2024-03-31-accounts

See what Deaf Choices UK is DC saying... Annual Report 2023-24 DEAF CHOICES UK Thrive with Language and Literacy for Life The Boatshed, Steamer Quay, Totnes, Devon TQ9 SAL [e-mail] - vvvvw.deafchoicesuk.com - 01803 712 852

DC CONTENTS Introduction to Cued Speech Strategic Overview Operational and Practise Overview Charity Outcomes Other DCUK Activities P.16 P.18 Review and Plan 2024-2027 P.21 The Deaf Choices Team P.25 Funding and Risk Management Statement of Financial P.28 P.29 Activities Legal and Financial P.30 Deaf Choices UK The Boatshed, Steamer Quay Totnes, Devon TQ9 SAL Telephone [phone] [e-mail] www.deafchoicesuk.com Registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales No. 279523 A Company Limited by Guarantee No. 1477997

DC Welcome to Deaf Choices UK. DCUK. Our name reflects our approach. We believe in the importance of informed choice. We support parents of deaf children and professionals to make the best CHOICE(S) for Communication, Language and Literacy. Deaf Choices UK is currently the only UK charity providing Cued Speech training

Introduction to Cued Speech DC Cued Speech (CS) is a communication system developed for the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH), elaborated by Dr. R. Orin Cornett in 1966 in the United States. After several years of teaching physics, mathematics and electronics at academic level, Dr. Cornett became the Director of Higher Education at the U.S. Office of Education where he was surprised to learn that DHH students had lower reading skills than their peers. Knowing that many DHH children were born into hearing families, the transmission of linguistic and communicational skills proved to be a major challenge for parents of deaf children. Insufficient learning of the spoken language also led to an additional difficulty in lip-reading, which is essential for people with hearing loss. These observations led Dr. Cornett to develop a system to facilitate language acquisition for DHH children by representing sounds visually using both the lips and the hand. He started by establishing the main goal of this system: to render spoken language accessible visually for DHH people, as it already is audibly for hearing people. "A few months of study convinced me that the underlying cause of their reading problem was the lack of any reasonable way to learn spoken language, without which they could not use speech for communication, become good lipreaders, or learn to read." Dr. R. Orin Cornett His research showed that developing a finger spelling system had already been tried and did not prove efficient due to its complexity and slowness compared to spoken language. His solution was to use "cues" meaning that he decided to group consonant sounds in 8 hand configurations according to visual contrast and frequency of occurrence. He also grouped vowel sounds in four positions around the lips. He had always assumed that deaf people must be proficient readers, as written language was surely more accessible to them than spoken language. His explanation for this lower level of literacy was that the acquisition of language skills began with oracy, not literacy, which posed a consequent difficulty for deaf and hard of hearing children to learn a language in the first place. Cued S British echchart ngllsh IPA Rule 1 Rul• 2 A study conducted in 1982 by Gaye Nicholls for her master's thesis at McGill University showed that CS did not only improve language reception, but that it enhanced both auditory perception and lip-reading abilities of deaf subjects. Il*h.. 51d• Plllr•rnvnt Trd•h•p•S Rule 3 • ¥￿.. To¢e TMEFt

Strategic Overview DC Cued Speech UK (CSUK) 1975-2024 The Brand change represents the change in direction of our philosophy and values after 50 years which is a direct response to a change in need reflected by our beneficiaries. The Charity was established in the UK in 1975 as the National Centre for Cued Speech and was part of KIDS, a registered charity for children with a disability. The Charity became independent in 1980 when it was also incorporated as a company limited by guarantee. In 2000 it was renamed the Cued Speech Association, and this was revised in 2017 to Cued Speech UK (CSUK). DCUK realised the powerful significance of offering parents informed, unbiased choice. (It is not just one choice that is needed for a deaf child but many throughout their lives in order to achieve their potential socially and emotionally.) The change has been experienced as 2024 Cued Speech to Deaf Choices UK positive with our beneficiaries and other professionals and we feel much more Following a year of consultation with our confident about explaining what we do, in Trustees, stakeholders and beneficiaries addition to still holding the ethos of the we changed our name and brand to Deaf benefits of learning Cued Speech and its Choices UK. value across the life of a deaf child. Our Charity Aim has changed: "Deaf Choices UK (DCUK) aspires to give deaf children improved access to: DEAF CHOICES UK offering language and literacy for life Language - by empowering their families On 6th December we were accepted to make fully informed choices. by the Charity commission as Deaf Literacy - by supporting their educators to Choices UK. access information, training, and On the 23rd December we were resources. accepted by the Companies house as being Deaf Choices UK. On 15th January our new Deaf Choices UK website went live with new content.

Strategic Overview DC We provide knowledge, information and training around the unique benefits, concepts, and skills of using Cued Speech. Governance The Trustees work in line with DCUK Articles of Association. Our offer supports deaf children and those with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) to thrive at home, succeed in education, and achieve their potential. All Trustees apply with a full CV and two references and are interviewed by the Executive Director and another Trustee. New Trustees are 'voted in, on their first meeting by the full Board. All Trustees must complete Level I Safeguarding training and submit an enhanced DBS check. The DCUK Articles of Association and Memorandum of Association reviewed in October 2001 have not changed. This year we received resignations from Win Burton and Tina KinNin-McGinley. The brand identity has not changed we still use the same recognisable blue and the same font. Tina, a Teacher of the Deaf, was a Trustee for 19 years and brought a professional and educational perspective to meetings. Her strategic and practical knowledge were hugely valued. Tina has asked that we replace her with an individual with similar strengths and skills. DCUK continues to be the only charity in the UK that offers Cued Speech training to families with a deaf child and the professionals who support deaf children. Win Burton served as a Trustee to CSUK for more than 20 years. Win was a mother to four children two of whom were deaf. Win was a bilingual 'cuer' and cued in both French and English. She provided the board with first-hand experience of parenting deaf children and supported the team by quality assuring written documents and funding applications. Her immense knowledge and skill were invaluable and are missed by all.

Strategic overview DC Volunteers Policies Volunteers provide a vital contribution to the work of DCUK. Safeguarding - We are registered with the Safeguarding Network - "Safeguarding Network - confidence in safeguarding" This is an online resource produced for schools. The site is updated with the latest reports and articles and relevant training events. Our volunteers support training activities, demonstrate how to cue at public events, provide external advice and guidance, take part in fundraising activities, provide expert advice in specialist areas of delivery and trial our new resources. It contains information and training in all the key areas which should be considered when working with children. Volunteers cannot work on their own with children and when working with us they must have an enhanced DBS and have completed level I Safeguarding training. Safe9uardlng Network web8lte (Scan th• QR code on your 8martphon•) Policies on employment, holidays, behaviour and inclusion are available in the DCUK Handbook. Staff Handbook (Scan the QR codo on your smartphone) HR Procedures and guidance are supported by Westcountry HR. www.westcountryhr.com Health and Safety at work is overseen by Peninsular www.peninsulagrouplimited.com Will Collinson - A Deaf Choices UK volunteer

Operational and Practise DC Overview Why Cued Speech? opportunities and the best possible outcomes in education and for life for their child. Deaf children want to be able to feel included in their family and community and to be able to have access to language, literacy, education and employment equal to their hearing peers. DCUK beneficiaries are: (a) Those deaf children who are not able to benefit fully or at all from hearing aids or implants. (b) The very significant number of children who use listening (via technology) but subsequently fail to acquire a practical understanding of English. (c) Visual learners such as children who have auditory processing issues, language delay, dyslexia, auditory neuropathy, and those who do not have English as a first language. (d) Those children who are struggling to access literacy in education at Key Stage We are confident that access to CS from an early age will give deaf children life changing skills. Income received from our benefactors is used to support two streams of work: l.Working with Deaf Babies and Children aged 0-4. Project funded is CHOICES programme for the parents of newly diagnosed deaf children. 2. Language and Literacy for life. 0-18. (d) is recognised as a new cohort. This reflects the focus of work with Key Stage I literacy. Within these two work streams are embedded several projects. Each project has ring-fenced income achieved through grant applications to Charitable Trusts. Outcomes l. Deaf babieslchildren will demonstrate greater participation within the family. 2. Deaf children's self-confidence will grow in their personal relationships. 3. Deaf children will have increased literacy skills. Core funding is used to maintain the core functions integral to the charity's activities and is not ring-fenced. Income is achieved through applications to Charitable Trusts, income received from standard appeals, donations, and fundraising activities. Charitable Activities Every parent of a deaf child wants equal

Operational and Practise DC Overview An example of working with a child agedO-4 Impact on Willow's Development: Becca noticed significant improvements in Willow's development with CS. By 12 months old, Willow was meeting all her developmental and language milestones, babbling a full range of sounds, and starting to say words like "Dada," dog," "bird, and "thank you." When Willow started nursery, she was confident, happy, and well-engaged with her peers. Case History Willow 2023 -2024 Willow failed her newborn hearing screening and was referred to Kathy by Plymouth Audiology department following newborn hearing screening. The audiologist explained that DCUK UK offered free support and that CS could help with Willow's language and communication. Willow was diagnosed with moderate hearing loss, and her mother, Becca, a preschool teacher, was concerned about Willow's social and language development. Becca shared her advice to other parents: "It's ovenNhelming to learn your baby is deaf, but CS gives them the best chance for full language and literacy. If I can do it, anyone can." Becca's initial meeting with the DCUK Regional Family Advisor, Kathy, via Zoom was overwhelming, but Kathy's clear explanations helped Becca understand and decide to try CS. Becca, aware of the challenges of learning British Sign Language (BSL) and its limitations for literacy, appreciated that CS allowed her to communicate fully with Willow from the start. Becca was aware that while Willow had hearing aids to support her hearing, cued speech would provide visual confirmation of sounds that might not be accessed. Continued Progress and Family Involvement: Since October 2023, Kathy has continued working with Becca and her husband Chris, visiting them weekly or bi-weekly. Chris decided to learn to cue, and now he can cue single words and short phrases. Becca practices cueing harder words and paragraphs, while Willow remains eager to engage in play and communication. Becca reported that Willow's speech and language have made great strides. Willow enthusiastically anticipated Kathy's visits, demonstrating her 10.

Operational and Practise DC Overview progress by playing games and practising new words and signs. At her new nursery, Willow attempts to repeat names she hears, and cueing helps her understand and pronounce them correctly. When she misunderstands something, cueing clarifies it, making Willow more confident as she knows she can always understand her parents. At three, JJ, profoundly deaf despite hearing aids, was referred to DCUK. His mother sought help as JJ struggled with anxiety and minimal engagement. Kathy, the Regional Family Advisor (RFA) for the Southwest, noticed JJ'S frustration and limited hearing. Initially denied cochlear implants due to cognitive and emotional challenges, JJ and his mother made significant progress with CS over six months. Seeking specialized education, they chose Eggbuckland (EB) School in Plymouth, which collaborates with CSUK, using cued stories and songs to support literacy. JJ thrived at EB, one of 30 children using CS, where teachers also learned to Cue. Conclusion: CS has had a profound impact on Willow's development, boosting her language skills, social confidence, and overall engagement. Becca's dedication and the support from CSUKIDCUK have ensured Willow thrives despite her hearing loss. An example of the impact of Cued Speech on language and literacy for life DCUK helped with JJ'S Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP). By age five, JJ showed significant language and literacy improvement using CS and BSL. After six months at EB, JJ successfully received cochlear implants at age six. His literacy lagged behind peers, but his behaviour and engagement improved markedly. JJ continued using CS to integrate visual English with the new acoustic signals, supported by BSL. JJ'S Journey with Deaf Choices UK 11.

Operational and Practise DC Overview Now seven, JJ'S transformation is extraordinary. His expressive language is age- appropriate, his literacy is catching up, and he excels in social interactions, attending mainstream classes. During a recent visit, the DCUK Executive Director saw JJ and his profoundly deaf friend enthusiastically engaging with CS literacy resources, cueing, singing, and dancing. ATH IJK Kathy Kenny on ITV regional news JJ cueing at Eggbuckland 12.

Operational and Practise DC Overview Nan in a Van (NIAV) and DCUK and the Development of Software for deaf children. In July 2023 a Parliamentary written question was posed by Anthony Mangnall MP. In the report 2022-2023, we had three unique software prototype interventions that we hoped to continue to develop for deaf people, these were NIAV, Cassie ICUE and UCUE. We had established good partnerships with other charities to work on projects together. I was able to ask the Secretary of State for Education: "how many primary schools in England use literacy resources at Key stage I designed specifically for (a) deaf children and (b) other visual learners that include visual languages to support access and inclusion in early literacy as of July 2023" (195561) In July 2023 we finished the development of the animated NIAV stories. These stories were animated by avatars one who used Cued Speech to tell the story in English and one to describe the pictures using British Sign Language. Tabled on: 20 July 2023 Minister David Johnston's reply in brief: The department recognises the importance of supporting all children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), including deaf children and those with a hearing impairment. However, once the animation for NIAV was completed the company Robotica who were developing our Avatar, went into liquidation. We had a partnership agreement in place which is legally binding and the Intellectual Propety for NIAV belongs to DCUK, however the other two products are currently dormant. The reasons are two- fold; we put all our focus on NIAV and secondly, we now need additional funds to move the avatar projects ICUE and UCUE forward. On the Get Information About Schools service, there are 197 primary schools and five all-through schools listed as providing for children with hearing impairments, there are 20,788 Primary Schools in the UK. Market Research into the need for support for early literacy at the foundation stage Key Stage l and onwards: 13.

Operational and Practise DC Overview The Children and Families Act 2014 requires all local authorities to publish a local offer of services for children and young people with SEND in their area, to ensure that families are aware of services that are available in their area and are able to contribute to shaping the services to meet local needs. Information about the support available for children with sensory impairment should be included within that local offer. The Year I phonics screening check (PSC) assesses whether children can accurately decode a selection of words that include common Grapheme Phoneme Correspondences (GPCS): the first step in word reading. Performance overall in the PSC has improved substantially since 2012, the year of its introduction.[footnote 4] Results for 2023 show outcomes close to pre-pandemic levels.[footnote 5] There is also a positive correlation between performance in the PSC and performance in PIRLS (Progress in international reading literacy study) 2021. "The economic cost of insufficient early literacy support is likely to be significant. Each year a group of children who do not meet the expected early years standard generates lifetime economic costs of around £830 million. Successive PIRLS reports also show a reducing gap between the lowest and highest scoring pupils, which seems to be the result of an improvement in the performance of the lowest attainers. [footnote 6] This equates to £7,800 for each five- year-old who could reasonably have been expected to meet the standard. Much of this loss stems from the knock- on effects on academic success and later employment outcomes. The typical child who does not meet the literacy standard at age five loses out on around £5,300 of earnings over their lifetime and costs the government around £2,500 more over their lifetimes through higher spending on education and welfare, as well as lower tax revenue., Early literacy matters: Economic impact and regional disparities in England Karol Rodriguez Cabrera, Rachel Gomez and Jon Franklin February 2024 However, over l in 4 pupils still move to secondary school without having met the expected standard in the Key Stage 2 national reading test.[footnote 7] This hinders them in secondary school, both in English and more widely across the curriculum (Ofsted the English Education Subject Report 2024) 14.

Operational and Practise DC Overview In October 2023 we moved our funds and staff time to focus on creating a comprehensive literacy intervention for children who are struggling with Key Stage I phonics. programme. Included in the resource pack are 5 sets of ten hard-copy book versions, five lesson plans per book (50 lesson plans) pupil activity sheets for each lesson and a card game which supports children with phonic awareness, segmenting and blending. We have also included completion certificates for the child for every book. The resource pack will include an introduction and demonstration and ongoing training and support from DCUK to educators and volunteers as needed. Activities for the launch of this resource have been numerous. The Training Lead and Choice Advisor have developed Nan in a Van (NIAV), a series of 10 e-books which use digital avatars to present the story in both Cued English and British Sign Language and ten hard-copy A4 reading books that mirror the animated story. Designed for Deaf Children and children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), this is a unique intervention in deaf education and gives children equality of access to literacy. The resource offers a perfect introduction to literacy for all children and a supportive intervention for those struggling to access literacy with the aim of all children returning to the main literacy program used in school once they are confident with letters and sounds. The narrative in the books match the roll- out of phonemes recommended by the government's own 'Letters and Sounds, We are extremely proud of the quality of this intervention which is now complete. How to Cue Letters Can you rnakl these hand5haptS Wlth y¢ur own hand by the sldo of your faco? Bb Dd Con you put hond5hape at youp. lamNan Gg Hh Jj Kk thToai Ll Pp Cor4 pul th artdshdpo OL th sldl •f y•UT ltst it.. Qq Tt Can yt)u Mov rh hondsh4p¢ btLwen rhtse Iwo ￿9[¢$1 Book I dty*n Yy 15.

Charity Outcomes DC Numbers trained April 2023- end March 2024 139 Family members 179 Professionals 0 540 People presented to 0 410 deaf children supported Attended 14 deaf related events Delivered 14 CS Foundation Group Sessions Delivered 13 CS workshops 152 Home Visits 17 On-line Zoom Training Sessions 42 DeaflParent Child Groups I Charity Event 30 Pre-school and School Visits 26 Online Self-study Registrations 8 Post CS Foundation Online Sessions 60 Love Reading Sessions 6 Choices Programmes 10 NIAV Demos Increased participation in family Increased literacy Increased confidence Significant changes 22 % Little change 50 % Significant changes 48 % Little change 30 % Significant changes 45 % Little change IIO/o No change 28% No change 22 % No change 44% 16.

Charity Outcomes DC How do we collect Data? to 4 so that we have a quantitative measurement of change. A fifth box asks the parent whether they have noticed a change in each area since the start of their cueing journey. Information is documented in our database or Social Impact Tracker (SIT). We collect names, ages of beneficiaries, gender, types and number of interventions, case notes, location, and the practitioner's name. For children aged 4 and older, we look at indicators that reflect language, literacy, and sociallemotional development. We measure Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Literacy, Social Skills, and Emotional Wellbeing through behaviour both at school and home. Additionally, each section has an observation or comment box which can be completed by the child, the parenvcaregiver, or the teacher. Outcomes are recorded using a questionnaire for parentsladults, which is designed to gather information to support our outcome measurements. The questionnaires have been redesigned this year to provide more accurate indicators and are now divided into two age groups: 0 - 4 years and 4 years and older. During further interviews, the Executive Director interviews the parents of the deaf child to give a more impartial view of the practitioner intervention. Case notes from these interviews are made into individual case studies and are edited and approved by the parent in question. We have researched other assessments used in education and by hearing support specialists and have adapted these. This allows our assessment to be compared with other multiagency assessment tools. It is important to note that on many occasions, developmental age is more significant than incremental age. The questionnaires are used every six months to track change. These interviews are the parent and child stories and are 'owned' by them. We gather signed authorisation to use photos and case studies from our families. We record anecdotal and qualitative data and evidence during home or school visits which are used for reporting. Additionally, some of our families have agreed to and taken part in BBC Children in Need interviews for radio and television. For children aged 0 - 4 or those who are pre-verbal, we measure three indicators: Attending, Eye Contact, and Facial Expression, and we have four measurements of change in each area. These boxes can be given a score from I 17.

Other DCUK Activities DC Activities The Website June 2023 the Team met with their local MP Anthony Mangnall who then supported the ED with a Parliamentary written question In December 2023 we changed our name from Cued Speech UK to Deaf Choices UK and created a new website to support the new brand - deafchoicesuk.com Conferences and Engagements In March 2024 we were able to meet with the Minister David Johnston. We have also delivered demonstrations of NIAV to the Leeds multiagency team supporting deaf children, Manchester Heads of Service, Hertfordshire Teachers of the Deaf, Cambridge Cochlear Implant Group, The Annual conference for Audiology in October, and the (Special Educational Needs and Disability) SEND conference held in London in June. The Brand change represents the change in direction of our philosophy and values after 50 years which is a direct response to a change in need reflected by our beneficiaries. We changed the website to include less narrative and written material and more films and videos. The website is now split into four key areas and easy to navigate and more engaging. DCUK Hom• Wh•t •r• my ¢hol¢••7 Our Off•r R••our¢•• Lov• Llt•r•¢y About U• Welcome to Deaf Choices UK Form•rly known •• Cu•d Sp••ch UK Welcome to Deal Choices UK. DCUK. Our name reflects our approath. We support parent5 of deaf children to mak• the best CHOICEISI for Lan9uage, Literacy and Cofflmunication. W• b•li•v• th￿ •v•ry d•af child artd •v•ry family has è uniqu• $•t of nteds and DCUK is here to help you n8vigate and explore the choice$ that are 4vail•bl• to you. $0 that you can mJk• an informed choi¢•. Deal Choic•s UK is th• ¢)nly charity ift th• UK that provid• trèirting in Cu•d Speech. Nfjwsl•tter Sign Up Al 18.

Other DCUK Activities DC Marketing new schools within the Southwest through the attendance of a deaf child within their cohort who has been accessing cued speech at home with their family. To support and promote the change in brand we ran a marketing campaign with Crest Marketing which included features in 3 magazines, I podcast, 2 newspaper articles and a feature on West Country news during National Deaf Awareness week. The TV feature demonstrated our work with Eggbuckland school and NIAV. Forging good relationships with Teachers of the Deaf (TODS) resulted in a positive engagement with a school in Exeter. A teaching assistant in a school in Calstock in Cornwall, who we taught to cue, has been using Cued Speech to support special educational needs children in her class to access literacy learning, the results have been inspiring. What has worked Well this year? Collaboration and Partnership working: Working in collaboration with other services and agencies has worked well for the Charity this year. We have made new partnerships with Exeter Audiology Services (CHIME) who are keen to refer newly diagnosed deaf babies to our CHOICES programme for children aged between O and 4. Home Visits The number of home-visits has increased significantly this year with families feeling more confident post-covid and numbers are now equal to those pre-covid. The Charitie's six-week CHOICES program has brought families together and is a good example of parent-led and family-focused learning model. The sustained and embedded referral pathway for Plymouth Audiology Services continues to thrive for Deaf Choices UK and for newly diagnosed deaf children. Partnerships in schools have also been a success story over the last year. Our work with schools mainly focuses on delivering training in Cued Speech to the team around a deaf child and providing an understanding of the impact of CS as an intervention to support literacy learning. We have been referred to four Early Years and Love Reading The delivery of 'Love Reading, sessions through Early Years groups in the Southwest and in Hertfordshire have worked well with parents and toddlers really enjoying cued stories in particular classic fairy tales such as the Ginger 19.

Other DCUK Activities DC Bread Man. The repetition in these fables provide clear visual affirmation of repeated sounds through the cues of cued speech. willing to engage with the Charity and while some collaborations have been 'super-easy,' some have been slow to progress. Our Family Advisor in the Northeast has continued to produce excellent resources which are included in our family pack. She has made filmed, cued stories and "Dear Zoo,, in particular has proved very popular. Our collaboration with the software company Robotica has been challenging this year with the company failing to meet our timelines and deadlines, at the end of the year we found that the Directors had separated due to conflicting ideology. Self Study Thankfully our literacy resource Nan-in-a- Van was completed. The delay did give us time to reflect on the purpose of the resource and how to make it 'teacher and classroom, friendly. In response to this and following consultation with our pilot schools, we have embarked on developing a whole classroom resource. This includes access to the online 'books,' hard-copy versions, lesson plans and pupil activity sheets. The resource will be delivered with training. NIAV provides a specialist literacy intervention for deaf children and children with special educational needs (SEN). The Cued Speech online self-study has proved to be very popular with more professionals and parents accessing it. The learning is usually supplemented via l - I sessions with a CS practitioner. We have done some very successful networking and public relations with a member of our team representing the Charity at conferences, networking events and through radio interviews. These events have resulted in new referrals, partnerships and even interest from potential trustees. Key Challenges in the Delivery It is interesting to note that there are strengths and weaknesses in some delivery areas. For example, we have made some great relationships with Teachers of the Deaf, but some are not 20.

Review & Plan 2024~2027 DC Early Intervention 0 - 4 l. The peri, post and the hosted post faced challenges for different reasons. The Southwest post has been the most successful with the highest levels of engagement. 2. Remote interventions across the UK and Globally using support over ZOOM have been successful with excellent outcomes for parents and deaf children. Our project O- 4 has been generously funded by the Sylvia Adams Foundation and in the last year through the Sylvia Adams Legacy Trust. 2017- 2024. Funds were also received from the Henry Smith Foundation 2018- 2021 and 2021- 2024. These two significant funds will end in September 2024. Additional funds were also received for core costs from BBC Children in Need, Foyle Foundation, Garfield Western. We received funding for The National Lottery Community Fund to support the salary of the Training lead and the Executive Director. Given the above information DCUK Plan 2024 - 2027 will focus on three main areas of work which are under an umbrella title 'Language and Literacy for Life, Early Intervention 0 - 6+ (needs led) Research and Development, and Active O 18. The projects are not mutually exclusive and overlap in some areas. All of our projects have the same outcomes and outcome measurements. Over the last seven years we have looked at providing regional support to parents with a deaf child in three areas across the UK. The support has been provided by Regional Family Advisors (RFA) using four different models of intervention: a post hosted by the Local Authority Hearing Impairment Service. (LA HIS) (Wales and Herts) a peripatetic post in the North East. (Newcastle) a post working out of our South West Regional Office. Remote working using ZOOM . 21.

Review & Plan 2024~2027 DC Early Intervention 0 - 6+ . (El) disseminate the Nan-in-a-van (NIAV) resource to all Primary Schools across the UK , starting with our key area in the South West. "Changing lives through Early Intervention. Focuses on the provision of language for newly diagnosed deaf babies. Support in the transition from Pre-school to Primary School and literacy learning at Key Stage l. The intervention includes training in cs Our Objectives O-6+ To improve the early language acquisition of deaf babies and children aged O- 6 through the provision of training in Cued Speech to the parents and the team around the child. To enhance the knowledge and understanding of the choices available to deaf children through the provision of home support, which includes the CHOICES programme, to parents of newly diagnosed deaf babies following the newborn hearing screening. To improve the literacy levels of Key Stage l Deaf and SEND children including deaf children through the dissemination of a specialist interventions designed by DCUK called, "Nan in a Van,, (NIAV) into all Primary Schools across the UK. To gather data around the impact of DCUK interventions in order to evidence outcomes. Use evidence to help to plan for a second literacy resource. l. The provision of language for newly diagnosed deaf babies through training parents in CS and supporting parents at home with a deaf child, focusing our face-to-face intervention or working through ZOOM. The intervention is free where there is a deaf child. 2. The delivery of a programme called CHOICES. CHOICES supports parents to navigate the 'deaf World, and the choices for language and literacy that may be available to them. CHOICES helps parents to choose interventions which will uniquely meet the needs of their deaf child and to understand the progressive journey of a deaf baby and child through infancy and onward into education. 3. The provision of literacy intervention at Key Stage I to Deaf and SEND children who are struggling with accessing literacy. We intend to 22.

Review & Plan 2024~2027 DC Research and Development. Objectives Focuses on the development in training resources in CS for parents and professionals and the further development of Resources and interventions. This includes:_ The continuing development of online training resources and the delivery of training to schools. Delivery of face-to-face CS introductory training to the team around a deaf child. Supporting young people 16 - 25 at key transitional points through education and into employment. Other areas of work under this project include: To improve training in cued speech To improve the accessibility of training in cued speech To gather data on training outcomes to inform the further development of training resources To improve self confidence in young deaf people 16 - 25 thereby improving their ability to access employment. 'ACTIVE' 0 - 18+ Seeks to build on self-confidence, inclusion and improved literacy for deaf children through activities. The activities are physical, social, emotional and educational. Activities Training the professional team around the deaf child using ZOOM. Updating the Online training and developing a self-assessment app for improving cueing. The dissemination of NIAV into schools Training volunteers Development of new resources Commissioning research. Activities Family coffee mornings with children's activities for deaf children and their siblings. Promoting and encouraging the use of visual manual languages including British Sign Language (BSL) and Cued Speech (CS) . Family activity days for families with a deaf child such as visits to local attractions. Supported engagement with sports, recreation and arts activities. (eg. football, dance, theatre, horse riding, cricket, skiing.) 23.

Review & Plan 2024~2027 DC Love reading sessions to improve literacy skills using cued stories and our Nan~in- a-van reading resource. Supporting parent-led support groups Training volunteers Supporting young people 16- 25 into education or employment. We will be taking a proactive approach to generating core funds through the dissemination and sales of a specialist Key stage I literacy intervention NIAV. In addition to this we have key project and core funding from The National Lottery Community fund and BBC Children in Need plus many smaller grants to support our work this financial year. 2024 2025. Objectives To improve social engagement of deaf children To improve family participation To improve self confidence through activities To improve mental health outcomes of young deaf people To improve the outcomes of young people in education and employment To improve the participation of deaf young people in their communities From September we will be focusing our work throughout the Southwest region and will grow our business outwards through a best practice model. We will continue to deliver training in CS and offer family support face-to-face in the Southwest and across the UK through ZOOM. We will be taking fonNard the activities and members of the Plymouth Deaf Children's Society. This small Charity was due to fold, however, its activities enhance those that DCUK already deliver within the Plymouth area. DCUK are delighted to be able to continue to deliver these with funds ring-fenced for the area. Conclusion. Plan for 2024 - 2027 Due to changes in the needs of our beneficiaries and changes in our funding we have responded proactively and have generated a new strategy to support the Charity to move forwards. We will be changing our funding streams to:_ "Language and Literacy for Life." Activities include a monthly family coffee morning for deaf children and adults, and activities such as football and dancing for deaf children. DCUK will have a representative Trustee on their board and will greatly benefit from this alliance. 0 - 6+ Early Intervention. Research and Development 0 - 18+ Active 24.

The Deaf Choices Team DC At the end of the financial year 2023 - 2024, DCUK maintain a highly motivated office team of 8 part-time employees who use their transferable skills to meet the needs of our beneficiaries and cover a number of projects delivered across the UK. Henrietta Ireland is the Executive Director of CSUK. Her energy and creativity have continued to bring opportunities to the Charity and her ability to fundraise has continued to bring income into the Charity.A successful funding bid to the National Lottery Community Fund has ensured some imperative core funds over the next three years and it has given her the opportunity to consider the best pathway and plan for the Charity during this time.Henrietta is currently working on a re-branding and marketing plan and continues to network with potential partners. Louise Creed is highly skilled at writing budgets for the Charity which is an art and takes considerable experience and accounting genius. Without this our funding bids would not have been successful. Louise keeps clear and rigid spending targets and holds all project spending to account. Debbie Hawke runs the day-to-day and month-to-month administration of the Charity. Her role is integral to the efficiency and safety of our practice and delivery. Mark Murton can and does do everything and is remarkably successful in achieving his goals. This may be re-writing the web-site or writing standard appeals, and publishing the Annual Report. If he can't do it, he finds out how. Mark also manages new referrals of families and the CSUK online training site. Cate Calder is the CSUK Training Lead. Cate is the creative and professional gift to CSUK. She has spent the last 18 months as the key point-of-contact for Robotica Machine Learning (RML) the company who are making our digital interventions for us. Cate's eye for detail has ensured that our products cue with accuracy and that the lip shapes made by Cassie are 99 % faultless. Enabling Cassie to get to such a degree of accuracy has taken time, diligence and commitment. In addition to this she has monitored and overseen training delivered both online and face-to-face and has been the highly respected - and in demand - voice and the face of CSUK at conferences and seminars across the UK. 25.

The Deaf Choices Team DC Kathy Kenny is the Lead Regional Family Advisor. Kathy continues to focus her work as an RFA in the Southwest region but will take referrals from other regions and when requested, from abroad! Her training as a teacher and her experience of deafness through having a deaf child herself, means that she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her work. Kathy is really starting to reap the rewards of persistent engagement with families and professionals over the last five years. She has multiple referrals from audiology and works with our key schools in the South West where there is a specialist unit for deaf children. As the Lead Practitioner, Kathy also oversees the work of the other Regional Advisors offering them advice, guidance and supervision. Carly Simpson, an RFA based in the North East, working in Newcastle, North Yorkshire and Leeds.During and following the 'Lockdown years,, Carly helped us generate a lot of creative material for you tube and the website including cued stories, songs and view-it-cue-it. Carly never stops looking for work opportunities and this has paid off this year with referrals of families wanting to learn to cue and the provision of training for professionals. Sagira Jetha, is an RFA in Hertfordshire. She is a hosted member of the Hertfordshire Hearing Impairment Team and is a highly valued member of the team. Her work was affected by Covid with less parents wanting to engage with mother and baby or toddler groups. However numbers have been improving month-on-month from September. Her Line manager in Herts is Claire Gamon who will be leaving the Service in July. Claire has been a great advocate for CS and her foresight helped us to set up our successful partnership in 2019. She will be missed. We are proud to also have 7 experienced Trustees on hand to offer specialist advice and expertise to the team. Peter chose Cued Speech for his profoundly deaf son in 1985 (a year after he was born) and attended a number of beginners and intermediate courses in Canterbury. Peter became a trustee in 1986 and was elected chair of National Centre of Cued Speech Management Committee for a number of years until 1995 during a time when fundraising and raising the profile of Cued Speech were the key objectives. His son benefitted from Cued Speech and now works for ITV adding sign language bubbles to the current programmes. His ability to communicate in the deaf and the hearing world is excellent. 26.

The Deaf Choices Team DC Vicki Macklin discovered Cued Speech in 2020 whilst looking for Speech and Language resources to help her son Ryan, who was 4 years old at the time. Speech and Language support was focussed on Makaton whereas Vicki wanted to teach him sounds and speech. Ryan's vocabulary had outgrown the Makaton signs he knew. During the COVID lockdown all SALT support stopped. As a parent of a deaf child with speech difficulties, and being deaf herself, Vicki hopes that she can bring some experience and insight to the Cued Speech team from personal experience, including sharing the benefits she has found using cued speech which have gone beyond lip reading. Vicki think it is no coincidence that Ryan is in the top reading and phonics groups at school. Vicki is an IT Project Manager by profession. Sarah Elumba-Hill has a Bsc Information Technology degree and has worked in Information Technology and Sales. She now runs her own business, Hill Top Brews LTD, where she sells and supplies roast to order coffee beans, equipment and supplies. Sarah has been profoundly deaf since birth and has worn hearing aids for 34 years and now wears a Cochlear Implant. She looks forward to learning to Cue. Having experienced a different type of multi-sensory speech therapy growing up, she sees the benefit of how Cued Speech can improve the quality of life for a deaf person. Ken is the grandfather of a deaf child brought up with Cued Speech. Ken's early career was with the Merchant Navy, before moving into a sales career in the food industry. Ken became aware of Deaf Choices UK after his granddaughter was born deaf. She lives in France with her parents and brother, who all attended a Cued Speech course in Exeter. His granddaughter, now 11, not only speaks fluent French and English but uses Cued Speech and signing in both languages. The whole family has benefited enormously by learning to cue. Tina is a qualified teacher of deaf children (B.Ed Hons/Ad Dip Ed) and is currently the senior manager of the Hearing Needs team in the Sensory Support Service in Manchester. Tina as well as managing a large team of teachers of the deaf and specialist teaching assistants, also continues to teach deaf children who are educated either through BSL or using an oral approach from newborn to year 11. She has used Cued Speech with many pupils over the last ten years for teaching 26.

The Deaf Choices Team DC lipreading, phonic skills and spelling. She introduced Cued Speech to the Service and 19 staff have now had some degree of training within it. Many of the staff use it with profoundly deaf pupils who have English as a second language.Tina runs a Cued Speech club for parents and staff which is well attended. The staff from the Manchester SSS regularly attend the Cued Speech Association's cue camp. Christine Hardy is the Chair person of the charity, and brings with her a wealth of knowledge from growing up in the deaf community, as a child of a deaf adult. With NVQ Level 6 in British Sign Language and a rich and varied background in which she has used her linguistic skills in the working world, she will be a vital member of our committee. She currently works 'Advocacy, Rights and Awareness Manager, for Deafblind UK, whom she has worked for now for ten years, and has an educational background in both linguistics and law. Jacob Twomey is passionate about leveraging marketing expertise for good, and he brings his 8 years of commercial experience to the Board of Trustees. He will be instrumental in developing and executing strategic plans for the exciting new initiative of establishing a trading branch for the charity. Jacob's experience in branding, lead generation, and business development, combined with his positive and collaborative outlook will be invaluable as we work towards creating a sustainable trading branch. This will allow us to generate income to support our goal in enabling as many deaf children and families as possible with access to language and literacy. With his dedication and consultancy, we are confident that this new venture will have a significant impact on the lives of deaf individuals in our community. 26.

Funding and Risk Management DC Our application to the National Lottery needs to fulfil its outcomes which if successful will provide income generation by year 4 which will easily cover DCUK core costs. part-time employees 6 full-time equivalents, who have the skill and knowledge to deliver within several different work and social contexts. Careful budgeting enables us to provide all our family interventions for free for parents of deaf children. With Thanks We are most grateful to our funders who have supported DCUK to continue to deliver essential interventions to deaf children and their families. From September 2024 we will lose 2 Regional Family Advisors in Herts and the North East, due to the termination of funding, these posts will not be replaced. The ED lobbied extensively to get the post in Herts adopted by the Local Authority Hearing impairment Service but as of the date of writing this report, this has not been confirmed. Multi-year funding helps the Charity to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of its models of delivery and its activities. Unrestricted funding enables the Charity to be flexible and responsive in meeting costs not directly related to projects such as the cost of computers, staff training, marketing and publicity. Core funding is essential to support staff costs such as that of the Executive Director and Training Lead. Project funds are essential for meeting the fast-changing needs we observe when working with deaf babies and children. Efficient and Effective Delivery DCUK keep their overheads low. 60 % of funding goes towards staff wages, however, our team is small with only 8 28.

Statement of Financial Activities DC Income Donations 30,421 292,819 323,240 341,761 Charitable activities 598 2105 2703 3,824 Investment Income 1678 115 1793 319 Total Income 32,697 295,039 327,736 345,904 Expenditure Expenditure on charitable activities (244) (308,000) (308,244) 360,152 Total Expenditure (244) (308,000) (308,244) 360,152 Net income and net movement of funds 32,453 (12,961) 19,492 14,248 Net movement of funds 32,453 (12,961) 19,492 (14,248) Reconciliation of Funds Total funds brought forward 59,917 59,810 119,727 133,975 Total funds carried forward 92,370 46,849 139,219 133,975 29.

Legal and Financial Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2024 DC Fixed Assets Tangible Fixed Assets 5,574 4,181 Current Assets Stocks 743 743 Debtors 1,518 5,072 Cash at bank and in hand 121,586 141,048 Total Current Assets 123,847 146,863 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 9,694 11,825 Net current assets 114,153 135,038 Total assets less current liabilities 119,727 139,219 Net assets 119,727 139,219 Restricted income funds 59,810 46,849 Unrestricted Funds 59,917 92,370 Income donated by charitable trusts, companies and individuals. The remaining £4496 included tuition fees and charges, membership subscriptions and Total income received in 2023124 was £327,736, of which £323,240 was 30.

Legal and Financial DC investment income. Charitable Trusts Expenditure The Henry Smith Charity W A Handley Trust The Sylvia Adams Charitable Trust Souter Charitable Trust Communications Trust St James Place Foundation Bloss Family Foundation Okemement Chapter Rose Croix The Belvedere Trust Dorothy Hay-Bolton Charitable Trust Vandervell Foundation PF Charitable Fund Dorothy whitney elmhirst trust David family foundation Viscount Amory's Charitable Trust The Fulmer Charitable Trust Marsh Christian Fund Elizabeth & Prince Zaiger Trust Benham Charitiable Trust Bothwell Charitable Trust BBC Children in Need The National Lottery Community Fund Total expenditure was £308,244. £274,321 was spent directly on charitable activities and the support costs of £33,923 includes our rent of £13,216. Reserves Expenditure exceeded income by £19,492 resulting in an increase in funds from £119,727 to £139,219 of which £46,849 is restricted to specific work. The Association's policy is to hold a designated reserve of £30,000 and in addition, operating reserves equivalent to not less than three months, expenditure. The balances held at 31 March 2024 met that requirement. Donors Individual Donations The Directors are grateful for the support, interest and encouragement received during the year from trusts, companies, organisations and individuals, including members who gave more than the minimum membership fee. During the year donations were received from five anonymous donors and from the following: A Mills CAF charity BACS anon Carole Fletcher Cathy Groeger Anonymous Jane Young Ken Orpin Mr C Millar Mr Mark Evans Peter Bowman Win Burton 31.

DEAF CHOICES UK Makes Spoken language visible for deaf babies, children and adults The Boatshed, Steamer Quay, Totnes, Devon TQ9 SAL [e-mail] - vvww.deafchoicesuk.com - 01803 712 852 Registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales No. 279523 A Company Limited by Guarantee No. 1477997

Company registration number: 01477997 Charity registration number: 279523

Deaf Choices UK Limited

formerly known as

Cued Speech UK Limited

(A company limited by guarantee) Annual Report and Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Contents

Contents
Reference and Administrative Details	1
Trustees' Report	2 to 6
Independent Examiner's Report	7
Statement of Financial Activities	8
Balance Sheet	9
Notes to the Financial Statements	10 to 22

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Reference and Administrative Details

Trustees

Mr K Orpin Mrs C Hardy, Chairperson Mr P G Bowman Ms S C Elumba-Hill Ms V Henry-Macklin Mr J P Twomey

Charity Registration Number

279523

Company Registration Number

01477997

The charity is incorporated in England and Wales.

Registered Office

The Boatshed Steamer Quay Road Totnes Devon TQ9 5AL

Independent Examiner

Westcotts (SW) LLP Chartered Accountants Petitor House Nicholson Road Torquay Devon TQ2 7TD

Page 1

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Trustees' Report

The trustees, who are directors for the purposes of company law, present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charitable company for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Cued Speech Definition

Cued Speech is a visual manual code for spoken languages that enables accurate lip reading. As a speaker says each word, they make a hand shape near the face that replaces the missing acoustic information for the deaf receiver.

Name change to Deaf Choices UK January 2024

After formal consultation over nine months with the Board of Trustees, stakeholders, and other members of the public, it was agreed that it would benefit the charity to change the name :-

• On 6th December we were accepted by the Charity Commission as Deaf Choices UK.

• On 23rd December we were accepted by Companies House as being Deaf Choices UK.

• On 15th January our new Deaf Choices UK website went live with new content.

In January 2024 we changed our name from Cued Speech UK to Deaf Choices UK and created a new website to support the new brand. The brand change represents the change in direction of our philosophy and values after 60 years, which is a direct response to a change in need reflected by our beneficiaries.

Objectives and activities Charitable Aims

2023 - Jan 2024

To ensure that all deaf children and adults are given the opportunity to have full access to English and the their home language through Cued Speech regardless of hearing loss. With this they can develop their language and literacy skills enabling them to reach their full potential.

As from January 2024

“Deaf Choices UK (DCUK) aspires to give deaf children improved access to :-

Language - by empowering their families to make fully informed choices.

Literacy – by supporting their educators to access information, training, and resources.

We provide knowledge, information and training around the unique benefits, concepts, and skills of using Cued Speech.

Our offer supports deaf children and those with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) to thrive at home, succeed in education, and achieve their potential.”

Page 2

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Trustees' Report

Our Activities

Over the last year we have been funded to provide two main areas of work :-

0 - 4 Early intervention

Working with newly diagnosed deaf babies and children through the provision of free support and training in Cued Speech at home provided by our Regional Family Advisors. The work also included the delivery of our parent intervention called CHOICES.

Language and Literacy for Life

This has included our work with Robotica and the development of specialist reading resources for special education needs children including deaf children. The later part of the year focused on the development of the intervention for Key Stage 1 “Nan in a Van” (NIAV). NIAV is now complete and ready to disseminate into schools.

Other Charitable Activities

Research and development.

Publicity through attending events, conferences and seminars.

The delivery of training in cued speech across the UK.

The development of a new website.

Marketing and publicity through CREST marketing company.

The design of creative material such as cued stories and films for parents of deaf children to use and enjoy.

The delivery of training in cued speech into schools to support deaf children.

Public benefit

Cued speech is a visual/manual code for spoken languages that enables accurate lip reading. As a speaker says each word, they make hand shapes near the face that replace the missing acoustic information for the deaf receiver.

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Page 3

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Trustees' Report

Trustees and officers

The trustees and officers serving during the year and since the year end were as follows:

Trustees:

Mrs H W Burton (resigned 20 October 2023)

Mrs T Kirwin-McGinley (resigned 23 October 2023)

Mr K Orpin

Mrs C Hardy, Chairperson

Mr P G Bowman

Ms S C Elumba-Hill

Mr G Allerton-Ross (resigned 13 April 2023)

Ms V Henry-Macklin

Mr J P Twomey (appointed 12 February 2024)

Secretary:

Mrs H W Burton (resigned 20 October 2023)

Mrs T Kirwin-McGinley (resigned 23 October 2023)

Structure, governance and management

Nature of governing document

The activities are governed by the Memorandum and Articles of Association. Under the Memorandum, the charity has the power to make any investment which the trustees see fit.

Recruitment and appointment of trustees

Charity members elect the Trustees who meet quarterly to oversee the work of the paid staff.

Organisational structure

At the end of the year there were 8 part-time employees.

The Team consists of: -

Henrietta Ireland – Executive Director Louise Creed – Business Manager Debbie Hawkes – Senior Administrator Mark Murton – Training co-ordinator Kathy Kenny – Lead Regional Family Advisor (South West region) Sagira Jetha – Regional Family Advisor Hertfordshire Carly Simpson – Regional Family Advisor North West

Page 4

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Trustees' Report

Major risks and management of those risks

Risk overview

The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the Charity is exposed and in particular those that are affected by fluctuations in the financial position of the Charity and we are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate the Charity’s exposure to major risk.

Financial Review

Total income received was £327,736 (2023 - £345,904), of which £323,240 (2023 - £341,761) was donated by charitable trusts, companies and individuals. The remaining £4,496 (2023 - £4,143) included tuition fees and charges, membership subscriptions and investment income.

Total expenditure costs have been reduced to £308,244 (2023 - £360,152), due to a decrease in the exceptional costs.

Reserves Policy

Income exceeded expenditure by £19,492 resulting in an increase in funds from £119,727 to £139,219, of which £46,849 (2023 - £59,810) is restricted to specific work and £92,370 (2023 - £59,917) is unrestricted funds.

The Association's policy is to hold a designated reserve of £30,000 (2023 - £20,000) and in addition, operating reserves equivalent to not less than three months' expenditure. The balances held at 31 March 2024 met that requirement.

Conclusion

Deaf Choices UK have experienced a strong year financially with income matching activities. However, the next year from September 2024 will require the Charity to make some prudent decisions around savings. Major donations will be coming to an end in September from Henry Smith, and Sylvia Adams Legacy Trust made their last payment in March 2024. We will be looking to maximise the potential of our literacy resource NIAV, to bring in revenue. We will continue to look for alternative funding and apply to new trusts and funds.

DCUK will be losing two Regional Family Advisors in Hertfordshire and the North East, and these posts will not be replaced. However, we will maximise our delivery through online platforms such as ZOOM, for engaging with families and look to improve the potential of publicity through other media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Page 5

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Trustees' Report

Statement of trustees' responsibilities

The trustees (who are also the directors of Deaf Choices UK Limited for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland". The report and accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions in the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

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 of the incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

• make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable accounting standards, comprising FRS 102 have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that can 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. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Small companies provision statement

This report has been prepared in accordance with the small companies regime under the Companies Act 2006.

The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on 13 September 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

.. ....................................... Ms C Hardy Trustee

Page 6

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of Deaf Choices UK Limited ('the Company')

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the Company's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of , which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of Deaf Choices UK Limited as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view' which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities [applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)].

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

...................................... S R Smith FCA on behalf of Westcotts Chartered Accountants Petitor House Nicholson Road Torquay Devon TQ2 7TD

16 October 2024

Page 7

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 (Including Income and Expenditure Account and Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses)

Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total 2024 Total 2023	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total 2024 Total 2023
Note £ £ £ £
Income and Endowments from:
Donations and legacies 3	30,421 292,819 323,240 341,761
Charitable activities 4	598 2,105 2,703 3,824
Investment income 5	1,678 115 1,793 319
Total income
	32,697 295,039 327,736 345,904
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities 6	(244) (308,000) (308,244) (360,152)
Total expenditure
	(244) (308,000) (308,244) (360,152)
Net income/(expenditure)
	32,453 (12,961) 19,492 (14,248)
Net movement in funds
	32,453 (12,961) 19,492 (14,248)
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
	59,917 59,810 119,727 133,975
Total funds carried forward 19
	92,370 46,849 139,219 119,727

All of the charity's activities derive from continuing operations during the above two periods. The funds breakdown for 2023 is shown in note 19.

The notes on pages 10 to 22 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 8

Deaf Choices UK Limited

(Registration number: 01477997) Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2024

	2024 2023
Note	£ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 13	4,181 5,574
Current assets
Stocks 14	743 743
Debtors 15	5,072 1,518
Cash at bank and in hand 16	141,048 121,586
	146,863 123,847
Creditors: Amounts falling due within oneyear 17
	(11,825) (9,694)
Net currentassets
	135,038 114,153
Netassets
	139,219 119,727
Funds of the charity:
Restricted income funds
Restricted funds 19	46,849 59,810
Unrestricted income funds
Unrestricted funds	92,370 59,917
Total funds 19
	139,219 119,727

For the financial year ending 31 March 2024 the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors' responsibilities:

• The members have not required the charity to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476; and

• The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to companies subject to the small companies regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements on pages 8 to 22 were approved by the trustees, and authorised for issue on 13 September 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

.. ....................................... Mrs C Hardy Trustee

The notes on pages 10 to 22 form an integral part of these financial statements.

Page 9

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

1 Charity status

The charity is limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales, and consequently does not have share capital. Each of the trustees is liable to contribute an amount not exceeding £Nil towards the assets of the charity in the event of liquidation.

The address of its registered office is: The Boatshed Steamer Quay Road Totnes Devon TQ9 5AL

2 Accounting policies

Summary of significant accounting policies and key accounting estimates

The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all the years presented, unless otherwise stated.

Statement of compliance

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: 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)) (issued in October 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Basis of preparation

Deaf Choices UK Limited meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.

Going concern

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern nor any significant areas of uncertainty that affect the carrying value of assets held by the charity.

Exemption from preparing a cash flow statement

The charity opted to early adopt Bulletin 1 published on 2 February 2016 and have therefore not included a cash flow statement in these financial statements.

Income and endowments

All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of the income receivable can be measured reliably.

Page 10

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Donations and legacies

Donations are recognised when the charity has been notified in writing of both the amount and settlement date. In the event that a donation is subject to conditions that require a level of performance by the charity before the charity is entitled to the funds, the income is deferred and not recognised until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the charity and it is probable that these conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period.

Expenditure

All expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to that expenditure, it is probable settlement is required and the amount can be measured reliably. All costs are allocated to the applicable expenditure heading that aggregate similar costs to that category.

Charitable activities

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.

Support costs

Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Governance costs

These include the costs attributable to the charity’s compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Taxation

The charity is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.

Tangible fixed assets

Fixed assets are initially recorded at cost, less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.

Depreciation and amortisation

Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets so as to write off the cost or valuation, less any estimated residual value, over their expected useful economic life as follows:

Asset class Depreciation method and rate Fixtures and fittings 25% reducing balance

Page 11

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Stock

Stock is valued at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell, after due regard for obsolete and slow moving stocks.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and call deposits, and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.

Fund structure

Unrestricted income funds are general funds that are available for use at the trustees discretion in furtherance of the objectives of the charity.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds set aside for specific purposes at the discretion of the trustees. Restricted income funds are those donated for use in a particular area or for specific purposes, the use of which is restricted to that area or purpose.

Pensions and other post retirement obligations

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme which is a pension plan under which fixed contributions are paid into a pension fund and the charity has no legal or constructive obligation to pay further contributions even if the fund does not hold sufficient assets to pay all employees the benefits relating to employee service in the current and prior periods.

Contributions to defined contribution plans are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities when they are due. If contribution payments exceed the contribution due for service, the excess is recognised as a prepayment.

Financial instruments

Classification

Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised when the charity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the charity after deducting all of its liabilities.

Page 12

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Recognition and measurement

All financial assets and liabilities are initially measured at transaction price (including transaction costs), except for those financial assets classified as at fair value through profit or loss, which are initially measured at fair value (which is normally the transaction price excluding transaction costs), unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction. If an arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, the financial asset or financial liability is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest for a similar debt instrument.

Debt instruments are subsequently measured at amortised cost.

3 Income from donations and legacies

3 Income from donations and legacies
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2024
	£ £ £
Donations;
Donations	30,091 292,785 322,876
Membershipsubscriptions	330 34 364
	30,421 292,819 323,240
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2023
	£ £ £
Donations;
Donations	51,049 290,293 341,342
Membershipsubscriptions	380 39 419
	51,429 290,332 341,761

Page 13

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

4 Income from charitable activities
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2024
	£ £ £
CS training income	597 530 1,127
Miscellaneous income	1 1,575 1,576
	598 2,105 2,703
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2023
	£ £ £
CS training income	275 464 739
Miscellaneous income	10 3,075 3,085
	285 3,539 3,824
5 Investment income
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2024
	£ £ £
Interest receivable on bank deposits	1,678 115 1,793
	1,678 115 1,793
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2023
	£ £ £
Interest receivable on bank deposits	278 41 319
	278 41 319

Page 14

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

6 Expenditure on charitable activities

6 Expenditure on charitable activities
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2024
Note	£ £ £
Charitable activities	83 24,988 25,071
Staff costs	- 222,363 222,363
Allocated support costs 7	161 54,882 55,043
Governance costs 7	- 5,767 5,767
	244 308,000 308,244
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2023
Note	£ £ £
Charitable activities	1,237 19,080 20,317
Staff costs	- 230,658 230,658
Allocated support costs 7	60,226 43,540 103,766
Governance costs 7	346 5,065 5,411
	61,809 298,343 360,152

In addition to the expenditure analysed above, there are also governance costs of £5,767 (2023 - £5,411) which relate directly to charitable activities. See note 7 for further details.

Page 15

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

7 Analysis of governance and support costs

Charitable activities expenditure

Charitable activities expenditure
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2024
	£ £ £
Staff training	- 2,287 2,287
Repairs and maintenance	- 143 143
Insurance	- 2,913 2,913
Rent	- 13,216 13,216
Legal and professional	- 720 720
Telephone and broadband	- 5,743 5,743
Printing, postage and stationery	- 2,817 2,817
Depreciation	161 1,232 1,393
Bank charges	- 60 60
Subscriptions and licenses	- 4,631 4,631
Exceptional costs	- 21,120 21,120
	161 54,882 55,043

	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2023
	£ £ £
Repairs and maintenance	- 791 791
Insurance	- 2,698 2,698
Rent	- 13,216 13,216
Legal and professional	- 720 720
Telephone and broadband	- 4,902 4,902
Printing, postage and stationery	- 3,692 3,692
Depreciation	215 1,643 1,858
Bank charges	11 68 79
Subscriptions and licenses	- 4,216 4,216
Exceptional costs	60,000 11,594 71,594
	60,226 43,540 103,766

Page 16

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Independent examiner fees

Examination of the financial statements Other fees paid to examiners Meeting Costs

	Unrestricted
	funds	Restricted	Total
	General	funds	2023
	£	£	£
Independent examiner fees
Examination of the financial statements	-	1,000	1,000
Other fees paid to examiners	68	2,999	3,067
MeetingCosts	278	1,066	1,344
	346	5,065	5,411

8 Net incoming/outgoing resources

Net incoming/(outgoing) resources for the year include:

	2024	2023
	£	£
Depreciation of fixed assets	1,393	1,858

9 Trustees remuneration and expenses

No trustees, nor any persons connected with them, have received any remuneration from the charity during the year (2023 - None).

No trustees have received any reimbursed expenses or any other benefits from the charity during the year (2023 - None).

Page 17

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

10 Staff costs

The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:

10 Staff costs The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:
	2024 2023
	£ £
Staff costs during the year were:
Wages and salaries	202,110 208,945
Social security costs	12,849 13,679
Pension costs	7,404 8,034
	222,363 230,658

The monthly average number of persons (including senior management / leadership team) employed by the charity during the year expressed as full time equivalents was as follows:

	2024 2023
	No No
Number of staff	6 6
No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 during the year (2023 - None).
11 Independent examiner's remuneration
	2024 2023
	£ £
Examination of the financial statements
	1,000 1,000
Other fees to examiners
All other services	3,174 3,067

Page 18

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

12 Taxation

The charity is a registered charity and is therefore exempt from taxation.

13 Tangible fixed assets

13 Tangible fixed assets
	Furniture and equipment Total
	£ £
Cost
At 1 April 2023	21,758 21,758
At 31 March 2024	21,758 21,758
Depreciation
At 1 April 2023	16,184 16,184
Charge for theyear	1,393 1,393
At 31 March 2024	17,577 17,577
Net book value
At 31 March 2024	4,181 4,181
At 31 March 2023	5,574 5,574
14 Stock
	2024 2023
	£ £
Consumables	743 743
15 Debtors
	2024 2023
	£ £
Due from group undertakings	326 313
Prepayments	4,018 547
Other debtors	728 658
	5,072 1,518
16 Cash and cash equivalents
	2024 2023
	£ £
Cash on hand	200 200
Cash at bank	140,848 121,386
	141,048 121,586

Page 19

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

17 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

17 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
	2024	2023
	£	£
Other taxation and social security	4,164	4,507
Other creditors	1,277	1,300
Accruals	6,384	3,887
	11,825	9,694

18 Pension and other schemes

Defined contribution pension scheme

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The pension cost charge for the year represents contributions payable by the charity to the scheme and amounted to £7,404 (2023 - £8,034).

19 Funds

	Balance at 1 Incoming Resources Balance at 31 March
	April 2023 resources expended Transfers 2024
	£ £ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds
General
General funds	39,917 32,697 (244) (10,000) 62,370
Designated
Designated funds	20,000 - - 10,000 30,000
Total unrestricted funds
	59,917 32,697 (244) - 92,370
Restricted funds
0-4 UK	16,105 100,291 (108,674) - 7,722
0-18 UK	9,215 153,600 (131,101) - 31,714
Love Reading	22,558 47,811 (67,925) - 2,444
Wales	11,932 (6,663) (300) - 4,969
Total restricted funds
	59,810 295,039 (308,000) - 46,849
Total funds
	119,727 327,736 (308,244) - 139,219

Page 20

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

	Balance at 1 Incoming Resources Balance at 31
	April 2022 resources expended March 2023
	£ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds
General
General funds	49,734 51,992 (61,809) 39,917
Designated
Designated funds	20,000 - - 20,000
Total unrestricted funds
	69,734 51,992 (61,809) 59,917
Restricted
0-4 UK	14,527 129,100 (127,522) 16,105
0-18 UK	25,810 110,600 (127,195) 9,215
Love Reading	9,870 44,212 (31,524) 22,558
Wales	14,034 10,000 (12,102) 11,932
Total restricted funds
	64,241 293,912 (298,343) 59,810
Total funds
	133,975 345,904 (360,152) 119,727

The specific purposes for which the funds are to be applied are as follows:

The company's policy is to hold a designated reserve of £30,000 (2023 - £20,000), and operating reserves equivalent to not less than three months expenditure.

The restricted funds projects are explained in full in the Trustee's Report.

Page 21

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

20 Analysis of net assets between funds

	Total funds at
	Unrestricted funds Restricted 31 March
	General Designated funds 2024
	£ £ £ £
Tangible fixed assets	483 - 3,698 4,181
Current assets	73,712 30,000 43,151 146,863
Current liabilities	(11,825) - - (11,825)
Total net assets
	62,370 30,000 46,849 139,219
	Total funds at
	Unrestricted funds Restricted 31 March
	General Designated funds 2023
	£ £ £ £
Tangible fixed assets	644 - 4,930 5,574
Current assets	48,967 20,000 54,880 123,847
Current liabilities	(9,694) - - (9,694)
Total net assets
	39,917 20,000 59,810 119,727

21 Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions in the year (2023 - £Nil).

Page 22

Company registration number: 01477997 Charity registration number: 279523

Deaf Choices UK Limited

formerly known as

Cued Speech UK Limited

(A company limited by guarantee) Annual Report and Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Contents

Contents
Reference and Administrative Details	1
Trustees' Report	2 to 6
Independent Examiner's Report	7
Statement of Financial Activities	8
Balance Sheet	9
Notes to the Financial Statements	10 to 22

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Reference and Administrative Details

Trustees

Mr K Orpin Mrs C Hardy, Chairperson Mr P G Bowman Ms S C Elumba-Hill Ms V Henry-Macklin Mr J P Twomey

Charity Registration Number

279523

Company Registration Number

01477997

The charity is incorporated in England and Wales.

Registered Office

The Boatshed Steamer Quay Road Totnes Devon TQ9 5AL

Independent Examiner

Westcotts (SW) LLP Chartered Accountants Petitor House Nicholson Road Torquay Devon TQ2 7TD

Page 1

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Trustees' Report

The trustees, who are directors for the purposes of company law, present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charitable company for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Cued Speech Definition

Cued Speech is a visual manual code for spoken languages that enables accurate lip reading. As a speaker says each word, they make a hand shape near the face that replaces the missing acoustic information for the deaf receiver.

Name change to Deaf Choices UK January 2024

After formal consultation over nine months with the Board of Trustees, stakeholders, and other members of the public, it was agreed that it would benefit the charity to change the name :-

• On 6th December we were accepted by the Charity Commission as Deaf Choices UK.

• On 23rd December we were accepted by Companies House as being Deaf Choices UK.

• On 15th January our new Deaf Choices UK website went live with new content.

In January 2024 we changed our name from Cued Speech UK to Deaf Choices UK and created a new website to support the new brand. The brand change represents the change in direction of our philosophy and values after 60 years, which is a direct response to a change in need reflected by our beneficiaries.

Objectives and activities Charitable Aims

2023 - Jan 2024

To ensure that all deaf children and adults are given the opportunity to have full access to English and the their home language through Cued Speech regardless of hearing loss. With this they can develop their language and literacy skills enabling them to reach their full potential.

As from January 2024

“Deaf Choices UK (DCUK) aspires to give deaf children improved access to :-

Language - by empowering their families to make fully informed choices.

Literacy – by supporting their educators to access information, training, and resources.

We provide knowledge, information and training around the unique benefits, concepts, and skills of using Cued Speech.

Our offer supports deaf children and those with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) to thrive at home, succeed in education, and achieve their potential.”

Page 2

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Trustees' Report

Our Activities

Over the last year we have been funded to provide two main areas of work :-

0 - 4 Early intervention

Working with newly diagnosed deaf babies and children through the provision of free support and training in Cued Speech at home provided by our Regional Family Advisors. The work also included the delivery of our parent intervention called CHOICES.

Language and Literacy for Life

This has included our work with Robotica and the development of specialist reading resources for special education needs children including deaf children. The later part of the year focused on the development of the intervention for Key Stage 1 “Nan in a Van” (NIAV). NIAV is now complete and ready to disseminate into schools.

Other Charitable Activities

Research and development.

Publicity through attending events, conferences and seminars.

The delivery of training in cued speech across the UK.

The development of a new website.

Marketing and publicity through CREST marketing company.

The design of creative material such as cued stories and films for parents of deaf children to use and enjoy.

The delivery of training in cued speech into schools to support deaf children.

Public benefit

Cued speech is a visual/manual code for spoken languages that enables accurate lip reading. As a speaker says each word, they make hand shapes near the face that replace the missing acoustic information for the deaf receiver.

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Page 3

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Trustees' Report

Trustees and officers

The trustees and officers serving during the year and since the year end were as follows:

Trustees:

Mrs H W Burton (resigned 20 October 2023)

Mrs T Kirwin-McGinley (resigned 23 October 2023)

Mr K Orpin

Mrs C Hardy, Chairperson

Mr P G Bowman

Ms S C Elumba-Hill

Mr G Allerton-Ross (resigned 13 April 2023)

Ms V Henry-Macklin

Mr J P Twomey (appointed 12 February 2024)

Secretary:

Mrs H W Burton (resigned 20 October 2023)

Mrs T Kirwin-McGinley (resigned 23 October 2023)

Structure, governance and management

Nature of governing document

The activities are governed by the Memorandum and Articles of Association. Under the Memorandum, the charity has the power to make any investment which the trustees see fit.

Recruitment and appointment of trustees

Charity members elect the Trustees who meet quarterly to oversee the work of the paid staff.

Organisational structure

At the end of the year there were 8 part-time employees.

The Team consists of: -

Henrietta Ireland – Executive Director Louise Creed – Business Manager Debbie Hawkes – Senior Administrator Mark Murton – Training co-ordinator Kathy Kenny – Lead Regional Family Advisor (South West region) Sagira Jetha – Regional Family Advisor Hertfordshire Carly Simpson – Regional Family Advisor North West

Page 4

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Trustees' Report

Major risks and management of those risks

Risk overview

The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the Charity is exposed and in particular those that are affected by fluctuations in the financial position of the Charity and we are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate the Charity’s exposure to major risk.

Financial Review

Total income received was £327,736 (2023 - £345,904), of which £323,240 (2023 - £341,761) was donated by charitable trusts, companies and individuals. The remaining £4,496 (2023 - £4,143) included tuition fees and charges, membership subscriptions and investment income.

Total expenditure costs have been reduced to £308,244 (2023 - £360,152), due to a decrease in the exceptional costs.

Reserves Policy

Income exceeded expenditure by £19,492 resulting in an increase in funds from £119,727 to £139,219, of which £46,849 (2023 - £59,810) is restricted to specific work and £92,370 (2023 - £59,917) is unrestricted funds.

The Association's policy is to hold a designated reserve of £30,000 (2023 - £20,000) and in addition, operating reserves equivalent to not less than three months' expenditure. The balances held at 31 March 2024 met that requirement.

Conclusion

Deaf Choices UK have experienced a strong year financially with income matching activities. However, the next year from September 2024 will require the Charity to make some prudent decisions around savings. Major donations will be coming to an end in September from Henry Smith, and Sylvia Adams Legacy Trust made their last payment in March 2024. We will be looking to maximise the potential of our literacy resource NIAV, to bring in revenue. We will continue to look for alternative funding and apply to new trusts and funds.

DCUK will be losing two Regional Family Advisors in Hertfordshire and the North East, and these posts will not be replaced. However, we will maximise our delivery through online platforms such as ZOOM, for engaging with families and look to improve the potential of publicity through other media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Page 5

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Trustees' Report

Statement of trustees' responsibilities

The trustees (who are also the directors of Deaf Choices UK Limited for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland". The report and accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions in the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

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 of the incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

• make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable accounting standards, comprising FRS 102 have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that can 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. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Small companies provision statement

This report has been prepared in accordance with the small companies regime under the Companies Act 2006.

The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on 13 September 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

.. ....................................... Ms C Hardy Trustee

Page 6

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of Deaf Choices UK Limited ('the Company')

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the Company's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of , which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of Deaf Choices UK Limited as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view' which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities [applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)].

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

...................................... S R Smith FCA on behalf of Westcotts Chartered Accountants Petitor House Nicholson Road Torquay Devon TQ2 7TD

16 October 2024

Page 7

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 (Including Income and Expenditure Account and Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses)

Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total 2024 Total 2023	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total 2024 Total 2023
Note £ £ £ £
Income and Endowments from:
Donations and legacies 3	30,421 292,819 323,240 341,761
Charitable activities 4	598 2,105 2,703 3,824
Investment income 5	1,678 115 1,793 319
Total income
	32,697 295,039 327,736 345,904
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities 6	(244) (308,000) (308,244) (360,152)
Total expenditure
	(244) (308,000) (308,244) (360,152)
Net income/(expenditure)
	32,453 (12,961) 19,492 (14,248)
Net movement in funds
	32,453 (12,961) 19,492 (14,248)
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
	59,917 59,810 119,727 133,975
Total funds carried forward 19
	92,370 46,849 139,219 119,727

All of the charity's activities derive from continuing operations during the above two periods. The funds breakdown for 2023 is shown in note 19.

The notes on pages 10 to 22 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 8

Deaf Choices UK Limited

(Registration number: 01477997) Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2024

	2024 2023
Note	£ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 13	4,181 5,574
Current assets
Stocks 14	743 743
Debtors 15	5,072 1,518
Cash at bank and in hand 16	141,048 121,586
	146,863 123,847
Creditors: Amounts falling due within oneyear 17
	(11,825) (9,694)
Net currentassets
	135,038 114,153
Netassets
	139,219 119,727
Funds of the charity:
Restricted income funds
Restricted funds 19	46,849 59,810
Unrestricted income funds
Unrestricted funds	92,370 59,917
Total funds 19
	139,219 119,727

For the financial year ending 31 March 2024 the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors' responsibilities:

• The members have not required the charity to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476; and

• The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to companies subject to the small companies regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements on pages 8 to 22 were approved by the trustees, and authorised for issue on 13 September 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

.. ....................................... Mrs C Hardy Trustee

The notes on pages 10 to 22 form an integral part of these financial statements.

Page 9

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

1 Charity status

The charity is limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales, and consequently does not have share capital. Each of the trustees is liable to contribute an amount not exceeding £Nil towards the assets of the charity in the event of liquidation.

The address of its registered office is: The Boatshed Steamer Quay Road Totnes Devon TQ9 5AL

2 Accounting policies

Summary of significant accounting policies and key accounting estimates

The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all the years presented, unless otherwise stated.

Statement of compliance

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: 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)) (issued in October 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Basis of preparation

Deaf Choices UK Limited meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.

Going concern

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern nor any significant areas of uncertainty that affect the carrying value of assets held by the charity.

Exemption from preparing a cash flow statement

The charity opted to early adopt Bulletin 1 published on 2 February 2016 and have therefore not included a cash flow statement in these financial statements.

Income and endowments

All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of the income receivable can be measured reliably.

Page 10

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Donations and legacies

Donations are recognised when the charity has been notified in writing of both the amount and settlement date. In the event that a donation is subject to conditions that require a level of performance by the charity before the charity is entitled to the funds, the income is deferred and not recognised until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the charity and it is probable that these conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period.

Expenditure

All expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to that expenditure, it is probable settlement is required and the amount can be measured reliably. All costs are allocated to the applicable expenditure heading that aggregate similar costs to that category.

Charitable activities

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.

Support costs

Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Governance costs

These include the costs attributable to the charity’s compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Taxation

The charity is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.

Tangible fixed assets

Fixed assets are initially recorded at cost, less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.

Depreciation and amortisation

Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets so as to write off the cost or valuation, less any estimated residual value, over their expected useful economic life as follows:

Asset class Depreciation method and rate Fixtures and fittings 25% reducing balance

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Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Stock

Stock is valued at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell, after due regard for obsolete and slow moving stocks.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and call deposits, and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.

Fund structure

Unrestricted income funds are general funds that are available for use at the trustees discretion in furtherance of the objectives of the charity.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds set aside for specific purposes at the discretion of the trustees. Restricted income funds are those donated for use in a particular area or for specific purposes, the use of which is restricted to that area or purpose.

Pensions and other post retirement obligations

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme which is a pension plan under which fixed contributions are paid into a pension fund and the charity has no legal or constructive obligation to pay further contributions even if the fund does not hold sufficient assets to pay all employees the benefits relating to employee service in the current and prior periods.

Contributions to defined contribution plans are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities when they are due. If contribution payments exceed the contribution due for service, the excess is recognised as a prepayment.

Financial instruments

Classification

Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised when the charity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the charity after deducting all of its liabilities.

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Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Recognition and measurement

All financial assets and liabilities are initially measured at transaction price (including transaction costs), except for those financial assets classified as at fair value through profit or loss, which are initially measured at fair value (which is normally the transaction price excluding transaction costs), unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction. If an arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, the financial asset or financial liability is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest for a similar debt instrument.

Debt instruments are subsequently measured at amortised cost.

3 Income from donations and legacies

3 Income from donations and legacies
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2024
	£ £ £
Donations;
Donations	30,091 292,785 322,876
Membershipsubscriptions	330 34 364
	30,421 292,819 323,240
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2023
	£ £ £
Donations;
Donations	51,049 290,293 341,342
Membershipsubscriptions	380 39 419
	51,429 290,332 341,761

Page 13

Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

4 Income from charitable activities
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2024
	£ £ £
CS training income	597 530 1,127
Miscellaneous income	1 1,575 1,576
	598 2,105 2,703
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2023
	£ £ £
CS training income	275 464 739
Miscellaneous income	10 3,075 3,085
	285 3,539 3,824
5 Investment income
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2024
	£ £ £
Interest receivable on bank deposits	1,678 115 1,793
	1,678 115 1,793
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2023
	£ £ £
Interest receivable on bank deposits	278 41 319
	278 41 319

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Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

6 Expenditure on charitable activities

6 Expenditure on charitable activities
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2024
Note	£ £ £
Charitable activities	83 24,988 25,071
Staff costs	- 222,363 222,363
Allocated support costs 7	161 54,882 55,043
Governance costs 7	- 5,767 5,767
	244 308,000 308,244
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2023
Note	£ £ £
Charitable activities	1,237 19,080 20,317
Staff costs	- 230,658 230,658
Allocated support costs 7	60,226 43,540 103,766
Governance costs 7	346 5,065 5,411
	61,809 298,343 360,152

In addition to the expenditure analysed above, there are also governance costs of £5,767 (2023 - £5,411) which relate directly to charitable activities. See note 7 for further details.

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Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

7 Analysis of governance and support costs

Charitable activities expenditure

Charitable activities expenditure
	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2024
	£ £ £
Staff training	- 2,287 2,287
Repairs and maintenance	- 143 143
Insurance	- 2,913 2,913
Rent	- 13,216 13,216
Legal and professional	- 720 720
Telephone and broadband	- 5,743 5,743
Printing, postage and stationery	- 2,817 2,817
Depreciation	161 1,232 1,393
Bank charges	- 60 60
Subscriptions and licenses	- 4,631 4,631
Exceptional costs	- 21,120 21,120
	161 54,882 55,043

	Unrestricted
	funds Restricted Total
	General funds 2023
	£ £ £
Repairs and maintenance	- 791 791
Insurance	- 2,698 2,698
Rent	- 13,216 13,216
Legal and professional	- 720 720
Telephone and broadband	- 4,902 4,902
Printing, postage and stationery	- 3,692 3,692
Depreciation	215 1,643 1,858
Bank charges	11 68 79
Subscriptions and licenses	- 4,216 4,216
Exceptional costs	60,000 11,594 71,594
	60,226 43,540 103,766

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Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Independent examiner fees

Examination of the financial statements Other fees paid to examiners Meeting Costs

	Unrestricted
	funds	Restricted	Total
	General	funds	2023
	£	£	£
Independent examiner fees
Examination of the financial statements	-	1,000	1,000
Other fees paid to examiners	68	2,999	3,067
MeetingCosts	278	1,066	1,344
	346	5,065	5,411

8 Net incoming/outgoing resources

Net incoming/(outgoing) resources for the year include:

	2024	2023
	£	£
Depreciation of fixed assets	1,393	1,858

9 Trustees remuneration and expenses

No trustees, nor any persons connected with them, have received any remuneration from the charity during the year (2023 - None).

No trustees have received any reimbursed expenses or any other benefits from the charity during the year (2023 - None).

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Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

10 Staff costs

The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:

10 Staff costs The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:
	2024 2023
	£ £
Staff costs during the year were:
Wages and salaries	202,110 208,945
Social security costs	12,849 13,679
Pension costs	7,404 8,034
	222,363 230,658

The monthly average number of persons (including senior management / leadership team) employed by the charity during the year expressed as full time equivalents was as follows:

	2024 2023
	No No
Number of staff	6 6
No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 during the year (2023 - None).
11 Independent examiner's remuneration
	2024 2023
	£ £
Examination of the financial statements
	1,000 1,000
Other fees to examiners
All other services	3,174 3,067

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Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

12 Taxation

The charity is a registered charity and is therefore exempt from taxation.

13 Tangible fixed assets

13 Tangible fixed assets
	Furniture and equipment Total
	£ £
Cost
At 1 April 2023	21,758 21,758
At 31 March 2024	21,758 21,758
Depreciation
At 1 April 2023	16,184 16,184
Charge for theyear	1,393 1,393
At 31 March 2024	17,577 17,577
Net book value
At 31 March 2024	4,181 4,181
At 31 March 2023	5,574 5,574
14 Stock
	2024 2023
	£ £
Consumables	743 743
15 Debtors
	2024 2023
	£ £
Due from group undertakings	326 313
Prepayments	4,018 547
Other debtors	728 658
	5,072 1,518
16 Cash and cash equivalents
	2024 2023
	£ £
Cash on hand	200 200
Cash at bank	140,848 121,386
	141,048 121,586

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Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

17 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

17 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
	2024	2023
	£	£
Other taxation and social security	4,164	4,507
Other creditors	1,277	1,300
Accruals	6,384	3,887
	11,825	9,694

18 Pension and other schemes

Defined contribution pension scheme

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The pension cost charge for the year represents contributions payable by the charity to the scheme and amounted to £7,404 (2023 - £8,034).

19 Funds

	Balance at 1 Incoming Resources Balance at 31 March
	April 2023 resources expended Transfers 2024
	£ £ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds
General
General funds	39,917 32,697 (244) (10,000) 62,370
Designated
Designated funds	20,000 - - 10,000 30,000
Total unrestricted funds
	59,917 32,697 (244) - 92,370
Restricted funds
0-4 UK	16,105 100,291 (108,674) - 7,722
0-18 UK	9,215 153,600 (131,101) - 31,714
Love Reading	22,558 47,811 (67,925) - 2,444
Wales	11,932 (6,663) (300) - 4,969
Total restricted funds
	59,810 295,039 (308,000) - 46,849
Total funds
	119,727 327,736 (308,244) - 139,219

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Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

	Balance at 1 Incoming Resources Balance at 31
	April 2022 resources expended March 2023
	£ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds
General
General funds	49,734 51,992 (61,809) 39,917
Designated
Designated funds	20,000 - - 20,000
Total unrestricted funds
	69,734 51,992 (61,809) 59,917
Restricted
0-4 UK	14,527 129,100 (127,522) 16,105
0-18 UK	25,810 110,600 (127,195) 9,215
Love Reading	9,870 44,212 (31,524) 22,558
Wales	14,034 10,000 (12,102) 11,932
Total restricted funds
	64,241 293,912 (298,343) 59,810
Total funds
	133,975 345,904 (360,152) 119,727

The specific purposes for which the funds are to be applied are as follows:

The company's policy is to hold a designated reserve of £30,000 (2023 - £20,000), and operating reserves equivalent to not less than three months expenditure.

The restricted funds projects are explained in full in the Trustee's Report.

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Deaf Choices UK Limited

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

20 Analysis of net assets between funds

	Total funds at
	Unrestricted funds Restricted 31 March
	General Designated funds 2024
	£ £ £ £
Tangible fixed assets	483 - 3,698 4,181
Current assets	73,712 30,000 43,151 146,863
Current liabilities	(11,825) - - (11,825)
Total net assets
	62,370 30,000 46,849 139,219
	Total funds at
	Unrestricted funds Restricted 31 March
	General Designated funds 2023
	£ £ £ £
Tangible fixed assets	644 - 4,930 5,574
Current assets	48,967 20,000 54,880 123,847
Current liabilities	(9,694) - - (9,694)
Total net assets
	39,917 20,000 59,810 119,727

21 Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions in the year (2023 - £Nil).

Page 22