Seottlsh Charity R•f. No. SC052391 INVERCLYDE FAMILY CONTACT CENTRE SCIO ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 INVERCLYDE FAMILY CONTAcf CENTRE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES For the Year ended 31 December 2024 CHARITABLE TRUST STATUS Inverclyde Family Contact Centre SCIO is a Scotlish Charitable Incorporated Organisation regulated by the Scottish Charity Regulator IOSCRI Scottish Charity Number SC052391 TRUSTÉES and ISC03504 11 and remained as Trustees following the transition in March 2023 to Inverclyde Family Contact Centre SCIO. Alison Graham and Caroline Scotl were appointed as Trustees in Apri12024. The Reverend Christine Murdoch 15 a Trustee ex officio relainin8 our historic links with Church of Scotland Clyde Presbytery. TRUST PURPOSE The purpose of the Trust is the relief of distress among children who do not live with both their birth father and birth mother where the families are affected by difficultles and/or disputes over child contact and in furtherance thereof.. al To faciliiale where possible the building and maintenance of healthy relatio￿h1pS between the children and their parents, grandparents or slgnificanl others Ibl To maintain one or more supeThised venues for children to have contact with their separaled parents, grandparent5 QT significant other5 in a safe. neutral and child-cefitred environment l Family Contact Cenlrelsl Icl Recognising that the children's contaci period is a stressful time for the adults involved, to give emotional support both to those having contact with the children and to those with whorn the children reside Idl To encourage the provision and use of family mediation. and di5coura8e by tetter education. the use of child contact as a bar8alning counter in family disPUte5 ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS In 2024 our staff team tompri5ed our manager, an assistant manager one sessional worke providin& resilience on an èd-hoc ba515. a cleaner and from May 2024 a family sUPPOrt wother. This new p05t was funded by the National Lottery and their role is to work alongside familips providing additional sUPPOrt as required. Our staff are supported by 10 volunteers who ar also integrèl members of our team and provide support and care to families using the cent INVERCLYDE FAMILY CONTACT CENTRE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES Icontdl For the Yearended 31 December 2024 This year we celebrated our 30th anniversary and reflected on the important changes and signiflcant achievements of our work over the years. These included the many families we have helped. the honour of Ihe Queens Award for Voluntary Service and the progression from providing an initial service in a church hall to our now fully equipped premises in the centre of Greenock. We can now properly cater for diverse families and children of all ages. We are thankful to all the many people and organisations who have been involved over these years as trustees, staff. volunteers and donors and who have all contributed to developing and sustaining this important work. This year we've been excited to welcome new volunteers, staff and trustees and are delighted with the fresh perspective and contribLJtions that each of them bring to us. Our newsletter contains more details of our work and can be viewed here newsletter or via our website www.famil contact.0 .uk. In 2024 the contact centre has welcomed over seventy children, ran8inB from six months to age 16. We have supported 46 families, 31 of which had bail conditions. non-harassment orders or addiction 155ues whith meant they would have been unable to facilitate contact with their children without the use of the contact centre. We have seen a 25YD increase in the number of families needing support this year. We strive to play our part in Keeping the Promise for care experienced young people, which we are able to do through supporting kinship and sibling contacts. This year we were able to facilitate five sibling contacts, allowing brothers and sisters to form a relationship with each other despite Iving in different households. We also supported two contacts between children and their parents who are currently in kinship care (Kinship Care is where children live with and are cared for by other famlly or friends when parents are unable to care for them). The addition to our small team of our family support worker has enabled u5 to accommodate and support families with particular challenges such as transitioning between parents, moving from supported contact to handovers and cases where contact has not taken place for a long period of time. This year we have also supported I I children with additional support needs, such as ASD, ADHD and anxiety. We identified ed a need for a dedicated space to allow these children lo have somevknere to regulate their emotions and our family support worker was able to transform one of oijr existing Spates into a sensory room. Our building continues to provide fantastic facilities with a variety of spaces & rooms which are able to accommodate the diverse need5 of our families. Althou8h costly these renovations are $0 important as they have enabled contact to take place in a safe and comfortable environment for more families without a long wait for available space. This year we saw the completion of new skyliihts, enabling us to make 8reater use of our upstairs space and floor repairs downstairs enabling arrangements to be finalised for new carpeting throughout the building which we look forward to being fitted in 2025. We have also updated our lighting to be more energy efficient helping lo reduce our monthly energy bills. We are so appreciative lo Inverclyde Community Fund and Inverolyde Council for grant funding helping us to meet these costs. As we look forward to 2025 we are considering ways to support and expand our small team to cater for the increasing numbers of families using our service. to continue to maintain and improve our centre facilities and mosl importantly to support and respond effectively to the many different needs of the families and children using our centre. INVERCLYOE FAMILY CONTAcf CENTRE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES For the Year ended 31 December 2024 (Contd.) As always the Trustees are hugely grateful to our committed staff and volunteers, who give so much time effort and care to the centre and the families and all those whose work behind the scenqs and for financial support which enable us to continue this important work. The Inverclyde Family Contact Centre opens on Wednesdays from 3.45 to 6pm and Saturdays from 9.30 to 4pm The children and families using the Contact Centre are mainly from the Inverclyde area, but wt also have familie5 from Paisley. Largs. Motherwell. 8ishopton and Glasgow. Without this service many of these children and parents simply would not have the opportunity to build or re-estlblish relationships with each other when the parents part company. We have the privilege of offering supportive and positive guidance to separated parents working through the care of their chldren following the breakdown of their relationship. This can be extremely daunting particularly for a young person who may not have had the benefit of their own stable family from which to draw petsonal experience or advtce and support whlch others may take for granted. The encouragement of staff and volunteers can be pivotal in helping these parents to persist and be patient in building up relatiornships with their children sometimes over weeks and months against a backdrop of inter-parental animositv. The long-term benefits of this service have a wider impart on the community in that it is reco￿lSed that children who are able to have relationships with both parents are more likely to thrive and have a firmer basis on which to build their own relationships and be successful in later life. The service and 5UPPOrt we offer is not limited to parents and extends to the wider family if required. We often have grandparents and other family members using our centre where family break-up or bereavement has affected their opportunities to build relationships with their grandchildren or close relatives. We know that these bonds are so important to all those conceined. We have around 30 families attending the centre each week. between handovers and contact 5es5ions within ihe centre and usually have a waiting list of families waiting to use our service. Our aim is to protect children from disputes between their parents and facilitate the child's ci¥itact with the separated parent by providing a friendly neutral supervised venue for contact. Whert bail conditions or circumstances require that parents do not meet. staff will pass the child from one pirent to the other. We support trmith the parent with residente gwing vp a child for contact and the contact parent who may never have seen their child or may know and love the child but been separated for month5. We facilitate Child WelfaTe Reporters appoiniet1 by the Court and social work where thev ale they involved. We have a few families where Social Work and Children'5 Panel or the Home Office are involved but the Court is not and these we do not chaT8e. Greenock Sheriff Court deals with hundreds of Child Welfare Hearings every year. and most involve contact questions. Some families can come to an agreement. and some are bitterly opposed to each other only out of disappointment and hurt but in some cases there are genuine reasons to doutrt the children's safety. There may be mental or physical health issues, drug or alcohol abuse or worries over domestic abuse. or threats. Sometimes a separated parent has no suitable home io brin8 a ¢hild. It is these cases that need the Contact Cenlre most 50 that the children can get to know the parent Safely and our objective reports on Progress can assist better decision-making on their future. INVERCIYOE FAMILY CONTAcf CENTrE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEE5 For the Year •nded 31 tlecembtr 2024 Icontd) Even when a CW cin 80 o¥er.ni8ht to the Contaa Parent, we m•y h•ve to Supe￿Se the hand-over unt51 trust 8row5 to the polnt where at last the parents can make thelr own arrangements. Thln8s (Jn 80 5rn00thly for weeks arKI then a fémlly dsls or a new partner or a new babycan ouse a Iwarrel to flare but with patlerKe l•wyerfs or our Manager can often smooth matters. ff nDL we welcome them back without blame when are ready to ty a8•in. Contact parents rnay be alknwed I hour In the Contact Centre It fvsL iradualty bu51d1￿ a5 we See the ¢onlart parent bullding a Bood relatlon5hlp wlth the (hlld. They may then graduate to 15 mlnutes In the Centre. i tr#)ur out5bJe and IS mlnutes back wlth us so that we can see whether thÈ chlld ts **ll •nd h•ppy •Thl then to h•¥e the fiAI tlff* or lon8•routsidè with ortty ihe ￿ndr￿*S monltofed by us. Our m*ni8er provldes valuable ielephone support and professk)nal advSte to parents •NI relatives doin8 all they can to help f•mllles overcome obrtxbès and provldé (eassurance so that cont•¢t 80¢$ ahead whenever p0s￿ble. FINAIICE Unr•strl(t•d Funds: Th65 ￿aT we managed 10 8erffite suffldent fees to meet most of our annuil costs. Whlle thb m not happen each year. we take erKour8gement that we ire becomlng less rellant on Grant Fundlr and more seIf￿Vffident. Wè ore, however, still extremely 8r)tefvl for the sup￿rt of Catt•na¢h TrusL without whth. wouhj r￿t have been ab￿ to functlon o¥er the last few years. The Cattsnach mneyfor 2025 was r￿1Ved atthe end of 2024 and is Induded In the bal•nrt¢anled fOr￿ard ￿trIlin6 £69593. R•stthted Fundk. Durin8 ￿arwe recefved £20.￿￿ lom the tottery Fund to fund i Support Workw fort*fj years which has beenverysurye55ful. In additFon we reCeTh￿ furtherfundlr* from Inverctyde co￿dI and Inverclyde Communlty Trust to redecornte and Install rnre ener8y eir￿lent Ilthtln8 and heatln& Muth of thls vA>rk h•s beefi ¢ompkted but the C•rpetln8 W•$ Th)t compkned untll ihe early part 2025. All fvnds expended ty the Tfust applled to the runnln8 costs of th• Famfy Contatt Centre. •$ shown In the Ann￿1 Accounts. Datt: 8 S•ptember 2025 INVERCLYDE FAMllY coKfACT CENTRE INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS. REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE INVERCLYDE FAMILY CONTAcr CENTRE I report on the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 December 2024, whlch are set out on pages 6 and 7. Respertive responsibilities of trnstees and examlner The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment Iscotlandl Act 2CKJ5 and the Charities Accounts Iscotlandl RegulatTrons 2QK16. The charity trustee5 consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10111 Idl of the Accounts Regulations does not apply. 11 is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under sertion 4411) Icl of the Act and to slate whether particular matters have come to our attention. Basis ol independent examiners. report My examination was carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Ac¢oLlnts Iscoilandl Regulations 2￿6. An f xamination includes a ￿vIeW of the accouriling records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented wr(h those records. It also inclLttles consideration of any unusual items or disclosure in the accounts. and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit. and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the dew given by the accounts. Independent examlners. statement In the course of my examination. no matter h35 come to my attention.. which gives me reasonable cause to beI￿ve that in any material respect the requirements.. to keep accounts records in accordance with Section 44llllal of the 2(KlS Act and Regulailon 4 of the 2(K)6 Accounts Regulations, and lo prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Re8UIali(￿ 9 of the 2{￿ Accounts Re8ulations have not been met, or to which. in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understandin8 of the accounts lo be reached. Dale.. 8 September 2025 INVERCLYDE FAMIL Y CONTACT CENTRE SCIO RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT for the year ondod 31 Dacember 2024 2024 Restrfcted Unrestrtctod Total 2023 Restrlcted Unreltricted Total RECEIPTS Fees Received Inverclyde Council National Lottery Fund Inverclyde Community Fund Bank Interest Gift5 and Donations Cattanach Trust Sundry Income To I rec•lpts 52.705 52.705 1733 20.C 28.435 28,435 8,750 1,733 20.000 1 000 8.750 569 1.986 20,000 569 1986 20,OCNJ 2,831 20,000 2,831 20,000 1,460 61,476 1.460 22.733 75.260 97.993 10.210 51,266 PAYMENTS Payrnènts for Charitable Actlviti Wages & Pension Contributions Pension Contributions Rent Heat & Lighl Repairs and Renewals Telephone Insurance Legal and Professional Fees Miscellaneou5 Expenses Totsl Payments lor Charitable Activltigs 4,441 26.589 1,191 12.000 7.112 109 2.192 1.CE7 31.030 1.191 12.000 7.112 3.141 2,192 1,C67 0,028 726 7.C60 7.146 1.079 1.421 872 20.028 726 12.C60 7,146 2.539 1,421 872 3.032 1.460 339 1.445 1,784 59,517 1.348 19.680 1.348 7.812 51.705 6,460 46.140 SURPLUS FOR YEAR 14.921 23.555 38 476 3.750 1.586 15.336 NOTES 1. The comparative figures for 2023 refer lo Inverclyde Family Conlad Centre ISC035411. the assets and Iiabiltses of which were Iransfefred into the SCIO al the beginning of 2024 2 The figures for 2024 reflect all the transaction of ts)Ih the SCIO and the non SCIO chanty dunng the year 3 Ounng the year, the Tnjstees made donations to Ihe Chanty lotslling £2￿ 12023- £2¢)01. INVERCLYDE FAMILY CONTACT CENTRE SCIO STATEMEKf OF 8ALANGES A• •t 31 D•cqmb•r 2024 2024 2023 BANK AND CASH IN HAND Bank Balanc4 88.264 49,788 RESERVES Trjnsfor Incomlng Oulgolng Closlng lan¢• UNRESTRICTEO FUNDS General Fund 46.038 75,260 51,705 69,593 46.038 RESTRICTED FUNDS Repars and Renewals Surwt Worker 3,750 2,733 3.451 4.780 15.220 3.750 7.993 59.517 Approved by th• TNstees swJr*d on troir t￿all.