LIFESTART FOUNDATION LIMITED TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025. The financial statements have been prepared in acccrdance with the accounting p)licies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and compty wth the charitys governing documen( the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and the Charities SORP "AccountirKJ and Reporting by Charites: Statement of Recommended Practs. applicable to charities preparing their acwunts in accordance wth the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland {FRS 102)" Objectives and activities The purpose of the company is to produce tetter child development outcomes by making available to parents eViden-baSed knowfedge and infomiation on how young children develop and leam and by SUPFX)rting parents in the use of this information in their parentirKJ practice. The purpose is implemented through the delwery of the Growing Child, an eVIdenbaSe Child development programme specifically designed for parents delNered through a home visiting service and other groupbased parenting programmes derived from the Growng Child. The Board of the Lifestart Foundation in collaboration with Foundation staff rewew the organisation's aims, objectives and actNities each year to ensure that they remain focused on our stated purposes. Our main objectives over the year have been to: continue to implement our mission to improve Child oUtmeS by educating and supporting parents in their parenting role continue to deliver local parenting support services aimed at improving child development outcomes deliver on seNice and tender contracts we hold with Northern Ireland Heatth and So¢tal Care Trusts continue to train and qualÉty assure festart delivery staff ereVer they are working to ensure that parents aayS receive a top qualty Lrfestart servi Deliver the pilot groupbased parenting programme Bump Baby and Beyond designed to meet the needs of parents and Children affected by traumatic birth experiences ensure the sustainabilty and resilience of the Lrfestart Foundation by complettng the implementation of the organisation's Succession Plan acquire the resources needed to wntinue the Foundation's core work complete the review and upjate of the Growirg Child Prcgramme support other organisations throughout the islarKI of IreIarKI arKI elsvAthere to deliver the Lrfestart Growing Chihl Programme and Home VisÈtÈng Selvice work wth other organi8ations to promote the imp)rtant role of home visiknng and home-base parenting support to improve out¢omes for children Continue to strive to positively influence public policy in the interests of children and their frdmilies Who uses and beneffts from the Se1 of the Cha Intemational researth cleady demonstrates that goctya at-home parenting arKI a go1 home leaming environment are central to ensuring good outcomes for children and that compromised parenting, whatever its cause. is a very serious child development risk factor. We in the Lifestart Foundation aim to provide parerts of young children with high qualty well-researched and upto4ate support relevant and appropriate to their needs as their children grow and develop. The beneficiaries of our Work are parents and chilaren. particularty the more vulnerable and. through them, the wider communty and society. In this respec( the purpose of the Lrfestart charity fulfiL8 the requirements of the Charities COMMIOn. Public benefit The Trustees have paid due reganl to guKlance issued by the Charity Commission for Northem Ireland in deciding at acttvrties the charity shoukj undertake.
LIFESTART FOUNDATION LIMITED TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 Achievements and performance Significant activities and a¢)ievements against obiectsves Over the last 12 months the Foundation has met its Contractual obligations to the Westem Health and Social Care Tnjst by delivering the home visiting service to families in Counties DerrylLondondery, Femianagh and Tyrone and its contractual obligations to the Southastem Hearth and Social Care Trust delivering the service to families on the Ards peninsula and in NeW(ownards. County Down. In total Foundation staff have delivered in excess of 1,130 home visits. as well as delivering knfestart grouptésed programmes. The Foundation has atso supported the work of other organisations in Northem Ireland and Ireland delivering Lifestart servIs to more than 3.000 parents and children. In the WHSCT area vulnerable families. those on the Chi]d Protection Register, on the edge of chikj protection or ere children are deemed at risk are referred to the home visthng seNice by social rk teams and by health visitors. The nature of the referrals and the issues faced by parents and children, we have found, are changing, becoming in many instances more acute and txrtb'ng more children at risk The wDrk has. therefore, become more demanding and the pressure on our staff is inueasing. Staff reFX)rt back to Trust professionals, attend family case conferences and review meetings. make regular presentations to professional staff teams on our work and host site visits by social work and heatth visiting studerts which helF6 to increase awareness of the service, the issues families and therefore our staff are facing as well as the seNice's beneficial impact on parents and children. In Ards the home visiting Servi offered in rArtrJership with Surestart. Surestart staff make referrals to Lifestart but the seNice is aEso open to all families wtth children under 4 INing in this highly rural area and it is often the only support Servi accessible to local parents. As well as individual support provided through the home vBiting semce. the Foundation completed a pilot project involvirwJ the delivery of the groupbased Bump, Baby and BeyoTrJ (BB8) programme in the Westem area. The pilot ds funded by the Big Lottery Avrdrds for A]1 and the Foundation successfully applied to the Big Lottery People and Communities Grant programme to roll out the Bump, Baby and Beyond throughout Northem Ireland. In the course of the year we have begun delrvering the new BBB programme aTrJ through this activty we have not only making the programme available to more parerts but cemented good working relationships wth the many organisations hosting the prograrnme. including, for example, Eglinton Communty Hall. Homestart Ards, Oak Healthy Lrving, Surestart Cookstown, Curryneiran Communty Centre, Oasi8 Antrim Communty Hub, Strabane Surestart. Surestart magherae Omagh County Primary School, Shepherd's Wiew. SupFQrt 2gether. Omagh Communty House. Dry Arch Surestart, Neknards Surestart, East Belfast Surestart, Colin Glen Library, Ballybeen Women's Centre, Rainbow Early Years Centre, LAST Sure StaT( NCB. the Rural Communty Ne*mrk and the Rural Women's Communty Ner This year we MPleted the implementation of the Foundation's Succession Plan funded by Dormant Accounts Nl. The plan was aimed at ensuring that the festart Foundation has the leadership and govemance structure and core prc#Juct that wll sustain and develop the organisation irrto the future. The Manager. Ce post was funded under the plan, was tssked, among other things, wth overseeing the expert review and updating of the Foundation's core programme, the Growng Child. The review has now been completed and the first three years of the Growing Child programme has been updated and pyinted and the last two years of the fve-year programme will be going to print shortly. This has been a major achievement that wll ensure that Ltfestsrt parents are receiving the most Uptdate parenting information. based on the most recent research evidence available. We are also currently planning to follow-up on the expert review of the Growing Child by seeking resources to undertake the fijll digrf(Eation of the programme, to make it amendable to dtfferent fonns of delivery. This wll be a major project that will invOe the design of an entirely new range of Lifestart products. The Succession Plan also invo]ved the review of the Foundation's organizational stwcture thich coin¢hJed with important developments in Ireland, where as a resutt of the activities of the Home Visff(ing Aliance. of which the Foundation is a founder member, the IrEh govemment has begun a funding initi.ative which wll supwrt the expansion of home visibng services in Ireland. In the IbJht of this the Board of Directors of the Foundation is looking at developing an organrzational structure best suited to this charffJing environment and this wll be a key focus of the Board actiV.eS in the coming year.
LIFESTART FOUNDATION LIMITED TRUSTEES, REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 Lifestart staff members continue to be athely involved in strategic nerkS and systems at Local, Regional, National. European and intemational levels, 2nd continue to parhcipate in and present at national and international conferences on the role of Lifestart in supp)iting parents improvirvJ child outcomes. This year we were represented at a number of relevant orFline events. The Lifestart Foundation and its partners Continue to act to Influen policy on children and families in Ireland. the UK and Europe. We remain an actlve mernr of Home Visthng AEliance, Euro¢hild, The CRNINI (Children's Research Nthork Ireland and Nl), the Prevention and Earfy InteNention NeMork (PEIN}, the Earfy Intervention Foundation, The Earty Years Advisory Group. the Parenting NetriorK Children's Rights Alliance, Earty Childhood Ireland and the Trauma Informed Cross Border Nerk Financial Teview Total income for the year was £180.517. of which £157.760 generated from charitable adNities, £8,926 from donations and legacies and £11.250 from other trading activities. The ¢hartty also reNed £2,578 in respect of gfft aid payments from Lifestart Resources, a trading sut6idiary of the charty. Total expenditure by the chanty was £178,738. £172.954 of thE vtss incurred undertalang activitses that fvrther our charitable aims for the benefft of our benefjciaries. Other costs inujrred amounted to £5.784. Other losses in the amount of £14 represent fOIgn exchange losses on translation of Euro bank balances to the presentational currency Pounds Steriing. The balance on total funds at the yearnd was £208.C65, of vknith £102,488 were unrestrict. £53.233 were designated and £52,344 were restricted. Reserves policy The Trustees consider r( prudent to hotd monies in reserve in the event that unforeseen circumstances should lead to financial difficutties which might PLrt the fLrture of its employment capacty. general charitable work and property in jeopardy. The Trustees have examined the chartvs requirements for reserves in light of the main risks to the organisation and established a fomal policy 1¢h stipulates that free reserves be maintained at a level vthi¢h ensures that the charity's core activty could continue during a period of unforeseen difficuty. Free reserves are defined by the Trustees as unrestricted income fvnds freety available for use as the chanty so detenineS and thereby excludes any fvnds commrtted, invested in tangible fixed assets held by the charty and restrÈ¢ted or designated funds. The Trustees. policy i8 that unrestricted funds vthith have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equNalent to beeen three arKI six month's exFenditure. The Trustees constsjers that reserves at this level will ensure tha( in the event of a signfficant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charty's current activtties while consideration is given to ways in vhjich addonal fijnds may be raksed. Based on 2024125 expendff(ure {excluding depreciation) of £176,240 the target level of resetves is £44,000 to £88,000. Free reseNes as at 31st March 2025 are £100.478. The Trustees continue to strive to build and maintain a general level of reserves in accordan with the upper level of the target so that they will be able to continue the Current aCtrtIeS of the charty. Plans for future periods Our key priorities in the coming year are to: Review the Foundation. organksational stru¢ture and UFrfJate our Strategic Plan Continue to delrver on our existing contrads and identtfy new potential contracts Delwerthe Bump, Baby and Beyond Programme throughout Northem Ireland Ao]uire the resources to develop and design digital versions of Lifestart products Awuire the resources to ensure the continuance and sustainabilty of our work to support parents and Children.
LIFESTART FOUNDATION LIMITED TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 structure. governan and management Governlng document Lifestart Foundation MIted is a company limrted by guarantee and accepted as tharitable by HMRC under reference XR 47557. The company was incorporated on 8th October 2001. The company as established under a Memorandum of Association which estsblIsh the objects and wwers of the o)mpany, and is governed by ts Articles of Association. The liabilty of members is limrted in that every member of the company undertakes to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 in the event of the crtmpany being wound up. The Trustees, who are also the directors for the pUrpe of company law, and served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were". Patrick Durkan {Chairperson) Ursula Birthistle Maire McReynolds Mairead Wrynn Dr Eileen Doherty Maureen Hetherington (Resigned 28 June 2024} Recruitment and appointment of trustees Under the requirements of the Memorandum a1 Artides of Association unless otherwise deterMInJ by the company in General Meeting the number of Trustees shall not be less than four. Trustees are eleded to serve only until the next Annual General Meeting at which they shall then be eligible for re-election. In the financial year there were no changes to the Board of Tntstees. The Board as a whole ds approved by the AGM and Continues to monttor its membership. Risk Management The Trustees are avrdre of the major risks to vthich the charity is exposed. Where appropriate. systems or procedures have been establEhed to mthgate the risks the charity faces. Intemal control risks are minimised through the procedures for authorisation of all transadions and projecls. Procedures are in place to ensure Complian wth applicable laws and regulations. These procedures are reviewed periodicalty to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of the charity. Organisational structure The Board of Trustees cortsists of six members vtho administer the charity. The Trustees are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the organisation. The Trustees are from a variety of professional backgrounds relevant to the work of the chartty. All members of the Board of Trustees give their time voluntsrily arKJ receive no beneffts from the charity. Any expenses redaimed from the charity are set out in the notes to the financial statements. A scheme of delegation is in place and responsibilty for the provision of Servi rests wth the Foundation's Executive Director, who is responsible for the day to day operational management of the chartty. The Trustees, report was approved by the Board of Trustees. Patrick Durkan (Chairperson) Trustee 31 Marth 2026