2024-03-31-annual-report - Niamh Louise Foundation

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NIAMH LOUISE FOUNDATION

Report of the trustees for the year ending 31 March 2024

The trustees are pleased to present their annual directors’ report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 March 2024 which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report and accounts for Companies Act purposes. An exemption to preparing a cash flow statement is claimed under the small entity provisions within S1A of FRS 102.

The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2008, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).

Our purposes and activities

The organisation is established for the benefit of the public in Northern Ireland (hereinafter called the "area of benefit") to promote any charitable purpose directed to alleviate the distress caused by suicide and ancillary to this:

(a) to promote the preservation and protection of good mental health and advance public education by raising awareness of mental health issues, suicide and the factors which may lead to it among the general public in the area of benefit
(b) to encourage people bereaved through suicide to provide mutual support and encouragement to each other;
(c) to provide assistance to people in despair or distress and thus reduce the incidence of suicide.

In shaping our objectives for the year and planning our activities, the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, including the guidance ‘public benefit: running a charity (PB2)’. The Foundation relies on grant income to cover its operating costs.

The strategies employed are to achieve the following:

Aim: To provide a place of safety for young and old living with thoughts of suicide/self-harm or bereaved by suicide in Northern Ireland.

Objectives:

To train staff to the highest standard of suicide intervention skills.
To de-escalate thoughts of suicide/self-harm among individuals.
To encourage recovery for individuals and families affected or bereaved by suicide through individual care programmes and group work.
To provide safety plans, self-care, and mental health first aid tool kits for individuals at risk of suicide/self-harm and their families.
To encourage recovery and self-awareness of an individual’s mental health and triggers in the prevention of suicide/self-harm.

NIAMH LOUISE FOUNDATION

Aim: To be a good leader within the community.

Objectives:

To keep committee, staff and volunteers updated on current research and government developments in relation to suicide and self-harm within Northern Ireland.
To promote our work through various rural sporting, cultural, and community organisations.
To ensure excellent standards in governance in complying with all statutory regulations and reporting requirements.
To form collaborative partnerships with other agencies to use our expertise and knowledge to inform and influence public policy and debate.

Aim: To change lives by inspiring and encouraging the community to become volunteers.

Objectives:

To empower the community through education and workshop programmes on suicide and self-harm.
To leave a legacy by volunteering and in creating awareness in the community through various community events.
To engage individuals, companies and communities through a range of fundraising initiatives.
To promote the work of the Niamh Louise Foundation through the voice of our volunteers.

Aim: To make a meaningful and lasting legacy by raising the profile of suicide prevention at executive level.

Objectives:

To be an authoritative voice on suicide in Northern Ireland.
To use our links with strategic and community bodies in Northern Ireland to promote systemic change at local and government level.
To engage in collaborative models of working.
To strengthen partnerships with other service providers to widen choices available to our clients.

Aim: To deliver training and educational programmes on suicide and self-harm in Northern Ireland to children and young people.

Objectives:

To strengthen and maintain high standards of training.
To expand our training to youth through community organisations and schools.
To develop a social media programme as a tool to reach out to children and young people.

NIAMH LOUISE FOUNDATION

To design programmes that will build capacity, self-esteem, understanding and education in relation to suicide and self-harm.

Aim: To de-stigmatise suicide and self-harm in communities of Northern Ireland.

Objectives:

To encourage all communities to take ownership in creating awareness on suicide and selfharm.
To promote recovery and identify care pathways in relation to suicide and self-harm.
To communicate key messages to leading organisations within the community on suicide prevention.
To promote help-seeking skills in the prevention of suicide.

The Foundation now works with people across the 9 Counties of Ulster.

F inancial review

The income and expenditure for the year is detailed in the accounts. A major financial concern for the Foundation as with any charity will be the ongoing financial sustainability from funding in the years to come. The trustees are aware of the need to maintain free reserves, especially in the current economic climate. Continual fund raising will be necessary in order to retain sufficient levels of reserves.

We would like to acknowledge the continued support of our funders as referred to in note 4 in the accounts. It is important to recognise that their funding really does make an impact.

The income for the year was £301K of which £206K was received as grant funding. The expenditure of £252K is expended on charitable activities.

The balance of funds at 31 March 2024 was £292K of which £287K was unrestricted income of which £90K is designated funds and £5K restricted funds.

Reserves policy and going concern

The Trustees have examined the charity's requirements for reserves considering the main risks to the organisation and established a formal policy which stipulates that free reserves be maintained at a level which ensures that the charity's core activity could continue during a period of unforeseen difficulty. Free reserves are defined by the Trustees as unrestricted income funds freely available for use as the charity so determines and thereby excludes any funds committed, invested in tangible fixed assets held by the charity and restricted or designated funds.

NIAMH LOUISE FOUNDATION

Reserves are needed to bridge the gap between the spending and receiving of income and to cover unplanned emergency repairs and other expenditure. The trustees consider that the ideal level of reserves as of 31 March 2024 would be £90,000.

Without the support of our funders and continued fundraising efforts by staff and volunteers, it is doubtful that the Foundation could continue operating. The trustees are endeavouring to ensure the success with a combination of measures including fundraisers and applications to funding bodies in an effort to secure staff posts and long-term sustainability of the charity.

The trustees have reviewed the circumstances of the Foundation and consider that adequate resources continue to be available to fund the activities of the Foundation for the foreseeable future. The trustees are of the view that Foundation is a going concern.

A major financial concern for the Foundation as with any charity will be ongoing financial sustainability from funding in the years to come. The trustees are aware of the need to maintain free reserves, especially in the current economic climate. Continual fundraising will provide a challenging environment in the years to come.

We would like to acknowledge the continued support of our funders as referred to in note 4 in the accounts. It is important to recognise that their funding really does make a change.

Reference and administrative details

Operating address: 32 Coalisland Road, Killybrackey, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, BT71 6LA

Our advisers

Accountant E A Grimley & Co Limited,16 Clonoe Village Business Park, 98 Washingbay Road, Clonoe, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, BT71 4PU Bankers; Ulster Bank, 39 Market Square, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, BT70 1JJ

Key management personnel Niamh Louise Foundation: Trustees’

Trustees

The trustees and officers serving during the year and since the year end were as follows:

Chair-person Jolene Farrell Gerard Carroll Caitlin Bullock Appointed 25 April 2023 Anthony Knox Appointed 25 April 2023 Heather Stafford Appointed 25 April 2023 Nigel Stafford Appointed 25 April 2023 Leanne Burns Resigned 9 June 2023 Sharon Gallagher Resigned 12 June 2023 Siobhan McAllister Resigned 28 August 2023

NIAMH LOUISE FOUNDATION

Key management personnel:

Senior managers of the Niamh Louise Foundation:

Catherine McCaul – Operational Director

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

Niamh Louise Foundation is a Company Limited by Guarantee governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 17 September 2020.

It is a registered charity with the Charity Commission Northern Ireland. The charity registration number is NIC 108043.

Appointment of trustees

As set out in the Articles of Association the minimum Board members shall be 3.

The Trustees shall be entitled to invite members of the public to attend as observers at any Annual General Meeting or any other meeting of the Trustees.

Organisation

The board of trustees, which require a minimum of 3 Trustees, administers the charity. The charity is managed by the Trustee Board.

To facilitate effective operations, the Operation Director has delegated authority, within terms of delegation approved by the trustees, for operational matters including finance, employment.

Related parties and co-operation with other organisations

None of our trustees receive remuneration or other benefit from their work with the charity. Any connection between a trustee and senior manager of the charity with a funder must be disclosed to the full board of trustees in the same way as any other contractual relationship with a related party. In the current year no such related party transactions were reported.

Pay policy for senior staff

The rates of pay are in line with the SHSCT scale.

Risk management

The trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises:

an annual review of the principal risks and uncertainties that the charity may face;
the establishment of policies, systems and procedures to mitigate those risks identified in the annual review; and
the implementation of procedures designed to minimise or manage any potential impact on the charity should those risks materialise.

NIAMH LOUISE FOUNDATION

This work has identified that financial sustainability is the major financial risk for the charity. A key element in the management of financial risk is a regular review of available liquid funds to settle debts as they fall due and regular liaison with the Operational Director to ensure sufficient working capital by the Foundation.

Attention has also been focussed on non-financial risks arising from fire, health and safety staff, volunteers and clients. These risks are managed by ensuring accreditation is up to date, having robust policies and procedures in place and regular awareness training for staff working in these operational areas.

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

The charity trustees (who are also the directors of the Niamh Louise Foundation for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees’ annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the charity trustees to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website.

NIAMH LOUISE FOUNDATION

Statement as to disclosure to our Independent Examiner

In so far as the trustees are aware at the time of approving our trustees’ annual report:

there is no relevant information of which the charitable company’s Independent Accountant is unaware, and
the trustees, having made enquiries of fellow trustees have each taken all steps that he/she is obliged to take as a trustee in order to make themselves aware of any relevant information and to establish that the Independent is aware of that information.

This report was approved by the board of trustees and signed on 15 January 2025 on its behalf by

____ Jolene Farell Trustee