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ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY

ANNUAL REVIEW

APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

Levers

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Lever 1
Thriving organisation - Page
Providing services our people 102
that model our vision
and ambitions
Contents
30
Page Income generation Page
and fundraising activities 108
Introduction Trustees report
Lever 2
Foreword from Campaigning Environmental Page
Dame Carolyn This is for change impact 112
Fairbairn Mencap
58
DBE, Chair Page
Page
Our structure, governance Page
Page
14 and management 114
6
Lever 3
Supporting people
with information Section 172 Page
and advice statement 118
78
Page
Financial Page
review 120
Lever 4
Reflection on
the year with Researching and
Jackie O’Sullivan, evaluating complex
acting CEO View issues and Statement of trustees Page
8 from opportunities responsibilities 128
Page
86
Page
Trustees
Page
Independent Page
Lever 5
auditor’s report
24 129
Reflection on the Supporting people
year with Jack Welch, to build their own
Chair, Voices Council capabilities to find
local solutions Financial Page
Page 10 Page 90 statements 132
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2 ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

INTRODUCTION

Foreword

Dame Carolyn Fairbairn DBE, chair

Mencap’s mission to ensure that people with a learning disability can live happy and healthy lives has never felt more relevant, or its values of compassionate care and respect more needed. The cost of living crisis has hit people with a learning disability particularly hard, while the social care sector as a whole continues to face a crisis of underfunding. And despite some progress, people with a learning disability still face unacceptable inequalities in health, employment and access to public services.

Mencap itself has not been immune to some of these challenges. We have had to make hard choices to ensure we can continue to provide high quality services while ensuring the financial sustainability of our charity. In some instances, this has meant handing back care contracts which are costing us more to run than we receive in funding from Local Authorities. I am deeply aware of the impact this has had on the people we support, their families and our colleagues, and we have done all we possibly can to minimise disruption to everyone concerned.

These measures are having a positive impact, with Mencap ending the year in a stable and sustainable financial position. Every penny we receive to run our care services is spent on exactly that. It is our fundraised income which pays for all our campaigning, information and advice, research and much of our work in communities.

Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our wonderful colleagues - from our support workers to our helpline team to our business support staff, and so many more - we have been able to support thousands of people with a learning disability and their families and carers.

A personal highlight for me over the last year was meeting three young men with severe autism who share a house in Nottingham, supported round the clock by a dedicated team of 12 Mencap care professionals. The house was buzzing with activity, from swimming lessons to a recent theatre visit to Toad of Toad Hall. It was a joy to see the contented and full lives these young men are able to lead, in the heart of their community. This is what Mencap stands for.

It was a great pleasure to welcome our Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh, to our summit on health inequalities earlier in the year, bringing together senior leaders across the health sector committed to tackling the very serious issues that mean that females with a learning disability die 23 years younger, and males 20 years younger than the general population.

One of the most important steps to eradicate health inequalities for people with a learning disability lies in training for health professionals. The Oliver McGowan Training programme is key to this, and I am proud of the central role that Mencap played in securing commitment from government, piloting the programme and supporting its roll out. Meanwhile, the number of people with a learning disability or autism detained in

Mental Health hospitals remains unacceptable for a modern democracy like the UK, so we need to ensure that the government follows through on the Mental Health Act Reform which should stem the flow of new admittances. Mencap has campaigned hard for this, as well as supporting numerous families to access the legal support they need to free their loved ones.

There is much more to report – some of it captured in these pages - but I remain deeply concerned by the number of people with a learning disability who want to work but can’t find a suitable job. This will be a top priority for Mencap for next year as the official employment rate for people with a learning disability is falling – a shocking fact when you consider that 85% of people with a learning disability want to work, and the economy is desperate for a committed workforce.

Meanwhile, Mencap remains dedicated to being led by people with a learning disability. Our Voices Council has a central and powerful role in our governance model, and we have two trustees with a learning disability on our board. I was delighted to welcome Neil Hoskin and Hayden Rustage to our board this year.

As the year draws to a close, we are sadly saying goodbye to some highly valued colleagues. Jack Welch and Sam Jefferies, Chair and Vice Chair of our Voices Council have both given so much time to support the organisation and been fundamental to decision making over the years. I’d also like to extend my sincerest thanks to Kathryn Cearns and Andrew Wilson who stepped down from our board this year and who provided extensive expertise and direction during their terms. I am delighted that our new chief executive, Jon Sparkes, will join us in June 2024. I have no doubt that his experience and passion will enable us to further advance our vision.

I would also like to thank all who have supported Mencap throughout the year, whether through volunteering, making a donation, visiting our shops, signing our petitions, attending an event or working in partnership with us. You have all made a tremendous difference in helping Mencap continue its vital work improving the lives of people with a learning disability.

I’m looking forward to continuing to work with all of you to support people with a learning disability across the UK to live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives in what promises to be a very important year of opportunity.

6 ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

What is your perspective on the challenges that people currently face, particularly with the coronavirus pandemic, and the affects it has had on people?

“We continue to support people who are struggling with anxiety after Covid-19, some who struggle to leave their homes, and employment levels have not bounced back to the levels before Covid-19, as they have done for the general population. Financial struggles are also evident from calls to our helpline, with some choosing between heating and eating, or unable to pay rent or afford care package top-ups. Concerns about changes to disability benefits are causing alarm, and social care underfunding is worsening the situation. However, there are positives, people with a learning disability are more visible in the media and our Myth Busters are thriving.”

How have the changes in the organisation this year affected Mencap as a whole?

“There has been a lot of change this past year. We’ve said goodbye to some lovely colleagues who we miss greatly. It’s fair to say we’ve faced some challenging times recently, especially due to tight funding for local authorities that goes to social care. As a large social care provider, this has put real financial pressures on us. However, we have responded really well as an organisation. I’m proud of how we’ve pulled together, and our efforts are showing a positive impact. The big lesson is that together we are stronger. No one person is more important in Mencap than another, it is the collective effort that matters most.”

We know that the Voices Council were successful in publishing the mental health paper. How do you think that mental health paper was received and how has that affected people with a learning disability?

“The publication of the mental health paper has been very important and has become a significant part of our health campaigning. Thanks to the Voices Council, we’ve highlighted the importance of services for people with a learning disability in maintaining good mental health. We’ve published reports, held a parliamentary reception, and conducted campaigns, which have brought muchneeded attention to these issues. This work has benefited both those directly supported by Mencap and the broader population of 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability.”

Reflection on the year

John Phillips (left), newly elected chair for our Voices Council, asks our acting CEO Jackie O’Sullivan (right) about Mencap’s work during a very challenging year.

How do you think the Voices Council has helped support the executive team in decision-making and responding to different subjects?

“The input from the Voices Council to both the executive team and the board has been invaluable. They’ve helped shape our policies, particularly around quality and the reset plan. Their involvement ensures that even the tough decisions we make, like handing back services, align with our values and minimise negative impacts. The Voices Council’s contributions are crucial in maintaining the integrity and focus of our work.”

How are we ensuring we deliver quality services? “There’s been a lot of focus on quality, particularly in areas like plans for people at risk of choking and epilepsy management. We have a systematic plan to ensure our services are consistently excellent. You’ll hear a lot more about quality over the next year. It’s a continuous effort, but we have a strong plan in place to maintain and improve the quality of our services.”

How do you see Mencap being in a year’s time? “In a year’s time, I hope we are looking forward and focusing on more outward-facing activities. This past year, we needed to look inward to ensure our organisation was healthy and happy. Given our extensive reach—supporting people across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, running a training academy, a nursery, and reaching thousands of people through our helpline and online information pages—in a year’s time it would be brilliant to be able to report on how we’ve blended the knowledge we get from supporting people and campaigns effectively, so we can continue to make a difference and eradicate the barriers that people with a learning disability face.”

What do you think of the push of government to get people back into the workplace, when the work and support isn’t there?

“I think it’s really worrying and I think what is also extremely worrying is some of the narrative and messaging that we see around this in the media and on social media. Everybody wants to have a purpose in life and to contribute to society - work or volunteering

is a really good way to fulfil that. I think it’s a crying shame that the government is not doing more to make that happen effectively for people with a learning disability.”

What is your best Mencap moment from this year?

“I don’t think I can pick just one highlight from this past year. I’ve enjoyed every visit, meeting incredible colleagues, people we support and trainees. These encounters have been immensely rewarding. Attending a Christmas concert at our Sanborn Road service was awesome and truly memorable, and attending the apprenticeship evening and seeing all the certificates handed out was lovely. Moving offices was another significant highlight. Initially, I worried about the transition, especially for colleagues with a learning disability. However, the new setup on a single floor with communal spaces has been fantastic, fostering a sense of community. The Leadership Forum conference last November was also a major highlight, bringing all our leaders together. A particularly memorable experience was having lunch with Keir Starmer as part of a select group of charity leaders. This was a great accolade for Mencap, highlighting the importance of our work. Overall, this year has been filled with numerous positive experiences and achievements, making a significant impact within our organisation and the broader community.”

Lots of people with a learning disability sometimes have other disabilities. What are we doing to partner with other services and charities?

“We’re making some progress, but not enough. We have been meeting with groups of other providers of services for people with a learning disability and autism discussing what we collectively want from the next government. Additionally, we’re developing a target operating model to better cater to the diverse needs of the people we support. This model recognises that our social care services are varied because we respond to the unique needs of individuals. These needs can include learning disability, autism, specific health conditions, and issues related to ageing, such as dementia. Our goal is to be more responsive and consider the whole person, not just their learning disability. So, while we’re doing some work in this area, there’s still much more to be done, and we are committed to exploring and improving this further.”

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

Reflection on the year

Vijay Patel (inset), campaigns assistant at Mencap interviews Jack Welch (main) , current chair of our Voices Council about how people with a learning disability are driving Mencap’s work.

Our Voices Council is made up of people with a learning disability who advise and guide our priorities and decisions.

What has been the biggest achievement for Mencap this year?

“I think one of our biggest achievements this year has been getting national attention in the media, especially from ITV. This has really helped raise awareness about the tough situations in long-stay hospitals and the financial struggles in social care in local areas. Campaigns like Why We Care have highlighted how much more investment is needed in social support workers, not just at Mencap but everywhere. Thanks to this media attention, more people are now aware of these important issues and understand why we need more support and funding for social care services for people with a learning disability.”

What are the main achievements and highlights of the year for the Voices Council?

“One of the big achievements for the Voices Council this year was getting to meet with Tom

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Reflection on the year with Jack Welch, Chair, Voices
Council Leave 4 pages
1. What’s been the biggest achievement for
Mencap this year?
2. What’s been the biggest challenge externally
that Mencap has had to overcome?
3. Have the changes to the Voices Council made a
difference?
4. What would you like to say to government
about funding for social care services?
5. What one thing could government do to change
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the lives of people with a learning disability the most?

Cahill, the National Director of Learning Disability 6. Why is the Voices Council so important? and Autism at NHS England. We had a chance to talk 7. What do you think our new CEO should directly about important healthcare issues, especially prioritise in their first year? how mental health services can better help people 8. What’s your biggest hope for the year ahead? with a learning disability. Our input has actually helped 9. As your time as Chair of Voices Council comes shape NHS policies and plans, making sure they really to end do you have any reflections? understand and meet the needs of our community. It’s great to see how our voices can make a real difference and push for better services and support for people with a learning disability. The Voices Council were also part of the recruitment panel to recruit our new CEO which was important. Our health summit was very successful and that was certainly very memorable for me in terms of sitting next to our Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh.”

What changes have been made to the Voices Council, and have they made a difference?

“We’ve made some great changes to the Voices Council. We’ve brought in 3 new, younger members

who are adding fresh ideas and perspectives to our discussions. We’ve also got a new chair and vice-chair for next financial year, bringing new energy to our team. These changes have really helped us improve communication between the Voices Council and the board. Now, with regular updates on board meetings, we’re making sure the council’s insights and feedback are always heard, making our organisation’s leadership even better and more responsive.”

Why is the Voices Council so important to decisionmaking?

“The Voices Council is very important for decisionmaking because it makes sure we hear directly from people with a learning disability at the highest levels of Mencap. This means our decisions are more inclusive and considerate of everyone’s needs. The council gives people a chance to share their thoughts and ideas, making sure our plans and policies are based on real experiences. This helps us make better, kinder decisions that really matter.”

What would you say to the government about funding for social care services?

“I’d really urge the government to see just how urgent and serious the issues in social care are. They can’t keep ignoring the chronic underfunding and all the problems that come with it. The next government needs to make it a top priority to provide proper funding and solid plans to ensure social care is stable. This also means making social care a more appealing career by offering better pay, training, and support for workers. This will help build a strong social care system that truly meets the needs of people with a learning disability.”

What one thing could the government do to most significantly improve the lives of people with a learning disability?

“One of the most important things the government can do is to support local governments with sustainable investments. Many local authorities are struggling financially right now and some are going bankrupt, and these investments would help them continue providing essential services and support to people with a learning disability. Another thing is to invest in primary care and mental health services that are right and tailored for the needs of people with a learning disability.”

What should the new CEO prioritise in their first year?

“I think Jon’s main focus should be to make sure that every person with a learning disability feels supported and heard by Mencap. It’s important that Mencap continues to speak up for their rights in discussions with the government and in making decisions. Jon should also work on making Mencap’s support and care even better by strengthening how things work inside the organisation. It will also be really important for Jon to build good relationships with everyone involved, like people who use Mencap’s services, staff, and other organisations. Working together like this will help Mencap achieve these goals and support everyone better.”

What is your biggest hope for the year ahead?

“My biggest hope for the Voices Council is to build our connections with local networks. This will help us make a positive impact in communities everywhere and really support people with a learning disabililty. By working closely with these groups, we will be able to understand people’s needs and challenges better and find ways to address them effectively. On a personal level, once I am no longer Chair I’m looking forward to a better balance between my work and personal life. I am going to take a holiday soon during my annual leave from my paid job.”

As your time as Chair of Voices Council comes to end do you have any reflections?

“There’s been quite a large amount of progress in the time since the Voices Council started and we’ve made quite big strides. We are involved in many aspects of Mencap. Over time, campaigns and activism have consistently been on our agenda. Recently, issues concerning finance, quality, safeguarding, and equity, diversity, and inclusion have gained equal importance. Asking pointed questions to the board or executive team has become more direct and successful recently. It’s been a huge privilege to just be the first chair of the group and for the length I have. I am sure that John and Karen will continue all the great work we have done.”

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

Trustees Report

This report incorporates the Directors’ Report and Strategic Report required by the Companies Act 2006.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

THIS IS MENCAP

We’re passionate about changing the UK for everyone with a learning disability.

We’re here to support people with a learning disability, their families and their carers. We fight for a kinder, fairer and more inclusive society for people with a learning disability to live in.

People with a learning disability still don’t have the same opportunities as everyone else. More than anything else, barriers in society and people’s attitudes to learning disability stop this from happening.

This must change. And we won’t stop until it does.

We’re determined to achieve our vision for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives. To achieve this, we listen to people with a learning disability and our communities - we are led by what’s important to them to help create change.

What are we doing about it?

Lever 1 - Providing support to people in England, Northern Ireland (Mencap NI) and Wales (Mencap Cymru).
Lever 2 - Campaigning alongside people with a learning disability for rights and a fairer society.
Lever 3 - Supporting people with information, advice and guidance.
Lever 4 - Conducting and commissioning research about learning disability.
Lever 5 - Supporting people with a learning disability in their own community to create change.

Challenging attitudes and inequalities

This year, we’ve taken a firm stand against ableist language, especially after the ‘R’ word has featured in a number of media productions.

Working closely with our community, we developed social media content narrated by our Myth Buster Tommy Jessop (left) to educate the public and campaign to make this term unspeakable.

We met with Channel 4 and have written to Netflix, to advise them on the implications of the term. And we engaged in debate in the media about the importance of using respectful language. This included Harry Roche, digital accessibility officer at Mencap, who has a learning disability, speaking about these concerns on the BBC’s Access All podcast.

We continuously use our own channels, and engage with media outlets to help build a more inclusive society. This year we have contributed to 705 media articles, almost 20 per cent more than the previous year – helping to share the experiences of people with a learning disability, further our campaigning and influencing work, and highlight and address inequalities.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 202 23 to MARCH 202 43

What does living with a learning disability really look like?

Living with a learning disability is different for everyone - depending on their specific needs, surroundings, and where they live. Each person’s experience is unique to them:

People with a learning disability are just like everyone else but we may need some support to do everyday things that other people can do. With the right support, people with a learning disability can do so many things - we’re all human beings after all and it’s important that we celebrate that everyone is different.

VIJAY PATEL

CAMPAIGNS ASSISTANT AT MENCAP

A learning disability means someone that finds it hard to learn things quickly but with the right support they will always succeed in their dreams. People with a learning disability face many barriers in life, for example not receiving the right reasonable adjustments like easy read, having a job and difficulty finding friendship and relationships.

HARRY ROCHE, DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY OFFICER AT MENCAP

Our definition

A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities – for example household tasks, socialising or managing money – which affects someone for their whole life.

People with a learning disability tend to take longer to learn and may need support to develop new skills, understand complicated information and interact with other people.

With the right support people with a learning disability can exceed and play a full part in society.

My understanding about learning disability is that people need accessible information and simple language. People with a learning disability need a bit more extra time to go through and understand everyday tasks.These can be things to do with work and general life. Each person with a learning disability has their own individual needs.People get confused between learning disability and learning difficulty. It’s important for people to understand the difference.

ISMAIL KAJI

PARLIAMENTARY AND GOVERNMENT OFFICER AT MENCAP

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

MEET THE ACTIVIST: Brendan Chivasa

Meet our Myth Busters

Our Myth Busters are 18 amazing people with a learning disability. Through their work with us, they help to challenge wider stigmas and societal misconceptions about living with a learning disability.

Brendan is a passionate, positive activist – his dream is to achieve equality for people with a learning disability. This year he has been calling for better access to education, work and healthcare.

You can’t communicate with a person with a learning disability? Not true! I have a lot to say about a lot of things.

They include a fashion model, an activist, an entrepreneur, as well as people who bust myths around what everyday life with a learning disability is really like and the societal barriers they face. Together, they’re challenging ideas of what our community can do and campaigning for change.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

MEET THE CAMPAIGNER: Heidi Crowther

Heidi is a dedicated campaigner who made history by being the first person with Down Syndrome to spearhead a national campaign and “be a voice for those who can’t speak.”

As a result of us working with Guinness long term to establish records that people with a learning disability can achieve, Heidi made it into the Guiness Book of Records in June 2023, by remembering seventy celebrity birthdays in 180 minutes!

I’m a passionate activist, campaigner and wife to my husband James.

MEET THE RUNNER: Freddie Latham

As well as being a co-farmer in Hertfordshire, Freddie is also an avid runner. In April 2023, he ran the TCS London Marathon, fundraising for Mencap – his 3rd one!

I normally use a tablet to speak (but not when I am running!). Even though I can’t speak, I can hear and understand what’s being said. Non-verbal people can contribute and join in with everyone else. Don’t ignore us.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

MEET THE TV PRESENTER AND AUTHOR:

George Webster

Families already know George from his starring role in CBeebies where he’s changing the conversation around learning disability and creating real visibility on TV. He has also written two children’s books – putting characters with a learning disability front and centre at story time.

Diversifying literature is so important and it’s happening but there’s a long way to go.

MEET THE MODEL: Ellie Goldstein

You’ve probably seen Ellie on the cover of Vogue – and she’s also starred in campaigns for international brands like Gucci and Adidas. In 2023, she found time to write her inspiring memoir, Against All Odds.

My disability has taught me to be ‘me’ – and not to be scared of doing things louder in the world. [It’s about] following your hopes and dreams. Never give up, be who you are and smile all the way.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

Trustees strategic report

VIEW FROM OUR TRUSTEES

View from our trustees

We pride ourselves on providing high-quality support and are committed to maintaining our standards without compromise. There are some services which have cost us more than we receive in funding to run, and we cannot continue to make up the shortfall. We have worked hard to ensure that these services are now sustainable, but in some cases, we have made the difficult decision to hand back contracts to local authorities. We know this can have a deep impact on the people we support, their families, and our colleagues. And in the rare cases where we have to do this, we do everything we can to minimise this and ensure a smooth transition to another care provider.

This year, people with a learning disability and our colleagues have faced unprecedented challenges – the cost of living crisis and public sector funding had a huge impact on a group of people who are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic.

Everything we do is about changing the lives of people with a learning disability. We campaign to make society and communities more accessible, supporting over 1,000 people into work and over 3,500 to live independently.

We have focused on 3 critical factors to create stability: colleagues, quality and finance. That’s included building strong financial foundations to make us fit for the future, and a real focus on leadership. And of course, at the heart of it all is enhancing the lives of people with a learning disability, through delivering quality services and having the greatest impact so that people with a learning disability and their loved ones have the best experience possible. We have put in place a really strong plan to maintain and improve the quality of all our services. The people we support deserve the best. We are one of the largest social care providers for people with a learning disability, and this year, the whole sector has faced real-terms budget cuts, rising costs, care worker shortages, and underfunded local authorities, which creates a very challenging operating environment.

We continue to fight hard to increase government funding for social care on a national scale through our campaigning. We do this not just for Mencap, or for the people we support, but also for the 150,000 people with a learning disability who rely on care to live brilliant independent lives. Good care opens up opportunities for people and enables them to contribute to their communities and society at large.

Welcoming our new chief executive

In August 2023, we said goodbye to our CEO Edel Harris. We are very grateful to Edel for her contribution. Edel was fully committed to leading Mencap and improving the lives of people with a learning disability.

Jackie O’Sullivan, our executive director for communications, advocacy and activism has been acting CEO, whilst we recruited our new chief executive, Jon Sparkes.

Jon is an experienced leader in the charity sector, joining from his current role as chief executive of UNICEF UK, having previously worked as chief executive at Crisis UK and Scope. He brings a breadth of valuable experience, with a strong track record of growing scale and impact at major UK charities. We’re really excited and hopeful about what we can achieve with his expertise, guided by people with a learning disability, leading the way.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

This is what we said we’d do this year:

LEVER 1:

Providing Services

Continue to support nearly 4,000 people with a learning disability.
Aim for all our direct services to be rated good or outstanding (or equivalent in Wales and NI). Robust improvement plan in place.
Finish implementing recommendations that came from our review of our direct services (we are working on a new Target Operating Model).
Develop a new business development strategy (we are working on a new Target Operating Model).

PROGRESS

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KEY
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ACHIEVED ALMOST BUT NOT QUITE THERE STILL WORKING TOWARDS
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LEVER 4:

PROGRESS

Research and Evaluation

Seek funding to do much needed research into the experiences of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people with a learning disability.
Find out how young people with a learning disability use the internet and potentially experience online harm, and develop resources for staying safe online.
Deepen our relationship with one of the top academic journals on learning disability.

LEVER 2:

Campaigning for Change

Continue to campaign for change on our priority campaigning areas: social care reform, homes not hospitals, health and cost of living.
Develop a new strategy for increasing the number of people with a learning disability in work.
Hold a summit on health inequalities for key leaders in the NHS.
Make sure that the experiences of people with a learning disability are heard by the Covid Inquiry (We were disappointed not to get core participant status).
Build on our activism by inviting more people to join the learning disability movement and empowering people to make change in their local area.

LEVER 3:

Information and Advice

Increase support on the cost of living crisis.
Work towards Advice Quality Standard.
Make our website more accessible so we can help more people with a learning disability and their families.

LEVER 5:

Working with communities

Support more people to find solutions to make their communities more accessible.
Roll out our family-led support to more local authorities.
Embed our retail activities in communities.
Repeat our grant giving to individuals programme, MyFun:D.

THRIVING ORGANISATION:

Focus on key areas

Deliver our financial plan.
Focus on our workforce.
Raise £12M so we can campaign and have wider impact for the 1.5m people with a learning disability in the UK. (ALMOST BUT NOT QUITE THERE £11m)

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 202 13 to MARCH 202 24

This is what we will do next year as long as we have enough money:

LEVER 1

LEVER 4:

Providing Services

Research

Continue to support nearly 4,000 people with a learning disability.
Seek funding to do much needed research into the experiences of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people with a learning disability.
Aim for all our direct services to be rated good or outstanding (or equivalent in Wales and NI).
Carry out research on transport barriers and their impact on people with a learning disability.
Develop and implement a business strategy that supports brilliant care services including quality housing for the people we support (our Target Operating Model).
Develop and implement a strategy to expand and share knowledge on learning disability.

LEVER 5:

Implement our work strategy.

Working with communities

LEVER 2:

Release the community pilot areas so that they can become sustainable movements that are locally owned and driven.

Campaigning for Change

Continue to campaign for change on our priority campaigning areas: social care reform, homes not hospitals, health and cost of living, employment and online harms.
Strengthen our relationship with our network partners, to better support and help them thrive.

THRIVING ORGANISATION:

Continue to make sure that the experiences of people with a learning disability are heard by the Covid Inquiry.
Deliver against our plan to make improvements to the way we manage the quality of our services.
Continue our work of promoting the learning disability register to Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.
Continue to reduce agency expenditure and monitor the financial health of our services.
Remodel the way we listen to colleagues feedback to improve their experiences.
Ensure that people with a learning disability are heard by political parties in the General Election and that new government takes action to remove the barriers they face.
Increase colleague engagement.
Roll out Our Leadership way and our new accountability framework.

LEVER 3:

Launch further system improvements, including a new digital learning platform, a quality management system and a new CRM.

Information and Advice

Extend the energy and money casework advice, thanks to British Gas Energy Trust funding.
Develop a new strategy for Mencap.
Work at a community level using Mencap Hubs, events and community spaces.
Continue to make our website more accessible so we can help more people with a learning disability and their families.

Evaluation and Monitoring Framework (EMF)

Our Evaluation and Monitoring Framework (EMF) helps us to understand the impact we are having for individuals, communities, society and our organisation.

Here is a summary of progress against our 4 EMF outcomes:

COMMUNITY

I feel part of my community

INDIVIDUAL I have a great quality of life

Everyone should feel valued and supported where they live, so we work with people to develop greater inclusion, accessibility, and offer more opportunities for people to thrive. This includes ‘strengths and assets’ – these are positive things that make the community a good place to live. Examples include people’s skills, networks, community groups, or physical places and space (parks, community centres etc).

Quality of life for people with a learning disability across a number of programmes including Bradford Buddies, My Community, MyFun:D, Ynys Mon co-production project, our Northern Ireland families work, and some of our employment support services.

In 2023/24, our community efforts reached nearly 7,000 people across 21 communities

We asked people if taking part in the programme has 91% had a positive impact in 23/24 at least one area of their quality of life – from feeling they can do more things by 74% themselves to increasing 22/23 their confidence, happiness and making new friends.

We asked people if they felt that they had a better understanding of the strengths and assets available in their community:

92% (out of 647 people) in 2022/23

93% (out of 2,030 people) in 2023/24

We asked people if they felt that they were more involved in their local community:

In 2023/24, 91% of people with a learning disability (out of 2,015 people) agreed. Compared to 74% (out of 717 people) in 2022/23.

71% (out of 1,421 people) in 2022/23 87% (out of 1,880 people) in 2023/24

ORGANISATION

We are a thriving organisation, making positive change possible

SOCIETY

I have the same rights and opportunities as everybody else

At end of 2023/24, 91% of our direct services were rated as compliant. We asked colleagues if they think Mencap is a great place to work:

5,490 4,526 petition signatures petition signatures for our Why We Care for our Time To Act campaign campaign

57% in November 2023

63% in February 2024

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 202 13 to MARCH 202 24

LEVER Providing services that model our vision and ambitions 1

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Direct services – personal support

Since 1946 we have been determined to change the UK for everyone with a learning disability. From 1955 when we opened our first service, we have been dedicated to providing quality support for people with a learning disability and their families and carers. Despite the financial challenges our sector faces, we’re continuing to make a difference every single day.

We work with 96 local authorities.

We support 3,577

91.1%

people with a learning disability.

of our personal support services are rated as We have 659 ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ services including: (or equivalent) by regulators Care Quality 40 registered Commission, Care care homes and Inspectorate Wales and Regulation and Quality 49 domiciliary Improvement Authority. care registrations.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Blooming opportunities

The garden at our Welbeck service desperately needed a make-over. It wasn’t being used to its full potential and uneven ground meant people using wheelchairs couldn’t get around it safely.

So, in April 2023, people with a learning disability got together with staff to give it a Spring makeover. First, everything was dug up, including old patios and planters, before the new-look garden began to quickly take shape. People with a learning disability co-created the new design, preparing plants and pots to bring the new space to life.

We completed the garden during the King’s Coronation – so the community decided to throw a grand opening party to celebrate.

Sharing a love for art

Mark from Darlington loves making art. So, we supported him to join a community art group where he can explore his passion. Mark’s painting, ‘Friendly Face’, was chosen for an exhibition in Sotheby’s in London organised by the charity Outside In. The exhibition also toured Glasgow and Brighton and Hove.

Doing art makes me feel relaxed and very happy, I always look forward to attending the art classes supported by Mencap, where I have met new friends and improved my creative skills. MARK

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Making sure everyone is heard

Living a healthy and happy life starts with being able to make your own choices. Staff in Sussex support people with a learning disability to do just that through easy read communication passports and a daily planner that uses pictures. Through them, people can more clearly communicate everything from what they’d like for lunch to the activities they want to try.

Lasting memories

Sadly, Ken, a gentleman we supported passed away. To remember Ken, a kind staff member made a special memory bear for his family following his sad passing. She used Ken’s old pyjamas and shirt, added lyrics from his favourite Beatles song on the back, and included a little pocket with a letter from the team. Yvonne’s creativity and care are evident in this thoughtful gift, even soaking the bear in Ken’s favourite aftershave, making it a touching keepsake for his family during this difficult time.

Funding and staffing challenges

This year, we have faced financial pressure, due to long term inadequate funding from some local authorities and high agency staff costs.We have worked hard to reduce our agency spend, thanks to a huge collective effort of the entire organisation and have been able to relieve pressures.

The whole sector faces similar challenges, with 152,000 vacancies in social care. To attract more people to this vital and fulfilling career, better pay is essential. We continue to campaign for fair pay for workers to ensure that people with a learning disability are not left behind.

Achieving independent living

People with a learning disability deserve to lead fulfilling lives. And that means providing housing that meets their needs.

In 2023, we worked with Golden Lane Housing and Nottinghamshire County Council to develop and deliver 3 new properties providing greater opportunities and independence for 8 people in the local area. Together we supported them to move from an outdated residential home into supported living, where we now support them.

With the same partners we also developed a property in Newark offering accommodation for 6 people with a diverse range of support needs. The house is in the centre of Newark so tenants benefit from being at the heart of the community.

Plus, in Condor, Derbyshire, we worked with Derbyshire County Council to develop a new service with accommodation and support for 7 young people moving into independent living for the first time.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Supporting children and families in Northern Ireland

Getting the right support early, ensures better outcomes for children no matter what their background, ability or disability.

104 children we supported (Academic year 22/23 & 23/34 combined)

In Northern Ireland, in partnership with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT), we support children aged 2-3 years with developmental delay and their families at our children’s centre. We provide a safe, nurturing environment where children engage in play and learning through various therapeutic approaches to get the best outcomes.

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Northern Ireland

100% of parents/carers told us that attending the children’s centre was beneficial for their children.

93.8%

93.8% of parents/carers increased their knowledge and capacity to access services.

From when my child has started the Children’s Centre, she has excelled in everything. I couldn’t have asked for better team off staff. They go above and beyond and its reassuring to see your child, who suffers multiple needs and separation, love and adore her keyworkers - amazing to see. Also, for me getting to Mencap during my child’s times is whole new world for me; becoming friends with parents who are in the same situation as me. I have my own social circle now going to Mencap. Having staff there to help with anything nothings ever too big for them, it has really changed my life as a parent carer as well as my child’s.

93.7%

93.7% of parents/carers improved their practical skills and confidence to support their children’s learning and development.

My child has developed socially and developmentally during his time at Mencap. The staff are all so dedicated, supportive and nurturing. I feel so lucky that my child has spent a year in such a wonderful caring environment.

PARENT/CARER (23/24)

PARENT/CARER (22/23)

Additionally, we provide a 6-week early learners programme as a part of our early intervention service to children on the children centre’s waiting list.

These 6 sessions were amazing for my child. Each week I could see the difference in him at drop off as he got more comfortable and familiar of staff. He participated in lots of activities and loves outdoor play. A great opportunity for him to experience all of this and it is greatly appreciated. This programme is great to help with our children’s development. Would love for it to be more sessions.

100% of parents/carers whose children attended the Early Learners programmes told us that their children made positive progress while attending the programme.

35children benefitted from this service this year

PARENT/CARER

Mencap was a much needed resource for preschool age SEN children. My son walked in the first day and loved it so much we never had a tear. The staff are amazing at what they do, its nerve wracking enough as a parent when your child starts preschool let alone when they’re a SEN child but the staff went above and beyond to make sure we knew the kids were settling in.”

Education Authority contracted us in Northern Ireland to deliver a pre-school service for 18 children. We will continue this service for up to 20 children in 2024/2025.

84% of parents/carers told us that attending pre-school service is beneficial for their children.
100% of parents/carers were happy that their children felt safe and secure in the pre-school.

PARENT/CARER

38 ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Empowering Parents

This year we ran workshops dedicated to the families of children attending our children’s centre, that provide knowledge and skills intended to offer holistic support for parents/carers, helping reduce the challenge of navigating an often unknown and complex system.

96% gained practical skills to support their child’s learning and development.
98% had more confidence to support their child’s learning and development.
98% have more knowledge of support services available to support them and their child.

I feel very lucky that my child has a place at Mencap children’s centre. What I hadn’t realised was that there would also be a place for me. Before this I felt very isolated and alone, now I have people who get me.

PARENT /CARER

Access to play and support

Our “Parent and Child” programme for 20 families of children aged 0 to 24 months old, with a learning disability or developmental delay, took place again this year. The programme provides a safe and secure setting for parents and caregivers to connect with other families facing similar challenges. It also offers their children a chance to explore and learn through a range of activities and play.

100% of parents/carers who attended the sessions agree that the group has been beneficial for them and for their child’s early learning and development

I can’t imagine not having a place in this group! It is safe, non-judgemental environment where nobody is looking at your child that doesn’t belongs here or like “something is wrong with him. Everyone is equal. Parents can share “problems” or experiences on different life situations. We share advice as well.

PARENT

Making summer special

In 2023, our summer scheme gave children and young people around Belfast the opportunity to learn and have fun with friends. It also provided invaluable respite time for families and carers.

What a wonderful week we had. It was great heading off to Mencap, our safe place, every day to see everyone and participate in the activities. The small numbers were a bonus as it didn’t overwhelm our daughter. Many thanks for organising the week and hopefully it can continue next year. We are hugely grateful.

100% of parents/carers agreed that their child had a fun and stimulating experience while attending the summer scheme this year.

85 children (total of 435 attendances) aged between 2-18 years attended our summer scheme

PARENT

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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FIVE project

Thanks to funding from RTÉ Toy Show Appeal by Community Foundation Ireland we have been able to continue to deliver FIVE project, which supports young people aged 10-18 years. The FIVE project focuses on Friendship, Independence, Vitality, and Engagement, helping improve physical and mental health while developing long-term wellbeing skills.

The young people come running through the Mencap Centre each week and are buzzing to be able to spend so much time with their friends in a safe environment where they can have fun. Working on this project has been great fun and even more rewarding, seeing young people achieve new things and grow in their confidence has been amazing. Each cohort of young people have been 114 different, and their needs are different which means every project has been super diverse. This young people has made working on the FIVE project interesting supported this year and us as staff have had to develop new skills to ensure the groups get the best out of the project.

100% parents/carers told us that the project contributed to the improvement of their young person’s health and wellbeing.

THE YOUTH TEAM

95% participates told us that they found it easier to make new friends.

My daughter is very upset that FIVE is ending, she has thoroughly enjoyed every minute and much to my surprise, been more than happy, and indeed excited, to attend each week. I would love regular events, the team and the work they do is utterly amazing and the positive impact it has on families of children with special/additional needs is truly immeasurable.

93% of participants felt more confident in themselves.

Young people told us what they learnt:

‘Change isn’t bad!’
‘Not to be afraid to try new things.’
‘To use my words.’

PARENT/CARER

Girls Group (previously DREAM project)

Girls Group, funded by Youth Action through the Work with Young Women Support Fund is a project aiming to empower young women into employment/training and provide them with the skills and confidence to prepare them for their future endeavours.

Change in the young women has been phenomenal. They have become a close group of young women who really value that peer support.

The young women took part in personal development sessions and social trips to get them more connected as a group and to build on their confidence. They also took part in an OCN level 2 in leadership and employability skills.

THE YOUTH TEAM

A highlight was being able to take part in the OCN on leadership and employability. Just working together and getting the chance to build on my cv.

13 young women between the ages of 16-24 participated in the project.

THE YOUTH TEAM

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Education Authority (EA) consultations

Young people from Mencap Northern Ireland participated in the EA’s ‘My Voice’ project. This was a great opportunity for young people from Mencap Youth Services to engage with other youth groups, share their views, thoughts and opinions on issues relevant to them and of interest to their future. It also provided them an opportunity to feed into policy with the Executive Office.

This provided Mencap NI Youth with an opportunity to share skills and knowledge about conducting consultations with young people who have a learning disability and/or additional needs.

Youth forum

The youth forum continued their social engagement work, including fundraising events, focus groups and consultations, social actions (e.g. beach clean-ups), and social events for Mencap NI Youth (e.g. Talent Show).

Young leaders

This project was developed out of a recognised need for development of the young people in the youth forum and other groups who have an interest in youth leadership and confidence building. The programme was co-produced with the young people and delivery focused around the key areas they identified for their own development.

The 4 month project looked at teamwork, problem solving, leadership, creating and organising events, setting goals and public speaking. The group set independent goals and are going to keep working on these leadership skills.

Discos - community events

The discos now run on a voluntary basis. This year we have had 6 discos for people with a learning disability and/or autistic people, plus a gala ball in November 2023. The discos create a safe space to get together, socialise, meet new people, have a dance and laugh.

The group attending the discos is getting bigger every time and most of the group attend every single disco night. Recently, we ran a short survey among the attendees and this is what they told us:

It was great fun dancing and a good chance to improve my social skills.

Our son comes away from the disco loving life...smiling...and his selfesteem so high.

A special mention for the organiser, Emma, she is absolutely amazing. She genuinely cares for those attending and makes it such great fun, my daughter and her friends love her personality and the care she takes of them all.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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TRAINING ACADEMY

Helping more people into work in England

In England, we provide a range of employment support services. Our programmes are designed to develop employability skills and job readiness, empowering people to secure meaningful, paid employment.

Mencap Training Academy

127 people completed our supported internships - 64% progressed either into paid work or further education.

• 39 completed our study programme.

This year, we’ve redeveloped our supported internship and study programme into the Mencap Training Academy. This programme still offers the same professional educational support and resources for career and educational development - The Mencap Training Academy now has its own distinct visual identity, highlighting our commitment to excellence and inclusivity. And a new digital platform will be available soon.

We support learners aged 16-24 years by delivering classroom sessions focused on essential workplace skills, English, and maths, led by experienced tutors. Participants in the supported internship program also benefit from extensive practical training, completing at least 420 hours of work experience throughout the year, guided by job skills coaches.

This year we had:

127 completed supported internships

64%

progressed into paid work or further education

39 completed our study programme

We’ve responded to all the recommendations in our Ofsted report from 2022, and our focus on quality is paying off with an increase in positive outcomes for our learners and a positive monitoring visit from Ofsted in the summer of 2023.

We’re determined to offer high-quality programmes. This means we’ve expanded our quality assurance team who visit each of our supported internships and traineeship programmes. We also now have a curriculum manager in to make sure learning is consistent across everything we do.

This year we have also set up our Education Advisory Group, made up of professionals with a wealth of experience in education and employment. They provide additional scrutiny to help us make our programmes even better.

We made the decision to close our supported internship programmes in Telford and Bradford due to low participation and geographic isolation, allowing us to concentrate on maintaining quality throughout our programme.

Meanwhile, learning helps improve what we do. Our evaluation shows that 80% of learners reported increased independence as a result of doing our programme and 64% felt more employable. We’ll use their views, as well as input from parents and carers, to shape our programme for the future.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Shining a spotlight on learners’ potential in Northampton

Vicky started our supported internship in Northampton in September 2022, with the dream of becoming a theatre lighting technician.

I could not be prouder! Thank you Mencap, we love you!

We found an ideal work experience placement for Vicky as a stage technician at The Derngate Theatre in Northampton. There, she quickly developed an impressive range of skills around technical lighting and sound, set preparation and making changes during productions. Vicky was supported in her work placement by her job skills coach. They helped her develop techniques to stay focused and understand workplace boundaries and appropriate relationships.

VICKY’S MUM

In Northampton we secured paid jobs or apprenticeships for 82% of learners

After the end of her placement, The Derngate offered Vicky a paid job in the summer. They’re also committed to working with more of our learners in the future.

Vicky’s story represents just one of many successes from our Northampton supported internship programme. In Northampton we secured paid jobs or apprenticeships for 82% of learners.

Paid jobs for every trainee in Corby

In July 2023, all 5 of our trainees at supply chain specialists Wincanton’s Corby warehouse secured paid jobs at the end of their programme. This shows just how effective this approach can be.

I found all the staff very friendly and they made sure I wasn’t confused. The teaching from my tutor made it easier to learn the skills required for the warehouse job.

Among the successful learners was Jamie who heard about the programme from a friend. He hadn’t worked before and was spending most of his time alone in his room. He is now proud to be earning his own money and is saving for a holiday. Jamie’s mum said: “I would just like to say thank you. Jamie has become himself again since doing the traineeship.”

Meanwhile, Xaidyn was looking for work to support his partner and young son. He was nervous at the start of the programme, but said: “I found all the staff very friendly and they made sure I wasn’t confused. The teaching from my tutor made it easier to learn the skills required for the warehouse job.”

XAIDYN

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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The activities required the learners to work as a team, encouraging and supporting each other.

Scaling new heights in Staffordshire

Our programmes do more than just support people to find a job. We’re also proud of how they help develop learners’ soft skills. This helps prepare them for independent living and expands their horizons through new experiences.

In April 2023, our learners on our supported internship programme in Staffordshire went on a weekend residential trip to Mount Cook Adventure Centre. They took part in activities like archery tag, making campfires, rock climbing, abseiling, zip-lining, assault courses and problem-solving exercises.

The activities required the learners to work as a team, encouraging and supporting each other.

The trip also instilled independence in learners who were trusted to bring essentials and to make and strip their beds. For some learners, this was the first time they’d spent away from home without family, so it didn’t just require bravery in the face of heights and muddy assault courses! This represented a huge step in developing their independence.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Employ Me

561 people supported this year through our various programmes.

At the end of the Employ Me programme:

82% of respondents agreed that Employ Me helped them with their independence.
85% agreed that Employ Me helped them with their confidence.

Through our Employ Me programme we’ve:

Launched a new schools programme aimed at younger learners with special educational needs.
Started a new supported employment service in Sutton to help people with a learning disability progress into paid employment.
Recruited a job coaching programme coordinator to develop a job coaching agency focused on supporting people in work.

We developed our 10 week Right Start programme with schools, local authorities and young people to give students with a learning disability the employment support they need. This includes skills assessments, how to write cover letters and interview practice.

82% of students said they’d moved a step forward towards getting a job – half moved 2 steps.

Traineeship programme

71 people supported.

Sadly, this has been a year of ending for our traineeship programme as government stopped all funding for the programme.

The programme provided young people aged 19-24 with a learning disability support to develop the skills and experience they needed to find a job.

We’re very proud of what our programme achieved and right up until the end we saw trainees achieving amazing things. In fact, at Hinkley and Corby all our trainees graduated into paid jobs. This highlights just how effective it was to support young people into employment.

561 people supported this year through our various programmes

82% agreed that Employ Me helped them with their independence

85%

agreed that Employ Me helped them with their confidence

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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The supported internship learner we took on is now like a different person. Not only are they fully integrated and now a paid member of the team, they have made my team more mindful, protective and mature.

Employer partnerships

This year we have worked with a wide range of different companies across lots of different sectors to provide work experience.

Mencap was really patient with all our questions and provided answers to all of them. It’s also really great to be able to feedback to Mencap about what the learners are taught about when they’re in the classroom with their Mencap tutors and what we think it would be beneficial for them to work on.

DEPOT GENERAL MANAGER, EVRI

GENERAL MANAGER, DELFONT MACKINTOSH

Maddie and Greene King

We partner with Greene King to offer people work placements with many going on to gain paid employment. Maddie’s tells us what that means to her

We have had 10 work placements since we started working with Mencap 20 months ago. We have hired some of these people who we would not have otherwise identified through our usual recruitment processes. Mencap’s skill coaches ensure the right level of support is provided to the learner and employer and every one of our colleagues involved has grown and learnt from the partnership.

TRAINING MANAGER, WINCANTON

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Workable NI Programme

Supported 44 people.

Helping more people into work in Northern Ireland

SkillSET

Supported 118 people – with 21 moving into paid jobs.

This year we launched a new programme called SkillSET, funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. SkillSET focuses on each person’s individual talents and interests to help them find the right work.

Joe (right), has been supported by our SkillSET programme to find paid work opportunities that fit around his college commitments. With a bit of guidance, Joe completed his application to become a care worker. We’re over the moon to share that Joe did brilliantly in his application and interview, and he’s now landed a paid role!

97% of the trainees told us that their confidence improved.
99% of the trainees told us that the programme helped them to identify and work towards their goals.

My employment officer held me to secure my job and has secured me more hours. I am really happy at work and getting pained.

TRAINEE

SkillSET has helped me to get out from the house again.

people supported

moving into paid jobs

We deliver the Workable NI programme across Northern Ireland, through the Supported Employment Solutions (SES) partnership. We support people with a learning disability to keep a paid job for 10 hours or more per week, to do the best they can in their job and to become more independent in their workplace.

Sinead (right) is an enthusiastic participant in the Workable NI programme. She currently works 4 days a week as a kitchen assistant at a local care home. Sinead is passionate about her job and has recently taken on additional responsibilities. Her passion for her work is evident as she continuously seeks ways to enhance mealtime for everyone at the care home. We are incredibly proud of Sinead’s accomplishments and her commitment to her role.

North-West Regional College (NWRC) Partnership

28 people supported to gain work experience.

We work with the Northwest Regional College (NWRC) to facilitate work-experience placements to transition course students. Each student gets tailored support to access placements and employment opportunities in their community.

Additionally, we supported 59 people in Mencap NI through other employment opportunities.

It is an invaluable service that provides people with a learning disability the support they need to grow and become more independent.

TRAINEE

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

11 LEVER Campaigning for change

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Campaigning for change

Our vision is for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives, but people with a learning disability still don’t get the same life chances as everyone else and they can battle inequality in every part of their lives.

We urgently need to switch the story. That’s why we do everything we can to campaign alongside people with a learning disability to fight for change on our priority campaigning areas: social care reform, homes not hospitals, health and wellbeing, employment and the cost of living.

We’re determined to hear our supporters, help amplify what they say and persuade the people in power that a different way is possible.

Volume of media coverage: (press articles) Social care 142 Healthcare 73 Employment 62 Homes Not Hospitals 31 Cost of living 15

Working for an inclusive election

You can read our manifesto here

We are on the steering group for the My Vote My Voice campaign which is aiming to increase the number of people with a learning disability taking part in elections and provide them with the accessible information on everything voting and election. This work is especially important given that this general election is the first to have voter ID. Raising awareness of this is key to our work on the campaign as well as our wider joint work with the Electoral Commission in voting accessibility. We are sharing this content on our website, social platforms and with colleagues who support people with a learning disability.

During this election year, it’s essential that people with a learning disability have their voices heard by our politicians. So, we have launched a hard-hitting manifesto setting out the urgent change that has to happen to make life better for people with a learning disability and their families. We’re also making sure everyone understands their right to vote and has the opportunity to campaign on what counts for them.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Social care

People with a learning disability rely on social care for personal care, to access the community, employment, and live their lives the way they want. Social care is widely known to be in crisis, due to chronic underfunding, with a high vacancies workforce turnover. This is leaving people with a learning disability without support and needs unmet.

In February 2024, we launched our Why We Care campaign and report, urging government to act. In the report we shared the findings from a survey we led, with hundreds of frontline workers, highlighting what it’s really like to work in social care, why so many are leaving the sector and we made recommendations on how it can be fixed.

152,000 vacancies in the Care Sector in England.

1 in 4

of support workers said they felt their role was undervalued and unappreciated by society.

Why We Care calls on government to commit to a national long term plan for social care workforce with an £8.4 billion immediate cash injection into social care. As well as a minimum pay for social care staff that reflects similar roles in the NHS (band 3) and cap on agency charging.

The campaign’s media and communication efforts attracted over 5,500 petition signatures and over 1,500 new campaigners. One of our support worker shared his personal experiences with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disability.

The campaign achieved extensive media coverage to promote stories of frontline workers, in high profile media outlets,, included a detailed 10-minute interview on Voice of Islam. Additionally, features were secured in trade media targeting policymakers, including Open Access Government, which reaches national and local policymakers (205,000 viewers.)

Following lobbying with the wider working-aged disability charity sector, the Minimum Income Guarantee was raised in line with the uplift to benefits. This will mean that people with a learning disability who are required to pay for their social care by the local authority will be able to keep more of their income. In the long-term we are advocating for the removing of social care charging in its entirety for working-aged disabled adults.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Leo and her son Stephen We strategically engaged with media outlets to increase awareness, successfully achieving widespread coverage across a range of platforms. This included coverage of the shocking story of Leo and her Son Stephen, which was featured in The Big Issue. Leo was also interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s The World at One about her experiences.

Homes not hospitals

More than 2,000 people with a learning disability and/or autistic people are locked up.

Over the last 12 years, the government has promised to reduce this number, and we have campaigned and called for reform throughout this time - They set a target to reduce this number by half by March 2024 and they failed. Based on the current rate of progress, a 50% reduction won’t be achieved until at least 2030. This continues to be a scandal in plain sight.

In June 2023, we held a parliamentary reception to mark Learning Disability Week with a focus on Homes Not Hospitals. The Minister for Mental Health and Womens Health, MPs and peers met with families and learned about the performance of their local integrated care systems.

In September 2023, we launched Time to Act, a campaign to reform the Mental Health Bill, aiming to prevent people from being detained for long periods of time if they do not have a mental health condition. An online petition received over 6,500 signatures.

In addition, in October 2023, together with the National Autistic Society and people with a learning 2,000+ people with a learning disability and/ or autistic people are locked up

disability we delivered an open letter signed by 18,234 people to 10 Downing Street today, calling on the government to urgently reform outdated mental health law.

Our statistics were used to add context to a moving film on Channel 4 that told the story of Nicholas Thornton, who has been ‘locked up’ in dementia care wards and A&E units for 10 years.

Our response to the report by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB), to help improve patient safety in mental health hospitals was covered by the BBC.

In December 2023, we were mentioned in Baroness Hollins’ debate on her report into solitary confinement. In December 2023, we also supported peers in the House of Lords in a debate on government progress towards meeting their March 2024 deadline.

Collaboration with ITV News

In March 2024, we released findings from a joint investigation with ITV News, revealing that approximately £534 million is spent annually on inpatient beds for over 2,000 people with a learning disability and/or autistic people in England. The report was based on Freedom of Information requests to NHS England and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). The ITV News interview featured affected individuals and experts discussing wider care transformation issues.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Healthcare

20 years is how much younger males with a learning disability die than males from the general population.
23 years is how much younger females with a learning disability die than females from the general population.
Only 80% of people on the learning disability register received an annual health check.
42% of deaths of people with a learning disability were avoidable.

People with a learning disability continue to face serious health inequalities, and issues accessing care. The barriers people with a learning disability face when accessing healthcare include a lack of understanding of learning disability, poor access to specialist services such as dentists and eye care, a lack of learning disability nurses, and failing to be on their GP’s learning disability register.

Shaping the Covid-19 Inquiry

Mental health matters

Covid-19 was devastating for people with a learning disability. People with a learning disability have died from Covid-19 more than 6 times the rate of the general population. Important services disappeared meaning people with a learning disability felt lonely, disconnected and abandoned. Their stories need to be heard by people in power so government can be held to account.

People with a learning disability can be more likely to experience poor mental health. But all too often symptoms are written off as “challenging behaviour” or “part of their disability”.

To raise awareness of the problem we marked World Mental Health Day by launching some accessible mental health resources. These included free guides on emotional wellbeing and mental health that everyone can understand – plus useful information for families, carers and support workers.

That’s why we’re playing an active role in the public Covid-19 Inquiry. As part of the Disability Charities Consortium and National Care Forum, we were successful in becoming a core participant for module 3 of the inquiry. This module is looking into the impact of the pandemic on healthcare and will give us a vehicle to raise concerns about how people with a learning disability received healthcare during this period. This includes issues around the application of do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) notices and safe discharge from hospital among other issues.

1 in 2 As many as people with a learning disability experience poor mental health, compared to 1 in 4 of the general population.

This year we’ve helped promote the ‘Every Story Matters’ platform, making sure it’s accessible so people with a learning disability can share their experiences. We’ve also been listening hard through special sessions on Covid-19 at our services and provided a detailed witness statement to the Inquiry.

72% of family members said that their loved one was spending less time outside the home than before the pandemic.

Every 3 months, we sit on the Covid-19 Inquiry steering group, while Vijay Patel, campaigns officer at Mencap, who has a learning disability, reports on the hearings and keeps supporters informed on social media. He’s also helped make the inquiry website easier to use so nobody is denied the chance to find out the latest news.

44% of people said they had been sad in the last week.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Our Health Inequalities Summit 2023

In April 2023, we brought NHS health leaders, including the Chief Executive of the NHS, campaigners, and our Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh, together to share solutions at our first Health Inequalities Summit.

We know that people with learning disabilities face worse health outcomes and at times have difficulties accessing healthcare – I was delighted to attend this really important inaugural summit so that together, we can learn more about these issues and find ways to address them.

Treat Me Well campaigner, Cath Horbury and our Chair, Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, spoke passionately about the importance of annual health checks and joining the Learning Disability Register.

Significant progress has been made, ensuring that increasing numbers of people with a learning disability are receiving annual health checks. We know there is a lot more to do and our Integrated Care System are well placed to help – they can ensure services work even more closely together to reduce any barriers to access, reduce long inpatient stays where we can and continue to ensure staff at all levels undertake the Oliver McGowan mandatory training.

Attendees were also moved by Paula McGowan, OBE sharing her battle for mandatory health and social care staff training after the tragic death of her son Oliver.

This flagship event which shone the spotlight on these urgent problems. In response we won clear commitments, like NHS England committing to oversee Integrated Care Boards’ Learning Disability plans and hold them to account.

NHS CHIEF EXECUTIVE AMANDA PRITCHARD

Sharing Rachel’s Story

In 2018, at the age of 49, Rachel underwent dental surgery in hospital due to severe tooth decay. She should have expected the best care possible. Instead, because of her learning disability, she was failed by the health system, and her life was abruptly cut short.

Despite Rachel lacking capacity, doctors failed to consult her family, especially her mother Diana, about treatment options and risks. Against her family’s wishes, medical professionals decided to remove all 19 of Rachel’s teeth under general anaesthetic without checking her medical history.

After surgery, Rachel was sent back to her care home without overnight hospital monitoring. Her condition worsened, and care home staff failed to provide necessary medical care. She experienced bleeding, breathing difficulties, and was unresponsive for 42

Connecting with GPs for better healthcare

Many people with a learning disability face barriers getting the healthcare they deserve. Joining the Learning Disability Register is one practical way people can get the right support from the NHS in a way they understand.

We need to get more people on the register. So, we’ve been taking a deep dive into the data so we can target the right people and areas. Right now, there are major gaps, especially around people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. We’re also working hard to make GPs fully aware of the register and learn more about learning disability.

One way to make sure you get the right support is to join the Learning Disability Register.

ACTIVIST AND MENCAP MYTH BUSTER BRENDAN CHIVASA

hours before emergency help was sought. By the time she reached the hospital, she had suffered severe brain injuries and aspiration pneumonia. Rachel’s family bravely decided to turn her off life support, and she passed away two weeks later.

No one should suffer like Rachel. That’s why we’re working with law firm Fieldfisher to launch Rachel’s Voice in her name. Together we provide expert information and legal advice for families while commissioning research to highlight failures and fighting for change so people like Rachel don’t have to suffer like this again.

Down Syndrome Act

The Act gives government powers to put in place guidance for public bodies like councils on how they should meet the needs of people with Down Syndrome. Working with the Down Syndrome National Policy Group and other stakeholders across the learning disability community, the Department for Health and Social Care will in due course be launching a public consultation on what the guidance should look like. We hope that the guidance will be broad in its scope, and have a wider impact for people with a learning disability in general.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Employment

According to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) most recent statistics, the number of people with a learning disability employed is amongst the lowest employment rate experienced by people with a specific health condition or impairment.

This year, we launched our new strategy to increase employment for people with a learning disability, guided by their real life experiences. The strategy was developed based on our research with the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi), which explored the work experiences and barriers faced by people with a learning disability – including an over-complex benefits system, inaccessible application forms, lack of understanding and support, inaccessible buildings and IT systems, and workplace prejudice.

In October 2023, we released the research results, revealing that 86% of people with a learning disability want paid employment but face barriers to accessing jobs. Calling on companies to recognise the abilities of people with a learning disability, appreciate the value they bring to a business, and help make the workplace accessible.

Ciara Lawrence, engagement lead at Mencap, who has a learning disability was interviewed on Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show, discussing our employability research and her personal experiences.

We gained media attention with quotes from Zeeshan Sharif, an employment case worker at Mencap, sharing their experiences:

In December 2023, our survey and wider work on employment was referenced in a parliamentary debate on increasing employment opportunities for people with a learning disability.

870,000 Working age adults in the UK with a learning disability.

86% of people with a learning disability want a paid job.

Only4.8% of adults with a learning disability known to their local authority in England are in paid work.

23% of the people without a job, who would like a paid job, identified inaccessible application forms as one of the things preventing them getting work.

We have people with a learning disability applying for hundreds of jobs a week and not getting any feedback. There’s a huge range of candidates who just want an opportunity to work. One of the people I support got a haircut and bought a suit to make a great impression for an interview . When we arrived, the interviewer took one look at us and said ‘I’m sorry, he won’t be suitable for the role’ without even taking the candidate through any of the questions he’d prepared. I’ve noticed people who don’t disclose their learning disability on applications tend to get more opportunities.

ZEESHAN SHARIF

We worked closely with the Department for Work and Pensions on improving the support in employment programme – Access to Work, specifically on developing the digital service. In January 2024, the campaign gained attention again with 14 significant media mentions linked to our statement on the Department for Work and Pensions’ new online grant application process. Jackie O’Sullivan, acting CEO, emphasised the need for improved accessibility in employment support systems for people with a learning disability.

Spurred by our 2022 report on the accessibility of apprenticeships for people with a learning disability, DfE conducted a series of pilots in 2023. Following those pilots, DfE is adopting our recommendation that EHCP will no longer be the sole eligibility criteria for people with a learning disability to access additional support and adjusted maths and English requirements.

In February 2024, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disability held a meeting with the Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health, to explore the findings of our employability research and hear from people with a learning disability the impact that getting a job has had on their life.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Cost of living

£975 extra a month paid on average for Disabled households to have the same standard of living as non-disabled people

Disabled people are almost three times as likely to live in material deprivation than the rest of the population (34% vs 13%).

Disabled households already pay, on average, an additional £975 extra a month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled people.

This year, we developed our internal evidence base and conducted 3 surveys and 1 focus group with our Policy Shapers to learn more about how the cost of living is impacting people with a learning disability. Nearly 75% of Policy Shapers said it was harder for them to manage in 2023 compared to 2022. Mencap has been mentioned in several parliamentary debates on this issue.

During the cost of living crisis, 57% of disabled people have reported that their income does not, or only just, covers their energy bills.

Over a third (38%) of our survey respondents with a learning disabiluty said they hadn’t put their heating on despite being cold and over a quarter (26%) reported not switching the lights on to save money.

Benefits

Almost 50% of fuel poor households have someone with a long term illness or disability.

In June 2023, we also gave oral evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee on their inquiry into cost of living support payments. The Committee agreed that existing cost of living payments were not commensurate with the scale of need amongst disabled people and took forward our recommendation for increased, targeted financial support for disabled people.

The cost-of-living crisis is the latest chapter in a longterm story of financial hardship for many people with a learning disability, their families and carers. Combined with fewer employment opportunities, increased risk of financial exclusion, and inadequate benefits, people with a learning disability have been disproportionately impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

Alongside sector partners, in October 2023, we campaigned against the government’s proposed changes to the Work Capability Assessment criteria, as set out in their Green Paper. In addition to conducting a Policy Shapers survey, Policy Shapers and the Voices Council shared feedback on the proposed restrictions to benefits with DWP through focus groups.

Following our lobbying efforts with a broad coalition of charities, government increased benefits in line with inflation by 6.7% in the Autumn Budget. This was welcome, but we know that the benefits system is not meeting the needs of people with a learning disability. We will continue to campaign for a fairer benefits system which supports people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

Our response to the Autumn Budget and signing of the Z2K open letter in response to these changes was covered in national media.

Household support Fund

Alongside a broad coalition of sector colleagues, we also pushed for the extension of the Household Support Fund, which provides vital local crisis support to lowincome and disabled households. In the Spring Budget 2024, the Chancellor extended the Household Support Fund in England by 6 months. We will continue to seek long-term funding for local crisis support.

Energy and fuel poverty

In September 2023, the Energy Security and Net Zero Committees ‘Preparing for Winter’ report recommended several of our policy asks, including the extension of the existing Warm Home Discount scheme to disabled people and the introduction of an energy social tariff which would reduce energy bills for disabled households.

Government committed to a social tariff consultation in Summer 2023, but this has not materialised. Mencap was mentioned by the Minister for Affordability and in parliamentary debates on this topic in November 2023 and February 2024.

In February 2024, we joined forces with Age UK to highlight that if the government introduced an energy social tariff, 1.4million people in a household with someone with a disability or long-term health condition would have been lifted out of fuel poverty, which was covered in national press

Ofgem and Ofwat

Many people with a learning disability have not received adequate support from their energy or water company to navigate the cost of living crisis. Alongside other stakeholders, we worked with Ofgem and Ofwat to introduce new customer service guidelines, which should improve the support suppliers offer to vulnerable customers. The new regulations include several specific references to people with a learning disability, as a group, that utility suppliers need to support properly in terms of accessible communications.

Disabled people and their households have also been disproportionately impacted by the forced installation of pre-payment meters with some households even having to self-disconnect from their energy supply due to affordability pressures.

After engagement from us and sector partners in September 2023, Ofgem introduced new guidance which better protects disabled people against forced pre-payment meter installation. People with a learning disability are explicitly referenced in a new ‘further assessment’ category but in many cases will fall under greater protections in the ‘do not install group’ if they have a medical dependency on a warm home or a continuous supply of electricity for medical equipment.

Working together

We campaign with organisations including:

Disability Benefits Consortium (co-chair).
Disability Charities Consortium (members).
Disability Poverty Campaign Group(supporters).
VODG and the National Care Forum (members).
Disabled Children’s Partnership (host).
Care and Support Alliance (co-chair).
Care and Support Alliance policy and public affairs group (co-chair).

We are currently supporting the Care and Support Alliance with the development of policy objectives and an influencing strategy to bring the sector together ahead of the General Election.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Our work in Northern Ireland

Early years lobbying and advocacy

Getting essential nursery places can be tough for families of children with a learning disability. In September 2022, 46 of the children in our children’s centre had no nursery place.

Impact papers

In response we arranged a cross-party Stormont meeting and won coverage on TV, radio and digital while supporting parents to get their voices heard. As a result, we have provided a pre-school solution for 20 children.

In 2023, we launched 2 influential papers at Stormont, reaching decision-makers at launch events.

Our Early Years Briefing Paper, showcased our research and training evidence of what works to support families with young children who have a learning disability. The event not only gained significant attention and funding, it also raised awareness about disparities in childcare provision, leading to an engagement plan for improving early years training. We received £15,000 of funding from Allied Irish Bank’s €1million Community Fund to further support this work.

Political briefing meetings

We have been active in political engagements, discussing priority issues affecting people with a learning disability with representatives from all major political parties. These efforts have influenced government decision-making, particularly around early years provision.

All Party Group

Meanwhile, our Youth Impact Paper highlighted why youth work matters for young people with a learning disability. Our launch event bought together staff, young people and their families to share their stories with government and the community. This led to follow up meetings on how young people with a learning disability could be included in the upcoming youth work review.

Every 6-8 weeks we have supported at the All Party Group on Learning Disability, engaging in key policy consultations, and contributing to coalition efforts aimed at shaping policies that impact people with a learning disability. We also facilitated a successful Stormont event, in June 2023, on theme of ‘Busting Myths’ for people with a learning disability.

Working for a new deal

Working with the Coalition of Carers, we created a New Deal for Carers report, highlighting the urgent need for improved support for carers and better government policies to help them. We launched the report in Stormont to an audience of politicians and key government decision-makers.

Raising voices

We also contributed to the Reimagining Children’s Health and Social Care Services report as part of the steering group. Through the report we raised the vital voices of children, young people and families in planning and delivering children’s services.

Training early years experts

We used learning from our Mencap Children’s Centre to developed an early years training programme. We offer a range of short training courses and OCN Level 2 to enable early years practitioners across Northern Ireland to access our specialist information and strategies to support young children.

The training is tailored to support professionals from a range of early years settings, including nursery assistants, keyworkers, supervisors, childminders and managers. It helps them develop skills to care for, support and promote development for children with a learning disability.

This year, 381 participants from 322 early years settings got involved in the training. In our survey, everyone found the course content relevant, high quality and well facilitated.

I think there was a lot of information provided and links for extra reading and videos to watch on YouTube. You certainly get value for money! Met all the objectives and signposted areas for my professional development.

I liked that the people gave their personal view of having a learning disability. Listening to their voice!

Good to hear personal experiences and feelings, makes me think about all those things in everyday life or may take for granted.

Learning disability awareness training

Our learning disability awareness training sessions bring to life what it’s like to live with a learning disability. Each session is run by Mencap disability equality officers who have first-hand experience of what they teach.

Training is available for employers, organisations, groups, schools or anyone who wants to increase their knowledge and understanding of learning disability. In our survey, every participant said the training gave them more confidence to support and include someone with a learning disability in their workplace.

“The perspective they give our staff is absolutely invaluable. For me, the most important thing we have learnt is how to communicate with people who have learning disabilities, so that we can provide them and their families with the highest quality care when they need us.” Clinical Educational Team, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.

[It was] a very enjoyable session. I really enjoyed hearing from both trainers and found their delivery of the training from the perspective of individuals with learning disability very useful. PARTICIPANT

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Our work in Wales

Visibility within the media for people with a learning disability

We have developed a partnership with ITV Cymru and 16 people received media training from ITV Cymru in November 2023.

During Learning Disability Week 2023, our Engagement Officer, Sara Pickard became the first person to co-host a current affairs programme, appearing alongside Rob Osbourne on ITV Cymru’s ‘Sharp End’.

Sara also had a 6-week secondment with ITV Cymru Wales over the summer. We have also worked with ITV Cymru Wales to develop a supported traineeship placement for a person with a learning disability. It is hoped this will start in September 2025 and we will continue to provide support to ITV Cymru Wales.

Wales

Demanding financial inclusion

Listening to people with a learning disability

In April 2023, we launched a petition to ensure vulnerable adults can pay using cash at venues and organisations funded directly by the Welsh government – or who get grants from them. Over 2,500 people signed it, triggering an inquiry.

As part of our Access to Day Services campaign, together with the Learning Disability Consortium in Wales, we undertook a listening exercise which included two national surveys. We had 293 responses from people with a learning disability or their parent/carers in the first survey and the second survey will close in Learning Disability Week 2024.

So, in October 2023, we supported 2 parent/ carers and a person with a learning disability to give evidence alongside Wayne Crocker, Mencap Cymru Director.

Since September, we have met 3 times with a local campaign group including people with a learning disability and parent/carers in Abergavenny to discuss their local day service closure and visited the site.

In December, we attended a Pembrokeshire County Council engagement event to speak with people with a learning disability and service providers about proposed changes to day opportunities, to help with our research work for the campaign.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Learning disability helpline in England

8,078 enquiries we helped with this year 155

were safeguarding cases

1162

were signposting enquiries

3164

were for information and advice

1,851 involved complex casework

3597

of these were general enquires

Each enquiry took an average of

The Learning Disability Helpline: Phone: 0808 808 1111 Email: helpline@mencap.org.uk

9.56 interactions to resolve

We helped people gain a total of £255,682.05 through our advice

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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What our helpline means:

Learning disability helpline in England

I was very stressed due to the issues with my sister, without advice and what help should be given to my sister I would have been at a loss. I was really desperate when I contacted Mencap. The caseworker keeps in contact for an update if I need additional advice, which is still a struggle, but she gives confidence to continue my fight. A big thank you to the caseworker, I totally appreciate this service.

The learning disability helpline in England is funded by income from our donors and fundraising activities.

Life is getting tougher for people with a learning disability, their families and carers. And their extreme challenges were reflected in the calls and emails we received over the last 12 months.

It’s been a very busy year. People told us they faced delays getting essential support and difficulty getting a diagnosis – including barriers to using the services and benefits they’re legally entitled to. As a result, people’s problems have become more complex.

But whatever people are facing, we’ve been there to offer clear and effective help and advice that changes lives.

We’ve stopped families losing their homes and challenged illegal evictions. We’ve helped people secure more care and support, get benefits, grants and other income, manage loved ones’ finances and save energy. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The caseworker went way above and beyond my expectations and any other help I have sought for my situation. She is incredibly knowledgeable, to the point, polite, friendly and personable. She gets ‘the point’ of the inquiry immediately and is just exceptional all round. I wish I could find more superlatives to describe her help, all I can say is that I’d like the opportunity to speak with her again about further matters. Many, many thanks.

We’re determined to help even more people with a learning disability, and their families and carers, get the advice and support they need. Our Learning Disability Helpline has been open for 51 weeks out of the last 52 and we’re busy working to keep it open as much as possible.

We gained the Advice Quality Standard Quality Mark in Housing, Welfare Benefits and Health and Community Care. This assures people we offer quality advice and act professionally. We’ve also improved our quality monitoring to ensure our records are accurate and clear.

I was surprised at how easy it was to access the support available. We received a telephone call from an advisor within a few hours. She was super helpful, professional, incredibly supportive and knowledgeable, ready to answer all my questions and share information we needed to draft our mandatory reconsideration letter. There was empathy and genuine concern for the situation we found ourselves in. We are truly grateful for the help we received from Mencap. Thank you so much.

We were very impressed with the speed of replies and with the information supplied. The advisers that we spoke to were very helpful and very understanding. Thank you very much.

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ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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British Gas Energy Trust

This year, we completed our 18-month funded partnership with the British Gas Energy Trust SCARP+ project, aimed at supporting over 500 people with a learning disability, and families and carers.

Our funded project included 2 specialised energy and money advisors who provided essential advice on managing energy costs, which is especially crucial during the ongoing energy crisis. We also made our communications easily accessible and ran multiple webinars that reached 100s of people, educating them on how to cope with the rising cost of living.

This project not only addressed immediate needs but also provided people with knowledge and tools to handle similar challenges in the future, improving their ability to navigate financial and energy related issues independently.

We are delighted that our partnership with British Gas Energy Trust will be continuing for a further 2 years, enabling us to expand the support we can offer and to build on the advice in community settings which we established during the first 18 month project.

Helping Elina* beat the cold

When Elina’s boiler failed last winter, it felt like the last straw.

She had recently moved back into her family home to care for her brother who has a learning disability and her grandmother who lives with dementia. Without heat or hot water, the household faced a cold and grueling future.

Not sure of where to go for help, Elina called our Learning Disability Helpline. Straight away we contacted a supplier who loaned her 2 oil radiators. We also advised her how to prioritise heat for the most vulnerable people in her house.

Improving access to online information

Everyone should have the opportunity to access information online - we’re working hard to make our website easy to use for everyone. Our current focus in on creating more easy read guides to help people understand benefits and how to claim them.

This year, with the cost of living rising, we’ve introduced more easy read guides, tips and videos, to offer clear and practical support during these tough times. This includes 8 easy read resources around Housing (created in collaboration with Shelter) and on how to access Food Banks (created in collaboration with the Trussel Trust). We’ve also added guides in several languages, so more people can get the help they need.

We’re committed to improving our digital accessibility – This year we have invested in research with people with a learning disability to review and make recommendations to find out how we can do this.
Our commitment goes beyond just sharing information - we aim to make our resources accessible, meaningful, and empowering for all.

Our support didn’t stop there. We also applied for a new boiler and helped solve problems with a faulty tap that would have stopped it working – as well as providing advice on energy efficiency, joining the Priority Services Register, debt problems and signing up for broadband on a cheaper tariff.

Our support helped Elina and her family improve their quality of life. Through us she got the advice and guidance she badly needed to secure a more stable future for her and the people she cares for.

*Not her real name.

Wales learning disability helpline

Further support

This year we have:

The Wales learning disability helpline is funded by the Welsh Government. This year our team in Wales helped with 1,170 enquiries covering everything from emotional support and employment to health and support services. That doesn’t always mean fixing a problem immediately. Giving people responsibility and control while supporting them on their journey can be a more sustainable solution.

Funded £225,000 to Access Social Care to provide legal support.
Who have supported 27 new families with loved ones in inpatient mental health hospitals or at risk of admission.
Referred 5 cases of avoidable deaths to Rachel’s Voice.

As one of our team says, “Over the last 12 months I’ve been able to see the benefit of getting people with similar experiences together. I helped 2 mums with a learning disability who had their children removed to support each other.”

We also recruited 2 new volunteers with a learning disability to support at information events, disability awareness training and more.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Helping young people stay safe online

Making research more accessible

When it comes to learning disability, the people with lived experience are the real experts. Yet they’re often excluded from research that affects their lives.

We’re dedicated to making sure people with a learning disability can get involved in research on the subjects that matter to them. That’s why we co-create our research projects with our research champions and use accessible research tools.

There’s a lot of important research published about learning disability. But the academic way its written can sometimes exclude people.

This year we published a virtual issue of the journal on mental health, loneliness and social inclusion for people with a learning disability. Dr Carla Barrett, head of research and impact at Mencap wrote the editorial, released to mark the launch of our Treat Me Well mental health campaign.

We have also worked with top journal the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research to create 2 accessible video summaries. The videos were funded by a Public Engagement Award from the Institute of Mental Health, University College London. In the videos Vijay Patel, campaigns officer at Mencap, explains the research, on physical activity and social connection and using smart speakers during Covid-19, in a way everyone can understand.

It was important to create these 2 videos to show that people with a learning disability are able to make friends through socialising and exercising and for people with a learning disability to feel more independent when using a smart speaker in their own home.

VIJAY PATEL, Campaigns Officer at Mencap

The internet isn’t always a safe place for people with a learning disability. All too often people face abuse, exploitation and hate when they go online.

Thanks to a £500,000 grant from Google.org, we are delivering a project focused on online safety and media literacy which will reach 500, 11-16 year olds with a learning disability.

This funding enabled us to conduct research with 40 young people, their families, and carers in various regions including Belfast, Kent, Sheffield, and Knockavoe. Over 6 months, we identified key online safety concerns such as trolling, scamming, grooming, catfishing, digital footprints, and inappropriate content.

The insight from this research has guided the development of an educational framework that includes 6 high-quality videos featuring animations and actors with real-life experiences of learning disability. This content is designed to be both engaging and relatable, and is currently being rolled out to 50 schools. Each school receives extensive resource packs to support students, parents, carers, and educators.

This project enhances our reach and effectiveness in teaching a significant number of young people and creating safer digital environments for everyone.

Additionally, in Northern Ireland, we run Be Safe Online project which was funded by Ofcom. We worked with 74 young people, and we delivered 26 sessions. We also delivered 2 sessions for 19 parents.

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Guardians of the Internet is a
digital literacy and
and funded by Google.teachers/supporters. Delivered by Mencap learning disability aged 11-16 and their parents/carers/
What do you need to take part?
Through three 1 hour sessions
We will also provide harms, as well as increase their and improve their your young people to increase their including scams and misinformation. critical thinking skills online ability to spot online we will support confidence
teachers and support networksresource packs for
confidence and ability to support their young person. to increase their
disability aged 11-16- Be a SEN school or Mainstream school with SEN provision
- Have a minimum cohort of 8-12 students with a learning
to your students between January to June 2024.- Have availability for us to deliver the three 1 hour sessions
GUARDIANS OF
THE INTERNET
online safety project
aimed at young people with a
We hope you will join us as one of the 50
schools taking part in this pilot project.
For more information and/or to book, please contact Claire.Bishop@Mencap.org.uk
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ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

LEVER 5

Supporting people to build their own capabilities to find local solutions

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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As a result of MyCommunity, for people with a learning disability:

Harnessing community power

94% feel listened to by Community Partners.

MyCommunity is a 3 year pilot project working with people in their local area, who want to make their community a great place for people with a learning disability to live.

90% said, ‘I have been part of coming up with solutions to issues in my area’.
92% of people have better relationships with people in their area.

We’ve worked with 6,571 people across 9 communities in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This includes 2,188 people with a learning disability and 1,091 different organisations. Plus, 22 people with a learning disability have been employed as Community Connectors, in addition to 70 formal volunteers.

91% feel they have a stronger voice in their community.
91% have a better understanding of the support, services and activities that are available in their area.

During the project over £286,646 has been invested into these nine communities as seed funding to support community-led solutions. This work is now being transitioned into local ownership so the impact can be sustained longer term.

6,571 people worked with

9 local communities worked in

Inspiring inclusion in Tameside

The Zochonis Charitable Trust has funded our activity in Tameside. We’ve been driving a shift from people living their lives through ‘services’ (often separated from the rest of the community) to living in their community, supported by local people.

We’ve created opportunities to bring people with and without a learning disability together and volunteer on different activities. This increases inclusion and connects people that might otherwise never have met.

Building capacity in communities

Together, we’ve:

Pears Foundation has continued to generously support our Beacon project with Network Partners. Heart of England and Sheffield Mencap helped build a more inclusive society by empowering people with a learning disability to drive change and play a meaningful part in their community. This included meeting regularly to share experiences and knowledge while developing tools and training to achieve their goals.

inspired 24 existing volunteers.
recruited 100 new volunteers.
piloted 7 new community projects.

Our volunteers have:

helped run art sessions at Bloom, a local provider for adults with a learning disability. The volunteers also led Saturday sessions for children with special educational needs and one of badge making sessions for the community, including for older people.

In September 2023, we hosted an online community power event to showcase this vital work and share the learning. Together, the Beacons worked with 124 community members to shape local vision. New ways of working helped reach 118 people with a learning disability.

worked at an allotment each week to grow food for a monthly community meal.

In 2023, our Beacons:

worked with a local library to introduce a mobile • completed a litter pick in a local park alongside
sensory bus to visit schools with pupils with other members of the community and took part
special educational needs, rural areas, community in a community walk with a local walking group.
day services and more. These activities were a great opportunity to meet
• collaborated with Hockey England to develop new people and for members of the community accessible hockey sessions for people with a to get to know more about learning disability.
collaborated with Hockey England to develop accessible hockey sessions for people with a learning disability and increase visibility in the sport.

Making Christmas matter

helped a local leisure centre make activities more accessible for people with a learning disability.

In the lead up to Christmas, the Tameside community came together in a big way with 58 new volunteers joining the Me Time volunteering project. Together, we prepared 80 shoeboxes filled with gifts for the older people and homeless in the local area.

I’ve never been involved in a group like this before. It’s a really nice change from my usual routine and I feel like I’m doing something useful that helps my community.”

On 6th December, 26 wonderful volunteers walked alongside people with a learning disability to a special celebration at Festival Hall in Denton. Along the way, we spread cheer with Christmas carols and later presented our lovingly prepared shoeboxes. It was a heartwarming display of the powerful impact volunteers have, touching lives of people with a learning disability and the wider community.

GROUP MEMBER

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Our active community

Thanks to funded income from Sport England we are working as a System Partner to tackle inequalities so more people with a learning disability have the opportunity to get active within their communities.

To achieve this, we are supporting 9 communities across England, from Worthing to St Helens. We will be finding out what people with a learning disability want and need, while supporting communities to find solutions, enabling more active, happy and healthy lives to be led. We’ll ensure that the work is created and led by people with a learning disability and the wider community. We’re also helping to build a Mencap Active Community so that organisations like councils, leisure centres and day services can share resources, funding streams and best practice.

We have delivered our learning disability in sport workshops across England to 190 people, helping clubs, volunteers and coaches to create an inclusive and accessible environment. These are all co-delivered by a trainer with a learning disability.

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photo of community
retail hubs or this
Star Wars store team
in Walkden???
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26 stores

Community retail hubs

160 volunteers

Our ambition for our 26 stores is far greater than simply income generation. They’re also community spaces where people with a learning disability can meet, find opportunities and get a job.

636 940 , customers served

This year we had 160 volunteers and 7 people with a learning disability working in our stores – and we want to employ even more when we open more stores in 2024. We have consistently performed ahead of other charity retailers in our sector. We have served 636,940 customers, a 75,000 increase on the previous year.

increase 75,000 of customers on the previous year

Our proactive stock appeal to our Gift Aid donors has meant that we have increased the number of over the door donations to 275,000, which is a fantastic increase of 48,000 bags on the previous year.

275,000

Our stores raised £4,168,430 this year.

over the door donations

May the force be with you! Throughout the year, all our retail stores were involved in local community fundraising events. One of our favourites, was when the Walkden store team raised extra revenue and increased our profile with their fun Star Wars fundraiser.

increase 48,000 of over the door donations on the previous year

£4,168,430 our stores raised this year

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Me Time

Me Time supports people with a learning disability to build their own capabilities to find local solutions in Islington, Nottingham, Tameside, Suffolk, Sutton, Llanfyllin and Carmarthenshire.

I like the cooking, going down the gym on Tuesdays, going bowling. I get on with everyone. It’s a good service and you make friends.

We supported up to 232 people in England and 55 people in Wales to live happy and healthy lives, become active citizens in their own communities and make progress in the ways that are important to them.

ME TIME PARTICIPANT

Through Me Time people can get involved in anything from education and community trips to learning new hobbies and skills, making new friends along the way.

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100%
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100% of people said they enjoy Me Time all the time or sometimes.

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59%
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59% demonstrated progress towards at least one goal.

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93%
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93% took part in their chosen activities.

Putting Suffolk in the spotlight

In Suffolk, people with a learning disability have been coming together to put their talents in the spotlight on-stage. These local performances in the community have been a massive success and included big shows like Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz.

Nurturing a community garden

In Nottingham, people with a learning disability have been busy keeping the Community Gardens blooming. It’s not just about looking good either. Research shows that people with a learning disability are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, but are often excluded from leisure and sport.

The gardens give everyone the opportunity to get some exercise, relax in the great outdoors and improver their mental health. We also have a similar project in Islington.

Broadcasting in Islington

Our Radio is a local community radio station run and hosted by local people with a learning disability. With new funding the community was able to make the project mobile so it could move around Islington to get even more people with a learning disability on the airwaves.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Parents supporting parents

Parents understand best what life with a child who has special educational needs is like.

Through our family engagement programme in Tameside (thanks to funding from The Zochonis Charitable Trust) and Newham (thanks to funding from Pears Foundation) we offer community support for families in collaboration with parents and carers of children aged 0-5 years old. This includes peer support groups, workshops around topics such as Disability Living Allowance, and a bespoke support group for Dads. This year we have also expanded our work in Newham to support parents who have a child age 6-12, funded by East London NHS Foundation Trust (Specialist Children’s & Young People’s Services).

We now have 10 paid Family Connectors – parents with lived experience of learning disability – who can offer emotional and practical support to parents and walk the journey alongside them.

Taking early years action

Parenting a child with a learning disability brings both joys and challenges. Our 8 week Early Positive Approaches to Support (E-PAtS) programme gives caregivers of children up to 5 a supportive space to share both. Along the way it also helps parents learn what matters to them: from sleep and communication skills to personal wellbeing.

The programme is always co-facilitated by trained professionals and parents who have lived experience of raising a child with additional needs.

In Newham, 77 parents have completed E-PAtS sessions.
In Northern Ireland (Derry/Londonderry and Strabane, and Belfast) 37 parents have taken part in E-PAtS sessions.
In Wales, 35 families have taken part in E-PAtS sessions.

Making a difference with MyFun:D

MyFund:D supported 113 people towards a happier and healthier life with an average grant of £483.

MyFun:D, delivered using fundraising income, is made by people with a learning disability for people with a learning disability. It’s a funding source that helps make a difference to people’s lives and can be used for anything that makes people happier or healthier.

This year we had more applications than ever from people with a learning disability. We made sure everyone got their money faster so fewer people dropped out.

Now we’re determined to reach even more people. This means trying out exciting new fundraising ideas and exploring how legacies can fund successful applications.

Eric rocks!

Eric loves moving to music from the fifties and sixties. So, he used MyFun:D to enjoy a retro music night at Bedford Corn Exchange. He had a great night out and loved being part of the audience. Plus, he was given some free drinks from the bar staff to make the night even better.

1,433 families are registered with our family engagement programme.
611 parents are part of a WhatsApp peer support group
358 parents have taken part in workshops or peer support groups.
I loved attending this group, got good support and excellent info. Always willing to listen and give support”

Looking for more sessions like E-PAtS. It helped to change the way we were handling our kids at home.”

This course was so helpful, and I get lots of advice on how to support our children. Also the staff are great and respectful.

PARENT QUOTES

Advocating for parents

In Walsall, we’ve been advocating for 33 parents with a learning disability whose children are going through court proceedings. This meant supporting them through 79 different cases at different stages.

Our advocate helps parents work with Walsall children’s social services, empowering them to understand the process, work positively with professionals, make informed choices and have their voices heard.

Our ultimate goal is to give parents the best chance for the child to remain in their care. If this isn’t possible, they’re still vital in advocating for parents to remain in contact and visible in their child’s life.

This could be through sharing letters and updates and maintaining contact with children in long term foster care.

The experience can be emotional for everyone. For example, we supported a parent to meet her child’s adopters. This was scary for the parent at first but with our encouragement she came and was reassured that the adopters would provide her daughter lots of positive life experiences.

Feedback from legal professionals has been very positive. A judge commented warmly on our advocacy, which is very rare in court.

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

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Supporting families in Wales

Through Mencap I’ve built a community. My child is going to her first birthday party in a very long time this week because a group of mums have got to know one another and want to support each other. I’ve told those mums some things I’d never admit to my friends with ‘normal’ kids. The community support – even if it’s just a hello, how are you, or a smile, makes a difference.

In 2023, we successfully supported 96 families in Ynys Mons, North Wales. The forest school, soft play sessions and toy library have been co-produced with families.

31 families enjoyed forest schools.
36 families went to soft play sessions.
43 families used the Toy Library.

96 families successfully supported

PARENT

Working with our partners

Our local groups (also known as Network Partners) are individual charities in their own right, but we work together to ensure people with a learning disability and their families have support locally as well as nationally.

This year we have supported our network of over 309 network partners in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. We’re always really excited to have the opportunity to work with our network partners in different communities to help people with a learning disability create even more local impact.

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Thriving organisation

Our values

We have a set of values that are very important to us, which describe how we work.

We are passionate about making the world a better place

We are inclusive of everyone

We are brave We are positive We are we challenge and in our work and kind to with each other try new things everyone

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Our People

programme. And we are enabling all our people to develop and grow with new performance, accountability and behaviours tools and resources.

There’s one thing all our people have in common: we want the best for everyone with a learning disability.

We continue to actively listen to our colleagues through staff forums and surveys, asking them what makes Mencap a great place to work and where we can make improvements.

That’s evident when you speak to any of the thousands of passionate colleagues and volunteers who work in our services, offices and in the community every day.

You can see the results of all of this in our employee surveys for the last 12 months. We’re pleased to see trends improving in all areas – but acknowledge there’s still more to do to create the best experience we can for our people.

Our values are at the heart of everything we do at Mencap. We are passionate, positive, brave, inclusive and kind. Our values guide how all of our colleagues and volunteers behave and work together to make the UK the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

Along with many other social care providers, the cost of living and social care funding crises continue to impact our people, and pay remains a challenge across the sector. We’ve continued to do what we can with the funding we get to improve pay and benefits for our colleagues, prioritising pay uplifts for our lowest paid colleagues. We’re also fighting hard for better pay for the whole sector through our Why We Care campaign, which calls on all political parties to prioritise increasing pay for social care workers.

To attract exceptional people and hang on to the stars we have, we’ve worked hard this year to improve the experience of all our colleagues with a focus on leadership, accountability and values. We know that to achieve our vision we need a thriving organisation with great leaders who can inspire, motivate and enable others to keep doing brilliant, high-quality work and our best for people with a learning disability.

We have invested in our leaders with clear expectations and a bespoke leadership development

Promoting Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

We were named the Disability Charity of the Year by Diversifying Group. The awards recognises the steps we have taken to make our governance more inclusive and for our progress in becoming a charity led by people with a learning disability. We were also pleased to achieve Bronze accreditation as a Trailblazer from Race Equality Matters.

We’re committed to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and standing out as an employer who welcomes everyone.

We recognise we have a long way to go to meet our ambitions, and are working hard to collect more EDI data for the people we help support. This will help us assess our impact, shape our campaigns and understand which people we need to involve more in our work.

We’re determined to attract and retain a wide range of talented people from diverse backgrounds. That’s why Inclusion is a strong value and the non negotiable foundation of everything we do. Inclusive leadership is also the golden thread that runs through our leadership expectations, guiding the way our teams are supported and managed every day.

Our Voices Council of people with a learning disability advise and support our Trustees, ensuring the voices of those we are here to support are at the heart of our decision-making. 3% of our workforce bring a lived experience of learning disability. And our network of Inclusion Consultants, alongside colleagues with a learning disability who sit on our Senior Leadership Forum, provide that important voice and perspective to our operational decision-making and strategic steer.

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1,871
active and
engaged
volunteers
15% of
our volunteers
have a learning
disability
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Our volunteers

98% of people said Mencap is a good place to volunteer.

Our volunteers are amazing. But the cost of living crisis means it can be hard to attract and retain new people right now. We have 1871 active and engaged volunteers, 15% of our volunteers have a learning disability.

Through the year we’ve been developing partnerships with services to train and inspire more people with a learning disability to get involved in volunteering, gaining new skills and confidence along the way.

Our priority is to finish Mencap Assemble – our dedicated volunteer management system designed to streamline processes, provide more accurate reporting and, most importantly, provide a better experience for our volunteers.

New York Mencap at Christmas

During Christmas our Clifton Nottingham store created some big city magic with a themed New York fundraising week. Visitors could eat cake, play games and get involved in our New York Selfie stand.

The fundraising week was made possible thanks to our volunteers and staff and was a great success. We raised £1,350 for Me Time Nottingham, who kindly donated hand-made arts and crafts for our event.

We’ve now set up a volunteering programme with Me Time Nottingham – 4 people with a learning disability, plus a member of staff, volunteer in our store every week. This doesn’t just help run the store. It also provides meaningful engagement and opportunities to develop skills for the Me Time volunteers. We’re also planning to expand the programme in Me Time Tameside.

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Income generation and fundraising activities

We are hugely thankful to all our fundraising supporters for the kindness and loyalty they have shown us. They provide the essential funding we need to ensure we can make the UK the best place for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

It’s been a challenging year for fundraising. The costof-living crisis means people have less money and we received fewer legacies than usual, and due to ongoing issues in the probate office.

Our gross fundraising income in 2023/24 was £11,336,000. This is an increase of 11% from the year before - but was lower than what we had hoped for.

As well as some of the amazing funders you’ve already read about, please see some more below:

London Marathon 2024 – Georgie Stutt

Georgie, whose eldest son Oscar has Autism and ADHD took part in London Marathon 2024 and raised a massive £2,857, smashing her fundraising target.

“I witness on a daily basis the unseen struggles that are faced for my son and for our family. Mencap is such an amazing charity and one that is really close to my heart, they support people with disabilities and you can see firsthand the difference they make. I am honoured to be running for Mencap… Mencap is such an important charity and the work they do is vital to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities and access within the community. I am finding the process of training extremely rewarding and feeling so powerful and strong. I am very excited to run and represent Mencap at the London Marathon 2024!”

Battling the waves

Last summer, 19 Mencap Marvel swimmers bravely navigated the waves, battled currents and triumphantly crossed the English Channel, raising a remarkable £41,000.

We had a diverse team, including blind swimmers, students with a learning disability from Beech House School, plus entrepreneurs and CEOs. Under the guidance of BHS English Channel Relay Coach Nikki Pope, each swimmer was pushed to their limits through rigorous training.

The outstanding teamwork, focused commitment and relentless dedication from our swimmers is a source of inspiration. The huge amount raised will help us to continue supporting 1.5 million people with a learning disability and their families throughout the UK.

A heart-felt thank you to everyone involved in this amazing achievement.

One Big Abseil – Northern Ireland

In September 2023, 50 daredevils took a leap of faith to abseil the 100ft from the roof of the iconic Europa Hotel in Belfast raising an outstanding £13,000 and awareness of our essential work in Northern Ireland.

It was an amazing day, and it was lovely to see so many people coming along to support our abseilersthe streets of Belfast were a sea of pink.

Pearse McCloskey from our Network Partner group Skyzdalimit took part because he says:

“Mencap is a wonderful charity that has done so much for Skyzdalimit and I am proud to don my Mencap T-shirt and raise vital funds to say thank you for their support!”

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Where our Fundraised income was spent 2023/24

Julia and Hans Rausing Trust

Our partnership with the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust is supporting us to improve life chances, raise aspirations, foster greater economic prosperity and build hope for the future, for young people with a learning disability in London.

We are delivering 2 flagship employment programmes in several schools across London. Our programmes work with schools to support young people to understand more about career pathways and progression routes towards work. They provide transformative support for young people in different settings to address the barriers that young people with a learning disability face when seeking employment.

How we work

We comply with the latest fundraising guidelines from the Fundraising Regulator, Gambling Commission and Charity Commission. This includes the Code of Fundraising Practice for the UK.

Where people or organisations raise funds on our behalf, we require that they also comply with these standards. For individuals, this is through our fundraising guidelines, and for professional fundraisers it is included as a contract term. We’re not aware of any instances where those acting on our behalf have failed to comply.

We occasionally use professional fundraisers as part of direct appeals, but not for unsolicited approaches or ‘cold calling’. Other commercial participators are only involved as partner organisations fundraising from among their own staff, or encouraging their staff to fundraise on our behalf on a personal level.

Where we do use professional fundraisers, calls are monitored directly to ensure our instructions and requirements are being followed, and regular feedback is provided. We also have a supporter care team which can be contacted by telephone or e-mail with any problems around our fundraising activities. Our events and community fundraising team provide people fundraising on our behalf with clear guidance about what we expect from them. They also maintain regular contact to provide them with support and to monitor their activities and progress.

Our approach to fundraising includes:

Encouraging people to remember us in their will.
Securing donations from corporate partners, philanthropists and charitable trusts.
Direct marketing appeals, raffles and weekly lottery campaigns for people who want to support us.
Encouraging people to get involved in fundraising events and activities.

In the year ending 31 March 2024, we had 8 complaints through our supporter care team and other channels related to fundraising activity. Of the 8 complaints, 4 related to direct marketing activity and 4 were related to stewardship activity. All complaints were recorded and addressed appropriately.

To protect vulnerable people and other members of the public, Mencap has a vulnerable customer policy in place, and a fundraising promise is displayed on our website.

The fundraising team is required to complete enhanced GDPR training and all fundraising teams have policy and procedure handbooks in place which they are required to abide by. We are careful to protect the private data of our supporters, and give them clear options if they wish to stop being contacted by us. As part of our compliance with the Code of Fundraising Practice, we ensure our approach to fundraising is not unreasonably intrusive or persistent, and we do not aim to solicit donations by pressuring potential supporters. By doing this, we ensure that people have a choice about whether to donate to Mencap.

Fundraising Income £11,336,000 -* Total Expenditure £11,558,000

Includes £671k grant income secured by Fundraising team within charitable activities income

£3,264,000

Raising funds

Supporting people to build their own capabilities to find local solutions

£3,389,000

£2,465,000

Campaigning for change

Supporting people with information and advice

£944,000 £596,000

Supporting our work in Northern Ireland Researching & evaluating complex issues and opportunities Supporting our work in Wales

£608,000 £295,000 =

(£225,000) Net fundraising income/ £1,786,000 £1,561,000 expenditure Amount Fundraising for 2023/24 + funded from = 2023/24 restricted surplus to be fundraising spent in 2024/25 reserves (of which £1.5m unrestricted)

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Environmental impact

Summary

The increase in consumption is predominantly attributable to transport fuel consumption. We have improved our data collection methodologies since the 2022/23 return and we have been able to collect data on the use of vehicles owned by Mencap. This equated to 1,572 tonnes of emissions and explains the significant variance between this year and the 2022/23 figure.

The greenhouse gas emissions for Royal Mencap Society for the period 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024 was 4,370 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), using a location-based methodology for calculating greenhouse gases. This reflects a 45% increase compared to the previous financial year, which recorded emissions of 3,018 tCO2e.

An emissions intensity ratio has been calculated to express the company’s annual emissions relative to a quantifiable factor or normaliser. Royal Mencap Society have an intensity ratio of 19.2 tCO2e per million pounds of revenue (tCO2e per £m), a 76% increase compared to the 10.9 tCO2e per £m in 2022-2023.

The total energy consumed during the same period was 20,049,363 kilowatt-hours (kWh), which represents a 68% increase compared to the previous year’s consumption of 11,927,062 kWh.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Table 1 Greenhouse gas emissions by year (tonnes CO2e)

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Emissions source 2022/23 2023/24 Share (%) (%) Annual Change
Fuel combustion: Natural gas 1,337 1,235 28% -8%
Purchased electricity 831 714 16% -14%
Fuel combustion: Transport 850 2,422 56% 185%
Total emissions (tCO2e) 3,018 4,371 100% 45%
Revenue (£m) - 228 -
Intensity: (tCO2e per £m) 10.9 19.2 76%
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Table 2 Greenhouse gas emissions by scope (tonnes CO2e)

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Emissions source 2022/23 2023/24 Share (%) (%) Annual Change
Scope 1 1,496 2,962 68% 98%
Scope 2 761 657 15% -14%
Scope 3 761 751 17% -1%
Total emissions (tCO2e) 3,018 4,370 100% 45%
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Scope 1: Natural gas and company-operated transport. Scope 2: Electricity. Scope 3: Losses from electricity distribution and transmission, employee vehicles for business use. This only includes emissions reportable under SECR and may not reflect the entire carbon footprint of the organisation.

Energy Consumption

Table 3 Energy consumption by year (kWh)

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Emissions source 2022/23 2023/24 Share (%) (%) Annual Change
Fuel combustion: Natural gas 7,346,273 6,751, 229 34% -8%
Purchased Electricity 3,935,446 3,174,435 16% -19%
Transport 645,343 10,123,699 50% 1469%
Total consumption (kWh) 11,927,062 20,049,363 100% 68%
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Boundary, Methodology and Exclusions

The data contained in this document are calculated and reported in line with the methodology set out in the UK Government’s Environmental Reporting Guidelines, March 2019.

An ‘operational control’ approach has been used to define the Greenhouse Gas emissions boundary. This approach captures emissions associated with the operation of buildings within the scope of the regulation, plus transport; company-owned vehicles used for business travel. This report covers UK operations only, as required by SECR for Non-Quoted Large Companies.

Gas consumption data for March and April 2024, as well as electricity data for April 2024, have been estimated due to unsuccessful attempts to obtain the information from the supplier before the report deadline.

This report also includes emissions from transmission and distribution losses of electricity under Scope 3, which are voluntary reportable emissions. Their inclusion is considered best practice.

Royal Mencap Society is not listed on a stock exchange such as the London Stock Exchange, so is classified as a Non-Quoted Large Company for the purpose of regulatory compliance.

Emissions have been calculated using the 2023 conversion factors provided by Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. The reporting period is 1st of April 2023 to 31st of March 2024.

The 2022/23 reports carbon emissions from transport were 850 tCO2e, and this was an understatement. Improvements in data collection and the calculation methodology, have increased the emissions to 2,422 tCO2e in 2023/24.

Upon reviewing the 2022/23 data, it seems that the emissions calculation from last year by the previous consultant only considered emissions from company cars and service user mileage, and not personal car mileage, which is the greatest contributor to the transport emissions.

Energy Efficiency Initiatives

Royal Mencap Society has been pro-active in the 2023/2024 period, and we have set out the following energy efficiency initiatives:

Commercial Street, London: the downsizing of the London office resulted in our relocation to a more energy-efficient space. With reduced floor space, we are now experiencing the added advantage of lower energy bills. This relocation was finalized in November 2023.
Business support centre Peterborough: the installation of the VRF (heating and cooling) system replacement not only provides us with a more dependable system but also offers greater energy efficiency, with expectations of reduced energy consumption. Initial analysis indicates this to be accurate, though a full quarter of data is awaited for thorough examination. This project was finalized in March 2023. Additionally, there has been a transition of more buses to biogas hybrids and electric vehicles.

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Our structure, governance and management

We are Royal Mencap Society, a company limited by guarantee (registration number 550457) and a registered charity in England, Wales (222377), and Scotland (SC041079). Our main governing document, the Articles of Association, was last amended on 16 May 2019. Our mission is to advance the health, education, and wellbeing of people a learning disability and their families.

Our governance includes several board sub-committees, such as the People and Culture Committee, which oversees the management of our 8,000 staff and volunteers. The Delivery and Strategic Impact Committee and the Audit and Finance Committee also play crucial roles in our organisation.

Our trustees, also directors under company law, have overall responsibility for our charity, ensuring we achieve our charitable objectives. They receive important input from our Voices Council, a group of ‘experts by experience’.Trustees meet 5 times a year, including an annual strategy day to focus on longterm direction. This year, we spent 2 days in Cardiff at our Mencap Cymru sites. We have a framework of delegation for board committees, the executive, and staff, reviewed regularly. Conflicts of interest are addressed at each meeting, and a register is maintained.

Trustees are appointed through a public, open recruitment process guided by a skills assessment and our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion strategy. The Nominations Committee, with a majority of independent members, oversees this process. This year, we added two trustees with learning disabilities to provide valuable insights from their lived experience.

Trustees serve up to 2, 4 year terms without payment, except for out-of-pocket expenses. Details of expenses are in the financial statements. Trustees meet HMRC’s ‘fit and proper persons test’ and declare all relevant interests. They must complete a Trustee Automatic Disqualification Declaration before appointment.

Our structure

Nominations Committee a. Carolyn Fairbairn (Chair) c. David Wolverson d. Aisha Hazel-Edwards e. Barbara Louise Norris.

----- Start of picture text -----
2. 3. 4.
Audit, Delivery People
Finance and Strategic and
and Risk Impact Culture
Committee Committee Committee
Phil Hughes David Wolverson Jackie Pollock
(Chair) (Chair) (Chair)
Carolyn Fairbairn Kathryn Rees Neil Hoskin
Yogi Amin Lucy Edge Hayden Rustage
Catherine McDermott Sohail Qadri David Wolverson
----- End of picture text -----

Voices Council

Jack Welch - Chair 2. Sam Jefferies - Vice chair 3. Aisha Hazel-Edwards 4. Karen Gray - incoming Vice chair 5. Barbara Louise Norris 6. John Phillips incoming Chair 7. Paul Savage 8. Taylor Phillips 9. Bryony Moss

Trustees

Carolyn Fairbairn (Chair) 2. Lucy Edge (vice-chair and SIT) 3. David Wolverson (Safeguarding lead) 4. Catherine McDermott 5. Phil Hughes 6. Sohail Qadri 7. Kathryn Rees 9. Yogi Amin 10. Jackie Pollock 11. Neil Hoskin 12. Hayden Rustage

How we make decisions

Our trustees are responsible for the overall control and strategic direction of our charity, informed by our Voices Council to keep people with a learning disability at our core.

Day-to-day operations are managed by acting chief executive Jackie O’Sullivan and the executive team.

Four board committees, approved by the board, handle delegated responsibilities. The Nominations Committee includes co-opted members for specialist perspectives. Each committee has specific terms of reference, reports to the board, and their remits are regularly reviewed. Committee chairs report at quarterly board meetings, and minutes are accessible to all trustees.

Our Voices Council

Our vision is to be led by people with a learning disability. The lived experience and voice of people with a learning disability informs how we fulfil our charitable objects. Our 2021 Governance Review recommended that our governance must embody this vision – our Voices Council is central to this. Over its journey from the Learning Disability Panel to the Voices Council in 2019, members are playing a vital part in shaping our work, decisions and priorities. The Voices Council’s role in shaping our work in a postCovid-19 society has been pivotal.

The Voices Council now have the necessary resources and authority from the board to fulfil the role they wish to have. Voices Council meetings include representation from the Royal Mencap Society board and our executive team. The Voices Council alone set their agenda and priorities. This led to increasing membership of the Voices Council in 2023.

The Royal Mencap Society’s board committees are:

Audit, Finance and Risk Committee (AFRC):

The AFRC is responsible for overseeing Royal Mencap Society’s financial and risk management processes. Chaired by Phil Hughes, the AFRC monitors and reviews the effectiveness of our internal and external audit functions. It approves the plan for our internal audit work, providing independent assurance that risk management, governance, and internal control processes are operating effectively. The AFRC also ensures we maintain an effective financial management and reporting structure across our charity in the short, medium, and long term. They review executive remuneration [payment] and make recommendations to our trustees. The AFRC provide assurance to our board on accuracy of the financial information it receives to fulfil its fundamental responsibility of managing our charity’s resources responsibly.

Nominations Committee (NC):

The NC ensures we take a rigorous, open and transparent approach to trustee recruitment and appointment. The NC includes non-trustees and co-opted members. It is responsible for ensuring the appropriate balance of skills, experience, backgrounds and knowledge is reflected in the make-up of our board.

Delivery and Strategic Impact Committee (DSIC): The DSIC built on the foundations of its forerunner: the quality and compliance committee. However, DSIC’s remit is much bigger. A key aspect of Royal Mencap Society’s strategic delivery is achieving impact as perceived by the individual, community and society. The role of DSIC is to consider our impact, quality and responsibility across all of our services. This broader remit includes our personal support delivery and our Training Academy (formerly known as the specialist post-16 institution). In doing so, our commitment to delivering high quality, client-led and innovative services are the overarching requirements. In line with our commitment to, and prioritisation of, wellbeing and safety of the people we support, the DSIC oversaw transition from an independent chair for safeguarding to a Safeguarding Scrutineer. Frances Millar was recruited in April 2023 and attends all DSIC meetings.

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People and Culture Committee (PCC)

Policies and procedures for inducting and training trustees

Our new People and Culture Committee (PCC) has now been in place since the last Governance Review and was formerly constituted in 2022. The Board of Trustees recognised that a dedicated Board sub-committee was needed to ensure Mencap has an inclusive, open and encouraging culture across its workforce of almost 8,000 employees. Policies, procedures, initiatives around our people, and feedback surveys are brought to the PCC. This committee also hears directly from colleagues in closed sessions between trustees and groups of colleagues from across Mencap. Creating the PCC is a reflection of the importance of our people.

We have an extensive induction programme for all new trustees. This covers all aspects of our activities, strategy and values. Trustees also receive information and guidance on their legal and regulatory obligations as trustees. Induction and training is overseen by Royal Mencap Society’s executive director of governance.

Executive pay

Trustees are responsible for overseeing the pay of our executive team. As a charity, we believe it is important to be transparent about the pay of senior colleagues and how this is set.

The Wales and Northern Ireland Advisory Panels, made up of people with relevant local expertise and lived experience of learning disability, provide invaluable expert advice to our country directors in a voluntary, advisory capacity.

Our senior reward approach involves 2 main factors:

outside job evaluation, weighted by the distinct elements of roles
outside pay benchmarking through market data taken from sector pay surveys and reports.

Other groups informing our decisions are the Include Me group, Inclusion Consultants and the Treat Me Well Steering Group.

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Salary ER Pension Total to 31/3/24 Total 31/3/23
Role
(£) (£) (£) (£) (£)
Chief executive (i) 176,029 7,731 25,269 209,029 214,653
Chief financial officer 133,926 6,696 16,302 156,924 154,388
Executive director of communications,
115,891 5,199 13,523 134,613 142,138
advocacy and activism (ii)
Executive director of PS England (iii) 129,595 5,416 24,157 159,168 56,214
Chief operating officer 110,107
Executive director of people (iv) 140,532 5,059 15,370 160,961 130,603
Executive director of governance 99,827 4,991 11,832 116,650 114,944
Executive director of ICP communities (v) 118,170 5,909 14,237 138,316 34,234
Executive director of quality and impact (vi) 52,686 2,189 6,319 61,194 -
Executive director of transformation 122,461
----- End of picture text -----

i) The chief executive left in August 2023. The executive director for campaigning, advocacy and activism acted as interim chief executive for the remainder of the financial year.

iv) The executive director of people left in February 2024 and this role was covered by an interim for the rest of the financial year. This explains the increase in costs compared to 2022/23.

ii) In August 2023, the executive director became the interim chief executive. For the rest of the financial year, the director of fundraising became the interim executive director, which explains the variance in this role from 2022/23.

v) This role was created in January 2023 and therefore the remuneration for 2023/24 represents the full year remuneration for the role.

vi) This is a new executive role from October 2023.

We generally use the charity sector market median as a guide for setting salaries. Some flexibility is applied to take into consideration specific requirements for each post and to ensure we can recruit the best candidate possible to meet the needs of our beneficiaries.

All senior staff receive ongoing performance management and an annual feedback report and appraisal. This provides feedback from the chief executive, their peers and teams about how they have contributed to achieving our strategy and any personal development areas.

Our network partners

We work with 309 independent network partners across the UK. They are very important to our work. We are united by a common vision to improve the lives of people with a learning disability. They work in their communities to share best practice, champion change and deliver high quality services and support for people with a learning disability. We fund a network office to provide support to these groups and coordinate work on common issues. Trustees visit and talk with partners regularly.

Mencap Trust Company Limited (MTC)

Mencap Trust Company was set up in 1976 to reduce parents’ worries about vulnerable family members by helping make arrangements to provide for them in the future. We have helped over 2,500 families and manage around 270 discretionary trusts for people with a learning disability and/or autistic people, with over 750 trust deeds awaiting activation. MTC works in partnership with investment, tax and legal experts to provide a professional service, managing trusts for people with a learning disability.

For more information on trustee appointments and the MTC’s work see www.mencaptrust.org.uk

Mencap Limited

Mencap Limited is a trading subsidiary of Royal Mencap Society. In 2022, our board authorised the use of Mencap Limited as a vehicle for recovering VAT to which Royal Mencap Society is entitled. The directors of Mencap Limited were changed to include the co-chairs of the AFRC (Kathryn Cearns and Phil Hughes) as well as Royal Mencap Society’s CFO and director of governance. Profit-making external Disclosure and Barring Service checking activity will also continue within Mencap Limited. There is also activity in relation to Royal Mencap Society bought in goods to be sold online and in Royal Mencap Society retail stores, promotional events and revenue generating (for Royal Mencap Society) and sponsorship agreements with third party commercial organisations.

Mencap Promotions Limited

Mencap Promotions was a dormant subsidiary company for our promotional and sponsored eventsbut has now been closed.

Blue Sky Housing Limited

Blue Sky Housing was a dormant subsidiary company for our property development but has now been closed .

Mencap Visiting Service

The Mencap Visiting Service (MVS) is a trust fund established to provide a visiting scheme to named beneficiaries after the death of a donor. It is not a separate legal entity. MVS funds are held in a discretionary trust, and MVS activities are delivered by Royal Mencap Society.

iii) The executive director of PS England was in place for the entire 2023/24 financial year. It is best compared to the costs in 2022/23 for this role that was put in place halfway through the year and the chief operating officer role who left in August 2023.

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Section 172(1) Statement

Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 requires directors to act in the way they consider, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the charity to achieve its charitable purposes. The Act states that, in doing so, the directors should have regard, among other matters, to factors (a) to (f), listed below.

a. The likely consequences of any decision in the long term

The trustees are responsible for Mencap’s strategy and overall direction. Our Big Plan (in place from March 2021 and running through to 2026) established an approach which puts people with a learning disability at the centre of our vison, work and approach. That vision is for the UK to be the best place for people with a learning disability to lead a happy and healthy life. The cost-of-living crisis in the UK and global events have required us to review our priorities and the focus of our work on the sustainability and resilience of our operational activities. This review and reassessment has balanced long-term planning with the need to respond immediately to emerging financial and operational challenges. The strategy remains agile and capable of change and movement as data and trends demand. The timeline of the strategy provides the long-term strategic plan for Royal Mencap Society required under s172(1).

The main purpose of our reserves policy and targets is to ensure long-term financial sustainability. Decisions involving financial spend are assessed for their impact on reserves, not just in the current year but also through a 3 to 5 year forecast.

b. The interests of the charity’s employees

The establishment of the People and Culture Committee (PCC) has been critical in ensuring our governance architecture is focused on the importance of our 8,000 employees. The majority are colleagues supporting people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives. The complexity of the care sector means our value proposition to staff is centred on the impact they create, our culture and their experience of working for us. This continues to be tested as the cost-of-living crisis puts a huge strain on household resources and incomes. Together with Royal Mencap Society’s AFRC, the PCC has considered for recommendation to the trustees:

remuneration of our staff in recognition of an extremely difficult economic and employment environment as they navigate the cost-of-living crisis; and
ensuring we provide a working environment focused on our values and our desire to be a more equitable, fair and anti-racist organisation for all current and future staff.

Our ambitions to reward staff fairly and facilitate devolved decision-making continue to be a strong focus for trustees. We recognise the positive changes over this year. But we also understand we need to continue to resolve structural challenges across the care sector which prevent our support worker colleagues being rewarded fairly.

c. The need to foster the charity’s business relationships with suppliers, customers and others

Our relationships with partners and suppliers are key to our effectiveness. We are clear about our role as co-producing and delivering support, services and change. Our relationships with local authorities and NHS Trusts through direct services and collaborative work are constructive and interdependent. We have worked closely with commissioners to agree a fair value for delivering our services. This includes co-opting commissioners of personal support services to take part in HMRC-approved VAT recovery arrangements.

In general, we continue to work with local authorities and other commissioning bodies to deliver localised, person-centred support for people with a learning disability. In doing so we are involved in honest, constructive conversations on what it takes to deliver services safely and in a person centred way.

Our work with government bodies enables us to champion best practice in areas such as social care and healthcare, as well as challenge inaction that could disadvantage people with a learning disability. We’ve highlighted health inequality campaigns and awareness earlier in the report. For example, the shocking disparity in life expectancy of people with a learning disability.

We continue to work with regulators to improve our services and so provide the best possible outcomes for the people we support. Our board has clear oversight

of, and directly engages with, our services. Through Royal Mencap Society’s Independent Safeguarding Scrutineer, the board receives advice and recommendations on ensuring we achieve the safest and most responsible environment for the people we support.

d. The impact of the charity’s operations on the community and the environment

We work with 309 independent network partners. These independent groups are united by a common vision to improve the lives of people with a learning disability. They work in their communities to share best practice, champion change and deliver highquality services and support for people with a learning disability. Our trustees continue to engage and make connections with community groups both in and outside our network.

Mencap’s community work is about identifying and building on existing strengths and supporting people to make communities accessible for everyone. In our first year we focused on finding communities and working with local people to discover their strengths. This year has been about relationships: bringing people together, making connections and building trust. Our work is growing – 21 people with a learning disability and 10 family members are now employed. People with a learning disability aren’t ‘grateful beneficiaries’ or patronized. Instead, they ask for what they need and get the respect they deserve. Right now, we’re shaping our work in response to the costof-living crisis. This means empowering communities to support each other through difficult times and public service cuts.

e. The desirability of the charity maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct

At the heart of our remit is living our values and ethos: being brave, inclusive, kind, passionate and positive. Each value represents how trustees oversee their responsibility to fulfil the charity’s purpose. To deliver our vision, it’s vital we inspire the trust of all our stakeholders by holding ourselves to the highest standards of conduct in all we do. Our reputation and culture is crucial to our ability to succeed now and in the future.

Trustees ensure a robust, transparent and protected system for reporting concerns and feedback. One focus is on creating an environment encouraging openness and responsiveness. To achieve this, trustees are informed by independent, external audits and reviews. The Delivery and Strategic Impact Committee (made up of 4 trustees) also receives reports from Mencap’s Independent Safeguarding Scrutineer, Frances Millar, on their independent assessment of how we are safeguarding our people.

f. The need to act fairly as between members of the charity

(‘Members’ means our various stakeholders).

We engage with each of our key stakeholder groups in a proactive, equal and engaged way. This extends to the people who use our services and their families, donors, staff, volunteers, partners and the wider learning disability community of 1.5m people in the UK. We ensure that any decisions we make as a board are informed by the potential impacts on all the groups Royal Mencap Society interacts with and is funded to represent.

Our trustees believe they have considered each of the relevant factors and/or stakeholders when making decisions, taking care to balance competing interests for the overall good of our charity. We achieve this in both the short and long term by ensuring people with a learning disability, their family members and carers, are at the heart of our decision making and strategy.

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Financial review

Summary

Authority funding challenges, inflation, cost of living crisis and wider recruitment and retention challenges in the care sector.

The table below summarises the recent financial performance of Mencap. Income has consistently grown throughout the 5-year period except for 2022/23 where total income fell primarily as a result of the subsidiary, Golden Lane Housing, demerging from the group on the 1st April 2022. For 2021/22, Golden Lane Housing equated to £25.2m of the total income figure.

In response to these challenges, Mencap implemented a Financial Recovery Plan in 2022 which consisted of a range of projects that continued throughout the 2023/24 financial year. The success of the financial recovery plan has underpinned improvements to our financial position, which can be seen by the total net income position in the table below.

The last 3 financial years have coincided with a particularly challenging environment across all lines of Mencap’s operations. These have included Local

----- Start of picture text -----
2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24
£m £m £m £m £m
Total Income 220.2 238.2 239.0 216.1 228.0
Total Expenditure 208.8 212.8 225.3 233.9 226.0
Total net income 6.8 14.6 5.9 (6.4) 3.1
Net movement in funds excluding transfers to Golden Lane Housing 14.4 11.2 4.5 (8.1) (3.8)
----- End of picture text -----*

Total net income defined as income after expenditure and the net gains on investments

** The transfer to Golden Lane Housing of (£63.9m) was part of the demerger on 1 April 2022. Other significant changes in net movement in funds largely reflect material gains or losses from actuarial valuation on the defined pension benefit scheme.

Increases in income over 2023/24 (£m)

What made up our income in 2023/24?

----- Start of picture text -----
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0
[Personal support ][87%] Donations and
legacies
[Donations & Legacies ][5%]
Charitable
activities
[Other services ][4%]
[Retail trading ][2%] Other trading
activities
[Other trading ][1%]
Investments
[Gain on disposal of fixed assets ][1%]
Rental
Income
Total income grew from £216.1m in 2022/23 to Gain on disposal
£228.0 in 2023/24. The chart below summarises of fixed assets
the principal reasons for this movement.
----- End of picture text -----

Charitable Activities

91% of our total income comes from charitable activities. This relates to receipts for the provision of direct service delivery and includes income from central and local government learning disability contracts.

The increase of £7.5m is a combination of a £7.4m increase in Personal Support income across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and £0.1m in our delivery in employment and youth services. The Personal Support net increase is being driven by price uplifts on existing contracts of £13.7m with a £6.3m reduction through changes in support and reduced services.

As part of our Financial Recovery Plan, we have undertaken a review of learning disability contracts that were not providing funding to cover our net costs. As at 31 March 2024, we had handed back 10 services and had given notice on a further 21 services, which are planned to be handed back during the first half of the 2024/25 financial year. These have been difficult, but essential decisions to take early action to limit impact on the financial viability of our services.

Donations and legacies

Donations and legacies increased from £8.3m in 2022/23 to £9.4m in 2023/24. Most of our fundraised income is through legacies and legacy growth has been affected by delays in the probate service which has affected all charities. We have begun to see an improved legacy position in the last few months of the 2023/24 financial year and we remain very grateful that people continue to remember us in their wills.

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2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24
£m £m £m £m £m
Donations 3.4 2.8 3.1 2.8 2.8
Legacies 6.8 7.9 8.3 5.5 6.6
Trusts 0.8 1.8 1.1 0.6 0.4
Community 0.2 0.4 1.1 0.4 0.2
Organisations
0.3 3.6 0.2 0.9 0.6
raising funds
Gifts in kind 1.3 2.0 0.2 0.1 0.0
Total 12.8 18.5 14.0 10.3 10.6
----- End of picture text -----

Other Trading activities

Other trading activities relates to the income generated from Mencap’s retail stores as well as undertaking DBS checks for external organisations and our trust management services. We have 27 retail stores which have continued its improvement in trading income and surplus. In 2024, we intend to open three more stores, with the first one expected to open for business in June 2024.

----- Start of picture text -----
Change from
Other trading income 2022/23 2023/24
22/23
£m £m £m
Retail 3.5 3.8 0.3
DBS checks 0.3 0.3 0.0
Trust Management
0.8 0.7 (0.1)
Services
Total 4.6 4.8 0.2
----- End of picture text -----

Gains on Disposal of assets

Our gains on disposal have been driven during the year of our sale of our former London office on Golden Lane. The sale was driven by our active approach to asset management, ensuring that have the right homes for the people we support to live in and the right offices for colleagues to do their best work in.

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Total Expenditure

The table below summarises the cost base for Mencap since 2019/20. Expenditure, most notably staff costs, have grown throughout the five year period due to rises in the minimum wage. The reduction in costs between 2022/23 and 2021/22 is because of the subsidiary, Golden Lane Housing, demerging from the group on the 1st April 2022. For 2021/22, Golden Lane Housing equated to £27.7m of the total expenditure figure.

Total expenditure grew by £4.3m to £226.0m in 2023/24. Our increased spend on charitable activities was driven by increased payroll costs of £3.0m. The ongoing recruitment and retention challenges faced by care providers meant a high reliance on agency workers, where we have spent £18.7m in 2023/24 (compared to £17.0m in 2022/23).

Expenditure on raising funds decreased from £3.6m in 2022/23 to £3.4m in 2023/24. This was predominantly due to lower staff costs in 2023/24 due to higher levels of vacant posts.

----- Start of picture text -----
2023/24
expenditure
----- End of picture text -----

[Direct staff costs ][81%][Finance & IT costs ][3%]

[Support staff costs ][6%][Other direct costs ][3%]

[Property costs ][6%][HR, management ] & other support 1%

Charity Reserves

The table below provides a five-year summary of the reserves position. Each year in the table relates to the Mencap charity only and excludes subsidiaries.

----- Start of picture text -----
2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24
£m £m £m £m £m
Restricted
10.0 14.1 14.0 12.6 11.3
Income
Unrestricted
33.2 27.1 30.8 25.0 29.2
Funds
Designated - 9.0 6.4 5.1 3.8
Funds
Pension
(1.3) (2.6) (2.3) (4.4) (7.7)
Fund
Total
Charity 41.9 47.6 48.9 38.3 36.6
Funds
----- End of picture text -----

Actuarial loss on defined benefit pension scheme

Mencap operates several pension schemes for the benefit of its employees. As at 31 March 2009, the defined benefit section of the Mencap Pension Plan was closed to future accrual. This means that Mencap will fund the benefits that staff have earned to that date but does not offer the same benefit moving forward.

The defined benefit section liability is required to be valued in accordance with the FRS102 accounting standard. As at the 31 March 2024, under FRS102, the scheme has showed an increased deficit from (£2.3m) to (£7.7m) over the year.

This valuation is different from the valuation by the pension trustees and the pensions regulator used to assess whether the scheme has sufficient assets to fund its liabilities (the technical provisions). As at 31 March 2024, the technical provisions update shows a decrease in the deficit from (£14.0m) to (£11.4m) over the same period.

97% of this total net expenditure was unrestricted.

----- Start of picture text -----
Areas of expenditure 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2021/22Excl GLH [1] 2022/23 2023/24
£m £m £m £m £m £m
Raising funds 6.7 3.2 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.4
Trading Costs of Subsidiaries 0 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.8 3.6
Charitable activities 206.1 218.4 227.0 203.0 214.3 219.0
Total 212.8 225.3 234.0 210.0 221.7 226.0
----- End of picture text -----

1 This shows 2021/22 excluding Golden Lane Housing who demerged from the group on 1 April 2022.

Changes in expenditure over 2023/24 (£000)

----- Start of picture text -----
[Non-staff costs ] [Staff costs]
Governance and
support costs
Charitable
activities
Other trading
activities
-500 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500
----- End of picture text -----

Net movement in funds

Net negative adjustments to the defined benefit pension schemes of (£7.0m) were made following revisions to actuarial valuations. This meant that the Group deficit was (£3.8m). The split between restricted and unrestricted is shown in the table below:

----- Start of picture text -----
Total restricted (deficit) Total unrestricted (deficit)
(£1.3m) (£2.5m)
----- End of picture text -----

The group had £2.0m in cash as at 31 March 2024, of which £1.6m belonged to the Charity and the remaining £0.4m is retained by subsidiaries. Our cash position remains strong enough to allow us to operate effectively and contributes towards ensuring we meet our reserves policy requirements.

Additionally, around £10.2m of investments are held in a portfolio with high liquidity. Together with an arranged, unused overdraft, this ensures Mencap has adequate liquidity levels.

The valuation for accounting purposes has a different outcome to the valuation for the technical provisions for the purposes of managing the scheme. This is due to a difference in the basis of measurement of the scheme liability.

The FRS 102 accounting standard requires the defined benefit pension liability to be valued using corporate bond yields, whereas the valuation by the pension trustees use government bond rates (gilt rates). Historically these two approaches to determining the deficit have generally been aligned directionally, as the pension portfolio had included significant corporate bonds in the portfolio.

In managing the scheme, the scheme assets are invested to hedge against movements in government bonds. During the year, gilt rates increased significantly which led to a fall in the value of the scheme assets. As the technical provisions also values the scheme liability with the same gilt rates, any fall in the value of assets, was also matched by a fall in the value of the scheme liability.

However, there was no change in corporate bond yields over the same period. Valuing the liability with corporate bond yields under FRS102 accounting standards, meant that whilst asset values fell, the

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value of the liability remained the same. This resulted in an increase in the deficit between the value of the scheme assets and valuation of the liability as measured against FRS102.

The variation between the two measurements has been increased since the insurance buy-in of 67% of pensioners out of the scheme in December 2021 which helped to manage longevity risk. To derisk the scheme assets against movements in interest rates and inflation, the scheme sold its holding of corporate bonds (previously valued at c. 50% of the total asset portfolio) in exchange for an insurance policy. The buy-in has had the intended effect in reducing the risk on the pension assets. However, the scheme’s asset portfolio has a reduced corporate bond holding and therefore, FRS102 valuations, using corporate bonds rates, will diverge going forward from the technical provisions valuation.

We are required to present the valuation under FRS 102 in the Annual Report and Accounts. The increase of the net defined benefit liability seen in Other Comprehensive Income in the accounts (note 24) represents an accounting loss generated by the basis of measurement, which does not reflect the working position of the defined benefit section of the Mencap Pension Plan.

Mencap’s Free Reserves

Mencap has a reserves policy based on liquidity, with free reserves defined as the total of unrestricted cash plus unrestricted marketable investments.

This change was made to align reserves management more closely with the operation and to improve transparency, making it easier for all stakeholders to understand how the reserves figure is reached, and how it is used to support financial sustainability across the life of Mencap’s three-year financial plan.

Our target range for free reserves is reviewed annually and is currently set at between £15m to £20m. This was arrived at using scenario planning, incorporating key financial risks in the areas of Personal Support, Fundraising and Retail. The range has increased from the previously agreed position of £10m to £15m, reflecting the increased risks within the care sector that Mencap faces. The next formal review is scheduled to be presented to Mencap’s Audit, Finance and Risk Committee in October 2024.

Unrestricted cash as at 31 March 2024 was (£3.8m) (2023: (£3.0m)) which together with unrestricted marketable investments of £22.1m, (2023: £16.1m) gives a total of £18.3m of free reserves. For operational cash management, the cash at bank balance is pooled between unrestricted and restricted balances on the basis that there are sufficient unrestricted liquid investments to drawdown into cash as required.

This figure is within the free reserves range. The free reserves position is regularly monitored and reported to trustees as part of the quarterly reforecasting cycle. Ensuring that the minimum free reserves figure is not breached is a fundamental part of our regular stress testing of the resilience of Mencap’s three-year financial plan.

Following the results of the triennial valuation of the Mencap Pension Plan (as of 31 March 2023), a schedule of contributions was agreed between the Charity and the pension trustee. Annual contributions of £1.8m pa are made and this has helped the reduction of the technical pension deficit. It is important to note that these annual contributions are budgeted in full and therefore taken account of as we manage our actual liquidity against the reserves target range. The next actuarial valuation is currently being undertaken with the valuation based on the position as at 31 March 2026.

Investment policy and performance for the charity

The returns over the year to 31 March 2024 were £1.1m. The long-term funds returned 9.5% over the year and the return for the MVS portfolio was also positive at 8.2%.

The investment policy is designed to support the reserves policy. Mencap has adopted a prudent investment policy to balance potential returns with appropriate levels of risk.

The Charity holds three investment portfolios. One portfolio relates to the Mencap Visiting Service and is designed to meet its funding needs over the long-term so that the service can continue to operate for as long as the beneficiaries need it. The portfolio has a longtime horizon and independent MVS trustees monitor performance regularly to make sure that the assets will be sufficient to meet the needs of the service.

The other investment portfolios form part of the Charity’s unrestricted funds and form part of the free reserves. One is invested for the long term and its objective is to provide a return more than inflation, as measured by CPI. A second is invested in liquid funds, retaining access to the funds at short notice should they be required. We encourage our investment managers to hold investments in funds which have a positive benefit for society, including companies which take a positive approach to disability.

The investment positions as at 31st March 2024 are summarised in the table below

----- Start of picture text -----
Fund Value as at 31/3/24
Mencap Visiting Service £4.2m
Long Term Funds £11.9m
Liquid funds £10.2m
----- End of picture text -----

During the year, Schroder and Co Ltd, trading as Cazenove Capital Management, continued to be engaged to manage the Mencap and Mencap Visiting Service portfolios. The funds were fully invested throughout the year.

Future forecasts

The financial results for 2023/24 demonstrate the success of Mencap’s financial recovery plan in responding to the challenges of operating in the care sector. Full year financial benefits arising from the activity undertaken in 2023/24 are expected to feed through into the 2024/25 financial performance, and throughout the three year medium financial plan. This is outlined in the table below

----- Start of picture text -----
2023/24 2024/25 2025/26 2026/27
Actual forecast forecast forecast
Total Income £m 228.0 237.0 252.3 269.6
Operating Margin (%) 9.6% 10.8% 10.7% 10.0%
Net Margin (%) 0.9% 1.9% 2.1% 1.8%
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Whilst this is a positive endorsement of the difficult decisions that Mencap had to take, we are still operating in an environment with a series of structural risks around funding, recruitment and retention, which will mean that we will continue to maintain our close monitoring arrangements on our financial position and take necessary action to ensure that we continue to operate within our financial targets.

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Risk management and internal control for the charity

Risks will be logged on the assurance framework in the following circumstances:

Risk management is embedded across Mencap. The board of trustees is supported by the audit and risk and the quality and compliance committees. Independent assurance of the robustness of the control environment is provided by an outsourced internal audit function from RSM UK.

A single operational risk may move to the strategic framework if the impact would result in the delivery of a strategic objective going off course
A series of connected operational risks may, together, form a strategic level risk due to their combined effect on the delivery of a strategic objective.

Risk management at the operational level is managed by the executive directors, who review risks regularly both within their directorates and as a group.

As at 31st March 2024, the key risks on Mencap’s strategic risk register, together with the principal controls and main sources of assurances we have in place to mitigate these risks, are shown in the table below.

----- Start of picture text -----
No. Risk Theme Key Controls
1 Corporate Reputation • Communications Strategy in place
2 Serious service failures • Reporting and monitoring of serious and critical incidents
• Whistleblowing policy
• Independent safeguarding chair is in plac
3 Causing hard to people • Colleague training is in place
we support
• Comprehensive induction programme in place for new colleagues
• Reporting and monitoring of serious and critical incidents
• Weekly Incident Panel in place to review and learn from any specific incident or patterns of incidents
4 Reduction in • Use of benchmarking data
fundraising income
• Investment into a new Fundraising CRM
• Close of monitoring of income projections so that expenditure is aligned to a net nil position
5 Meeting organisational • Clear financial targets in place for margin performance
financial targets across
the life of the medium • Reserves policy in place and annually agreed by Board of Trustees
term financial plan • Monthly monitoring of financial performance with regular reforecasting
----- End of picture text -----

Going Concern

Within this report, we have highlighted RMS’s strong financial performance over the last 5 years, the level of reserves held and the principal risks and uncertainties that we face. From a financial perspective, Mencap is well placed to manage these risks. This assertion is supported by

A three-year medium term financial plan that is reforecast on a quarterly basis.
An embedded stress testing of the financial plan which includes trigger points that will enable early mitigation action to take place should a trigger point be breached.
A financial recovery plan that has been in operation throughout 2024/25, leading to financial improvements that has enabled the 2024/25 budget to operate within agreed financial targets.
A level of liquid reserves that doesn’t fall below the minimum reserves figure as agreed by trustees.
A positive relationship with our key funder and a proven ability to retain and secure services.

The annual budget is approved by the Board of Trustees on an annual basis and performance against budget is reviewed and reforecast on a quarterly basis. The 2024/25 budget assumes an operating margin performance that is line with target ranges. This positive position is expected to continue throughout the life of the three year medium term financial plan.

Our medium term financial plan to 2026/27 forecasts that we will remain above our minimum free reserves figure. As detailed in our reserves policy and explained here, we hold free reserves to provide cover for unexpected changes in income and expenditure and to allow us to adjust our cost base and continue activities. We will continue to monitor the situation and manage our finances accordingly.

As at 31 March 2024, RMS was holding marketable investments of £26.4m, in addition to £2.0m of operational cash. We acknowledge our pension fund obligations and have a clear strategy to manage the deficit. This includes a deficit reduction plan that is designed to get the scheme to self-sufficiency by 2029, subject to continued discussion and agreement with the pension scheme trustee board.

The trustees therefore have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, being at least twelve months from the date of approval of these financial statements. Accordingly, the financial statements continue to be prepared on the going concern basis.

Statement of Public Benefit

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit, “Charities and Public Benefit”. Royal Mencap Society’s charitable objects are enshrined within its memorandum and articles and as such the trustees ensure that the charity’s activities are carried out for the public benefit through its strategic priorities. This is done primarily through the delivery of services aimed at all those with a learning disability. This report allows us to show how our charitable funds are spent and the impact and benefits that has on those using our services, as well as the wider impact on society.

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Statement of trustees responsibilities

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company’s transactions, disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the provisions of the charity’s constitution. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and the group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees (who are also directors of Royal Mencap Society for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the group and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company/group for that period.

Disclosure of information to auditors

Insofar as each of the trustees of the charity at the date
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees of approval of this report is aware there is no relevant are required to: audit information (information needed by the charity’s auditor in connection with preparing the audit report)
• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply of which the charity’s auditor is unaware. Each trustee
them consistently. has taken all of the steps that he/she should have taken as a trustee in order to make himself/herself aware of
• Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP. any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity’s auditor is aware of that information. The
• Make judgements and estimates that are trustees report, under the Charities Act 2011 and the reasonable and prudent. Companies Act 2006, was approved by the trustees on 24th July 2024, including approving in their capacity
• State whether applicable UK accounting standards as company directors the strategic report contained
have been followed, subject to any material therein, and is signed as authorised on its behalf.
departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements.
Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

Dame Carolyn Fairbairn: Chair

Phil Hughes: Trustee

Independent auditor’s report

Conclusions relating to going concern

Opinion

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

We have audited the financial statements of the Royal Mencap Society (‘the charitable company’) and its subsidiaries (‘the group’) for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities (Incorporating the income and expenditure account), the Consolidated and Charity Balance Sheets, the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s or the group’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

In our opinion the financial statements:

Other information

give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2024 and of the group’s income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and Regulations 6 and 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (amended).

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company and the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

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Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit

the information given in the trustees report, which includes the directors’ report and the strategic report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the strategic report and the directors’ report included within the trustees report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and charitable company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors’ report included within the trustees report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

adequate and proper accounting records have not been kept; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of trustees remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees responsibilities statement set out on page 128, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial

statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and under the Companies Act 2006 and report in accordance with the Acts and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Details of the extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations are set out below.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of noncompliance with laws and regulations. We identified and assessed the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements from irregularities, whether due to fraud or error, and discussed these between our

audit team members including significant component audit teams. We then designed and performed audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks within which the charitable company and group operates, focusing on those laws and regulations that have a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The laws and regulations we considered in this context were the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011 and The Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, together with the Charities SORP (FRS 102). We assessed the required compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items.

In addition, we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which might be fundamental to the charitable company’s and the group’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty. We also considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the charitable company and the group for fraud. The laws and regulations we considered in this context for the UK operations were CQC regulations for service providers and managers, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Health and Safety legislation and Employment legislation.

Auditing standards limit the required audit procedures to identify non-compliance with these laws and regulations to enquiry of the Trustees and other management and inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.

Our audit procedures to respond to these risks included enquiries of management, internal audit and the Audit & Risk Committee about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities, sample testing of grant and contract income in the year and post year end, sample testing on the posting of journals, reviewing accounting estimates for biases, reviewing regulatory correspondence with the Charity Commission, and reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed noncompliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006, and to the charitable company’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body and the charitable company’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Dipesh Chhatralia Senior Statutory Auditor

For and on behalf of

Crowe U.K. LLP Statutory Auditor London

Date 25 July 2024

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Financial statements

Consolidated statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 March 2024 (incorporating the income and expenditure account)

----- Start of picture text -----
Notes Unrestricted Restricted Total Unrestricted Restricted Discontinued Total
funds funds 2024 funds funds Operations 2023
Funds Funds
----- End of picture text -----


		£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Income from:
Donations and legacies	2, 27	9,560	1,105	10,665	8,661	1,249	-	9,910
Charitable activities	3, 27	204,235	3,945	208,180	194,709	6,013	-	200,722
Other trading activities	4	4,800	-	4,800	4,583	-	-	4,583
Investments	5	590	124	714	337	104	-	441
Rental income	6	537	-	537	422	0	-	422
Gain on disposal of fxed assets		3,131	-	3,131	34	-	-	34
Total		222,853	5,174	228,027	208,746	7,366	-	216,112
Expenditure on:
Raising funds	7	3,306	44	3,350	3,497	105	-	3,602
Trading Costs Of Subsidiaries	7	3,641	3	3,644	3,760	10	-	3,770
Charitable activities	7	211,873	7,177	219,050	206,001	8,334	-	214,335
Total		218,820	7,224	226,044	213,258	8,449	-	221,707
Net gains on investments	14	844	287	1,131	(523)	(299)		(822)
Net income/(expenditure)		4,887	(1,763)	3,114	(5,035)	(1,382)	-	(6,417)
Transfers between funds	23	(437)	437	-	16	(16)	-	-
Transfer of unrestricted discontinued operations to Golden Lane Housing (Charity Registration Number 1071097)	28	-	-	-	-	-	(37,402)	(37,402)
Transfer of restricted discontinued operations to Golden Lane Housing (Charity Registration Number 1071097)	28	-	-	-	-	-	(26,522)	(26,522)
Other recognised losses
Actuarial losses on defned beneft pension schemes	24	(6,958)	-	(6,958)	(1,719)	-	-	(1,719)
Net movement in funds		(2,518)	(1,326)	(3,844)	(6,738)	(1,398)	(63,924)	(72,060)
Reconciliation of Funds
Total funds brought forward		27,810	12,627	40,437	34,548	14,025	63,924	112,497
Total funds carried forward		25,292	11,301	36,593	27,810	12,627	-	40,437

With effect from 1 April 2022 Golden Lane Housing ceased to be part of the group. With effect from this date certain activities, transactions, assets and liabilities of the charity were transferred as a going concern to Golden Lane Housing Limited (Charity Registration Number 1071097). See note 30.

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Consolidated balance sheet as at 31 March 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
Notes
£’000 £’000
----- End of picture text -----

Fixed assets
Intangible assets	12	75	19
Tangible assets	13	11,199	16,345
Investments	14	26,357	22,003
Total fxed assets		37,631	38,367
Current assets
Debtors	17	34,781	30,416
Stock		9	19
Cash at bank and in hand		2,033	3,377
Total current assets		36,823	33,812
Liabilities
Creditors: Amounts fallingdue within oneyear	18	(24,348)	(23,147)
Net current assets		12,475	10,665
Total assets less current liabilities		50,106	49,032
Creditors:Amounts fallingdue after more than oneyear	19	(480)	(540)
Provisions for liabilities	21	(5,287)	(5,681)
Net assets excludingpension liability		44,339	42,811
Defned beneftpension scheme liability	24	(7,746)	(2,374)
Total net assets		36,593	40,437
The funds of thegroup:
Restricted income funds	23	11,301	12,627
Unrestricted funds		29,245	25,072
Designated funds		3,793	5,112
Pension reserve		(7,746)	(2,374)
Total unrestricted funds	23	25,292	27,810
Totalgroup funds		36,593	40,437

These financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the trustees on 17 July 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

Dame Carolyn Fairbairn: Chair Phil Hughes: Trustee

Charity balance sheet as at 31 March 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
Notes
£’000 £’000
----- End of picture text -----

Fixed assets
Intangible assets	12	75	19
Tangible assets	13	11,199	16,345
Investments	14	26,357	22,003
*Totalfxed assets*		37,631	38,367
Current assets
Debtors	17	34,718	30,482
Cash at bank and in hand		1,640	2,971
*Total current assets*		36,358	33,453
Liabilities
Creditors: Amounts fallingdue within oneyear	18	(24,240)	(23,070)
*Net current assets*		12,118	10,383
Total assets less current liabilities		49,749	48,750
Creditors: Amounts fallingdue after more than oneyear	19	(480)	(540)
Provisions for liabilities	21	(5,271)	(5,656)
*Net assets excluding pension asset or liability*		43,998	42,554
Defned beneftpension scheme liability	24	(7,746)	(2,374)
Total net assets		36,252	40,180
The funds of the charity:
Restricted income funds		11,301	12,627
Unrestricted funds		28,904	24,815
Designated funds		3,793	5,112
Pension reserve		(7,746)	(2,374)
Total unrestricted funds		24,951	27,553
Total charity funds		36,252	40,180

The charity has taken exemption from presenting its unconsolidated profit and loss account under section 408 of the Companies Act 2006. The net income of the charity in 2024 was £3.0m (2023: net income -£6.5m)

These financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the trustees on 17 July 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

Dame Carolyn Fairbairn: Chair Phil Hughes: Trustee

The notes on pages 140 to 168 form part of these financial statements.

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Consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended 31 March 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£’000 £’000
----- End of picture text -----

Cash fows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by operating activities (see below)	(6,219)	(12,680)
Cash fows from investing activities
Dividends, interest and rents from investments	714	441
Proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment	8,111	34
Purchase of property, plant and equipment	(666)	(527)
Proceeds from the sale of investments	26,429	18,520
Purchase of investments	(29,653)	(15,035)
Shared investment contribution	-	(538)
Cash and cash equivalents transferred to Golden Lane Housing limited (Charity Registration Number 1071097)	-	(8,657)
Net cash used in investment activities	4,935	(5,762)
Cash fows from fnancing activities:
Repayments of borrowing	(60)	(60)
Cash infows from new borrowing	-	-
Net cash used in fnancing activities	(60)	(60)
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period	(1,344)	(18,502)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting period	3,377	21,879
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period	2,033	3,377

Reconciliation of net expenditure to net cash flow from operating activites

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£’000 £’000
----- End of picture text -----

Net income/(expenditure) for the reporting period (as per the statement of fnancial activities)	3,114	(6,417)
Adjustments for:
Depreciation and amortisation charges	777	988
Gain on investments	(1,131)	822
Dividends, interest and rents from investments	(714)	(441)
Defned beneft pension expense	272	211
Proft on the sale of fxed assets	(3,131)	(34)
Decrease in stock	10	19
Increase in debtors	(4,365)	(5,590)
Increase in creditors (excluding loans)	1,201	(970)
Decrease in provisions	(394)	580
Defned beneft pension defcit (reduction)	(1,858)	(1,848)
Net cash provided by operating activities	(6,219)	(12,680)

Analysis of cash and cash equivalents

	2024 £’000	2023 £’000
Cash in hand	2,033	3,377
Notice deposits (less than 3 months)	-	-
Total cash and cash equivalents	2,033	3,377

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1. Accounting policies

(a) Company information

Royal Mencap Society is a public benefit entity registered as charity in England and Wales and a company limited by guarantee. It was incorporated on 9 June 1955 (company number: 550457) and registered as a charity on 23 July 1964 (charity number: 222377). It is also registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator on 11 December 2009 (charity number: SC041079).

The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association (last amended 15 October 2014).

In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 each.

The registered office of Royal Mencap Society is 6 Cyrus Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8HP.

(b) Basis of preparation and going concern The consolidated financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Companies Act 2006 and the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) - effective 1 January 2015.

On 1 April 2023 the charity’s former subsidiary Golden Lane Housing Limited ceased to be part of the group. The financial results of Golden Lane Housing Limited for the year ending 31 March 2023 are included in the comparative figures in these financial statements.

The charity’s other trading subsidiaries as disclosed in the accounts are fully consolidated, as in all cases the charity is the sole member.

Mencap is well placed to manage the business risks we face. This position is supported by a sufficient level of liquid reserves to cover business continuity and development plans, a good relationship with our key funders and proven ability to retain and secure new services.

The Budget for financial year 2024/25 was approved by the RMS Board in March 2024.

The 2024/25 Budget anticipates total income of £237.0m with an operating margin of 10.8% and a net margin of 1.9% . RMS has designated reserves of £9m to invest behind the Big Plan. We hold free reserves to provide cover for unexpected changes in income and

expenditure, allowing us to continue activities whilst we adjust our cost base as required. We will continue to monitor the situation and manage our finances accordingly.

At the year-end RMS was holding marketable investments of £26.3m, in addition to £2.0m of operational cash.

Our planning processes, including financial projections, take into consideration the current economic climate and its potential impact on the various sources of income and planned expenditure. We acknowledge our pension fund obligations and have a clear strategy to manage the deficit, which includes a deficit reduction plan that is designed to get the scheme to selfsufficiency by 2029, subject to continued discussion and agreement with the pension scheme trustee board.

The trustees therefore have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future being at least twelve months from the date of approval of these financial statements. Accordingly, the financial statements continue to be prepared on the going concern basis.

(c) Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

In the application of the group’s accounting policies, which are described in this note, trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects the current and future periods.

Significant areas of estimate and judgement include provisions, assumptions used to value the defined benefit pension scheme, and the remaining useful life of assets. Related accounting policies for these items are noted below.

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the presentation of the financial statements are as follows:

Revenue recognition (Grant and contract income including ad hoc income) – for income to be classified as contract income, it must be roughly equal to the

services supplied by the charity to the purchaser. Contract income is therefore recognised differently to grant income in the charity’s accounts. There may be a requirement to defer or accrue income in accordance with the charity SORP (see notes 3 and 6).

Revenue recognition (Legacy income) – there is a high level of judgement involved in recognising legacy income, which is accounted for when notified usually at the point of probate (see note 2).

Estimates and judgements (Pension liability) – the Trustees of Mencap hold responsibility for setting the assumptions on which valuation of the Mencap pension scheme is based. These assumptions form the basis of the FRS 102 defined benefit pension liability valuation by the scheme actuary and can make a significant difference to the result disclosed in the financial statements (see note 24).

(d) Income

All income is accounted for when Mencap has entitlement, there is probability of receipt, and the amount is measurable.

Charitable activities (see note 3) Income in respect of contracts for the provision of services is recognised when Mencap is entitled based on services provided. Amounts received in advance of service provision are deferred until the relevant part of the contracted service is complete.

Legacies (see note 2) Legacies are accounted for when notified, providing the amount can be reliably measured and that ultimate receipt is probable. This is usually at the point of probate. Legacies which include a life interest held by another party are recognised on notification of the death of the party benefiting from the life interest.

Donations (see note 2) Income from donations is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement to the gift, receipt is probable, and the amount can be measured reliably. This is usually upon receipt of the donation.

Gifts in kind (see note 2) Donated goods and services are included as income within the statement of financial activities (with an equivalent amount in expenditure) at their value to the charity, where Mencap is entitled to the donation, it is probable that it will be received, and the fair value can be measured reliably.

Property Income (see note 6) Rental and service charge income is recognised on an accruals basis and recognised when the property is available for let, net of voids. As included in the comparative figures for the year ending 31 March 2023, Golden Lane Housing

operates a fixed service charge scheme. Where periodic expenditure is required, this will be treated as deferred income and held on the Statement of Financial Position until the costs are incurred.

Investments (see note 14) Listed investments are stated at market value at the balance sheet date. The SOFA includes the net gains and losses arising on revaluations and disposals throughout the year. Interest income receivable or payable is credited or charged to the income and expenditure account in the financial year to which it relates.

Grants (see note 3 and 6) Grant income is recognised in the statement of financial activities when received or when the charity becomes entitled to receipt. Grants that have been received will be treated as deferred income where there are specific requirements in the terms of the grant that the income recognition is dependent on certain activities being completed in a future accounting period.

(e)Expenditure

(i) Activity related expenditure (see note 7)

The charity’s cost of operating includes staff costs, rent and other related costs. Costs are allocated between raising funds and charitable activities. Raising funds includes costs of raising funds, investment management costs and the trading costs of subsidiaries. Charitable activities includes costs of providing services; campaigning for change; support with advice; researching & evaluating; building peoples own capabilities; providing housing and governance & support costs. All costs are accounted for on an accruals basis.

(ii) Basis of allocation of support costs (see note 7)

Support costs include management, finance, information technology and human resources. They are apportioned across the charity based on use.

Governance costs other than those disclosed specifically in the notes to these accounts are included within support costs and allocated on the same basis.

(iii) Pension costs (see note 24)

Mencap pension scheme (defined benefit)

The Mencap defined benefit scheme was closed to new entrants on 1 October 2001 and closed to future service benefit accrual with effect from 31 March 2009.

Pension scheme assets are measured at fair value and liabilities are measured on an actuarial basis using the projected unit method and discounted at a rate equivalent to the current rate of return on a high-quality corporate bond of equivalent currency and term to the scheme liabilities. The actuarial assumptions are reviewed every three years.

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1. Accounting policies continued

The valuation is updated at each balance sheet date and the resulting defined benefit asset or liability is shown separately after other net assets on the face of the balance sheet. This defined benefit asset or liability is also disclosed separately within unrestricted funds.

The amounts charged to the statement of financial activities are the current service costs, which are included within staff costs, and gains and losses on settlements and curtailments. Past service costs are recognised immediately if the benefits have vested. Defined actuarial gains and losses are recognised under other recognised gains and losses.

The defined benefit schemes are funded, with the assets of the scheme held separately from those of the group in separate trustee administered funds.

The value of the insurance asset is equivalent to the liabilities it insures.

If members of the defined benefit pension schemes have not yet retired, their costs are recognised over the period leading to retirement. Further details of the nature of these costs are given in note 24: Pension scheme.

Other defined benefit schemes

Mencap also participates in a number of local government pension schemes in relation to a small number of staff who have transferred over to Mencap. Mencap participates in these schemes by way of admission agreements. Full provision has been made according to FRS 102 in the financial statements in relation to one of the schemes. However, as the liability is not material, disclosure has been limited so as not to distort or overstate the importance of this scheme.

Defined contribution scheme

The charity also contributes to a defined contribution scheme, which was opened on 1 April 2002. This is currently operated by AEGON (Formerly Blackrock). A workplace pension scheme is operated by NEST.

For the defined contribution scheme, the amount charged to the statement of financial activities in respect of pension costs and other post-retirement benefits is the contributions payable in the year. Differences between contributions payable in the year and contributions actually paid are shown as either accruals or prepayments in the balance sheet.

The cost of the charity’s contributions to the defined contribution scheme is allocated between restricted and unrestricted funds in accordance with the functions of the individual employees to whom the contributions relate.

(iv) Redundancy and termination costs

Employee benefits paid on redundancy or termination include accrued amounts where Mencap is demonstrably committed to make these payments, but they had not yet been made at 31 March 2024. All accrued amounts are fully funded and expected to be settled within 12 months of the balance sheet date.

(f) Tangible and intangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets (see note 13)

Tangible fixed assets costing more than £2,000 are capitalised; all tangible assets costing less than this amount are expensed immediately.

Depreciation is provided so as to write off the cost of the assets (net of any shared investment contributions where applicable) in equal instalments over the estimated useful lives of the assets.

The depreciation rates used to achieve this are as follows:

Freehold and leasehold land and buildings: 1% - 10% per annum
Fixtures, fittings and equipment: 10% - 33% per annum
Motor vehicles: 25% per annum

Assets under construction is a category holding assets pending completion and transfer into the relevant fixed asset category. These assets are capitalised at cost and not subject to depreciation or impairment unless extraordinary circumstances have occurred which would require provision to be made.

Office properties are held at cost.

Residential property is held at cost, less contributions from individuals and their families where applicable. Shared investment contributions are accounted in this way where individuals or families have a right to an equity share of the property on disposal, including any resulting profit or loss.

All other tangible fixed assets are subject to review for impairment/accelerated depreciation where there is an indication of a reduction in their carrying value. Any impairment/accelerated depreciation is recognised in the statement of financial activities in the year in which it occurs.

Intangible fixed assets (see note 12)

Intangible fixed assets costing more than £2,000 are capitalised; all intangible assets costing less than this amount are expensed immediately.

Amortisation is provided so as to write off the cost of the assets in equal instalments over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The amortisation rates used to achieve this are as follows:

Software: 33% per annum

Finance leases

Leases are classified as finance leases whenever the terms of the lease transfer substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the leased asset to the group. All other leases are classified as operating leases.

Assets held under finance leases are recognised initially at the fair value of the leased asset (or, if lower, the present value of minimum lease payments) at the inception of the lease.

The corresponding liability to the lessor is included in the statement of financial position as a finance lease obligation.

Lease payments are apportioned between finance charges and reduction of the lease obligation using the effective interest method so as to achieve a constant rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability.

Operating leases (see note 11)

Rentals under operating leases are charged on a straight-line basis over the lease term, even if the payments are not made on such a basis. Benefits received and receivable as an incentive to sign an operating lease are spread on a straight-line basis over the lease term which runs to the date of the first relevant break clause.

(g) Current assets and liabilities

Stock

Stock, which comprises stationery and goods for resale, is stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Donated stock is carried at nil value as it is considered impractical to obtain a reliable valuation. The value of goods is instead recognised at their retail price when sold.

Provisions – general (see note 21)

Provision is made for present obligations where it is probable settlement will be required in the future and the amount can be estimated reliably, but the amount or timing is not certain. Amounts provided for, other than for Mencap Visiting Service and leasehold property dilapidations, are expected to be settled within 12 months and are therefore recognised at the estimated settlement amount.

Provisions – Mencap Visiting Service

Provision is made to cover the estimated all future costs of providing the Mencap Visiting Service over its

remaining life. In estimating the provision, account is taken of the estimated number of years that the service will be provided to individuals as well as estimated future inflation rates and rates of return on investments associated with the scheme. Investments held by Mencap to cover the liability of providing the Mencap Visiting Service are held in trust for this purpose.

Deferred income

Grants that have been received will be treated as deferred income where there is a specific requirement in the terms of the grant that the income recognition is dependent on certain activities being completed in a future accounting period(s).

(h) Basic financial instruments (see note 20) Financial assets (including cash and debtors) and financial liabilities are recognised when the group becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. Additionally, all financial assets and liabilities are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into.

Financial assets and liabilities are initially measured at transaction price (including transaction costs) and are subsequently remeasured where applicable at amortised cost, except for investments which are measured at fair value with gains and losses recognised in the statement of financial activities.

Financial assets include cash, trade debtors, intercompany debtors, other debtors and accrued income. Financial assets held at fair value include investments.

Financial liabilities include trade creditors, other creditors, finance leases, bonds, loans and accruals.

(i) Funds (see note 23)

The charitable companies within the group maintain various types of fund as follows:

Restricted funds are those which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charities for a particular purpose.
Unrestricted funds are funds which are expendable at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objects of the charities.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds which have been set aside by the trustees of the charities for specific purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund are set out in the notes to the financial statements along with estimated timescales as to when the funds will be spent.

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2. Donations and legacies

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total 2024 Total 2023
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Donations 2,767 70 2,837 2,813
Legacies 6,349 257 6,606 5,500
Trusts 185 241 426 285
Community/Big Lottery Fund 66 130 196 387
Organisations raising funds 169 407 576 864
Gifts in Kind 24 0 24 61
Total donations and legacies 9,560 1,105 10,665 9,910
----- End of picture text -----

3. Income from charitable activities

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Group
2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Personal support 198,783 191,403
Other 9,397 9,319
Total Income from charitable activities 208,180 200,722
----- End of picture text -----

Other income from charitable activities primarily consists of receipts for a range services: the provision of support, employment, youth services. Some of these are separately named in note 27(e).

4. Income from trading activities

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Group
2024 2023
£’000 £’000
DBS Checks 297 333
Retail trading element 3,767 3,500
Trust management services 736 750
4,800 4,583
----- End of picture text -----

5. Investment income

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Group
2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Income from Listed investments 678 440
Bank interest 36 1
714 441
----- End of picture text -----

6. Property income

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Group
2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Rental income 537 422
537 422
----- End of picture text -----

7a. Total expenditure

----- Start of picture text -----
Other direct Reallocated
Staff costs Depreciation Total 2024 Total 2023
costs support costs
Raising funds: £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Raising Funds 1,870 0 1,079 315 3,264 3,514
Investment Management Costs 0 0 86 0 86 88
Trading Costs Of Subsidiaries 1,963 22 1,308 351 3,644 3,770
3,833 22 2,473 666 6,994 7,372
Charitable activities:
Providing Services 173,745 235 15,602 20,224 209,806 206,257
Campaigning For Change 1954 1 474 259 2,688 2925
Support With Advice 1068 0 519 169 1,756 1,523
Researching & Evaluating 394 0 153 58 605 335
Building Peoples Own Capabilities 1,883 0 1,174 326 3,383 3,143
Providing Housing 645 0 30 72 747 96
Defined Benefit Pension Scheme Fin costs 0 0 65 0 65 56
179,689 236 18,017 21,108 219,050 214,335
Governance & Support Costs 12,903 519 8,352 -21,774 0 0
196,425 777 28,842 0 226,044 221,707
----- End of picture text -----

7b. Support costs allocated

----- Start of picture text -----
Management Finance and IT HR Other Total 2024 Total 2023
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Raising Funds 42 202 66 4 314 324
Trading Costs of Subsidiaries 47 226 74 4 351 347
Providing Services 2720 13002 4254 245 20,221 18,985
Campaigning For Change 35 167 55 3 260 269
Support With Advice 23 109 36 2 170 140
Researching & Evaluating 8 38 12 1 59 31
Building Peoples Own Capabilities 44 210 69 4 327 289
Providing Housing 10 46 15 1 72 9
2,929 14,000 4,581 264 21,774 20,394
----- End of picture text -----

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8. Information regarding employees

The estimated average full-time equivalent number of employees by function was:

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
Employees
Employees (FTE)
(FTE)
Providing Services 4,679 4,700
Campaigning For Change 42 42
Support With Advice 26 25
Researching & Evaluating 8 8
Building People's Own Capabilities 46 49
Raising Funds 39 44
Governance & Support Costs 242 258
Providing Housing 20 4
Trading Costs Of Subsidiaries 63 63
5,165 5,193
----- End of picture text -----

Employee costs in the year:

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£'000 £'000
Wages and salaries 178,865 174,570
Social security costs 13,578 13,673
Pension costs 3,982 4,039
Total as staff costs as per note 7a 196,425 192,282
Benefits in kind 10 26
Total employee costs 196,435 192,308
----- End of picture text -----

Included in the above are amounts paid to temporary staff during the year totalling £16.0m (2023: £17.4m).

Redundancy and termination payments:

Expenditure totalling £1,105,730 (2023: £512,834) was recognised in the year in respect of redundancy and termination payments for employees.

Number of employees with salaries over £60,000

The estimated average number of employees by function was:

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
Employees Employees
Providing Services 7,040 7,041
Campaigning For Change 42 42
Support With Advice 26 25
Researching & Evaluating 8 8
Building People's Own Capabilities 46 49
Raising Funds 39 44
Governance & Support Costs 242 258
Providing Housing 20 4
Trading Costs Of Subsidiaries 63 63
7,526 7,534
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
Total Total
2024 2023
£60,000 - £69,999 21 27
£70,000 - £79,999 16 11
£80,000 - £89,999 3 7
£90,000 - £99,999 5 5
£100,000 - £109,999 4 6
£110,000 - £119,999 1 1
£120,000 - £129,999 3 0
£130,000 - £139,999 1 1
£140,000 - £149,999 1 0
£170,000 - £179,999 1 0
£180,000 - £189,999 0 1
----- End of picture text -----

Of the 56 employees above, 53 are members of the defined contribution scheme. Payments made to the defined contribution scheme on behalf of these individuals amounted to £188,242 (2023: £210,979) for the year.

Trustees and senior management

The senior management of Mencap consists of the executive team. The total employee benefits received by members of the executive team during the year amounted to £1,325,754 (2023: £1,079,742).

More details of executive remuneration can be found in the Trustees report. Members of the board of trustees are not remunerated.

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9. Expenses of the trustees

During the year, 11 trustees (2023: 10) were reimbursed for out of pocket expenses in relation to accommodation, travel and subsistence, or such expenses were paid on their behalf. The total amount of these expenses amounted to £6,991 (2023: £7,397). Members of the board of trustees are not remunerated.

10. Net incoming/(outgoing) resources for the year

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Group
2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Depreciation and amortisation
Own assets 777 986
Leased assets 0 2
Rentals under operating leases
Land, buildings & vehicles 2,148 2,056
Interest payable
Interest element of finance leases - 0
Bank interest 35 21
Defined benefit pension expenditure movement for the year 65 56
Auditors remuneration
Audit of the group 96 92
Other non-audit work
- Tax 168 166
----- End of picture text -----

Included in the audit fee charged for the group was £81k (2023: £77k) for the audit of the parent charity.

11. Operating lease commitments

At 31 March 2024 the group has the following annual commitments under non-cancellable operating leases:

----- Start of picture text -----
Land and Buildings Land and Buildings
2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Within one year 2,451 2,148
Within two to five years 7,684 6,624
After five years 7,692 8,992
17,827 17,764
----- End of picture text -----

12. Intangible fixed assets

(a) Group

----- Start of picture text -----
Software Assets under development Total
£’000 £’000 £’000
Cost or valuation
Balance at 1 April 2023 2,753 19 2,772
Additions - 56 56
Disposals - - 0
Balance at 31 March 2024 2,753 75 2,828
Accumulated depreciation
Balance at 1 April 2023 2,753 - 2,753
Additions - - 0
Disposals - - 0
Balance at 31 March 2024 2,753 - 2,753
Net book value at 31 March 2024 - 75 75
Net book value at 31 March 2023 - 19 19
----- End of picture text -----

(b) Charity

----- Start of picture text -----
Software Assets under development Total
£’000 £’000 £’000
Cost or valuation
Balance at 1 April 2023 2,732 19 2,751
Additions 0 56 56
Disposals 0 0 0
Balance at 31 March 2024 2,732 75 2,807
Accumulated depreciation
Balance at 1 April 2023 2,732 0 2,732
Charge for the year 0 0 0
Disposals 0 0 0
Balance at 31 March 2024 2,732 - 2,732
Net book value at 31 March 2024 - 75 75
Net book value at 31 March 2023 - 19 19
----- End of picture text -----

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13. Tangible fixed assets

14. Fixed asset investments

(a) Group

----- Start of picture text -----
Freehold land Leasehold land Fixtures, fittings Motor vehicles Total
and buildings and buildings and equipment
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Cost or valuation
Balance at 1 April 2023 16,612 24 8,171 1,377 26,184
Additions - - 610 - 610
Disposals (5,817) - (267) (75) (6,159)
Balance at 31 March 2024 10,795 24 8,514 1,302 20,635
Accumulated depreciation
Balance at 1 April 2023 2,346 24 6,092 1,377 9,839
Charge for the year 233 - 543 1 777
Disposals (871) - (233) (76) (1,180)
Balance at 31 March 2024 1,708 24 6,402 1,302 9,436
Net book value at 31 March 2024 9,087 - 2,112 - 11,199
Net book value at 31 March 2023 14,266 - 2,079 - 16,345
----- End of picture text -----

(b) Charity

----- Start of picture text -----
Group and Charity Group and Charity
2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Equities and multi-asset funds
Market value at 1 April 2023 9,846 10,992
Acquisitions 2,084 1,369
Disposals (3,168) (2,171)
Net investment (losses)/gains 1,192 (344)
Market value at 31 March 2024 9,954 9,846
Bonds, cash and alternatives
Market value at 1 April 2023 12,156 15,318
Acquisitions 27,569 13,666
Disposals (23,261) (16,349)
Net investment (losses)/gains (61) (478)
Market value at 31 March 2024 16,403 12,157
Total value at 31 March 2024 26,357 22,003
Cost at 31 March 2024 25,032 21,628
----- End of picture text -----

Included in market value of investments is an amount for the Mencap Visitors scheme of £4.2m (2023: £5.9m). This amount is held in a separate investment fund for the purpose of funding the scheme in future years. The liability of the scheme is shown in note 21.

----- Start of picture text -----
Equities and Bonds, cash and Equities and Bonds, cash and
Total Total
multi-asset funds alternatives multi-asset funds alternatives
2024 2023
2024 2024 2023 2023
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Group and Charity:
Equities 9,657 - 9,657 9,119 - 9,119
Multi-asset funds 297 - 297 727 - 727
Bonds - 3,239 3,239 - 3,628 3,628
Alternatives - 2,305 2,305 - 2,761 2,761
Cash - 10,859 10,859 - 5,768 5,768
Market value at 31 March 2024 9,954 16,403 26,357 9,846 12,157 22,003
Market value at 31 March 2023 9,846 12,157 22,003 10,992 15,318 26,310
----- End of picture text -----

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15. Subsidiaries

The charity owns 100% of the issued capital of the following companies.

----- Start of picture text -----
Subsidiary Company Charity registration Principal Net assets/
undertaking registration number number activity (liabilities)
£'000
Blue Sky Housing Limited 4412276 - Property development -
Mencap Limited 889191 - Trading activities -
Mencap Promotions Limited 1016345 - Promotional and other special events -
Mencap Trust Company Limited 1233201 - Discretionary trust management 341
----- End of picture text -----

All the above are registered in England and Wales.

The above undertakings form part of the group consolidation.

Blue Sky Housing Limited and Mencap Promotions Limited remained dormant throughout the year.

16. Net income of group companies including consolidation entries

----- Start of picture text -----
Blue Sky Mencap Trust Mencap Mencap Total Total
Housing Company Limited Promotions 2024 2023
Limited Limited
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Trading subsidiaries
Turnover - 736 2,308 - 3,044 1,181
Cost of sales - - (2,078) - (2,078) (342)
Gross profit/(loss) - 736 230 - 966 839
Administration costs - (653) (16) - (669) (632)
Net profit/(loss) - 83 214 - 297 207
Paid to Royal Mencap Society under gift aid - - (214) - (214) (74)
Provision for tax - (16) - - (16) (25)
Retained in subsidiaries - 67 - - 67 108
----- End of picture text -----

The costs of the above subsidiaries are included in the Consolidated statement of financial activities under expenditure on raising funds, less any transactions between companies with the Mencap group.

----- Start of picture text -----
Royal Mencap Total Total
Society 2024 2023
£’000 £’000 £’000
Charitable companies:
Incoming resources 224,983 224,983 214,931
Resources expended (201,962) (201,962) (200,872)
Income/(expenditure) before administration costs 23,021 23,021 14,059
Administration costs (21,105) (21,105) (19,762)
1,916 1,916 (5,703)
Net gains/(losses) on investments 1,131 1,131 (822)
Net income/(expenditure) 3,047 3,047 (6,525)
----- End of picture text -----

17. Debtors

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Group Charity Charity
2024 2023 2024 2023
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Trade debtors 19,415 16,134 19,164 16,074
Amount due from group undertakings - - 856 257
Other debtors 363 253 347 253
Prepayments 1,340 1,298 1,331 1,295
Accrued income 13,663 12,731 13,020 12,603
34,781 30,416 34,718 30,482
18. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Group Group Charity Charity
2024 2023 2024 2023
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Trade creditors 4,061 3,812 4,054 3,782
Taxation and social security costs 3,315 3,119 3,315 3,119
Other creditors 3,748 3,422 3,747 3,422
Accruals 5,246 5,482 5,161 5,435
Deferred income 7,918 7,252 7,903 7,252
Current portion of long term loans 60 60 60 60
24,348 23,147 24,240 23,070
----- End of picture text -----

Deferred income movement

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Charity
2024 2024
£'000 £'000
Balance at 1 April 2023 7,252 7,252
Amount released in the year (7,252) (7,252)
Amount deferred in the year 7,918 7,903
Balance at 31st March 2024 7,918 7,903
----- End of picture text -----

Grants that have been received are treated as deferred income where there is a specific requirement in the terms of the grant that the income recognition is dependent on certain activities being completed in a future accounting period(s).

At 31 March 2024, the charity holds £6,347,337 (2023: £8,378,142) on behalf of people we support. This balance has not been included within these financial statements.

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19. Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Group Charity Charity
2024 2023 2024 2023
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Obligations under finance leases, two to five years 0 0 0 0
Debenture Loan 0 0 0 0
Bank Loan 480 540 480 540
480 540 480 540
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Mencap

In 2007, Mencap obtained a loan for £1.5m, repayable in equal instalments over 25 years, at an interest rate of LIBOR plus 0.95%. As at 31st March 2024, the value of the loan stood at £0.54m. The loan agreement is secured by an unlimited guarantee between Royal Mencap Society, Mencap Limited, Mencap Promotions Limited and Mencap Trust Company Limited. It is further secured by a first legal charge over our property in Peterborough.

The group loans are repayable as follows:

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£'000 £'000
Under 1 year 60 60
Between 1-2 years 60 60
Between 2-5 years 180 180
Over 5 years 240 300
540 600
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20. Financial Instruments

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Group Charity Charity
2024 2023 2024 2023
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Financial assets measured at amortised cost (a) 36,974 29,118 36,543 29,187
Financial assets measured at fair value (b) 26,357 22,003 26,357 22,003
Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost (c) (15,112) (13,316) (15,018) (13,239)
----- End of picture text -----

(a) Financial assets include cash, trade debtors, intercompany debtors, other debtors and accrued income

(b) Financial assets held at fair value include investments

The group’s income, expense, gains and losses in respect of financial instruments are summarised below:

----- Start of picture text -----
Income Expense Gains/(losses) Income Expense Gains/(losses)
2024 2024 2024 2023 2023 2023
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Financial assets measured at amortised cost 36 - - 1 - -
Financial assets measured at fair value 678 - 1,131 440 - (822)
Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost - (100) - - (77) -
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21. Provision for liabilities and charges

(a) Group

----- Start of picture text -----
Mencap Visiting Dilapidations Added to ‘All Trans’ Other Total
Service Tab, to be picked up in
formula CT 17/06/2024
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Balance at 31 March 2023 2,249 1,118 1,265 1,049 5,681
Amount utilised in the year (388) (346) (1,265) (39) (2,038)
Amount released in the year 0 0 0 0
Amount provided in the year 98 218 1,273 55 1,644
Balance at 31 March 2024 1,959 990 1,273 1,065 5,287
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(b) Charity

----- Start of picture text -----
Mencap Visiting Dilapidations Employee Other Total
Service benefits
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Balance at 31 March 2023 2,249 1,118 1,265 1,024 5,656
Amount utilised in the year (388) (346) (1,265) (14) (2,013)
Amount released in the year 0 0 0 0 0
Amount provided in the year 98 218 1,273 39 1,628
Balance at 31 March 2024 1,959 990 1,273 1,049 5,271
----- End of picture text -----

The provision for the Mencap Visiting Service is the accumulated costs of providing the visiting service for all of its beneficiaries for the remaining expected need of the service. The costs charged against this provision represent the annual costs of running the service which will run for the length of the life of the beneficiaries. This scheme is closed to new members.

A provision for dilapidations is recognised in respect of the properties which Mencap leases, where Mencap is required to restore the property at the end of the lease to the same condition as at the lease commencement. A provision is made where the amount can be estimated reliably. Mencap previously recognised the full amount required to restore the property at the end of the lease, however this amount is now divided over the number of years remaining until the end of the lease which reflects more accurately the utilisation of the leased property.

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22. Analysis of assets and liabilities between funds

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Total Unrestricted Restricted Total
funds funds 2024 funds funds 2023
Group £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Fixed assets 30,310 7,321 37,631 29,369 8,998 38,367
Current assets 31,276 7,064 38,340 26,701 7,111 33,812
Current liabilities (24,739) (1,126) (25,865) (21,930) (1,217) (23,147)
Long term liabilities (11,554) (1,959) (13,513) (6,330) (2,265) (8,595)
Total 25,293 11,300 36,593 27,810 12,627 40,437
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23. Group funds

----- Start of picture text -----
Balance Incoming Outgoing Transfers Gains and Balance
31 March resources resources losses 31 March
2022 2023
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Restricted
Homes 353 6 - 27 - 386
Mencap Visiting Service 3,690 147 (560) (26) (299) 2,952
NewBe Project 3,198 8 (69) 2 - 3,139
Northern Ireland Housing Executive -
(7) 653 (643) - - 3
Supporting People
Rothenberg Fellowship 33 - - (15) - 18
Service provision -
3,485 1,490 (1,780) 275 - 3,470
Communities & Programmes
Service provision - Lifestyles & Work 928 1,758 (2,133) 40 - 593
Service provision - Personal Support 414 2,090 (2,100) 10 - 414
Service provision - Strategy & Influence 483 587 (653) 14 - 431
Service provision - other 1,447 627 (511) (342) - 1,221
Transfer to Golden Lane Housing
26,522 - - (26,522) - -
(Charity Registration Number 1071097)
Young Ambassadors 1 - - (1) - -
40,547 7,366 (8,449) (26,538) (299) 12,627
Unrestricted
General 30,423 208,746 (211,742) (1,832) (523) 25,072
Transfer to Golden Lane Housing
30,824 - - (30,824) - -
(Charity Registration Number 1071097)
Designated reserves:
- Strategic Investment 6,417 - (1,305) - - 5,112
Transfer to Golden Lane Housing
6,578 - - (6,578) - -
(Charity Registration Number 1071097)
Pension deficit (2,292) - (211) 1,848 (1,719) (2,374)
71,950 208,746 (213,258) (37,386) (2,242) 27,810
Total funds 112,497 216,112 (221,707) (63,924) (2,541) 40,437
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
Balance Incoming Outgoing Transfers Gains and Balance
31 March 2023 resources resources losses 31 March 2024
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Restricted
Homes 386 - (24) (3) - 359
Mencap Visiting Service 2,952 146 (125) - 287 3,260
NewBe Project 3,139 2 (64) - - 3,077
Northern Ireland Housing Executive -
3 640 (904) 261 - -
Supporting People
Rothenberg Fellowship 18 - - - - 18
Service provision -
3,470 974 (2,620) (21) - 1,803
Communities & Programmes
Service provision - Lifestyles & Work 593 1,657 (1,887) 45 - 408
Service provision - Personal Support 414 676 (797) 191 - 484
Service provision - Strategy & Influence 431 270 (302) 2 - 401
Service provision - other 1,221 809 (501) (38) - 1,491
12,627 5,174 (7,224) 437 287 11,301
Unrestricted
General 25,072 222,853 (217,229) (2,295) 844 29,245
Transfer to Golden Lane Housing
(Charity Registration Number 1071097) - - - - - -
Designated reserves: - -
- Strategic Investment 5,112 - (1,319) - - 3,793
Transfer to Golden Lane Housing
(Charity Registration Number 1071097) - - - -
Pension deficit (2,374) (272) 1,858 (6,958) (7,746)
27,810 222,853 (218,820) (437) (6,114) 25,292
Total funds 40,437 228,027 (226,044) - (5,827) 36,593
----- End of picture text -----

Restricted funds:

Young Ambassadors - supports young people aged 16 to 25 with a learning disability who volunteer with Mencap as part of a 6-month programme, to support the work Mencap does, and to develop their employability skills.

Restricted funds include the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held in trust to be applied for specific purposes. Mencap holds sufficient resources in an appropriate form to enable each fund to be applied in accordance with its restrictions:

Designated funds

£9m of unrestricted funds have been specifically designated as a strategic investment fund by Mencap, with £1.4m spent in the year (2023: £1.3m). The remaining £3.7m to be spent over the next 2 years.The fund has been designated to deliver a range of projects which progress the delivery of Mencap’s Big Plan.
Homes - specific bequests to residential care homes.
Mencap Visiting Service - special trust used to provide regular visitors to people with a learning disability.
NewBe Project - capital project in Northern Ireland funding the construction of a new building for an early intervention centre for children with a learning disability and their families, and a new headquarters for Mencap in Northern Ireland.

Transfers

In addition to the transfers related to restricted and designated funds detailed above, £1.8m was transferred from general unrestricted reserves to the pension deficit during the year. This corresponds with the actual cash payments made by the group to reduce the pension deficit. With effect from 1 April 2022 Golden Lane Housing ceased to be part of the group. With effect from this date certain activities, transactions, assets and liabilities of the charity were transferred as a going concern to Golden Lane Housing Limited (Charity Registration Number 1071097). See note 28.
Service provision - restricted by funders and donors to specific areas of Mencap’s core services. In each of the areas listed, restricted funds are utilised for the purposes specified in their restriction to further Mencap’s activities. More information about Mencap’s work in these areas, funded by a combination of restricted and unrestricted funds, can be found in the Trustee’s report.

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24. Pension Scheme

Mencap operates a number of pension schemes for the benefit of its employees. At 31 March 2009, Mencap’s defined benefit scheme was closed to future accruals. This means that Mencap will fund the benefits that staff have earned to that date but does not offer the same benefit moving forward due to the inherent risk involved in running this type of scheme.

Staff are, however, able to save for their retirement through a defined contribution scheme to which Mencap contributes. All contributions are expensed in the year that they are made.

In addition to the above, Mencap participates in the Nottinghamshire County Council Pension Fund in respect of a small number of staff who have transferred over to Mencap. Mencap participates in this scheme by way of an admission agreement. In relation to this scheme there are 18 active members, 15 of which are current active Mencap employees. Full provision has been made in the financial statements for this scheme. However, as the liability is not material, detailed disclosure has been limited so as not to distort or overstate the importance of this scheme within Mencap’s overall finances.

At 31 March 2016, Mencap was also participating in the Staffordshire County pension fund in respect of a single active member of staff. This employee has now left Mencap, but a management estimate of the scheme liability is included pending the final liability being settled.

Mencap pension scheme

This scheme is valued annually for the purposes of the annual report and accounts. This valuation, which is carried out under specific accounting rules and detailed in full below, is made so that Mencap can account for the pension liability on its balance sheet.

The Trustees of the pension scheme undertake their own formal valuation once every three years. This valuation provides the basis for agreeing the amounts that Mencap will pay each year to fund the scheme. The last valuation for this purpose was undertaken in March 2020 and Mencap agreed to continue with a schedule of contributions to settle the pension deficit over a period of 6.5 years.

From the year ended March 2014 and going forward Mencap agreed to make the following cash payments to the scheme:

For the period 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 £ 4 million

For the periods 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2028 £ 2.1m per annum For the periods 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2028 £1.8m per annum

In 2023 the following amendment was made:

For the periods 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2029 £1.8m per annum

At the end of March 2024, the total scheme liabilities were valued at £99.6 million and the assets at £91.9 million. The net deficit is therefore £7.7 million. This is a change of £5.4m from the net deficit of £2.3m reported last year. However, the technical provisions valuation shows a decrease in the deficit from £14.0 million to £11.4 million over the same period.

The technical provisions valuation, which is used to determine contributions to the Plan, uses a different basis of measurement and requires the defined benefit liability to be valued against government bond rates whereas the FRS 102 accounting standard requires use of corporate bond rates. Historically these two approaches to determining the deficit have been directionally aligned. However, during the year ended March 2024 government bond yields increased significantly which led to a fall in the value of the scheme assets. As the technical provisions methodology values the scheme liability with references to the same government bond yields, this fall in the value of assets was also matched by a fall in the value of the scheme liability.

There was however no change in corporate bond yields over the same period. Valuing the liability using corporate bond yields under the FRS 102 accounting standard meant that whilst asset values fell, the liability remained the same. This resulted in an increase in the deficit between the value of the scheme assets and liability as measured under FRS 102. The increase in the net defined benefit liability seen in Other Comprehensive Income represents merely an accounting loss generated by the basis of measurement, which does not reflect the working position of the defined benefit section of the Mencap Pension Plan.

In December 2021 there was a partial buy-in to an insurance policy, the value of which is detailed in the Assets table in the note below.

The following assumptions have been used to place a value on the retirement benefit obligations of the charity:

Financial Assumptions

----- Start of picture text -----
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
% per annum % per annum
Retail price inflation (% p.a.) 3.20% 3.20%
Consumer price inflation (% p.a.) 2.60% 2.55%
Discount rate 4.90% 4.90%
----- End of picture text -----

The Demographic assumptions used are:

Longevity assumptions as at 31 March 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
Male and Female
Base table 115%/110% S3PA for males/females
CMI 2021 core model with an initial addition of 0.1%, 10% 2020 and 2021 weightings,
Future improvements
and 1.6%/1.2% long-term improvement rates for males/females
Life expectancies as at:
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
Males (M) or Females (F) M F M F
Average future life expectancy (in years) for a pensioner aged 65 at 31 March 2024 20.9 23.5 20.8 23.4
Average future life expectancy (in years) at age 65 for a non-pensioner aged 45 at 31 March 2024 22.7 24.9 22.6 24.8
----- End of picture text -----

Based on these assumptions the balance sheet position is as follows:

Assets

----- Start of picture text -----
Fund value Fund value
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
£000 £000
Liability driven investment 22,096 21,841
Investment grade credit (corporate bonds) 13,094 8,014
Infrastructure 5,775 11,892
Property 685 7,071
Insurance contracts 38,189 39,193
Cash and cash equivalents 3,974 7,009
Total Return Fund 8,055 -
Total value of assets 91,868 95,020
Actuarial (value) of liabilities (99,566) (97,346)
Surplus/(deficit) of funded Plan liabilities (7,698) (2,326)
Irrecoverable (surplus) - -
Surplus/(deficit) recognised in balance sheet (7,698) (2,326)
Net pension asset/(liability) (7,698) (2,326)
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Reconciliation of Plan benefit obligation

----- Start of picture text -----
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
£000 £000
Opening defined benefit obligation 97,346 143,479
Interest cost 4,640 3,809
Actuarial (gains)/losses 2,959 (45,070)
Benefits paid (5,379) (4,872)
Closing defined benefit obligation 99,566 97,346
----- End of picture text -----

Analysis of amount recognised in Other Comprehensive Income (OCI)

----- Start of picture text -----
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
£000 £000
Actual return on assets excluding amounts included in net interest (3,999) (50,249)
Actuarial gains/(losses) on Plan obligations (2,959) 45,070
Remeasurement loss in Plan (6,958) (5,179)
Decrease/(increase) in irrecoverable surplus from membership fall and other factors - 1,053
Remeasurement loss recognised in OCI (6,958) (4,126)
----- End of picture text -----

Reconciliation of fair value of Plan assets

----- Start of picture text -----
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
£000 £000
Opening fair value of Plan assets 95,020 144,481
Interest income 4,566 3,860
Contributions by Royal Mencap Society 1,800 1,800
Actual return on assets excluding amounts included in net interest (3,999) (50,249)
Benefits paid (5,379) (4,872)
Plan administrative cost (140) -
Closing fair value of Plan assets 91,868 95,020
----- End of picture text -----

Sensitivity analysis

Change in assumptions compared with 31 March 2024 actuarial assumptions:

----- Start of picture text -----
Actuarial value of liabilities on
31 March 2024
£000
Base case 99,566
-0.1% per annum decrease in discount rate 100,831
1 year increase in member life expectation 103,007
+0.1% change in inflation 100,683
----- End of picture text -----

Analysis of amount charged to operating profit

----- Start of picture text -----
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
£000 £000
Current Service cost - -
Administration costs 140 -
Past service (cost) - -
(Losses)/gains on curtailments and settlements - -
Total operating charge 140 -
----- End of picture text -----

Analysis of amount credited to other finance income

----- Start of picture text -----
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
£000 £000
Interest income on Plan assets 4,566 3,860
(Interest) on Plan liabilities (4,640) (3,809)
- -
Impact of asset ceiling on net interest
Net interest on defined benefit liability (74) 51
Total amount charged to profit & loss (total operating charge less net interest (74) 51
----- End of picture text -----

Local authority pension schemes

Nottinghamshire County Council Pension Scheme The Nottinghamshire County Council Pension Fund is a defined benefit scheme with 18 members at 31 March 2024. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.

The agreed employer’s contribution rate for the year to March 2024 was 14.4% and this was expensed during the year. Contributions have been set at 14.4% for 2024/25.

The estimated asset allocation at 31 March 2024 revealed that Mencap’s share of assets of the scheme exceeded the value of Mencap’s share of the scheme’s liabilities by £0.46m (2023: Mencap’s share of scheme liabilities exceed the value of Mencap’s share of scheme assets by £0.15 million). The surplus in the annual valuation cannot be withdrawn from the scheme until the end of the pension, therefore the valuation in the balance sheet is recorded at a no-surplus, no-deficit position.

Staffordshire County pension fund

The Staffordshire County pension fund is a defined benefit scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.

The pension scheme valuation at 31 March 2014 indicated that Mencap’s share of liabilities of the scheme exceed the value of Mencap’s share of the scheme’s assets by £48,000. As any movements in the deficit would not be material to the accounts, a new valuation has not been obtained for the year to 31 March 2024.

Mencap had no active members in the pension scheme in the year to 31 March 2024 and did not expense employer contributions during the year.

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Reconciliation of present value of the defined benefit obligation

Other local government pension schemes

----- Start of picture text -----
Mencap also participates in four other local government Dyfed Pension Fund No active members
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
pension schemes. However, as there are no remaining
active members, and in view of the cost of obtaining Clwyd Pension Fund (Flintshire) No active members £’000 £’000
disclosures and the likely liability being immaterial in Powys Pension fund No active members Opening defined benefit obligation 3,044 5,434
the context of overall Mencap results, no account or
disclosures are made for these four schemes. Shropshire County Pension Fund No active members Current service cost 63 154
Interest cost 145 141
Change in financial assumptions (97) (2,363)
An actuarial valuation was obtained for the Nottinghamshire County Council Pension Scheme,
Change in demographic assumptions - (226)
the following assumptions have been used in its valuation:
Experience loss/(gain) on defined benefit obligation - (71)
Financial Assumptions
Liabilities assumed/(extinguished) on settlements - -
31 March 2024 31 March 2023 Estimated benefits paid net of transfers in (56) (45)
% p.a. % p.a. Past service costs, including curtailments - -
CPI increases 2.90% 2.90% Contributions by Scheme participants 19 20
Salary increases 3.90% 3.90% Past service costs, including curtailments - -
Discount rate 4.95% 4.80% Closing defined benefit obligation 3,118 3,044
The demographic assumptions used are: Reconciliation of the fair value of Fund assets
Life expectancy from age 65
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
31 March 2024 31 March 2023 £’000 £’000
Retiring today: Opening fair value of Fund assets 3,145 3,190
Males 20.8 20.7
Interest on assets 154 85
Females 23.6 23.5
Return on assets less interest 203 (146)
Retiring in 20 years: Other actuarial gains/(losses) - (5)
Males 22.1 22.0
Administration expenses (2) (2)
Females 25.1 25.0
Contributions by employer including unfunded 58 48
Contributions by Fund participants 19 20
Based on these assumptions, the balance sheet position is as follows:
Estimated benefits paid plus unfunded net of transfers in (56) (45)
31 March 2024 31 March 2023 Settlement prices received/(paid) - -
£’000 £’000 Closing fair value of Fund assets 3,521 3,145
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
£’000 £’000
Present value of the defined benefit obligation (3,118) (3,044)
Fair value of Fund assets (bid value) 3,573 3,197
Surplus / (deficit) 455 153
----- End of picture text -----

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Analysis of amount charged to operating profit

----- Start of picture text -----
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
£’000 £’000
Current service cost (63) (154)
Administration costs (2) (2)
Past service cost - -
(Losses)/gains on curtailments and settlements - -
Total operating charge (65) (156)
----- End of picture text -----

Analysis of amount credited to other finance income

----- Start of picture text -----
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
£’000 £’000
Interest income on Plan assets - -
Interest on Plan liabilities 9 (56)
Impact of asset ceiling on net interest - -
Net interest on net defined benefit liability 9 (56)
Total amount charged to profit & loss (total operating charge less net interest) (56) (212)
----- End of picture text -----

Summary of the amounts disclosed in the accounts

----- Start of picture text -----
Amount recognised in operating profit/(loss) 2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Mencap pension scheme 140 -
Nottinghamshire County Council Pension Fund (65) (156)
Total 75 (156)
Amount recognised in finance income 2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Mencap pension scheme (74) 51
Nottinghamshire County Council Pension Fund 9 (56)
Total (65) (5)
Amount recognised in other recognised gains/(losses) 2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Mencap pension scheme (6,958) (4,127)
Nottinghamshire County Council Pension Fund 300 2,408
Total (6,658) (1,719)
----- End of picture text -----

Analysis of amount recognised in Other Comprehensive Income (OCI)

----- Start of picture text -----
31 March 2024 31 March 2023
£’000 £’000
Return on Plan assets in excess of interest 203 (146)
Other actuarial gains/(losses) on assets - (5)
Change in financial assumptions 97 2,262
Change in demographic assumptions - 226
Experience gain/(loss) on defined benefit obligation - 71
Changes in effect of asset ceiling - -
Remeasurement of the net assets/ (defined liability) 300 2,408
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
Defined benefit pension liability 2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Mencap pension scheme (7,698) (2,326)
Nottinghamshire County Council Pension Fund - -
Staffordshire County Pension Fund (48) (48)
Total (7,746) (2,374)
----- End of picture text -----

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25. Related Parties

Donations totalling £0 were received from related parties during the year without conditions. During the year we have received pro bono legal services from Irwin Mitchell Solicitors to the value of £19,000. They have provided these services at no cost to Mencap. Yogi Amin, a Mencap trustee, is a Partner of Irwin Mitchell; neither he, nor Irwin Mitchell, have received any benefit for these services.

Group companies

During the year, the following transactions took place between Royal Mencap Society and its subsidiaries:

Mencap Trust Company paid its annual management fee to the charity £348,481
Mencap Limited paid annual earnings of £106,273 to the charity by way of gift aid

At 31 March 2024, the following intercompany balances were outstanding between the charity and its subsidiaries:

----- Start of picture text -----
Defined benefit pension liability 2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Mencap Limited 1,615 44
Mencap Promotions Limited - -
Mencap Trust Company 336 244
Total 1,951 288
----- End of picture text -----

With effect from 1 April 2023 Golden Lane Housing ceased to be part of the group (see Note 28).

26. Volunteers

During the year, Mencap received the generous donation of time from a great many volunteers. They provided contributions to a number of activities, as follows:

----- Start of picture text -----
Defined benefit pension liability 2024
Number of volunteers
Raising funds:
Raising funds 293
Trading 809
Total raising funds 1,102
Charitable activities:
Providing services 473
Campaigning for change 14
Support with advice 0
Research & Evaluation 3
Building people’s own capabilities 272
Providing Housing 0
Governance & Support 57
Total charitable activities 819
Total 1,921
----- End of picture text -----

27. Income

----- Start of picture text -----
(a) Included in Trust income is income from:
Total 2024
£’000
British Gas Energy Trust 133
K.R.J. Charitable Trust 83
National Garden Scheme 50
Percy Hurry Trust 6
The David Family Foundation 5
Anonymous 50
(b) Included in Community/ Big Lottery Fund is income from: Total 2024
£’000
City of Bradford MDC 43
Dormant Accounts Fund Northern Ireland 47
Heritage Lottery Fund - Wales 36
Health Education England 11
Ofcom 29
UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Wales 7
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
(c) Included in Organisations raising funds is income from: Total 2024
£’000
Advent International 90
CBRE 58
So.Energy 11
Royal Sun Alliance 10
Amazon UK 57
Charity Sweets 10
Berkeley St George/St Joseph's 80
Stanhope Foundation 50
(d) Included in Gifts in Kind is income from: Group 2024
£’000
Aon 24
(e) Included in Income from Charitable activities is income from:
Group 2024
£’000
Belfast Health and Social Care Trusts 306
Department for the Communities 83
North West Regional College 21
Northern Health and Social Care Trusts 22
Sothern Health and Social Care Trusts 931
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trusts 1,460
Sport England 332
The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust 189
The Pears Foundation 150
Western Health and Social Care Trusts 3,663
UK Social Prosperity Fund -SPF 375
----- End of picture text -----

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28. Transfer to Golden Lane Housing (Charity Number 1071097)

In order to enable and realise the overall strategy of the Golden Lane Housing Board, the GLH Board took the decision, jointly with the Board of the RMS, for GLH to become a Community Benefit Society, registered with the Financial Conduct Authority with rules based on the National Housing Federation Model Rules 2015. The GLH Board has received consent from the Charity Commission and its lenders to undertake this restructure which took effect 1 April 2022. The net assets at that date comprised:

----- Start of picture text -----
Defined benefit pension liability Note 2023
£’000
Fixed Assets
Cost 12, 13 130,168
Depreciation 12, 13 (13,135)
Less: Shared investment contributions (3,062)
Total fixed assets 113,971
Current assets
Debtors 17 2,409
Cash at bank and in hand 8,657
Total current assets 11,066
Less: Creditors 18, 19 (61,113)
Total net assets 63,924
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The assets and liabilities were represented by the following funds:

----- Start of picture text -----
Defined benefit pension liability Note 2023
£’000
The funds of GLH
Restricted funds 23 26,522
Designated funds 23 6,578
Unrestricted funds 23 30,824
Total funds 63,924
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ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY ANNUAL REVIEW APRIL 2023 to MARCH 2024

mencap

2024-03-31-accounts

ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY

ANNUAL REVIEW

Levers

Foreword

What is your perspective on the challenges that people currently face, particularly with the coronavirus pandemic, and the affects it has had on people?

We know that the Voices Council were successful in publishing the mental health paper. How do you think that mental health paper was received and how has that affected people with a learning disability?

Reflection on the year

How do you think the Voices Council has helped support the executive team in decision-making and responding to different subjects?

What do you think of the push of government to get people back into the workplace, when the work and support isn’t there?

Reflection on the year

What has been the biggest achievement for Mencap this year?

What are the main achievements and highlights of the year for the Voices Council?

What changes have been made to the Voices Council, and have they made a difference?

Why is the Voices Council so important to decisionmaking?

What would you say to the government about funding for social care services?

What one thing could the government do to most significantly improve the lives of people with a learning disability?

What should the new CEO prioritise in their first year?

What is your biggest hope for the year ahead?

As your time as Chair of Voices Council comes to end do you have any reflections?

Trustees Report

THIS IS MENCAP

This must change. And we won’t stop until it does.

What are we doing about it?

Challenging attitudes and inequalities

What does living with a learning disability really look like?

VIJAY PATEL

Our definition

ISMAIL KAJI

MEET THE ACTIVIST: Brendan Chivasa

Meet our Myth Busters

MEET THE CAMPAIGNER: Heidi Crowther

MEET THE RUNNER: Freddie Latham

MEET THE TV PRESENTER AND AUTHOR:

George Webster

MEET THE MODEL: Ellie Goldstein

Trustees strategic report

VIEW FROM OUR TRUSTEES

View from our trustees

Welcoming our new chief executive

This is what we said we’d do this year:

LEVER 1:

Providing Services

PROGRESS

LEVER 4:

PROGRESS

Research and Evaluation

LEVER 2:

Campaigning for Change

LEVER 3:

Information and Advice

LEVER 5:

Working with communities

THRIVING ORGANISATION:

Focus on key areas

This is what we will do next year as long as we have enough money:

LEVER 1

LEVER 4:

Providing Services

Research

LEVER 5:

Working with communities

LEVER 2:

Campaigning for Change

THRIVING ORGANISATION:

LEVER 3:

Information and Advice

Evaluation and Monitoring Framework (EMF)

Here is a summary of progress against our 4 EMF outcomes:

COMMUNITY

I feel part of my community

INDIVIDUAL I have a great quality of life

ORGANISATION

SOCIETY

Direct services – personal support

91.1%

Blooming opportunities

Sharing a love for art

Making sure everyone is heard

Lasting memories