Trustees’ Annual Report for the period
From 01/01/2024 Period start date To 31/12/2024 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 | The Society for the Study of Childhood in the Past (SSCIP) is an interdisciplinary society which aims to promote all aspects of the study of childhood in the past, incorporating research from archaeology, anthropology, history, art history, sociology, psychology and many other disciplines. SSCIP is a small but active, international Society that hosts an annual conference, publishes a journal and monograph series, hosts workshops and symposia, and undertakes 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 the study of 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 Society’s journal, Childhood in the Past and monograph series to promote and support dissemination of research in this subject. |
| Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit |
Para 1.18 | Yes, where possible, we incorporate public- facing event(s) as part of 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 funding opportunities for conference sessions e.g. reduced conference fees, speaker prizes. Our bi- annual journal is open to submissions beyond our membership and can be read 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. For example, our annual conference is hosted by a volunteer organiser; in 2024, the annual conference was hosted in Bordeaux, France. |
| 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 continue to distribute our quarterly newsletter to the membership; 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. For example, we have incorporated a ‘Student Feature’ piece and ‘Student Prize Winner’ report in the newsletter to highlight the work of early career researchers. Each year, we organise free, online annual public lectures that are publicly accessible. In November 2024, our annual public lecture was delivered by Prof. Mélanie Pruvost (Chargée de Recherche CNRS, UMR5199 PACEA). This talk was bilingual English/French), and titled: "Ancient Genomes, Lost Childhoods: Tracing the Lives of Young People in Past Societies / Génomes anciens, enfances perdues: Retracer la vie des jeunes dans les sociétés du passé". The lecture attracted over 30 attendees, including both SSCiP members and members of the public In April 2024, Dr Mélie Le Roy’s delivered a public talk on ‘Valuing Children in Life and Death in French Late Neolithic Societies’ at Blandford Parish Centre, near Bournemouth. The event was attended by around 20 participants, who actively engaged in discussion with the speaker about her research. 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 2024, our conference took place at University of University of Bordeaux, France. The conference had both papers and speakers in the regions’ native language ensuring that both events were accessible to non-English speaking guests. The conference coverage using the #SSCIP2024 hashtag saw active contributions from attendees across X, |
|---|---|---|
| BlueSky, Facebook, and Instagram. |
|---|
| BlueSky and X recorded the highest |
| engagement during the conference period. |
| The SSCiP website continues to serve as |
| the main hub for information on events, |
| publications, and membership. Updates in |
| 2024 focused on improving accessibility and |
| promoting society news and opportunities. |
| Social media remained a key |
| communication tool in 2024, with strong |
| engagement across several platforms: |
| Facebook: 11 posts published; 4,100 total |
| content views (53% from followers), 9,200 |
| total views including page traffic, 372 direct |
| interactions, 77 new followers, and 963 |
| page visits. |
| Instagram: 13 posts published; audience |
| reach increased by 283%, made up of 89% |
| followers and 11% non-followers. |
| X (formerly Twitter): Analytics not available |
| for non-verified accounts, but continued reg- |
| ular activity. |
| The announcement for SSCiP 2025 |
| conference went live on 7 December 2024 |
| and performed well across all platforms |
| within 24 hours, including: Facebook: 7 |
| likes, 3 reposts; Instagram: 13 likes, 1 |
| save; X: 12 likes, 5 reposts; BlueSky: 22 |
| likes, 15 reposts |
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). |
| Amount of reserves held | Para 1.22 | £8, 842.76 as of 31/12/24 |
| Reasons for holding zero reserves |
Para 1.22 | N/A |
| Details of fund materially in deficit |
Para 1.24 | N/A |
| 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 |
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 our membership fees: https://sscip.org.uk/membership/. 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 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 prizes at our annual conference. As such, our income is solely spent on Society 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 (<100 members) 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 publication of the journal. |
| A description of the principal risks facing the charity |
Para 1.46 | The main risk to the Society is either a significant reduction in our membership and/or no members joining the 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 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 attend 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 arrangement with this organisation. |
| Relationship with any related parties |
Para 1.51 | N/A |
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 | |||
| Dr Sophie Newman | Secretary | |||
| Dr Claire Hodson | Membership Secretary |
|||
| Dr Ellen Kendall | Finance Officer | |||
| Dr Melie Le Roy | Outreach and Student Officer |
|||
| Rosie Crawford | Social Media and Publicity |
|||
| Professor Sian Halcrow |
Book Review Editor |
– 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 adviser Name Address |
Type of adviser Name Address |
Type of adviser Name Address |
|---|---|---|
| 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 24/10/2025
21st October 2025
Charities Commission 2024
Income and Expenditure - January 2024 to December 2024
SSCIP Accounts December 2024
-
Business Account: £8,309.09
-
Community Account: £533.67
-
Paypal: £0.00
Total Accounts: £8,842.76
| Expenditure from Dec 2023- Dec 2024 | |
|---|---|
| T&F Journal fees for 2023 | £1,065.00 |
| Website Fees | £432.00 |
| Total Expenditure | £1,497.00 |
| Income from Dec 2023- Dec 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Membership fees via standing order/transfer/cheque |
£829.30 |
| Membershipfees via Stripe | £1561.43 |
| Bank interest | £130.40 |
| Total Income | £2,521.13 (8% decrease from previousyear) |
Comments
Following the big financial changes of 2023 – transition to full charity status, bulk purchasing of SSCIP monographs and investment in a shared booth at the EAAs – 2024 has been a very quiet year. Income has dipped very slightly from 2023 levels, but expenditure has also been very low, and income has therefore exceeded outgoings. Stripe payments appear very popular, relative to standing orders or bank transfers, and offer a great deal of convenience. As Stripe does attract fees which are deducted from membership fees (and banks do not), it may be worth encouraging UK members to consider setting up a standing order which will autorenew annually, promoting retention.