to continue as a going concern, which the trustees consider appropriate having regard to the current level of unrestricted reserves. There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

c) Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from the government and other grants, whether 'capital' grants or 'revenue' grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

Income received in advance of therapeutic service provision is deferred until criteria for income recognition are met.

d) Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity: this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

e) Funds accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of the charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose. Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity's work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Notes to the financial statements

32

1. Accounting policies (continued)

f) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

g) Allocation of support and governance costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Governance costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the charity, including the costs of complying with constitutional and statutory requirements and any costs associated with the strategic management of the charity’s activities. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities based on the proportion of direct costs:


ted between cost of raising funds a
ct costs:
nd expenditure on charita
ble activities
2024 2023
Raising funds 4.5% 3.6%
Charitable activities 95.5% 96.4%

h) Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

i) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

j) Creditors

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

k) Financial instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently recognised at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

l) Pension costs

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for its employees. There are no further liabilities other than that already recognised in the SOFA.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Notes to the financial statements

33

1. Accounting policies (continued)

m) Accounting estimates and key judgements

In the application of the charity's accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

There are no key sources of estimation uncertainty that have a significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements.

2. Prior period comparatives: statement of financial activities

Income from:
Donations
Charitable activities
Other income
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Total expenditure
Net income and net movement in funds		 Restricted
£
-
251,565
-
251,565
-
116,204
116,204
135,361		 £
41,130
667,592
3,054
711,776
29,750
679,861
709,611
2,165
Unrestricted		 2023
Total
£
41,130
919,157
3,054
963,341
29,750
796,065
825,815
137,526

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Notes to the financial statements

34

3. Income from donations

Donations
Gifts in kind		 Restricted
£
-
-
-		 £
48,726
-
Unrestricted
48,726		 2024
Total
£
48,726
-
48,726		 2023
Total
£
40,530
600
41,130

All income from donations and gifts in kind in the prior year was unrestricted.

4.
Income from charitable activities
Therapy session fees
Grants
Contracts
Conference fees
Total income from charitable activities
Prior period comparative:
Therapy session fees
Grants
Contracts
Total income from charitable activities		 Restricted
£
-
112,500
-
-
112,500
Restricted
£
-
251,565
-
251,565		 £
525,645
-
302,964
2,573
831,182
£
468,867
-
198,725
667,592
Unrestricted
Unrestricted		 2024
Total
£
525,645
112,500
302,964
2,573
943,682
2023
Total
£
468,867
251,565
198,725
919,157

5. Government grants

No government grants were received by the charity during the current or prior year.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Notes to the financial statements

35

6. Total expenditure

Staff costs (note 8)
Sessional staff and other staff costs
Advertising
Venue hire
Travel and subsistence
Professional fees
IT costs
Premises and office costs
Bank and card fees
Sundry
Bad debt
Sub-total
Allocation of support and governance
costs
Total expenditure		 Raising
funds
£
29,510
-
4,210
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
33,720
9,539
43,259
-		 Charitable
activities
£
666,527
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
710,195
200,904
911,099
16,456
27,212		 £
100,354
-
-
3,399
3,739
25,086
7,488
65,348
2,985
1,061
983
210,443
(210,443)
-
Support and
governance
costs		 2024 Total
£
796,391
27,212
4,210
3,399
3,739
41,542
7,488
65,348
2,985
1,061
983
954,358
-
954,358

Total governance costs were £7,800 (2023: £2,640).

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Notes to the financial statements

36

6. Total expenditure (continued)

Staff costs (note 8)
Sessional staff and other staff costs
Advertising
Venue hire
Travel and subsistence
Professional fees
IT costs
Premises and office costs
Bank and card fees
Sundry
Bad debt
Sub-total
Allocation of support and governance
costs
Total expenditure
Prior period comparative		 Raising
funds
£
20,390
-
3,005
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
23,395
6,355
29,750		 Charitable
activities
£
577,413
34,070
-
-
-
14,532
-
-
-
-
-
626,015
170,050
796,065		 £
81,863
-
-
1,481
3,433
23,647
7,739
52,779
1,583
1,870
2,010
176,405
(176,405)
-
Support and
governance
costs		 2023 Total
£
679,666
34,070
3,005
1,481
3,433
38,179
7,739
52,779
1,583
1,870
2,010
825,815
-
825,815

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Notes to the financial statements

37

7. Net movement in funds

This is stated after charging:

Operating lease payments
Trustees' remuneration
Trustees' reimbursed expenses
Independent examiners' remuneration (ex VAT):
§ Audit
§ Independent examination
§ Other services		 2024
£
28,655
Nil
Nil
6,500
-
-		 2023
£
28,655
Nil
Nil
-
2,200
364

No trustees were reimbursed for any expenses during the current or prior year.

8. Staff costs and numbers

Staff costs were as follows:

Salaries and wages
Social security costs
Pension costs		 2024
£
735,947
47,495
12,949
796,391		 2023
£
623,454
44,303
11,909
679,666

No employee earned more than £60,000 during the current or prior year.

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the Trustees, Operations and Finance Director, Clinical Director and Clinical Lead for Bridge Psychotherapy Service and Clinical Director and Clinical Lead for Bridge in Schools (2023: Trustees, Chief Executive Officer, Finance and Office Manager, and the Clinical Managers). The total employee benefits of the key management personnel were £134,661 (2023: £143,065).

Average head count 2024
No.
19.9		 2023
No.
17.8

9. Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Notes to the financial statements

38

10. Debtors
Trade debtors
Prepayments
Other debtors
Accrued income
11. Creditors: amounts due within 1 year
Trade creditors
Accruals
Other creditors
12. Analysis of net assets between funds
Current assets
Current liabilities
Net assets at 31 March 2024
Prior period comparative
Current assets
Current liabilities
Net assets at 31 March 2023		 £
158,441
-
158,441
£
143,441
-
143,441
Restricted
funds
Restricted
funds		 2024
£
58,700
7,034
4,384
88,030
158,148
2024
£
162
32,399
-
32,561
£
318,199
(32,561)
285,638
£
268,878
(7,325)
261,553
Unrestricted
funds
Unrestricted
funds		 2023
£
20,071
5,169
694
96,657
122,591
2023
£
-
4,259
3,066
7,325
Total
funds
£
476,640
(32,561)
444,079
Total
funds
£
412,319
(7,325)
404,994

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Notes to the financial statements

39

13. Movements in funds

At 1 April
2023
£
-
143,441
143,441
261,553
261,553
404,994
At 1 April
2022
£
-
8,080
-
8,080
259,388
259,388
267,468
Restricted funds
Bridge in Schools
Quartet Property Fund
Total restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
General funds
Total unrestricted funds
Total funds
Prior period comparative
Restricted funds
Bridge in Schools
Bristol Community Health – Health
& Wellbeing Grant Programme
Quartet Property Fund
Total restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
General funds
Total unrestricted funds
Total funds		 Income
£
112,500
-
112,500
880,943
880,943
993,443
Income
£
108,124
-
143,441
251,565
711,776
711,776
963,341		 £
(97,500)
-
(97,500)
(856,858)
(856,858)
(954,358)
£
(108,124)
(8,080)
-
(116,204)
(709,611)
(709,611)
(825,815)
Expenditure
Expenditure		 £
15,000
143,441
At 31 March
2024
158,441
285,638
285,638
444,079
£
-
-
143,441
At 31 March
2023
143,441
261,553
261,553
404,994

The Bridge Foundation Annual Review, 31 March 2024 Notes to the financial statements

40

13. Movements in funds (continued) Purposes of restricted funds

Bridge in Schools

Brings specialist mental health expertise to schools. The schools make a contribution to the cost of this service and the restricted element represents the fundraised amount from grant giving trusts and foundations. The balance carried forward at the year end reflects grant income received in March 2024 which will be spent in the 2024/25 financial year.

Bristol Community Health - Health & Wellbeing Grant Programme

Grant for a research programme to find a psychological approach to resolve trauma issues which are creating incontinence problems in teenage refugees. This programme finished in the prior financial year.

Quartet Property Fund

Funds received to purchase a building. This was originally expected to complete in 2023/24 but has been delayed and is now expected to complete in 2024/25.

14. Operating lease commitments

The charity had operating leases at the year end with total future minimum lease payments as follows:

Amount falling due:
Within 1 year
Within 1 - 5 years		 2024
£
14,214
-
14,214		 2023
£
28,655
14,214
42,869

15. Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions in the current or prior year.

13 Sydenham Road Cotham, Bristol, BS6 5SH

Charity Number: 1178918