2024-03-31-annual-report

CLAN MOR SURESTART

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2024

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

The Trustees, who are also directors for the purposes of company law, have pleasure in presenting their annual report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2024 which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report and accounts for Companies Act 2006 purposes. The Trustees confirm that the financial statements comply with the requirements of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice which applies 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 2015).

Reference and Administrative Details

Reference and administrative details are shown in the schedule of members and professional advisors on page 1 of the financial statements.

Directors and Trustees

The directors if the charitable company are its trustees for the purpose of charity law. The Directors and trustees who served the charity during the period were as follows:

Danny Power

Elizabeth McShane

Barry Fegan

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

The charity is controlled by its governing document, a Memorandum and Articles of Association, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. Each member has agreed to contribute £1 in the event of a compulsory winding up. It is registered as a charity with The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

Appointment of Trustees

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall governance of the charity. Trustees are elected at the Annual General Meeting by the members present and the total number of Trustees shall not be less than 3.

Trustees shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting following his/her appointment. A retiring Trustee shall be eligible for re-election.

The Trustees shall have the power at any time and from time to time to appoint anybody to be a Trustee, either to fill a casual vacancy or as an addition to the existing Trustees. Ant Trustee so appointed shall hold office until the next following Annual General Meeting and shall then be eligible for election.

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CLAN MOR SURESTART

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2024

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

Trustee Induction and Training

New Trustees undergo an induction to brief them on their legal obligations under charity and company law, the Charities Commission guidance on public benefit, content of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the board of trustees and decision-making processes, policies and procedures, the business plan and recent financial performance of the charity. Trustees are encouraged to attend appropriate external training events where these will facilitate the undertaking of their role.

Organisation

The Board of Trustees meet monthly, and delegates certain responsibilities to the Project CoOrdinator. The Project Co-Ordinator is responsible for the day to day management of the affairs of the charity and for implementing the policies and operational plans as agreed by the Board of Trustees. Between meetings of the Board of Trustees, the Project Co-Ordinator reports to the Chairperson. The Project Co-Ordinator is assisted by a full time Administrator.

Related parties

None of the Trustees receive remuneration or other benefit from their work with the Charity. Any connection between a trustee or senior manager of the charity to related parties must be disclosed to the full Board of Trustees in the same way as any other contractual relationship with a third party. There were no such disclosures in the current year.

Risk Management

The Trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises:

• An annual review of the risks a charity may face.

• The establishment of systems and procedures to mitigate those risk identified

• The implementation of procedures designed to minimise any potential impact on the charity should those risks materialise.

This work has identified that financial sustainability is a major financial risk for the charity. A key element in the management of financial risk via the reserves policy. Attention has also been focused on non-financial risk arising from fire, health and safety of employees, volunteers and scheme users. In providing access and opportunities to people and children, the Charity recognises that there are potential risks to children and vulnerable adults. A key element in the management of non-financial risk is the establishment and implementation of a robust chart of policies and procedures including Access NI Disclosure Check, Child Protection Policy and the renewal and training of staff in this area.

The Trustees are satisfied that the necessary policies and procedures are in place to safeguard participants, and ensure that the benefits provided outweigh any potential harm.

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CLANMOR SURESTART

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2024

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

Objectives and Activities

We provide a range of activities and services for parents and their children in the area. Home visiting and family support services individual to each family. Programmes for parents in supporting parenting and development of their children. Play and development programmes for children under 4 years. Stay and play facilities for parents and children. Health information and advice for families with specialist programmes exploring behaviour management and speech and language. A range of seasonal events, fun activities and trips. Developmental Programme for two year olds.

Charitable Purposes

• To promote the benefit of the parents and children of Falls and Clonard Wards of Belfast City without distinction of race or political, religious or other opinions by associating together with the said parents/ children and local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education, improve health and well-being and to provide facilities in the interests of social and emotional welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said parents/ children.

• To relieve the suffering and distress of parents/ children who by reason of health, social or economic circumstances, have need of such facilities

• To help parents/children in the area to reach their full potential thereby offering something back to their community.

Public Benefit Statement

The direct benefits which flow from our purposes include:

• Improved health and well-being and improve the ability to learn for parents of children under 4 and their children in the area and reduced levels of stress and anxiety as well as improving the quality of life and the improved relationships for the parents and their children.

• The benefit will be demonstrated by improved educational outcomes for children in the area through monitoring the attendance at school, the attainment at GCSE level, which can be accessed through the Children and Young Peoples Strategic Partnership (CYPSP)

• The health outcomes will be demonstrated by improved levels of fitness in young children, reduced rates of obesity and dental cases. There is an annual report which parents inform and are active in contributing to with evaluations carried out on all programmes delivered. It is likely there will be no harm flowing from our purposes.

• Parents and children in the area enabled to access information and services which support and promote good quality play and learning in a timely and relevant manner in locations relevant to them in the local community which will reduce the levels of stress.

• The benefits are demonstrated through regular evaluations and feedback on all programmes the parents participate in and through regular inspections and reports by DHSSPS for the which childcare element. The Children and Young Peoples Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) website has trended data which demonstrates the effectiveness and improved outcomes for the children and their parents in the area.

• The benefits which flow from the above include educational improvement for parents to access further education or employment and for children to have improved educational outcomes and to be prepared for school life and life in general. Evaluations completed on all elements of the programme and annual reports produced showing participation and engagement on the programmes.

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CLANMOR SURESTART REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2024

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

Achievement and Performance

As detailed in Clan Mor Sure Start Business Plan during 2023/24 we have 663 children and 590 families registered for our services. These services include home visiting to families which have a one to one supportive and information service for families we work with. These visits can incorporate:

• Health information

• Parenting

• Speech and Language

• Infant massage

• Breast feeding support

• • Home management

As of April 2023 we have returned to normality post Covid 19 with children’s face to face programmes running as normal and group work resuming. A summary of the various aspects of Clan Mors services is below:

• Home visiting support to families has resumed fully. In excess of five hundred visits completed annually.

*All groups have resumed such as ante natal and parenting programmes, lunch club and baby therapies.

• Summer scheme was very successful with various trips taking place across the province.

• All children’s programmes running with the addition of a new Additional Needs Programme and a Newcomer Families programme which meets once a week. Over 150 children attend programmes on a weekly basis.

*Special events held at Easter, Halloween and Christmas in partnership with other local Falls service providers.

• Participated in various activities as part of the West Belfast Feile.

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Financial Review

The charity achieved a net surplus of x from a total income of x

( For 2023/24: Net income surplus was £x from a total income of £x). The principal funding sources were grants from the NI Health and Social Care Board, along with income from donations and fundraising. The support of our funders continues to be essential to maintaining our programme of activities.

Reserves Policy

Unrestricted funds are needed to provide funds which can be applied to specific projects to enable these projects to be undertaken at short notice and to cover the running costs of the Charity for a limited period, should there be a significant shortfall in projected income.

The Trustees consider it prudent that unrestricted reserves should be sufficient to cover three months of gross average annual unrestricted expenditure. The amount of unrestricted funds held at 31[st] March 2024 was xxx. (For 2023: £x).

Auditors

A resolution to re-appoint the auditors, O’Hara Shearer, Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors will be proposed at the Annual General Meeting.

Small company exemption

This report has been preparation in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

Responsibilities of the Trustees

The charity trustees (who are also the directors of Clan MorSurestart for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. The Trustees present their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2024. The Trustees confirm that they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice which applies to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1[st] January 2016).

CLAN MOR SURESTART

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2024

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TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

Under company law the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the surplus or deficit of the company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP (FRS 102);

• Comply with the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015;

• Comply with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008;

• Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company 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 company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

By order of the Trustees

…………………………………..

DANNY POWER (CHAIRPERSON)

Date:

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