for the Period Ended 30 June 2022
Directors report | |
Profit and loss | |
Balance sheet | |
Additional notes | |
Balance sheet notes | |
Community Interest Report |
Directors' report period ended
The directors present their report with the financial statements of the company for the period ended 30 June 2022
Principal activities of the company
Company policy on disabled employees
Directors
The directors shown below have held office during the whole of the period from
1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022
The director shown below has held office during the period of
1 July 2021 to 1 July 2021
The director shown below has held office during the period of
7 October 2021 to 30 June 2022
The above report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions in part 15 of the Companies Act 2006
This report was approved by the board of directors on
And signed on behalf of the board by:
Name:
Status: Director
for the Period Ended
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The notes form part of these financial statements
This report was approved by the board of directors on
and signed on behalf of the board by:
Name:
Status: Director
The notes form part of these financial statements
for the Period Ended 30 June 2022
Basis of measurement and preparation
for the Period Ended 30 June 2022
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Direct Work with Children, Young People and Families Free 2 Talk engaged with 601 people between 1st July 2021 and 30th June 2022. There were 7000 attendances over the year; an average of 12 attendances per person. We delivered 1777 sessions of youth and community work. 13,005 hours of support. Youth Groups engaged 352 young people; we had 3180 attendances through 303 sessions. 7549 hours of support. Youth Group: 90 attendances, 18 sessions with 23 young people. 250 hours of support.Home Office Evaluation Summary Behaviour Insights, commissioned by the Home Office have evaluated the True Knowledge project since the end of year 2. They have published a report related to year 2 data stating that the project has been launched, is engaging young people at risk and is offering youth work and mentoring and designed from the outset. The evaluation method has not established an impact assessment though it clearly described the levels of engagement with some description of benefits. Subsequent, evaluation will not be specific to Northampton. Storytelling Evaluation SummaryFree 2 Talk commissioned an additional evaluation following the progressive youth sector storytelling methods proposed by de St Croix (2020). The 5 stage process engaged a range of stakeholders (young people, practitioners, parents and partner agencies) involved in the True Knowledge project to identify key themes on the impact of the project:efficient use of resources bringing together a range of staff with differing backgrounds, interests and experiences from which the young people can engage with and draw support and providing learning opportunities which support formal education.Young leaders see themselves as positive and influential role modelsYouth workers are able to challenge young people’s behaviours, support them to reflect on themselves whilst maintaining trust and engagement; respect and timeliness of this is keyYouth workers are able to influence healthy food choicesParents trusted the staff and valued the sessionsThe model of delivery was able to provide activities aimed at differing age groups within one session, allowing siblings to engage separately whilst at the same provision. Food that is offered is sometimes the only dinner that some young people would get after school. Young people feel confident to access support when it is the right time for themNo other single agency/organisation are better placed to understand the complexities of the family networks and community relationships.Young people demonstrated the respect held for the youth workers from the young people – they evidenced that it was not easily earnt and required a lot of hard work from the youth workers who take a lot of stick however remain calm and consistent.The close working relationship and consistent messages proffered by the two organisations strengthened the impact of them both individually and made the service offered appear seamless to the families.The project has developed contextual safeguarding approaches locally and this could help target resources more effectivelyThe community are beginning to feel that developments are done in ‘consultation with’ them rather than being ‘done to’ them.The programme had brought practitioners and agencies together with young people, helping them to direct their time in a typically challenging environment where you only ever normally get a fraction of the story in communities that don’t report nor engage.Mentoring has supported young people to leave gangs behind and apply, attend collegeThe accessibility of parent support, for as long as required, has transformed familiesParenting support was found to be encouraging and supporting. The programme remains accessible for families after they exit the more intensive levels of support.A holistic support package can be put in pace which meets the needs of the whole family.The programme has evidenced significant change in school attendance and behaviour of some young peopleTrusted relationships helps to lift their mood and get them back on trackThe project demonstrates a massive positive shift in young people’s mentality and confidence levelsYoung people state that trust is the primary foundation for effective support.Youth Case studiesA is a 10 year old male that attends both sessions weekly. He lives with his grandma because he was taken into care of her when he was 3 days old. A has talked openly with staff member about his situation. He was removed into care of Grandma due to Mum’s substance misuse. When A first attended the sessions, he appeared quiet yet engaged well with all activities, it did not take long for him to become more confident with the staff and he appears to see staff as safe adults to talk to. A has opened to staff about how his mother has taken her own life and how he feels a little confused about the situation. A will continue to attend the youth sessions and has been told about the option of mentoring which he said he will think about. A is starting the next round of boxing sessions and has said how much he is looking forward to it.The youth and boxing session will allow A the opportunity to talk with staff and have a safe space to express his feelings if he feels appropriate.B is an 11 year old male. When he first started to attend the session, he showed that he did not trust the staff and appeared suspicious of why they were there. B refused to share details with staff and would not even tell them his name. After a few weeks B started to engage more and shared his details with staff. B has corrected some of his peers when they have though we were police officers and has often been heard telling them that staff are ‘alright’. B does show challenging behaviour sometimes and appears to be easily led by his peers. B will listen when challenged about his behaviour and staff have worked with him to deescalated inappropriate behaviour. B is also signed up to join the boxing program which will offer him some new skills, a new experience and some discipline to manage his behaviour.Parenting SummaryNeeds supported continue to be heavily centred around financial poverty and related issues. Loss, domestic violence and abuse, substance misuse, mental and physical illness, unemployment, advocacy with education and support services / housing / benefits / GP and health facilities continues to be a focus for these sessions.The picture remains unchanged in terms of the vast majority of families we work with being unable to meet their basic needs. This reduces the capacity for them to focus, develop and embed positive changes into their parenting and family functioning. Practitioners are reporting an overwhelming need to address this prior to parenting and family support. They are also reporting unprecedented circumstances where there is overwhelming difficulty in being able to find a solution with families to meet these basic needs as a result of poverty levels and support available. A guide offering advice and signposting to support for young people and families who are struggling to meet basic needs (food, heating, shelter) is currently being developed.Mentoring SummaryIssues supported through mentoring include: self-harm, anxiety and thoughts of suicidal behaviours, peer relationships, poor family relationships, anger management, isolation, loneliness, violence, gang exploitation, domestic abuse, gender identity, NEET, loss and bereavement, low aspiration, dis-engagement from education. There is still high demand for support and waiting times are now up to 8 weeks. A number of referrals are seeking interim support from Free 2 Talk whilst awaiting CAMHS assessments. It remains a deteriorating picture locally of demand for services far outstripping supply and we are witnessing the deterioration of young peoples mental health while they await access to support. There has been an increase of referrals for young females showing signs of ASD and anxiety. Young males are presenting with ADHD and ASD but are showing signs of being anxious with behavioural issues. Young people continue to struggle with transitioning to secondary (year 6 & year 7).We continue to work across 7 secondary and 3 primary schools in Northampton and receive referrals seeking support beyond our capacity and remit as a mentoring support service. Referrals are received from outside of Northampton and with children as young as 7. We work with the schools to support appropriate signposting to other agencies, advocating for the young people and their families. The working relationship and communication with schools continues to be key with school providing the safest and most consistent point of access for many of our young people. Integrated working, with a voluntary and youth led offer continues to be fundamental to effective support. Examples of our Youth & Community Work: Online youth work – gaming and news channelThese have reduced significantly as social restrictions have eased and young people are placing more demand on face to face work. There are 3 young leaders still involved in these projects; these projects enable a safe space for these young people to develop their personal and social skills. The news channel provides a space for young people’s views to be heard on current affairs. The news channel is mainly accessed by adults which is a positive avenue of intergenerational work. This project will be reviewed given the changing funding. Blackthorn Groups The 12+ group is mainly young women, the programme is currently developing young leaders to enhance the youth space in the community centre. The young women are discussing revising the youth group to enable a more empowering programme. The young people are active in planning activities for the knife angel events from the end of April 2022. The younger groups have been focussed on resilience, wellbeing, self-esteem and self-efficacy. They have developed their protective factors through topics such as mental health and wellbeing, education, relationships, social media, bullying. The young people fear or worry about violence that takes place on or around the estate, or in local northamptonshire although they stated this is their norm. Parents are anxious to allow their young people off the estate due to this. The youth workers have, are, and will continue to explore these views and give them the tools needed to keep themselves and others safe.Bellinge GroupsThe older group of young people show protective factors by staying together within a group. They move around as a whole and arrive together in large groups. The group have been involved with local police interventions such as ABCs and CPW’s to address ASB in their community. The majority of the group feel safe at the club and returned regularly. The young people alleged to be displaying ASB show little understanding of the consequences to themselves or others; this requires exploration with them as to understanding their holistic needs and priorities in their lives. The change in behaviour may be due to the impact of lockdown; lack of trusted relationships and safe spaces in a time of crucial of social development. The young people were challenging the boundaries and clearly did not have much experience of appropriate behaviours within a youth club. The weeks that the club were open staff worked hard to build these relationships and it was apparent that theyoung people were starting to feel more confident and trusting with staff. Some young people had shared their details with staff whereas other still had not felt they were able to.. Youth Music SummarySince beginning this new round of funding, we have seen the biggest uptake in our music programme since it began. We are now running 5 full dedicated music sessions across Northampton each week. We are seeing large amounts of young people engaging in both music and broadcasting. Our largest group is the Radio Group on a Thursday, these sessions attract up to 20 young people each week on a regular basis. We have noticed that more and more people are turning up each week due to word of mouth referrals from their peers. Several of these young people have shown an interest in Music Production and DJing, so they are now coming to both sessions. In certain cases young people from various groups are now collaborating on self-started projects. It seems as if inspiration FM has become a key safe space in the centre of the town. Our music students have started working on albums, had music played on the radio and have been booked in for performances at local events run by members of our community of practice. In addition to this, members of the community of practice have begun passing on tips and skills to our young members. It's becoming a real support network in the community and on a whole, we are seeing increased wellbeing and resilience from the young people in attendance. The young people have developed amazing relationships with Connor & Mark over the last 3 months, plus they have taken in our new staff, Paul & Andy with open arms. The gears have really started turning across the get real music project and it’s very exciting to see. The young people have attended various community events and have performed and reported at the events. We had performers and reporters at: The Knife Angel Event, Jamaica Day in Kingsthorpe, The Northampton Carnival and Northampton Music Festival. We are now on the cusp of launching the music / media van and the uptake in young leaders and volunteers to support the project in the community has been amazing. The young leaders have also been planning their very own music event which is due to take place in the summer holidays as a celebration of all of their hardwork. The next steps are to continue running the sessions that are currently in place. We are also planning collaborative work with the Springs Centre to run a collaborative course for their young members and we are also planning ahead with the Music Van launch in the summer which seems to be very popular amongst members of the local community. In addition to this, we are looking to set up an alternative provision for young people that are not in full time education. We are planning to set this up in September and it will run via rolling referrals from partner agencies. These will be accredited courses to replace school work with the hope of getting them back into education. Youth FeedbackThey want more sessions, longer sessions, they want more space within Inspiration FM and they want to become more involved in the projects as leaders. Youth VanWithin this period Free 2 Talk purchased and converted a VW Crafter. This has been refurbish to have a bespoke gaming area with a PS5 and flat screen; it also has a djing equipment and music production suite. The rear of the van has a sound booth for podcasting or recording vocals. The van is able to be powered through a domestic source or via a generator making it fully mobile and able to reach young people in their communities. The van is a space designed by young people for young people. Free 2 Talk Assessment CentreIn November 2021 we were granted assessment centre status through Skills and Education Group. We are able to deliver the following qualifications: Level 3 Diploma & Certificate in Youth Work Practice Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work PracticeLevel 2 Award in Youth Work PrinciplesLevel 1 Certificate in Exploring Youth WorkLevel 1 Award in Safeguarding AwarenessLevel 1 Award in Mental Health and Wellbeing AwarenessLevel 1 Award in Keeping Self Safe Online
Contextual Consultation with Youth & Community WorkPeer mapping has been completed with the Bellinge group. Safety mapping has been set within the primary schools and needs to be completed in some depth in the community. A police / youth work / community safety event on contextual safeguarding and neighbourhood mapping is being planned. The younger group have anxieties and concerns are heightened at the moment due to ongoing issues within the community. The group are becoming more homogenous and are working towards recognising others personality traits and how this may make them behave. The group have worked on rules and boundaries and are working together to keep these in place. There have been moments of boundary pushing especially as numbers grow. The functioning is positive and led by peers, with a steer from the young leaders in this session. Summary of development in stakeholder led practice through Trusted Relationships Home Office ProjectTrue Knowledge has enabled the development of a local contextual safeguarding process. The multiagency approach has been trialled in the Blackthorn area, led by this project. The Neighbourhood Assessment and safety mapping processes have been discussed and analysed to create a joint action plan for the estate. Key partners within this are WNC Community Safety, Northampton Partnership Homes, Blackthorn Primary, Woodvale Primary, Rectory Farm Primary, Free 2 Talk. Priorities identified are: Build community cohesion with a focus on Travelling and Eastern European Communities.Identifying influential adults in the community to problem solve.Build relationships with communitiesBuilding understanding of why there is a divide in communityCelebrate diversity in communitiesSupport groups vulnerable to exploitation by the local drug economy:Prevent young people becoming involved with drugsSupport young people already involvedSupport vulnerable adults from exploitationReduce the financial need for young people to survive through involvement with drugsBuild up guardianship in spaces that are deemed unsafe.Change the physical environment to improve the safety of the areaReduce anti-social behaviour in the areaWe have launched a similar process now in Kings Heath to replicate the contextual safeguarding approaches from Blackthorn. The progress made will be feedback to the Children’s Trust and Northamptonshire Children’s Safeguarding Partnership subgroup for exploitation. Participation & Engagement Report for ICS Development: Summary of Conclusions & PrioritiesThe report was based on an academic literature review, survey of practitioners, workshops with practitioners and workshops with young people. Participation should be set in a backdrop of universal standards of living, expectations and aspirations for all children and young people. Trusted adults and peers are a fundamental element in enabling participation and co-production. Children and young people need to have established trust to feel able to speak outPredictability of a space will also determine trust and safety. Time and space to build trust has to be a priority. Skills and knowledge of the facilitator are fundamental they must be able to shift the power in favour of the children and young people; understand the contexts, strengths, needs, trajectories and transitions.Participation activities should be exciting, engaging, planned and designed to maximise engagement. Children and young people need to gain from an experience that they voluntarily engage in and be a balance between ‘quick wins’ for children and young people as well as the longer-term achievements. Participation of children and young people should be an empowering intervention enabling active citizens; there must be a mechanism for enabling, engaging and facilitating participation led by children and young people’s agendas.
The aggregate amount of emoluments paid to or receivable by directors in respect of qualifying services was £37,383. Emolument to directors has been made in payment of service delivery as a practitioner and in consideration of their role of as directors.There were no other transactions or arrangements in connection with the remuneration if directors or compensation for director’s loss of office which require to be disclosed.
No transfer of assets other than for full consideration
This report was approved by the board of directors on
2 December 2022
And signed on behalf of the board by:
Name: Genna Whitlock
Status: Director