Annual Report and Financial Statements

Hambleton & Richmond Advocacy

Annual report and financial statements For the year ended 31st March 2015

The trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2015.

Charitable Objects The principal objects of the charity are the provision of an independent professional advocacy service in support of all persons in need by reason of age, mental health, emotional stress or mental or physical disability.

Public Benefit Statement All our charitable activities as set out above in our objects statement are undertaken to further our charitable purpose for the public benefit.

Structure, Governance and Management Hambleton and Richmond Advocacy is a registered charity set up in 1994. The Charity number is 1048994. The Charity is administered in accordance with its constitution by the Board of Trustees. The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of this repot are set out on page 1. The Chief Executive, who reports directly to the trustees, is responsible for the day to day activities of the charity and for the direction of its staff and volunteers. Trustees are identified on an informal basis by recommendation of existing members and of local individuals and organisations with an involvement in advocacy. Trustees are invited to attend organised training and development sessions. The committee considers that this system of recruitment and induction is appropriate to the Charity.

Achievements and Performance Through its staff and volunteers, the charity has worked to implement its objectives throughout the year. Good outcomes were achieved in both generic and targeted areas. The Big Lottery five year generic grant ended in September 2014 and a successful bid was made for lottery funding for a Safe Hands project. This project takes further the mail and finance study funded by the Awards For All grant, which has also now completed. The Lloyds Foundations funding has also completed. This enabled additional recruitment and training of volunteers during the year. The charity is immensely grateful to the volunteers who give of their time and expertise to help clients and without whom the work could not continue. The charity is always looking for ways to sustain the service, and to improve the effectiveness of the support to clients. To this end, our office and recording systems have been reviewed and improved.

Hambleton and Richmond Advocacy continued to act as the lead organisation to the joint contract with NYCC and NHS NY and CCG (Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby) in the collaborative of four other North Yorkshire advocacy charities. Discussions about the future of the collaborative continued throughout the year. Agreement was reached that a county wide organisation would provide better access for clients and a wider platform to seek funding for local advocacy. North Yorkshire Advocacy was formed as a Charitable incorporated organisation and was registered with the Charity Commissioners on 21st January 2015. This charity has similar aims and objectives as Hambleton & Richmond Advocacy. For the last six months of the year administration of advocacy charities at Harrogate and Craven have been carried out by Hambleton and Richmondshire Advocacy. Hambleton & Richmond Advocacy

Financial Review This year the charity has continued to act as the lead organisation in a collaborative with other advocacy charities based in Harrogate, Craven and Scarborough. Through this collaborative Hambleton and Richmond Advocacy received funding go generic advocacy from North Yorkshire County Council and from NHS North Yorkshire and York PCT at the same level as 2013/14.

As reported above, during the latter part of the year all functions of Harrogate and Craven advocacy were administered from the Northallerton office of Hambleton and Richmondshire Advocacy. This is reflected in the increased figures for general expenditure which includes wages and travel and other costs for Harrogate and Craven for 6 months of the year. The six months share of the NYCC contract relating to Harrogate and Craven in included in the general income.

In February 2015, Craven Advocacy closed and was removed from the Register of Charities. The balance of their funds amounting to £3548 was transferred to Hambleton and Richmondshire Advocacy.

The funding from the Big Lottery ceased in September 2014. The Lloyds Foundation grant also ceased as did the grant from the Awards for All funder.

A successful bid was made to the Big Lottery for a three year grant to fund a Safe Hands project which includes generic advocacy alongside a mail and finance project for vulnerable people. The first instalment of this money was received in March 2015.

The increase in costs this year has been in wages and travel and training costs. This is due to the major changes to the working of this charity which have meant increases in staff and hours worked. The investment in staff and training has been made to ensure the future of advocacy in this area.

All expenditure is closely monitored alongside the financial budget and any additional expenditure only undertaken after a full review. Restricted income is closely matched with costs and balances I these funds are retained to meet future budgeting expenditure. Careful budgeting and continued improvements in efficiency have kept most administrative expenditure at a similar level to previous years.

Unrestricted funds at the end of the year were £55,537 (a decrease of £50,485) Balances in Restricted funds were £35,649 (an increase of £18,100)

Future Plans Discussions with the other four advocacy groups in North Yorkshire; discussions resulted in a proposal to form a Charitable Incorporated Organisation to provide advocacy throughout North Yorkshire. North Yorkshire Advocacy was registered with the Charity Commissioners in January 2015. It is proposed that Hambleton and Richmondshire Advocacy, Craven Advocacy and Harrogate & District Advocacy merge into the newly formed CIO. Advocacy Alliance Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale will remain independent. The contract of the collaborative with NYCC for the provision of advocacy services was extended until March 2016. The balance of this contract will transfer to the new CIO. A successful application was made to the Lottery Fund for a grant to provide Advocacy Plus. This is a three year grant and includes work on a mail and finance project for vulnerable people. This funding will also transfer to North Yorkshire Advocacy. When all commitments have been met, all remaining assets and funds of Hambleton and Richmondshire will be transferred to North Yorkshire Advocacy and, subject to the consent of the Charity Commissioners, this charity will be closed. All staff will be transferred to the new charity. Hambleton & Richmond Advocacy

Reserves The trustees maintained a policy whereby sufficient funds should be held in reserve to maintain the core organisation for at least 6 months and to ensure continuity of activities until further funding is obtained. The general reserves at 31st March 2015 are broadly £55,000. The trustees are confident that the transfer of these reserves to the new charity along with those of Harrogate and Craven Advocacy will be adequate to ensure its future viability. Funds not immediately required are held on deposit account with the Charities Aid Foundation and Virgin Money.

Risk Review The principal external risk is the viability of the new Charity. The trustees have considered the constitution and governance and financing of North Yorkshire Advocacy and have assured themselves that the new charity has similar aims and objectives, and that the transfer of assets will have no adverse effect on the service and support available to our clients.

Statement of trustees’ responsibilities

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fiar view of charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that year. In preparing these financial statements the trustees are required to:

- Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; - Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; - Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; - State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and - Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with Charities Act 2011 and the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Hey are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

This report was signed on behalf of the board: on 16t October 2015

N McGrory M Roberts

Norma McGrory (Chair) Margaret I Roberts (Honorary Treasurer)