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1 Registered Charity since 1987 & Low cost counselling for NorthWest London ANNUAL REPORT 2013
1
Registered Charity since 1987
&
Low cost counselling for NorthWest London
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
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Brent Bereavement Services (BBS) aims to offer high quality responsive and friendly service for people who
request bereavement counselling or related advice. This service is free to any Brent resident of whatever
age or ethnic group and is provided by suitably selected, trained and supervised Voluntary
Bereavement Counsellors on a regular basis.
Our key objectives are to:- • relieve suffering and mental ill-health amongst the bereaved; • prevent the need for hospital admission or out patient treatment; • provide the opportunity for individual children and young people
to communicate their feelings and thus prevent detrimental behaviour;
• work in close association with health staff, social service personnel, teachers and other professionals;
• Provide trainining and education for others who care for the bereaved;
• create and promote informed public opinion on the needs of the bereaved.
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Charity Commission for England & Wales Registration number: 296229
Registered office:
Willesden Centre for Health & Care Robson Avenue
London NW10 3RY
Telephone: 020 8459 6818
Fax:
020 8459 4656
Email [email protected]
Websites
www.bbsonline.org.uk
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Management Committee Members
Michael Moorhead – Chair
Valerie Wise – Deputy Chair Lydia Khalil – Treasurer & Volunteer’s Representative
Louise Frishwasser - Secretary Mel Collins - Member
Beverley Harriman – Local Area Representative Rita Price – Service User Representative
Julio Vieira - Member
Staff
Paulo Pimentel - Co-ordinator Raksha Patel - Administrator
Supervisors
Ulla Andrews Madeleine Bocker Judy Bud Catherine Cummins Tyrone Duff Stephen Fox Chrystelle Heldire Alexandra Ruck Kleinschrod Etti Mahdavi Kimberly Paumier Eva Riegler Lucy Templeton
Assessment Counsellors
Tina McKay – Children and Young People Marlene Simpson-Thomas – Deputy Children and Young People
Susan Wertheim - Adults
Consultants
Gill Dunbar James Kuykendall
Patrons
Dr Sir Rhodes Boyson Ken Livingstone
Bishop of Willesden - The Rt. Revd. Peter Broadbent Susan Winton-Lyle
Valerie Wise - Founder
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Registered Charity since 1987
Volunteer Counsellors 2012/13 Aleata Alstad-‐Calkins Audrey Anderson Sheila Balgobin Diana Berman Amra Biscevic Samantha Carbon Alecia Coelho Beth Duru Rosemarie Earlam Celia Feeney Denise Freeman Sara Frain Sharon Gilbert Frederique Glazer Jayne Golbourn Amelia Haluska Sam Hall Ali Hassan Ulku Kaya Lydia Khalil Lucy Longhurst Helen Maxwell Tina McKay Kathleen Moffat Sanaz Mohepbour Fran Mullins Drita Musliu Azra Nanjiani Fatemah Nassiri Martina Oliver David Osborn Sarah Pettitt Marva Phillips Jean Roberts Luciana Rodrigues Thais Roscia Nuria Raez Marlene Thomas Ivana Sharp Amy Temple Lawrence Tierney David Tughan Sally Turberville Smith Shu Wang Rebecca Wells Caroline Weiland Susan Wertheim Antoinette White Lyndiah Wright
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PATRON’S REPORT by Susan Winton-Lyle You can’t keep a good service down! Even though things are tough, BBS, ever since I have been involved, has always battled the storm and is still there giving the excellent service it always has.
One of the things that Paulo and the Management Committee have done is to think “outside the box” and introduce new projects and methodologies in order to get the funds necessary for continuation.
BBS does not just take packages “off the shelf” but think through necessities and possibilities and continue with their consideration of the current requirements for the community. There is an on-going need for the service packages that form part of the statutory services for adults, schools, children and young people. Although this may be considered standard fare the beauty is that all involved benefit: the clients who get a personalised and dedicated service, the counsellors many of whom are university students who need to offer this assistance as part of their learning process, the supervisors who gain satisfaction and further knowledge from their support of counsellors.
New exciting projects include InLondon Counselling for North West London, where community members will receive personal counselling at extremely reasonable rates. Then there is the supervision of SSAFA’s Mentoring Service which continues following the success of a one-year pilot project.
Although the services for those affected by terrorism and other disasters has now ended following the exit strategy and fully researched reduction in need, the knowledge gained by BBS leaves them in an ideal position to counsel on a wide variety of services.
I would like to offer my gratitude and thanks to all of you who make this service so successful. I would like to mention Paulo particularly, who, once again, offers more than 100% of his energies to ensuring that BBS can continue to offer these essential services.
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MONITORING STATISTICS FOR 2011/12
FEMALE 293 MALE 129
TOTAL 422
NUMBER OF INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING SESSIONS PROVIDED 3,028
NUMBER OF CLIENTS WHO ATTENDED OUR DROP IN CENTRE 68
ETHNICITY CAUSE OF DEATH WHITE UK 96 CANCER 129 BLACK UK 68 HEART CONDITIONS 64 ASIAN UK 59 RESPIRATORY RELATED 49 MIXED RACE 58 DRUGS RELATED 33 WHITE OTHER 44 ALCOHOL RELATED 29 BLACK OTHER 39 TERMINATION 19 UNDISCLOSED 33 SUICIDE 16 ASIAN OTHER 25 STILL BIRTH 15 TOTAL 422 ROAD CRASH 14
CHRONIC ILLNESS 13 UNKNOWN 08
RELATIONSHIP MURDER 04 MOTHER 89 TOTAL 422 SON 66 HUSBAND 48 AGE GROUP FATHER 45 11 and under 39 BROTHER 38 12 to 18 16 FRIEND 38 19 to 25 26 DAUGHTER 33 26 to 35 49 WIFE 19 36 to 50 139 PARTNER 14 51 to 65 85 OTHER FAMILY 13 65 and over 68 GRAND PARENT 10 TOTAL 422 UNDISCLOSED 09 TOTAL 422 TIME LAPSE BETWEEN DEATH AND REFERRAL TO US WITHIN 30 DAYS 14 TELEPHONE WITHIN 3 MONTHS 25 SUPPORT & ADVICE WITHIN 6 MONTHS 56 Total 392 WITHIN 12 MONTHS 125 Breakdown: WITHIN 24 MONTHS 119 Individuals 145 WITHIN 36 MONTHS 45 Health professionals 95 OVER 36 MONTHS 38 Social services staff 73 TOTAL 422 Voluntary sector staff 35 Others 44
EMAILS 135
TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE DIRECTLY SUPPORTED OVER THE YEAR = 1017
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Sources of referrals
What our clients report
• Improved general health - 85%
• Improved relationships with family, friends & colleagues – 90%
• Improved ability to cope with daily issues – 80%
• Improved social interaction – 85%
• Improved understanding of loss – 90%
• Reduction in GP attendances – 70%
• Reduction in prescribed medication – 75%
• Reduction in alcohol consumption – 65%
• Reduction in the use of recreational drugs – 75%
• Reduced feelings of isolation and loneliness – 85%
Health Authority
Social Services
Voluntary Sector
Self
Family
Friend
GP
Other
School/College
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CHAIR’S REPORT by Michael Moorhead Our services are often taken for granted by the very organisations; social services, the NHS, Brent Council, for instance, that still could (as they have done in the past) give financial support to the charity. This means the Trustees have in the past year had to look long and hard at the “free” provision of our service. Both Paulo and Raksha continue to be employed part-time and give time generously to BBS “out of hours.” We continue to look for additional possible funding streams – such as a Bereavement package for local schools. We have also encouraged Volunteer Counsellors to be pro-active in requesting a donation from service users. Our new generic counselling service – InLondon Counselling – has been relaunched. We have withdrawn from our membership of the Network of European Victims of Terrorism to concentrate on fundraising and support for our core services. We continue to give training for new volunteers and other community services, such as GP surgeries, as well as in schools. An important part of our work now is the provision of support for Mentors - a project which began last year developed by SSAFA – Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association - to support ex-service men and women in their transition to civilian life. In difficult times it is sometimes good to look on the bright side and the statistics elsewhere in this annual report supply that brightness. We continue to provide a considerable, accessible and low cost bereavement counselling and support service to the people of Brent. The Trustees are very conscious of how dependent we are on the loyalty and commitment of both staff and volunteers for this, and on behalf of the Trustees I wish to say a big thank you to all of you and to those who have continued to fund us.
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CO-ORDINATOR’S REPORT by Paulo Pimentel Over the past 5 years we have experienced many changes and challenges. From 6 full time staff we are now 2 working two days per week each. From 85 Volunteer Counsellors we currently have 35. However, the number of people we support has only decreased by approximately 20% in the past year – mostly due to proactive requests for donations, which many can’t afford. We have directly helped over 10,000 people and thousands more indirectly to overcome the trauma of loss. Although our lives constantly evolve, many people can’t cope with sudden and traumatic changes in their lives – Our clients often grieve for their lives and the insecurity loss brings, along with the loss of the person.
In 2009 the 7th July Assistance Centre closed its doors, but later re-opened them for a few months to provide support during the Inquests. We then developed Survivors of Terrorism – a service that continued assisting those in need and disseminated information and knowledge gained through experience. We also worked closely with the Network of Associations for Victims of Terrorism (NAVT) and contributed to the development of the International Federation for Victims of Terrorism. All this work ended due to lack of funding and the reduction in the need for support by survivors and the bereaved at the end of March 2013.
Bereavement support for Brent has always been the core service, although the 7th July Assistance Centre often took the limelight due to its national and international work. It was sometimes peculiar that a small charity in Brent was doing such a great job at an international level.
Due to financial cuts and the reduction in funds available from private trusts, it feels like we are back where the services started. A small local charity struggling for funds and trying to meet needs with very limited resources. This is the reality and we have to ride the storm along with thousands of other charities across the UK.
Thank you to all our fabulous volunteers for their support, to our clients who have donated much needed funds and to our funders. Special thanks to Michael, Valerie, Susie and Raksha for their invaluable support.
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TREASURER’S REPORT by Lydia Khalil We continue to provide a professional service that heals those suffering emotional and physical symptoms following the death of a loved one. Problems that too often cause considerable expense for health and social services if not dealt with appropriately. However, statutory services fail to recognise the importance bereavement support can have on our lives and our general health and well-being. The fact that we can directly support over 1000 people and hundreds more indirectly at such a low cost is incredible. Due to reduced funds available for small charities by statutory and private trusts, we have struggled to develop new and exciting projects, that would actually increase the number of people we help, in an even more cost effective way. Marketing charitable causes seams to be the most effective way to get funding in the new digital age. People want to see suffering via television, websites, Twiter or Facebook accounts. Although we have tried these methods, it’s difficult for a small charity with limited staff and resources to spend time on this, when we need time to help our clients. Many thanks to our clients who have donated towards their counselling sessions, to our independent funders and the charitable trusts who enable our services to continue.
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BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES
REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
31 MARCH 2013
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BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2013 CONTENTS Page Charity information 1 Trustees’ report 2 Independent examiner’s report 3 Statement of financial activities 4 Balance sheet 5 Notes to the financial statements 6-9
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BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES CHARITY INFORMATION Registered Charity Number : 296229 Trustees : Revd. Michael Moorhead – Chair
Mrs Valerie Wise – Deputy Chair Mrs Lydia Khalil – Treasurer Mrs Louise Frishwasser – Secretary Mrs Beverley Harriman Mr Melvin Collins Mrs Sandy Price Mr Julio Vieira
Principal Office : Willesden Centre for Health and Care
Robson Avenue London NW10 3RY
Charity Advisors : Goldwins
Chartered Accountants 75 Maygrove Road West Hampstead London NW6 2EG
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BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES TRUSTEES’ REPORT TRUSTEES The trustees who served in the year were as follows:- Revd. Michael Moorhead – Chair Mrs Valerie Wise – Deputy Chair Mrs Lydia Khalil – Treasurer Mrs Louise Frishwasser – Secretary Mrs Beverley Harriman Mr Melvin Collins Mrs Sandy Price Mr Julio Vieira CHARITABLE STATUS Brent Bereavement Services is a registered charity number 296229. The principal office of the charity is at Willesden Centre for Health and Care, Robson Avenue, London, NW10 3RY. CHARITABLE OBJECTIVES The main objectives of the charity are to relieve suffering and mental ill-health amongst the recently bereaved, prevent the need for hospital admission, work in close association with health staff and social services, train others who care for the bereaved, and to create and promote informed public opinion on the needs of the bereaved. RISK POLICY The trustees confirm that the major risks to which they believe the charity is exposed as identified by the trustees, have been reviewed and that systems have been established to mitigate those risks. PUBLIC BENEFIT The board’s strategy for achieving public benefit is to relieve suffering and ill-health. In administering the charity, the Board complied with the duty in section 17 Charities Act 2011, to have regard to the Public Benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission. We have detailed how we have achieved this public benefit in the Review of Activities and other sections of this report. REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES This year 422 people were provided with over 3,028 individual counseling sessions; 392 telephone calls and 135 e-mails from those seeking information, advice or counselling; and 68 people used our drop in service. We provided training for in bereavement awareness and ongoing development training and over 400 supervision group and individual sessions for our volunteers and staff. We assisted with the organisation of the 8th anniversary of the London Bombings of 7th July 2010. We ended our Survivors of Terrorism project to establish, InLondon Counselling, a generic service for North West London to generate funds for the bereavement services. We continue to work within our aims and objectives and to develop our services to meet the needs of our clients, and through appropriate training, supervision and personal counseling for our volunteers and staff. We aim to develop the services we offer by incorporating group support, end of life care and online services to our existing work. Approved by the Board of Trustees on ......................and signed on its behalf by : .................................................. M MOORHEAD - TRUSTEE
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BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Brent Bereavement Services I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2013, which are set out on pages 4 to 9. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to:
examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act; to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity
Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner's report My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. 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 no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. 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 130 of the 2011 Act; and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the
accounting requirements of the 2011 Act 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. Anthony Epton BA FCA CTA FCIE Goldwins Chartered Accountants West Hampstead 75 Maygrove Road London NW6 2EG
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BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2013 Unrestricted Restricted Total Total Note Funds Funds 2013 2012
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE £ £ £
£
Incoming resources
Incoming resources from generated funds: Grants and donations 24,913 - 24,913 18,116 Interest received 7 - 7 9 Incoming resources from charitable activities: Support services 21,706 13,137 34,843 44,522 Training fees 1,660 - 1,660 2,410
_______ _______ _______ _______ Total incoming resources 48,286 13,137 61,423 65,057
====== ====== ====== ====== Resources expended:
Charitable Activities Support services 2 38,111 - 38,111 55,663 Governance Costs 3 27,018 - 27,018 20,748 Costs of generating funds 4 645 - 645 3,555
_______ _______ _______ _______ Total resources expended 65,774 - 65,774 79,966 ====== ====== ====== ====== Net incoming/(outgoing) resources for the year (17,488) 13,137 (4,351) (14,909) Transfer between funds 13,137 (13,137) - -
_______ _______ _______ _______ Net movement in funds (4,351) - (4,351) (14,909) Balances brought forward At 1 April 2012 5,855 - 5,855 20,764 _______ _______ _______ _______ Balances carried forward At 31 March 2013 1,504 - 1,504 5,855
====== ====== ====== ====== The attached notes form part of these financial statements.
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BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2013
2013 2012 Note £ £ £ £ FIXED ASSETS 5. Tangible fixed assets 5,416 6,770 CURRENT ASSETS
Stock 230 230 Debtors - 1,850
6. Cash at bank and in hand - 1,680 ______ ______ 230 3,760 CREDITORS
7. Amounts falling due within one year 4,142 4,675 ______ ______ NET CURRENT ASSETS (3,912) (915) _______ _______
NET ASSETS 1,504 5,855 ====== ======
FUNDS
Unrestricted 1,504 5,855 Restricted - - _______ _______ 1,504 5,855 ====== ====== Approved by the Board of Trustees on ................................ and signed on its behalf by ........................................ M MOORHEAD Trustee The attached notes form part of these financial statements.
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BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2013 1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (a) BASIS OF ACCOUNTING
The accounts are prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the principles of Statement of Recommended Practice “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” issued by the Charity Commission in March 2005.
(b) INCOME
Income shown in the financial statements is the total amount of income recorded in the accounting records by the Charity for the accounting year, with the exception of covenanted and Gift Aid donations, in respect of which the related tax refunds on covenants and Gift Aid receipts are accrued in the same period as the monies are received from the donor. Legacies are accounted for as soon as the Trust is notified of its entitlement to legacy income.
(c) EXPENDITURE
Expenditure is charged to the income and expenditure account on an accruals basis. (d) DEPRECIATION
Depreciation is provided on all fixed assets at rates calculated to write each asset down to its estimated residual value evenly over its expected useful life, at the following rates: Fixtures and fittings 20% per annum on reducing balance
(e) STOCK Stocks are included in the financial statements at the lower of cost and net realisable value. (f) COST ALLOCATION
Staff costs are apportioned on a time spent basis.
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BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2013 Unrestricted Restricted Total Total Funds Funds 2013 2012 2. SUPPORT SERVICES £ £ £ £
Salaries and associated costs 20,097 - 20,097 23,713 Travel and subsistence 1,794 - 1,794 4,505 Volunteer expenses 1,626 - 1,626 1,458 Conferences, courses, meetings, training and room hire 3,850 - 3,850 7,115 Consultancy fee 10,744 - 10,744 18,872 _______ ________ _______ ________
38,111 - 38,111 55,663 ====== ======= ======= =======
3. GOVERNANCE OF THE CHARITY
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total Funds Funds 2013 2012
£ £ £ £
Salaries and associated costs 4,600 - 4,600 4,600 Pension and BUPA 4,237 - 4,237 4,015 Postage, telephone, stationery, copying and insurance 4,992 - 4,992 4,404 Legal and accountancy fees 1,590 - 1,590 2,400 Bookkeeping fees - - - 1,567 Depreciation of fixed assets 1,354 - 1,354 1,692 Other costs 1,723 - 1,723 2,070 Rent and rates 8,522 - 8,522 -
_______ _______ _______ _______ 27,018 - 27,018 20,748 ====== ====== ====== ====== 2013 2012 The average number of employees, analysed by function, was: Direct charitable expenditure 1 1 Management and administration 1 1 ____ ____ 2 2 ==== ====
No trustee or person with a family or business connection with a trustee received any remuneration either directly or indirectly from the charity during the year. No trustees received reimbursement of expenses from the charity during the year.
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BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2013 4. FUNDRAISING AND PUBLICITY Unrestricted Restricted Total Total Funds Funds 2013 2012 £ £ £ £
Publications 645 - 645 3,555 ===== ===== ===== ===== 5. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS Fixtures and fittings
COST £
At 1 April 2012 26,457 Additions -
______ At 31 March 2013 26,457
===== DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2012 19,687 Charge for year 1,354
______ At 31 March 2013 21,041
===== NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2012 6,770 =====
At 31 March 2013 5,416 =====
2013 2012
6. CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND £ £ Charities Aid Foundation 924 2,952 Halifax account 33 127 NatWest (1,184) (1,399) ______ _______ (227) 1,680 ====== ======
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BRENT BEREAVEMENT SERVICES NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2013 2013 2012 £ £ 7. CREDITORS: Amounts falling due within one year Bank overdraft 227 - Accruals and deferred income 3,915 4,675 ______ ______ 4,142 4,675 ===== =====
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Mr Anthony Epton
75 Maygrove Road London NW6 2EG
T: 020 7372 6494 F: 020 7624 0053
www.goldwins.co.uk
Goldwins Chartered Accountants is an experienced accountancy practice based in West
Hampstead, London, NW6.
Since our establishment in 1987, we have been successfully offering audit, accounting and
taxation advice to clients and businesses throughout the UK. We also provide a wide range of
business and financial services and have extensive contacts with firms and professionals overseas.
Our three partners collectively have more than 70 years’ accountancy experience and have
helped to save hundreds of thousands of pounds for clients large and small.
Indeed, with such vast experience behind us, you can rest assured that Goldwins will deliver a professional and reliable service: providing peace of mind and greater profitability for our
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Our range of clients has grown over the years, mainly as a result of our fine reputation and a large number of recommendations from existing satisfied customers.
