## **Trustees’ annual report and accounts for the 12 months ended 31 December 2023.** **(CIO Reg No. 1185114)** The Trustees have pleasure in presenting The Treasure Basket Association’s report together with the financial statements for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2023. ## **About The Treasure Basket Association** We are a small West Sussex charity providing relief and protection of the mental health of children, in particular but not exclusively for those with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, through the provision of therapeutic services and materials and the coaching and mentoring of supporting families. Increasingly, restricted funding of schools and other educational organisations are not sufficient to support therapy for children and families as a preventative measure before they reach crisis point. In addition many families are, sadly, not picked up by or meet the requirements for government backed services. This is where we come in - if we can reach out to these children and families before they develop detrimental coping strategies then there is a better likelihood that the support has a greater impact. Trauma, deprivation and adverse childhood experiences causes multiple complexities for children, young people and families. The barriers that some families face can make it feel impossible to increase their skills, employment opportunities, income and accommodation standards. This can produce an outcome of childhood of poverty with effects that can become detrimental to a child’s emotional well-being and their own life patterns. In such situations there is clearly a need for the intervention of an organisation that provides play therapy with a holistic approach, focusing on meeting the short and long term needs. We offer qualified, registered and supervised professionals who have the experience, knowledge and understanding to work with - and heal - young minds. The result is that during the therapeutic process the family grows in confidence as they have new tools to manage the conflict and make the necessary changes. Our name, The Treasure Basket Association, was inspired by Elinor Goldschmied whose work has had a profound influence on theory and practice within early childhood education. A “Treasure Basket”, originally designed for sitting babies to explore, is full of real objects which are sensoryenriching, which assist the promotion of mental, emotional and physical development. The Treasure Basket Association uses play and creative arts and advocates the importance of these for good mental health in children, young people, and adults. Regular exploration promotes the development of creativity, imagination, self-confidence, intrinsic values, self-efficacy as well as physical, social, cognitive and emotional well-being. The freedom of non-directive play is an opportunity to raise self-awareness and alter behaviour constructively. 1 Operating from a base in Goring-By-Sea, West Sussex, the Treasure Basket Association was founded in 2016 and became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in 2019. Our founder member Felicia had worked previously as a professional play therapist and continues to play a key and fundamental role in the charity. **The Treasure Basket Association provides support through:** - **Increasing access to Play Therapy sessions in designated areas of deprivation by supporting funding in schools.** - **Securing preventative initiatives by facilitating one-to-one Play Therapy sessions for children experiencing emotional distress.** - **Providing families’ access to therapeutic play materials and mentoring and coaching support.** ## **Review of the year 2023** 2023 was considered by the Trustees to be a further period of consolidation following the three previous years which had all been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, either directly or indirectly. Activities during the year 2023 focussed somewhat on sustainability, and a small number of trainees were introduced. However the lack of available funding restricted the charity’s capacity to take on new projects, with only four started in the year. A falling away of personnel generally, especially in the number of trustees, volunteers and in practitioner time resulted in us not being able to fully achieve the growth target we had hoped for and at the end of the year we were left with one project to finish in 2024. In May 2023 and in fantastic weather we held our second car boot sale at Adur Recreation Ground and achieved a healthy surplus, which supported us at an important time. ## **2024 and beyond** In early 2024 we completed the outstanding project at a school in Worthing. We also worked with Nyewood Junior and Infants School in Bognor. Since then no funding has been forthcoming, and the lack of personnel resource and capacity in particular continues to place restrictions on the charity. However we are viewing this time as a an opportunity to “rest and rekindle” and some ideas are bouncing around which are being discussed, as well as the strategy document that is so important to the future of the Treasure Basket Association. In early 2024 we rebuilt the website www.treasurebasketassociation.co.uk and we are targeting a social media strategy that will use technology to revitalise the charity. 2 ## **Financial results for 2023** ## **The Treasure Basket Association Charity No. 1185114 Financial Statements for the year to 31/12/2023** |**Summary**
**INCOME**
Donations & Legacies (inc Gift Aid)
Grants
Community Fundraising
Interest received
**TOTAL INCOME**
**EXPENDITURE**
Therapist's Professional Fees
Other Professional Fees
Therapeutic Resources
Treasure Basket items
Other Direct Project Expenses
Fundraising costs
Website and Social Media
Training
Insurance
Bank Charges
Travel & Subsistence
Office General Expenses
Sundries
**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**
**Surplus/(Deficit)**
**Movement in funds**
Bank Account at 1 January
Net Surplus/Deficit for the period
Bank Account at 31 December
**Represented by**
Restricted funds (see report)
Unrestricted funds (charity reserves c/f)||**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
301
840
4,831
-
3,035
1,997
2
-
**8,169**
**2,837**
4,970
18,070
2,605
680
670
75
66
-
70
1,489
310
860
154
11
360
87
218
132
73
71
114
116
35
41
120
-
-
**9,525**
**21,632**
**1,356**
**-**
**18,795**
**-**
4,410
25,185
1,356
-
18,795
-
**3,054**
**6,390**
2,354
2,306
700
4,084
**3,054**
**6,390**| |---|---|---| 3 ## **Basis of accounting** In accordance with guidance relating to CIOs, we have opted to prepare our accounts on a receipts and payments basis as our gross income is less than £250,000. Under this method, transactions are recorded in the charity’s books only when cash or bank funds are received or expended. Accordingly debtors and creditors are not recognised in the financial statements and the charity’s Balance Sheet is represented by cumulative surplus reserves and bank and cash balances only. ## **Audit of accounts** Where an audit is not required under the Charities Act or by its governing document an independent examination is required if the CIO’s gross income is more than £25,000 in the financial year. In accordance with this guidance, the Trustees have elected for the charity’s books for 2023 not to be audited nor independently examined as the gross income for the year is less than £25,000. The Trustees have elected to review this requirement on a year-by-year basis. ## **Financial summary for 2023** For 2023 the charity recorded a deficit of £1,356, compared to a deficit of £20,774 in the previous year. Grants were received to the value of £4,831 and a further £3,035 was received as a result of community fundraising. Apart from specific costs relating to the community fundraising, the charity once again concentrated its efforts in a few small projects, some of which were in respect of grants received during the previous two years. Overheads (which for us are minimal) remained at a similar level to previous years. ## **Utilisation of Restricted Funds in 2022** During the year to 31 December 2023 the charity received three new grants and completed four projects. One project was carried over to 2024, and this has now been finalised. 4 We are extremely grateful to all those who provided grants and donations, which enabled us to fulfil our aims for the year. ## **Reserves policy** We regularly and stringently monitor and account for Restricted and General (unrestricted) funds in our financial and reporting processes. The two types of fund can be defined as follows: **Restricted Funds -** are where all the funds raised for a particular cause must be used in accordance with the requests of the funder. Examples include grants or donations given for specific projects. The Treasure Basket allocates expenditure on these “projects” in a way that provides transparency to the grantor or donor, who at any time has an opportunity to examine the transactions. Where Restricted Funds are unspent at a reporting date we identify and highlight the unspent portion for future action. An analysis of Restricted Funds in 2022 is shown above. **General Funds** - are those that a charity has received which are not held for any specific purpose. They can be spent as deemed fit in accordance with the charity’s terms of reference, and can include where a charity has received funds through general donations, or fundraising. General funds are used to cover overheads and to support growth, and in exceptional situations can be used to support extended support in Restricted Funds projects. Our policy for reserves is that the general fund should be sufficient to allow us to work with the children we support until they can be safely discharged – whilst retaining adequate resources to maintain and grow the charity. The balance of these two aims is a continual challenge, which include sometimes taking calculated risks of using our reserves to meet the needs until the grants 5 materialise, always knowing that our community fundraising events and donations will replenish funds in due course. Movements in reserves during 2023, with comparatives, are as follows: 6