2025-06-30-annual-report - Sólás

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SOLAS

TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025

The Trustees present their report and financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2025.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and “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)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016).

Objectives and activities

The charity's objectives are to;

Advance health and wellbeing, education and development, with particular reference to those children with special needs currently falling outside the statutory provision;
e Provide 'pathways' to services which vulnerable families may not normally be able to access;
» Support families who engage with Solas, and build a strong physical and practice infrastructure which will provide consistent, quality care and support;
« Ensure that the voices of children/young people with mild to severe learning disabilities are heard and that their voices shape and influence the development of government policies and mainstream services; Increase the visibility of children‘young people, their parents/carers and siblings and ensuring their full participation in community life;
« Lobby and advocate for increased bespoke services for families through representation on all key committees, steering groups and bodies with the potential to support our work;
© Train highly skilled staff to promote our commitment to excellence; working with academic institutions, voluntary agencies and statutory bodies to ensure that our practice and experience contributes to research and evaluations which work towards improving practice;
» Develop a team of dedicated volunteers who use their skills/experience in schools, ensuring children are supported to have an optimum education experience.

Current services include:

1. Childcare, Youth & Respite Services

Afterschools, respite support (afternoons, evenings, weekends), Saturday Clubs, Sibling Clubs, Youth Clubs, and Summer & Holiday Schemes. These services promote inclusion for children and young people with disabilities while providing essential childcare and respite for parents and carers.

2. Home Support & Therapeutic Services

Support for families at all stages of the diagnostic journey, offering home-based assistance, information, Parent Programmes, and Parent Advice. Therapeutic services include play therapy, art therapy, counselling, and wellbeing activities for adult and young carers. These interventions support families who may feel isolated or are experiencing mental health challenges.

Early Years Programme

SOLAS TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025

Support for children and families from Play & Stay through to pre-school, As lead partner in the Belfast Wide Early Years (BWEY) SEN Initiative, Sdl4s works with Glenbrook SureStart, Kids Together Belfast, and East Belfast SureStart. The Seedlings (2-3) and Sunflowers (3-4) programmes support 30 children with disabilities each year. In September 2023, Sdlas was invited by the Department of Education to deliver a SEN pre-school provision for children with disabilities who have a Statement of Educational Need.

Educational Programmes Programmes designed for children with mild additional needs who are not reaching their full learning potential, including the Back on Track programme and a range of educational workshops.

6 Young Adults Programme — SONA A day service for young adults transitioning from or leaving Special School. SONA provides opportunities for young people with disabilities to develop life skills, engage in wellbeing and social activities, and spend time in a safe, supported environment with peers.

The policies adopted in furtherance of these objects are.

Enhance the physical infrastructure of the organisation ensuring that facilities are fit for purpose and designed to best meet the complex needs of many of the service users supported. In the past year we have developed a new programme SONA, and hired a new space at the YMCA site in Stranmillis, which we developed for young adults transitioning from Special School. This programme supports young people with life skills, cookery, independence skills, healthy eating and wellbeing, exercise, social skills, trips, etc
Consolidate and strengthen the organisation's services, expand the capacity of Sélas to deliver vital programmes to children, young people and their families, and to ensure the long-term sustainability of the organisation through creating a business model which is robust and reduces their current dependency upon grant funding.
Work collaboratively with a diverse range of organisations, alt of which contribute to the delivery of effective services, primarily to benefit children and young people with additional needs across Belfast. In particular, Solas works with 3 key partnerships, South Belfast Surestart (through the Early Years the Belfast Wide Early Years (BWEY) partnership led by Sdlas. We also collaborate on youth programmes with Kids Together, a similar disability service organisation to Sélas operating in West Belfast.
Promote excellence in their practice - Sélas works closely with all Belfast based Universities and Teacher Training Colleges. Sélds currently offers placement opportunities to students from QUB, Stranmillis, St Marys & UUJ studying a number of degree programmes (including health & social care, psychology, education, masters in autism, and masters in atypical child development). Many of the students who come to Sdlas on placement are retained as staff members/volunteers.
Tackle disadvantages experienced by children and young people with moderate to severe learning needs who experience an acute lack of choice or options throughout

SOLAS TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025

their lives when trying to access appropriate services; through delivery of early years and daycare services, afterschool provision, youth services and educational support.

Grow organically and continue to develop a diverse range of programmes, projects and activities which meet the needs of the whole family; the group currently deliver their services across 8 settings, the majority of which are located in areas of greatest disadvantage.
Generate income through Social Enterprise activities delivered through access to Self- Directed Support Packages. Self- Directed support is the provision of tailored individual support packages for children and young people with severe learning difficulties and disabilities. Children and young people in this category are eligible to access direct payments from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and can use it to buy in the support they feel is most needed to improve their quality of life and provides benefit to them personally. Sdlas provides self-directed support services and also offers administrative support to families to access the scheme. In the year, we also provided Communication Boards to a range of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Playgrounds.
Childcare / Youth and Respite Services - these services focuses upon children aged 5 to 18 years old and as per core mission, targets those children with the most complex and challenging needs. It provides a valuable childcare service for working parents, and respite for those parents who desperately need support. These services are tailored and based upon the needs of each individual child / young person with Suitable staffing support in place as per organisational policies and experience.
Engage with Parents/Carers to enhance services: Sélas engages with parents and carers on a daily basis in relation to the needs of both their children and themselves. The feedback and information they provide is vital to the ongoing success of the organisation, Parents/Carers inform the development and enhancement of core programmes and activities. Parents/Carers readily support evaluations, research and frequently represent the needs of their child(ren)/organisation to funders, politicians and statutory authorities.
Engage with Staff - Engagement with our staff team is critical. The feedback and input they make to ensure delivery of high-quality service and provision is vital to the day to day running of the organisation.
Engage the Local Community/Businesses to provide support to the organisation; this helps us create an extended welcoming and safe environment for the children/young people and parents/carers who use our facilities.
Community Organisations - Sélas works extensively and engages with a diverse range of community organisations. We partner with Kids Together in a number of programmes including some youth activities and BWEY, as mentioned above. Other BWEY partners include Glenbrook SureStart and East Belfast SureStart. We are part

. SOLAS TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025

of the Ulidia Campus Plans, which includes Sdlas, Rosario Football Club as well as Scoil an Droichid (primary school moving to the newly refurbished Ulidia School site adjoining Sdlas and the Ulidia Playing Fields). The campus partners have been working together for several years to deliver services to the community and to maximise the use of the community resources that we collectively hold.

We also work closely with Forward South Partnership and South Belfast Surestart, with whom we have service delivery partnerships. In addition we hire rooms from, YMCA, Mornington, Rosario Youth Club, Village Church Haypark and Scoil an Droichid to support the delivery of some of our community services.
Local Schools - Sdlas and local schools engage on a daily basis in the best interests of the children/young people attending the organisation. Their services are interdependent and necessary to create the best possible development and educational opportunities for the children who attend their facilities. Schools understand the challenges of providing safe and consistent care for children who need stability in order to thrive. Schools support and understand the need for this project.
15, Belfast Trust and DE - Sélas has engaged from the outset with key statutory agencies in developing the services which are so important to so many families. Positive engagement is essential to the ongoing and continued work of Sdlas. The Trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the Charity should undertake.

Achievements and performance

Solas has experienced another year of growth, responding to the increasing demand for care / respite, educational support, developmental programmes, therapeutic services and home support, across Belfast and further afield. The establishment of our young adults transition programme, SONA, has been further developed in the year, and is supporting a growing number of young people coming through from children’s services. Many of these young people have experienced our children’s services and are now at the point of leaving special school and need a bespoke support programme. SONA endeavours to help young adults to reach their full potential, by encouraging new skills and further developing existing skills in a holistic and individual way. It includes independent living skills, such as cookery, self-care, laundry, money management etc. It also promotes health & wellbeing, such as physical exercise, healthy eating, art therapy, yoga, mindfulness, and offers all participants social opportunities to enjoy a range of leisure and recreations, such as bowling, swimming, day trips etc with peers.

Contracts with the BHSCT demonstrate the growing confidence that the Disability Services at the trust place on services offered at Sélas. Cash balances have improved, net assets have been maintained and the charity is able to maintain a healthy operating surplus. Sélas received a significant boost in the year with securing £250,000 from the Goodman Foundation towards the new £2.5m building development project which began construction in September 2025. A further £250,000 from Goodman Foundation was received in March 2025.

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SOLAS

TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025

COF (Community Ownership Funding) was received in year. The accompanying funding Agreement is between the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Sél4s Charity. This Grant Fund Agreement is for £750k in capital for the new Sélas Centre on the Ormeau road, and £50k in revenue to support the opening of new building. This new Sdlas Children's Centre is due for completion in December 2026.

In February 2025, we worked in partnership with the Ulster orchestra, the Belfast City Council Ulster Hall, Cross Border Orchestra in a fund-raiser that also provided an opportunity for our young people to perform an original piece, alongside the professionals at the Ulster Hall. It was a huge success, not just in raising profile and funds for our new building, but also hugely successful in delivering a truly inclusive event. The success led to the nomination of Sdlas by Belfast City Council in the All-island Pride of Place Award — as an inspiring example of community innovation and resilience across the island. We went on to be awarded the runner up prize in the Inclusiveness category.

Additional work was carried out in the year procuring the Design team for our new building, as well as securing full planning permission for the new building, and doing the ground work to procure the Contractors for our new centre building project. A significant amount of work was required in the Spring and early summer period, to plan the move of services off site, which would have to take pace over the summer months We had to ensure that all summer services would continue to run as normal, without disruption. YMCA provided us with additional space, which allowed us to crane our mobile units off the Parkmore site and onto the YMCA site. Planning permission for the relocation had to be secured from the City Council, and the logistics of moving the units planned and executed to a very tight schedule.

Financial Review

The results for the year are set out on the Statement of Financial Activities. The Trustees consider the financial results satisfactory.

Solas has a risk management policy in place under which risks are identified and reviewed by management on a regular basis. Procedures are in place to manage the risks.

It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three- and six-month’s expenditure. The Trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity's current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.

The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.

. SOLAS TRUSTEES’ REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS’ REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025

Structure, governance and management The charity is a company limited by guarantee and is registered as a charity with The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. The Company was established under a Memorandum of Association and is governed by its Articles of Association.

The Trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:

Fionnguala McCotter — Director Chair Emily Gallagher Caitriona Nic Sheain Lorraine McErlain appointed 7th November 2024 Elaine Holmes Ross Reid resigned 14th Dec 2024 Steven Egan appointed 7th November 2024 Mairead McCartan Jean McGann Joanne Mercer

None of the Trustees have any beneficial interest in the company. All of the Trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.

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The directors of the company are also charity Trustees for the purposes of Charity Law. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association directors are elected at an Annual General Meeting by the members (in person, or through an authorised representative or by proxy).

All new directors receive in-house induction and training appropriate to their roles,

S6las has a Management Committee, made up of Trustees. The Committee meets regularly and are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. The day-to-day responsibility for the provision of the services rests with the manager and the senior management team.

Auditor

The Board of Sélds approved appointment of Kearney & Co as their auditor for the year.

The Trustees’ report was approved by the Board of Trustees

Fionnguala McCotter Trustee

Dated: