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2022-03-31-accounts

Company number: CE018159 Charity registration number: 1184348

WE BELONG

(A charitable incorporated organisation)

TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR FROM 1 APRIL 2021 TO 31 MARCH 2022 (Unaudited)

WE BELONG

Contents

Reference and administrative information 1
Trustees’ report 2-16
Independent examiner’s report 17
Statement of fnancial activities 18
Balance sheet 19
Notes to the fnancial statements 20- 29

WE BELONG

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Trustees Colin Falconer - Chair
Jocelyn James - Treasurer (resigned 19 October 2022)
Omolade Adedapo (appointed 13 December 2021)
Sufna Ahmad
Mariam Ajibola
Muhammed Arkam Babar
Jamilla Hinds-Brough
Joel Carter
Maheraj Ahmed Lian (appointed 30 June 2022)
Andrew Noel (resigned 5 November 2021)
David Wolfe QC (resigned 9 December 2021)
Chief Executive Chrisann Jarrett MBE
Charity registered number 1184348
Registered offce and EC 1 Offces
operational address 338 City Road
London
EC1V 2PY
Banker Metro Bank
One Southampton Row
London
WC1B 5HA
Accountants Charity Accounting Services Ltd
Suite 109 - Spaces
6 Sutton Plaza, Sutton
London
SM1 4FS
Independent Examiner Caroline Sharp FCA, DChA
55 Canberra Road
London
SE7 8PF

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charity for the period ended 31 March 2022. Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the charity’s trust deed, the Charities Act 2011 and Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (FRS102).

We Belong registered with the Charity Commission on 10 July 2019, becoming a new stand-alone organisation. We Belong builds on a project called Let Us Learn, which was previously hosted by Just for Kids Law. The project expanded beyond its initial remit of campaigning for equal access to higher education to fighting for the rights of young migrants in the UK, including higher education and tackling systemic barriers that prevent young migrants from living a fulfilled life.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Legal structure of the charity

The charity is constituted as a charitable incorporated organisation and its governing document is a written constitution dated 10 July 2019.

Recruit and induction of trustees

The Trustees are appointed by the members or the charity trustees and are recruited with regard to their knowledge skills and experience. Trustees are appointed to a fixed 2 year term. Trustees may not serve more than three consecutive terms. There is a comprehensive pre-appointment briefing and a trustee induction process for new Trustees. Training is made available to Trustees as required.

Management and administration

We Belong is administered by Chief Executive Chrisann Jarrett MBE based on the strategic direction set by the trustees. The board of trustees meets four times a year. The Chair, Treasurer and Safeguarding Lead trustees also provide support to the CEO as and when required. Charity Accounting Services provide book-keeping and accounting services to the charity.

OBJECTS AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives set out in the governing document

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Charity activities

We Belong works with and for young migrants, who are subject to a hostile environment in the country we and they call home. We fight to end the hostile environment around immigration, ensuring barriers preventing full integration for migrants are removed so that we can contribute to British society.

EXTERNAL CONTEXT

We Belong remains the only organisation in the migration sector focussing solely on long term young migrants, a group often forgotten due to wrongly held assumptions on young people’s status and citizenship despite the length of time spent in the UK. Our issue is extremely niche in comparison to the rest of the sector who focus on refugees and asylum seekers. Post- Windrush Scandal we have been able to capitalise on the opportunity to work alongside policy makers as they change their internal practices and engagement with external stakeholders and communities. The year 2021 marked the ten year anniversary of the introduction of the ten-year route to settlement amidst the ongoing hostile environment. Although we have secured a policy win, our organisation must now be proactive in sustaining this win amidst the legislative backdrop which continues to erode the rights of migrants living in the UK. In 2022, the government announced a consultation on the Bill of Rights which threatens to dilute the Human Rights Act and the main basis for the residency of our beneficiaries. In addition, the Nationality and Borders Bill 2022 gives the Secretary of State the power to revoke citizenship based on public interest. The hostile environment will continue to impact the lives of our young people and their community due to the discretionary power and the reframing of what it means to really belong in the UK.

OUR ISSUES AND APPROACHES

Advocacy The Challenge

There are over 332,000 children and young people growing up in the UK without any formal immigration status. In 2012, the UK Government introduced the longest route to settlement formally known as the ten-year route; young people are entering adulthood facing prolonged uncertainty on this probationary route. The young migrants We Belong support are often granted a limited form of status over a decade, due to high fees and complex laws. This decade is rife with difficulty and impacts a young adult's interaction with society and services, and impacts a young person's identity and sense of belonging.

In October 2021 after four years of campaigning for a shorter more affordable route to settlement, We Belong managed to secure a major win to immigration private life rules. This change means that young migrants who entered the UK as children and were granted status on the basis of private life will now be on a five year route to settlement as opposed to a ten year route.

We Belong has a great task ahead to ensure young people, their families and civil society organisations interacting with young people who have precarious status are aware of their rights and entitlements and can regularise their status as soon as possible. Early intervention is necessary so that young people face fewer years in legal precarity.

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Our approach:

and contribute to British society we work with young people to help advocate their concerns to policy makers at the heart of parliament.

seek to remove those barriers and support them in accessing their rights and advocating for change. This empowers each young person to become independent, confident, and able to reach their full potential. Our advocacy work has the following aims:

Student Finance: The Challenge:

Six years after the landmark Supreme Court judgement in the case of R v Tigere , we have tracked many young people who as a result of the intervention are successfully securing their student loans on the basis of long residence. However, we continue to support a large number of young people who are wrongfully denied student loans. Through fact finding and interacting with Student Finance England these errors are attributed to general lack of awareness of advisors on the rules of eligibility and resistance to approving student loans for young people with a limited form of immigration status. Advisors' reluctance comes from the fact that they act as gatekeeper simply ‘safeguarding public funds’ from those whose immigration status is questioned. This leads to young migrants being discriminated against at the assessment stage when engaging with the Student Loans Company (SLC). In addition, we continue to see SLC demand evidence that young people with limited leave will not be able to provide for example, bank statements and in some cases evidence of presence in the UK post 18 where a young person is going through the process of regularising their status.

Our approach:

Our Communities ensuring that students, teachers and parents we come in contact with understand the stakes and

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begin to work towards gathering evidence and preparing themselves for what can be a trying period should the application to student finance not go according to plan.

Collaboration : We work alongside other organisations within the sector such as Access to Higher Education Working Group and Student Finance Vulnerable Stakeholder Group on finding solutions to the policy issues.

Student Loans Company : We established a relationship with Student Loans Company (SLC), through their Funding Information Partners Manager, who is willing to assist the young people we work with who have struggled to access student finance despite being eligible. Since making contact, we have successfully intervened in 9 urgent cases. We have quarterly meetings with members of the SLC team ranging from customer services to senior management in our quest to provide training to advisors and simplify communications so that young people are clear on evidence criteria.

Training to University Widening Participation Staff: since June 2021 we have been providing training to widening participation staff at universities so that staff are able to understand the types of status students may have; tuition fee eligibility; pre-uni interventions and post-uni support systems so that students with limited leave to remain are provided ongoing mental health and wellbeing assistance.

This young person came to We Belong following one off advice that had been provided to her mother who was seeking student finance support. The Student Loans Company (SLC) had asked the young person to provide further evidence concerning her immigration status in the UK without stating the specificities on what evidence she needed. Our Youth Development Lead spoke to the young person, who at the time had been feeling overwhelmed for months due to constant letters from her university demanding her funding issue to be resolved. She was at risk of being removed from her course and despite sending SLC a myriad of documents to prove her long residence in the UK in the form of school letters, home office documents, her passport, British Residence Permit, SLC still demanded more. We Belong supported the young person by raising an escalation with SLC’s Funding Information Partners Managers Team and spoke to SLC advisers on her behalf. The case was resolved and the young person found our intervention in advocating for her very useful as it alleviated the burden of having to deal with the situation by herself.

IMPACT

We have successfully worked with cross party MP’s throughout the year building on the success of our Chasing Status Campaign in 2020-21. This includes working with Dame Meg Hillier MP who secured a debate with the Backbench Business Committee raising awareness across parliament of the issues young people face when on the ten-year route to settlement. We have capitalised on this publicity by continuing our bi-weekly meetings with Home Office Civil Servants and working alongside allies who are members of the Law Commissions Simplification of the Immigration Rules.

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We have done the following to initiate reform to the ten-year route to settlement:

Summary of the New Private Life Rules: Who does this concession apply to?

Those who were either born in the UK or entered as children (below the age of 18), but are now young adults (aged 18 and over)

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Case studies and quotes from young people who have received early ILR since October 2021 as a result of our campaign win:

Zara

Zara is 25. She came to the UK when she was 9 years old. In 2014, when she was 17 years old, she was granted LLR under a private life route. Originally, this meant that she could only apply for ILR when she was 27 years old. However, due to the campaign win, Zara applied for ILR early, as she had already clocked up 8 years on the private life route. She was granted ILR.

“Being granted early ILR has been life changing and honestly brings me a sense of security and stability. Not having to worry about the possibility of leaving a country I have called home for 16 years makes me feel happy, accepted and most importantly at peace in my home”

Leah

Leah came to the UK when she was 4 years old. She is now 24, and has had Limited Leave to Remain under private life since 2013. She had spent 9 years on the 10 year route, but under the new rules she has just managed to get ILR.

“Getting my ILR really feels surreal. I cannot believe I have settled status after 14yrs of living in this country with anxiety and fear every year. I came across We Belong 7yrs ago and I know I wouldn’t have gotten to this point (and so soon) without God or We Belong’s advice and advocacy. Literally means the world to me and my family & friends”

Ahmed

Remain in 2017, which he renewed again in 2019. He has now clocked up over 5 years on the Private Life route, and has just been granted ILR under the new rules.

“Receiving ILR after such a long wait was a life changing moment for me and has finally made me truly feel a sense of belonging to the society. The best thing about this status is that I am relieved of worrying about my stay in the country that I call home and that I’m no longer subject to immigration control.

This status has given me a clear view about my future and certainty of my residence without having to stress about financial aspects.

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I now feel much healthier mentally after a great burden has been lifted off my shoulder. More paths have opened up for me and now I feel like I am in control of my future thanks to the status of ILR.

I cannot wait for the day that I will receive British citizenship and accomplish my dream.”

Impact- Student Finance Work

We have worked with 6 schools across London Boroughs barriers whilst engaging with 1,400 young people through webinars and in person presentations supported by our Core Group of young activists.

We have also had impact in the following ways:

Case study and Quote from a young people who received a scholarship:

Gracie’s sister Amanda had been supported by We Belong to attain the same scholarship the year before. Gracie accessed our personal statement clinic, hardship fund for her immigration status regularisation and was supported with her wellbeing through one-to-one meetings.

"Thank you for the preparation you did with me for my interview. I didn’t stumble and it really went well. The questions we practised went well and it went smoothly. Also, Thank you to We Belong for the support that they gave me with the Leave to Remain situation and the money they finance me to apply for it, I got it last week."

Leadership Programme

16 young people have graduated from our Emerging Young Leaders programme contributing 207 hours to our CPD accredited course between April 2021-May2021 . Since then, we have enrolled a further 12 young people onto the course and for the first time we have co-delivered the training with one of our young activists. We continue to focus on intergenerational leadership with senior mentors contributing on average 4 hours of their time to mentees on the course. Senior leaders cut across industries which include tech, journalism, music, enterprise and law.

Summit

Rise to the Challenge 2021 Youth Summit

The 3-day event was delivered with over 108 young people signed up to workshops on the three pillars, Mental Health; Digital Story-telling and Activism. We were supported by 8 young people to co-design and deliver sessions making full use of our new Contribution Policy. The team worked hard to develop a great programme of activity and engaged 60 young activists across the three days. The summit was a crucial part of the launch of We Belong Contribution Policy which enables

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planning and delivering the summit over a three month period .

Youth Engagement: Our Approach

We believe in providing opportunities for young people to lead and equipping them with the tools to thrive as they engage in activism. We engaged with young people in the following ways:

Impact in London: Youth Engagement

Case study of a Core Group Member:

This young person came to We Belong following our advertisement for Core Group Members. As they attended more meetings and engaged with other young people, the young person began to feel more confident and disclosed during one of our one to one meetings, that they were undocumented and facing difficulties with their guardian at home. We Belong were able to assess the young person using our Safeguarding procedures and provide wellbeing support as the young person’s mental health had been negatively impacted. We were also able to encourage the school to have discussions with the young person’s guardian to ensure more action was being taken to resolve their immigration issues. We Belong supported the young person by helping them to gain access to free legal advice and representation. The young person was offered opportunities to progress their skills through Core Group involvement, whilst we maintained regular contact with their teachers at their school to seek opportunities for them to develop skills over the Summer months.

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Expansion: Manchester Chapter

In November 2021, We Belong opened the Manchester Chapter after conducting a scoping enquiry which evidenced that 62% of our outside London enquiries in the previous financial year were located in Manchester. We have since employed two members of staff, a Youth Engagement Officer and a Community Engagement Officer to develop our work in Manchester and the North. The new chapter works closely with We Belong colleagues from the London head office and gives the organisation greater reach across the country, ensuring young migrants nationwide are supported and platformed. This new chapter is supported by funding from the John Ellerman Foundation and the National Lottery Community Fund.

Impact of our work in Manchester since January 2021 when the team started conducted client enquiries and 1-1’s with young people:

Case studies of young people we have worked with in Manchester:

A is a young person who has had contact with We Belong before the Manchester Chapter opened through the London office. She has really thrived since the opening of the Manchester chapter, keen to get the ball rolling with creating a network of young migrants. Following an initial meeting, where our Community Engagement Officer assessed her interests, skills and passion for the arts, we signposted her to a range of opportunities around the city, including a social media course at Manchester International Festival. As someone who is currently without status, and thus unable to work, she has been really keen to get involved with as many other opportunities as possible. A has developed so many skills during this period including public speaking as she told her story of self at the first Manchester youth gathering. She has also joined a migrant arts group that We Belong signposted her to, and has since been appointed a volunteering role. Her confidence has been boosted massively during this time. She has developed her skills, which she has also brought to her volunteering at We Belong. Our Youth Engagement Officer has assisted her with two scholarship applications and we are now awaiting a positive result.

HB

HB is a very bright young person who is interested in engineering and was very determined to go to

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university. Due to status, HB’s only option was to apply for an Article 26 scholarship. Our Youth Engagement Officer supported HB in writing a personal statement that fitted the required criteria, went through interview preparation, completed a mock interview and offered additional support. HB was successful in receiving an Article 26 Scholarship offer from the University of Manchester and will be starting their degree in September 2022.

FUNDING PROCESS

We Belong submits funding applications either by open grant processes or by invitation from grantmakers. The executive team undertakes a scoping exercise to identify and assess prospective funders ensuring alignment with our work before adding them to our fundraising pipeline. Once a prospective grant is on the Fundraising Pipeline it is then tracked from submission to assessment and finally through to decision. In addition, trustees approved an 18-month Fundraising Strategy which further documents grants on the organisational radar, potential revenue, expenditure and approximate reserves.

FUNDRAISIN G

Barrow Cadbury Trust: Ayesha Saran, Migration Programme Manager

‘The Barrow Cadbury Trust has funded We Belong since its establishment and we have been extremely impressed by how quickly it has established itself as an important and powerful voice for change. It has worked tirelessly to both empower and change the lives of thousands of young people facing injustices within the UK’s immigration system, its recent contribution to the policy change on the ten year route being an outstanding example of its effectiveness. It also continually strives to ensure that those affected by injustice guide and lead its strategy and campaigning, which undoubtedly increases its impact. Despite the difficult external context, I have no doubt that We Belong will continue to go from strength to strength.’

as core unrestricted grants enabling the organisation to focus on sustaining projects and staff roles.. We raised £372,646 in total income, including a noteworthy grant from the National Lottery Community Fund covering 5-years of organisational expenditure focussing on developing the Manchester Chapter. The flexibility we saw throughout the pandemic continued as our relational funders welcomed changes to restricted submitted budgets enabling us to respond to need and reallocate budget lines. This year we saw income from workshops and conferences amounting to £3,025.

We were able to maintain our Covid-19 Emergency Grants and extend the Hardship fund throughout 2021 helping an additional 75 young migrants who faced financial difficulties, totalling an amount of £15,184.

We appreciate all our supporters; without them we would not be able to continue this purpose driven work.

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ONGOING DEVELOPMENTS

  1. Concessions have to be made in favour of incremental change: Advocacy is a sustained effort to engage with different stakeholders who have the power to make the change you desire, as highlighted in your campaign. This requires a deep focus on systems and relationships. While the campaign sets the direction of travel, our advocacy strategy needs to be agile, and reactive to external events in the policy world and society. It requires us to be realistic, to make compromises, where needed, and break down our campaign asks into achievable, incremental change.

2. For policy wins to be sustained they must be activated and monitored: it is important that we work on a live implementation plan for the next 2 years to ensure we activate the policy win, identifying those who are now eligible for a 5 year route. In addition, we must ensure that we track where and how the policy is not being implemented by the Home Office as intended and maintain dialogue with senior civil servants to escalate and resolve ongoing issues.

3. We require strategic partnerships, collaborations and increased local presence to disseminate the policy win: the win was secured through a national framework, we now need to actively seek partnerships with local and grassroot organisers to reach black and ethnic minority groups impacted so they can self-identify status issues and support needs to regularise their status. This may also mean that We Belong will need to broaden the beneficiary group to work with children and the families younger than 16 years old for early intervention.

  1. Lived Experience Activists: as an organisation should always prioritise the wellbeing of young people with lived experience; this takes primacy over campaigning, and associated project delivery demands. This includes pausing or decreasing engagement in projects so that young people are not pressured or overwhelmed by social change.

Governance

We have strengthened our board of trustees by recruiting another lived experience trustee Omolade Adedapo who has strong expertise working in governance and policy as well as acting as community and welfare officer at her student union. Her expertise and passion will contribute to the decision making of the board across both our Let Us Learn and Chasing Status Projects as we try and improve conditions for young migrants at universities and within wider society. Our commitment to lived experienced leaders has led to senior board members rotating the development needs of younger trustees through shadowing, mentoring and increased dialogue every quarter. This will foster an intergenerational way of working as well as intentionally developing the confidence of younger lived experience trustees to engage in high level decision making in finance, risk and strategic areas.

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Engagement and Relationship Building: Beneficiaries (New Client Enquiries)

record of 285 new client enquiries from across the UK. This is an 83% increase from the previous year, meaning an increase in our visibility through our social media channels and referrals. In particular, we saw an increase in calls over the period of October 2021-March 2021 due to the announcement of the campaign win . Overall, we provided information and support on immigration, student finance, scholarships, no recourse to public funds, housing and mental health. For complex cases we worked with external civil society organisations through signposting and referrals keeping a close relationship with these services to track outcomes for our young people.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The Trustees reported net incoming resources of £55,526 (2021: £184,662) on all operations for the period under review. The income for the year was £372,646 (2021: £417,589) and expenditure was £317,120 (2021: £232,927). The fund balance at the end of the period of £387,464 (2021: £331,938) comprised unrestricted funds of £342,605 (2021: £251,106) and restricted funds of £44,859 (2021: £80,332).

RESERVES POLICY:

for 3-6 months.

The unrestricted reserve balance at 31 March 2022 was £342,605 (2021: £251,106). Based on the budget for 2022/23 this represents 8 months expenditure and therefore the Trustees consider that the value of the funds at 31 March 2022 meets these objectives. This was due to changes in expenditure as most programmes were delivered online due to the pandemic. In addition, we delayed the recruitment of our Immigration Caseworker until 22/23 financial year. The reserves will be utilised across the upcoming financial years.

RISK MANAGEMENT: `

The Trustees actively review the major risks which face the charity on a regular basis, with a risk assessment report available online and highlighted at every Trustee meeting. Financially the Trustees believe that maintaining reserves at adequate levels, combined with an annual review of the controls over key financial systems will provide sufficient resources in the event of adverse conditions. The Trustees have also examined other operational and business risks faced by the charity and believe that the systems in place to mitigate significant risks offers the Trust adequate protection.

GOING CONCERN :

The Trustees believe that by maintaining reserves at the levels required by the reserves policy and by regularly reviewing the charity’s key financial systems, they can ensure that sufficient resources are in place to mitigate significant financial risks. The Trustees have examined the

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next 12 months together with the reserves in place offer the charity adequate protection to ensure its continuance as a going concern. The Charity has in place a three year budget to ensure future planning is secure.

PUBLIC BENEFIT:

When planning our activities for the year, the Trustees have considered the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit. Trustees are clear that there are identifiable benefits to the work that we do - some of these are identified below;

UPDATE ON FUTURE PLANS

Manchester Office :

Throughout this year we have initiated Phase 1: Identify young migrants with lived experience and those interested in the work of We Belong. The team have also focussed on networking and developing the We Belong branding and presence in Manchester and formalising a local group of activists and change agents. Over the next 2-4 years we will be committing to the following.

utilise the learning as we look to expand We Belong Chapters in the next two years into other cities.

The Three Pillars: Education, Empowerment and Employment:

We will be assessing the needs of young people post-pandemic so that as an organisation we can better respond to needs and support young people along the way. We will be strengthening our engagement and offer to young migrants within schools through three key pillars, Education, Empowerment and Employment. In both the empowerment and employment pillars we will be collaborating with external partners to bolster our package of information and opportunities whilst ensuring young people are inspired. This will include sessions facilitated by corporates for students to gain insight and explore potential career and job opportunities, with particular focus on representation of young people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.

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Implementation Plan: 19 Co-Producers across London and Manchester

By 2025 we hope to engage over 2,000 young migrants so they can become aware of their immigration status and pathways to settlement. This requires additional capacity, in line with our lived experience activism model as well as partnership working with allies. Thus, we plan to recruit Co-Producers initially in London followed by Manchester. Co-producers will be remunerated to work alongside our Community Engagement Officers. Once inducted we aim to advance these three objectives so that we can reach, engage and empower young people with precarious status:

1. Improve young people’s individual outcomes:

2. Unlock potential so that young migrants can lead, build and sustain movements which will fundamentally change the nature of the migration sector, with:

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STATEMENT OF THE TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES

statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the CIO’s financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing financial statements giving a true and fair view the trustees should follow best practice and:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.

The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The Trustees confirm that to the best of their knowledge there is no information relevant to the Independent Examination of which the Examiner is unaware.

are aware of all relevant financial information and that this information has been communicated to the Examiner.

The Trustees are members of the charity, but this entitles them only to voting rights. The Trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

This report was approved by the Board of Trustees on 1 December 2022 and signed on their behalf by:

COLIN FALCONER

Colin Falconer Trustee and Chair

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REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT EXAMINER TO THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of We Belong for the period ended 31 March 2022.

This report is made solely to the trustees as a body, in accordance with the Charities Act 2011. My examination has been undertaken so that I might state to the trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an independent examiner's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the trustees as a body, for my examination, for this report, or for the opinions I have formed.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the CIO 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 CIO’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.

with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. Accounting records were not kept in respect of the CIO 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 form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give as ‘true and fair’ view which is not considered part of an independent examination.

  4. The accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities.

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.

CAROLINE SHARP

Caroline Sharp FCA, DChA Date: December 2022 7 London SE7

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Notes
Income from :
Donations and legacies
4
Charitable activities
5
Total Income
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
6
Total Expenditure
Net Income for the year
Transfer between funds
Net Movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds:
Funds brought forward
Funds carried forward
12		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total 2022
Total 2021
£
£
£
£
178,907
15,135
194,042
230,114
8,025
170,579
178,604
187,475
186,932
185,714
372,646
417,589
95,433
221,687
317,120
232,927
95,433
221,687
317,120
232,927
91,499
(35,973)
55,526
184,662
-
-
-
-
91,499
(35,973)
55,526
184,662
251,106
80,832
331,938
147,276
342,605
44,859
387,464
331,938

All activities derive from continuing operations. There are no other recognised gains and losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in note 12 to the financial statements.

The notes attached on pages 20 to 29 form an integral part of these accounts.

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BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2022

______
Notes
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
9
Cash at bank and in hand:
Total current assets
LIABILITIES
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
year
10
Net Current assets
NET ASSETS TOTALS
THE FUNDS OF THE CHARITY
Restricted Funds
12
Unrestricted Funds
12
TOTAL FUNDS		 ____
2022
2022
2021
2021
£
£
£
£
29,569
5,200
367,782
332,115
397,351
337,315
9,887
5,377
387,464
331,938
387,464
331,938
44,859
80,832
342,605
251,106
387,464
331,938		 ____
2022
2022
2021
2021
£
£
£
£
29,569
5,200
367,782
332,115
397,351
337,315
9,887
5,377
387,464
331,938
387,464
331,938
44,859
80,832
342,605
251,106
387,464
331,938
331,938
80,832
251,106
331,938

Approved by the board of trustees on 1 December 2022 and signed on their behalf by

COLIN FALCONER

Colin Falconer Trustee and Chair

The notes attached on pages 20 to 29 form an integral part of these account s.

19

WE BELONG

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

1. Accounting policies

Statutory information

We Belong is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The registered office and operational address is EC1 Offices, 338 City Road, London EC1V 2PY.

Basis of preparation

Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) - (Charities SORP FRS 102), The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The financial statements have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair view’. This departure has involved following Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.

Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note.

judgements, for example in respect of significant accounting estimates. Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The nature of the estimation means the actual outcomes could differ from those estimates. Any significant estimates and judgements affecting these financial statements are detailed within the relevant accounting policy below.

are rounded to the nearest £1.

Going concern

The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

The Trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

20

WE BELONG

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Income recognition

Income, whether from exchange or non-exchange transactions, is recognised in the statement of financial activities (SOFA) on a receivable basis, when a transaction or other event results in an increase in the charity’s assets or a reduction in its liabilities and only when the charity has legal entitlement, the income is probable and can be measured reliably.

Income subject to terms and conditions which must be met before the charity is entitled to the resources is not recognised until the conditions have been met.

Income from 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.

All income is accounted for gross, before deducting any related fees or costs.

Accounting for deferred income and income received in advance

Where terms and conditions relating to income have not been met or uncertainty exists as to whether the charity can meet any terms or conditions otherwise within its control, income is not recognised but is deferred as a liability until it is probable that the terms or conditions imposed can be met.

Donated goods, facilities and services

Donated professional services and facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. There were no such donations during the period in question. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), the general volunteer time of trustees and volunteers is not recognised with any monetary value.

Fund accounting

1) Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.

2) Designated funds are unrestricted funds set aside by the Trustees for particular purposes. 3) Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.

Recognition of liabilities and expenditure

A liability, and the related expenditure, is recognised when a legal or constructive obligation exists as a result of a past event, and when it is more likely than not that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and when the amount of the obligation can be measured or reliably estimated.

Liabilities arising from future funding commitments and constructive obligations, including performance related grants, where the timing or the amount of the future expenditure required to settle the obligation are uncertain, give rise to a provision in the accounts, which is reviewed at the accounting year end. The provision is increased to reflect any increases in liabilities, and is decreased by the utilisation of any provision within the period, and reversed if any provision is no longer

21

WE BELONG

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

required. These movements are charged or credited to the respective funds and activities to which the provision relates.

Allocating costs to activities

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. These include office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs which support the charity's charitable activities.

Debtors

Debtors are measured at their recoverable amounts at the balance sheet date.

Creditors and provisions

Financial instruments including cash and bank balances

Cash held by the charity is included at the amount actually held and counted at the year end. Bank balances, whether in credit or overdrawn, are shown at the amounts properly reconciled to the bank statements.

Pension

amounts payable by the charity to the fund in respect of the period.

Fixed assets

Items costing less than £2,500 (previously £1,000) are not capitalised.

2 Liability to taxation

Finance Act 2010 for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the Charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by chapter 3 part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively on the specific charitable objects of the charity and for no other purpose.

Value Added Tax is not recoverable by the charity and is therefore included in the relevant costs in the Statement of Financial Activities.

22

WE BELONG

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Notes
Income from :
Donations and legacies
4
Charitable activities
5
Total Income
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
6
Total Expenditure
Net Income for the year
Transfer between funds
Net Movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds:
Funds brought forward
Funds carried forward
12		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total 2021
Total 9
months
period ended
31 March
2020
£
£
£
£
230,114
-
230,114
120,954
2,575
184,900
187,475
145,043
232,689
184,900
417,589
265,997
74,533
158,394
232,927
118,721
74,533
158,394
232,927
118,721
158,156
26,506
184,662
147,276
(5,967)
5,967
-
-
152,189
32,473
184,662
147,276
98,917
48,359
147,276
-
251,106
80,832
331,938
147,276

23

WE BELONG

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

4 Donations

Donations
General donations
Grants from trust and foundations
AB Charitable Trust
Paul Hamlyn Foundation
Tudor Trust
Hollick Family Foundation
Esmée Fairbairn
Anonymous Family Trust
Anonymous Charitable Trust
Total Donations		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2022
Total 2021
£
£
£
£
11,907
135
12,042
22,114
25,000
-
25,000
25,000
60,000
-
60,000
77,000
30,000
-
30,000
-
10,000
-
10,000
-
42,000
-
42,000
96,000
-
15,000
15,000
-
-
-
-
10,000
178,907
15,135
194,042
230,114

All donations in 2021 were unrestricted.

5 Income from charitable activities

Income from charitable activities
Grants from trusts and foundations
Barrow Cadbury Trust
Ben & Jerry’s Foundation Fund of
Tides Foundation
Unbound Philanthropy
Trust for London
National lottery Community Fund
John Ellerman Foundation
Emergency COVID Grant
Workshop & Conference
2021 analysis		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2022
Total 2021
£
£
£
£
-
25,000
25,000
44,900
-
16,560
16,560
-
5,000
60,000
65,000
60,000
-
20,000
20,000
40,000
-
19,019
19,019
-
-
30,000
30,000
-
-
-
-
40,000
3,025
-
3,025
2,575
8,025
170,579
178,604
187,475
2,575
184,900
187,475

2021 Unrestricted income is from workshops and conferences. All grants were restricted.

24

WE BELONG

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

6 Charitable expenditure

6a Direct programme costs

Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2022
Total 2021
£
£
£
£
Staff cost (note 7) 25,750
147,257
173,007
136,604
Communications 20,328
6,215
26,543
21,874
Other programme costs 7,882
20,129
28,011
3,283
Emergency Grant COVID19 (206)
15,184
14,978
22,473
Total direct programme costs 53,754
188,785
242,539
184,234
2021 analysis 53,815
130,419
184,234

In 2022 Covid grants were made to 75 (2021: 102) individuals to cover essential needs and application costs.

6b Supports costs

Training & recruitment
Offce rent
Insurance
Telephone & internet
Printing, postage & stationery
Travel, accommodation & subsistence
IT support and software
Accounting service fee
Equipment costs
Other expenses
Total support costs
2021 analysis		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2022
Total 2021
£
£
£
£
3,333
-
3,333
2,403
12,749
22,352
35,101
28,115
-
958
958
915
273
-
273
361
945
551
1,496
1,429
1,346
3,836
5,182
275
2,028
2,028
4,056
2,338
5,526
-
5,526
6,374
11,066
2,315
13,381
2,359
1,913
862
2,775
2,024
39,179
32,902
72,081
46,593
18,618
27,975
46,593

25

WE BELONG

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

6c Governance costs

Trustees’ meeting expenses
Independent examination
Total governance costs
2021 analysis
Total Charitable expenditure
2021 analysis		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2022
Total 2021
£
£
£
£
750
-
750
600
1,750
-
1,750
1,500
2,500
-
2,500
2,100
2,100
-
2,100
95,433
221,687
317,120
232,927
74,533
158,394
232,927

7 Staff costs and emoluments

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Employer's contribution to defned contribution pension scheme
The average number of headcount of staff		 2022
2021
£
£
157,468
125,109
10,815
7,811
4,724
3,684
173,007
**136,604 **
6
5

No employee received remuneration amounting to more than £60,000 in the period.

Up until September 2021 there were two Co-CEOs forming the key management personnel. Dami Makinde Co-CEO resigned from the organisation in September 2021. The total remuneration to the key management personnel, including employers NI and pension, was £65,901 (2021:£79,336).

8 Trustees' remuneration and reimbursed expenses

Neither the trustees nor any persons connected with them have received any remuneration from the charity or any related entity. One trustee was paid £ 89 for travel and meeting expenses in 2022 (2021: Nil).

26

WE BELONG

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

One trustee received a hardship grant to meet essential needs of £300 (2021: One trustee received a grant of £600) under the same terms and application procedures as other grant recipients. The trustee was not involved in the grant making process.

9 Debtors

Trade debtors
Prepayments
10 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Accruals
Pension payable
Trade creditors
HMRC Tax and NI payable
11 Net assets by funds
Unrestricted
£
At 31 March 2022
Fixed assets
-
Current assets
352,492
Current liabilities
9,887
Net assets
342,605
Unrestricted
£
At 31 March 2021
Fixed assets
-
Current assets
256,483
Current liabilities
5,377
Net assets
251,106		 Trade debtors
Prepayments
10 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Accruals
Pension payable
Trade creditors
HMRC Tax and NI payable
11 Net assets by funds
Unrestricted
£
At 31 March 2022
Fixed assets
-
Current assets
352,492
Current liabilities
9,887
Net assets
342,605
Unrestricted
£
At 31 March 2021
Fixed assets
-
Current assets
256,483
Current liabilities
5,377
Net assets
251,106		 2022
2021
£
£
20,895
-
8,674
5,200
29,569
5,200
2022
2021
£
£
4,410
4,180
1,050
772
272
425
4,155
-
9,887
5,377
Restricted
2022 Total
£
£
-
-
44,859
397,351
-
9,887
342,605 44,859
387,464
Unrestricted
£
-
256,483
5,377		 Restricted
2021 Total
£
£
-
-
80,832
337,315
-
5,377
251,106 80,832
331,938

27

WE BELONG

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

12 Movement in funds

Unrestricted Funds
General fund
Total unrestricted funds
Restricted Funds
Barrow Cadbury Trust
Ben & Jerry’s Foundation Fund of
Tides Foundation
Unbound Philanthropy
Trust for London
Nelson Family Foundation
Lush Charity Pot
National Lottery Community Fund
John Ellerman Foundation
Emergency COVID Grants
Anonymous Family Trust
Total restricted funds
Total funds		 Balance 1
April 2021Income
ExpenditureFunds
transfer
Balance
31 March
2022
£
£
£
£
£
251,106
186,932
(95,433)
-
342,605
251,106
186,932
(95,433)
-
342,605
(135)
25,135
(25,000)
-
-
-
16,560
(7,418)
-
9,142
25,000
60,000
(60,000)
25,000
18,013
20,000
(38,013)
-
-
16,440
-
(16,440)
-
-
3,987
-
(3,987)
-
-
-
19,019
(18,302)
-
717
-
30,000
(20,000)
-
10,000
17,527
-
(17,527)
-
-
-
15,000
(15,000)
-
-
80,832
185,714
(221,687)
-
44,859
331,938
372,646
(317,120)
-
387,464

12 Movement in funds (continued) - purposes of restricted funds

Barrow Cadbury Trust- To support We Belong campaigning work on issues relating to immigration; citizenship; higher education and support youth development.

Ben & Jerry’s Foundation Fund of Tides Foundation - Leadership Academy which includes Leadership programme and Youth Summit.

Unbound Philanthropy - Organising and Mobilising Immigrant Youth

Trust for London- We Belong Chasing Status Project- Pathways to settlement

Nelson Family Foundation - Allocated to our Leadership Academy which includes Leadership programme and Youth Summit. Funds have also been allocated to developing our digital capacity.

Lush Charity Pot-

28

WE BELONG

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

National Lottery Community Fund- We Belong Youth Voice Partnerships covering the Manchester Chapter.

John Ellerman Foundation - Funding activities empowering young migrants .

Emergency COVID grants - Funding from Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Rayne Foundation to enable us to give support during the COVID crisis. We supported 75 beneficiaries with cash grants during the year, and 102 last year.

Anonymous Family Trust - For the delivery of Let Us Learn and Leadership Academy programmes.

Prior year movement in funds

Unrestricted Funds
General fund
Total unrestricted funds
Restricted Funds
Barrow Cadbury Trust
Ben & Jerry’s Foundation Fund of Tides
Foundation
Unbound Philanthropy
Trust for London
Nelson Foundation
Lush Charity Pot
Emergency COVID Grants
Total restricted funds
Total funds		 Balance
1st April
2020
Income
ExpenditureFunds
transfer
Balance
31 March
2021
£
£
£
£
98,917
232,689
(74,533)
(5,967)
251,106
98,917
232,689
(74,533)
(5,967)
251,106
-
44,900
(45,035)
-
(135)
9,287
-
(15,254)
5,967
-
2,882
60,000
(37,882)
-
25,000
15,750
40,000
(37,737)
-
18,013
16,440
-
-
-
16,440
4,000
-
(13)
-
3,987
-
40,000
(22,473)
-
17,527
48,359
184,900
(158,394)
5,967
80,832
147,276
417,589
(232,927)
-
331,938

13. Related party transactions

One trustee received an emergency grant of £300 (2001: £600) as disclosed in note 8.

One trustee received £563 for w orking on co-facilitating the Emerging Young Leaders Programme and data transfer prior to starting tenure on our board in June 2022.

One trustee made unrestricted donations to the charity totalling £240. (2021: Two trustees donated a total of £325)

There are no other related party transactions to disclose for 2021 or 2022.

29