2024-06-30-accounts - The Birth Partner Project

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Trustees' Annual Report for the period

From Period start date To Period end date Day Month Year Day Month Year 1 July 2023 30 June 2024

Charity name The Birth Partner Project Other names charity is known by TBPP Registered charity number (if any) 1179100

Charity's principal address Trinity Centre

Four Elms Road, Piercefield Place, Cardiff Postcode CF24 1LE

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name Office (if any)

Dates acted if not for whole year appoint trustee (if any)

Chair
1[Laura Ester ] Santana
2 Smitha Coughlan Treasurer
3 Jill Hunter
4 Gillian Boden
5 Christianah Ugbaja
6[Therese Marie ] Chantal Patel
7 Ellen-Mae Bryant Until 4/9/2023 Caroline Sophia
8 Kerenhappuch Until 31/10/23 Parkes Until 31/10/23
9[Andrea Catherine ] Powell
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees) Name Dates acted if not for whole year

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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) Type of adviser Name Address	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) Type of adviser Name Address	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) Type of adviser Name Address




Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document	Constitution
(eg. trust deed, constitution)
How the charity is constituted	Charitable Incorporated Organisation
(eg. trust, association, company)
Trustee selection methods (eg. appointed by, elected by)	Founders of the charity appointed as trustees during the period of set-up. Other trustees have been appointed with consideration by the board of trustees.
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
Youmay chooseto include
additional information, where
relevant, about:
● policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees;
● the charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the charity
works;
● relationship with any related
parties;
● trustees’ consideration of
major risks and the system
and procedures to manage
them.

Section C Objectives and activities

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Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

THE OBJECTS OF THE CIO ARE: For the advancement of health, to provide emotional, physical, advocacy and material support during the first 1000 days of life as well as the perinatal period for women in the UK who lack access to a birth partner. In particular, but not exclusively, through the provision of volunteer support to provide information and signpost to services during the antenatal period, birth partner support during labour and delivery and continuity of non-medical care during the early postnatal period. We will continue support beyond this period where there is a demonstrated need. For the purpose of this clause, "perinatal" means during pregnancy, birth and first 8 weeks after birth. Trained volunteers provide unbiased, non-medical, support for identified women or birthing people during their pregnancy, birth, and the first 8 weeks with their baby. Following a referral from a midwife, the charity’s project coordinator sets up a team of volunteers who provide antenatal support. We provide 24-hour support during labour and delivery, followed by a period of postpartum visits by volunteers to the supported new mum and their baby, for up to 8 weeks after delivery. New mums may also choose to attend the weekly drop-in meeting where they can access wellbeing activities and peer support. These activities are undertaken to ensure each woman or birthing person: ● Feels valued and continually supported. ● Has access to, and understanding of, appropriate information;and is signposted to professional services when needed during the antenatal period. ● Has emotional support, comfort measures and a positive, nurturing presence during labour, birth and the immediate postpartum period, at home and/or in hospital. ● Is supported with regular visits during the first eight weeks postpartum, including non-medical support for maternal well-being, support of infant feeding, and to help with referrals and signposting to other help where appropriate. The charity is staffed by a small team of paid staff (4 individuals working part-time hours) who coordinate operations, recruit and train volunteers, and ensure the organisation is well managed. In accordance with Section 17(5) of the Charities Act and the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 we confirm that the trustees have had regard to the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance would be relevant.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

3 March 2012

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You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

policy on grantmaking;
policy programme related investment;
contribution made by volunteers.

Section D Achievements and performance

March 2012

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Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

Impact

During the 2023/24 year we provided volunteer birth partnering teams for 15 Mamas and their babies. We then connected those Mamas (where they wished us to do so) with a wide range of support services in the local area, and welcomed many of them at our weekly drop-in meeting for friendship and support.

Volunteering

Volunteers are at the heart of our work - we could not build effective birth teams or run our weekly drop-in meeting without them. We ran two rounds of volunteer recruitment during the 2023/24 period, with 11 new volunteers recruited in the Summer of 2023, and 10 volunteers in the Spring of 2024. This year, we developed our volunteer recruitment strategies, advertising in ways we had not done previously. It is important to us that we try to build a cohort of volunteers who can support the Mamas we work with in their own languages where possible. We were glad to have 9 languages other than English spoken by our new incoming volunteers this year. We provide a rounded package of training for all incoming volunteers, which this year included new and developed modules such as Birth Rights training, understanding the impact of the asylum system on mothers in Wales, training on trauma informed care, and training on how to work with interpreters. It is also essential for us to support and nurture our existing volunteers. This year, we organised several training opportunities including refreshing our cultural awareness, a specialist-led session on trauma-informed practice, a workshop from SANDS on the important topic of baby loss, a workshop on the physiology of labour and birth, and two certified NCT infant first aid training courses. All volunteers are offered a group debriefing session after they have supported a Mama, which provides volunteers with a safe space to reflect on experiences and consider any actions that might be needed. Developing our services In November 2023, our weekly drop-in meetings began to be funded through a generous two-year grant from the People’s Health Trust Active Communities programme. This has allowed us to develop this space for Mamas in a wide range of ways.

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Section D Achievements and performance

The leadership group from within the regular weekly drop-in attendees continued to grow and thrive during 2023/24. We were also able to bring some volunteers on board specifically to support at the drop-in, getting to know the Mamas and reliably be a friendly face and a point of contact for them week after week.

Between 6 and 20 Mamas attend weekly with their babies and other children, to support each other and connect with professionals and other services from the local community who may be able to offer them support.

Funding our work

The 2023/24 saw us grow our income, which has enabled us to better plan for the future. Our generous funders coming on board during this year included: People’s Health Trust, Community Foundation Wales, The King’s Fund, WCVA, The National Lottery Community Fund, and Funderbirds.

Partnering

Throughout this year, we have developed our partner working with other local agencies, in order to support the Mamas we work with as best we can. Our relationship with the Welsh Refugee Council has been particularly enhanced during late 2023, and we remain grateful for their collegiate and supportive approach to bringing the sector together in collaborative ways in Wales.

Reciprocal relationships have been strong with our Cardiff Council library colleagues, who run the Hub facilities across Cardiff. They have attended our drop-ins, supporting Mamas with how to access a wide range of services available at the Hubs, and we have had a presence at their events in Cardiff Central Library during Refugee Week.

We also took part in the Minority Ethnic Health Fair, the Race Matters in Maternity Conference, and Sanctuary in the Senedd. All of these presented opportunities for networking with similar organisations to promote the work we do, with the aim of improving maternal health and supporting positive outcomes for women and birthing people from Global Majority communities.

We have also specifically worked this year with Welsh Government, Social Care Wales, Oasis, Let’s Interpret, Welsh Refugee Coalition, and Black Maternity Matters Bristol, Global

March 2012

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Section D Achievements and performance

Gardens, Growbaby, Little Smarties, Asylum Justice, Migrant Help, Cardiff College, Flying Start, Cardiff Well-being Support Services, and Cardiff and Vale Action for Mental Health.

Awards

In October 2023 we were awarded the Maternity Service Sanctuary Award, and we are very grateful to those who took the time to honour the work our volunteers do. We are the first organisation in Wales to receive this award.

In June 2024 we were hugely honoured to receive the Nation of Sanctuary Award, presented by the Welsh Refugee Council.

Growth and infrastructure

In 2023/24 we made big strides forward with our infrastructure, building strong foundations for the future of the charity. These are some of the key things we did:

Implemented a new database system to improve the way we store and use data.
Initiated a new round of board recruitment, to enhance the skill-base and expertise of our board
Used a new tranche of funding to recruit a second Volunteer Coordinator, to provide much-needed capacity and resilience to our team
Started to secure funding and plan for the appointment of our first Director, to provide vital leadership capacity and long-term strategic input.

Section E Financial review

On 30 June 2024, TBPP had total reserves of £48,592, of which £21,000 Brief statement of the was delegated for expenses of the next financial year. Free reserve is charity’s policy on reserves therefore £27,592. The charity's Reserves Policy is to keep a minimum of 6 months of monthly running costs as reserves at any given time, which was not yet achieved as at 30.06.2024. The accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis. The only asset within the CIO is cash held at bank Details of any funds materially None in deficit

Further financial review details (Optional information)

March 2012

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You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.

Section F Other optional information

Section G Declaration

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

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s)

Full name(s) Rebecca Catherine Woolley

Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Chair of the Board of Trustees

Date 24/4/2025

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	The Birth Partner Project	The Birth Partner Project	The Birth Partner Project	1179100	CC16a
	Receipts and payments accounts
	For the period from	Period start date 01/07/2023	To	Period end date 30/06/2024

Section A Receipts and	payments
A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £	Restricted funds to the nearest £	Endowment funds to the nearest £	Total funds to the nearest £	Last year to the nearest £
Donation	5,291	-	-	5,291	3,694
Fundraising				-	5,621
Grant				-	10,460
Best Beginnings				-	22,430
WCVA		24,202		24,202	7,000
Community Fundation Wales		15,202		15,202	10,000
National Lottery Awards For All				-	500
Magic Little Grant				-	1,512
Nisa Making A Difference Locally				-	2,250
C3SC		1,250		1,250	397
Welsh Government		3,946		3,946
Funderbirds		3,500		3,500
People's Health Trust	-	19,740	-	19,740	-
Postcode Community Trust	22,300	-	-	22,300	-
GSK	9,000	-	-	9,000	-
The National Lottery Community Fund	-	17,450	-	17,450	-
The Blue Thread	12,000	-	-	12,000	-
	-	-	-	-	-
*Sub total* (Gross income for AR)	48,591	85,290	-	133,881	63,864
A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
A3 Payments *Sub tota* *Total receipts*	- l	-	-	-	-

	48,591	85,290	-	133,881	63,864

Cost of Raising Funds	-	180	-	180	925
Cost of Charitable Activities	11,760	59,813	-	71,573	63,603
Support Cost	725	8,067	-	8,793	15,865
Governance	-	867	-	867	813
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
*Sub tota*	12,485 l	68,927	-	81,413	81,206

A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-
A6 Cash funds last year end A5 Transfers between funds *Sub tota* *Total payments* *Net of receipts/(payments)* *Cash funds this year end*	- l	-	-	-

	12,485	68,927	-	81,413	81,206

	36,106	16,363	-	52,468	- 17,342
	-	-	-	-	-
	12,486	26,550	-	39,036	56,379
	48,592	42,913	-	91,504	39,037

Section B Statement of	assets and lia	bilities at the	end of the period
B1 Cash funds Categories	Details		Unrestricted funds to nearest £	Restricted funds to nearest £	Endowment funds to nearest £
	Cash at bank		48,592	42,913	-
			-	-	-
			-	-	-
B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees	(agree balances Details	*Total cash funds* with receipts and payments account(s))	48,592	42,913	-
			OK	OK	OK
			Unrestricted funds to nearest £	Restricted funds to nearest £	Endowment funds to nearest £
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	Details		Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
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	Details		Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
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	Details		Fund to which liability relates	Amount due (optional)	When due (optional)
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	Sign	ature	Print	Name	Date of approval

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

25/04/2025

CHARITY (OMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees The Birth Partner Project On ac¢ounts for the year ended 30 June 2024 Charity no lif any) 1179100 Set out on pages I report ta Ihe trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust") for the year ended 30 10612024 Responsibilities and basis of report As the Gharily's Irustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordan with the requirements of Ihe Charities Act 2011 I'the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(51{b} of the Act. Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination {other than that disclosed below ') which gives me cause lo believe thal in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordan with section 130 of the Charities Act., or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records., or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set aut in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'lrue and fair, view which is not a matter onsidered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and 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. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signèd: Date: 3110312025 Name: MArrHEW WOOLWAY Relevant professional qualification{s) or body {if any): FCCA Address: DRUSLYN HOUSE, DE LA BECHE STREET, SWANSEA. SA13HJ IER Oct 2018

Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018