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2025-03-31-accounts

HBBS COUNSELLING

## COMPLETE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31ST MARCH 2025

Registered Charity No: 1198645

165 Ardleigh Green, Essex RM11 2SP Email: enquiries@hbbscounselling.org

## TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Our Mission

  2. Chair's Report

  3. Treasurer's Report

  4. CEO's Report

  5. HBBS Team

  6. Acknowledgements

  7. Report of the Trustees

  8. Financial Statements

  9. Independent Examiner's Report

  10. Notes to Financial Statements

## OUR MISSION

"To provide a counselling service, with a specialism in bereavement, supporting the emotional wellbeing of people of all ages in our community"

HBBS Counselling (formerly Havering & Brentwood Bereavement Service) is a local charity, established in 1989 to provide one-to-one bereavement counselling for adults. HBBS has grown and evolved over the years, diversifying and responding to meet the needs of our community. In addition to bereavement and loss as a specialism HBBS provides counselling for all ages and for a wider variety of issues.

HBBS has worked in Havering and Brentwood to develop strong partnerships in the community with schools, health professionals, GPs and other agencies. Counselling is also provided, on request, in other areas of Essex.

HBBS Children and young people's bereavement service began in November 2009 offering specialist individual face to face counselling to children struggling to cope with a recent bereavement. The service has continued uninterrupted since then, funded most notably by The National Lottery and BBC Children in Need.

The adult service is currently free to Havering adults, funded by The National Lottery and is funded by Essex Community Foundation for Essex adults. We have recently finished offering free bereavement counselling to adults in Thurrock.

In addition to individual counselling, we also deliver Clinical Supervision sessions to Havering School Leaders which is funded by NE London ICB via Havering Children & Young People's Emotional Wellbeing group.

Our dedicated, professional team of counsellors hold a wide range of experience and expertise in working with bereavement and loss, alongside expertise in working with trauma, anticipatory grief, issues affecting young people and clients with special needs. Our aim is to deliver timely high quality counselling interventions for adults, dementia carers, children and young people.

HBBS operate in a challenging financial environment, but our ethos is one of flexibility, which has meant we are always open to taking on new projects to better serve our clients and community. We exist to make a lasting positive difference to the people and communities we work with. HBBS are particularly well known for bereavement counselling, but the scope of what we do reaches beyond that.

## CHAIR'S REPORT

I am pleased to present this year's Annual Report for HBBS Counselling. This past year has undoubtedly been one with many challenges. We have faced financial pressures, increased demand for our services, and the enduring impacts of economic downturn and reduced funding. Despite

these headwinds, the resilience of our CEO, the core team, volunteers and supporters has been nothing short of inspiring.

The year was marked by a significant decrease in funding from key sources, compounded by rising operational costs. This has put increased pressure on the unrestricted funds that support the operation. These constraints forced us to make difficult decisions, including scaling back some of the roles and reducing capacity. I would like to thank Daniel Shore for his tenure as Chair and thank those members of staff who have given great support to the Charity over the years, and we wish them well for the future.

I am always amazed at the focus and motivation of the core team, demonstrating to the Trustees that as a team, they remained deeply committed to our mission and supporting those in need. Amid the difficulties, there are genuine signs of recovery and hope. Thanks to a concerted effort in strategic fundraising and community engagement, we have begun to extend and create partnerships that will look to support and stabilise our financial position. New partnerships have been established with local organisations, and we are exploring fresh avenues for sustainable income.

We've also undertaken a thorough internal review to ensure our operations are as efficient and impactful as possible. This has led to the implementation of streamlined procedures, focusing the governance procedures, improved data tracking, and a renewed focus on outcome-driven programs.

Our staff and volunteers, as always, have been the lifeblood of our charity. Their unwavering support has kept us moving forward. I extend my deepest gratitude to each and every one of them.

Whilst we are still effecting change, we are beginning to see new opportunity. With several new funding applications pending and an upcoming public awareness campaign, we are cautiously optimistic about the year to come.

I would like to express my thanks to our staff, trustees, partners, and especially our grant providers and donors. Your belief in our mission sustains us and together we are focused to deliver services to our local communities.

I hope in submitting this report, that this difficult year will be a turning point - a time when we faced the odds, held firm to our values, and laid the groundwork for a brighter, more resilient future.

With sincere thanks and warm regards,

Adrian Sheridan

Chair

## TREASURER'S REPORT

This year has been one of transition, with both the charity's Chair and its Treasurer moving on during the year. My predecessor, Stephen Downton, retired in December 2024 and I would like to start this report by paying tribute to his stewardship of HBBS's finances over his term in office.

The charity continues to operate in a changing and increasingly difficult environment. Continuing austerity in public services has put further downward pressure on the resources of partner organisations that have traditionally funded HBBS's activities in the past, while the impact of inflation has affected the cost both of our direct operations and our back-office. Although the impact was not felt in 2024-25, recent changes in Employers' National Insurance will also affect the charity negatively going forward.

In response to the increase in the cost of living and its impact on local employment markets, the Board agreed to increase pay for counsellors and other staff with effect from April 2024. This was important step to show goodwill to our hard-working staff and ensure the continuity and resilience of service, but of course it is not matched automatically by increases in grants and fees.

Fortunately, our reserves had built up in previous years, and it is incumbent upon us as a charity to utilise all those reserves except for those that we need to set aside to ensure the charity's sustainability and resilience. HBBS is therefore reporting an operating loss for the second year in a row. It will be evident to readers of the accounts that this level of losses is not sustainable into 2025-26 and the charity is taking steps to ensure that the budget remains sustainable. We actively monitor our income and expenses on an ongoing basis to ensure that we have a clear understanding of our position and retain financial control.

This refocus is incorporated within the strategic plan which will enable us to continue to search for funding opportunities to cover counselling needs in Brentwood and Havering for the foreseeable future.

The financial results for the year show a £69,500 loss compared to a £48,400 for the previous year. Total restricted income for the year was £177,100 for 2024/25, up from last year's £140,300, but in line with £175,800 in 2022/23, with unrestricted income increasing to £45,300 from £27,600. As at 31st March 2025 the unrestricted reserves were £67,100 (2.5 months of operating costs) which is above the Charity's reserves policy requiring 2.4 months of operating costs to be held.

Unrestricted income is up from £45,300 in 2023/24 to just under £66,000 in 2024/25. This reflects the changing nature of the charity's activities which is becoming more geared towards providing counselling services on a 'call-off' basis to partner organisations, including schools, for the benefit of their pupils and service users.

The charity continued to benefit through most of the year from higher interest rates, but this income declined compared with 2023/24, partly because of declining reserves and partly, towards the end of the year, by a change in the interest rates trend.

Restricted grants for the year included £87,400 from the National Lottery Reaching Communities Fund, including funding for the Help Hub scheme operated in conjunction with the Ardleigh Green Family Centre and the Havering Volunteer Centre. This year we have seen the benefit of other grants secured; £63,600 from NHS NE London ICB helping to fund several local projects in the Havering area, £8,000 from the Essex Community Foundation and £13,200 from the London Borough of Havering.

In respect of expenditure, this totalled £312,700 up a third from £234,100 in the previous year.

Staff wages and salaries increased to £249,300 from £174,300, up 43%. This reflected an increased number of counselling sessions delivered as well as the much-needed market adjustment to the hourly rate for counsellors and specifically our more experienced counsellors as it was proving to be extremely difficult to recruit for new counsellors, causing a detrimental effect on our waiting list times and service delivery. In addition, the full year impact of the tri-party Help Hub project has required significant additional hours for overall project co-ordination, finance and counselling admin roles.

The cost of office and meeting room rent rose to £31,800, an increase of 43% primarily due to slightly higher counselling session numbers than last year and an increasing return to face to face working in the aftermath of the pandemic. The organisations from which we hire rooms are subject to the same inflationary pressures that the charity itself faces and have been required to put up rates in line with their costs.

Our new Investment Strategy policy has yielded favourable returns this year towards our overall financial results. With the interest rate increases seen at the beginning of the financial year, by prudently looking at our cash flow projections and liquidity needs we have, where possible, been able to place any surplus funds (particularly when received up front for longer term projects) in lowrisk deposit accounts in line with the risk appetite agreed by the trustees.

The trustee's financial strategy for the year ahead is to ensure that the charity continues to navigate the changing environment and the change from grant-funded programmes to partnership working. This will involve us reducing costs and consolidating our operations as well as seeking new sources of income to strengthen the robustness of the Charity with a longer-term vision thereby helping improve the essential services the Charity offers to our local community.

Alan Finch CPFA

Treasurer

## CEO REPORT

Unusually I'd like to start my report with the thank you's and acknowledgement of the work of our team. I am very proud to be CEO of an organisation which comprises of such an incredible team. And I mean this most sincerely.

Through the ups and downs of another busy year, the team has worked extremely hard and with flexibility to ensure we are doing our best for our clients. We said a sad farewell to 2 key roles (Daniel Shore as Chair and Dawn Foley as Clinical Lead) but managed the transition to new postholders (Adrian Sheridan as Interim Chair and Alison Staff as Clinical Lead). So, whilst we thank and acknowledge Daniel and Dawn for their contributions to HBBS, down to the efforts of the team, the work of HBBS has not been affected.

We also saw the departure of Jenny Raindle, David Bishop, Kelly Wellington and Eloise Williams. We wish them the best in their future careers. We are particularly proud to have been able to support David, Kelly and Eloise as part of their initial and continued personal development whilst on placement as well as their paid work.

Delivery 2024-5:

During the past year we have worked hard to increase the number of individual face to face counselling sessions by 35% on last year. 51% of this work was with adults, 49% with children and young people aged 18 and under.

Of these sessions 78% adult counselling was free to clients and 98% free for CYP with 88% free overall.

Counselling Sessions History:

| Year | Adults | Children | Total | Free to Clients |

|------|--------|----------|-------|-----------------| | 2019-20 | 1010 | 1461 | 2471 | 47% | | 2020-21 | 341 | 460 | 801 | 71% | | 2021-22 | 1012 | 1343 | 2355 | 82% | | 2022-23 | 1178 | 1280 | 2458 | 87% | | 2023-24 | 1254 | 1240 | 2494 | 89% | | 2024-25 | 1736 | 1623 | 3359 | 88% |

### Funding Overview

Grant Income

The majority of the sessions during the past year have been funded by grants.

The grant application process is getting increasingly complex and competitive, and we have been unsuccessful in getting grants of the size we need to consolidate, develop and give stability to our services.

The availability of larger grants (of at least £20k) which we need to run projects for more than a few months are becoming scarcer. Without the prospect of these larger grants, we have had more success with applications for smaller amounts of money although they are still highly competitive. We have become skilled in managing these smaller pots of funding, whilst offering continuity and clarity to our clients and the team.

A good example of the challenges we have faced is in the provision of free bereavement counselling for adults in Brentwood.

In the last 12 months, this counselling has been funded by 4 organisations (Essex Community Foundation, South Essex Crematorium, National Lottery Awards for All Fund and the Albert Hunt Trust). The waiting list has been closed for several months as all sessions have been allocated although we have applications outstanding with Essex Community Foundation for continuation. In the meantime, we continue to offer bereavement counselling but at a rate of £50 per session. In the medium term, we have also submitted an application to the National Lottery for a 3 year partnership project with Sawyers Church. This project would be for 3 years and would secure a free bereavement counselling service for local people in need of support.

Current Services

At the time of writing this report the status of our current funded work is as follows. We are still delivering sessions in all dimensions, but this is only until current funds are exhausted:

| Service | Waiting List | Prospects | |---------|--------------|-----------|

| Adult Counselling Havering | Open | Year 2 of a 3 year project, to close Dec 2026 |

| Counselling Parents of Children in Crisis | Closed | Funding unlikely |

| Adult Counselling Brentwood | Closed | Some potential |

| Children's Bereavement Counselling Havering | Closed | Funding unlikely |

| Children's Generic Counselling Havering | Closed | Funding unlikely |

| Children's Bereavement Counselling Havering and | Closed | Funding priority |

At this point please also note we have £80,000 of applications in process.

Partnerships

With the diminishing prospects of grant income, the recent development of partnerships with schools becomes even more significant.

Initiated by one school, we have developed a partnership model which has been very effective and well received by all parties, including HBBS counsellors.

The model consists of 4 client sessions, and administrative hour for the counsellor plus a further hour for the counsellor to liaise with and advise the school staff in the provision of emotional wellbeing support for their students and staff.

We currently work in 3 schools in this way and hope to continue this indefinitely (school funding permitting) adding further schools from September 2025 where possible.

### Future

HBBS is entering a new phase of financial management. Having taken full advantage of a fundraising event phase in the 2000s, the grant application phase of the 2010s, it is now time for us to generate the bulk of our own income through the work of our Service and utilise small grants for our charitable activities.

### Concluding Comments

Having been involved in HBBS for 12 years I have been privileged to see how it has developed over the years. Whilst consistently working for the wellbeing of local people in need, we have ridden the crest of the wave of fundraising events (who can forget the 30 strong team raising £40k at the Brentwood Half Marathon) and grant applications (which boosted our free delivery to clients from 47% to 89%) it is now time to embrace a new era of income generation.

This will be a challenge, but no more insurmountable than those we have faced previously, and we have the right team in place to continue the legacy of HBBS in the community for years to come.

We certainly have an interesting year ahead.

Louise Mundy

CEO

Service Statistics 2024-25

Total Sessions: 3,359 (280 per month)

Adult Sessions: 1,736

Children & Young People Sessions: 1,623

Client Numbers: 452 Total

## HBBS TEAM

### GOVERNING BODY

### STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS

Central Administrative Team

COUNSELLORS

## ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Staff & Volunteers of HBBS

Funders

Delivery Partners

Supportive Landlords

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2025

The Trustees of the Charity present their report with the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31st March 2025. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the Charity's trust deed and the Charities Act 2011. The Trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102, effective 1st January 2015).

### REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Charity Number: 1198645

Principal Office: HBBS Counselling Ardleigh Green Family Centre 165 Ardleigh Green Road Essex RM11 2SP

Governing Body:

Independent Examiner: Mrs. Rebekah Finn MAAT Finer Accountancy Limited 36 Brook Lane, Galleywood Chelmsford, Essex CM2 8NL

Bankers: HSBC Bank Unit 8, Lakeside Shopping Centre West Thurrock, Essex RM20 2ZF

### STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

HBBS Counselling (formerly Havering & Brentwood Bereavement Service) is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and is a registered charity with the Charity Commission on 18th April 2022. Full membership of the Charity is open to all those who are interested in furthering the work of the Charity. The Charity is funded by a mixture of restricted and unrestricted grant payments, client fees and fundraising activities.

As set out in the governing document (constitution), the Trustees shall consist of up to eight trustees.

### OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The prime objective of the Charity is to provide the best one to one support for adults, young people and children experiencing bereavement and loss, enabling them to explore and understand their feelings and emotions and work towards adjustment in their new lives. The Charity also provides a generic counselling service.

In order to achieve this, the Charity provides:

The service is provided equally to people regardless of their gender, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, creed/religion, ethnic or national origin. The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.

### RELATED PARTIES AND CONNECTED ORGANISATIONS

The Charity has no links with Related Parties as defined by The Statement of Recommended Practice and has not combined with any other organisation in the pursuit of its charitable objectives.

### ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Counselling Sessions:

| Year | Adults | Children | Total | Free to Clients |

|------|--------|----------|-------|-----------------|

| 2019-20 | 1010 | 1461 | 2471 | 47% | | 2020-21 | 341 | 460 | 801 | 71% | | 2021-22 | 1012 | 1343 | 2355 | 82% | | 2022-23 | 1178 | 1280 | 2458 | 87% | | 2023-24 | 1254 | 1240 | 2494 | 89% | | 2024-25 | 1736 | 1623 | 3359 | 88% |

Larger grants (of at least £20k) which we need to run projects for more than a few months are becoming scarcer. We have had more success with applications for smaller amounts of money although they are still highly competitive. We have become skilled in managing these smaller pots of funding, whilst offering continuity and clarity to our clients.

A good example of the challenges we have faced is in the provision of free bereavement counselling for adults in Brentwood. In the last 12 months, this counselling has been funded by 4 organisations (Essex Community Foundation, South Essex Crematorium, National Lottery Awards for All Fund and the Albert Hunt Trust). The waiting list has been closed for several months as all sessions have been allocated although we have applications outstanding with Essex Community Foundation for continuation. In the meantime, we continue to offer bereavement counselling but at a subsidised rate per session.

With the diminishing prospects of grant income, the recent development of partnerships with schools becomes even more significant. Initially with one school, we have developed a partnership model which has been very effective and well received by all parties. We currently work in three schools in this way and hope to continue this indefinitely (school funding permitting) adding further schools from September 2025 where possible.

We've also undertaken a thorough internal review to ensure our operations are as efficient and impactful as possible. This has led to the implementation of streamlined procedures, focusing the governance procedures, improved data tracking, and a renewed focus on outcome-driven programme.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Reserves

Total reserves at the end of the year have reduced from last year to £138,657 (2024: £208,196) of which £71,529 (2024: £106,433) was restricted. The Charity has maintained unrestricted reserves at a level that complies with its reserves policy, under which the Charity aims to maintain unrestricted reserves at a level equivalent to a minimum of 2.4 months of operating costs. At 31st March 2025 the level of unrestricted reserves of £67,128 (2023: £101,763) represented 2.6 months of current year operating costs and 4.0 months of forecast operating costs for the coming year. The level of reserves is regularly reviewed by the Trustees in order to ensure that appropriate and timely action is taken and that the Charity's reserves policy remains relevant, taking account of changing circumstances.

Financial Performance

The financial results for the year are detailed in the attached accounts and show a £69,539 loss (2024: £48,442 loss). Total income for the year was £243,120 (2024: £185,661) with an overall increase in Restricted Income in consequence of participation with partner bodies in the National Lottery funded Reaching Communities Help Hub. Total expenditure was £312,659 (2024: £234,103), with the main increases due to Staff Wages and Salaries up £74,963 and External Training, Counselling and Admin up £9,764. The Charity increased its income from support to schools and from fee paying services by £21,660 (48%) but also continues to rely on grant income in order to fund its activities.

### RISK STATEMENT

The highest risk is the sustainability of the service in the short to medium term. Client need is high and increasingly complex. There is a shortage of experienced and qualified counsellors. To mitigate this risk attention is continuing to be given to the recruitment, pay and career progression of staff. However the additional costs of provision this places on the charity in turn creates additional pressure on funding.

For the management of the charity's assets, the Investment Strategy policy manages financial risk in the exposure of funds above the £85k threshold protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Any surplus funds are continued to be placed in low-risk deposit accounts thereby maximising our investment return at a risk level agreed by the Charity trustees. The

cashflow is continually monitored and conversely to investing any surplus fund, any drawdowns necessary for liquidity needs are conducted in line with policy.

### RESPONSIBILITIES OF TRUSTEES

The Trustees are responsible for preparing a Trustees' Annual Report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards.

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the Charity Trustees to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the Charity for that period. In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the Accounts comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the Charity's Assets and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and breaches of law and regulations.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the Charity and financial information included on the Charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

### FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

Ongoing pressure on traditional public sector funders means that we can expect continued downward pressure on grant funding, but there are positive signs that our offer to provide support via local partner organisations including schools and other charitable bodies will enable us to

continue to deliver our core services over the next few years. We will be taking advantage of opportunities which come our way to develop our clinical expertise and offer even more free support to clients.

For and on behalf of HBBS COUNSELLING

Mr. A. Sheridan

Chair of the Trustees Date: 17th July 2025

## INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES

I report on the accounts of the Charity, for the year ended 31st March 2025, which are set out on pages 6 and 7 along with the notes to the accounts on pages 8 to 11.

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and the Examiner

The Charity's Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Charity's Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

### Basis of Independent Examiner's Report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts

present a "true and fair view" and the report is limited to those matters set out in the next statement.

Independent Examiner's Statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

(1) Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

have not been met or,

(2) To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Mrs. R. Finn MAAT

Independent Examiner

Finer Accountancy Limited

Date: 22nd August 2025

36 Brook Lane, Galleywood

Chelmsford, Essex CM2 8NL

## FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2025

[Note: The detailed financial statements including Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet, and Notes to the Financial Statements contain specific numerical data and accounting details that form part of the official audited accounts]

Key Financial Highlights:

This combined document contains all information from both the Financial Statements and Annual Report for HBBS Counselling for the year ending 31st March 2025.