A.B.B.E.Y. SURE START
THE TRUSTEES AND FtNANCIAL
THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH
TRUSTEES, ANNUAL KEVUKI"
The Trustees, who are also directors for the purposes of company law, have pleasure in presenting their annual
report together with the financial stat¢m¢nts of th¢ charity for thc ycar ¢ndcd 3 1 March 2024 which are also
prepared to meet the requirements for a directors, report and accounts for Companies Act 2006 purposes. The
TrLlStees confimi that the financial statements comply with the requirements of the Charities Act (Northern
Ii-eland) 2008 and Accountin(y and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice wliicli applies
to cliarities preparinry their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK
and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective l January 2015).
Reference & Administrative Details
Reference and administrative details are shown in the schedule of memkrs and professional advisers on page
I of the financial statements.
Directors and Trustees
Tlie directors of the charitable company are its trustees for the purpose of charity law.
Tlie Directors and trust¢¢s who served the charity duriniv the period were as follows".
Martin walls, Chairperson
Amanda Johnston
Joyce Rainey
Claire Humphries
Leah Rea
Karen Kerr
Structure, Governance & M2n2tsement
Governing Document
The charity is controlled by its governing documenL a Memorandum and Articles of Association. and
onstitutes a limited company, lim ited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. Each member has
agreed to contribute El in the event of a compulsory winding up. It is registered as a charity with The Charity
Commi55ion for Northcm Ircland.
The charity is a cotnpany limited by guarantee and not having a share capital. It is a company incorporated
under the Companies Act. The charity is managed under the control of the management committee. The day
to day running of the charity is Ca￿led out by the Project Manauer, Cathy Todd.
Appointment of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall governance of the charity. Trustees are elected at the
Annual G¢ncral Mccting by th¢ mcmbcrs prc5¢nt and thc total numbcr of Trustees shall not be less tlian 3.
Trustees shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting following his/her appointment. A retiring
Trustee shall be eligible for re<lection.
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A.B.B.E.Y. SURE START
THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL
THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH
I KUS I"EbS' ANNUAL REPORT
The Trustees shall have the power at any time and from time to time to appoint any person to be a Trustee,
either to full a casual vacancy or as an addition to the existing Trustees. Any Trustee so appointed shall Iiold
office until the next followin(F Annual (ieneral Meeting and shall then be eligible tor election.
Trustee Induction and trainin%
New Trustees receive an induction pack which supports due diligence and supports good record keeping. They
underoo an induction to brief them on their legal obli(pations under charity and company law. the Charities
Coimmission guidance on public benefit, content of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, tlie board of
trustees and decision-makino processes, policies and procedures, the business plan and recent financial
perfom)ance of the charity. Trustees are encouraiFed to attend appropriate external training events where these
NN'II I facilitate the undertaking of their role.
Organisation
The Board of Trustees meet 3 monthly, and delegates certain responsibilities to the Project Mana(Fer. The
Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of the affairs of the charity and for
implementing the policies and operational plans as a.(Treed by the Board of Trustees. Between meetings of the
Board of Trustees, the Project Manager reports to the Chairperson.
Related parties
None of the Trustees receive remuneration or other benefit from their work with the Charity. Any connection
between a trustee or senior manaoer 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 M(Iiia¥¢iii¥nl
The Trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises:
An annual review of the risks the charity may face.
The establishment of systems and procedures to tnitigate those risk identified and
The implementation of procedures designed to minimise any potential impact on the charity should tliose
risks materialise
This work has identified that financial sustainability is a major financial risk for the charity. A key element in
tlic iiiaiiagcinciit of fiiiaiicial i'isk is via tlie I'esei'ves tN)IiLy. Att¢iitioii lias alsv b¢¢Ii fuLus¢d uii iiun-fin<lllLi(Il
risks arising from fire, health and safety of employees, volunteers and scheme users. In providing access and
opportunities to people and child￿n, the Charity recoonises that there are potential risks to children and
vulnerable adults. A key element in the management of non-financial risk is the establishment and
itnplementation of a robust chart of policies and procedures including Access Nl Disclosure Check, Child
Protection Policy and the renewal and training of staff in this area.
Page 3

A.B.B.E.Y. SURE START
THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL
THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH
I KUS"I"EES' ANNUAL REPORT
The Trustees are satisfied that the necessary policies and procedures are in place to safeivuard participants, and
ensure that the benefits provided outweigh any potential hann.
Objectives and Activities
The charity's objectives are to enhance the development and education of children below the statutory school
a(Fe and to advance education, relieve poverty, sickness and distress among those in the necessitous
circumstances in Newtownabbey and its environs and to provide recreational and leisure facilities in the
interest5 of social welfare for tlios¢ inhabitants of the area of benefit without distinction of age, sex, special
need, race or political, religious or other opinions, who are in necessitous circumstances.
F'uture and principal funding sources
Sure Start is solely government funded and funding is allocated by the Department of Education. Projects
ai"e jointly managed by the Department of Education and the Childcare Partnerships (HSCBISPPG) who
ovcrscc allocations aiid iiioiiitor expeiiditure.
Charitable Purposes
To promote the benefit of the parents and children of Newtownabbey without distinction of race or
political, religious or other opinions by assiKiating together witli the said parents/children and local
authorities, voluntary and other organlsations in a common effort to advance education, improve liealtli
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 improviniv the conditions of life for tlie said
parentsl¢hildr¢n.
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.
Piiblic Benefit Statement
A.B.B.E.Y Sure Start is a government funded inttiative, targeting children under 4 years old. It is aimed at
giving cvcryone a good start in life and is about a long-term investment. Research has indicated that where
children have access to early intervention and play opportunities it will help their development through
school and adult life. The overall aim of the organisation is to improve the wellbeing and life opportunities of
young children under four, through better health. childcare and educational opportunities so that children
can flourish when they enter school. The project operates within the defined boundaries of
Abbey,Cloughfern, Coole, Dunanney. Monkstown, Whitehouse and Valley electoral wards. Temporary
inclusion of Carnmoney 1, Glengormley 2 and Mossley wards.
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A.B.B.E.Y. SURE
THE TRUSTEES AND F￿ANCIAL
THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH ￿?4
ANNUAL REPORT
Achievements and Perfonnance
A.B.B.E.Y. Surc Start's main office is located at 440 Shor¢ Road and the Project continues to d¢liv¢r
pro(yrammes and services from 6 other outreach sites located at Merville Garden Village. the
Dunanney Centre, Abbots Cross Primary School, St. James, Primary School, Monkstown Villaue
Centre and Abbeytown Square. A range of venues are also hired across tlie catchment area to deliver
pi-ogra1ii111¢5 All pi'oaraiiii]Ics aiid sei'vices aI'e d¢sioii¢d tu tneet IuL<il need and itnprove outcomes for
children 2nd familTe8. niitcomes are related to health, social well-being and education and also to have
an impact on strengthening communities
At the end of quarter 4 we met the majority of the 75 targets detailed in our annual plan. We fully met 70 of
the tariTrets and also exceeded the target in many programmes and services. The 5 targets that we didn't fully
meet were mostly due to not havino the target numher of Attendees, eg, in the expansion Area we had a target
of 40 parents and 40 cliildren attending outingslevents and the actual number was 36 parents and 3 7 children.
We were able to increase midwifery hours from the expansion budget for a short period of time and this made
a sionificant difference in getting mums registered at the ante- natal stage and has also increased uptake of
services, currently silling at 96.74%.
Recruitment of staff for the expansion area has proved to be very difficult as they are temporary posts and
due to tlie titning of confirn]ation of fundino it is impossible to have staff in post from the 1st of April as this
is dependent on a lenothy time frame for advertising. interviewino completing necessary checks and staff
givin(y notice. This also has an impact on delivery of services and in engaging fatnilies as this adds to the
already heavy workloads of staff whose main role is to work in the Core catchment area.
The core staff team have been delivering programmes in the expansion area and all staff have gone above and
beyond to ensure targets have been met.
Staff have noted a siunificant increase in parents presenting with severe emotional and mental liealth
difficulties. This has increased tli¢ l¢v¢l of work w'ithin the Family Support teain through provision of
intensive l-l support.
FSW'S have been continuin(T to sign post families to 26 different organisationslservices including food banks,
autism services, education services, baby basics, mental health services, Bamardo's, CBT, GP, Healtvisitor,
Page 5

A.B.B.E.Y. SURE
THE TRUSTEES AND FtNANCIAL
THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH ￿?4
Parenting Nl, Trian-le Housino, home safety, Employers for ehild¢are, Advice NI, CITHRAH. A high
percentaae of signpostiniy and support is with food banks and autism/education services.
Uptake of fam ilies accessing services has increased sliohtly within the l&st quarter, with the mnst significant
increase in Dads accessing services, there was an increase from 18.240/0 last quarter to 30.670/0 in quarter 4.
There was an increase in registrations from the Health Visiting team followin% on from staff attendin£ a staff
meetino to provide inforniation and promote Surestart services, however this has reduced significantly.
Parents are also reporting difficulties with contacting health Visitors as there is no longer a direct phone line.
Many also comment that they have no idea who their Health Visitor is and seldom see tl)e same person twice.
The majority of registrations continue to be completed via telephone with families receiving relevant
inforination in the post. This is mostly due to staff capacity as core staff are also deliverin(y services in our
¢,XPdnsiun £ife<l. Filtnilies ¢ife Lontinuing to acce55 Food Banks, Pal let Scheme tlirough the DFC, baby basics
and Save the Children funding throu(yh the Family Support hub.
A 22-year lease had been signed for NIHE premises in the old Ulster Bank I(￿ated in Rathcoole Estate. The
Housing Executive completed works to a lettabl¢ standard prior to our contractors completing tlie work,
however capital funding was not available to pro(yress any work. An updated business case was submitted for
Capital fundinir and tlie situation post- covid in tenns of rising costs had resulted in increased costs to
complete the refurbishment. We had hoped to be moving premises for this financial year but due to the delay
this has not been possible. The detrimental effect of this is that we were expected to pay £12,000 rent per
annum for a building that we couldn't use. One of our Directors liaised with Community plannino and NIHE
resulting in NIHE agreeing to release us from the tenancy. An opportunity arose to lease the ground floor of
our office space in Shore Road and it is currently being refurbished to accommodate the new intake of
children into our Developmental Programme for Children with Additional Needs. We had also planned to
facilitate our Developmental Pro(rramme for children with additional needs from the ground floor of the
Ulster bank however we have had to use our premises in Merville garden village to accommodate this
progrdtnme. This has resulted in us haviniv to hire an additional venue in Rathfem Community Centre to
deliver core programmes and a creche facility. MovinG forward this issue will be resolved when we are able
to use the ground floor in our Shore Road premises.
Many families have been experiencing a declin¢ in mental health and wellbeing and Family Support Workers
have been offering l- I support and signwstino to relevant organisations.
We previously identified that the number of children presenting with additional needs in the Developmental
Pi"ogramme for 2-3 year olds was increasing year on year and that for some children tIIis tnay not be the most
suitable environment to support the specific individual needs of children. This programme continues to be an
integral element ot Surestart services and demand is increasing. Feedback from parents highlights how much
they appreciate the additional support provided to both them and their child particularly in navigating the
self-referral fonn in relation to assessment. Due to the fact that we only have 2 members of staff we have kept
the numbers low for all sessions and are offering more sessions than originally planned to accommodate all 9
children. We are attempting to try and recruit for an additional Programme Practitioner again.
We continuing to register families in our expansion area and deliver a wide range of programmes to
support families .We are offering programmes in Mossley Church and they are all well attended. Service
delivery has been quite challenoino as we were unable to recruit to all posts in the expansion area and have
had to use core staft- and bnng in outside tacilitators.
Plans for the Future
Page 6

A.D.B.C.Y. SU
THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL
THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH YJ24
This is a small synopsis of the activity we have provided from April 2023 to March 9024, and, we looli forward
to pro(Fressiniv and developing relationships with the children and families in the area to ensure tliey can easily
access our services.
The Trustees, who are also directors for the purposes of company law, have pleasure in presentino their annual
report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended J l March 2024 which are also
prepared to meet the requirements tor a directors, report and accounts tor Companies Act 2006 purposes. The
Trustees confirni that the finan¢ial statetnents comply with the requirements of the Charities Act (Nortliern
Ireland) 2008 and Accountinu and Reportino by Charities- Statement of Recommended Practice wliicli applies
to charities preparin(y their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reportino Standard applicable in tlie UK
and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective l January 2015).
Reference & Administrative Details
Reference and administrative details are shown in the schedule of members and professional advisers on page
l of the financial statements.
Directors and Trustees
Tlie directors of the charitable company are its trustees for the purpose of charity law. The Directors and
trustees who served the charity durin(r the period were as follows:
Structure, Governance & Manatsement
Directors
Martin walls, Chairperson
Amanda Johnston
Joyce Rainey
Claire Humphries
Leah Rea
Karen Kerr
Governing Document
The charity is controlled by its governing documenL 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 El in the event of a compulsory winding up. It is registered as a charity with The Charity
Commission for Northern Ireland.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital. It is a company incorporated
under the Companies Act. The charity is manaived under the control of the mana(Fement committee. The day
to day running of the charity is carried out by the Project Manager, Cathy Todd.
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.
Page 7

A.B.B.E.Y. SURE
THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL
THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH )024
Trustees sh211 hold office until the next Annual General Meettno following hislher appointment. A retirin
Trustee shall be eligible for re-election.
Tlie Trusiees shall have the power at any time and from time to time to appoint any person to be a .1 rustee,
eitlier to full a casual vacancy or as an addition to the existing Trustees. Any Trustee so appointed shall hold
office for 4 years (up to 2 ternis}.
Page 8

A.B.B.E.Y. SURE
THE TRUSTEES AND FtNANCIAL
THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH I)?4
Trustee Induction 2nd tr2ining
New Trustees undergo an induction to brief them ori their legal obligations under charity and compaiiy
law, the Charities Commission guidance on public benefit, content of tlie Memorandum and Articles
of Association, the board of trustees and decision-making processes, policies and procedures, tlie
business plan and recent financial performance of the charity. Trustees are encoura(red to attend
appropriate external trainintr events where these will facilitate the undertakints of their role.
Oroanisation
Tlie Board of Trustees meet every Quarter with additional meetings as required, and delegates certain
responsibilities to the Project Manager. The Project ManaiTer is responsible for tlie 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 meetinos of the Board ol Trustees, the Project Manager
reports to the Chairperson. The Project Manaoer is assisted by a full time Adtninistrator.
Related parties
None of the Trustees receive remuneration or other benefit from their work with the Lliarity. Any
connection between a trustee or senior manager of the charity to related parties must be disclosed to
tlie 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 Manaoement
Tlie Trustees have a risk manaoement strntegy which comprises:
An annual review of the risks the charity may face.
The establishment of systems and procedures to mitigate those risk identified and
The implementation of procedures designed to minimise any potential impact on the charity
51iould t1105¢ risks iiiatcrialisc
This work has identified that financial sustainability is a major financial risk for the cliarity. A key
element in the manaiyement of financial risk is via the reserves policy. Attention has also been focused
on non-financial risks arisino from fire, health and safety of employees, volunteers and scheme users.
In providin(F access and opportunities to people and children. the Charity recoonises that tliere 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 Nl Disclosurc Ch¢¢k, Child Protcction Policy and the renewal and training of staff in this arca.
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 harni.
REPORT OF TIIE TRL'STEES A,ND FIJ,INCI.4L STATETrI IETr4TS
FOR THE YEAR E)DED 31" M.4RCH 2023
TRUSI'EES. Af4NuklL REPORT
Objectives and Activities

A.B.B.E.Y. SURE
THE TRUSTEES AND FfNANCIAL
THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH ￿24
The charity'g objectives are to enhance the development and education of children below the statutory
school age and to advance education, relieve poverty, sickness and distress among those in tlie
necessitous circumstances in Newtownabbey and its environs and to provide recreational and leisure
facilities in the interests of social wclfare foi. tliose AIiliabitaiils of ili¢ ¢￿¢d uf benefit without
distinction of age, seL special need. race or political. religious or other opinions. who are in
llecessitous circumstances.
Futur¢ aiid priiicipal fuiidiiig soui'ces
Sure Start is solely government funded and funding is allocated by the Department of Education.
Projects are jointly tnana(Fed by the Department of Education and the Childcare Partnerships (HSCB)
who ov¢rsc¢ allocations and monitor exp¢nditur¢.
Charitable Purposes
To promote the benefit of the parents and children of Newtownabbey without distinction of race
or political, religious or other opinions by associating together with the said parentslchildren and
local authorities, voluntary and otlier oroanisations in a common effort to advance education,
improve health and well-being and to provide facilities in the intere.sts nf snci21 and emntinnAI
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 parent￿ChIldren who by reason of health, social or
economic circumstances, have need of such facilities.
To help parentslchildren in the area to reach their full potential thereby offering somethiniy back
to their community.
Public Benefit Statement
A.B.B.E.Y Sure Start is a oovernment funded initiative, tariveting children under 4 years old. It is
aimed at givino everyone a good start in life and is about a lono-tenn investment. Research has
indicated that where chi Idren have access to early intervention and play opportunities it will help
their development through school and adult life. The overall aim of the organisation is to improve the
well being and life opportunities of young children under four, through better health, childcare and
educational opportunities so that children can flourish when they enter school. The project operates
witliin the defined boundaries of Abbey, Cloughfern, Coole, Dunanney, Monkstown, Whitehouse
lid Vdllcy el¥Lturiil W4￿d5.
Page 10