South BelfASt Sure Start ort of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 The trustees who are also directors of the cliarity for the puyoses of the Coinpanies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statetnents of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024. The trustees have adopted the pi'ovisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities.. Staleinenl 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 l January 2019). OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Principle activities The principal activities of the company are the provision of activities for the benefit of children aged 0-3 years and their fainilies living iii the Soutli Belfast Sure Start catchment area. South Belfast Sui'¢ Stait was established in 2001 with 4 aims.. ( l) To Jinprove Health (2) To Iinprove tlie Ability to Learn (3} To Improve Social and Emotional Well-Being (41 To Strengthen Families and Communities
South Belfast ure Start ort of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Significant activities Services and ProgrAmmes across the year Th¢ services that SBSS deliver¢d were agreed with SPPG at the oulsel of the year through 64 different targets covering a range of areas including atitenatal, posttialal, family support, play prograiTllnes, Developmental Programines for 2-3 Year Olds, parenting prograinmes, physical activity, health and wellbeing, etlinic minority services, additional needs and speech/language/communication support. While we were perrnitted to decrease soine of the targets throlighout tlie year due to staffing issues, by the end of the year all but one of the 64 targets were fi]Ily met and frequently exceeded. In additioti lo the core nded aclivLties there was a raiige of coinplein¢ntary services, specific targets and extra capacity delivered through the Urban Villages 'A Place for Me,, Roma Hopelsperanza and the STEP projects. Given tlie welllth of activities, prograinmes aiid services it is only possible to higlilight soine of the key areas of delivery over 2023124 as follows.. (1) 200 pregnant women registered with 150 of these iising one or more services such as antenatal worksliops, Real Birth, Hypiiobirthing, Antenatal Yoga, Aqua Yoga and I: I support (2) 116 new Mums and Dads attended one oi. mol'e of the 8 Baby Cates held w¢ckly in 8 different settings. As well as the staff and p¢¢r support Baby Cafes offer, they were the inain in¢¢hanism for delivering programnies such as Baby Massage, WeaninglTntroduction to Solids, Baby Sensory, 'Changing Tiine is Chatliiig Time, and Soiig aiid Rjiyine Tiine iii Ilie postiiatal period. (3) 242 parentslcarers witli 260 children attended oli¢ or inore of the 10 parent and toddler groups run weekly across 8 different venues. (4) 1 So children aged 2-3 years attended yearlong DPf2-3YO's, Child D¢v¢lopinent or Loving Learning pi'ogi'ammes each we¢k for ¢ithei- 3 or 4 sessions. A fuithei. 76 cliildi-en aged 1-2 years attended one of 8 Play and Developinenl prograinines over 6-8 weeks. (5) Tlie childr¢n of 28 fainilies were provided with l or 2 Inoniing or afternoon respite childcare sessions a week for between 6 and 15 weeks to siipport thein when the family were going through challenging tiines. (6) 32 children attended one of 6 'Play and Discover, programmes held acioss th¢ year. These programmes are targeted to childreii and tlieir pareiit where tliere are social cominuiiication or developmental concems and are facilitated by the Special Needs Fainily Support Worker aiid Speech and Language Th¢rapist. (7) Alinost 400 childi'eii and 375 pareiits weiit oil trips or ¢iijoyed a special holiday event organised in their locality such as faiins, indooi- play centl'es, petting faiin visits and outdoor parks and beaches. (81 Alinost 2000 home or centre based I:1 visits to for a wid¢ range of purposes including initial registrations, generic family support, hoine based prograinmes such as SLC and behaviour management, suppoit with a¢c¢ssiiig specialist services, discussion of children's progress in settings and ¢n]otional suppoit/containment. (9) Over 500 fainilies experiencing financial, and poverty related issues were supported with resources or helped lo galli access to these througli coiThnunity partners, iiicluding food bank referrals, food and fuel voucliers. prams and baby equipment, children and adult clothes, books and toys.
South Belfast Sure Start Re ort of the Trustees for the Year End l March 2024 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES (10) 40 different prograrTLmes (in addition to ante and postnatal) were d¢liver¢d within the themes of health and well-being, personal developinent. parenting, pliysical activity and nutrition and cooking with up to 250 parents attending at least one of these prograiillnes. Public Benefit To iniprove tlie healtli and well-being of cliildren aged 0-3 years living in disadvantaged cominunities or Circumstances in South Belfast through the Provision of health and social care services lo children and their parentslcarers as well as to pregnant woinen. The direct benefits which flow from this PLirpose is that througli services and infonnation to parents and pareiits lo be, they will be supported to prevent ill health and developineiital delay in their children. identify health and developmental issues at an early stage and access other seivices that their children May require. These benefits are demonstrated tlYough quarterly aiid annual activity reports and outcomes-based evaluation. This purpos¢ does not lead to hann. The beneficiaries of this purpose are., Children aged 0-3 years and, their parents and carers and expectant parents primarily Ikving in the South Belfast Sure Stall catchment area. A private benefit lo trustees may arise if the knowledge they gain as a trustee in regards, to good govemance and healiii proinolion is transferable to aiiotlier setliiig. These benefits are incidental and necessary to ensure tlie benefit is provided lo tlie beneficiaries. To improve the social and einotioiial developinent of cliildi'en aged 0-3 years living in disadvantaged coiThniinilies or circuinstanc¢s in South Belfast through prograinines and s¢rvic¢s that support parents, in caring foi. their childien. The direct benefits which flow from this purpose is that by providing fainily support services to parents, carers and parents to be, they will be supported to develop healthy attachments with their infants, good parentiiig skills, better family functioning and iinpi'oved econoinic and envirornnental circumstances. These benefits are demonstrated through quarterly and armual activity reports and outcomes-based evaluation. A risk may arise if tluough the provision of family support services, a child or parent/carer is hanned by a mernber of staff or a member of staff is hamed in tlie course, of their duties. These risks are Ininiinised tlirough the iinpleineiitatioii of Child Protectioii aiid Vultlerable Adults policies, staff supervision and Lon¢ Working policy and are outweighed by the overall benefits to children and families. This purpose does not lead to hann. The beneficiai-ies of this puipose are: Children aged 0-3 yeals, their parents and carers and expectant mothers and fathers primarily living in the South Belfast Sure Start catcliineiit area. A private benefit lo tSteeS may arise if tlie knowledge and ¢xperienc¢ they gain as a trustee, in regards to good goveniance and fainily siipport is transferable to aiiother settiiig. These beiiefits are incidental and iiecessary to ensure tlie benefit is provided to the benefLciaries.
South Belfast Sure Start ort of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES To improve the ability to learn of childrerA aged 0-3 years Ikving in disadvantaged communities or circumstances in South Belfast through the provision of early years services. The direct benefits which flow from this purpose is that through the provision of early year's services children will be engaged in stiinulating play and language enriclllneiil prograiThnes that support their leaniing and development. These benefits are deiiionstrated tIOugh quarterly and annual activity reports and outCOLnes-based evaluation. A risk inay arise if Ilirougli the provision of these services a child is hanned by accident or intent, however these risks are minimised through child protection and health and safety procedures and adlierence to DHSS&PS regulations and are outweighed by tl)e overall benefits to children. This purpose does not lead to hami. The beneficiaries of this pUose are: Children aged 0-3 years, tlieir parents and ¢aT¢rs priinarily liviiig in the South Belfast Sure Start calclunent are2. A private benefit to trustees inay arise if tlie knowledge and experience Iliey gain as a trustee, in regards to good governance and early years is transferable to another setting. These benefits are incidental and nccessary lo ensure the benefit is provided to the beneficiarics ACHIEVEMENT IIND PERFORMANCE Valucs Soulli Belfast Sure Start is an orgaiiisalion that seeks to Ireal everybody with fainiess and equality. We strive to be open, honest and respectfijl to all. We endeavour to involve and empower, coininunities, fainili¢s, cliildren and staff to grow and develop. As an organisation we will actively listen, act with integrity and hold oui'selves accouiitable. The pi'ogramine is col'e funded by tlie Depaitment of Educatiot] (thi"ough the SPPG/DoH) and managed by a Board of Directors that is a partnership of commuiiity, voluiitary and stattitory agencies that work togeth¢r to iinprove outcome5 for young children and their families in th¢ ¢at¢lim¢nl area. SBSS has worked willi the SPPG at the Departinent of Health lo develop the core Sure Start services within an Outcoines Frainework. All activities and sei-viees that are coinmissioned through tlie core DE funding are recorded on a Sure Start Pi'ogrammes infonnation system. In addition, SBSS as a Limited Company has obtained funding for prograinines and activiti¢s that add valuc or are coiiiplementary to Ilie core DE funded services aiid respond lo needs that could iiot be imet within the restrictions of the core aniiual budget. These accounts provide a clear record of the fiinding received, expenditure and activities that derive from the Core DE funding aiid other funding sources.
South Belfast Sure Start Re ort of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 Mareh 2024 ACHIEVEMENT IiND PERFORMANCE Budget Context Unfortunately, 2023 opened with huge uncertainty around both core DE funding and other goveminent funding slreains. Staff, the Board of Directors and current and past parents coalesced with other Belfast Sur¢ Start progi'ammes to lobby strongly against suggested cuts of 20010. In early June we received confim]ation that budgets would not be cut and that we would be oil a flatline budget. However, with the annual increase in the Minimum Wage and high inflationaiy costs on goods and services tliis was a cut in real tem]s and inevitably led to a reductioii iii services and unfilled postslliours withiii the organisation in 2023124. The majority of staff received no pay uplift in this financial year. The TEO'S Urban Villages revenu¢ programme also Concluded meaning that the 'A Place for Me, programme, ended. However, two other programm¢s STEP and the RoiTJa Hope project did receive sufficient funding to continue. In addition to the reductioii in th¢ number of prograintnes (iiicluding the UV Special Needs progra1ne) and places for childi'en, the impact of this funding uncertainty has been on staff moi'ale and financial planning. While initially staff wer¢ upbeat about their part in fending off heavy cuts, once again the general uncertainty played a role in some skilled staff leaving the organisation for otlier jobs. Replacing Early Years staff in particular becarnc increasingly difflcult, which again has an impact on the services for children. Addressing Access and Participation SBSS continued to work thi'oughout the year to iniprove the access to, and ¢ngagernenl of, all families and carers living iii the catchLnent area. This includes.. ( I l Fathers/inale carers Ilie iiuinber of fathers registered rose again this year to 485 with 40 % of tliis nuimber activ¢ly using services. Th¢ increase is largely due lo more fathers rcgistering along with their partners ant¢iiatally and attendiiig th¢ workshops and prograinmes which are often held in tlie evenings or w¢ekends lo facilitate that. While some of these Dads continue to engage in services postnatally such as Baby Cafes when they can, active involvement does tend to fall off as the children get older. (2) N¢w¢omer fainilies - South Belfast is a v¢iy div¢rs¢ community and a third of r¢gistered families are from another country andlor ethiiic miiiorities. This iiicludes asyliiin seekers living in 'contingen¢y accoinmodation, sucli as fonncr hot¢ls and B&B's and family siipport staff have b¢¢n involved in the Iniilti-agency Fainily Help service and suppoitiiig these faLnilies to access services in local Sure Start venues. SBSS continued delivering 2 targeted ethnic ininority progranunes for Chinese and Roma Families. (31 Children with additional needs only a minority of children with additional nceds will have a formal diagnosis before they tum 4. As parents and tlieir childreii often find it ovenvhelming to engage in busy drop-in services like parent aiid toddler groiips, SBSS has continued to develop activities and prograinmes tliat cater specifically to tlie needs and developnient of these children. This has included the Play and Discover groups, sinall Child Development Prograinmes of 5-6 childreii, suppoit in the home and proinotiiig the use of conli'acted places witli our partner agcncy Solas (a special needs cliarity).
South Belfast Sure Start ort of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 Mar h 2024 ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE Quality improvement initiatives within SBSS Th¢ Family Siipport and Early Years teams continued to work together to produce evidence for localised planning and evaluation to ensure effective service delivery. Online progranllne evaluation forn]s at the end of each programme are used to inform future service éelivery within individual areas and the wider Sure Start areas. The farnily support teain within tlie Inner and Outer areas continued to provide support across geographical areas depending orL skill set and capacity, along with joint services for parents and children e.g., 'Come Sing with Me,, Singing for Health and Parenting Puzzle. W¢¢kly allocation meetings also provided a source of support aloiig with biweekly meetlLigs between fainily support aiid early years tean. The Perinatal Ten held 2 x focus groiips in inner City areas wliere the take up of antenatal prograinines are lower, witli parents of babies who did not use services antenatally, and have adapted their scrvice delivery in response to this feedback. Early Years teains completed exit queslioiiiiaires with parents of children leaving Ihc pi-ogrammes as part of the cvaluation process to enable improvements ¢0 service delivery within children's group prograinines. Foi. children joiiiing prograinmes entry questionnaires were completed to help gather parent's hopes and aspirations for them and their child by attending the programnie which can theii b¢ coinpared with the exit qLieslionnair¢s at the end of the acadeinic year. The Outcomes Star tool is used by FSW'S with fainilies using l.. I services. Along with the 3 other Belfast Sure Start programnies iii our BFI 'Children's Cenlr¢' group we had a successful reaccredilation of our Baby Friendly status. BFI accreditation lias been a vehicle that has supported the proinotion of breastfeediiig or responsive bottle feeding within SBSS. FINANCIAL REVIEW REVIEW OF YEAR The company had net outgoing resources foi- the year of £824 (2023.. net outgoing resources of £30,090), which reflected the coinplelion of a nuinber of projects duriiig tlic year. Ui]restricted funds increased by £10,846, wliile re5ti'icted ftinds decreased by £11,670. The charity continu¢s to work to secure income from sources in addition to its core DE funding to provide new or complementary prograinines, services and venues that ineet einerging local needs but cannot be nded through the core budget. These additional sources of funding arc grants rec¢ivcd from various bodies as disclosed in note 4 in the financial statements. Reserves policy Best Practice aiid statutory guidelines recoininend that charities hold a justifiable level of reserves in order to reinain economically viable in the event of any unforeseen circumstances. The unrestricted funds of South Belfast Sure Start are therefore expendable at the discretioii of the Board of Trustees. However, a significant element of the reserves will continue lo be held in reserve for a 'worst case scenario, of staff redundancies sliould the fiLndiiig from govemment for SBSS Ltd end. FUTURE PLANS As the year drew to ali end it becaiTLe inore aiid inore unclear as to whether Sure Start funding in NI would be maintained oi. lo the satne level. Meanwhile planned wages incL'ease to take account of minimum wage rises has added to tlie proposed salary costs for tlie incoining year and venue costsloverheads do not seein to be reverting to previous levels. It is therefore almost impossible to make any plans other than to try and maintain tlie inuch needed services and programmes we deliver as best as possible
South Belfast Sure Start Re ort of the Trustees for th ear Ended 31 March 2024 STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND IKANAGEMENT Governing document The charity LS Controlled by its goveming document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, lirnited by guarantee, as defined by tlie Companies Act 2006. Recruitment and appointment of neiy trustees During the period under review the trustees inet bi-monthly. Trustees are appointed by nominations made in writing by Partnei. Organisations. At the General Meeting nominated directors are appointed by election. None of the directors have any beneficial interest in the company. All of the directors are members of th¢ coinpany and guarantee to contribute £1 in tlie event of a winding up. The trustees delegate the day to say iijnning of South Belfast Sure Start to that of tlie Cliief ex¢¢utive officcr Structure, governance and management Tlie Board of Directors employ the Project Co-ordinator to overview and manage the programine and report back to the coinmittee on activities and developments. The Project Co-ordinator leads and manages the Finance Director, Early Learning Co-ordinators (Job Share) and Family Support Co-ordinator, with regular siipervision to review activities and lo ensure they match with Ili¢ ethos of the oi'ganisalion and fundei- requii'¢inents. The Finance Dii'ector, Early Leaming Co-oi'dinatoi-s aiid Fainily Support Co-orduiator overview and inaiiage their departilleiits and staff employed therein, with a view of daily activities and services delivered. Related parties Thei'e were no related party Iraiisactions for tlie year ended 31 March 2024. Risk management For ensuring that the principles of good govemance are einbedded within all asp¢cts of South Belfast Sure Start's operations with Inanagemeiit and staff being keenly aware of the Boards responsibility of ensui-ing that the organisalion protects itself froin fiiiancial exposure and reputational dainage, lose working i'elationsliip is inaintained between the Board and management to ¢nsui'e that operationally staff are aware of the standards required of them by the Board and the Board are always in a position to provide guidance aiid support to managein¢nt in the discharge of their duties. This two way relationship is the key feare of South Belfast Sure Start govemaiice arrangeinents and is a key strengtli in the coimpany. A conscientious appi'oach to ensuriiig that contractual project ieqiiirements are achieved has been maintained at all lunes both in tlie accouiiting period beiiig reported on aiid since Soiith Belfast Sure Starts eslablishmenl. Very tight financial conti'ols on expenditure and all financial commitments are maintained at all tiines and project staff hav¢ been ti'ained aiid have becotne experieiiced in budgetary coiitsols. In both these ai-eas ie Pi'ojecl delivery and financial controls rnanageinent all staff hav¢ established clos¢ working relationships with fijnding organisatioiis to ensure all mandatory standards are consistently acliieved. Board representatives also actively engage with funding bodies. The Board, manag¢ment and staff ar¢ fully aware that the nare OE th¢ work in which South Belfast Sure Start is involved can bring witli il a high l¢vel ot" scrutiny to ensure that all activities are llY compliant with funding requireinenls aiid.therefore, beyoiid reproach.The Board of South Belfast Sure Start is, therefore, greatly reassured of tlie coinpany's compliance with the highest of 5tandai.ds of governance on the basis that all inonitoring and evaluatLOlI of project delivery d¢inonstrates acliieveinent of all fund¢rs objectives and that funders, audits and vouching of financial expenditure and the statutory audit Conf compliance with both probity and regularity in the use of inoiiies received.
South Belfast Sure Start ort of the Trustees f r the Year Ended 31 March 2024 EVENTS SINCE THE Ef+lD OF THE YEAR Inforniation relating to events since Ilie end of tlie year is given in tlie notes lo the financial statements. STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES, RESPONSIBILITIES The trustees (who are also the directors of South Belfast Sure Start for the purposes of coinpany law) are responsibl¢ for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and Uiiited KingdoLn Accounting Standards (United Kingdorn Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) including Financial Reporting Standard 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial stateinents for each fiiiancial year whicli 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 the incoiTJe and exp¢nditur¢, of tlie cliaritable company for that period. In preparing those fiiiancial slaleinenls, the trustees are required to select suitable accounting policies and then apply thein consistently. observe the methods and principles in tli¢ Charity SORP. make judgements aiid estiinates that are reasonable and prudent. prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate lo presumc that the cliaritable company will continue in business. The trustees al-e i-esponsible foi. keeping propci. accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at aiiy tiine the fiiiancial position of the charitable coinpany and to eiiable them to ensure that the financial statemeiits coinply with the Coinpanies Act 2006. They al-e also responsible for safeguarding the assets of Ilie cliarit£lble company arkd Iience foi. taking reasoiiable steps for the prevention aiid detection of fraud and othei. irregularities. In so far as the trustees are aware,. there is no rclevanl audit infoniiation of which the charitable company's auditors are unawar¢' and the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to inake tlieinselves aware of any relevant audit infonnation and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information. AUDITORS The auditors, Lynn Drake & Co Ltd, will be proposed for re-appointinent at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting. This repoit has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Coinpanies Act 2006 relatiiig to sinall companies. Approved by order of the board of trustees oil 19 Septeinber 2024 and signed on its behalf by.. Joan Henderson - Trustee