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2024-03-31-annual-return

Ardmonagh Family & Community Group Ltd. Annual report: March 2023 – April 2024

Table of Contents

CEO Statement ...................................................................................................................................... 2 1. Mission Statement ............................................................................................................................ 4 Our values ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Our Purpose ...................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Rights-based Approach ..................................................................................................................... 4 3. Key Service Provision ........................................................................................................................ 5 4.1. Domiciliary Care ............................................................................................................................. 6 Delivery of Service ............................................................................................................................ 6 Staff Employed .................................................................................................................................. 7 4.2. Older Adults Services ..................................................................................................................... 7 i. Good Morning West Belfast (GMWB) ............................................................................................ 7 Staff Employed .............................................................................................................................. 8 ii. Lunch club ..................................................................................................................................... 8 iii. Befriending Service....................................................................................................................... 9 4.3. Children’s Services ......................................................................................................................... 9 i. Family Time .................................................................................................................................... 9 ii. Family Support Service ................................................................................................................ 10 iii. Outreach support ....................................................................................................................... 11 iv. Residential Home ........................................................................................................................ 11 Staff Employed ................................................................................................................................ 11 5. Strategy Plan ................................................................................................................................... 12 6. Proposal on the way forward .......................................................................................................... 13 7. Accounts ......................................................................................................................................... 14 8. Stakeholders and Funders ............................................................................................................... 16 9. Professional Services ....................................................................................................................... 16

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CEO Statement

This past year has been an important one for us in terms of pursuing our strategy which is ultimately to help us to realise the vision that original members of the organisation projected 31 years ago. Its members were women from within the community who pulled together to address the children and family support needs of their area which was a result of chronic deprivation. They had a powerful vision of developing an organisation in which incredibly talented and dedicated individuals are empowered to put their best foot forward into the care and support of its service users and the community in which we live, with the full support, skills and experience of that organisation.

I have had the immense honour of being part of that organisation and of being in a leadership role to bring about change alongside working with some of the most dedicated, caring and skilled individuals within the Health and Social Care sector. I have strived to support that vision, our mission and values and the policies and procedures that guide us all on our journey to making Ardcomm great and an organisation of which we can all proud.

Over the last four years, Ardcomm has been on a journey of transformation which has seen the organisation change its structure, this was a necessary change to meet the challenging needs both internally and externally within the Health and Social Care sector. The Board and senior management team in recognition of the changing need agreed to invest in the development of a residential home for Children aged between 5 to 11 years and we are delighted that in the past year we have been able to open our doors to invite a child into our Ardcomm family.

As a collective we also agreed in the implementation of a succession plan which will secure the organisation’s future. The outcome of this was to invest in the senior management team and ultimately to the formal introduction a new Chief Executive Officer who will be stepping in at the beginning of January 2025. We have also added to our Social work team through supporting a staff member in whose training we invested alongside another member of staff who has begun her degree journey this year. We have also developed a Board membership of talented people who possess the skills and experience to carry the organisation forward in the challenging field of care.

Other services are being delivered to the highest of standards. Ardcomm’s domiciliary care service is a steady, sustainable model which delivers real quality care in the face of overwhelming odds in a society which does not place value on the care of its vulnerable, it’s sick and its elderly. During the past year we have striped back the care structure to be more agile and where we have trusted the skills and experience of its care team to enhance our quality of care.

The Children’s and Family Support services are vitally important in the role that they play within our community. Family time continues to act as a lifeline for the young children in connecting with their parents and siblings within a safe and friendly environment which our

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staff provide. Coupled with our Family Support, we are keeping children safe and in many cases keeping families together as a positive outcome for them and the community in general.

I wish to pay tribute to our staff for all that they bring to the organisation and for the undeniable commitment that they have to deliver our vision. I am proud of this organisation in all that it does and I thank it and its members for all that it has given me over the years.

Mr Richard May CEO

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1. Mission Statement

To provide high quality care and support services to improve the health and wellbeing of people in the community. Our person-centered and compassionate approach ensures services are fit for purpose and that our service users receive the standards of care to which they are entitled. We also foster a safe and supportive environment for our staff that encourages open communication and ongoing learning so they can maximise their potential to be the best they can be.

Our values

Our Purpose

2. Rights-based Approach

At Ardcomm we apply a rights-based approach to all that we do. This is a way of being and a guiding framework that emphasises service user advocacy and entitlement, and the protection and promotion of human rights principles in all aspects of our engagements, policies and practices.

In the context of health and social care, this approach ensures that our service-users’ rights to health, dignity, and equality are respected, upheld and promoted. It focuses on empowering

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individuals by recognising their right to access quality health and social care and receive services without discrimination, and builds their capacity to participate in decision-making to inform and shape services. This approach aligns care practice standards with international standards, ensuring that vulnerable groups, such as those with health and social care needs, disabilities or marginalised communities, are not excluded from necessary services and are treated and assessed with fairness and respect.

3. Key Service Provision

To deliver our vision, we provide high quality support across a range of key services, which include;

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4.1. Domiciliary Care

Ardcomm Care is operational from October 2006. Since then, we have grown into one of the most well-known and professional of services. We continually strive to develop the quality of our service, which is underpinned by the ethos of our human rights-based approach with service user advocacy at its heart. As a registered domiciliary care agency, we strive to deliver excellence in health and social care in our community. To do this we work very closely with all our stakeholders, for example, BHSCT and RQIA, adhering to the required legislative and regulatory standards.

Our service-users include children with complex needs, adults with physical and emotional disabilities and personal and social care needs. We also deliver care to the elderly which ranges from emotional support, befriending services, and intimate personal and palliative care needs. We understand and respect the needs of our service-users, implementing rigorous individualised care plans to suit their specific needs, 365 days a year from the hours of 07:00 – 22:00.

We continue to work closely with our stakeholders, aiming to pick up more service-user packages. In today’s climate we acknowledge that Domiciliary Care is a competitive market, but our ethos ensures that the community are receiving the highest standard of care. The quality of the care we deliver is the most important thing to us. Our service-users are not just a name on a page with an economical value, they are people within our community and the quality of care they receive is always our top priority.

In relation to the future, our aims are focused on securing and providing quality care in the community for all. While we will continue to develop and improve on our existing services, working in partnership with our stakeholders, we deliver many health and wellbeing sessions here at our centre. This vision for the future provides much needed services, not just for our service user and staff but for the wider community.

Delivery of Service

For the year March 2023 - April 2024, Ardcomm has provided care at home for and supported people to attend day care and with daily tasks for 144 Service users across both the Belfast and South eastern Trust areas in total. This included 10 children and 134 Adults.

Period Hours
Quarter 1 12567
Quarter 2 12563
Quarter 3 11771
Quarter 4 9224
Average monthly hours provided 3844
TOTALfor year ending 23/24 46125

*Care hours delivered are not only specific to any particular health care trust as we may also have undertaken some private packages.

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Staff Employed

Our dedicated team of domiciliary carers consistently go above and beyond in providing compassionate and reliable care to service users in their own homes, no matter the weather conditions. Rain, hail, blow or snow, our carers show up each and every day with unwavering commitment to ensure that service users receive the care and support they need. From assisting with daily activities, medication management, and personal care, to offering companionship and emotional support, their role is vital in helping people maintain independence and dignity in the comfort of their own homes. The team’s compassion and kindness are deeply appreciated by the organisation, service users and their families, as they create a sense of security and well-being, particularly during the most challenging of circumstances and stressful times in families’ lives. Their tireless work and devotion truly make a difference in our community, providing a much needed lifeline to those who rely on them for professional and quality support and care.

For the year March 2023 - April 2024, Ardcomm has employed 66 staff within the Domiciliary Care team. We continue to be a provider of jobs for the community within this field and our recruitment for staff within this service is ongoing.

4.2. Older Adults Services

‘Neighbours Helping Neighbours’, this has always been the overarching ethos of these essential and valued services designed to safeguard the provision of the Good Morning service to the most vulnerable and isolated members of our community. As we come to the end of our second decade providing this essential and acclaimed service, we continually strive to improve even further on the services we offer, led by what our service users tell us they need. Our overall aim is to reduce anxiety, fear, and isolation, increase a sense of social connection and safety, for the vulnerable members in our community. We seek to enable our older adults to maintain independence within their own homes through a range of support services.

We aim to prevent a decline in feelings of isolation and loneliness by facilitating a daily contact point and activity days held within the centre, for those who are able to come to us. We encourage and provide opportunities for advocacy and active citizenship and enhanced health and well-being, by enabling service users to re-engage with their community. Promotion of social inclusion and integration for our older adults assists them to engage with the wider community, especially in the Post Covid-19 era, when a lot of people, particularly the elderly, became more isolated and fearfull of the world outside their front door.

i. Good Morning West Belfast (GMWB)

GMWB is s telehealth support line service for older adults that facilitates a daily call and signposting to those registered to the scheme. Service users can self-refer or be referred by their health and social care support agencies to avail of this service.

Our staff who work on the telehealth support line are dedicated, compassionate in providing essential assistance with a personal and relatable touch. They offer a comforting presence, ensuring that every individual feels heard and supported, no matter the complexity of their needs. Our older adult members receive a daily call Monday to Friday, or on specified days and times of their choosing. Our support staff talk briefly with them about their day and plans for the week ahead. We may also advise them and signpost them to other agencies depending on any concerns they may have so they can get the professional help and interventions they need.

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Staff Employed

We have a core team of 8 support staff and 1 Team Lead who are employed to oversee the work of the Older Adults Services department.

Total number of service users receiving GMWB calls year 23/24

Month No. of Active Service Users
April 2023 483
May 2023 483
June 2023 480
July 2023 483
August 2023 485
September 2023 468
October 2023 467
November 2023 469
December 2023 471
January 2024 469
February 2024 470
March 2024 475

ii. Lunch club

It is evident that the cost of living crisis and other health and social issues, such as loneliness and isolation, continue to have a major impact on our service users. So much so that we have continued to facilitate our older adults’ daily lunch club to provide our service users with a welcoming social space where they receive a lunch and engage in much needed social interaction to strengthen their social connections. The lunch club originated from a need identified by our service users whom we were in contact with daily via the telehealth support line. It was initially a pilot scheme which we planned to run over the winter period of 2022/23. However, the club was so successful and addressed a great need within our community that we have again decided to continue with this much needed service. THE YOUNG AT HEART CLUB, as they refer to themselves as, is a vibrant community hub that continues to grow each year that is dedicated to enriching the lives and wellbeing of our service users. Meeting every day, the club offers a warm, welcoming space where older adults can come together to enjoy a nutritious meal and engage in a variety of social activities. For some, this may be the only hot meal and social interaction that they receive that day.

The service commenced in November 2022 with up to 30 attenders per day as recorded as of end of March 2024.

In addition to managing health-related concerns, our team actively facilitates a range of social activities and educational opportunities tailored to the interests and abilities of our service

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users. By fostering an environment of inclusion and engagement, they encourage social connection, helping combat isolation and promoting overall well-being for the older adults we serve. Whether it's a lively game of bingo, an arts and crafts session, or a facilitated group discussion on an issue that affects them, the club ensures that every member is involved and feels respected and socially connected. Beyond daily activities, the club organises regular trips, offering service users the opportunity to explore new places and create fun and lasting memories. Additionally, educational sessions focus on important topics like healthcare, benefits and financial planning, safety and aging-related issues, empowering service users to stay informed and active in their community. Most importantly, the club fosters a strong sense of belonging, helping to combat isolation and providing a vital social network for its members.

We engage with various partner organisations and other charitable groups who have the required knowledge, skills and expertise to deliver informative and fun filled activities and provide essential educational and safety information, such as, Café Parisian, Crumlin Road Gaol, Newcastle and Co Derry, local restaurants, shopping trips and other activities are used to encourage social interaction and motivate service users to get out of the house. There are also seasonal activities and tea parties which they really enjoy and look forward to. The social engagement activities promote inclusion and reduce isolation by providing our service users the opportunity to meet new and old friends. In this group situation they may grow in confidence and are better able to support each other when times are hard.

iii. Befriending Service

Unfortunately, due to the Pandemic of Covid-19 we had to cease a most needed service which was started to support individuals experiencing social exclusion and isolation. We aimed to promote community participation with the enrolment of volunteers, building support networks for the most vulnerable in our community. This was targeted to individuals, who for whatever reason, may not have the support of friends and family that so many of us take for granted.

However, we are in discussions and planning to set this service up again in the coming year and are looking at ways to develop and fund a volunteering scheme to incorporate this most needed service back into our community.

4.3. Children’s Services

The Children’s and Families Teams have consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication and effectiveness in supporting families and children whether this is in the community, at our centre or within our residential home. Through their proactive approach, our children’s staff provide invaluable services such as nurturing, therapeutic services, counselling, educational support, and family-focused activities that encourage quality and engaging family time in an effort to foster stronger, healthier family relationships. They work tirelessly to ensure children and families have access to essential resources, helping them thrive both socially and emotionally. Their holistic approach, which emphasises collaboration with schools, health and social care providers and other professionals, and community organisations, ensures that families receive the comprehensive care they need. The positive impact of their work is evident in the improved well-being of the children and families they serve, creating lasting memories and benefits for the entire community.

i. Family Time

Within the Family Time Service we work closely with our main stakeholder, the BHSCT to deliver a much-needed service to Looked After Children throughout Northern Ireland. During

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2023-2024 period the service supported 696 children and their families, whether this be parents, siblings or extended family who are significant others in the children’s lives.

We actively promote a child's rights-based approach to our work which encourages the maintenance of family relationships and connections. To achieve this, we provide a safe and comfortable environment with supportive and well-trained staff to manage the complexities and safeguarding issues that arise, which ensures a positive and quality experience for the children involved.

Our services are offered in-house and throughout the community depending on the family’s needs and resources. Our staff support and guide parents should any challenges arise and plan alongside them to make the experience better for the family involved. This involves maintaining relationships within the family as parents go through the court process. Support is facilitated over a period of weeks, and engagement is supervised by our staff throughout the contact. Our staff also supply the social care and legal teams with updates and recommendations around the parent-child relationship and the quality of their contacts. Outcomes achieved throughout this period are focused on the parents finding an appropriate solution to maintain relationships for the children.

Family Time services delivery breakdown April 2023- March 2024

Time Period Family Time
Hours
delivered		 Children
Supported
(Avg)		 Adults
Supported
(Avg)
Quarter 1 5400 362 209
Quarter 2 5229 364 212
Quarter 3 5142 333 196
Quarter 4 5331 376 227

ii. Family Support Service

This service offers emotional and practical supports to families throughout Belfast who may have a child with challenging behaviours or who may be experiencing other difficulties, for example, financial and housing issues. Support includes sharing vital advice and information on techniques and strategies to manage behaviour and signposting to other agencies. Mentoring and advocacy is available to support children and parents on a one-to-one basis, using the Outcome Star assessment tool, which is an evidence-based tool for both supporting and measuring change and monitors outcomes and achievements. We work very closely with the BHSCT, securing our contract of 684 hours throughout the year. This is done in collaboration with the various Family Support Hub coordinators to target specific areas of need.

A breakdown of Family Support services delivery April 2023 - March 2024

Time Period Hours
delivered		 Families Support Home Visits
Quarter 1 166 Families supported
throughout the year		 52
Quarter 2 147 47
Quarter 3 129 44
Quarter 4 240 80
TOTAL 682 29 223

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iii. Outreach support

This team support children on a one-to-one basis, guiding them through difficult transitions they are experiencing and giving them a consistent supportive adult to communicate to with their needs and wishes. Throughout this time we promote meaningful interactions, focused on the child's needs, wishes and rights, while ensuring this is consistently communicated with all the adults involved in their care.

The staff support children in the areas identified throughout the referral and assessment process, bringing a focus and purpose to the engagement. The aim is that throughout this process the children will develop essential life skills and improved relationships with adults and significant others in their life to achieve sustainable and positive outcomes.

Outreach services delivery breakdown April 2023- March 2024

Time Period Hours Delivered
Quarter 1 749
Quarter 2 456
Quarter 3 400
Quarter 4 299
TOTAL 1904

iv. Residential Home

Our latest venture is the opening this year of our specialised child’s rights-based residential unit that provides a safe and secure environment, and individualised nurturing care, for up to 3 children aged 5-11 years of age. This is a unique home environment that offers the highest standards of child rights-based, child-centred care and carefully planned therapeutic help and support, over a period of up to two years, for children with emotional and behavioural development needs (EBD). Our goal is to work collaboratively with the children, our external partners from the statutory, academic, community and voluntary sectors, and the children’s families, in multi-disciplinary teams, to prepare our children to transition into long-term stable care settings.

Our staff are committed to supporting the children by ensuring that our daily living activities are focused around the needs of our children, in areas that are personal to them, and in a manner that is educational and nurturing. We employ methods, processes and strategies that empower each child to understand their circumstances and gain control of their feelings and behaviours. In this way, we enhance their sense of self as well as their social connectedness to house peers, staff and the community in which we live. Such a bespoke and nurturing environment, along with a consistent and collaborative approach to positive behaviour support, helps to meet our children’s basic and complex needs. Their well-being may be enhanced as they learn to understand their particular circumstances and are encouraged to flourish at their own pace.

SUPPORT, INSPIRE, ENCOURAGE & THRIVE: We successfully achieved registration with the RQIA in Feb 2024 and our home officially opened in May 2024.

Staff Employed

Across the children and family services we have up to 41 employees. We employ qualified social workers, youth workers, childcare workers and other allied health and social care

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practitioners. All are highly trained and motivated to support children and families throughout Northern Ireland. Our residential home team are highly specialised in therapeutic intervention and understanding and responding to complex trauma and the emotional and behavioural needs of the children in our care. Their bespoke training is being rolled out across our other teams in the department to ensure we provide the best care possible to all our service users. We offer a wide range of training and other educational opportunities to our staff to build their capacity, competence and focus, which includes,

As well as the above, there are lots of mandatory training sessions rolled out across our online training and staff management system. We also encourage our staff to advance their qualification level and this year we celebrate one member of staff who was supported by the organisation to obtain her social work degree from the Open University. Other staff have already followed suit and are looking forward to completing their degrees in the coming years.

Number of staff employed in the Children & Families services April 2023 - March 2024

Service Staff numbers
Family Time 31
Residential 10
TOTAL 41

5. Strategy Plan

During this past year we aimed to focus on change, i.e., transformation processes, structural change, board development and plans for growth. We made some operational decisions and plans that included a change in the domiciliary care services structure and we continued to invest in the successful opening of a children’s residential home. The organisational change had begun and there was a growing confidence amongst the Board members and staff that we were breaking new ground in terms of the services that we were delivering. However, external factors, such as political decisions around the funding of services and recruitment of suitably qualified staff, had a massive impact upon us, as they did for all organisations. Our previous strategic priorities also included,

1. Build a strong, sustainable organisation

2. Deliver Quality Services

3. Improve Visibility of Organisation

There is a lot of evidence that shows that we achieved many of our previous objectives and that our strategic priorities were moving forward. We focused on the governance and compliance required for the organisation as a whole and for the services that we manage and seek to develop, and succession planning. We employed a Director of Governance and Compliance to ensure the organisation was fulfilling statutory and legal responsibility in relation to our contracts and service users, and that effective organisational structures, management and administrative procedures and controls are in place for the efficient operation across all our services. Moreover, this person could assist the organisation in the

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development of a new strategic vision and direction for the next 5 years that would inform and lead our transformational change and plans for growth.

We are excited to announce a new strategic direction for our organisation, driven by a clear and forward-thinking vision under the leadership of our new CEO, Dr Michelle Templeton. With a strong academic background and commitment to health and human rights-based approaches, she brings a renewed focus on ensuring that the entitlements and service provisions our community needs are not only met but are delivered in a manner that upholds dignity, fairness, and equality for all. This strategic shift emphasises empowering individuals and fostering a more inclusive, sustainable future and funding streams for those we serve. Through this approach, we aim to increase our influence, build stronger partnerships, enhance community engagement, and ensure that our work is consistently aligned with the rights and aspirations of the people we support.

Our strategic vison and plan 2024-2029 was developed using a participatory methodology which included, numerous consultation with our staff and service users. This consisted of,

The above exercises assisted us to define our Distinctive Competence and Expertise, and alongside a critical internal and external analysis of our services and the competitive landscape, which highlighted the key challenges and opportunities, our 5I’s framework emerged. The Board of Directors signed off on the 5-year strategic direction and implementation plan in July 2024.

6. Proposal on the way forward

The 5 I’s strategic framework succinctly describes our vision and provides a structure for our strategic implementation plan. The 5I’s framework moves us towards excellence and influences everything from our competitive advantages, areas for improvement and growth.

The 5I’s - Key Strategic Themes

We will embed these principles across all our work to drive the organisational change that is required to create the conditions for, and in turn support sustainability and capacity for, the vital health and social care services we provide in the community.

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  1. Accounts Ardmon Limited h Famil And Communi Grou Dttgiled Stgttment of Financial Activities for the Year Ellded 31 March 2024 31.3.24 31.3.23 INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS Donations and legaeies DonationsJFundraising 2.511 300 Other trading #ctivities BH&SCT- Family Support BH&SCT- Contact BH&SCT- Domicilary Care Private - Domicilary Care Private Contact 61.466 11.559 860.390 1.590 202 28,157 6,244 865,239 4,643 1.790 935.207 906.073 Charitable letivities Grants 865.671 898,898 Total incoming resourees 1,803.389 1,805.271 EXPENDITURE Charitsble activities Equipment Hire Travel and Subsistence Training On site Caterin8 Costs Return to Dfc Materials Purchased Equipment- Small Value Conta¢1 - Project Costs Activities Costs Consultancy Fees Software Subscriptions Repairs & Renewals Uniforms Premises Expenses Membership & Subscriptions Staff Redundancy Rent Gifts and Donations Property Depreciation 4,086 90.702 26,341 147 3.943 2,443 5.776 1,925 33,377 15.061 14,784 20,475 3,935 3,105 3,600 11,761 26,000 2,460 19,172 2,867 104,214 34.129 618 724 6.441 ,020 45,163 20.434 11.403 6,425 4,157 2.914 6.192 13.068 26,000 4,200 19,172 299.093 316.141 This page does not fom part of the slalutory financial statements 14

Ardmona Limited h Fgmil And Communi Grou Detailed Stalement of Financial Aclivilies for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 31.3.24 31.3.23 Support COSts .Management Wages Social security Pensions Rates and water Insurance Light and heal Telephone Postage and stationery Advertising Legal & Professional Fees 1,692,530 83,285 33,522 1,408 11,404 27,848 24,188 1,126 4,903 43,477 1,497,497 74,800 23,555 1,245 12,528 21,817 21,904 1,961 4,343 2,660 1,923,691 1,662,310 Fingnte Bank charges 2269 2,087 Governgnce costs Auditors, remuneration Auditors, remuneration for non audit work 2,000 3,820 2,000 3,640 5,820 5,640 Total resources expended 2,230,873 1,986,178 Nel eipenditure {427,484) (180,907) 15

8. Stakeholders and Funders

We acknowledge that we do not, and could not, operate alone and are grateful for the continued contributions, financial and otherwise, from the many stakeholders we work with. Their consistent support shows that they truly value the work we do that makes such a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve.

Our stakeholders during the year 2023-2024 includes:

9. Professional Services

Chartered Accountants: Lynne Drake & Co Ltd 1st Floor 34B-D Main Street Moira County Armagh Northern Ireland BT67 0LE

HR, Employment and: Citation Limited Health & Safety Law Kings Court Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AR

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