Newstart dueation Centre ort of the Trustees for tht Year Ended 31 March 2024 The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies A¢t 2006, present their Irport with the financial statements of the charity for tlie year ended 31 March 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities prepariiig their accounts in accordance witli th¢ Financial Reporting Standard appli¢abl¢ in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective l January 2019). Chairpersonls Report A massive congratulations to this year's programme participants. They continue to inspire and ¢n¢rgise the work carried out by ¢v¢ryone in Newstart Education Centre, not least the Board of Directors, for whoin I wi'ite this report on behalf of. Heartfelt congratulatloiis are sent by ev¢ryone on the Board to ¢ach young person for what they have achieved. Best wislies for their onward journey. It has been a privilege lo play part in tl)¢ir progression, development, and growth. 2023124 has been anotlier su¢¢essful and encouraging year. My fellow Dii'ectors continue to guide and direct the work with det¢rmination, professionalism, aiid a deep sense of Caring. I want to thank tliem, on belialf of tlie entire teain at Newstart, for their contribution, loyalty, and unyielding support. Like every other year, 2023124 highlighted the success of the entire staff team, led by our Centre Director, Mary Clai'ke. The team eoinbines an excellent Inix of ediication, youtli, community, and social work specialisms, providing a strong platform for the bespoke, wraparound service each young person receives. W¢ll done to Mary and the team and keep up the brilliant work folks! Newstart work would not happen without consistent investment from funders. Thank you to all those ageii¢i¢s who support our work and wlio. like us, are compelled to ensure young people, regardless of backgroiind or experience, reach tlieir full potential. A massive tliank you to all our statutory and community partners, To say the impact of the work would not be the same withoiit your collaboration would be an understatement. Director's Report I want to start my r¢port by acknowl¢dging the liard work and dedicatioii of all the young people who we had tlie privileg¢ of working alongside tliis year. Whatev¢r setbacks or challenges they faced, their ability to forge forward and succeed has been an inspiratioii to not just Ine, biit tlie entire team at NEC. Thank you for your belief in us and, iinportantly, your trust in us to help guide aiid challeiige you to aim higli and claim your success. You are a credit to yourselves, your parents, and carcrs and to the coinmunity. I have the privilege of working with an excellent Board of Directors wlio continue to support me and the staff teain to build and develop oiir work. I want to thank tliem for beiiig selfless, dedicated and coinmitted to wliat we do. I would like to give a special word of thanks to Jim Donnelly. our chaii'person, whose coiitinued support. and guidance al'e valued immensely. The work we do and tlie way we carry it out, would not be possible witliout our teain of staff. Their coinmitment to young peopl¢ is clear in how they carry out their work and conduct themselves. Thanks to all of you for the contribution you make in raising the bar for young peopl¢ and for our organisation.
Newstart Educatton Centre ort of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVJTIKS Objeclives and alms Report of the Trustees For the Year Ended 31st March 2024 As a cominunity organisatioii we would not ¢njoy our success without the support of a wide range of statiitory and voluntary organisations, without wliich oiir holistic approach to the progression of young people could not be achieved. As mentioned previously, a huge thank you to all oiir funders for keeping faith with us aiid our work. We look forwai'd to your coiitinued support for our futur¢ work. ObJecllves and Actiyilies Tlie Chai'ity's objects ( Objects") are sp¢¢ifically restricted to the following.. To advance education for tlie public benefii by- (a) The provision of informal and formal educatioii and training in a saf¢, supportive, and liolistic learning eiivironment for youiig people wlio have disei)gaged, or beeii excluded from, mainstr¢am education. (b) tlie provision of courses, support, and opportunities for adult learners, lone parents, economically iiiactive and uiiemployed people. To relieve tli¢ Theeds of yoiiiig people who have dis¢iigaged, or beeii excluded from, mainstream education and their families by tlie provision of resources and suppoit services includiiig advocacy and strengthei)ing family iiiiliativ¢s and by any charitable ineans as tlie trustees consid¢r appropriate.
Newstart Education Centre ort of the Trustees for the Year Ei nded 31 March 2024 OBJEI CTIVEI S AND ACTIVITIES Publlc benefit The purposes of the organisation are to advance ¢du¢ation for young people and adults, to promote benefits for young people in the Lower Falls area of West Belfast (herein called 'the area of benefiv) and to educat¢ and assist young peopl¢, so they grow to full maturity as individuals and members of society and their conditions of life may be iinproved. The direct benefit which flows from this purpose include: l. The dev¢lopment, education, aiid ii)clusion of marginalised, at risk, young people. 2. Offering young peopl¢ who have disengaged or beeii excluded from mainstream education an alternative setting in which to realise their learning potential with additional support mechanisms in plac¢. NEC works collaboratively with community organisations, statiitory, social work, and edLtcational welfare agencies. Our second purpose focuses on reducing any barriers young people experien¢¢ in reacliing their full potential. NEC achieves this through providiiig wi'aparound, holistic supports to young people, tlieir parents, carers, and families. We operat¢ a parent's group and provide training and volunt¢er opportunities for parents, carers, and fainilies to support the positive development of their r¢lationship with the young person. We proactively work with the young persoii to address any issues they Inay be contributing to in the home andlor community includiiig substance inisuse and/or aggression. Benefits include: l. Strengthening families and providing young people with a positive support structure in the hoine to positively reinforcc the developmeiit work w¢ provide in collaboration with each young p¢rson witliin our centre. 2. A more developed and coli¢sive network of service providers offering support, guidance and ¢iigagement for young people and their families. 3, Advancing the education of adult l¢ariiers, lone parents, economically inactive and unemployed people tlirough tlie provision of courses, support, and opportunities. This is eviden¢¢d Ihrougli the accredited acliievements of young people and our partnership workiiig arrangeineiits witli statutory referral ag¢noi¢s sucli as schools, Education Welfare, aiid the local Education Authority Options Panel. It is further evidei)¢ed by NEC'S vast experieiice and success in re-engaging at risk young people, as well as the ongoiiig pai'ticipatioii of pareiits in th¢ activities outl ined earlier, and as part of oui- yearly project evaluation and consultation processes. We work in collaboration with a wide range of community, voluntary, statutory agencies, and schools. These agencies refer young people to us and in turn we signpost yoiing people to other supports and specialisms offered by these agencies ivhen the need them. We engage in collaborative, joiiit project working with other alt¢rnativ¢ education providers, youth-based organisations, and local schools to build resilience in young people Ihrougli adventure l¢arning. As a result, w¢ bring innovative metliods from community level into mainstreain s¢rvi¢e provision. Adult learners benefit from a unique comprehensive range of programmes incorporating personal and professional developm¢nt, vocational ¢nhancement, academic a¢¢reditation, developed over a period of 20 years by NEC as a response to tli¢ ongoing, specific education and training needs of local ¢ominunities. Our programmes are designed to und¢rpin each participant's Capacity to gain and sustain meaningful employment by equipping tlicm with transf¢rable skills. Our work helps break the cyole of systemic poverty, disadvantage, unemployment, and economi¢ iijactivity, directly felt by most of our participants and their fainilies.
Newstart Education C¢ntre ort of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Year on year, our work enables an increase in volunteering across the local community. We support young people, adults, parents, and carers to develop their skills and motivation to contribute to local community development and regeneratioii efforts. Iinportantly* all our work is underpiniied by tl)e principle of causiiig 'iio Iiarin,. flowing directly from our Inain cliaritable core purpose, atins and objectives ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE Charitable actlvities Overview of the accounting year This year, th¢ orgaiiisation has worked on numerous projects.. l. Day Scliool -40 young people attaining qualifications from entry level up to and including GCSE, through a 5-day per week timetabled progranime. 6 young people were supported in additioiial work to achieve GCSES in twiligl)t and evening class provision. 2. Healthy Living - ovei. l 00 beneficiaries from across the city of Belfast receiving family and healthy living supports to iinprove iheir lives. 3, NEC provided a range of placeineiit opportunities for stud¢iits undertaking Degree programmes in Cominiinity Youtli work. FINANCIAL REVIEI W Review of Ihe year The company had net outgoing resour¢¢s for tlie year of £1,951 (2023: net outgoing resources of £127.359), whicli reflected the completioii of a iiuinber of projects during the y¢ar. Unrestricted funds decreas¢d by £17,609, wliile restricted funds inci'eased by £15.658. The total fund balance at 31 Mar¢h 2024 was £93,963. (2023 £95,914) Reserves policy Tlie orgaiiisation's policy is to retain a level of free reserves, which Inatches tlie needs of the organisation both at the curreiit tiine and in the foreseeable fiiture. The organisation has d¢veloped a plan to establish and maintain this agreed level for free reserves. The organisation will continue to monitor ¢oinpliaiice with this policy on a regular basis and the Board will i'eview the appropriateness of the policy aniiually. Iii refereiicc to our reserves policy) it is good practice to have 6 months running costs and salary contingency plans along with i'edundancies.
Newstart Educatlon Cenlre ort of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 FUTURE PLANS A for¢east for the year ahead: EOTAS provision - this coming year we will continiie to provide places to the Education Authority Northern li'eland for young p¢ople outside of mainstream education provision. We will coiitinuc to deliver Healthy Living and Family Support to beneficiaries across Belfast through our D¢partment for Corninuniltes Programme. Secure Peace Plus funding to work collaboratively with a range of youth work partners to deliver an intensive cross community, cross border programme. Secure fiinding to extend our programmes to include the provision of early interv¢ntion I prevention fo¢Lissed activities for younger age groups. Continue to review and develop our policy and procedural frameivork ensuring board and staff undertake relevant training. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing document Tlie cliarity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a liinited company, liniited by guarai)tee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. Governance of the Organisatlon Dui'ing the period under review the directors m¢t monthly. TrUste¢direCtOrs are appointed by nominations Inade in writing by any existing director. At the General Me¢ting nominated directors are appointed by election. Risk managemen( The principles of good governance are ¢mbedded within all aspects of Newstart Education C¢nlre operations with manageineiit and staff being keenly aware of the Boards responsibility of ensuring that the organisation protects itself from finaiicial ¢xposur¢ and reputational damage, A clos¢ working relationsliip is maiiitained betwecn the Board and manag¢ment to ensure tliat operatioi)ally staff are aware of the standards required of them by the Boai'd and the Boai'd are always in a positioii to provide guidance and support to manageinent in tlie discharge of tli¢ir duties, This two way relationship is the key feature of Low¢i' FalSs Newstart Project LimAted governance arrangeinents and is a key strciigth iii the coinpany. A conscieiitious approacli to ¢nsui'ing tliat contractual project r¢quirem¢nts are achieved has been maintain¢d at all times both in the a¢counting period being report¢d on and since Newstart Education Centre establishment. Very tight finaiicial controls on expenditure aiid all financial cominitinents are maintained at all times and project staff have been trained and have becoine experienced in budgetary controls.ln both th¢se ar¢as ie Project del&very and financial controls inanagemeiit all staff have established clos¢ working r¢lationships wilh fundlng organisations to ensure all mandatory standards are consistently achi¢ved. Board r¢pres¢ntativ¢s also actively engage wilh funding bodies. Th¢ Board, management and staff are fully aware that the natur¢ of the work in which Newstart Education Centre is involved can brlng with it a high level of scrutiny to ensiire that all activities are fully compliant with funding requirements and,therefore, b¢yond r¢proach.The Board of N¢wstart Education Centre is, tlierefore, greatly reassured of the company's compliance with tli¢ highest of standards of governance on the basis that all monitoring and evaluation of project delivery demonstrates achievement of all funders objectives and that fund¢rs' audits and vouching of financial expenditure and th¢ independent examiners report confirm compliance with both probity and regularity in the use of monies received.
Newstart Education Centre ort of the Trustees for th¢ Year 1¢ nded 31 Mrdrch 2024 TAX STATUS The company is re¢ognised by HMRC as a registered charity. The company is entitled to charity tax exemption. STATEMfi NT OF TRUSTEESI RESPONSIBILITIES The Irustees (who are also the directors of Newstart Ediication Centre for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in a¢¢ordance with applicable law and United Kingdoin Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) including Financial Reporting Standard 102 "The Fiiiancial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" Company law requiiys the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of tlie state of affairs of the charitable coinpany and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including th¢ in¢oine and expeiiditure, of the Charitable company for that period. In preparing tliose fiiiancial statem¢nts, the truste¢s are required to select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently. observe th¢ methods and pi'inciples in th¢ Cliarity SORP. make judg¢inents and estimates that ar¢ reasonable aiid prudent. prepare the financial statements on the going coiicei'n basis unless il is inappropriate to presuine tliat th¢ cliaritable coinpany will continue in business. The trustees ar¢ responsible for keeping propel. accountiiig records which disclos¢ with reasonable accuracy at any tim¢ tlie financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ¢nsure that th¢ financial statements comply witli the Coinpanies Act 2006, They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the cl)aritable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the pr¢v¢ntion aiid d¢tection of fraud and other irregularities. Tliis i'¢port has been prepared tn accordance with the spccial provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small coinpani¢s. Approved by order of tlie board of trustees on 27 November 2024 and signed on its b¢half by: Miss M Nolan - Secretaiy