## **OPTIMI** Trustees Annual Report for the year ending 31 January 2025 ## **Reference and Administrative Information** Charity Name: OPTIMI Charity Registration Number: 1184859 Registered Office: Oaklands Cardeston Ford Shrewsbury Shropshire SY5 9NN ## **Charity Trustees** Mr RE Major Chair Dr PB Butler Secretary/Treasurer Prof J Stallard Mrs CMN Ball Management Accountant: Mr Chris Hoare 1 ## **Our Objectives and Aims** The **Objective** of our charity is set out in our Constitution: ‘The relief of sickness and the promotion of health among those suffering with neuromotor and neuromuscular disorders.’ There are three strands by which this Objective is achieved: a) advancing the education of professionals in specific areas of study, skills and expertise relating to the model of physiotherapy known as Targeted Training and the accompanying Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo). b) nurturing the concerns of all those, worldwide, who have interest and/or involvement in the sequential and segmental approach to the development of human movement control. c) the creation, monitoring and encouragement of maintenance of clinical standards of the model of physiotherapy known as Targeted Training. The **Aim** of our charity is, in simple terms, to enable as many people as possible who have disabilities that might respond in some part to Targeted Training therapy, to have access to this physiotherapy approach. Our aim fully reflects our Objective. ## Ensuring our work delivers our aims We review our aims, objectives and activities each year. This report encompasses our achievements over our third year as a Registered Charity. We review the progress of each key activity and how this contributes to benefit those groups of people we are set up to help. We refer to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit. ## The focus of our work The strategies we have defined to meet our objective included: - Creation and delivery of distance learning educational programmes for professionals, such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others such as paediatricians and bioengineers 2 - Creation and delivery of face-to-face educational programmes for professionals, such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists - Creation and delivery of a forum for those who have an interest in this area - Creation and establishment of clinical standards for delivery of Targeted Training therapy ## How our activities deliver public benefit All our charitable activities deliver public benefit by the broadening of information and knowledge about Targeted Training and the sequential and segmental approach to the development of human movement control. The benefit accrued by an individual as a result of Targeted Training has impact beyond the immediate gain by the individual: families also benefit as a result of greater independence of the individual and wider society can benefit from reduction in costs of equipment and medical care required. An increase in movement control and function can lead to greater access to employment, with consequent public benefit. The expertise held by Trustees, encompassing many aspects of the management of disability and particularly of individuals with Cerebral Palsy, provides a resource of Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement for those engaging in research activities and Knowledge Exchange. ## **Achievements and Performance** Mr Richard Major and Dr Penny Butler were invited to contribute to a three-day global online event organised by Dr Mindy Silva in New Zealand. Two presentations were submitted and both accepted : “Fixed ankle foot orthoses: How to get much more from tuning….” and “My therapy strategy has no need for biomechanics! Chicken or egg?”. This Clinical Excellence Summit provided an excellent opportunity to reach a wide audience, with a total of 6468 registered attendees from 22 countries (mainly USA, Australia, UK, NZ and Canada). These were watched live by over 900 and 600 attendees respectively and to date, including replays, 965 and 623 (24/9/24). In addition to the pre-recorded presentations there were live panel discussions, ‘Collab hubs’ and other events in which both Penny Butler and Richard Major participated. 3 TurnTo: This is an information repository and exchange forum for issues associated with Cerebral Palsy. It has worldwide participation by families, doctors and therapists. TurnTo is broad ranging, including highlights of latest research, practical tips shared by families and information on various therapy strategies. The latter are often introduced with an invited short video by a therapist who uses a particular modality. Audience questions are submitted and these questions, generally reduced to around seven by the TurnTo team, are then answered by the therapist in a series of short videos. This provides an excellent means of providing detailed information about a therapy strategy to a wide audience and engaging with that audience. Dr Penny Butler was invited to contribute on the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) and Targeted Training. These videos were met with appreciation and comments posted included: “Thanks so much! Your answer was in depth and made so much sense to me. Appreciate it!” “It really appeals to me how systematic Targeted Training is.” “It’s exciting to hear about the possibility of something that shows improvement in children with greater severity of disability. I’m looking forward to learning more!” Face-to-face educational opportunities 1. Sandwell: a presentation about SATCo has been given to staff of the community paediatric physiotherapy team in Sandwell. Due to various external factors, the audience was small but many questions were asked. 2. Israel: contact was made by the lead physiotherapist for community paediatrics in Israel, already known to Optimi. Their specific interest was how the Leckey Therapy Bench can best be utilised for SATCo and training (TT). _A_ presentation with voice over was used with follow up question and answer session. ## Other educational avenues - The group of physiotherapists in Spain* who have an interest in SATCo have presented, by invitation, at a conference in Madrid. This aimed at increasing 4 knowledge about and interest in SATCo. Their presentations were enthusiastically received. - A poster entitled ‘Validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) : preliminary data’ was presented at the 2024 Conference of the European Academy of Childhood Disability (Bruges, May/June 2024). Authors were V González-Vila, I González-Eiroa, PB Butler and V Robles-García. ## Translations of SATCo In addition to the translations of the SATCo score sheet previously reported, translations this year have included Greek, Slovenian and commencement of translation to Turkish. The teams in Greece and in Spain have also completed translation of supporting material available in conjunction with the free-to-view training videos. * Vanesa González-Vila, Irene González-Eiro, and Verónica Robles-García ## Communication between therapists and creation and establishment of clinical ## standards The means of monitoring delivery of Targeted Training will be considered once the full teaching package is in place. ## Serious Incident Report In November 2024, Trustees submitted a Serious Incident Report to both the Information Commissioner’s Office and to the Charity Commission. This was as a consequence of a video on the Optimi website being used on another website, without first obtaining Optimi consent. The transfer was detected within 24 hours and steps were taken immediately to remove the video from the receiving site at Optimi’s request, substantially reducing the risk of this material being accessed by others beyond that site. The report was made as: 5 - a. The incident could potentially harm a contributor to our work - b. It could also potentially harm the reputation of Optimi Optimi has followed the recommendations and action suggested by both the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Charity Commission, both of which have closed the incident. ## **Future Plans** The charity plans to continue the activities outlined above in the forthcoming years subject to satisfactory income from distance learning course participation and commissioned teaching. ## **Structure, Governance and Management** ## Governing Document OPTIMI is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) whose only voting members are its charity trustees: it was registered on 12 August 2019. The charity’s Constitution states that, in the event of the charity being wound up, trustees have no financial or personal liability. ## Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees Dr Penny Butler retired this year and was reappointed. Trustees may be re-elected for a maximum of three consecutive terms with an interval of one year before a fourth term commences. A term constitutes a three year period. All trustees give their time voluntarily and received no benefits from the charity. The trustee body seeks to ensure that the needs of professionals and their client groups are met through the diversity of the trustee body alongside business and management skills. To help maintain this broad skill mix, Trustees provide a list of their skills (updated each year): if specific skills are required or lost due to retirement, individuals are approached to offer themselves for election. 6 Trustees have met six times during the year, with all meetings taking place virtually. Trustees have been mindful of the issues of succession planning and meetings have been held during the year to discuss this issue. ## Trustee Induction and Training New trustees are invited because of interest expressed in our work and/or specific skills that would be of value to the charity. Potential trustees are provided with information about the charity’s objectives and activities and with information from the Charity Commission about the responsibilities of trustees, including the publication ‘The Essential Trustee’. New trustees are provided with the Constitution of the CIO along with the latest financial statements. ## Risk Management Trustees have carried out a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed. A risk register has been established and is updated annually. Where appropriate, systems or procedures have been established to mitigate the risks the charity faces. Internal control risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures for authorisation of all transactions. In this context, Trustees have reviewed the financial situation of Optimi and taken strategies to reduce outgoings by, first, engaging a Chartered Accountant to act on a voluntary basis and, second, by using a registered office address rather than that of the previous accountancy firm. ## Quinquennial Review of Constitution of Optimi This review was undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution, resulting in minor changes appropriate to current means of communication. 7 ## Policies Trustees have reviewed and approved the Risk Register and Trustee Skill Mix. Policies on Public Benefit, Risk Management, Financial Management, Conflicting Interests, Confidentiality, Equality and Diversity and posts within Optimi for ExOffenders were updated and approved during the year. All policies are reviewed at defined intervals and are available to view at https://optimi.org.uk/policies/ ## Responsibilities of trustees The CIO is required to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the CIO as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees follow best practice and: - select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; - make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and - prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is not appropriate to assume that the CIO will continue on that basis. Trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the CIO and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the CIO and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. In accordance with the relevant legislation, as the trustees of the charity, we certify that: - so far as we are aware, there is no relevant financial information of which the CIO’s Independent Examiner is unaware; and - as the trustees of the CIO we have taken all the steps that we ought to have taken in order to make ourselves aware of any relevant financial information 8 and to establish that the CIO’s Independent Examiner is aware of that information. 9 OPTIMI BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 JANUARY 2025 2025 2024 FlxedAssets Int8nObie Assets CutrentAssets 931 Prepayments Cash in bank8nd ai hand 546 393 £ 3,322 £ 3,868 £ 3,137 £ 3,530 Cr8ditor5 Amount ￿￿e￿thin 12 months -É 3,265 -É 3,265 NetCU￿e￿IA55ets14l?bI￿ffjes E 603 E 265 T￿alA$S￿$ le$sLlabllllles 603 £ 1,196 Income Funds Unrestricted Funds £ 603 £ 1,196 TotalFunds 6D3 É 1,196 Aesiricted Information 1510212025 OPTIMI DETAILED STATEMENTOF FINANCIALACTIVITIES FOR THE YEARENDING 31 IANUARY2025 2025 2024 Incoming Resources DonatiM$ £ 1.137 £ 1,137 240 240 Sales%%ithineharlt8bie 8cti￿lieS 250 250 2 1,S(M) E 1,51 Total Incomingreswrees £ 1,387 E 1,740 Resources Expended Amort15aiion ComputèrExpÈnsÈs Paypal lees InsurantÈ AccountsncylLegal 931 930 20 156 243 180 35 Total Expenditure £ 1,980 È 2,195 Net Incomel-Loss 593 455 Restritted Infermatlon 1510212025