The Men's Advisory Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) Year ended 31 March 2023 The trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. Referenc8 and admlnlstratlve detalls Reglstered charliy name The Men's Advlsory Project Charlty reglstrallon number NIC105833 Company reglstratlon number N1038175 Prlnclpal offlce and reglslered Floor 5 offlce Glendinning House 8 Murray Street Belfasl BT16DN The trusiees Dr Paullne Irvlng Ms Margaret Mcllvenny Ms Patricia Lewsley Mooney CBE Mr Peter McGowan Mr Robert Magee Mr Jake McKibbln Ms Lorna sMh Audltor Hlll Vellacott Chartered accountants & statutory audltor 22 Great Victorla Street Bellast BT2 7BA Bankers Co-operative Bank PO Box 250 Delf House Southway Skelmersdale WN8 6WT
The Men's Advisory Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (conllnued) Year ended 31 March 2023 Structure. governance and management The Charity is a charltable company limited by guarantee and was set up on 22 March 2000. It Is governed by a memorandum and articles of association. On appointment new trustees are briefed on their legal obligatlons under charlty and company law, the content of the constltutlon, the committee and decision maklng processes. Rlsk managemenl Where approprlate, systems or procedures have been established to miligate the risks Ihe trust face bythe trustees. Internal control risks are mlnlmised by the Smplementatlon of proGedures for authorlsation of all transactions and projects. Oblectlves and actlvltle8 The Charltls main alms and objectives are,. to make thlngs b8tt8r at home for men who have experienc8 or are experiencing domestic and sexual abuse; to provide support and facilltaie men to understand their optlons and make thelr own cholces and d8cisions', to put men in touch with organlsatlons that can help them further; to offer crlsis int8rvention and support to men Ilvlng In or when18avlng domestically abuslve relationships; to offer support and counselling servlces to men who have prevlously left a vlolent or abusive relationship and who are still experienclng the effects; to offer a range of services to men and women who want assistance and support to deal with their emotlons post faclng domestlc abuse and experiencing the systems and servlces avallable to support their gendered needs post abuse; to offer a voice to men who have used our services and to male victims of domestic abuse in Northern Ireland. We guarantee to support male victims to have a voice and have their experiances heard at all levels of government by ensuring that they are part of the Men's Advlsory Project at all levels from volunteer to Board Member and inform our declsion maklng.
The Men's Advisory Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (Gonllnuedj Year ended 31 March 2023 Slrategl¢ report The following sections for achlevements and performance and financial revlew form the strategic report of the charity. Achlevemenis and performance Over the past year The Men's Advisory Prolect has continued to work as the lead. specialist agency supporting men who have faced abuse in Northern Ireland. The requirement from services post the Covid pandemic saw only a Ilmiled Teduction. We worked hard to follow and administer BACP guidelines and develop safe processes, policies and procedures to support and upskill our counsellors to work safely online and via telephone and as they returned to offering services face to face. Service user numbers have conlinued at a high level in all areas of the country, due lo the continued dedication of staff and volunteers and the excellent network of other agencies, both statutory and community and volunlary, that we work with each day to ensure male victims and survivors have speclallst and quality assured services to support their wide-ranging needs. We have seen an increase in service users who have faced intra-familial domestic abuse and we work8d hard to understand thls stigmatised and hard to reach group. Especlally we have begun the work to support younger men who have faced domestic abuse their entire lives and have had limited support for this trauma or In how to manage their lives without support outslde these homes. Outreach fully qualified volunteer counsellors work in each Trust area in Northern Ireland and are supported by oordinators in the Western Trusi and Belfast areas. Support required by men from rural areas was at the highest since our Inceptlon and we have learned that a blended approach to servlce delivery will continue to support men who live far from other seNlces. Support from the PCSPS allowed us to support this addillonal work and we must thank them for their understandlng and support as we further develop servSces to men and offer them the securily of Information regardlng legal services and being part of a safer community. Tho Men's Advisory Project has been rated very good or excellent by the majority of Sts seNlce users and wa vdsh to uphold this standard In comlng years. Thls year we were supported by the Northern Ireland Houslng Executive to provide floating support and outreach services to men facing homelessness due to domestic abuse. These workers enhanced the overall work of the organisation offering practical support to men often very effected by many years and different lypes of domestic abuse. Unfortunately, this was in year funding which was sadly not renewed. Our learnlng has not been lost but the dedicated work requlred to support traumalised and homeless men who have faced abuse is something which we cannot carry out wilhout dedicated funding for Floating Support and Oulreach workers from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. We are bereft Ihal men who are homeless due to abuse are being placed into mixed use Hostels without
The Men's Advisory Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (c(MNnu8d) Year ended 31 March 2023 dedicated and speclalist support and we cannot understand the reduction in support for those at risk of losing their tenancies to domestic abuse. This difference in provision is one we will examine with others as the year progresses. The contract thal we had successful held wilh the Health and Social Care Board ended and a newly commissioned seNice was put out for Tender. In conversation and consultalion with the men we support we felt that the seIce belng commissioned was one that neither met the needs of the populalion of abused men we served nor took Into account the evidenced requirements of these men lo help empower their move from victim to survivor. The majority of men we support are in Crisis, still living with their abuser or facing extensive dangerous post separation abuse. The men therefore initially require a safe space where they can receive informed, non-judgemental services of Crisis support to allow them to understand and explore thelr options and to rlsk assess and safety plan to exil the relationship andlor live safely wilh their children. These men often require therapeutic support from the flrst call and we have been responsive to these needs, ensuring only counsellors are employed In the Charity. Sadly the newly Commissioned service focussed not on those men most in need of emergency support but wished instead to work only with men who had faced abuse but were no longer Sn Crisis or living with an abusive partner. For this reason and to respeGt the wishes and needs of the majority of the men we support we dld not Tender for the contract. We wlsh to thank our partner organlsatlons In Victlm Support Northern Ireland, Nexus, Belfast and Llsburn Women's Aid, Foyle Family Justice Cenlre, Police Service of Northern Ireland, Allstate Foundatlon, Northern Ireland Housing Executive the Women's Ald Federation, Rape Crisis Northern Ireland, Holy Trinity and Women's Support Network and the Departments of Health and Justice for their support. Flnanclal revlew Details of the results for the year are set out In the statement of flnanclal activities on page 14 and the related notes. The trustees have reviewed the reserves of the Charity and strive to ensure there are adequate res8n4es to cover any unforeseen expenditure In the future.
The Men's Advisory Project Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporatlng the Dlrector's Report) (c¢tInued) Year ended 31 March 2023 Plans lor f uture perlods In 2024, The Men's Advisory Project will continue to develop the current servlces and will offer further servlces of education and support to ensure others know more about male vlctlms and understand how to better support men facing abuse. We wish to become more sustainable and to have our counselling quality assured and seek course approval. We will actively fund raise to ensure that We become more robust In terms of IT provislon and seek Cyber Essentials Plus accreditatlon to provide additional securlty lo future funders. We wish to provide additional tralnlng to external agencles and hope to support men in a wider sense by the development of this arm of the Charily. The Charlty attracts funding from the Health and Social Care Board. the Halifax Foundation, Tudor Trust and varlous local Policing Community Safely Partnerships. We have been greatly supportgd by these funds to further develop services wilhin communilies. This funding has allowed men to access housing, primary health, civil and criminal justice and to feel seen as victims and survivors of abuse. We plan to put the voice of male victims further into the heart of government and work hard to have men and thelr experiences better recognised In policy development and governmental consultation. We also wish to develop closer links to the Northern Ireland Houslng Executlve and Department of Communltles lo ensure that male vlctlms of abuse are supported In their homelessness post abuse or Sn the signiflcant difficultles Ihey face. Flnally, we hope to develop closer worklng relatlonships wlth other significant seNices provldlng support to those who have faced of domestlc or sexual abuse to ensure than an apparent hlerarchy of victlms Is removed as we move forward. We recognlse that to truly support victims we must work together as a sector to offer a wide range ol services and support mechanisms. We alm to work In Partnership wlth other organisations to deliver servlces to ensure this takes place. Trustees, responslbllllles statement The trustees, who are also dlrectors for the purposes of company law, are responslble for preparlng the trustees, report and the financlal statements In accordance wlth applicable law and United Kingdom Accountlng Standards (Unlted KSngdom Generally Accepted Accountlng Practice). Company law requlres the charlty trustees to prepare flnanclal statements for each year whlch glve a true and fair vlew of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the Incomlng resources and appllcation of resources, Includlng th8 Income and expenditure, for that perlod. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are requlred to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; observe the melhods and principles in the applicable Charities SORP; make Judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; stale whether appllcable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any materlal departures dlsclosed and explained In the financial statemenls; prepare the financlal statements on the golng concern basls unless It Is Inapproprlate to presume that the charlty will continue In buslness.
The Men's Advisory Project Company Limlted by Guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued) Year ended 31 March 2023 The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sullicient to show and explain the charity's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any lime the financial position of the charity and enable Ihem to ensure that the financial slaiemenls comply with th8 Cornpanies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the chaiily and hence for taking reasonable steps lor the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Audltor The trustees, annual report and the strategic report were approved on 13 December 2023 and signed on behalf of Ihe board ol trustees by: Ms Patricia Lewsley Mooney Trustee