2024-03-31-annual-report - Home-Start North Down

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Annual Report 2023-24

Manager’s Introduction

During the year 1[st] April 2023-31[st] March 2024 the organisation has undergone some change mostly as a result of some key funding coming to an end (most notably a 3 year grant from BBC Children in Need) and the difficult funding environment that we, and all community and voluntary sector organisations are experiencing at present.

One of the changes was moving out of our premises on High Street to reduce our overheads in relation to running a large premises which also meant closing our Community Café which was very difficult for us all. Our group work and family support staff team has also reduced in number throughout the course of the year having been unable to renew some staff contracts.

However, there have been a number of really positive developments including our continued support from the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust through renewal of our Service Level Agreement for this year. We continue to sit on the Ards and North Down Family Support Hub and have strengthened links with North Down Community Network. It was a real pleasure to be invited to the King’s Garden Party in May ’23 by the Mayor of Ards & North Down Borough council and to meet Chris Quinn the incoming Commissioner for Children and Young People in NI in March ‘24 and introduce him to our work. Some effective new partnerships and collaborations have developed including; working with Bangor Foodbank and Community Support, who now provide us with their purpose-built premises 2 days a week to enable us to deliver our weekly Groups, Bangor Elim Church who donated the use of their Church Hall with bouncy castle for our Christmas Party and partnering with Bangor Sure Start to deliver family support, attend events and their offer of the use of premises and finally attracting some new funders including the

ARN Foundation and the Albert Hunt Trust. We are grateful to Balloons and Gifts by Erin (donations and balloon banner for Christmas Party), Tesco Community Champion (donating food for groups/events and children’s clothes), the Salvation Army, Castle Espie and Nationwide who donated toys for our children at Christmas time. We have also benefitted from the generosity of Watertight International, a local business who have given us the use of a lockable storage unit and Board Room for staff meetings and volunteer training free of charge. I am extremely grateful to the staff team and their families for the support and practical help they gave which enabled the office move.

I am delighted to say that despite a very challenging year, this has not affected the quality or level of support provided to families. We have successfully delivered on all our targets with the hard work, skill and dedication of the staff team, along with our truly incredible Volunteers. Our volunteers help with Family Groups, programmes, seasonal activities and home visiting support. We delivered a Volunteer Preparation course in September welcoming 4 new Volunteers to the team. I am continually amazed by the commitment, enthusiasm, care, knowledge and talents that

the volunteers of Home-Start North Down consistently offer so generously, and how many volunteers we have, which is what makes the Home-Start Family Support offer so special and effective and a testament to the organisation for the care it takes over the recruitment, training, support and development of its volunteer family.

I am pleased for you to now read on and hear what we have achieved this year, with some uplifting feedback and responses from ‘our’ Home-Start families.

Vision

Home-Start exists to support families with young children through difficult times to ensure that each child has the best possible start in life.

Home-Start North Down has been operating in the Bangor area since early 1989 offering confidential support, friendship and practical help to parents in the community, including Bangor, Conlig, Donaghadee and Holywood.

Objectives

To support the development of Parenting Skills by supporting the development of early relationships between parents and children and through encouraging stimulating play and activities which support the development of language and cognitive skills
To support Parents’ well-being by helping them cope with their own physical health, mental health and self-esteem and reducing any feelings of isolation
To support children’s well-being by supporting parents in caring for children and promoting children’s health and physical, social and emotional development, and early identification and support of children with emotional, learning or behavioural difficulties
To support overall family management by providing support with household budgets, home management, stress in the home or other issues as appropriate to each family.

Outcomes for Families

✓ Improved children’s well-being
✓ Reduced isolation
✓ Increased confidence
✓ Improved language development and/or socialisation (child)
✓ Improved family management
✓ Foster secure emotional attachment
✓ Improved access to health promotion advice
✓ Increased self-efficacy (belief in their own ability)

Activities, Achievements and Performance

Home-Start North Down has delivered a programme of support for families with pre-school children in North Down to include:

1:1 volunteer home visiting, weekly Family Group and weeklky Baby Group, 1:1 Family Support from HS staff, outdoor summer activities, school readiness programme, Christmas Party for all families and the delivery of Evidence Based Parenting Programmes (Incredible Years and Partnering with Parents).

Families Supported

130

128 Referrals received

Children’s lives transformed

Families signposted

10 parents

completing 33 Incredible packages of Years home visit support

77% of

69% of referrals from Health Visitors

parents referred had a mental health difficulty 38 Volunteers

What Difference did we make?

We asked those who had participated in Home-Start Support for some feedback – here are some of the key findings:

Q. How much do you feel your family has benefited from coming to the Family Group? 100% scored 5/5 on a scale of 0-5 (0= not at all 5= very much)

For Parents:

Q. Did you feel it was beneficial in any of the below areas?

Reduced feelings of isolation	90%
Made new friends	90%
Information/advice	95%
Practical help with children	90%
Reassurance	85%
Increased confidence	85%
Having fun with my child	85%

For Children:

Q. Do you feel the group was beneficial to your child in any of the following ways:

Improved Social Skills	81%
Improved Communication Skills	76%
Enjoyment with Parent	81%
Learning Opportunities	95%
Increased Confidence	76%
Increased Independence	81%

‘I can't put into words what you have all done for me, [my daughter] and my family. Over two years ago Home-Start came into my life when I was at my darkest place. You have supported me and guided me each step of the journey with my PND. I couldn't be who I am now without your help. [My daughter] has come on so much too. We will always hold a special place in our hearts for our Home-Start family. We will forever be grateful [for this] invaluable service.’

Home-Start North Down Parent 2024

Financial review

Income

Home-Start North Down was funded within the financial year 2023/2024 by a range of different organisations, donations and fundraising.

Organisations which provided us with funding included:-

●South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust	£54,743.87
●Awards for All	£9872.00
●ARN Foundation	£5000.00
●PHA – Seed Foundation	£5000.00
●The Sceptre Foundation	£2078.50
●The Blackburn Trust	£600.00
●Bangor Sure Start*	£16,152.00

*This funding paid for Home-Start staff to assist Sure Start in running their groups in Bangor and Donaghadee on a weekly basis throughout the year. We received four payments.

Donaghadee Community Development Associations £400.00

For the Wee Wheels event and The Teddy Bears picnic which was part of the Donaghadee Festival.

Donations:-

Donation from family - £360.00 ● Donation from Hybrid MMA Jujitsu Club £100.00 ● Donation from Amazon (they give us this each year) £22.28

- Fundraising:

Pop up Shop - £849.98

This income was generated by selling items that no longer needed in High Street (furniture, café equipment, toys, books etc.)

Café: £1422.83

This income was made in April - June before the café closed.

Income generated within the year Other income:- ●Bank Interest ●Statutory Maternity Pay (advanced payment) Overall income	£96,601.46 £659.70 £2631.13 £99,892.29

Expenditure

Breakdown:-

• Salaries (This includes Statutory Maternity Pay) • Professional Fees (Accounting/Access NI/Insurance/TAG/ membership) • Running Costs (including rent) • Café expenses • Expenses vol & staff /training/resources • Bank Fees Total expenditure in 2023 / 2024	£91,748.78 £ 5,056.08 £18,902.10 £ 1,113.63 £ 1,383.54 £ 127.60 £118,331.73

Reserves/Business Account

We used £22,545.01 from the business account this year. There was £12,539.06 of this used to take us to year end due to reduced funding income. £10,005.95 was used to pay salaries in line with NJC pay scales backdated to 1[st] April.

Trustees/Directors

The directors of the charitable company (the charity) are its trustees for the purpose of charity law. Our Trustees give of their time voluntarily to ensure the good governance of the organisation is maintained as well as ensuring it is meeting its strategic objectives and charitable purpose. The trustees and officers serving during the year were as follows:

Janice MacArthur (Chair until January 2024) Charles Ballantyne (Acting Chair from January 2024) Jenni Rice Colin Miller Cherie Getty Louise McKee Judith Smith

Staff Team

Kirsty Richardson Janine Caldwell Donna Hunter Lindsay Murray Jennifer Wills Jacqueline McKeown Norma Jess

Manager Family Support Coordinator Group Worker Group Worker (until end August 2023) Group Worker (until end August 2023) Administrator Finance Officer

Family Support Volunteers

One of our Volunteer Celebration events in June 2023

Suzanne Ferguson Maureen Ellison Carol Walters Margaret Mitchell Vivienne McCarthy Katie McTurk Ilona Boyd Ingrid Bailie Heather McCrackin Angela O’Sullivan Danielle McGloin Suzanne Hunter Ita Neeson

Susan Kelly Lorraine Hume Orla Edgar Cas Power Hayley Harrison Julie Beattie Margaret Brown Zoe Donegan Pamela Patton Moira Stewart Sarah Christie June Pollock

Margaret Brown Alice Kerr Jacqueline Durkin Janet Calvert Heather Armstrong Heather Tough Sarah McClure Samantha Wallace Kelly-Anne Donnachie Barbara McCavana Lorraine Alexander Michelle Field

Charity number: NIC106098 Company number: NI022755

4 Bingham Street Bangor BT20 5DW info@homestartnorthdown.org.uk www.homestartnorthdown.org.uk