Eighteen and Under Trustees, Annual Report st 1st April 2024 to 31 March 2025
Charity contact information Eighteen And Under Scottish Charity Number SC026688 Address Postcode Telephone number Email address hdlo@18u.org.uk Website www.18u.org.uk Twitter l FabOok I Social Media sKofile name Charity Trustees
Objectives and activities The charity's main aims and objectives are to promote, for the public benefit, the reltef from mental and physical stress of young people and vulnerable adutts, both in Scotland and Intemationally, who are in need, as a result of having been raped, sexually abused or abused in any other way and to develop and deliver resources, methods and programmes aimed at preventing abuse and violence. The policies adopted in furtherance of these objects are wide ranging and explained fully in our review of activities. The trustees have paid due gard to guidance issued by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Structure, governance and management Type of goveming document The charity is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). The SCIO single tier constitution was adopted by the trustees on the 13 April 2023. All the charitsble aims and objectives remain the same. Trustee recruitment and appointment The Trustees all have a background of interest in working in this field and are elected at the Annual General Meeting or appointed by the other Trustees. None of the Trustees has any beneficial interest in the charity. The Trustees meet regularly to oversee the running of the charity. Day to day operations is delegated to the Manager and they report to the Trustees via board meetings either online or fa to face. Induction and training of Trustees is done on an informal basis, with professional help and guidance obtained where appropriate. The charity endeavours to work in partnership with similar organisations where appropriate.
Achievements and perfomiance It has been another busy year for the charty. Several recruitment drives were carried out to build the number of volunteers we have to enable us to meet the demands of our Servi users. The charity celebrated its 30 anniversary during the summer. Many of our current and former volunteers attended the event to recognise the work of Eighteen and Under in supporting thousands of young people. We received messages from people all over the world including USA and Germany. To ensure that the focus of the event was about our young people, we arranged for a pet zoo to come along for the day. We received 2-year funding from the Heritage Lottery to deltver a project that CordS the Scottish child sexual abuse survivor movement since the 1970s. The aim of the project is to create a series of podcasts based on common themes that have been identified from approx. 30 interviews carried out. We also plan to create a visual timeline of the survivor movement. Both resources will be shared with other third sector organisations, schools, libraries and other organisations. In particular, we want to share our podcast and timeline with schools so that it is available for young people to use. We have been running a Shadow Management group funded by the Gannochy Trust, where young women can develop their skills and experience within our sector. Our group has attended the Scottish Parliament to see a play hosted by the Cross-Party Group for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse. They have also taken an active role in supporting the heritsge project, and in particular, working on the visual timeline of the survivor movement. Young people have been accessing our online forum looking for infomiation and support. A number of different online clubs have been created by our young people. We have also run regular chats that have been a great success and has helped to bring our volunteers and young people together virtually. The charity has sucSsfUllY cleared out our office by reducing the number of physical resources we have and focusing on providing digital copies of our abuse prevention resources, books and training
materials. The charity diaries over the last 30 years have also been digitally recorded and hundreds of pictures have been s(anned so that our resources are digitalised. The charity delivered VIP (Violence is Preventsble) training to a group of Palestinian teachers as part of a research project. The project consists of a partnership between Umass University in USA. the Centre for Applied Research Edu ation (C.A.R.E). Ramallah, Palestine, an f Eighteen and Under. The purpose of the project Is Iver on Ine raining sessions and provide VIP resources so that teachers in Palestine can deliver their adapted versions of the VIP programme to children in their schools, challenging violence and raising safety awareness. OurCE eleased her latest book Child Sexual Abuse: pirig yourig suivivors and preventing abuse along with our new manrfesto based on the research carried out about whal young people want from a support servlce. We met with local MSPS to discuss why confidentiality is so important to young people.
Stats Charity forum total rnembers- (260) Joined over current financial year- (13) Postslreplies- (612) ChaVMessages- (13,654) Young people supported - (132)
Financial review Expenditure Breakdown 3.56% 9.14Y 19.410% 67.WA Support staff v Dlrect support • Staff Office costs Statement of the charity's policy on reserves The Trustees have examined the requirement to maintain free reserves and feel that given the current financial climate that a minimum of 6 months operational costs should be retained in reserves. Transfers have been made into designated fvnds under the broad headings where the expected future costs will fall. The end result is to bring forward the following designated reserves into 2024125; Operational reseNe £50,000 Moving costs £22,841 Crisis drop in £3,226 The overall reserves held currently exceeds the minimum policy requirement. We hope to continue to maintsin the level of reserves above the minimum required into the future to ensure the continuty of the charity's work.
The charity's main sources of income come from charitable trusts with an interest in the underlying work of the charity, as well as from government bodies, local businesses. and individuals. In accordan with the Charis constitution the Trustees have the power to make financial investments as they see fft. They have not made any investments over the past year, but the fund of a previous investment is held in a bank account. The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks. The major risk to the charity is ensuring the continuity of funding for its projects. The Trustees consider that this can be mitigated by ensuring that funders are satisfied with the service delivery provided. The Trustees also aim to secure funding from a range of donors so that reliance is not placed upon one source of funds. Much of the charity's funding currently comes from specific funding bodies for a specific and known period of time, which enables the directors to consider contractual obligations to staff, ongoing commitments and legal and financial obligations of the charity. Donated facilities and services We have received funds from a local community funder which has allowed us to provide vulnerable individuals and families much needed financial support in the form of shopping and energy vouchers to help them manage the cost of living crisis that is impacting on the poorest in our communities.
Future plans We continue to look for new premises for our charity. This decision was made as we don't require a large Offi space as we provide mre support and information to our young people online. Our plan is to continue providing online training support to Palestinian teachers when the situation on the ground will allow us to do this. The charity is planning to recruit a part-time worker to publicise, promote and deliver our V.l.P (Violence is Preventable) programme resources. The purpose of this programme is to raise safety awareness and violence prevention amng children and young people in the Tayside area of Scotland. To conclude our heritage project, we are planning to launch our series of podcasts and visual timeline in Edinburgh and share what we have recorded with schools, 3nJ sector organisations, libraries and other organisations. 10
Declaration Signed on behalf of the charity trustees: Print name Designation CHAIKPiRsod Date iotks Mbef Lo2 11
P4 TS c cr
ffl kri m *
gllE t[- 111. Ott5=Et. 7J7J c7JZ5 cnv cc • C &gu21=5£
APPENDIX 3 Scottth Chanty ul8 Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Rog18tsred ¢harfty SCtr26688 numb On th• accounts ofthe chaTIty for tha parfod ..- Pe)d start dats p0d end date Month 31 2025 rn8ponsiblliti06 of tru•tMs and •xamlnor wth the tenns of Ihe Charttses an(1 Tiuslee Invesknnt (S(x)Iland) 2U05 Act and the Charttle8 knxmts (Sand> Rwlaucffis 2CrfJ3 (as arnnded) The chartty trustees cxrnijerltrot Ihe requirement d Regulation 10(1) (d) of Ac¢(xrts Rryulats'ons does appty. li18 my re8p)n81blty to examirn tho (Unts 88 requir8d under seclion ' 44(1) (c) ol th& to stato wh•thw partitlar matters hav• coma to rry attention. Bas1• of Ind•wKl•rt My examinTh Is carr1 (Krt In 8C{dan vrtth Regulall(m 11 of tha 20[ A¢nts •xamlte8 atatement , RegLlalons. An 8xarnlnatk IrKatxles a revkn of the aCCn re0)lS kept by the do not FrovKl8 81 evider that wd b8 r8quir8d in an alIt 8J. o)ns8qu8nlly, I do IndyNl•nl •xamln•es in tho o)urae crf MyeXann8l1tin. matter has Corn to my attenoon qjirements". to keep aclnI1ng re[$ in Yth s&lion 44(1) (a) of 2005 Act and . RegulatN)n 4 of the P4xwnts Re3ulatiMs. Regulation 9 of the R8wlaiiMs to which, in my oplnlon. auention shcKJld bo drawn In ordwto blo a propor 8lgn•d 25th August 2025 Rèlevant prolwlona qualltkatlonls) (x Ix (If any):
APPENDIX 3 Disclosure section Only (x)mplete rfthe examiner ne to high1ht rnateI problems. Glv• h8r• brfol dotalls of any Itams that the •xamlnor wlshes to d110 '