2021-03-31-accounts

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2021

Registered Charity No: 1182361

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Board of Trustees:

Dr Jessica Marvin Ms Laura Scully Mrs Helen West Mr Roderick Kippen

Members of Sta�:

Ms Katie Charlton - Director Fionna Inward Allen - Project Coordinator

Registered Address:

Apt. 5, 72-74 Manchester Road Chorlton M21 9PQ

Independent Examiners:

Paul Cowham FCA DChA Green Fish Resource Centre 46 – 50 Oldham Street Manchester M4 1LE

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Statement from Trustees

The managing trustees of Starling con�rm that they are satis�ed that they have complied with their duty with regards to ensuring that the Charity has undertaken suitable works for the bene�t of the public; as required by the Charity Commission.

Structure Governance and Management

Governing Document

The organisation operates under the ‘Foundation Model’ and has a written constitution overseen and signed by the trustees. The organisation is incorporated as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

Appointment of Trustees

Trustees are appointed by the Board and Founder of the organisation. Trustees must go through a formal interview and vetting process overseen by the Board and Founder. There will always be a minimum of three board members. Board members adopt the following Policies and Procedures for induction and training of Trustees:

• Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults

• Equality and Diversity

• Health and Safety

Objectives and Activities

Charitable Objectives

The charity provides services for ‘neurodivergent’ young people aged 13-25 from across Greater Manchester and the North West of England.

‘Neurodivergent’ refers to individuals who experience di�erences in the way that their brain functions due to a range of conditions including Autism, ADHD, Mental Health and Developmental Trauma.

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Starling’s objectives to working with neurodivergent young people is as follows:

(a) Advancing in life and helping young people by developing their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as independent, mature and responsible individuals;

• (b) Advancing education;

• (c) Relieving unemployment;

(d) Providing recreational and leisure time activity in the interests of social welfare for people living in the area of bene�t who have need by reason of their youth, age, in�rmity or disability, poverty or social and economic circumstances with a view to improving the conditions of life of such persons;

• (e) Preserving and protecting the health and wellbeing.

Starling’s activities for neurodivergent young people can include the following:

(a) Recreational activities - e.g. trips and outings, social events, outdoor activities, creative projects, after school clubs

• (b) Issue-based workshops - e.g. mental health, healthy relationships, drugs and alcohol awareness, understanding risk-taking and antisocial behaviour

• (c) Peer-mentoring - e.g. 1-2-1 support from peers, befriending, volunteering, drop-in advice and guidance sessions run by young people

• (d) Youth Voice activities - e.g. consultation, group-based advocacy work, campaigns around youth issues, involvement in youth voice steering groups

• (e) Strategic opportunities - e.g. leadership roles within the charity, participation in national and local advisory boards, representing youth issues at conferences and events

Sta�ng

Starling current employ two members of sta�, Katie Charlton (FTE 0.8) and Fionna Inward-Allen (FTE 0.6). Katie Charlton is the Director of the organisation and is responsible for the overall management of the charity and delivering the charitable objectives. Fionna Inward-Allen is Project Coordinator and oversees the delivery of our youth participation projects.

Review of Activities

Over the past year we have supported neurodivergent young people aged 13-25 by providing a range of creative wellbeing activities both in small group and 1-2-1 settings, both online and faceto-face.

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Activities included creative writing, music, drama and visual arts and are based on the '5 Ways To Wellbeing': Connect, Give, Take Notice, Be Active and Keep Learning. Our activities provide young people with practical solutions to improve their wellbeing, as well as a social space to develop positive relationships and communication skills.

We currently run projects such as these in Tra�ord, Oldham, Tameside and Manchester, as well as across Greater Manchester through our online provision.

Our funded projects engage up to 40 young people each week. We also work with 20 young people through 1-2-1 online formats such as Zoom and WhatsApp, due to their experiences of social anxiety and complex behavioural needs.

Since starting the projects we have seen 85% of our attendees identify that they have improved their wellbeing through taking part. 90% have also improved their con�dence and a further 68% have identi�ed that they have increased their coping skills.

Throughout the pandemic we have adapted our delivery model to support more online work. We run weekly groups and 1-2-1 sessions on Zoom and have delivered over 170 ‘wellbeing packs’ and accompanying ‘how to’ videos to young people and their families. Young people that are engaging in this work have expressed that it has helped them to maintain their emotional wellbeing and social connections during the crisis.

Covid-19 had a catastrophic impact on the lives of young people, and particularly disabled and neurodivergent young people. 59% of all Covid deaths were disabled individuals (ONS, 2020), and the Council for Disabled Children (2021) has widely reported that disabled young people have had an acute lack of practical and emotional support throughout the crisis leading to loneliness, isolation, poor mental health and lack of access to remote learning.

For those young people with mental health issues and trauma related neurodivergence, Young Minds (2021) have highlighted the devastating impact that Covid has played in increasing their anxiety, self-harm, panic attacks and social disconnectedness.

As we work directly (and have done throughout the pandemic) with these young people who experience complex and overlapping forms of disadvantage, we can con�rm that these studies are re�ected in our cohorts of young people. Fortunately, following the guidance of the National Youth Agency (www.nya.org.uk) we have been able to work with vulnerable young people face-toface throughout the country’s lockdowns.

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Financial Review

Overview

Starling has signi�cantly increased income through the receipt of grants this �nancial year. All grants received have been restricted to charitable activities and have covered sta�ng, operational costs and delivery costs. As we have very few overheads, the majority of our grant funding is spent on direct delivery of projects to our bene�ciaries.

Reserves Policy

Our reserves policy is to maintain a level of reserves that trustees believe to be consistent both with ongoing �nancial stability, alongside maximum utilisation of resources for the delivery of activities. The level of reserves held by Starling is monitored and regularly reviewed by the trustees. Certain unrestricted funds are designated for use in the event of any unforeseen circumstances that could materially a�ect the ability of Starling to pursue its objectives or ful�l any contractual obligations. The level of this designated fund is reviewed annually by trustees. Currently Starling holds reserves of £3699 which covers one month’s core running costs. The trustees aim to increase this to three month’s core running costs by the end of 2021-22 �nancial year.

Review of Risks

The Trustee Board oversee the annually reviewed Risk Management Model and review all governance, operational, �nancial, environmental and external risk, and law and regulation compliance at quarterly meetings. Current risks are focussed on �nancial sustainability and environmental risk factors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Financial sustainability has been reviewed and mitigated through developing a diversi�ed income through neurodiversity training and consultancy. This will ensure that the charity builds further reserves of unrestricted income to ensure the longevity of its work. Grant funding has also been considered with a grant application timetable in place in order to ensure all projects are able to continue and that work can expand to the demand of our services.

Covid-19 is an ongoing risk factor for all charities. The Starling Board regularly works in collaboration with delivery sta� and the Director to assess the dangers of working directly with individuals in the community. We have robust risk assessments and escalation/de-escalation of procedures in place, depending on the severity of the virus in the community. As we have grown considerably since the beginning of the pandemic, we do not foresee �nancial implications if there were to be another lockdown or wave of the pandemic.

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Plans for the Future

Our future work is focussed on recovery for the young people we work with. We aim to continue our participation projects in all four GM boroughs (Tameside, Tra�ord, Oldham and Manchester) and provide additional wellbeing support for those most impacted by the pandemic.

We are also developing a group of ‘Neurodiversity Champion Volunteers’ who are up-skilling in practical approaches to inclusion of neurodivergent individuals. We currently have 15 active ‘champions’ who have undertaken training with us and who are supporting us to deliver our participation projects with young people.

Finally, we are pioneering training and consultancy work around Neurodiversity Inclusion and Acceptance, which we are launching in May 2021. We hope that this work will ensure that more individuals and organisations are aware of the often hidden experiences of neurodivergent people and therefore promote more neuro-inclusivity in the world we live in.

signed:

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11/1/2022
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Jessica Marvin

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Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of

Starling

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Starling (the Trust) for the period ended 31 March 2021.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘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(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or

2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered 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.

Paul Cowham FCA DChA Green Fish Resource Centre 46 – 50 Oldham Street Manchester M4 1LE

12/1/2022 Date …………………….

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Starling

Year ending 31 March 2021

Receipts and Payments Accounts

Receipts and Payments Accounts
		2021			2020
	Unrestricte d funds	Restricted funds	Total funds	Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Total funds
Receipts	£	£	£	£	£	£
Donations	768	-	768	144	-	144
Grants	-	102,667	102,667	-	13,208	13,208
Fees for charitable service	500	-	500	6,588	-	6,588
Total receipts	1,268	102,667	103,935	6,732	13,208	19,940
Payments
Accountancy	147	-	147	-	-	-
Equipment, materials & resourc	-	6,080	6,080	-	1,085	1,085
Printing, stationery & compute	-	-	-	-	186	186
Telephone, postage & internet	-	1,415	1,415	-	73	73
Insurance	-	248	248	161	-	161
Room hire	-	1,544	1,544	-	-	-
Sundry expenses	-	483	483	-	-	-
Transport/travel	-	1,145	1,145	-	261	261
Core staff	2,089	15,435	17,524	-	-	-
Freelance/sessional staff	-	27,708	27,708	1,904	4,745	6,649
Total payments	2,236	54,058	56,294	2,065	6,350	8,415
Net of receipts/(payments)	(968)	48,609	47,641	4,667	6,858	11,525
Transfers			-	-	-	-
Cash funds last year end	4,667	6,858	11,525	-	-	-
Cash funds this year end	3,699	55,467	59,166	4,667	6,858	11,525

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Starling

Year ending 31 March 2021

Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year

			2021			2020
	Notes	Unrestricte d funds	Restricted funds	Total funds	Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Total funds
		£	£	£	£	£	£
Cash funds	1	3,699	55,467	59,166	4,667	6,858	11,525
Assets - ESF project, monies owed		-	8,201	8,201
Liabilities
relating to before 31 March
2021		500	-	500	150	-	150
		3,199	63,668	66,867	4,517	6,858	11,375

Signed on behalf of the trustees:

Jessica Marvin Name Signed 11/1/2022 Date

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Starling

Year ending 31 March 2021

1 Analysis of restricted funds

Cash as at 31 March 2020 income spend Community Wellbeing Fund 5,860 - (5,860) ESF - 4,849 (13,050) Forever Manchester Phase 1 - 2,728 (2,728) Forever Manchester Phase 2 - 5,000 (1,573) GM Walking - 5,000 (5,000) GM Wellbeing Fund - 2,995 (1,703) GMCVO Community Wellbeing - 1,000 (1,000) Government Covid-19 Fund - 7,575 (4,280) Oldham Covid-19 Fund - 1,000 (1,000) Postcode Trust - 19,986 (2,099) Salford CVS 998 - (998) Social Infrastructure Fund - 24,687 (1,593) Tameside Covid-19 Fund - 200 (200) Trafford Housing Trust - 9,958 (6,654) We Love MCR - 2,727 (2,727) Youth Music - 14,962 (3,593) 6,858 102,667 (54,058)	Cash as at 31 March 2020 income spend Community Wellbeing Fund 5,860 - (5,860) ESF - 4,849 (13,050) Forever Manchester Phase 1 - 2,728 (2,728) Forever Manchester Phase 2 - 5,000 (1,573) GM Walking - 5,000 (5,000) GM Wellbeing Fund - 2,995 (1,703) GMCVO Community Wellbeing - 1,000 (1,000) Government Covid-19 Fund - 7,575 (4,280) Oldham Covid-19 Fund - 1,000 (1,000) Postcode Trust - 19,986 (2,099) Salford CVS 998 - (998) Social Infrastructure Fund - 24,687 (1,593) Tameside Covid-19 Fund - 200 (200) Trafford Housing Trust - 9,958 (6,654) We Love MCR - 2,727 (2,727) Youth Music - 14,962 (3,593) 6,858 102,667 (54,058)	transfers Cash as at 31 March 2021 - - - (8,201) - - - 3,427 - - - 1,292 - - - 3,295 - - - 17,887 - - - 23,094 - - - 3,304 - - - 11,369
	6,858 102,667 (54,058)	- 55,467

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