Annual General Meeting marks charity’s most successful year

Posted on 14th September 2011 by Sue Titterington

As the charity completed the final year of its Strategic Plan 2008-11, all key strategic objectives were achieved:

• Expansion in scale
• Spread of delivery across the area of benefit; and
• Diversification into new areas of work

The full financial statements, adopted at the AGM, show that Caritas Care made prudent use of almost £5 million turnover to deliver more services to a greater number of children and people in need than ever…and still achieved an operating surplus to provide some buffering in this time of austerity which we expect to last some years.

Looking at our major service areas:

Work with Children and Young People

• The charity has been a registered Adoption Agency since 1943                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
• The Foster Care Service established in 1998
• Residential care of children since day one
• Since 2007, the Charity has provided full Day Care provision in Pebbles at Stoneygate

The highlights for the year

Foster Care activity has exceeded forecasts in so far as placements were of longer duration even though the number of children was slightly below the plan. 36 Children were in Foster Care Placements during the year.

We’ve seen a further increase in the scale of Adoption activity; the Charity’s Manchester office is now well established having taken over the adoption activities of the former Catholic Children’s Rescue Society and Manchester Adoption Society; 36 children were placed for adoption and 35 were adopted…and the work at Pebbles came of age and 94 children were provided with day care.

Work with People with Learning Disability

From humble origins in 1983 Caritas Care now has a varied range of services for people who have learning disability - some services are centre based, others delivered in people’s own homes, some delivered directly by people with learning disability themselves.

The Supported Living Service provided 13 people with personal support packages, promotes independence and self-confidence, supports the development of skills and facilitates social activities. Respite and outreach support supplement this service.

The centre-based services cover a raft of needs across a wide age range. The FX Project, based at Bannister House, bridges the transition from school to community for younger people with complex disabilities, 17 of them during the year. While Vision in People (VIP) Project supported 30 people some of whom were previously resident in long stay hospital and consequently need to be further enabled to enjoy more self-confident and competent independent lives.

The React Project continues to do much to raise the profile of and advocate for people with learning disabilities. Through its training and representation activities React has enabled many people with learning disabilities to play a key role in the partnership boards and user forums - 1,200 benefitted from React this year.

Work in the Community

Wesham Interact, continued its programmes of social and educational activities to reduce social isolation in older people 162 in the year.

The hard of hearing work, Bridging the Gap, as well as providing advice, demonstrating equipment, running lip reading courses and facilitating self-help groups, delivered over 20 monthly surgeries throughout the area to 431 in Lancashire, 4590 in North & West Cumbria including in our Hear Centre in Carlisle, and 799 in Barrow in Furness.

The focal point of the work of Caritas Care in West Cumbria is the Ewanrigg and Netherton Community Centre from where several projects for young people run, some with the support of the Methodist circuit and others contracted through South Workington Youth Partnership. We worked with 257 young people across these projects

Active Community Engagement (ACE) provides a pre and post release support service for offenders with the aim of reducing recidivism through a structured programme of interventions. It delivers its work across Cumbria and the North Lancashire adult prisons…and had a successful year in working with 205 offenders and is gaining new contracts

…and part of the growth of the Charity and its determination to reach out to individuals who are particularly disadvantaged, we are proud to have embarked this year on work with and for homeless people. The successful acquisition of the charity Homeless in Blackpool occupied much energy; we now look after 15 homeless people in residence.

Work on the Lancashire County Council Peace of Mind 4 Carers project, where the Charity provides emergency care, continued during the year and the contract has been extended to 2012.

… and all this producing a healthy operating surplus, excluding a legacy, in excess of £170,000 – full details in the Consolidated Financial Statements for the year.

Addressing the Trustees Jim Cullen said:

“None of this could be achieved without the whole community of Caritas Care – the marvellous staff (there were 172 on last month’s payroll), the significant teams of volunteers who support our projects, staff our charity shops, and, not least provide our governance…and the thousands of people with whom we work. I have detected a growing confidence and sense of belonging…but confidence has also come from the successes we have enjoyed during the year and the industry required by so many, particularly Chris and Amanda (Directors of Business and Services respectively), in pulling together bids for developing our work.

Many Charities are struggling…many private and public bodies are floundering…we remain vigilant for the uncertainties and fluctuations of the precarious social care environment will be a reality for at least the next 2–3 years…and the staff are determinedly connected to keep ahead so that the promises made genuinely today to those in need can be honoured tomorrow.”

As part of the programme for Trustees a Market Place was convened at the charity’s head offices in Tulketh Road, Preston where each project and service mounted a display of its activities. Managers, staff and volunteers had the chance to showcase their work to trustees and to each other – bearing witness to and sharing the successes of the year.

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