Youth CHAT ...... TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT 2024-2025 Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) No 1135647 C H A Tr."-"' TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT 6th April 2024 - 6th April 2025 Chair. Co-chair. Secretarr. Treasurer. Trustees: Crdig Wilcox Kathryn Newell Sarah Taylor Gwen Radcliffe Peter Burrows Lita Gray Ted Sullivan David Palmer Uoined 14th October 24) Name of Clinical Buslness Manager and names of staff member* Clinl¢al & Business Mawr. Kelly French Profe5wonal Counsellors: Elizabeth Bond, Pauline MaThdL Sessional Counsellor. C] Catherine Baine& Naulia Mae Lavin Finance Officer. Karina Gilder (until 28th June 24) Craig Wilcox (From 3rd February 25) Structure, Governance and Management Charity is constituted a&" Charitable Incorpordtsd Organisaoon Summary of objects: CHAT exists for. The preserrdtion and protection of the emoiioTral and mental health of young people. aged 9-25 years in Oundlq Thrapston and surroundin8 vilknges of North East of North Northamptonshire by. l. Offering free infornmtiorn counsdling and mentoring services 2. Providing early support to individual& as an al¢errratNe to or prior to NHS din1￿7 intervenoon work reducing the cases Seeki￿ access to NHS dinical 5ervice5 CHAT ":: Counselling 3. Providing. mainraining and develo&¥ng up-to4ate quality infornmtion resource5 for young people 4. Working with other organisations in order to strengthen the support ar4ilable to young people. Trustee selertion methodk" The Trustees are local people with an interest and experience in counsellin& youth work government or other releyant leadership and marwent experience. They are appointed at the AGM. which reviews the appointments annually. Management: Truscees work closdy with the charity CBM to ensure the smooth running of the chariry and 5errfice ddivery. Together, they are responsible for scrategic planning to ensure the delivery of the client serwces in accordance with the Chari￿5 obJ"ectives and for supp)rting funding applications to ensure the financial security arKI future of CHAT. They liaise with other professionals and attend meetings. lifting CHATS profil< increasin8 awareness of CHAT5 presence In the community. earning recozntdon and respecL Trustees provide 5UPPOrt to the employed 5off. for example per50nnd processe& financial management and health and safety advic< to ensure tPAt CHAT is in a professional and legal manner. The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit in all their decision makin& The part-time employed CBM 5uppon5 Trustees in the development and implementation of the strategic devdopment plarn undertsking the key adminisrf*iYe tasks and dient rnanagemenL They mainrain a close working relationship with the sttff on operational and procedural issues. The CBM represents the Charity at the Reach Collaborntive meetings and other local communiry meetings. In additio￿ the CBM acts as the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), David (Trustee) acts as an additional DSL whibt the Chair is designated Caldicotc GuardAn and Data Protection Officer. Summary of Main Artivities: C H A Tr.--:, CHAT Youth Counselling employs two part-tlme counsellors. Selfwemployed coUnsello￿ are available to enable CHAT to respond to perio& of increased client VAiting lists. They work primarily through beal schools or from the CHAT office in the Courthous4 Oundle. Prince William School. an 11-18 secondary, has an annually reviwrted ServKe Level AgreemenL CHAT provides a confidential service 5 thys a week in tsrni tim4 in a desigTrated protected spac& In addition to Prince William, CHAT also has also srarted to provide counsdling at Weldon Academy. vthi¢h has continued to grow throughout the year. A weekly Reach driven Drop-ln is also provided in the early evening at Souster Youth in Thrapston. In addition, occ3siorAI work is undertaken at other local primary sthools in the Northeast of North Northampton5hire. Most sessions are individual fat￿r￿face with professional. online or telephone sessiorts a￿lIable on request for those clients encounteriry issues wtth direct access. All counsellor5 are professionally qualified and undwgo regdar chnical supe￿iS1on and participate in ongoing professional developmert activities. Referrnls are taken thro￿ the CAMHS Relerrnl MarHgement Centr< direcdy from GPS and other medical professionals. schools, parents and the young people themselves. Following an initiai a$5essmenL profe55iorBls provide a six-se5sion course of either courtsdling or therapeuoc Mentori￿ as appropriate. At this poino there is a review resulting in one of the following outcomes: case closur& a referrnl to another support agency. or an extended counselling agreemen¢ as required. Achlevements and Perforniance thls y&v (In ternis of Obierts): l. Offering free infornutio￿ counsetling and mentoring seryices 2. Providing earty support to individual& as an alternative to, or prior to NHS dinical inter¥entlon 3. Providing. n4intaining and devdoping up-t041ate 9￿lty infornution re50urces for young people 4. Working with other organisatiorts in order to screngthen the support ayailable to young people 5. Growing the service provided into Weldon and expnding as the school grows each academic year 6. Expand the reath across local prirrHry schools with the Happy Heads program. which supports the e to10 year age group CHAT ":" Counselling Summa of achievernents and u da￿ for the ar CHAT Youth Coun5elling is commissioned by the NHS (Integrnted Care Board) to provide a service for I l-l &year-olds and vulnerdble clients up to the age of 25-Year￿d. The newly appointed Clinical & Business Manager has taken hold of the service throughouc the year, providing support for the counselling staff while liaising and reponing to the board of trustees. In addition, the service has been strengthened further with the a5SiStance thro￿ the trustee& of a new Finance & Data lead vtho Ims provided dats support and mamged financial aspects under the guidance of the trus￿ treasurer. Betsyeen April 24- April 25 CHAT dehvered 1766 individ￿1 counselling sessions. Predominantly within the core I I to 18 age rdnge from Prince William school however also covered Weldon School and various primary schools witl¥n the catchment This was an increase of 250 more sessions than the pre￿oU5 year. In addition. 77 Rapid Response sessions were ddivered. which are high risk cases that must be seen within I week At Thrapston caf< now renamed The Drop In.. we ddivered 52 cafe5 between April 24-25 to 110 individuals. Of these 33 young people made multiple visits to the cafe. The café is stsffed by 2 full time courysellors and a volunteer. The YIACS seThice covering ages 19 to 25 %Yas being implemented at the end of the year and will indude another counsellor to PrO￿de the se￿Ic￿ CHAT continues to Use a rnnge of social media pkntforms to improve communication with potential dients. Its Instagrydm has grown to 297 followers and 112 followers on Facebook The CHAT websire provides link5 to other county-based and local websites. e.g.. Northamptonshire Healih Care Parmership Directory and provides m￿Y links and information regarding the seriice with the ability to rasse referrdls. C H A Tr."":, CHATS area of operntion covers a wide rural are2 in North NorthamptonshirÈ This year. focus has remained on improvrng access for young people and their families in the Thrnpston are& It has proved positive with cononued dients accessing CHATS range of services from the Thrnpston ar* along with continued use within Oundle and other local areas. Counsellor5 report that the i￿ueS beirya presented by dients at irmtial assessment remain simiknr to those of previous year& with self-PArnK family issues and anxiety rernining hi BereavementJLos$ and relationships continue to be present as issu￿. Low moodlself-esteem issues increased as CHAT widened COur￿ellIng acce$5 ¢0 clients in the younger age group and with the continuing impart of the pandemic on young peopl& It has been noted that dients do not always define the issues clearly at the initial assessmenL with UnderI￿n8 issues appearing during suppor4 e.g., self-hann and suiodal ideation. Client eyaluative feedback on CHAT services still remains l(xfA positiv4 with no complaints being received. This Is expected w cononue due co the professional service tTrrat is pro11d￿. CHAT staff provide various infomAtion leafle￿ guides arrtl onfine finks to clients and families, covering a range of mental health issues. These continue to be updated and distributed as required. Stsff maintain their expertise arKI knowled8e through their membership of BACP. through subscription to emailed ne￿letters. lg. NAYC, Youth Acces& Barnardo's, NSPCC. ICO. and through the researth and development in mental health provision published both nationally and locally. All staff have up to date with training on the Lamplight recordirg systenL Admin sttff have had extended data traini￿ to ensure all reporr5 a￿1 data submitted to MHSDS are accurnte. Topics covered in CPD events have indwjed autism and ADHD, and accessibility awareness for how young people access menol health services. in parricular those with ASD. These training opporwnities help CHAT to continue to deliver a high44uality service to its dients. Perforniance revsews for all staff took pknce in Janw and were directed towards sustaining and embedding good prdCticÈ Stxff suggestions for enhancing its seT¥ice5 were sought during these meetings. CHAT continues to work closdy with the other local youth coun5ellirE chariries via the Reach Collal)orative. Regular meetings P4ve taken place with the CBM and Chairs of Trustees to develop continuity and consistency ol counselling Cover￿ to submir ioinc bids for fundiw. and to plan the delivery of shared counsellin8 and therapeutic intervention& ￿￿oI10n11 support arKI other activities to young people and their framilies liviTrd within NordMmptonshir& A shared Strdtegic Plan has been developed. revI￿ed and updated to steer the direction of the Reach CollabDrdliVL CHAT """ Counselling Resources have been co-produced and shared to the benefit of young peC￿e within the county, e.g.. Self-Harni bags and Mood Boost booklets. A c¢)mmon SafegLArding recordirE and reporting system, MyconCer￿ has been explored by Reath The CHAT CBM has continued to represent the tharity •hith local group& GP sur8erie410 government bodies. the Northamptonshire Early Help Serrfic< CAMHS and with all local schools. CHAT continues to be a member of the Mental Health Transfornmtion Board. as all members of Reach hav¢ CHAT Youth Counselling ha5 f¢xus8J its developments on the areas identified in its StrnQgic Development Plan. These are reviewed periodicalty by Trustees with a new updated plan ready to implement in the first part of the next year. The key priorities are to extend the acce55 for young people to youth counselling supp)rt within our geographic area and maintain a consisten¢ resperted and proficient service for young people that need IL CHAT staff have embedded the core serviw and contributed to the additional independently funded projects ready to expand the service in the near future. Promotional report& POStsrs and advens conunue to be placed in the local press and princed publications, and regular presentations are made within school contexts communicating the free nature of CHAfs services. This has contributed to the increase in self and family referra15 being received. It is planned to expand CHATS social media presence ijver the forthcoming year which will assist in providing greater access to the ser4ice provided. We have continued to atuatt funds from Thrapston Council. Waitros& The Freemasons. and the Oundle & District Care charity to permit the support of young people aged 8-1 O and 19-25-year- okls. The support from local organisations has been much appreciated. CHAT has conunued to revie14 its policies. These Ixve included Health & SafetylRisk Asse55ments. Volunteering and Client Care. Datt Protection. Grievance and Problem Solving. and Whistleblowin& as well as Safeguarding & Child Protection and financi31 policies. These actlvities have resulod in the ongoing development of the chariw's operating practices. There have been no serious incidents during this finanoal year. Special thanks to Pauline MaThell for her dedication in collecong monthty data prior to the role being ffilled in February. In additio￿ Pauline stepped up to act as interim CEO before the CBM vrds appoinced. Her support was instrumental in keeping the ser4ice running during a critical time, and she deserves heartfelt thanks from us all. CHAT ":: Counselling Sincere thanks to our Board of Trustees. who generously volunteer their time to support the service. Thwr commitment 15 e55ential to CHAfs continued operation. As we look co the year ahead. the Board aims to strengthen its foundation by welcoming new trustees to help grow the Service and meet our goals. Wrth strong leadership 2nd a Clear vision, the future is looking br￿ht for CHAT. Flnancial Review The Trustees aim to hold a reserve fund of 6 months expenditure a8ainst the time when NHSIICBIPublic Health fijnding is no longer aYdilabl4 to provide time for further funding applications, whi15t withdrawing from client work in a professional manner. The current calculation is that reserves should not fall below £75K allowing for redundancy provision. During the financial year the reserve was reduced by £8908.55, of Ythith £1920 were reallocations to REACH partners. The fall in reserves bwer than predicted in the budget as there was some saving on administration 5raff NYdge5 and a time-limited increase in Capacity & Demand funding from the NHS. Trustees review the reserve holdings on a reguFar basi> As interest rdtes began to falL Trustees decided to opt for shorter fixed term accounts. 3 months and 6 months. at the marJJrtty of other fixed terni deposits. held on the CAF Deposit Platfomb managed by Fkng5tone invesunents. This policy provides flexibility and has tsken advantsge of best interest rdtes available on the CAF Depo&t Platforni managed by Flagstone inve5trnent5. Further detiils can be found in the examined accoun￿ appended. De¢larntlon The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees. Reporc abov& Signed on behalf of the chaiiry's truscees SIg￿tUre Full name Position Craig Wilcox Chair Gwen Radcliffe Treasurer Counselling A1 TH STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR YEAR ENDED S APR 2025 Restricted Funds Unrestricted Funds Total 2024125 Total 2023124 Note Incoming Resources NHS Contract +2.5 Cafe Funding Project Funding Data Flow Donations Interest & Other REACH Repayments Total DireGt'Charitsblo' Expenditiire Salaries, Pensions & NIC Travel costs - Staff Travel costs - Volunteers £86.365.89 £21,942.11 £500 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 -£1.920.CrfJ £106 888.00 £0.00 £88.365.89 £78.643.69 £0.00 £21.942.11 £26,476.00 £0.00 £500.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £6,650.00 £2,929.49 £2,929.49 £6,700.46 £6,476.01 £6,476.01 £4,435.37 £0.00 -£1,920.00 -£25,490.72 £9.405.$0 £115 428.76 £97.414.80 -£105.360.15 -£875.21 £0.00 -£1(￿,235.36 £0.00 -£105,360.15 -£109,568.75 £0.00 -£875.21 -£1.235.30 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 -£106.235.36 -£110.804.05 Support Costs Supervision & Training Communications Data & Safeguarding systems Accommodation AdvertisinglRecruitment -£2,307.85 -£1,987.39 -£2.871.25 -£6.309.99 £0.00 -£13,476.48. £0.00 -£2.307.85 -£2.993.20 £0.00 -£1.987.39 -£1.772.83 £0.00 -£2,871.25 -£1,296.00 £0.00 -£6,309.99 -£8,229.28 £0.00 £0.00 -£1,596.30 £0.00 -£13,476.48. -£15,887.61 Management and Admlnlstrdllon Goveman Accounting IT EquipmenVDepre¢iation Sundry Office Costs -£1,924.89 -£1,561.20 £0.00 £0.00 -£3.486.09 £0.00 £0.00 -£1,353.58 -£650.54 -£2,004.12 -£1.924.89 -£1.561.20 -£1,353.58 -£650.54 -£5,490.21 -£1,904.69 -£1,260.90 -£554.25 -£1.223.76 -£4,943.60 Total Resources expended 123.197.93 2,004.12 -£125 202.05 ￿131635.28 Net incomlng resources -£16.309.93 £7,401.38 -£8,908.55 -£34,220.46 Transfer between funds Total funds brought forward Total Funds carried fopward £0.00 £41.962.00 £25,652.07 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £102,022.07 £143,984.07 £178,204.53 £109,423.46 £135,075.52 £143,984.07 The Courthouse • Mill Road . Oundle . Peterborough . PE8 4BW Tel 01832 274422 . info cha outhcounsellin .or uk . Registered Charity No.'1179806 CHAT Youth Counselling 8alance Sheet at April 5th 2025 April 5th 2025 April 5th 2024 CompLrter Equipmenl Accumutated Depreciation Net Book Value £4,953.67 -£4,657.67 £296.00 £4.953.67 -£3.961.67 £992.00 Current Assets Debtors Cash at bank Cash on deposkt Cash in Hand £0.00 £59.061.52 £84,451.96 £1.50 £143,514.98 £16,P)54.28 £120,326.86 £1.50 £136,982.64 Loss current Ilabllllies Creditors Suspense Account 2.203.12 £0.00 -£2,203.12 -£522.91 £0.00 -£522.91 Total Net Assets Represented by Restricted furKIs Unrestricted fvnds £135,075.52 £143,984.07 £25,652.07 £109,423.46 £41,962.00 £102,022.07 Total Assots £135.075.52 £143,984.07 The Courthouse . Mill Ro&J . Oundle . Peterborough . PE8 4BW Tel.. 01832 274422 . info ha outhcounsellin .uk . Registered Charity No.'1179806 CHA Youth Counselling, 111 A3 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR YEAR ENDED 5TH APR 2025 1. Project Funding In 2024-25 in addition to core fuThJing from NHS and the 'Tier 2.5, funding from NCCG channeled through SeNice 6. funding was received via REACH partners for the following projects. WellteiNJ Cafe YIACS Rapid ReSk￿lSe CDI Plus IHappy Heads Tier 2.5 Dats Flow Total Youth Works Fund holder NHS Unused at 5.4.2024 £3.K25.(Y) £12,420.Iy) £194.CQ £16.239.00 £o.oJ £246.590.CK) £21,¢XKJ £0 24-25 £21.942.11 Unused at 5.4.2025 £15.750.00 £16.315.00 £0 Rapid Respmse funding is to deliver emergenry counselling for young people referred by A & E departments. WellbeirvJ Café. Friendly mental health professionals are on hand to listen to and help individuals in their time of need, providing advice, support or signposting I referrals to the relevant team or organisation. Parents and carers are also ￿elcome to drop-in. The YIACS funding is to deliver the service to a wider age range. The Happy Heads fvnding is for period De￿mber 2024 to December 2025. The money for implementation from April to December 2015 was paid in advan￿. Restricted funds at 5.4.2025 Current proiects £16315.00 Budget support 202&2026 £9.337.07 Total £25,652.07 No transfers between restricted and Un￿stricted funds have been made. 2. REACH reallocations Following the end of the previous financial year it was agreed that CHAT should use £12,016 of the £12420 unused Tier 2.5 money from 23-24 and reallocate the remaining £404 to Youth Works . In June a fvrther £1516 called in in order that partners could provide Wellness Kits The Courthouse . Mill Roal . Oundle- Peterl)orough . PE8 4BW Tel.. 01832 274422 . info ha outhcounsellin uk . Registered Charity No.'11798C CHAT Youth , Counselling 3. Staffing Stsff costs include salaries, employers NIC and employers pension contributions plus payments to sessional counsellors. CHAT Youth Counselling applies for, and re￿IveS, the NIC Employerfs All0VRn￿ of £5000. All work was covered by Core and Projec* funding. 4. rr EqulFxnent Depreciation of computer hardware is cal¢wlated using the double depreciation method based on their residual values at the end of a 4-year period. Tangible Flxed Purcha8ed Orlglnal Cost Valuo April 23 £0.00 £475.LKI Value Aprfl 24 £0. Value Aprll 25 £0.00 Laptop Treasurer Laptop Manager Laptop FinancE Off 41 pjs. Laptop CEO Jan 19 £431.60 Marth 21 £1.149.97 £250.C £1 C().IKJ £0.00 April 21 Awil 20 August 23 £237.25 £50.00 £2289.36 £400.O) £100.00 £434.Crf) £242.C(I £146.00 £4.953.67 £1,112.25 £992.00 £296.00 ACCOUNTING POLICIES Q Ino)me is re0)gn￿ed as T￿eNed or when r* bs certan. o Dired tharrtabk exFendItU￿ reF￿esents the salarws aTh1 &wses reimbwswnents staff and volunteer& &Jppwt o)sts represgnl the ats))mmoda*)n ￿ t￿)m￿￿&t￿)n infrastrurtwe requKed to SUFWt the staff aThJ volunteers. Management arml •JministratKm rwesert Trjt conTM#ed wilh thè costs ofthe staff ￿unte¥s. The Courthouse . Mill Road . Oundle. Peterborough . PE8 4BW Tel.. 01832 274422 . info ch outhcounselli k . Registered Charity No.'11798 CHAT Youth Counselling, A5 Inde endent Examiners Re ort to the Trustees of CHAT Youth Counsellin I ￿port on the accounts of Oundle CHAT Youth Counselling charity number 1179806, for Ihe year ended 5th April 2025. Respective rasponsibilities of trustees and examiner The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The thaiity's tNstees consider that an audit is not required for this year under s8(lion 144 of the Charrties Act 2011 (the Chanties Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibilty to= examire the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act: follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under sectio 145(5}(b) of the Charities Act)-, and state whether particular matter5 have come to my attention. Basis of independent examinerf$ statement My examination was carried out in accordan￿ with General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination indudes a review of the accounting records kept by the chaiity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also indudes consideratK)n of any unusual items or disclosu￿$ in the accounts and seeking explanations from you the trustees con￿mIng any such matters. The procedur8s undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion 15 given as to whether the accounts present a Irue and fairf view and the port is limited to those matters set out in the statement below Independent •xaminerfs ststem•nt In the course of my examination, subject to not havtng seen the Trustees Report. no matter has come to my attention.. 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that. in any material respect. the trustees have not met the requirements to ensure that". proper accounting records are kept in accoftyance with section 130 of Charities Act and accounts are prepared which agree wtlh the accounting reGottls and comply with accounting requirements of the ChantEs A¢a", or 2. to which in my opinion attentson should be drdvm in order to enable a proper urKlerstanding of the accounts to be reathed. Signed: Dated: I+l