A N N U A L R E P O R T Registered Charity 1184411
For the period ended 5 April 2022
www.ownmylifecourse.com/wlc
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C O N T E N T S
| Welcome - Chairwoman’s Report | 3 |
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| CEO Refections | 4 |
| Vision and Mission | 5 |
| Board of Trustees | 6 |
| Setting the context | 7 |
| What we have achieved | 8 |
| What women say | 10 |
| Who are course participants? | 18 |
| What trainees say | 19 |
| Impact of Zoom Coaching | 21 |
| Who are our trainees? | 22 |
| Financial Review | 23 |
| Structure and Governance | 24 |
| Financial Report | 25 |
| Related parties transactions | 26 |
| Benefts in kind | 27 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 28 |
| Thank yous | 29 |
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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W E L C O M E
Chairwoman’s Report
Welcome to our annual report for April 2021 - April 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic has been with us since the beginning of this year and has caused high levels of suffering and struggle, not least the escalation of men’s violence towards women and children. In a climate of increased perpetration, local domestic abuse services have had to radically overhaul their delivery methods in order to reach women, with the pandemic also triggering historical trauma for many women.
Initially, our plans to deliver in-person training across the UK had to be entirely rethought. We adapted the Own My Life course materials and training for online delivery and our work has grown from strength to strength. We trained hundreds of practitioners from across the UK (and beyond) to deliver the course with women and have been excited to hear that the materials are making a big difference to domestic abuse services, particularly at this time.
Our objectives for 2021/22 were set in June 2021 and we have allowed until March 2023 to complete them. We are delighted to be well on the way to achieving these, so far our progress includes:
PRIORITY 1: STRENGTHEN ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
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‣[Completing a bi-annual skills audit with trustees: We remain on track with this, and were pleased to recruit Gill Orman as a trustee. ] Her expertise in fundraising and the women’s sector have added significant skill to our Board.
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‣[Policies reviewed bi-annually: We were sad to say goodbye this year to our inaugural Chairwoman, Sarah Moss, but have been ] grateful for her skills in developing robust policies that remain integral to our healthy governance. Our policy review schedule ensures we review policies at every meeting.
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‣[Strengthening board culture: In January 2022, we had an excellent Board session with communications expert Genelle Aldred, ] encouraging us to consider how we can communicate ethically as a Board. In the next year we have two other Board gatherings planned, including a weekend away.
PRIORITY 2: SOLIDIFYING FUNDING STREAMS
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‣[Development of e-Learning platform: We have been working on Own My Life Discovery, a subscription based online platform ] utilising Own My Life course content. We aim for this to be launched before Summer 2022.
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‣[Build the number of training events: We have delivered 10 training events over the reporting period, which has exceeded our ] goal! While this is less than in the previous year, these events have all been funded by paid-for places, whereas in the previous financial year, the majority of our training events were almost entirely funding by the Sir Halley Stewart Trust. We are delighted to have moved to a sustainable model for training.
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‣[Increase number of training participants in each training event: Three of our training events had an increase in participants to ] require a co-trainer and were able to accommodate up to 30 participants. With only one trainer, we can train up to 24 participants.
PRIORITY 3: DEVELOPMENT OF FINANCIAL SYSTEMS
- ‣[Recruitment of a financial trustee: While we are yet to do this, we were grateful that charity accountant Tracey Moore offered to do ] a pro-bono financial health check for us. She met with the Board and confirmed our financial processes were positive and some of the best she had seen!
PRIORITY 4: EXPAND REACH
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‣[To recruit co-trainers to enable us to train more people during each OML training event: So far we have recruited one co-trainer, ] who has delivered three training events with us. We also have recruited a freelance coach who now delivers our Zoom Coaching sessions with trainees.
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‣[Develop a marketing plan for Own My Life Discovery: This remains in progress and is due to be completed by 2023.]
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‣[Videos and journals translated: We remain committed to seeing the Own My Life materials available in other languages. Our ] materials are still in the process of being translated into Welsh.
I feel honoured to be taking on the role of Chairwoman. As a Board, we love to read the feedback from women participated in the Own My Life course and training to run it. “Consolidation” is the word for the current season of governance and we are delighted to see our work go from strength to strength!
Liza Thompson, Chairwoman | 9th June 2022
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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C E O R E F L E C T I O N S CEO’s Report
It is amazing knowing that thousands of women have been able to access the Own My Life course this year, and that we have had the privilege and joy of introducing hundreds of practitioners into the Own My Life sisterhood! Delivering Own My Life training is wonderful opportunity; it is glorious to see practitioners learning, growing and being challenged. Reading the comments of course participants and practitioners while preparing this report is incredibly emotional. My heart bursts with delight for the difference the course is making to their lives.
It has been a joy to see the Own My Life team grow. Jo Costello now delivers our brilliant Zoom coaching and has been doing strategic development with us. Sadia Masud has co-trained with me on three training events and she adds so much experience and skill; it is wonderful to have an experienced course facilitator offering her wisdom to trainees. After Andrew Collins spent most of the previous year providing administration for the charity and course pro-bono, it has been brilliant to have a sustainable training model which ensures we can pay him for the work he does. We are also grateful for Katherine Patterson’s pro-bono social media support.
As always, it is the women who attend Own My Life courses, and the practitioners who run those courses, who remain central to everything we do. As we proceed through this season of consolidation, we are confident that opportunities for us to make a difference will grow, but we are grateful for this time to enhance our stability and sustainability as we anticipate our work growing exponentially!
As always, I am grateful that our organisation is one of sisterhood, with the Board, team, trainees, organisations running the course, and women attending the course all contributing to our work.
Natalie Collins, CEO | 11th May 2022
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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V I S I O N & M I S S I O N
The Women’s Liberation Collective was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 15th July 2019.
Our vision
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A world where women are liberated from male violence and control.
Our values
WOMAN-CENTRED: Women and their needs are at the centre of everything we do. Our aim to prioritise women is in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 in which “sex” is a protected characteristic.
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LIBERATION: We seek to ensure that all women we reach experience equality of opportunity: we also aim to move beyond equality, and work towards a world where women are liberated from male violence and control.
RESISTANCE: This resistance is both collective and individual. As an organisation we will resist the oppression of women and the ways patriarchy harms us all. Alongside this, we recognise that all women find creative ways to resist abusers. Rather than this resistance being honoured, women are often met with scorn and blame. Our work seeks to honour and mobilise women’s resistance to abuse and patriarchy.
INTEGRITY: We hold ourselves to a high ethical standard, striving to act honestly, fairly and consistently and using power wisely and well.
COLLABORATION: We foster collaborative spaces which build sisterhood and resist competitive attitudes. We will work together with charities and other partner organisations to achieve our goals.
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Our Mission Statement
We will equip, train and educate women, so that they can take back ownership of their lives from male abusers. We will also work in wider society, to prevent abuse.
Aenean ac dui sit amet nibh bibendumros nulla posuere gravida!
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B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S
The Trustees present their Report together with the financial statements for the period ended of 6 April 2021 to 5 April 2022 for The Women’s Liberation Collective, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (“the Charity”).
The Women’s Liberation Collective provides resources for women who have been subjected to men’s violence; and for organisations responding to men’s violence and their practitioners to use with women.
We do this through the Own My Life course, an innovative, creative and educational 12-week course for women.
Our trustees are:
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‣[(Shirley) Irene Hayes (15 Jul ’19 - ] present)
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‣[Liza Thompson (23 Mar ’20 - ] present)
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‣[(Florence) Anne Lyttle (4 Aug ’20 - ] present)
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‣[Louise Tullin (4 Aug ’20 - present) ]
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‣[Sadia Masud (10 Sep ‘20 - present) ]
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‣[Henu Cummins (10 Dec ’20 - ] present)
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‣[Gill Orman (22 May ’22 - present) ]
The purposes of the charity as set out in our governing document are:
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‣[To preserve and protect the health ] of women and relieve the distress and psychological, emotional and physical suffering experienced as a result of violence against women.
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‣[To promote best practice and ] understanding among the public, voluntary and statutory agencies in all matters relating to violence against women and their families and other forms of abuse, their causes, remedies and prevention.
Through the Own My Life course we s u p p o r t o r g a n i s a t i o n s a n d practitioners to enable women to regain ownership of their lives when they have been subjected to abuse or violence by men. This is done through short videos, structured discussions, group and individual activities, and a comprehensive learning journal. It uses multimedia content to explain complex concepts about trauma and abuse in easy to understand video clips, along with videos which evidence how popular culture reinforces or perpetuates sexism, rape culture, violence, misogyny, disrespect in relationships and abusive behaviour.
We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit and Code of Governance when reviewing our aims and objectives, governance arrangements and in planning our future activities.
As allowed for small charities, receipts and payment accounts have been prepared for this Report. The Trustees confirm that the Trustees’ Report and financial statements of The Women’s Liberation Collective comply with the provisions set out in Charities SORP (FRS 102).
We have had a wonderful year, seeing Own My Life grow and hearing the impact the course is having on women participants and practitioners who join our training. We are proud to be building an organisation with strong values, where women are at the centre of everything we do.
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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S E T T I N G T H E C O N T E X T
Over 2021/22 we have successfully moved from subsidised training events (funded by a grant from the Sir Halley Stewart Trust) to becoming sustainable through charging organisations to send their staff on Own My Life training.
One local authority is embracing the Own My Life course as their main commissioned programme for women who have been abused by a partner and a national domestic abuse charity has trained staff across England who are running the course. Moving our training online has enabled organisations outside the UK to train staff to run Own My Life, and we have been delighted to see an increasing number of Irish services running the course with women in Ireland. Leaders of services in the Republic of Ireland have said they are impressed by how well contextualised the training is for an Irish context, something they rarely find with other British training and resources.
This has been a year of consolidation, with a co-trainer and Zoom coaching lead joining the team. We are delighted to be pioneering a different way of working; choosing to recruit self-employed consultants rather than employees. We are keen to minimise the resources required to administrate our work, and our overheads are kept low through those we work with only being paid for the work they do. To ensure we are doing this ethically we have developed a Freelancer policy. As part of our commitment to build a healthy, sustainable organisation, we also have chosen to curtail operations throughout January and August, to allow those who work with us a healthy work/life balance. Over the last year, this has worked really well.
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W H A T W E H A V E A C H I E V E D
Comments from women who have participated in Own My Life courses across the UK and Ireland.
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MAP OF COURSES
APRIL 2021 APRIL 2022
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EXPANDED REACH: As can be seen from the maps of courses, more women are now able to access Own My Life. We continue to build connections with new services and have focussed on increasing the number of Irish services through offering a 20% training discount, as we work to develop materials for an Irish context.
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ENHANCED RESOURCES: We have added three new videos to the course. 1) Biderman Behaviours provides increased literacy about abusive behaviour; 2) The Cycle of Abuse enables women and practitioners to further recognise why and how abusers control their partner; 3) Cultural Unlesses offers understanding about why perpetration may be different in different cultural contexts.
3. FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE
We held our inaugural conference for facilitators, with course participants invited to join us for a final hour of fun. Current facilitators shared their wisdom and expertise, leading
workshops and interviews. Comedian Barbara Nice gave us a joyous hour of fun, dance and hilarity. We intend to make this a yearly event to build sisterhood and knowledge.
- GROWING TEAM: We now have a co-trainer when training events are 25+ people. This enhances the training and enables us to train more people in each training event. We also have a Zoom coach who delivers confidence building sessions for facilitators for delivering the course online.
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W H A T W E H A V E A C H I E V E D
Over the last year we have consolidated our work. We have moved away from charitable trust funding to become more sustainably funded through primary purpose trading; charging organisations for training.
We delivered ten facilitator training events (41% less than in 2020/21). 205 practitioners trained as Own My Life course facilitators (39% less than last financial year). We offered 2-hour Zoom coaching sessions for all practitioners to increase their confidence and skill in online facilitation via Zoom. From our online Evaluation Station system we know that at least 475 women started online courses in 2021/22 (an increase of 127% from 2020/21) and that we have provided 2555 journals to services (an increase of 2.5% since 2020/21), which represents up to 2555 women who have accessed the Own My Life course in person or online in 2021/22!
| 10 | Online facilitator training events delivered |
55 | Organisations trained |
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| 205 | Practitioners trained | 2555 | Journals provided for women accessing courses. |
| 97 | Practitioners attended Zoom Coaching sessions |
475 | Women (at least) have started online courses. |
Map with numbers of participants and organisations trained.
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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W H A T W O M E N S A Y
Feedback from 281women who have attended the Own My Life course
I would recommend the Own My Life course to other women.
I enjoyed the Own My Life Course.
I think the Own My Life course has changed my life.
Wordcloud: words women used to describe the course after they had completed it.
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W H A T W O M E N S A Y
Feedback from 281 women who have attended the Own My Life course
| BEFORE OWN MY LIFE | AFTER OWN MY LIFE | |
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| I feel like I am in control of my life and my future.. |
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| I can make sense of my life. | ||
| Overall, I feel good about my life. | ||
| I am as healthy as I can be. | ||
| I know where to go if I need help with diffculties in my life (e.g. money, health, job, education). |
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| I like and feel safe in my neighbourhood and/or community. |
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W H A T W O M E N S A Y
Feedback from 281 women who have attended the Own My Life course
| BEFORE OWN MY LIFE | AFTER OWN MY LIFE | |
|---|---|---|
| I am as healthy as I can be. | ||
| I know what domestic abuse is. | ||
| I think that the things I see and hear in songs, newspapers, TV programmes, magazines, and adverts affect how I see myself and my life. |
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| I feel in control of my fnances/ money. |
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| If I am a parent and am in contact with my children, I feel able to meet their needs. |
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| If I am a parent, I am confdent that my children know that I love them. |
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W H A T W O M E N S A Y
Feedback from women who have attended the Own My Life course
WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT THE COURSE? "I loved having a certificate at the end - it gave me a sense of achievement and that I had completed something that would increase my personal power.” “I loved seeing a diverse group of women attending and hearing how similar their experiences were to mine. The facilitators were amazing and always keen to help, inspire and keep our spirits up. The content has been thorough and validating in so many ways.”
"Knowing that I’m not alone and that I have the correct tools and knowledge to have a better future.” “The course helped me see what had happened to me and where I want to be in the future.” “The course helped me identify how I can change my life.” “I started to understand what happened, that I am not crazy and it was not my fault.” “I learned more new things, that have been helpful, it has been fun and we always have a laugh.” “Getting clarification about myself. I have behaved in a way, which seemed incomprehensible to me and this course helped me to understand.” “Meeting women in similar situations, I realised I'm not alone on that boat.” “Realising I’m stronger than I think.”
“Learning about my own reality & owning my own emotions. It was as much fun and liberating as it was informative and healing.” "The group I was in and the fact that I didn’t have to travel to get there and I could do it from my house.” “Feeling better about myself every week and learning it wasn’t my fault I was abused.” “It helped me tremendously to get a clearer understanding of sexual control.” “Learning how the brain works and how I can help myself undo the damage done.”
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W H A T W O M E N S A Y
Feedback from women who have attended the Own My Life course
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A WOMAN WHO IS CONSIDERING COMING ON THE COURSE?
"It will help you in ways you may not have imagined and by doing the course you will have time to process, a safe space and support.”
“It is worth having a go, and trust you will never be the same! It’s like someone switching the lights on, so you can now see.”
“The ladies that run the course care and believe you, and you can cry and swear and not be made feel crazy. They have time for you.”
“It will change your life, it may be hard, but it is totally worth the outcome.”
“It will open your eyes, ears, heart to the here and now, no longer having to presume yourself powerless.”
“The course validates your responses and reactions to situations by providing evidence-based information on how our bodies and minds work when stressed/pressured.”
“Do it! It will be the best thing ever.”
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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W H A T W O M E N S A Y
Feedback from women who have attended the Own My Life course
WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE OWN MY STORY JOURNAL? “No fluff! Clear and to the point.” “Older woman were represented.” “It helped me feel like I had ownership over the journey I was on during the course.“ “It changed my mindset, all there in black and white.” “You could write personal things in it that you didn't want to share.” “That it belongs to me. That it covers all manner of information, making me aware of things I definitely wasn't aware of in the world (or even within myself). That it’s “chunky!!” as in, solid/big/ bold (contains "all of me" out loud.!! No-longer hidden). As in, it has given me a window for me to see myself through. It contains “my real life". It’s not just a "pat on the back - there, there kinda book" full of positivity & affirmations. It makes you work on yourself, see yourself and look at your own behaviours. It actually truly helped me find a voice within myself that I could hear clearly above the rambling babble in my mind!”
"Having a busy life it is something tangible that I can re-read, read anew and refer back to over time.” “It’s a very good journal that I will keep for life and share with my friends. “ “That you can always look back and realise how much stronger you’re getting.” "It’s very helpful and handy. I would treat it like a sacred book!”
WHAT DID YOU ENJOY LEAST ABOUT THE COURSE? “There was quite a lot of material that was difficult but worth learning about.” “The truth of what we have gone through.” “That it had to finish.” “It was emotional, as it hurt at time but it was like releasing poison from your body.” “I had to miss two sessions due to being in hospital, so I didn't enjoy that. LOL.” “That there was a lot more abuse in my relationship than I first thought.” “The section on children was very close to the bone and made me feel terrible, but through it I learned to accept that it’s not my fault.”
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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W H A T W O M E N S A Y
Feedback from women who have attended the Own My Life course
TELL US ABOUT THE COURSE “This course is not just another group set up to pacify brokenness. It literally focuses the actual individual on their own circumstances & empowers them, not just with a crutch of information, but with real life skills going forward that can be used in every situation, in any relationship (parents/ employers/siblings etc). It not only challenges, but also changes, lives.” “I loved seeing the progress and changes in me and how I feel about myself and my life.” “The tools I received were like a jigsaw; now that I have the knowledge I can piece the pieces together to get me though my journey in life.” "This course has given me insight into the person I was. Meeting others further down the route than I am gives me hope. I have never met these ladies in person but they have all reached out to me.” “Most women that have been in domestic violence suffer from PTSD and trying to own your life with that is difficult. This course gives you the tools to be able to overcome.” "This course has helped me in more ways than you can imagine, not just with what’s in the course but with my confidence, my self-worth and to understand my children better.” “This course has helped me break free from a situation where I was separated but still holding mentally on to my marriage, when I knew that nothing would change in the future. I formed a traumatic attachment which was not healthy and I was walked over as though I wasn't important. I know my self worth now and what is acceptable and what is not. This course has helped me take the step I needed to, Thank You.” “I have grown. I now realise I have come through hell and me and my children have come out the other side as survivors. I am stronger than I ever realised.” “I'm sad it's come to an end but I have learnt a lot, made some good friends and I'm so glad i fought through my daily pain and managed to do it. Thank you to who ever came up with this course. It's changed my life, my way of thinking and dealing with an abusive ex that I still have contact with due to having a son with him.” “I’m so glad I did the course. It is powerful and thought provoking. I won't think of the media and music and our patriarchal society in the same way. The course has changed my beliefs and perceptions and inspired confidence in me to take control of my life.” “It’s given me support I didn’t think existed.” "It has really aided my healing process and allowed me to come to terms and accept what I have been through. This course has made me more confident and not afraid to speak out about the abuse I have been through and has inspired me to help over women in similar situations.”
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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W H A T W O M E N S A Y
Feedback from women who have attended the Own My Life course
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO AN ORGANISATION WHO WERE THINKING ABOUT FUNDING THE OWN MY LIFE COURSE? “If you are truly committed to empowering women to live safely, to be independent citizens and own their own lives then run this course in your organisation. Not only will it help those women affected, it will educate and inform all women who take part in the course. They will be better equipped to keep their personal power and to support others or signpost them to the correct help.” “It is worth all money put into it. The women who come on this course will go into their homes and communities to be the change they want to see; a society free from abuse and violence towards women.” "It's changing women's life and helping us to rebuild our life from scratches.” “Fund this to open as many eyes as possible into the warning signs of abuse! If only I had attended this years ago.” “This course is a win win. You could save someone’s life by funding this course; it’s saved mine. Some women are at their end and this course and the facilitators will help them realise it’s not their fault.” “Please fund this course, it's been the biggest help to me getting over a difficult breakup. It's helped me keep my home, provide a stable base for my child, to understand really challenging behaviours of my ex-partner, and to respond more appropriately so that the future looks safe and doable again.”
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W H O A R E C O U R S E P A R T I C I P A N T S ?
For the 270 course participants who completed our online evaluation, we know that…
Age
The majority of participants were between 36 -55. There were no women under 18.
Ethnicity
74% of participants were White, 9% were Black, African, Caribbean or Black British, 8% were Asian or Asian British, 5% were from mixed or multiple ethnic groups, and 1% were of Arab ethnicity.
Sexuality
When asked to self-identify their sexuality; 90% were straight, 4% bisexual, 2% other (e.g. “not sure, can’t ever imagine having a partner”, “going lesbian after the men I’ve met”), 2% pansexual, 1% gay/lesbian.
Disability
32% of women described themselves as having a disability.
Of those with a disability;
42% had mental health problems, 18% had a mobility impairment, 17% had a long term illness, 10% had learning difficulties, 6% were Deaf/ hearing impaired, and 1% had a sight impairment.
Class
When asked to self-identify their social class; 49% were working class, 30% middle class, 11% other (e.g. “top class”, “hate this question, no idea”, “I don’t do class distinction”), 4% upper working class, 4% lower class and 2% upper working class.
Religion and Belief
When asked to self-identify their faith; 46% were Christian (where denomination was specified 28% were Catholic, 6% were Church of England/Scotland), 36% had no faith, 7% Muslim, 6% spiritual, 2% Hindu, 1% Buddhist, 1% Pagan, 1% Sikh. One participant was a Jehovah’s Witness.
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W H A T T R A I N E E S S A Y
Feedback from practitioners who attended facilitator training
How much would you say the course has increased your knowledge?
Will the training change your practice?
Practitioners’ comments:
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W H A T T R A I N E E S S A Y
Feedback from practitioners who attended facilitator training
“It is a brilliant course for us professionals to rethink areas in the way we view our clients and how we support them.”
“The resources for facilitating the course are great. Everything is clear and concise. I really like the e- Hub, and I'm glad that there are ideas of how to facilitate over Zoom, so we don't have to try and reinvent the wheel! The videos are great - really clear.”
“While a lot of the content was known, the presentation is so clear and concise and helpful. The thought that has gone in to the delivery of the resources was also incredibly helpful and has given me much more confidence in not only running this course but other facilitation I might find myself in.”
“The Womanual is superbly written, laid out beautifully and has all that is needed to support the facilitator and the women to do the course. The video's are amazing! They explain things in such a simple way about subjects that are so complex.”
“This training is the most useful training I have done on DA. Not just about running the group but will impact on every aspect of my work. The training is fun, interactive and informative. An absolute essential for women working in this field!!”
”I have found this course more useful than any other course I have attended before. It has practical and very powerful tools, easy to use and explain; it felt like it was a recipe for independence.”
“It will empower you as a practitioner and woman to empower other women. It challenges the way we support clients currently and presents information in a well thought out yet simple way that increases efficacy for our clients.”
“This training should be done by all domestic violence workers - aside from helping to know how to facilitate the course- it adds so much to our knowledge of domestic abuse.”
“It is the only course which focusses on the woman's journey in an abusive relationship and can give practical and invaluable advise and information to empower her to bloom into the woman she can be."
“You will learn far more than delivering a course to women, I have learned valuable resources I will take back to my team and use with women and will change my language etc too.”
“It is a fantastic course, it is not like other training, you will actually enjoy the material AND learn how to facilitate the course well.”
"This course has changed the way I will support women moving forward - it should be essential training for anybody working with women in any kind of caring or supportive profession. “
“Best training I have attended in years. It didn't just increased my knowledge, it also gave me a fresh and new perspective about what I already knew.”
“This course is the one and only course i have come across that really can break the cycle of abuse for a woman and enable her to "Own her Life”.
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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I M P A C T O F Z O O M C O A C H I N G
Feedback from 97 practitioners who attended Own My Life Zoom coaching to equip them in delivering the course online
Participant tech literacy
There was a range of confidence with technology among those who participated in Zoom coaching. When asked what level of confidence they had about using technology; 3% were “not at all confident”, 28% were “a bit confident”, 65% were “mostly confident”, and 4% were “not at all confident”.
BEFORE COACHING AFTER COACHING How confident were about about delivering the Own My Life course via Zoom?
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W H O A R E O U R T R A I N E E S ?
For our 210 training participants we know that…
Disability
Age
13% of women described themselves as having a disability.
The majority of participants were between 36 -55. There were no women under 18.
Of those with a
disability; 40% had mental health problems; 32% had a longterm illness; 16% learning difficulties; and 4% had a speech impairment.
Ethnicity
82% of participants were white, 9% were Asian or Asian British, 6% were Black, African, Caribbean or Black British, and 3% were from mixed or multiple ethnic groups.
Class
When asked to identify their social class from a list 53% were working class, 20% were upper-working class, 26% were middle class, 1% were “other”. 1 person (under 0.5% identified as upper-middle class).
Sexuality
When asked to identify their sexuality from a list; 90% were straight, 5% bisexual, 3% lesbian, 2% other.
Religion and Belief
When asked to identify their faith from a list; 43% had no faith, 36% were Christian, 7% were atheists, 7% were Muslim, 3% were agnostic, 3% were other and 1% were Sikh.
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F I N A N C I A L R E V I E W
During the period up to 5th April 2022, The Women’s Liberation Collective received total income of £132,756 (2020/21: £98,563), of which £0 comprised grant funding or donations. This income was attributable to charitable activities relating to delivering the Own My Life course.
Expenditure incurred for 2021/22 totalled £95,310 (2020/21: £86,740), all of which related to charitable activities. Currently, all those who work for us are self-employed, which means that our staffing costs are integrated within project costs, rather than being separate to them.
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Total funds as at 5 April 2022 were £62,133 of which £0 represented restricted funds. Free reserves, representing unrestricted funds less tangible fixed assets totalled £62,133.
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Our reserves policy can be found within our Financial Management Procedure HERE.
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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S T R U C T U R E A N D G O V E R N A N C E
Constitution
The Women’s Liberation Collective was established in 2019 and achieved charitable status in 2019. The Women’s Liberation Collective is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and is constituted by its Articles of Association dated 15 July 2019.
Recruitment and election of trustees
When a vacancy in the Trustee Board occurs, care is taken to ensure that new Trustees are able to contribute effectively alongside the existing board by providing complementary skills. During the period up to 5th April 2021, the Charity has approved the following policies:
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‣[Safeguarding Policy ]
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‣[Equal Opportunities ]
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‣[Complaints Policy ]
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‣[Financial Management Procedure ]
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‣[GDPR Policy Statement ]
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‣[Governance Policy ]
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‣[Health and Safety Policy ]
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‣[Website Privacy Policy ]
Our Safeguarding, Complaints, Privacy, and Equal Opportunities policies are available on our website HERE. A skills audit of the current Board of Trustees has been undertaken. We have developed a trustee induction process for new trustees, which includes completion of the skills audit and a 6-month trustee confirmation period.
Office holding trustees (Chair and Treasurer) are voted in for 3-years, with an opportunity for review at the charity AGM.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Charity's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity. They 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.
Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees; Liza Thompson, (Florence) Anne Lyttle, (Shirley) Irene Hayes, Louise Tullin, Sadia Masud, Henu Cummins and Gill Orman signed on their behalf by:
Liza Thompson, Chair | 9th June 2022
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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F I N A N C I A L R E P O R T
Our bankers are: Metro Bank, St. George’s St, Canterbury CT1 2SR.
Receipts and payments account
| Period ending 5th April 2022 | Period ending 5th April 2022 | Period ending 5th April 2022 | Period ending 5th April 2022 | Period ending 5th April 2022 | Last year 21/22 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Total funds | |||||
| Receipts | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Voluntary income: | |||||||
| Grant income | - | - | 0 | 13,038 | |||
| Voluntary receipts | 1,240 | - | 1,240 | 2,040 | |||
| Charitable activities | 131,516 | - | 131,516 | 83,485 | |||
| Total receipts | 132,756 | 0 | 132,756 | 98,563 | |||
| Payments | |||||||
| Charitable activities: | |||||||
| Own My Life course delivery and training |
89,297 | - | 89,297 | 70,634 | |||
| Own My Life course development |
1,037 | 3,676 | 4,713 | 15,327 | |||
| Other | 1,300 | - | 1,300 | 779 | |||
| Total payments | 91,634 | 3,676 | 95,310 | 0 | 86,740 | ||
| Net receipts | 41,122 | -3,676 | 37,446 | 11,823 | |||
| Cash funds brought forward |
21,011 | 3,676 | 24,687 | 12,864 | |||
| Cash funds at the end of the period |
62,133 | 0 | 62,133 | 24,687 |
Statement of assets and liabilities
| As at 5th April 2022 | As at 5th April 2022 | As at 5th April 2022 | As at 5th April 2022 | As at 5th April 2022 | Last year 21/22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Total funds | ||||
| £ | £ | £ | ||||
| Cash funds: | ||||||
| Cash at bank | 62,133 | 0 | 62,133 | 24,687 | ||
| Total funds | 62,133 | 0 | 62,133 | 24,687 |
Restricted Funding
‣[Awards 4 All, England ]
AMOUNT FROM BEFORE APRIL 2021:£3,630
AMOUNT IN PERIOD: £0
FOR: Providing trained organisations with course materials to deliver the course with women and supporting organisational development.
AMOUNT SPENT: £3,630
- ‣[Sir Halley Stewart Trust ]
AMOUNT FROM BEFORE APRIL 2021:£46 AMOUNT IN PERIOD: £0
FOR: Organisational development.
AMOUNT SPENT: £46
Unrestricted Funding
During the reporting period the majority of our unrestricted income came from primary purpose trading (PPT). This includes:
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‣[Being paid to deliver training. ]
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‣[Being paid to provide course materials ] (WoManuals, Journals, Resource Boxes) to those delivering the Own My Life course.
Any profits from PPT have been (or will be) reinvested to further our charitable objects.. INCOME FROM PPT: £131,516
AMOUNT SPENT: £91,634
All those who work for us are self-employed. Our CEO has provided her time pro-bono, with her self-employed partnership, Spark, contracted to deliver the majority of our training, administration and resource provision. The breakdown of these costs are:
Training: £23,750
Administration: £18,240 Resource provision: £28,557 Other: £1,623
Approved by the board of The Women’s Liberation Collective.
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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R E L A T E D P A R T I E S T R A N S A C T I O N S
In this report period:
- ‣[There are two related parties. ]
In the last report period (2020/21):
‣[There was one related party.]
Related parties
One trustee, Sadia Masud was a related party. She received monies for working as a co-trainer on some training events. Spark was also a related party. Spark is the self-employed partnership of Natalie Collins, founder of the Own My Life course and our CEO, and Andrew Collins. Prior to setting up the charity, Natalie was paid to deliver the Own My Life course via Spark. As Andrew provided administration support for Natalie’s other work, the trustees were confident Andrew would be the best person to provide administration support to the charity. With the support of the trustees, Natalie and Andrew have chosen to remain self-employed. This reduces the workload and cost to the the charity (no payroll etc is needed) and allows Natalie and Andrew freedom to do work with other organisations. In this report period, Natalie’s work as CEO has been done pro-bono.
Terms and conditions
Any operation matters which involve payments to Spark require trustee approval with Spark having only read-only access to the charity bank account. Spark’s fees are discussed and approved by the trustees, with any changes to fees or responsibilities reviewed and voted on by trustees.
Related parties
| Period ending 5th April 2022 | Period ending 5th April 2022 | Period ending 5th April 2022 | Period ending 5th April 2022 | Period ending 5th April 2022 | Period ending 5th April 2022 | Period ending 5th April 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | Balance | Provision for bad debts |
Amounts written off |
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| Description of transactions | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Training delivery | 29,050 | - | - | - | |||
| Administration | 18,240 | - | - | - | |||
| Resource provision | 28,557 | - | - | - | |||
| Other | 1,623 | - | - | - | |||
| 77,470 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Related parties (previous report period)
| Period ending 5th April 2021 | Period ending 5th April 2021 | Period ending 5th April 2021 | Period ending 5th April 2021 | Period ending 5th April 2021 | Period ending 5th April 2021 | Period ending 5th April 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | Balance | Provision for bad debts |
Amounts written off |
|||||
| Name of Related Party |
Description of transactions | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Spark | Training delivery | 26,490 | - | - | - | |||
| Administration | 6,720 | - | - | - | ||||
| Resource provision | 46,887 | - | - | - | ||||
| Development | 3,154 | - | - | - | ||||
| Total | 83,251 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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B E N E F I T S I N K I N D
Alongside the funding we have had, we have also been gifted other resources which have enabled us to achieve so much.
| Period gifted | Resource | Amount | Approx cash value |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2021 - February 2022 |
Natalie Collins’ volunteered time to run the charity. |
3 days per month |
£10,800 |
| April 2021 - April 2022 | Katherine Patterson has been our social media manager. |
6 hours per month |
£2,160 |
| Autumn 2021 | Accountant Tracey Moore gave us a fnancial health check to ensure all our fnancial systems were as positive as possible. |
£400 | |
| 2019 - 2021 | Adrian Miller provided independent examination of our accounts. |
£700 | |
| £17,180 |
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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I N D E P E N D E N T E X A M I N E R ’ S R E P O R T
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts for The Women’s Liberation Collective, Charity No 1184411 for the year ended 5[th] April 2022 which are set out on pages 25 – 26.
As the charity trustees of the Charity, 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 Charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission 145(5)(b) of the Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in any material respect:
- Accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act
or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Kay Merrick ACMA
Be Buoyant Limited, Reinsbrook, Sambourne Park, Sambourne, B96 6PE
Kay Merrick | 9th June 2022
Registered Charity No. 1184411
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T H A N K Y O U S
Facilitators
Course participants
I t t a k e s s u c h c o u r a g e t o e m b a r k o n O w n M y L i f e . T h a n k y o u f o r t r u s t i n g t h e c o u r s e a n d f o r y o u r o p e n - h e a r t e d w i l l i n g n e s s t o d o t h e h a r d w o r k o f m a k i n g s e n s e o f y o u r l i f e . We e x i s t b e c a u s e o f y o u , a n d f o r y o u .
T h a n k y o u f o r y o u r c o m m i t m e n t t o w o m e n ’ s l i v e s a n d f o r b e i n g p a r t o f t h e O w n M y L i f e s i s t e r h o o d . I t i s t h r o u g h y o u r w i l l i n g n e s s t o l e a r n o n t h e f a c i l i t a t o r t r a i n i n g a n d y o u r s k i l l s a n d w i s d o m t h a t t h e O w n M y L i f e c o u r s e m a k e s a d i f f e r e n c e t o w o m e n .
Sarah Moss
KP
We r e m a i n s o g r a t e f u l t o y o u f o r y o u r s o c i a l m e d i a e x p e r t i s e a n d t h a t y o u g i v e y o u r t i m e s o g e n e r o u s l y t o e n s u r e t h a t o u r s o c i a l f e e d s a r e u p t o d a t e a n d e n g a g i n g .
T h a n k y o u f o r b e i n g o u r f i r s t e v e r C h a i r ! Yo u r w i s d o m a n d g i f t a s a p o l i c y q u e e n h a s e n a b l e d u s t o b u i l d a s t r o n g f o u n d a t i o n . We w o u l d n ’ t b e h e r e w i t h o u t y o u !
Tracy Moore
Yo u r a c c o u n t a n c y e x p e r t i s e a n d w i l l i n g n e s s t o o f f e r s o m e t i m e t o g i v e u s a h e a l t h c h e c k e n a b l e d u s t o b e f u l l y c o n f i d e n t o u r f i n a n c i a l p r o c e s s e s , t h a n k y o u !
David Waterhouse and Aysha Awan
T h a n k y o u f o r y o u r h e l p a n d e x p e r t i s e i n w r i t i n g a p r e s s r e l e a s e f o r d o m e s t i c a b u s e s e r v i c e s d e l i v e r i n g t h e O w n M y L i f e c o u r s e . I t e n a b l e s t h e m t o m o r e e f f e c t i v e l y s h a r e t h e p o w e r o f O w n M y L i f e o n w o m e n ’ s l i v e s .
Registered Charity No. 1184411
The Co-op Centre Sunderland, SR2 8AH Phone: 07818 328391 www.ownmylifecourse.org/wlc info@ownmylifecourse.org