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2024-09-30-accounts

Southampton Mental Health Network Registered Charity No: 1200515 Registered Office: Voluntary Action Centre, Kingsland Square, Southampton, SO14 1NW

Report of the Trustees

October 2023 – September 2024

The Trustees have pleasure in presenting their report and the financial statements of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation for the period October 2023 to September 2024.

Purposes and Aims

The objects of the Southampton Mental Health Network are set out in the Constitution and are as follows:

The Trustees have:

Background and origin of the charity

Communicare in Southampton is a small, independent, local charity that provides good neighbourly support to the residents of the city of Southampton. It carries out its activities in close partnership with a range of other groups, ensuring that the needs of its beneficiaries are met as effectively as possible by those with the most relevant knowledge and experience.

In February 2019 Communicare led on the establishment of a network of organisations and individuals, linked through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a vision to make Southampton a mental health friendly city.

Southampton’s Integrated Commissioning Unit (ICU) awarded funding in April 2019 to support the development of the network and establishment of a service user network. This allowed Communicare to employ a part time Administrator and to undertake a range of low key activities to take the project forward.

By March 2021 membership had risen to seventy, including representation from statutory organisations (NHS, City Council), businesses, small community organisations and individuals. There was active engagement at all levels, allowing collaborative work to be initiated and built on. It became clear that to secure its long-term future the network would benefit from becoming a charitable organisation in its own right.

Working from within the existing framework members explored various options together, culminating in the recruitment of a Board of Trustees with a broad range of experience and perspectives. The Board led on the creation of a constitution for a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, which gained registration with the Charity Commission in September 2022.

SMILE (Southampton Mental Illness Lived Experience)

In March 2019, following consultation, users of mental health services in Southampton and others who had lived experience of mental illness, SMHN concluded that the “service users network” being created through the organisation should be aimed at all those with lived experience, not just those who had/would make use of services on offer.

The group was established and led by Bob Clark and Saire Herschel-Clark.

SMILE sits under the umbrella of Southampton Mental Health Network. SMILE is not a crisis group but member organisations can provide support to one another. Objectives of SMILE:

Trustee Saire Herschel-Clarke led SMILE from the Autumn of 2021 until she stood down in January 2024. Saire has come back to lead SMILE but will not rejoin as a Trustee.

33 individuals have shown interest in SMILE. Plans for more active engagement will be rolled out now that clear leadership is back in place.

Activity from October 2023 – September 2024

The main focus during this period has been on maintaining the well-established networking opportunities provided and continuing the efficient functioning of the charity.

Communicare’s funding from the ICU allowed the post of SMHN Administrator to remain open on a restricted basis throughout. With this support activities have included:

PR and media

Since 2021, Porcupine PR has continued to guide on the production of a PR Strategy and to support the network in its delivery. During the period of this report the bulk of their time has been spent on assisting with establishing and developing the website. Achievements include:

Other general PR achievements for the 23-24 period include:

The focus of the next 12 months will be:

Website

A significant and time-consuming project over this period has been working on the Network’s website.

Since 2022 Xebre Limited have been working with us to create out website, working closely with members to ensure that it meets the group's requirements.

During this period, we have been particularly focusing on the Young Person section of our website, which allows Young People to filter specific Young People’s services by support type and area. Furthermore, we have developed the Young Person’s Service Finder Tool (app), which provides tailored mental health support to suit that individual’s needs. This includes a four-tier system, ranging from community support and self-help to NHS and crisis support, as well as taking into consideration other factors such as education provider (and the support they can offer), alcohol and drug use, and caring responsibilities. Young people are then able to browse the range of support services available to them, and can contact service providers directly, with a link to their website, phone number and email.

This was born of a focus group held in September 2023, allowing Young People’s ideas to be incorporated into the thinking process and design of the app. The app and Young People’s section of the website is now live, and the consultation / feedback period launched in September 2024. It can be found in the ‘Find Support’ section of our website.

Facts & figures

Membership

Date Members
representing
an
Organisation		 Organisations
represented		 Personal/individual
**memberships **		 Total
members
Oct-23 57 47 19 76
Sep-24 48 43 26 73

Engagement

The level of engagement of members is seen as an indication of the value they recognise in the Network’s opportunities.

Engagement is measured by looking at those who undertook one or more of the following during the specified period:

Figures for the end of the previous year are included for comparison:

Date Number engaging % engaging Number of
**meetings **		 Number
attending
Aug23 - Oct23 68 89 5 20
Nov23 - Jan24 72 90 7 36
Feb24 - Apr24 66* 83 5 10
May24 - Jul24 63 86 7 27
Aug24 - Oct24 62 76 6 15

*This included engagement by members whose membership lapsed in April 2023

Representation at city-wide & regional meetings

From October 2023 to September 2024, SMHN was represented at 37 citywide and regional meetings, including:

Fundraising

In July 2024, we held a quiz at Board in the City and raised £538.46. The quiz was attended by 31 people making up 5 teams. It was a very entertaining evening and enjoyed by all.

We appreciate the support of the team at Board in the City for hosting and feeding us, and everyone who attended and helped on the night.

Surveys & consultations

In 2021, SMHN surveyed the general public to elicit ideas about what being a “mental health friendly city” meant to them. 500 responses were received, and the results were used to guide the Network's planning.

A second survey, picking up on areas where further elucidation was required, was launched in 2022 and remained open until September 2023. 188 responses were received. Findings were analysed by Rebecca Beddall and Andy Fulford. The executive summary will be shared with all Network members.

SMHN will continue to respond to requests from statutory providers to circulate surveys to relevant members of the public when they are seeking feedback on the services they provide.

Focus Group: Medication

At the request of members, we held a focus group to hear the experiences of both patients and carers regarding medication for mental health conditions, its prescription, dosage and side effects, reviews, etc. The report is in the final stages of drafting.

Focus Group: Let’s Talk

During 2024 two meetings were held with members to explore opportunities for people to talk to each other in Southampton. This need for people to talk aligns with the results of the mental health friendly city survey that the network conducted. The top request for support was access to services, and the second was opportunities to make friends. In the second stage of the survey, we asked what access to services meant to people, and respondents said they needed opportunities to meet and talk to others.

Future plans

The following topics will be the main areas of focus for October 2024 – September 2025

Membership

Members are asked to renew their membership annually and pay a £2 registration fee. This allows the charity to track its membership more effectively and ensure that members are positively opting into engagement with the organisation.

Membership of the charity is open to anyone interested in furthering its objectives and who, by applying for membership, has indicated their agreement to become a member and acceptance of the duty of members as set out in the constitution. A member may be:

If the Southampton Mental Health Network is wound up, the members of the Southampton Mental Health Network have no liability to contribute to its assets and no personal responsibility for settling its debts and liabilities.

Governance

Day-to-day operational activities are delivered by the SMHN Administrator, who is employed by Communicare in Southampton. This has been intermittent during this period, due to funding, and has had a significant impact on the day to day running of the Network. Line management is undertaken by Communicare’s Manager.

The Administrator and Communicare’s Manager report to the Trustees at their regular meetings. Strategic management, including adoption of policies, is undertaken by the Trustees. They also lead the various subgroups.

Trustees

Recruitment of Trustees

Six Trustees were recruited from within the membership of the Communicare-led network to launch the new charity. Care was given to appointing a Board that represented a wide range of perspectives and experience.

The Trustees that served during the year and up to the date of this report and are set out below:

We thank Jacqueline for her support and commitment right from the beginning of the Network, her guidance and wisdom as the family, friends and carers group lead, and for bringing her wit and thoughtfulness to our meetings. Jacqueline will be sadly missed as a Trustee, but we look forward to catching up with her in Network meetings in the future.

According to our constitution we can have up to nine Trustees. As of Feb 2025, we have 4 Trustee vacancies. If you are interested in this voluntary position, please get in touch with us at smhn@communicareinsouthampton.org.uk.

Risk Review

The Trustees have considered the major risks to which Southampton Mental Health Network is exposed and have put in place policies and systems to mitigate these risks.

Much of the activity of the charity continued to be delivered through Communicare this year, which is protected under the insurance policy of umbrella organisation: The Hampshire Good Neighbours Network provided by Capital Markets Underwriting Ltd.

We are developing a wide range of policies including Adult Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Equal Opportunities and Data Protection.

Cyber security is provided by Communicare in Southampton through subscription to Soda IT.

Financial statement Flnancial Ststement Southampton Mental Health Netw¢Jrk CIO Registered Charity Nurnber 121X)515 nancial Accounts for year endin8 30 September 2024 2024 2023 INCOWIE MembEW5hip fees receNed during period Fund raising events Addthonal donations lunrestrirteill Restricted purpose donations Totsl Incom 128 794 178 8.486 122 105 EXPENL)nURE Mail Holding Faolity Fee1SV51 Restricted purpose expEnditur2 Additional expenditure Totsl fxpendoturè 105 262 262 160 FUNDS HELD Opening Bank balance Total IntomE 3C 9,656 355 Total Exrenditure 262 00sin8 8nk 31x1 Openln8 Funds Restricted Unrestricted 3C aoslng Funds Restritted Unrestrided 1.208 3C NOTETO ACCCUNTS Not8 1 Th8 resthctad purpose incom8wdS fora **bsi18 ftsnding pr￿resS %thich. asai yearend. rernainad a in progress and torbbthich di¥s￿raeMem￿ will be mad•in due wJrJe Note 2An independent examination ofthe xcounts was notundertaken beuuse the incomeand pendtiure ofthe Net￿rk ￿re belLWthe necessgrythreshoid.