I
Trustees’ Annual Report for the period
From Period start date: 05/04/2020 To Period end date: 04/04/2021
Charity name: SEN Family Saturdays
Charity registration number: 1182095
Objectives and Activities
| SORP reference |
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|---|---|---|
| Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document |
Para 1.17 | 1- To advance in life and relieve the needs of children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) through: (a) The provision of recreational and leisure time activities provided in the interest of social welfare, designed to improve their conditions of life; (b) Providing support and activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society; (c) The provision of support to parents of children with SEN, by providing information, advice and guidance throughout diagnosis. 2 - To advance the education of the general public in the causes, treatment and care of those with SEN, by providing the provision of educational workshops, events and presentations. |
| Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts. |
Para 1.17 and 1.19 |
Service we provide: SEN Family Saturdays has runsessions every Saturday from 10.30 to 2pm at Hornsey Road Children's Centre. The place offers an accessible and inclusive environment. Parents and children enjoy planned programme activities with resources and facilities to aid creativity and sensory needs of autistic children. Attending the group allows children to socialise, explore and learn in a safe and |
| understanding environment. The children are engaged in avariety of different activitieseach week (photos of which can be seen on our social media), followed by soft play and lunch together. Once a month we have had aspecial activity, either an outing, workshop or entertainer such as bubble entertainer, children’s yoga, trip to London Zoo and trips to theatre and museums. We employ trained, experienced staff to meet the children’s needs and manage challenging situations. Theworkshopswe held were delivered by a specialist Occupational Therapist on topics such as toileting, sleep, communication and behaviour management. As well as a general overview of What is Autism for the public, including extended family and friends. While the sessional workers look after the children, every week the parents are given the opportunity to join a support groupfor 1 hour. Having a child with a disability can have a huge impact on the stability of family life, as well as the health, well-being and emotional state of all family members. Our work supports families who are facing complex needs and helps them to overcome barriers of social inclusion. We are supporting parents' knowledge and confidence to use strategies, visuals and analysing a child's behaviour, so they feel more able to cope in challenging situations. Our parent led charity has developed a whole family approach inclusive of older and younger siblings. SEN Family Saturdays encourages positive child-parent relationships and ultimately builds resilient families. During this financial period SEN Family Saturdays worked with 14 families, who were taking part in the sessions at different rates of attendance and degree of continuity. |
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|---|---|---|
| Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit |
Para 1.18 | Yes - Workshopsthat we organised have been delivered by a specialist occupational therapist on topics such as toileting, sleep, communication and behaviour management. As well as a general overview of What is Autism for the wider public as well as extended family and friends. Flyers for the workshops were posted on our social media platforms and given to SENCOs and children's centres in the local area. |
Additional information (optional)
| Policy on grant making | Para 1.38 | All fundraising and grant applications undertaken on behalf of SEN Family Saturdays will be done in the name of the organisation and will generally be based on recovery of the full cost of the proposed work. |
|---|---|---|
| Policy on social investment including program related investment |
Para 1.38 | Not applicable |
| Contribution made by volunteers |
Para 1.38 | Items have on occasion been purchased and donated to the charity by the trustees. All trustees dedicate a lot of their time for free to support the group and keep the charity running. We have also had two volunteers contributing their time during Saturdays morning sessions in this financial period. |
Achievements and Performance
| Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole. |
Para 1.20 | Our project brings people together and builds strong relationships in and across the community. We did this through: • Improving relationships thereby supporting parents and children to spend time together, this environment also enables people to make new friends and establish networks between the families; • Improving enjoyment of life for parents and children through the provision of recreational activities they could not normally access; • Making people better connected by supporting parents to feel more confident and better able to take advantage of local services and opportunities by providing information, advice, guidance and support • Helping parents be more resilient and feel better able to cope with the challenges of being a parent in difficult circumstances. • Providing support and activities which develop the children's skills to enable them to participate in society. |
|---|---|---|
Over the course of the year during the Covid-19 pandemic families have been able to keep in contact with other families through the WhatsApp chat and online workshops. They have been provided with home visits from an Occupational Therapist for advice and strategies and we have provided them with care packages full of essential items as well as crafts packs and resources for their children. This has allowed families to feel a little less isolated in what has been a very challenging time in everyone's lives. Children have struggled in many ways due to setting and parks being closed, restrictions on contact with relatives and the total disruption to any sense of routine or normality. The sensory needs of children increased as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions which is why we provided families with the OT home visits when it became safe to do so as well as purchasing and distributing sensory equipment to each family.
Additional information (optional)
| Achievements against objectives set |
Para 1.41 | Our achievements include: 54 people directly benefited from our organisation’s work - 20 adults, 34 children (of which 24 children have ASC diagnosis, Down Syndrome or are on the SCT waiting list). Provided weekly craft activities for the children in the form of care packages which helped developed their skills. Provided care packages when families struggled to get access to essentials. Provided home visits from an Occupation Therapist to tackle sensory needs, self-care needs, behavioural issues etc. Provided sensory equipment to each family when services in the community were restricted. Provided continuous support to parents on a daily basis though our group chat. We were able to offer strategies based on our experience and sign post to further help. We hosted a number of educational online workshops for families. |
|---|---|---|
| Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set |
Para 1.41 | We raised £10,046.51 and brought forward £19,100.95 from the previous financial year which gave us a total higher than we had budgeted for. |
|---|---|---|
| Investment performance against objectives |
Para 1.41 | Not applicable |
| Financial Review | ||
| Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period |
Para 1.21 | We raised £10,046.51 and brought forward £19,100.95 from the previous financial year which gave us a total slightly higher than budgeted for. With the physical restrictions due to Covid-19 pandemic we were unable to spend what we intended this year on venue hire, trips, food, staff ect. We had to adjust the way we could support our benefactors and provide our service in a more restricted manner. We will have to carry forward £21,672.05 to the next financial year as a result. |
| Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held |
Para 1.22 | The trustees will consider the level of reserves that is prudent for SEN Family Saturdays to have when agreeing the annual budget. Consideration will be given to future strategy, potential redundancy liabilities, and any other significant factors that should be taken into account. The specific reserves policy including any designation of reserves for specific purposes will be agreed by trustees on an annual basis. |
| Amount of reserves held |
Para 1.22 | None |
| Reasons for holding zero reserves |
Para 1.22 | Our cash flow at the end of the year has been high than anticipated and it doesn’t seem appropriate at this moment to have a reserve. However the trustees aim to ensure the charity will be able to continue to fulfil it’s charitable objectives. The trustees will endeavour not to set aside funds unnecessarily. When the need arrives the trustees will consider the level of reserves they wish to retain, appropriate to the charity's needs, based on the charity's size and the level of financial commitments held. |
| Details of fund materially in deficit |
Para 1.24 | None |
| Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern |
Para 1.23 | None |
Additional information (optional)
| The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising) |
Para 1.47 | Islington Giving and funding brought forward from the previous financial year. |
|---|---|---|
| Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted |
Para 1.46 | Not applicable |
| A description of the principal risks facing the charity |
Para 1.46 | The need outways the service we are currently able to provide and it is difficult to source suitable venues to accommodate the needs of the ASC children. |
| Structure, Governance and Management | ||
| Description of charity’s trusts: |
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| Type of governing document |
Para 1.25 | The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales. The charity was established by Its constitution dated 10th December 2018. |
| How is the charity constituted? |
Para 1.25 | Charitable Incorporated Organisation |
| Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions |
Para 1.25 | The CIO may, if the charity trustees so decide, allow the members to vote by post or electronic mail (“email”) to elect charity trustees or to make a decision on any matter that is being decided at a general meeting of the members. |
Additional information (optional)
| Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees |
Para 1.51 | No new trustees appointed |
|---|---|---|
| The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works |
Para 1.51 | The charity is working with Bright Start, Pauline Foster (Lead Area Senco) and Orit Roditti (Occupational Therapist) |
| Relationship with any related parties |
Para 1.51 | Not applicable |
Reference and Administrative details
| Charity name | SEN Family Saturdays |
|---|---|
| Other name the charity uses | - |
| Registered charitynumber | 1182095 |
| Charity’s principal address | 36 Berkeley Walk Andover Estate London N7 7RS |
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margarita Georgieva | Chair | |||
| Maria Paladini | Treasurer | |||
| Helena Begum Majid | Secretary | |||
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
| Description of the assets held in this capacity |
No assets held on behalf of others |
|---|---|
| Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects |
Not applicable |
| Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets |
Not applicable |
Exemptions from disclosure
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
Not Applicable
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Charity Name|No (if any)|
|SEN Family Saturdays|1182095|
|Receipts and payments accounts|
|For the period|Period start date|To|Period end date|
|CC16a|from|5/4/2020|4/4/2021|
|Section A Receipts and payments|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|
|Total funds|Last year|
|funds|funds|
|to the nearest|
|to the nearest £|to the nearest £|to the nearest £|
|£|
|A1 Receipts|
|Islington Giving|10,000|-|10,000|18,570|
|Family Action|-|-|-|431|
|Baily Thomas Charitable Fund|-|-|-|100|
|Online fundraising (Amazon & Giveasyoulive)|47|-|47|-|
|Other - refunds|470|-|470|-|
|Sub total|(Gross income for|10,516|-|10,516|19,101|
|AR)|
|Total receipts|10,516|-|10,516|19,101|
|A3 Payments|
|Staff|3,451|-|3,451|-|
|Premises Hire|-|-|-|100|
|Lunch|127|-|127|-|
|Other Lunch time supplies|4|-|4|-|
|Craft activity supplies|350|-|350|-|
|Sensory Equipment|92|-|92|-|
|Cleaning supplies|-|-|-|-|
|Management / Admin Supplies|302|-|302|-|
|Training costs for volunteers & staff|-|-|-|-|
|Audit|400|-|400|-|
|Activity / workshop in the setting|-|-|-|-|
|Workshop snacks|-|-|-|-|
|Outings - entry|-|-|-|-|
|Outings - travel|-|-|-|-|
|Insurance|181|-|181|-|
|COVID-19 Relief & sensory toys|2,939|-|2,939|-|
|Sub total|7,845|-|7,845|100|
|A4 Asset and investment|
|purchases, (see table)|
|-|-|-|-|
|-|-|-|-|
|Sub total|-|-|-|-|
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|---|---|---|---|---|
|-|-|-|-|
|-|-|-|-|
|Sub total|-|-|-|-|
|Total payments|7,845|-|7,845|100|
|Net of receipts/(payments)|2,671|-|2,671|19,001|
|A5 Transfers between funds|-|-|-|-|
|A6 Cash funds last year end|19,001|-|19,001|100|
|Cash funds this year end|21,672|-|21,672|19,101|
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Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
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|||||
|---|---|---|---|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|
|Categories|Details|funds|funds|
|to nearest £|to nearest £|
|B1 Cash funds|21,672|-|
|Total cash funds|21,672|-|
|(agree balances with receipts and payments|
|account(s))|OK|OK|
|Fund to which|Amount due|
|Details|liability relates|(optional)|
|B5 Liabilities|Outings - travel (invoice not received yet)|450|-|
|Signed by one or two trustees on|Date of|
|behalf of all the trustees|Signature|Print Name|approval|
|Mrs Maria Paladini|29/1/2022|
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A brief origin story
Family Action (FA) used to provide Saturday sessions for families on low income. This then was then aimed at families with children with Special Educational Needs ( SEN ). After five years management costs were too high and FA were unable to secure funding so the service stopped.
The parents that were attending the session saw great benefits in keeping the service active and were motivated by Family Action to form their own charity. In October 2018 three parents set about establishing a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) called SEN Family Saturdays.
Voluntary Action Islington (VAI) helped the trustees form a business plan, informed them of possible funders, supplied policy templates and helped register with the Charity commission. Cripplegate Foundation were able to help us secure the initial seed funding from Islington Giving which allowed us to start supporting families.
We have now been running now for just over 1 year and have recently teamed up with Bright Start and Pauline Foster (Lead SENCO for Islington) to expand our reach.
Our Progress
Idea for the charity was born in October 2018 and by February 2019 we were a registered CIO with the Charity 01. Commission with all of our policies set up thanks to the support we received from VAI
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In our first year we aimed to have 10 families which we achieved. We raised sufficient funding and established ourselves across several social media platforms within a few months
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Thanks to Bright Start we now have access to more space at our venue which means we can support more families. So now we aim to support 20 families for our second year
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Our future aims are to set up a further group to cater for older children with ASD aged 7 – 14, organize more workshops, increase the number of trustees and staff
Our Team
SEN Family Saturdays is run voluntarily by three trustees. We are a parent led charity all with Autistic children of our own. It is this personal connection that allows us to commit so strongly to the cause of improving the lives of other families in difficult circumstances. We have all attended several workshops (What is Autism?, behaviour management, toileting, communication, Sensory Processing, Eating etc) and a 14 week Early Birds program organised by the NHS Social Communication Team (SCT) as well as attending Speech & Language therapy and Play and Learn program.
Margarita Chair Bright Start Parent Champion Safeguarding Group 1 Early Years Education and Care (QCF) Level 2 Member of Islington SEND parent parliament
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Maria
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Treasurer Emergency First Aid at Work Level 3 Designated Safeguarding Lead Food Hygiene & Safety for catering Level 2 Understanding Play course Supporting children in Foundation Stage EYP Diploma Level 2 Making sense of autism Training
Helena
Secretary
Bright Start Parent Champion Safeguarding Group 1 Food Hygiene & Safety for catering Level 2 SEND Awareness Training Supporting children in Foundation Stage
Our Staff
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Angie
Meheret
Abeer
Karthika Sabrie
Fatima Laila
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We employ trained, experienced staff to meet the children’s needs and manage daily challenging situations.
What we provide
We run sessions every Saturday morning at Hornsey Road Children's Centre from 10:30 to 2pm, with resources and facilities to aid creativity and meet the sensory needs of autistic children allowing them the opportunity to socialise, explore and learn in a safe and understanding environment.
The project is specifically for families with children aged 0-7 with Autism Spectrum Disorder ( ASD ) living in Islington .
We aim to reduce isolation and increase the levels of support for them by signposting parents/carers to the relevant Islington services
Our weekly services
Children with SEN often miss out on social activities, events and play groups because of several difficulties including speech delay, behaviour challenges, reduced danger awareness, anxiety and lack of social skills.
We provide them with assistance to access community activities as well as provide activities of our own to improve their social skills.
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Craft &
Free Play
Soft play
Parent
Support
Group
Lunch
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The children are engaged in a variety of different activities each week which help with several key skills: fine & gross motor, social, language, behaviour ect
This is followed by soft play supervised by staff to aid gross motor development, hypermobility and manage proprioception needs
While Children are in soft play parents are given the opportunity to share strategies, information, advice and guidance for practical and emotional support.
Then the children wash their hands and have lunch together with parents, siblings and staff. Eating a variety of healthy food tends to be challenging due to sensory processing disorders
Other Services we provide: Events
Once a month we organise a special activity, either an outing, workshop or Event. Events in the setting vary for example tippy toe dancing, bubble show, story massage, cupcake decorating, children’s yoga, capoeira music etc.
Other Services we provide: Workshops
We try to have Workshops every other month, They are delivered by a specialist Occupational Therapist on topics such as toileting, sleep, communication, behaviour management ect.
As well as a general overview of What is Autism? Which is open to the public, extended family and friends to increase understanding and better support ASD children in the area.
Other Services we provide: Outings
Taking ASD children on outing can be quite daunting for a parent as it is in an uncontrolled environment with too many unfamiliar faces and unexpected occurrences that is often too overwhelming for the ASD child and family.
So to give families more confidence and children more exposure we organise an outing once a month with extra staff to support families (1:1 ratio) to places like the London Zoo (on SEND days), London Aquarium, small theatres, Interactive museums, parks, farms ect
Testimonials
Rabia
“My daughter likes to play in soft play and I can talk to other parents and get ideas”
Shah
Adelina
“I learnt many things and the parents are very kind. I enjoy the workshops. It’s my son’s Saturday routine. He sits so well at lunchtime that I am amazed!”
“This is so helpful for me and my son, staff are so helpful and nice”
Esperance
“They help me with more information about how to deal with Autism crisis. We share experiences about our kids and how to manage with everything” Shkendije
“Since we started coming my son has tried so many new food! He even makes sandwiches for himself”
Changes to our services due to Covid-19: Essentials, Craft & rousource packages
When the announcement of the first lockdown came out, we managed to prepare and send out a resource pack for each of the families in the charity. Our funders have been very flexible allowing us to achieve this and allowing us to continue to pay our staff while the center was closed. We provided craft materials for the children to use their imagination however they like. We also provided mother’s day card templates, easter themed activity booklets & an Easter basket activity, Gross motor activity cards, fine motor scissor cutting activities (to be monitored by parents for safety) and playdoh exercises (to strengthen muscles in the hand as many children with ASC also have hypermobility). We also sent a letter with the pack giving instructions on how to use the resources such as the mood monster fan and routine flashcards. (image below)
As the lockdown continued and basic supplies in stores and online became scarce, we decided to order essentials through the charity InKind Direct. We created and distributed essential care packages to each of the families. For those with younger children this included nappies and toiletries. We also provided hand sanitizers. wipes, masks and antibacterial soap.
In October we were busy preparing & delivering craft activity packs and Christmas presents for each of the families in our group (including smal Lego sets & sensory star projectors). This was to help the children have some sense of routine on the weekend while the center was closed. We used WhatsApp to try to keep families motivated and sharing photos of the children doing the craft activities every Saturday seeing as we are not able to meet up. (November & December craft pack below)
We also prepared packs personalised to particular needs and interests of individual children in the charity to increase their engagement in areas such as communication and eating. These among others were areas that children were struggling with due to the lockdown and reduced isolation.
As the restrictions started to be lifted the children’s center which is also a nursery could not allow the charity to return to the venue straight away because of the extensive cleaning if we used the site. We continued to produce craft packs for the children to have some sense of routine with a craft activity for each week and we used the WhatsApp chat group to continue to share advice and strategies. In the meantime we reached out to BrightStart and sourced a new venue which was a disused nursery in Andover. We were able to safely resume to face-to-face sessions in May 2021.
Face-to-Face outing
In summer when restrictions started to be lifted for a short period, we were able to organise an outdoor event and order essentials and entertainment. We made the outdoor picnic event animal themed as the yearly SEND London Zoo Event had been cancelled due to the pandemic. It was our first face to face session since the lockdown and the kids had lots of fun socialising, taking part in activities, having lunch together and playing in the sand pit. We reminded them to use sanitizer gel & wipes before taking part in the activities and to wash their hands before lunch. Staff and adults wore masks which we provided.
OT Home Visits & Sensory Equipment
Families were finding the isolation hard to deal with as they could not rely on the support normally available to the children in settings. Children were not able to use playground equipment to regulate their sensory needs. So we arranged for Orit (Occupational Therapist) to support the families with much needed home visits and providing suggestions and strategies during the Covid-19 pandemic.
When playground areas became prohibited we ordered and distributed sensory equipment for the families to help the children with Autism manage their needs in the safety of their homes. We gave the families a choice of equipment as not all families had the space in their homes for large equipment. The OT also gave advice on suitable equipment and how to use the equipment safely.
Above: Some of the sensory equipment sent to families homes during lockdown .
On-Line Workshops
During the lockdown we had several online workshops with the guest speaker Orit (Occupational Therapist) on topics such as sleep, sensory processing and using visuals.
Website
We upload photos each week to our website showing the different craft activity the children have been engaged in. We also have link to different resources available to families in the borough.
We upload photos to our facebook and use the social platform to announce workshops and for fundraising.
Instagram & Twitter
Again we upload photos and announce workshops on Instagram. We also upload short videos from outings. We use twitter for mayor announcements.
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees Signature(s) Full name(s) Maria Dolores Paladini Position (eg Treasurer Secretary, Chair, etc) Date 29/01/2022