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2024-03-31-accounts

Love For The Family

Annual Report and Financial Statement April 1[st] 2023 to March 31[st] 2024 Charity Number 1195015

Love For The Family April 1st 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Trustees Report and Financial Statement

The trustees present their third Annual report since the formation and acceptance of the constitution of Love For The Family by the Charity Commission on June 30[th] 2021.

Objectives and Activities

The objects of Love For The Family as outlined in its Constitution are

  1. The advancement of education in the subject of pregnancy and the termination of pregnancy and into the effects thereof upon women whether physical, medical or psychological

  2. The preservation and protection of women’s health by the provision of advice, counselling and assistance to women and their partners and families who are suffering from physical or mental illness, distress or poverty during or as a result of pregnancy or following an abortion, miscarriage, cot death, still birth, loss of a child or sexual abuse.

The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commissions general guidance on public benefit when reviewing its aims and objectives and when considering and planning future activities.

Love For The Family has adapted its underpinning values (GRACE) which help support and give structure to the work of the charity. These values help to ensure the ongoing nature of its work is for the public benefit. We aim to be:

GENEROUS

Love for the Family does not charge for its services. Those that can may make a gift for the psychological help the have received.

RELATIONAL

We were created to live in community. We all need help at times through our lives. Whilst we keep professional boundaries we aim to prove an empathetic and understanding environment where our clients can feel understood and secure.

APPROACHABLE

We welcome enquiries from anyone in need of help or assistance, regardless of gender, marital status, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or belief/ nonbelief, age and time of pregnancy or loss.

COMPASSIONATE

Practitioners and counsellors working with Love For The Family show compassion, kindness and unconditional positive regard to all clients, regardless of why they have made contact with the charity, or what their life experiences have been. We want the best for all of our clients and it is the client that knows what that is. We are not here to judge or direct.

EMPOWERING

Love For The Family provides education and counselling to assist and equip women and men with knowledge, and the freedom to explore their present circumstances or

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Love For The Family April 1st 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Trustees Report and Financial Statement

past decisions and traumas. It aims to help those suffering mental distress due to trauma, grief, loss or abuse to begin to understand their emotions, reaction and coping mechanisms, enabling them to move forward with increased self-confidence.

Love For The Family provides time and a safe space for women (and men individually), to consider their options regarding parenting, adoption or termination of a pregnancy, without outside pressures or biased opinion. We give time for reflection on life pressures, circumstances, wants, needs, values and desires; alongside information and education about their options regarding parenting, adoption or termination of the pregnancy. Time is given to enable clients to reflect on the effects of each choice, empowering them to make a next steps plan. Clients usually have one or two sessions.

Love For The family provides help to enable women, men or couples to recover from mental distress or illness caused as a result of the termination of a pregnancy, abuse, loss of a baby or the loss of a pregnancy at any stage. The courses and 1:1 support programmes help clients work through their trauma and grief, restoring their self-confidence and self-esteem.

Love Baby Essentials, run by Love For The Family, provides relief from poverty and the distress caused by poverty, by providing the physical baby items required by families for the first six months of life, such as clothes, bedding, cot, Moses baskets, high chairs and prams.

Review of Activities

In line with the key objectives set out for the year the Charity has successfully established Love Baby Essentials as a support for distressed pregnant women in Luton. The Charity has a number of volunteer helpers who are sourcing, washing and sorting donated items. These volunteers do not meet clients and come from a wide range of backgrounds including asylum seekers, the wider community, Hope Church and other local faith organisations. Hope Church provides storage space as well as counselling rooms.

Trustees made the decision to reduce the scope of support from a year to six months due to storage and volunteer constraints. Kids Bank Luton took on the support for babies from six months to one year. The two organisations work collaboratively to provide for distressed families.

Crisis Pregnancy, Post Abortion and Baby Loss recovery programmes continue to be available to Luton and the wider community. Love For The Family is about to start a collaborative contract with The Oasis Horsham, where it will provide on line Crisis Pregnancy support for their clients. Plans are also being put in place to support Women’s Aid clients

The Charity has expanded its work with other Community services of Luton. These groups include:

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Love For The Family April 1st 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Trustees Report and Financial Statement

Love For The Family trailed a drop in service ‘Rest and Recharge’ between Easter and summer 2023. It ran alongside Open House at Hope Church Centre, where clients could choose baby clothes and get a hot meal. Whilst the initiative was successful, the extra volunteers required were not able to return after the summer. Love For The Family and Hope Church may consider applying for a grant to establish this again in the future.

Love For The Family partners with The Grove, Pregnancy Advice Centre in Bedford and shares experience, training and referrals as appropriate.

Love For The Family Trustees are supported by the Charity ‘Pregnancy Centres Network’ in regards to good practice, training and development of staff and trustees. The Chair of Trustees attended the annual PCN conference for updates and developments within this specialist field.

The Founder and Chair of Trustees is now a registered and qualified counsellor; this has enabled discussions on the development of work with abuse victims at Women’s Aid. She works for the charity as its Centre manager on a voluntary basis. There is one other Pregnancy Choices trained counsellor, who is undertaking further training.

All sessions are run on a voluntary basis and no charges are made for the services that Love For The Family offers. Clients are free to make a donation for the services that they have received. Presently, Hope Church has given space for counselling and storage without charge.

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Love For The Family April 1st 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Trustees Report and Financial Statement

Achievements and Performance

Between April 23 and March 31[st] 2024, there were 30 enquiries for psychological support from Love For The family.

Clients who engaged with the psychological support programmes reported benefitting from the sessions they had received. Clients, when assessed, were found to be less anxious and depressed following their recovery sessions. Clients reported an increase in self-awareness and an understanding of their feelings and defence mechanisms.

Key Performance Indicators

Love Baby Essentials provided equipment to distressed mothers throughout Luton. This included:

Help By post code

Love For The Family has one fully trained counsellor, and one Level 3 trained volunteer, currently studying at Level 4. All volunteers have a good understanding the ethos, values and aims of the charity. There are four regular Baby Essential volunteers who are supporting by collecting, sorting, preparing bundles and cleaning items.

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Love For The Family April 1st 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Trustees Report and Financial Statement

Future Plans

Financial Review

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Charity Commissions Statement Of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting By Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the financial reporting standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (Second Edition 2019) (FRS 102). Love For The Family is considered a small Charity and followed these recommended guidelines. As such the accounts did not require auditing.

Love For The Family has had a limited ability to organise fundraising events and has relied on donations from supporters and volunteers. Some of the donations have come from The Baby Bottle Scheme where supporters are given a Baby Bottle to fill with change.

The unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in order to further the aims of Love For The Family. Trustees give priority to ongoing Insurance and subscription costs that are essential for the continued work of the charity.

The charity has been supported by Hope Church Luton with use of storage and counselling rooms.

The restricted funding grant was given towards Level 3 training in 2023, and has been carried over into the new year.

No trustee receives any fee or expenses for any of their work. One trained Trustee volunteers as the Centre Manager and counsellor, another trustee, pays for the mobile phone contract. Future funding for projects and the expansion of the Charity are required long term but there are sufficient funds and support to ensure ongoing insurances and subscription costs will be covered.

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Love For The Family April 1st 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Trustees Report and Financial Statement

There is a volunteer treasurer who works alongside the Finance trustee. Gift Aid will be collected for eligible donations.

Starting Balance 1[st] April 2023 £1,832.47 Final Balance 31 [st] March 24 £2,875.78

Income April 1[st ] 2023 – March 31st 2024 Donations Charity Community Account 2 £1965.91

Total Income £1965.91

Expenditure April 1[st ] 2023 – March 31st 2024

Insurance £570.37 Subscriptions £170.33 Giving £182.00 Total Expenditure £922.60

Structure, Governance and Management

Love For The Family is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation whose only voting members are its trustees. Its governing document is its Constitution which was approved by the Charity Commission on 30[th] June 2021. Prior to this it had been a Community organisation. All previous assets and monies have been transferred to the Charity. If wound up the Trustees, or members, have no personal responsibility for the settlement of debts and liabilities beyond the amount they are liable to contribute, which is up to £5.

Love For The Family has four trustees, three of whom who were its founding members. The minimum number of trustees by Constitution is three and the maximum seven. Trustees are appointed because of the knowledge and skills they bring to the Charity and their understanding of its ethos and aims. Love For The Family is not a political organisation and its counsellors and volunteers work without prejudice. Any trustee or individual working or volunteering for the charity is expected to understand and respect this. No trustee has received any payment for their services or expertise this year. Mrs R Acqua joined as a full trustee in February 2024.

New Trustees will be recruited following invitation; due to skills requirement, or application because of interest. All perspective trustees will be interviewed by at least two current trustees. Trustee appointments are dependent on the needs of the Charity and the skills required to ensure its continued growth. Trustees must have a full understanding of the ethos of the charity, it’s political neutrality, and an understanding of grace: unconditional

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Love For The Family April 1st 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Trustees Report and Financial Statement

positive regard, kindness, value and acceptance of clients regardless of past history, sexual orientation, faith/ religion or belief/ no belief, disability, gender identity, marital status, age, ethnicity, culture as demonstrated by Jesus Christ.

On appointment trustees receive copies of the constitution, financial statements and copies of a year’s previous minutes of trustee meetings. Charity Commission guidance is available. Their work is supported by the other trustees. Further help and guidance is available from Pregnancy Centre Network and Thirtyone: Eight, the charities safeguarding organisation.

Trustees delegate the day to day running of the charity to Trustee and Centre Manager Mrs J Reynolds. Trustees meet to discuss and agree policies, procedures and developments of Love For The Family, including key finance decisions, as set out in the Financial Management and Accounting Policy. They review objectives a minimum of six times a year.

Risk Management

Love For The Family’s work is dependent on its reputation and ability to ensure its services are provided without prejudice or bias. The trustees are satisfied that they have suitable training and safeguards in place to ensure this continues through training and recruitment policies and procedures, ongoing supervision and training, as well as client assessment and feedback.

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Love For The Family April 1st 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Trustees Report and Financial Statement

Reference and Administrative Details

Charity Name Love For The Family Charity Number 1195015 Trustees Mrs Jane Reynolds Mrs Elizabeth Argent Mrs L Pswarayi Mrs R Acqua Registered Postal Address c/o 6 Alexandra Avenue Luton Bedfordshire LU3 1HG England Bank Barclays Bank 28 George Street Luton Bedfordshire LU1 2AX

Exemptions From Disclosure

There are no exemptions from disclosure in this year.

Funds Held As Custodian Trustee On Behalf Of Others

No other Funds are held.

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