Report of the Trustees1 to 7

Contents

Page

Report of the Trustees1 to 7

Independent Examiner’s Report8

Statement of Financial Activities9

Balance Sheet10 and 11

Notes to the Financial Statements12 to 15

Detailed Statement of Financial Activities16

Report of the Trustees

for the year ended 31stMarch2013

______

The trustees, who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31March2013. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities' issued in March 2005.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company number

SC 280860

Registered Charity number

SC 032231

Registered Office

70 Back Sneddon Street

Paisley, PA3 2BY

Trustees

Mr Evan Williams (Chairperson)

Mr Robert Dick (appointed Secretary 12 November 2012)

Mrs Helen McMahon (Vice-Chairperson)

Mr Ronald McKechan (appointed Treasurer 5 October 2012)

Mrs Alison McAuslane

Ms Nora Fisher (resigned 5 October 2012)

Company Secretary

Mr Robert Dick (appointed 12 November 2012)

Ms Nora Fisher (resigned 5 October 2012)

Independent Financial Examiner

Alexander Johnston CA

9 Williamwood Park

Netherlee

Glasgow

G44 3TD

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The Company is governed by the Memorandum & Articles of Association, as amended by the annual general meeting on 27th November 2007.

The day to day running of the company is the responsibility of its employees: a Senior Coordinator, a Coordinator, an Administrator and a Family Group Worker (until December 2012), all of whom are part-time. The employees report regularly to the Board of Trustees.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

The trustees are appointed at the annual general meeting of the company. The board may co-opt any appropriate person to be a trustee between AGMs, subject to confirmation at the subsequent AGM. It regularly reviews its composition to ensure that the mix of skills and experience reflect its roles and responsibilities and it seeks to recruit suitable new trustees. A new treasurer (Mr Ronald McKechan) was co-opted to the Board In August 2012 and formally appointed a trustee in October 2012. Mr Robert Dick was co-opted to the Board in June 2012 and formally appointed a trustee in October 2012. Mr Dick also became company secretary on the resignation of Ms Nora Fisher in November 2012.

Induction and training of new trustees

Some but not all new trustees may be familiar with the work of the charity, especially if they have been drawn from the pool of family volunteers. All new trustees receive an induction in line with national Home-Start UK policy. This includes the objectives as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and is geared to individuals’ needs so as to ensure they become confident and competent in their role.

Organisational structure

The Senior Co-ordinator oversees the work of the Co-ordinator and Administrator on a day to day basis. Regular formal supervision is given to the Senior Co-ordinator by the staff co-ordinator on behalf of the board. The Co-ordinators supervise and support the team of family volunteers.

Monthly reports are made by the staff group to the board on performance and issues to be addressed.

Wider network

The company is affiliated to Home-Start UK and follows the objectives and policies of this national umbrella organisation.

Related parties

The company's main source of funding is Renfrewshire Council. Other grants are sourced whenever possible and support a wide range of services including the family group. Funding bodies are kept informed of how resources are used and what is achieved through this.

Risk management

Risk assessment and management are an integral part of the Home-Start quality assurance system which provides that all key areas of practice and management are regularly monitored, reviewed and improved in line with required standards.

In particular the safety of staff, volunteers and families, and the risk to the company of a failure to secure funds are closely monitored by the board.

Operational risk management is carried out through the processes for recruiting volunteers, assessing referrals of families and managing support to families, where the safety of children and volunteers is paramount.

PRINCIPLE AIMS

Home-Start Renfrewshire is an independent voluntary organisation which works towards the increased confidence and independence of the Renfrewshire families with children in early years by:

(a)Offering support, friendship & practical assistance to families.

(b)Developing a relationship with the family in which time can be shared and understanding can be developed to take account of different family needs.

(c)Encouraging the parents’ strengths and emotional well being for the ultimate benefit of their own children.

(d)Encourage families to widen their network of relationships and to use effectively the support and services available within the community.

Significant activities

The company provides support to families, principally through volunteers making regular home visits

Volunteers

Home visiting volunteers, once recruited and trained, work with matched families to provide tailored support to meet the family’s assessed needs. Some volunteers also support other activities such as fundraising and publicity, and are board members. The trustees recognise and value the huge contribution of all volunteers, without whom the company would not function.

ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE

Charitable activities

Whilst significant challenges were experienced during the year, progress was made towards all of the agreed priorities and a number of other significant events also occurred.

The Service Level Agreement with our key supporter, Renfrewshire Council, requires the scheme to provide a service to 35 families. In order to meet those challenges, the recruitment, training & retention of frontline volunteers is crucial to meeting those objectives. 23 new volunteers were trained and inducted. The scheme now has a pool of volunteers available to match to suitable families.

Other notable events in 2012/13 included:

1. An overarching strategic development plan for 2012-17 was headed by Home-Start UK, the umbrella organisation that Home-start Renfrewshire takes its lead. As part of the process of developing such a plan a number of Home-start schemes took part. The preliminary results of the plan were both communicated and informed by a series of workshops and a road show which the Renfrewshire scheme attended. The key take-home messages were circulated to all areas of the Home-start Renfrewshire scheme. Key elements of the strategy were considered and will be potentially extended into the Renfrewshire scheme during 2013/14 and beyond.
2. A shortfall in funding enforced another round of staffing restructure within Home-Start UK resulting in further head office support roles being made redundant. This included that of the Family Support Services specialist for Scotland who provided important continuity in terms of policy and advice. The Director of the charity in Scotland now provides day to day support.
3. Internal staffing changes continue to challenge the continuity of service. Both Trustees and the Senior Coordinator recruited both Coordinator & Administrator roles during the year.
4. Volunteer Support Groups and training sessions were also held for volunteers on Mental Health Awareness in September 2012, Play @ Home in February 2013 and Domestic Abuse Awareness in March 2013.
5. Volunteer training courses were held in July & September 2012 and February 2013.
6. Staff benefitted for various trainings in Working with Groups, Social Media for Social Good, Vulnerable Adults and Children, Roles and Responsibilities for Child Protection, Safe Talk suicide awareness, Domestic Abuse Awareness and Child Protection Strategic Lead training,
7. The scheme again secured from Renfrewshire Council the full amount of £45,200 core grant which funds basic services. The finance group of trustees also successfully sourced grants of £7,000 from the Robertson Trust (the 3nd of 3 instalments); £5,000 from Lloyds TSB Trust towards the Senior Coordinator cost and £204 from Cash for Kids.
8. All new staff and volunteers were registered as members of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme for adults and children and retrospective checking started of volunteers already with the scheme.
9. Scheme representatives attended a number of networking events including the Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee Annual Conference, the Integrated Children’s Services Forum and the ROSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) Annual Conference.
10. Our website was re-launched in March to facilitate communication with key stakeholders i.e. funders, parents & families, volunteers and other agencies

Fundraising activities

Fundraising again succeeded in raising funds to contribute towards the costs of the Family Group and other activities. Successful applications were made as described above.

Internal and external factors

The main internal factor affecting performance during the year was again the level of staffing change and the need to maintain a quality service despite this.

The main external factor affecting future performance is the need to secure on-going funding and the impact on families and staff should the current funding be cut.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Reserves policy

The trustees’ policy is that the company should hold free reserves at a level to cover between 4 and 5 months of the resources needed to maintain the core family support service. At the end of March 2013 there were free reserves equivalent to some 4 months of expenditure. Fundraising continues to be a difficult task in the continuing economic climate of public service cutbacks and remains a key focus for 2013/14.

Principal funding sources

The company relies on an annual grant from Renfrewshire Council to maintain its core service and trustees monitor this position closely at all times.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

It is the Trustee’s desire to look at all aspects of the scheme including, existing skills & capacity, with a view to extending the reach of the scheme to meet increasing demand within Renfrewshire.

The main focus of the scheme remains the support of parents within their own homes, potentially supported through an extended family group. However, a more focused, community and increasingly ‘local’ based approach to the delivery of support services to vulnerable individuals/families within ‘communities of high deprivation’ in Renfrewshire is under consideration. Future options include a local team mix of paid workers, volunteer trustees/front-line service deliverers committed to high levels of collaboration with other agencies including Local Authority stakeholders and crucially the engagement of vulnerable families in these specific areas where support is jointly identified and delivered.

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES

The trustees are responsible for preparing the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the trustees have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). The financial statements are required by law to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the surplus or deficit of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

-select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

-make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

-prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which 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 charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD:

……………………………………

Robert Dick – Secretary

25th November 2013

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees ofHome-Start Renfrewshire

I report on the accounts for the year ended 31st March 2013 set out on pages 10 to 15.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). The charity’s trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (a) to (c) of the Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under Section 44 (1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of the independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as 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 view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

(1)Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirements:

-to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1)(a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations (as amended); and

-to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with Regulation 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations (as amended)

have not been met; or

(2)to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Alexander Johnston, Chartered Accountant

9 Williamwood Park, Netherlee, GlasgowG44 3TD

25th November 2013

Statement of Financial Activities

for the Year Ended 31 March 2013

The notes form part of these financial statements

continued...

Balance Sheet

as at 31 March 2013

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2013.

The members have not required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2012 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

(a)ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with section 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006; and

(b)preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to the financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small charitable companies and with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008).

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 25 November 2103 and were signed on its behalf by:

......

Evan Williams (Chairperson)

......

Ronnie McKechan(Treasurer)

Pages 12 to 15 form part of the Financial Statements

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2013

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Accounting convention

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008), the Companies Act 2006 and the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities.

Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included on the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:-

Incoming resources from grants and contracts, where related to performance and specific deliverables, are accounted for as the Company earns the right to consideration by its performance.

Resources expended

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. Expenditure includes VAT and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates. The support costs are allocated on the basis of the percentage of the support salary costs to the total salary costs where it is not possible to identify the specific amount.

Charitable activities

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the Company in the delivery of its activities and services to beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.

Governance costs

Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the audit fees and costs linked to the strategic management of the Company.