## Hope For Families
Report and Accounts Year ended 31 October 2023
1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk
## **HOPE FOR FAMILIES**
## **LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023**
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE PO Box 8068 Corby NN17 9JU GOVERNING DOCUMENT CIO Constitution registered 20 May 2021 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1194541 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Garryl Clive Willis MANAGING THE CHARITY Amanda McPhie (resigned 11 January 2023) Andrew Martyn Giles Arnold (resigned 30 October 2023) Janet Elizabeth Brown Thelma Jane Dingwall (appointed 12 June 2023) Sharon Elain Short (appointed 11 September 2023) KEY STAFF Louise Willis (Coordinator) INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Sarah Crispin ACA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
## **INDEX**
Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details Pages 2-9 Trustees' Report Page 10 Independent Examiner's Report Page 11 Receipts and Payments Account Page 12 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Page 13 Notes to the Accounts
Page 1
**Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements for the period ended 31[st] October 2023 for Hope for Families CIO REGISTERED CHARITY NO: 1194541**
Page 2
## **Hope for Families CIO**
## **Report of the Trustees for the Period Ended 31[st] October 2023**
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the period ended 31[st] October 2023.
## **Establishment of Hope for Families CIO**
Hope for Families CIO was established and entered on the register of the Charity Commission for England and Wales on 20 May 2021.
## **Objectives and Activities**
## Hope for Families’ Objects
The Object of the Charity is, for the public benefit and in pursuance of Christian principles and the doctrines set out in the Statement of Faith, the advancement of education in matters concerning marriage, parenting, family life and relationships with a view to strengthening and enriching family life in such ways as the Charity Trustees may from time to time determine.
## Hope for Families’ Vision
Hope for Families wants every family to know there is hope for them. Every family has good times as well as hard times and Hope for Families wants to support them on their journey, whatever they are going through.
## Hope for Families’ purpose
Hope for Families exists to help all parents become more confident and to build strong and lasting relationships with their child. It empowers parents and carers to engage with each other at a local level, share their experiences and build a support network of their own. Hope for Families creates change by showing compassion, valuing its relationships and giving its time generously and is passionate about working with others to improve life for the families it serves.
## Hope for Families’ values
Born out of a passion for what Hope for Families does, its values help it to focus on how it creates the future it wants for both itself and the families it supports.
- Compassion – Hope for Families values compassion by ensuring a culture of care for one another, respecting others, and being inclusive and welcoming.
- Empowerment - Hope for Families values empowerment by walking alongside people and celebrating their individuality, advocating and affirming all those it works with, and sharing new resources while helping others to recognise what they already have.
- Generosity - Hope for Families values generosity by providing everything it does in the most accessible way possible, sharing openly as a team and through its work, and making resources affordable and accessible for everyone.
- Relationship - Hope for Families values relationship by celebrating diversity and championing families, sharing vision and goals together, opening up new connections and relationships.
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## Hope for Families’ faith
Hope for Families is founded on a love of God and its Christian identity underpins everything it does. Working in partnership with others, Hope for Families is passionately committed to supporting every family on their journey, of all faiths and none, as well as empowering local churches to support parents in their role.
## **Achievement and Performance**
## Principal Activities – review of the last year
## 1. Courses & events
Hope for Families’ rolling programme of popular training courses, produced by the national charity Care for the Family and run in partnerships with the voluntary, health and education sectors, include training themes such as ‘Children with Additional Needs', ‘Left to their Own Devices’ and ‘Handling Anger in the Family'. All of its courses can be delivered online or in-person.
Hope for Families aims to deliver 23 courses each year, which is 162 hours of facilitated sessions. Its courses are a series of two-hour sessions that run between 4-7 weeks and can include up to 12 participants per course (one-off events such as ‘Left to their Own Devices' accommodates 22 participants).
The Charity is pleased to have delivered courses and events to 135 parents and carers in Northamptonshire this year.
- 105 have attended one of eleven 'Handling Anger in the Family' courses
- 24 have attended ‘Left to their Own Devices’ events
- 6 have attended 'Children with Additional Needs' courses
Hope for Families has worked in partnership with 2 primary and secondary schools across Northamptonshire this year, as its licensed facilitators have delivered closed courses (for specific clients) and one-off events with the support of school staff members. It has also delivered 1 course in partnership with Northamptonshire Children’s Trust and 2 courses in partnership with Home-Start Corby. Over 150 partners working in the fields of education, health and the statutory and voluntary sectors work hard to promote and advertise Hope for Families’ upcoming open courses.
This year, with the support of grant funding, Hope for Families has been able to cover the cost of Care for the Family’s 3-day facilitator training for 1 more of its volunteers. It now has a team of 9 licensed facilitators which will significantly increase its capacity across the county of Northamptonshire in 2024. All its facilitators are fully licensed to deliver the core range of ‘Time Out for Parents’ courses and events, developed by Care for the Family. Four of its facilitators are also licensed to deliver the ‘Time Out for Parents – Children with Additional Needs’ course.
Parents attending the sessions complete questionnaires at the beginning and end, to help the Charity measure impact and build a solid evidence base for its work. The results of these evaluations so far have shown that parents can see that the knowledge, encouragement and practical techniques shared on the course are having a positive impact on their family life.
94% of parents attending Hope for Families’ courses said that their confidence to meet the challenges of parenting had increased, 100% of parents said they were very satisfied with the course they attended and 100% of delegates said they would recommend the course to others.
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A group of parents recently commented:
“I was so close to not attending the first session because I wasn't sure if 'anger management' was what I needed. It has been so wonderful to be with other parents who feel the same as me, have the same daily trials and have responded the same as me.”
- “It's a life-changing course! It gives you the skill sets and tools that you need to aid you to be the best possible parent. Becoming a parent doesn't come with instructions or manuals but this course is definitely a guide to being the best you can.”
- “As a single father I was initially apprehensive, but I was made to feel at ease, valued.
Hope for Families’ Coordinator recently completed First Aid for Mental Health instructor training, and the charity plans to train its volunteers as Mental Health First Aiders, as well as other professionals, subsequently helping families in crisis.
Hope for Families has also recently launched a parent forum where 10 parents have a highlyvalued voice in the future of the Charity and input into the courses and events it runs.
Hope for Families’ Coordinator, Louise Willis, is employed part-time (30 hours per week) by the Charity and is the sole employee. Louise leads its team of 9 volunteers.
## 2. Bursaries
Hope for Families aims to keep its course costs low and its support accessible. The maximum any parent or carer would currently pay to attend a multi-session course or one-off event is £20.00. Hope for Families’ bursary scheme provides further support, offering a 50% discount on course registration fees for those who meet the criteria below. The Trustees occasionally award free discretionary places.
To be eligible for a bursary place, parents and carers would need to be in receipt of one or more of these government allowances and would need to be willing to provide evidence of their receipt of this benefit should this be requested:
- Income support
- Income Based Job Seekers Allowance
- Child Tax Credit only (with income up to £16,190) with no element of Working Tax Credit
- • National Asylum Seekers Support
- Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Universal Credit (Income Related)
During 2022-2023, 16 parents applied to the bursary scheme and received a 50% discount on registration fees. The bursary scheme has also been able to offer 15 course places free of charge to parents who otherwise may not have been able to access its support.
In planning the activities the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission.
## **Financial Review and Reserves Policy**
During the period, the charity received income of £38,353 of which £22,573 was restricted. Total charitable expenditure for the period was £33,330 of which £17,258 was restricted. Cash funds at the end of the year were £4,145 unrestricted and £5,089 restricted.
The Board of Trustees has agreed the Charity’s reserves policy and this policy is reviewed
Page 5
annually. Hope for Families reserves policy is to retain sufficient reserves to ensure the Charity can meet its financial commitments, to demonstrate that the Charity is sustainable into the future, to ensure that the Charity is able to manage future unforeseen financial difficulties and to ensure that excessive funds are not held without any identifiable reason or for any identifiable purpose.
The Charity has very few overheads at present, the main commitment being the employment cost of its Coordinator, who is employed at present on a monthly basis. The Trustees do not consider it necessary to hold reserves at present of more than £2,000 and this has been maintained.
## Plans for 2023/2024
As Hope for Families looks to the year ahead, it is hopeful that its partnerships will continue to flourish and that opportunities will arise for it to continue building upon pre-existing partnerships with schools, Home-Start Corby and Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, as well as establishing new partnerships with other schools and services across the county. Hope for Families has provisional courses booked in partnership with Mower’s Ark (Northampton) and HMP Fosse Way, as well as 3 future courses for Home-Start Corby.
Hope for Families is working, increasingly, in partnership with local schools and their Student Engagement Officers and Inclusion Managers to support schools and their families help children manage their emotions, support those on a diagnostic pathway for diagnosis of conditions such as ADHD and ASD (for which there is a growing demand for support) and to connect with hard-to-reach parents. Issues include;
- School avoidance, school exclusions, children who are persistently or severely absent from school,
- An increase in child-to-parent violence and abuse,
- The complexity of having a child with additional needs.
Hope for Families’ volunteer team continues to grow and the hope is that more parents and carers will choose to join the team and/or the parent forum over the coming months as the Charity recognises the unique perspective past course participants bring to course facilitation. Hope for Families is passionate about parents and carers attending its courses and then gaining the skills and experience needed to go on and support others in a similar situation and it would be great to see more parents/carers completing their facilitator training during the next year. Currently, 33% of the volunteer team first attended a Hope for Families course as a parent.
Two of the volunteers will be attending the ‘When Dreams Change’ facilitator training in November. This course is for parents and carers of children with an additional need and is produced by the national charity ‘Growing Hope’, with whom the charity has established a partnership. This course will enable Hope for Families to continue growing its support toward parents of children with additional needs. The first ‘When Dreams Change’ online course is provisionally planned for January 2024.
Hope for Families’ ‘Handling Anger in the Family’ course continues to be in high demand and because of an increased need for support in the area of child-to-parent violence and abuse, the Charity is currently seeking funding for ‘Who’s in Charge?’ facilitator training. The Charity also hopes to launch the ‘Restored Lives’ course in 2024. This course is developed by Holy Trinity Brompton Church and the sessions support people who are journeying through a separation or divorce. By offering both courses in the future, it would enable the Charity to respond to the needs it is observing in the community and to pioneer both programmes in Northamptonshire, utilising its professional partnerships to promote these.
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The Department of Education (DfE) has confirmed North Northamptonshire as one of the seventy-five local authority areas nationally to be awarded Family Hubs Programme grant funding for 2022-2025. Whilst North Northamptonshire Council are the lead accountable body, Hope for Families has been recognised as a service delivery partner and will sit on the Family Hubs Programme Board, Parenting Support workstream. This represents a significant opportunity for North Northamptonshire to transform and improve how services are delivered to 0-19 year olds (up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities) and their families.
Whilst the Family Hub and Start for Life programme become more established, Hope for Families will regularly connect with the local government to influence changes through its membership of the Locality Advisory Board (LAB) coordinated by Pen Green Children’s Centre.
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
## Governing Document, Trustees, Staff and Volunteers
The Charity is a charitable incorporated organisation and is governed by its constitution. The Trustees of Hope for Families have the power to appoint additional Trustees. The constitution requires the charity to have a minimum of three trustees. There is no formal recruitment practice, but the Trustees and the Coordinator continue to look for new Trustees who will be able to add value to the existing team of Trustees and whose skills and experience would contribute to the development of the organisation.
The charity wishes to thank outgoing trustee Andrew Martyn Giles Arnold for his commitment to the role of trustee and support of the charity’s work. Giles was an integral part of the core team during the first three years of operation, helping to establish and form the charity, until his term came to an end on 30[th] October 2023. This year, the charity has welcomed Jane Dingwall and Sharon Short to the board of trustees. They join Garryl Willis and Janet Brown.
Prospective Trustees are given the opportunity to examine the organisation extensively and to attend two trustee meetings before they, and other Trustees, reach a conclusion as to the appropriateness of the appointment. New Trustees are provided with the opportunity to meet other Trustees and the Coordinator.
The Trustees have met most months during the financial year to discuss and make decisions concerning the Charity’s affairs. Their contribution is appreciated.
The management of the Charity is delegated to the Coordinator. She is employed on a parttime basis. The Coordinator is a qualified primary school teacher, with extensive experience in the area of education and the church and charity sectors. She has recently completed a Master’s degree in Theology, Ministry and Mission (specialising in Children, Young People and Families). The Coordinator is the Safeguarding Lead for the charity and is a qualified First Aid for Mental Health instructor.
Hope for Families’ team of volunteer facilitators have vast experiences in the area of family life, both personally and professionally, working in the fields of education, health, church, HR, self-employment and youth work. All facilitators are parents themselves and some are also grandparents. They represent blended families, adoptive families, families with additional needs and single-parent families.
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## Re-election of Board of Trustees
Under the Charity’s constitution each Trustee is normally appointed for three years, but the first three Trustees were appointed for two years, three years and four years respectively. On retirement Trustees, being eligible, may offer themselves for re-election at a general meeting. The Trustees to retire by rotation shall be those who have been longest in office since their last appointment.
The Charity may by ordinary resolution appoint a person who is willing to act to be a Trustee and determine the rotation in which any additional Trustees are to retire. No person other than a Trustee retiring by rotation may be appointed a Trustee at any general meeting unless he or she is recommended for election by the Trustees with the appropriate notice given. The Trustee must show his or her willingness to be appointed and he or she subscribes to the Statement of Faith.
## Trustee Training
Trustees are encouraged to read the Charity Commission guidance on responsibilities of a trustee and specific training for Trustees has been given by Trustees attending trustee training seminars/conferences and reading specific trustee-related guidance.
## Risk Review
A formal and systematic approach to identification and management of risks has been introduced and will continue to be fully reviewed and updated annually. A review of the Charity’s operations was carried out to ensure that these are provided as efficiently as possible and to ensure that staff and volunteers are not over-burdened.
In line with the Charity Commission's guidance on reporting serious incidents, the Trustees declare that during the reporting period there were no serious incidents that they have failed to bring to the Commission's attention.
## Remuneration Policy
The salary for the Hope for Families Coordinator is set with reference to the technical skills and experience required to fulfil the job duties, the comparative pay in the Christian charitable sector, as well as the funds available to the Charity.
## Fundraising
Over the coming year, Hope for Families plans to increase its fundraising efforts by mobilising local supporters, increasing its monthly giving income from individuals and local churches, as well as inspiring one-off fundraising efforts. It has set a target to partner with 5 new churches before the end of 2024. It is currently seeking grant funding to employ a second part-time member of staff over the coming year, to assist with administration and project work. At present, the Coordinator is its sole employee and oversees all aspects of the day-to-day running of the Charity and leads its volunteer team.
The charity is grateful to the individual supporters, church partners, trusts and foundations who have supported the charity’s work in the past year and have enabled its work to grow. One-off and multi-year grants have been received this year from Awards for All, Shoe Zone Trust, Albert Hunt Charitable Trust and Maud Elkington Charitable Trust. A multi-year grant has also been received from a trust that wishes to stay anonymous. The charity wishes to thank the trusts and foundations for their support over the past year.
The charity continues to employ the services of LEAP Fundraising to assist with its trust and foundation fundraising efforts. The charity wishes to thank Jo Jeffery and Ben Ansell for their support in securing multi-year and one-off grants over the last financial year. It always gives opportunities for people receiving mailings to unsubscribe. Hope for Families
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has a privacy policy which includes how it aims to be GDPR compliant. This is available on its website.
## Responsibilities of trustees
Charity law requires us the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting period which record the receipts and payments of the Charity for the period.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
The Trustees also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the Charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
## Approval
This report was approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:
## **Janet Brown**
Janet Brown (Trustee) Date: 15 February 2024
Page 9
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT**
## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF**
## **HOPE FOR FAMILIES**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Hope For Families ('the charity') for the year ended 31 October 2023 on pages 11 to 13 following.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 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 all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
2. 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.
## **Sarah Crispin**
Sarah Crispin ACA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
Date: 26 February 2024
Page 10
## **HOPE FOR FAMILIES**
## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023**
|Notes
**_Income receipts_**
Opening grant
Donations
Other grants
Income from courses
Other
**_Capital and similar receipts_**
**_Total receipts_**
**_Payments_**
2
**_Total payments_**
Transfers between funds
4
**Net movement in funds**
Cash funds as at last year end
**Cash funds at this year end**
A
Loan received
Net of receipts / (payments) before
Payments
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken directly
Loans repaid||General
Designated
Funds
Funds
£
£
-
-
6,473
-
7,750
-
1,481
-
75
-
15,779
-
-
-
-
-
15,779
-
16,072
-
16,072
-
-
-
-
-
16,072
-
(293)
-
375
-
82
-
4,063
-
4,145
-
Unrestricted Funds|Restricted
20/05/2021-
Funds
2023
31/10/2022
£
£
£
-
-
1,669
3,709
10,183
24,104
18,864
26,614
4,125
-
1,481
2,797
-
75
498
22,573
38,353
33,193
-
-
1,000
-
**0**
-
**0**
1,000
22,573
38,353
34,193
17,258
33,330
27,982
17,258
33,330
27,982
-
-
2,000
-
-
2,000
17,258
33,330
29,982
5,316
5,023
4,211
(375)
-
-
4,941
5,023
4,211
148
4,211
-
5,089
9,234
4,211|20/05/2021-
31/10/2022
£|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||General
Funds
£
-
6,473
7,750
1,481
75
15,779
-
-
15,779
16,072
16,072
-
-
16,072
(293)
375
82
4,063
4,145|||
|||||1,669
24,104
4,125
2,797
498|
|||||33,193|
|||||1,000|
||||||
||||||
|||||34,193|
|||||27,982|
|||||27,982|
|||||2,000|
|||||2,000|
||||||
|||||29,982|
|||||4,211
-|
|||||4,211
-|
|||||4,211|
The notes on page 13 form part of these accounts.
Page 11
## **HOPE FOR FAMILIES**
## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023**
|Notes
**A Cash funds**
Cash at bank with immediate access|General
Designated
funds
funds
£
£
4,145
-
**4,145**
**-**
Unrestricted Funds|Restricted
funds
£
5,089
**5,089**|2023
£
9,234
**9,234**|2022
£|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||4,211|
|||||**4,211**|
## **B Assets retained for charity's own use**
|Computers and IT
Furniture|Cost
£|
|---|---|
||1,812
234|
||2,046|
## **C Guarantees and secured debts**
The charity has not given any guarantees and has not provided its assets as security for any liabilities.
The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
## **Janet Brown**
___________________________________Janet Brown
Date: 15 February 2024 .
The notes on page 13 form part of these accounts.
Page 12
## **HOPE FOR FAMILIES**
## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023**
## **1 Accounting policies**
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.
|**2**
**Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly**
Employment costs including staff training
Office Costs
Insurance
Market & Website
Fundraising Costs
Legal & Prof Fees
Cost of running courses
Bank Charges|Unrestricted Fun
General
funds
£
7,490
2,258
414
-
4,590
681
579
60
16,072|ds
Designated
funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-|Restricted
Funds
£
15,597
625
-
191
-
166
678
-
17,258|Total
2023
£
23,087
2,883
414
191
4,590
847
1,258
60
33,330|Total
20/05/2021-
31/10/2022
£|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||17,801
1,635
584
855
3,379
925
2,669
134|
||||||27,982|
## **3 Transactions with related parties**
Louise Willis, the sole employee, is married to a trustee and received employment benefits totalling £20,655 (20/05/2021-31/10/2022: £16,848).
## **4 Movement of funds**
|General funds
Restricted funds
Employment fund
Training fund
Bursary scheme
Lottery funding
Total funds|Opening
balance
£
4,063
148
-
-
148
4,211|Receipts
£
15,779
13,466
540
78
8,489
22,573
38,353|Payments
£
(16,072)
(8,101)
(688)
(78)
(8,390)
(17,258)
(33,330)|Transfers
£
375
(375)
-
-
-
(375)
-|Closing
balance
£
4,145
4,990
-
-
99|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||5,089|
||||||9,234|
## Restricted funds:
The Employment fund is to help fund the coordinator salary. The Training fund is to fund staff and volunteer training.
The Bursary scheme helps to fund bursaries which are given to help those struggling to meet the cost of attending. The Lottery Funding covers salaries, course resources and support costs.
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