## **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.