EMPLOYERS FOR CHILDCARE DIRECTORS' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2025
The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 May 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 Memorandum and Articles of Association, 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)" (effective 1 January 2019).
Objectives and activities
Employers For Childcare is established to make it easier for parents with dependent children to get into work and to stay in work. We do this by addressing childcare as an economic and a labour market issue.
The Charity's purposes, as set out in our governing document, are to advance education, to prevent and relieve poverty and to relieve those in need by reason of financial hardship or other disadvantage by:
-
promoting the provision and use of good quality registered childcare for the benefit of children and their parents
-
providing information on all aspects of childcare and work-related issues, and raising awareness of the support available for parents including financial support with childcare costs, and associated employment rights
-
« undertaking and publishing research into all aspects of childcare and work-related issues including parental entitlements and the provision of childcare
-
raising awareness of issues relating to provision of childcare facilities and parental entitlements.
These purposes are intended to benefit families, particularly working parents with dependent children, and those parents who are seeking to get back into work. More broadly, the public at large benefits through the economic development generated through broadening the pool of potential employees within the workforce, lifting families out of poverty and facilitating children's access to high quality early years education and childcare.
The directors have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Achievements and performance
Our charity works directly with parents through the Family Benefits Advice Service, and for parents through our research, policy, and lobbying work. To achieve the charity's purposes during the year under review we undertook a range of activities. Our social enterprise business activities enabled us to invest in our charity during that time.
The cornerstone of our charity is our Family Benefits Advisory Service which offers free, impartial, and confidential advice and information on childcare and work-related issues both through operating a Freephone helpline and through delivering outreach, for example presentations and one to one advice sessions in community and employer settings. During the period our Family Benefits Advice Service helped 3490 clients across the UK and identified over £5 million in financial support for families. In terms of delivering impact through the Family Benefits Advice Service - 100% of parents would recommend our services to other parents and 100% of parents rate the quality of the service as excellent or good.
Financial review
The results for the period are as set out on pages 10 to 29. The charity returned net incoming resources of £48,959 (2024 - £244,441 net outgoing). At 31 May 2025 the level of unrestricted reserves held was £2,674,207 (2024 - £2,625 ,248).
The Directors are obliged to ensure that sufficient reserves are available to allow the organisation to continue its work in the foreseeable future. From June 2008 the main source of income is the trading activity of Employers For Childcare Trading. The Directors would wish to carry reserves of six month's running costs.
-1-
EMPLOYERS FOR CHILDCARE DIRECTORS' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2025 eee Structure, governance and management The charity is a company limited by guarantee and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The directors who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were: Mrs J Kennedy Mrs S McCarry Prof M McHugh OBE Ms A Mervyn (Resigned 2 October 2025) Mrs L Mulholland (Resigned 1 October 2024) Mr J O'Neill
Mr M Stevenson
The Board is responsible for the overall governance of the charity. Directors are either elected or co-opted and the total number of directors shall not be subject to any maximum but shall not be less than two.
The Board delegates the exercise of certain powers in connection with the management and administration of the charity to the Audit and Risk Committee. This is controlled by regular reporting back to the Board, so that all decisions made under delegated powers can be ratified by the full board in due course.
The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the day to day management of the charity's affairs and for implementing the policies agreed by the Board of Directors.
Statement of directors’ responsibilities
The directors who also act as trustees for the charitable activities of Employers for Childcare, are responsible for preparing the Directors' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company Law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:
-
Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
-
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP(FRS102);
-
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
-
State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards 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 charity will continue in operation.
The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the group and charity 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 group and charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Auditor
The auditor, GMcG LISBURN, is deemed to be reappointed under section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006.
SSeS ~2-
EMPLOYERS FOR CHILDCARE
DIRECTORS' REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2025
enee eee ee ee
Disclosure of information to auditor
Each of the directors has confirmed that there is no information of which they are aware which is relevant to the audit, but of which the auditor is unaware. They have further confirmed that they have taken appropriate steps to identify such relevant information and to establish that the auditor is aware of such information.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the provision applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption.
The directors' report was approved by the Board of Directors.
Ms . OBE ™s Secretary Date: QO. a Zk
~i1-