Trustees Annual Report For year Ended 31 March 2020
Charity Name: S.T.E.P.S. Reg. Charity Number: XT 37196 Charity’s Address: 31-33 Shipquay Street Derry/Londonderry BT48 6DL
Names of Charity Trustees who manage the charity:
Mr Gerry McKinney Chairperson Miss Pauline Hamilton Secretary Mrs Aine Quigley Treasurer Ms Simone McCallion Mr Larry Ferguson Mrs Briedge Patton
Structure, Governance & Management:
Type of Governing Document: Constitution How the charity is constituted: Trustee selection methods: Elected at annual general meeting
Additional Governance Issues:
The newly adopted Board of Trustees comprises of members who give their time voluntarily and are responsible for the governance, performance and strategic direction of the organisation. The Board meets 6 times per year to review and monitor the work and progress of S.T.E.P.S.
The daily running of the charity is overseen by the Chairperson, Mr Gerry McKinney. Mrs Aine Quigley, Treasurer is responsible for the management of accounts and preparation of financial statements.
Recruitment and Appointment of the Board of Trustees:
Trustees are voted and selected at the Annual General Meeting. Due to the nature of the work that S.T.E.P.S. is involved in and the community it serves, the Board seeks to ensure that the experiences and needs of its service users are appropriately reflected through the diversity, experience and skills of its board members.
Changes to the Board of Trustees:
A new Board of Trustees has been adopted and signed in since the previous AGM.
Objectives of the Charity
S.T.E.P.S. is established to provide education, relieve mental health sickness and promote mental health and emotional well being to those suffering with mental health issues, their families and carers in particular.
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To provide education, information, support and interventions to those in need of it through the provision of counselling sessions, listening ear, stress management, and personal development courses.
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To provide a forum for those with mental health issues to voice their experiences of their mental health issues and to further influence the planning and delivery of services.
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To foster support among people suffering mental health issues, their family/support network, and their carers: and to provide facilities which education those individuals with the objective of improving their mental health and living conditions.
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To promote mental health understanding amongst, not only those suffering it, but also the public and to discourage stigma surrounding mental health.
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• To provide opportunities to those individuals affected by mental health issues, and with the help of other local agencies, to return to employment, education or work related training.
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To advance research into mental health and associated medical conditions, by providing support for this research.
Summary of the Main Activities undertaken by S.T.E.P.S.
S.T.E.P.S. is a user-led community based mental health organisation which provides a much needed self help programme for those suffering from mental health issues. The programme enables individuals access to emotional support services tailored to their specific needs.
The Main Acitivities are as follows:
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A) A holistic services promoting personal development, emotional support through provision of a range of supports and interventions enabling individuals to identify and make informed choices regarding their future.
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B) One-to-one counselling services, facilitated emotional support group therapy, structured sessions in relaxation, educational sessions using cds and tapes, access to published resources ensuring provision of accurate information, 24 hour out of hours telephone support service, signposting service for users to aid progression.
Volunteers:
In this period 6 service users gained the necessary qualifications in order to assist delivery of the various services within the programme. These volunteers contributed a total of between 2 and 5 hours per week supporting clients and members of the voluntary team.
Financial Review:
The year ending March 2023 shows the Income & Expenditure to be a positive outcome, but with room for further fundraising to enable to resource funds for future endeavours. S.T.E.P.S. maintained their financial targets for this period and expended resources effectively. The outlook for the future looked good with new funding bodies having been identified.
Plans for the future:
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New funding bodies have been identified and funding workshops have been planned for volunteers to attend to accrue strategies for completing funding applications.
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To research new arts & crafts interests and plans for this service within the programme to include men, as all women in attendance at presence.
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Upgraded current website with Flagship Media which is monitored monthly and report filed
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Ongoing review of volunteer policies and training
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To research recruitment of trainee/student counsellors
DECLARATIONS
The Trustees declare that they have approved the trustee’s report above.
Signed on behalf of the S.T.E.P.S. Trustees.
Signatures: _____ Full Names: GERRY McKINNEY Position: Chairperson Date: 18 March 2024
_____ PAULINE HAMILTON Secretary 18 March 2024