## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From** 27/10/2022 **Period start date To** 31/12/2023 **Period end date**
**Charity name:** Society for the Study of Childhood in the Past (SSCIP)
**Charity registration number:** 1200831
## **Objectives and Activities**
|**Objectives and Activities**|||
|---|---|---|
||SORP
reference||
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|SSCIP is an interdisciplinary society to
promote all aspects of the study of childhood
in the past. Childhood in the past is a
growing
discipline,
incorporating
archaeology, anthropology, history, art
history, sociology, psychology and many
other studies. We (SSCIP) are an active and
engaging
Society,
holding
an annual
conference,
publishing
a
journal
and
monograph series, sponsored workshops
and symposia, and outreach events.|
|Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or
services identified in the
accounts.|Para 1.17
and 1.19|Annual Conference; annual public lectures;
Outreach
initiatives;
dissemination
of
research/events relating to childhood in the
past via social media accounts. Support of
events organised by members that are for
public
benefit
(e.g.
outreach
events,
sponsored conference sessions). Publishing
of the_Childhood in the Past_journal, and
monograph series to promote and support
dissemination of research in this subject
area.|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|Yes, we incorporated public event(s) into the
annual conference. We have developed a
broader outreach portfolio (for example,
creation of a mobile poster exhibition based
on members’ research into childhood in the
past which can be made accessible to the
public at our events). We have developed
funding
opportunities
for
conference
sessions/bursaries. Our bi-annual journal is
open
to
submissions
beyond
our
membership and can be open access (i.e.
publicly available). Our monograph series
also includes open-access publications.|
**Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
SORP reference
|Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|Depending on our budget each year, we can
offer sponsorship to those members of the
Society who wish to organise events
relevant to our Aims and Objectives. This
can include events that relate to, or
incorporate, public outreach activities. Such
opportunities would take place on an ad-hoc
basis and would be reviewed and approved
by the Trustees on a case-by-case basis.|
|---|---|---|
|Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|N/A|
|Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|SSCIP is membership-led, and we are
grateful to our members for participating in
the Society, including taking part in our
annual conference, contributing research for
publication in our journal and monograph
series, acting as peer reviewers for the
journal, and hosting/participating in outreach
events. We always aim to provide support to
those members wishing to organise their
own activities, particularly if they relate to
public outreach.|
|Other|||
|**Achievements and Performance**|||
||SORP
reference||
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|We created a new newsletter during this
period; this is distributed to all members
through a mailing list and provides an
opportunity to highlight relevant activities
that have been undertaken by the Society,
as well as promoting the research and work
of its members.
Each year, we organise free online annual
public lectures that are publicly accessible.
In December 2022, we hosted Dr Julie
Spray whilst in December 2023, we hosted
Dr Kayt Hawkins.
Our annual conference provides a forum for
the communication of research to both
members and non-members. This event
moves to a different region each year to
ensure we visit those countries that are
represented by our membership and to
make it accessible to all. Our members
benefit
from
a
reduced
conference
registration fee, however, it is always open
to anyone that wishes to attend and present|
|research at. In November 2022, our|
|---|
|conference took place at University of|
|Alcalá, Madrid, Spain whilst in October|
|2023, our conference took place at National|
|University of La Plata, Buenos Aires,|
|Argentina. Both conferences had papers|
|and speakers in the regions’ native|
|language ensuring that both events were|
|accessible to non-English speaking guests.|
|We have begun to develop a mobile poster|
|exhibition; as a physical resource which can|
|be taken to academic and public events to|
|disseminate members research, but also, a|
|virtual resource that can hosted on the|
|www.sscip.org.uk website so that the|
|research is public-facing via the internet.|
|Our engagement with wider audiences|
|continues through our activity on social|
|media. In December 2023, our former Social|
|Media Officer stepped down and we were|
|joined by a new Trustee in this role who has|
|been very active on social media platforms|
|since
then
(i.e.
Twitter,
Facebook,|
|Instagram). Our promotion of research into|
|children and childhood in the past, as well|
|as our engagement with the wider public|
|and scholarly community, has increased.|
|We currently have the following numbers on|
|social media: Instagram - 50 followers;|
|Facebook - 796 likes & 855 followers; X|
|(formerly Twitter) - 2.2k followers|
## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
||||
|---|---|---|
|Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41||
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41||
|Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41||
|Other|||
## **Financial Review**
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|Please see Treasurer’s report at end of
document.|
|---|---|---|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|Reserves allow us to meet our financial
obligation to the journal publisher, as well as
any unexpected expenses which occur as a
result of fluctuations in membership. Excess
funds are used to invest in the Society (e.g.
maintenance
of
website)
and
public
outreach activities.|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|£7, 759.36 as of 31/12/23|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|N/A|
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|N/A - spending was in excess of income for
this period, but reflected a planned use of
our reserves.|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|None|
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|Our only source of funding is membership
fees. We use these fees to subsidise and
cover costs related to the publication of our
journal, ‘Childhood in the Past’. Members
are given a subscription to this journal for the
duration of their membership with hard
copies of the journal (2 issues per year)
posted to the member directly (regardless of
where they live), and online access to the
archive of previous journal volumes hosted
by the publisher, Taylor & Francis.
We also use the income from fees to
cover/subsidise the costs associated with
any outreach events organised by/for the
Society, and to provide any awards or
bursaries to our conference. As such, our
income is spent on Society related activities,
and any excess held as a reserve to buffer
expenses alongside potential fluctuations in
membership numbers.|
|---|---|---|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|We do not have an investment policy. Given
the size of the organisation and our financial
position, we do not plan to invest any of our
funds beyond the immediate needs of the
organisation e.g. paying for the journal
publication.|
|A description of the principal
risks facing the charity||The main risk to the Society is either a
significant reduction in our membership
numbers and/or no members joining the|
||Para 1.46|organisation as this would detrimentally
affect our finances. We are committed to
purchasing one subscription of the journal (2
issues) for each of our individual Members
each year, and are committed to paying for
a minimum of fifty (50) Members; this is
equivalent to a commitment of £750 per
annum.|
|---|---|---|
|Other|||
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s
trusts:|||
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|
Para 1.25|Constitution|
|How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|CIO|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|We have an open call for nominations to
committee roles; this call is open to both
members and non-members at the time of
nomination. All members of the Society are
then asked to vote on the nominees via an
online poll with the outcome of the voting
announced at AGM and ratified if quorate.|
## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees|Para 1.51|Following their acceptance as a new Trustee
at the AGM, any new Trustee is then
provided with verbal and written guidance
from the Society’s President and Secretary
with regards to their role and responsibilities.|
|---|---|---|
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|The Society has seven Trustees, as well as
two Ex-Officio officers who sit on Committee
meetings
(the
Journal
Editor
and
Monograph Editor). The Journal Editor
works closely with our publisher, Taylor &
Francis to coordinate the publication of our
bi-annual journal, Childhood in the Past.
Our Monograph series is published on an
ad-hoc
basis
by
the
publisher,
Archaeopress but there is no contractual
arrangment with this organisation|
|Relationship with any
related parties|Para 1.51||
|Other|||
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|Society for the Study of Childhood in the Past|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity uses|SSCIP|
|Registered charity number|1200831|
|Charity’s principal address|20 Brincliffe Edge Road
Sheffield
S11 9BW|
|||
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for**
**whole year**|**Name of person (or body)**
**entitled to appoint trustee**
**(if any)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Dr Katie Hemer|President|20th October 2022||
||Dr Sophie Newman|Secretary|20th October 2022||
||Dr Claire Hodson|Membership
Secretary|20th October 2022||
||Dr Ellen Kendall|Finance Officer|20th October 2022||
||Dr Melie Le Roy|Outreach and
Student Officer|7th December 2023||
||Sophie Crawford|Social Media and
Publicity|7th December 2023||
||Professor Sian
Halcrow|Book Review Editor|20th October 2022||
– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved
**Director name N/A**
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
|**Trustee name**|**Dates acted if not for**
**whole year**||
|---|---|---|
|**N/A**|||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
Description of the assets None held in this capacity Name and objects of the N/A charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for N/A safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
## **Additional information (optional)**
## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
## **Type of Name Address adviser Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
## **Exemptions from disclosure**
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
## **Other optional information**
## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
**Signature(s) Full name(s)** Dr Katie Anna Hemer **Position (eg Secretary,** President **Chair, etc) Date** 28/10/2024
## Charities Commission 2023
## Annual Report 6th October 2024
## **Reporting Officer: Dr Ellen Kendall, Treasurer (Trustee)**
## _**Income and Expenditure - October 2022 to December 2023**_
## SSCIP Accounts December 2023
- Business Account: £7,647.99
- Community Account: £111.37
- Paypal: £0.00
Total Accounts: £7,759.36
|**Expenditure from Oct 2022- Dec 2023**||
|---|---|
|T&F Journal fees for 2022|£922.50|
|T&F Journal fees for 2023|£1072.50|
|Ink and Water Website Fees|£432.00|
|Wordpress fees|£11.00|
|EAA shared booth|£423.64|
|EAA banner and SSCIP drinks reception|£403.00|
|Purchase of SSCIP monographs|£1968.36|
|2022 Conference organizer gifts|£32.99|
|**Total Expenditure**|**£5,265.99**|
|**Income from Oct 2022- Dec 2023**||
|---|---|
|Membership fees via standing
order/transfer/cheque|£1014.53|
|Membership fees via Stripe|£1345.10|
|Monograph sales|£330.00|
|Bank interest|£85.51|
|**Total Income**|**£2,775.14**|
## _**Comments**_
Big changes came in during this year. In addition to SSCIP’s transition to official CIO status, we finally moved away from dependence on Paypal or Wise, our interim member payment methods. A new integrated website payment interface through the SSCIP website, processed
by Stripe, was instituted to serve our members, with payment through standing order still being very common. This has helped to encourage member participation and ease access to membership.
This was also a very big spending year, with investment in a shared booth at the European Association of Archaeologists meeting (EAAs), as well as the purchase of backstock of our monograph series from Oxbow. Outgoings were nearly twice our income this year, which is not representative of our general spending model. However, aside from the timing of the reporting period (end of year, which includes two journal fee periods, but not two January periods, when most membership fees are paid), this is likely to be a very good investment in raising the society’s profile and outreach, and has made a sizeable dent in our surplus savings. This is desirable for a charitable organization, providing it is done sustainably.