L'ARCHE BELFAST REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Report or the Trustees (incoryorY4tlllg the dir¢¢tors' report) For the year ended 31" Mareh 2023 The direotors of the Chitable c4)mpany submit their annual r¢port and the audited financial statements for the year ellded 31 March 2023. The fman¢ial ststements have becn prepared in accordance with th¢ Financial Reporting Stalldard appli¢abl¢ in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective l January 2019)- Charities SORP (FRS 102). the Financial Reporting St4ndard applioabl¢ in the UK and the Republic of Iteld (FRS 102) and tbe Companies Act 2006. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS L'ATche Belfast is & regi8tered charity (105755 with Chartty Commission NI and XR 51980 with HM ReveThue and Customs) and a company limited by guarantee (NI 40702). Its registcrcd office is 54 Kno¢kbreda Road. Belfast. BT6 OJB. The directors of the con]pany are its trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout this report &Te collectively referred to &s the directors. The present directors and Any p&st directors who S¢Tved during the year are given on page four. The external advi50r5 ar¢ set out on page one. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCK AND MANAGEMENT L'Arche Belfast is governed by it5 mlorandUrn and Articles of Association adopted on 9 July 2002, In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1. The Board of Directors are responsible for the overall govemance of the company. They are recruited and appointed for the skills and expeTience that they can bring to the management of the chrdrity and for their commitment to the ethos and mission of L'Arche. There are sub-committec5 covering development, fundraising, finance and audit. They report regularly to the Board, so that ail decisions made are Tatified by the full boaTd in du¢ course. A Director of Serrfi¢es is appointed by the Bod to rnane the day-to-day operations of the Charity and for irnplementing the policies agreed by the Board of Director5. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVJTIES OF THE CHAIUTY The principal objective ofthe ch&rity is to develop a loving and supportive community in Delft which aim& to advance thc education and personal skills development of people with learning dL5abilities and to nurture their personal interests, employment and Work opporbJnitie5, and their culturdl. faith. or religious tradition5. L'Arche Belfast is a faith-bas¢d organisation which is rooted in Christianity, ttnd is open to persons of any faith ba¢kground, and to those with no religious affiliation. It is ftiunded on the principle that Sy5t¢ms of belief-be they s¢¢ular or religious - make the world a better plare when they promote the dignity of all human beings, inspirillg us to be open to people of difftrent intellectual capacities. social origins, races, religions, genders, and culture5. The Charity Contributes to the quality of life of its members by expanding their horizons through the provision of specialist care And suppo¢ and by using & person-¢entred V4pproaGh to help them take part in their ovm care and support planning, make a Contribution to their IoGF41 neighbourhood, and to work towards hieVable and meaning1 goals. The L'AJche Belf&qt community consists of four houses on the Ormeau Road, which continue to be home for fourteen core memb¢T51Glients who share their liv¢s with eaoh other assist with PP¢id staff and unpaid volunteer5 who have Ghos¢Th L'Axche as & way of life. The communty also extends itsdf as a place of b¢longing to other people with intellectt)a] disabilities who live locally, by providing opportunities ft)r them to get involved in social activities, OT to partiGipate in one or more of our day opportunities programmes. PUBLIC BENEFIT Th¢ diI¢¢tors confrm that they have had due regard for the guidance produced on Public Benefit by tbe Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, and are PICed to report that during 2022123 they h&ve Continued to meet the Public B¢n¢fit T¢qUill}ent as follows. Page 2
L'ARCHE BELFAST REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDKD 31 MARCH 2023 ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMAINCE L'Arche Belfast continue5 to provide a service of care and support to fourteen people who have learning disabilities (core members). This servtce is provided at 481, 547 and 563 Ormeau Road, properties owned and jointly managed by Choice Houging. and IA St. Jol]n's Avenue. which is rented fro]n a private landlord. The Belf¥t and South Eastern Trusts have both indicated that they would like to see our supported living service develop thrth¢r. os we hwe & growing waityng list for these services and there 19 a high demand for supported living in the Belf4st area. The orgarAisation Gontinues to nm and further develop an outreaoh programme throughout the greater Belf&st area with a view to creating contacts and building relationsbip5 with other people with special Thd5. their families and their friends. It is also envisaged th4t those outreach activities will provide an opportimity for others who have a desire to be a part of community to participat¢ in a m¢aningfiJl way. The outreach progTamm¢ organises events .such as discos, pub quiy.TES and nights out for people with learning disabilities. Tt also includes the provision of bespoke respite Beryices to & small numb¢r o£individuals who require I: I support to engage in activities in their local communities. Our day oppormnities programmes (previously referred to as work projects) continue to oper&te from our "L'Arcbe Village" site at 36B Mse Road, Belfast. The past year saw a reduction in Covid-19 restrictions which 211owed us to fully open the site and offer a wider variety of activities to a larger number of participants. At present we offer opportunities for participants to ¢ngage in.. horticulture. assist7ng with site maintenance, joinery and woodworking, ooking and nutrition, art5 and crafts, music and d&u¢e/movement, and external trips to various places of interest in the local area. At present we offer placements to over 100 persons with A leaming disability on P4 weekly bagis, and some of our 5ession8 are op¢n to persons without a leIng disability who are experiencing some fonn of isolation or diffiGulty in their lives - &5ylum 5rckcr5, pcnsioners, people with a mental health condition, and at-risk young people. We have also been able to provide volunt¢¢ring opportunities to corporate group5, and to A group of A-Level students from Lagan College, which is adjacent to the Village site. We are currently exploring ways in which the 5its generate additional income, e.g. by selling our garden produce and woodwork products, and oper&ting a "pop up" cbarity shop and café. With the end of Covid restrictions, we have been able to start up som¢ of our day opportunity programme5 in venues in the local Community again, most notsbly horticulture/woodworking gessions at Colin Glen in West Belfast. and cookery/ activity se85ions based in lo¢aL ¢hur¢h halls. Due to the interest in ond demand for the services provided at the Village, we anticipate fiffther growth in both activiti¢5 and participant numbers ITh the wming year, PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS The Covid-19 pandemtc has had an impact on L'Arcbe Belfast, &8 it has on most charitsble orgunisatioDS. In particular, we experienced an increase in staifing eosts due to wvering the costs of staff who have been required to self-isolate, and due to the fp4Gt that we were required to provide additionaI support to our residenls, all of whom were requircd to stay home during the lockdown period, and have now found that most of their usual day activities had been closed down or curtailed, We also had additional expenses to cover, such as Personal Protective Equipment. Alongside this we experienced a loss of income due to some of our own day projects being forced to close, in particular our kitchen-based programmes and associated catering activities. As we look to the next year we are awaTe that we will need to change the nathre of SDme of our actlVLties and change the planning of some of our development. We are also taking action to review our fmancial situation in light of the pandemic, and to take action to ensure our financial sustainability. L'Ar¢he Belfast is fortunatc in that to datc wc hpAve been PAble ta maintain all of OUT contr&ct5 Wlth the Ilealth and Social Care Trust5, both for domiciliary rare PTQVi5i0n and day opportunitie5, and wcru. awardcd addition funding to provlde daytime support to our residential core members in Ixeu of their usual Statutory day services. OUT grant funding from Supporting People has also remained unaffected, and we have been able to apply for additional funding from SP to help cover Covid-related costs. Many of our direGt payments clients also continued to pay us durinE the most recent lockdown, as we were able to continue providing a serviG¢ remotely via Zoom, RELATED PARTIES The chaTity is affiliated to L'ArGhe Ireland and is part 0£ the Fgderv4tion of L'Arche International, There werv no transactions with related parties as set out in note 18 to the fmancial statements. RISK MANAGEMENT All those involved with the ¢aTing of the core members are vetted by the autboTiti¢s and receive ongoing training in all areas of to vulnerable adults. Risk assessments are oarried out for all Aspects of our worl and individuaI risk managernent plans are put in place for each core men]ber who Teceives a service of care and support from us. organisational risk register is in place. which is reviewed on a quarterly basis by the Board of Directors. Page 3
L'ARCHE BELFAST REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 IVIARCH 2023 FINANCIAL REVIEW The charity's IllGo@ for thc 12 Onth p&iod ending 31 March 2023 was £1.674.770 increasing from the previous fmanGial year (£1,492,508 in 2022). Total resources expended of £1.525.055 increased when compared to the previou5 fmancial year {£1,420,063 in 2022) with net income foi the year amounting to £149,715 (2022: £72,445). Totsl net assets aTllOUnted to £585,510 at 31 March 2023 (2023.. £435.795). RESERVES POLICY The directors are oblig¢d to ensure that sufficient regerves are availabl¢ to allow the organisation to continue its work in the foreseeable ture. The principal funding sources of the charity were Government Bodies. i.e. The NorthBrn Ireland Housing Exccutive, tho BolF4st Healih and Social Care Tnjst and other Social Security Departments. Funding was also obt&in¢d from th¢ Independent Living Fund. Other monies are received from private donors and by way of fundraising events. The directors endeavour to have between 12 and 24 weeks. Tunning costs in Reserves, This is to ensure that continuity of service to our Gote members in th¢ ¢v¢nt of an emergency, and to provide for adequate contingency planning. There is a bance in Reserves relv4ting to the chhrity's Unrestricted Funds of £579,935, approximately 20 weeks running costs for th¢ organisation, of which £301,145 has been desigllated specifically for a contingcncy end continuity of service reserve. DIREcfoRS AND THEIR INTERESTS The directors are shown below and. other than as noted, have held office to the report approval date: MT M Sheil M5 M Campbell Ms M Devlin Mr K Mcmahon MT M McDowell Ms J Buchaoan Mr C Daly Mr P Tynan Ms A Mccafftey MrMLee STATEMENT OF DIRECTORIS RESPONSIBILITIES The directors are responsible for preparing th¢ Report of the Directors and financial stslements in accordanee with applicable law and regulations. Company18w requires the director5 to prepare financial ststernents for eech financial year. Under that law tbe directors have elected to prepare the fmancial statements in accordgnce with United Kingdom Generally Accepted AGGouThting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applirAbl¢ l&w). Under company law the d1ctOrS must not approve the fancial ststements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of th¢ company for that period. In PTepwing these financial statements, the direGtors required select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently,, make judgement5 and ¢5tisnatss that are reasonable end Prudent. PTepare the fmancial ststements on the Boing concern basis unless it is inappropriats to presume that the company will continue in business. The dirextOTS are responsible for keeping adequate LCCOUnting records that are suffi¢ient to show and explain the company's tran8a¢tions and disclose witb reason&ble accwacy at any time the fll)ancial position of the company and ¢nabl¢ them to ensur¢ that the fancIal ststements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are algo responsible for safeguarding the assets of tbe company and hence for t8king reasonable step5 for the prevention and detsGtion of fraud and oth¢1 I¢gularitIcS. Page 4
L'ARCHE BELFAST REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 STATEMENT AS TO DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION TO AUDITOBS So faT as the directors are aware, there is no relevant audit information (as defmed by S¢Gtion 418 of the Companies Act 2006) of whi¢hthe company's auditors are uuaware, aTJd each director has taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as a director in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit infonnation and to establish that the company's auditors aTe awaTe of that inforn]ation. AUDITORS The auditors, Baker Tilly Mooney Moore, have indicated their willingness to ¢ontinue in office, and a resolution concerning their re-appointjnent will be proposed at the Annual General Meeting. The above report ha5 been prepared in acwrdance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. ON BEHALF OF THE BOA). Paul Tyn Isep 26, 2023 11,.12 GMT+ll 26-Sep-2023 Date.. Page 5