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Annual report and accounts 2019-20Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20 “ We will never, ever give up working with children, young people and their families to empower them to make their own choices at every stage in life. “ 2Chailey Heritage Foundation 3 Contents 04 About Chailey Heritage Foundation 05 Meet Bertie 06 Welcome from Chair of Trustees and Chief Executive 07 Trustees’ Report on Strategy and Operations 08 Exceeding Expectations 18 2019-20 Highlights & Achievements 20 Meet Anastasia 21 Spotlight on our specialist services 26 Meet Mark 28 Our people 32 Fundraising 38 Trustees’ report on financial and other statutory matters 38 Charity’s response to Covid-19 41 Section 172 statement 54 Independent auditor’s report to the members of Chailey Heritage Foundation 57 Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31st August 2020 58 Balance Sheet As at 31st August 2020 59 Statement of Cash Flows for the Year Ended 31st August 2020 60 Statement of Accounting Policies and Notes to the financial statements for the Year Ended 31st August 2020 75 Trustees, Governors, executives and professional advisors4 Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20 About Chailey Heritage Foundation What we do Chailey Heritage Foundation provides education and care services and is one of the UK’s leading centres for children and young people with complex neurodisabilities. Most of our young people have severe cerebral palsy, many have visual and/or other sensory impairments. All the young people are wheelchair users and very few have verbal communication. Our expertise is in maximising independence and choice, developing effective communication and providing powered mobility opportunities. Under the Chailey Heritage Foundation umbrella, The Charity delivers services in six main areas: a non-maintained special school for 2-19 year olds a children’s home offering a range of boarding options from short breaks, holiday clubs through to 52 week care for pupils from our school and other local special schools Founded in 1903 by Grace Kimmins, we still embrace her ethos today. We believe that each child and young person should have every opportunity to fulfil their potential, no matter what the challenges. Our promise today is that: “We will never, ever give up working with children, young people and their families to empower them to make their own choices at every stage in life.” a residential transition service for young people aged 16 years and above We have developed a world-class range of specialist services that are necessary to meet the needs of these disabled young people. We work in close partnership with Chailey Clinical Services, a nationally recognised specialist NHS tertiary service for children and young adults with complex neurological and physical disabilities. Being on the same site enables us to deliver uniquely, integrated multi-agency services for the benefit of the young people and their families. a pay-as-you-go leisure and skills centre a day service for young adults The difference we make a community-based service offering the expertise of our staff to children and young adults in their own home and out in the community The impact of the Foundation’s services comes not just in how many children and young people use our services but in the difference we make to their lives and those of their families. Our Values We are a community with a shared purpose. Everyone is accepted, everyone matters Every day we strive to make a positive difference for the children, young people and their families We have high expectations. ‘OK’ is never good enough We celebrate what we achieve togetherChailey Heritage Foundation 5 Meet Bertie “We couldn’t be happier with the care and education Bertie receives at Chailey. Bertie has a wonderful relationship with all of his Bananas, and they go above and beyond to ensure he gets the best from everything Chailey Heritage has to offer.” Lucy, Bertie’s Mum “Bertie is like a medicine, he always makes you feel better. It’s an amazing skill.” Lucy, Teaching assistant At first glance, you wouldn’t think six-year-old Bertie can do very much because of his severe cerebral palsy, which means he can’t walk or talk and needs lots of medical interventions throughout the day. However, Bertie has made such incredible progress since starting school here nearly two years ago and his team have learnt so much about him in this time. One of his big loves is animals, from those at Patchwork Farm and the ponies who take the children riding, to his guinea pig, Simon, who he named after the headteacher! Bertie has an affinity with animals and an incredible empathy for people. So much so that if you are feeling stressed, a cuddle on the sofa with Bertie will make you feel so much better. It’s known as the ‘Bertie effect’. As Lucy, one of his teaching assistants, describes it, “Bertie is like a medicine, he always makes you feel better. It’s an amazing skill.” He also loves nothing better than a bit of role play where he pretends to be a famous character from a book. During summer holiday club, he played Harry Potter in the immersive space in the Dream Centre and had a game of quidditch. Since Bertie loves monkeys, his team are known as Bananas and the class teacher is the Chief Banana. All Bertie’s Bananas spent a great deal of time settling him (and his Dad) into school when he started in 2018. It was important that both Bertie and his family felt they could trust the team that worked with him. They learned about his subtle communication, his medical needs as well as his interests and the things which make the day fun for him. The other thing Bertie loves to do is drive his wheelchair on the powered platform using his head switch. Bertie does not have a powered chair, so the powered platform allows him to drive independently using our electronic track system, which works a bit like Scalextric. Recently he let us know that he wanted to be able to choose his path when he came to a junction on the track. So, our resident engineer, Martin Langner, will be working hard to make that happen.6 Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20 Welcome from Chair of Trustees and Chief Executive I am delighted to present this year’s Annual Report alongside our Chief Executive, Helen Hewitt; it describes the activities of Chailey Heritage Foundation, our performance against the three year plan 201720, together with the financial statements and the Auditor’s report for the year ended 31 August 2020. Since 2014, Chailey Heritage Foundation has been working towards five strategic goals. These goals were reviewed by senior managers, with some minor adjustments, and agreed by Trustees in summer 2020: • To help more children with complex neurodisabilities and their families • To be the first choice for parents/carers, stakeholders and supporters • To have the capacity to develop • To be financially resilient • To be recognised locally, nationally and internationally for our innovative work The summary of the Charity’s performance against these strategic goals and the last year of our 2017-20 strategic plan is set out on pages 7 to 17. “We would like to thank our staff enormously for their dedication and commitment in this very challenging year. Also, our volunteers and especially our Trustees and Governors who generously give up so much of their time.” We have made good progress but, inevitably, the Coronavirus pandemic had an impact on our services, staff and the families we support. Overall, thanks to the tremendous commitment and courage of our all our staff, volunteers, our NHS partners and funders, the impact on the Charity, whilst significant, has been less than it might otherwise have been. The challenges that Covid-19 has brought and how we managed them are set out on pages 38-41, using the format recommended by the Charities SORP Committee. The ‘spotlight’ this year on page 21 is on our specialist services supported by donations – Aquamovers, Patchwork Farm, Hippotherapy - and their innovative approach to supporting children and young people with complex physical disabilities as well as their families. Mark Creamer Chair of Trustees Helen Hewitt Chief ExecutiveChailey Heritage Foundation Trustees’ Report on Strategy and Operations Achievements and performance 2017-20 Strategic Plan - Exceeding Expectations 2019-20 was the final year of the three year strategic plan (2017-20) based on four key themes – to invest, to grow, to build partnerships and to influence. Share our expertise in educating and caring for young people with complex disabilities, using the School’s reputation as an innovator in curriculum and assessment, communication, sex & relationship education, emotional wellbeing and physical mobility Raise awareness of disability in the wider community through our services and To sustain our work with the local the Charity, securing a sound community and strong organisation and financial base Work with other charities to influence policy and increase understanding of disability nationally Ensure our services and the outcomes for our young people are outstanding Invest in new facilities and technology for the young people Invest in our staff so they have the specialist skills they need to work with our very complex young people, feel valued and well supported Develop our expertise to further meet the needs of the children and young people with the most complex physical and neurological disabilities Increase the number of children and young people and families we help Expand our community services for both children and young adults Increase fundraising income to support the new strategy for 2017-20 We will continue to Nurture the relationships with our current partners, especially our NHS partner, Chailey Clinical Services Develop new partnerships with charities and businesses Work collaboratively with local and national charities Open up our resources to local partners and share our expertise with similar organisations especially schools Work in partnership with families and involve families in the development of our services by responding to the needs they identify 78 Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20 Exceeding Expectations - What we achieved against our four key themes Investing in the children and young people One of the threads running through the 2017-20 strategic plan was investment - in services, in equipment and facilities for the children and young people, in our staff and in the Estate. The need for investment was driven partly by the changing and increasingly more complex needs of the children and young adults, but also by the demand for our services and the need to accommodate more young people with complex needs. These drivers underpinned planning for the Dream Centre, new car parks, the new music studio and staff room. They are investments that benefit everyone in the Foundation – children and young people, families and staff. They are also investments for the future. They are a necessary part of positioning the Foundation at the forefront of education and service quality and support our position as influencers and leaders in working with this very complex client group. School We are very proud that the School continues to be ‘Outstanding’ for the fourth time running. The Headteacher’s pioneering Chailey Heritage Individual Learner Driven Curriculum has gained a national reputation and Simon Yates has been involved in debating curriculum approaches with leading educational figures and Ofsted. “As your pupils have increased in numbers and in their complexity of needs, so has your school adapted. As a result, in recent years, you have pioneered a curriculum that is bespoke to your school. It builds around each individual pupil by focusing on seven relevant areas of learning. You, your leaders and teaching staff have ensured that this highly personalised, learner-centred approach is at the heart of the school’s provision.” Ofsted, May 2019 The registered Children’s Home received a ‘good’ inspection from Ofsted in its recent full inspection. “Staff provide children with good-quality, well-planned care. They are child-focused, nurturing, respectful and treat children with dignity. Staff know children well and form good relationships and rapport with them. Children are offered choice and their independence is promoted wherever possible. They have access to advocacy services and an independent person. Children appear happy and staff are attentive to their needs.” Ofsted, August 2019 We responded to parents’ views on school meals by investing in a production kitchen in the Dream Centre and appointing an experienced cook to ensure that all school meals are made “from scratch” on the premises. From September 2020, the pupils are enjoying high quality freshly cooked food. The standard of food and nutrition was also improved in our bungalows by appointing a housekeeper for each bungalow. As well as preparing fresh food each day for the young people and the staff, the housekeepers have taken overall responsibility for the efficient running of the bungalow.Chailey Heritage Foundation 9 Once again, this year, thanks to charitable donations, including the Friends of Chailey Heritage, we have been able to offer current and prospective parent support from IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) to prepare and present cases at Tribunal. Parents were very pleased not to have to take responsibility for Tribunals alone. They said that knowledge of the law and legal precedents provided through IPSEA helped make a stronger case for their child. Parents also found that Local Authorities took far more notice of the IPSEA lawyers; as a result, several cases were settled in the parent’s favour before the hearing. This year, following a thorough investigation of several available solutions, we implemented an Electronic Medication Administration Records system for pupils and all residential young people. The medical regime of each young person in our care is often complicated and currently 254 medications are administered in school on an average day, 403 on average every 24 hours in our residences for children and a further 331 on average in our homes for young adults. The new system means that staff no longer have to use a paper chart but can read the medicines each child requires from a tablet and then enter the medicines administered electronically. Staff were involved in designing the new staff room; as requested, it has work and social areas and a vending machine for evening and weekend workers. Investing in staff and volunteers The new Staff Room, funded by voluntary donations, opened in the Autumn term 2020 and has created a relaxing environment for staff with many attractive facilities. Phase II of the project is to work on the outside space by providing tables, seating, and plants to brighten up the space, ready for the summer. Since 2017, our HR team has embraced digital recruitment and transformed its practice. As a result, our vacancies are more widely advertised and online. The mobile friendly application process makes it easier for people to apply and has speeded up recruitment. In 2019-20, the HR team increased the amount of induction training new employees could undertake before starting work. This was part of a wider move to online induction training to make learning more flexible for our employees and to encourage consolidation and review. The online training offer was accelerated in 2020 by the reduction in face-to-face learning necessitated by Covid-19. Clinical training for new staff is critical to service delivery and our Communications team was able to use its in-house digital production facilities to quickly fill the gap, working with Chailey Clinical Services’ staff to produce online training. Since lockdown, the Chief Executive has kept staff and volunteers up to date with on-line briefings and the same approach has begun for parents too. Our retention rates are good and above industry standards. However, because most young people and adults joining our services are more complex than those leaving us and need a team of trained staff, we are constantly recruiting support staff. Demand for care staff in our area is high and therefore it is critical that our salaries remain competitive. We are very aware that working in our services requires the ability to learn complex clinical skills and take responsibility for using these to support individuals with very complex health needs. We want our staff to be well rewarded for this. 10 Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20 The Trustees’ annual salary review resulted in cost of living increases in September 2019 for all staff. However, to boost salaries for our lower paid support staff and encourage recruitment, in 2019-20 we developed the Reward Strategy, an initiative to support recruitment of support staff in social care and education by ensuring that our salaries are competitive and supported by a valuable benefits package. Although Trustees and Governors agreed a 1.5% cost of living increase for all staff in September 2019, the Reward Strategy aimed to boost the hourly rate for support staff to increase recruitment and retention. Simplifying the salary scale to create a single scale for everyone made it easier for school staff to take shifts in social care, both meeting service needs and boosting their annual salary. The single scale was introduced for new staff in Summer 2020 and from September 2020 for existing staff. A strong digital recruitment presence, the impact of the Reward Strategy, and the easing of lockdown meant that by August 2020, we started to see results and vacancies reduced substantially in Autumn 2020. We continue to have an active apprenticeship programme giving people the opportunity to develop their skills ‘on the job’. We currently have five people in a range of apprenticeship roles including our Communications and Marketing Manager, who is following a Marketing Manager higher level apprenticeship course. Staff wellbeing is a high priority for us. Working in any of our services can be intense and, with the Covid-19 pandemic hitting halfway through the 2019-20 year, it has become more demanding than ever. We recognise that it is important to help staff take care of themselves and others and are consistently looking at ways to help our staff cope with the pressures of life, whether at work or at home. Our Employee Assistance Scheme is an important part of this and we are building on our support for staff mental health and wellbeing. Investing in our Estate Since its grand opening by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall in October 2019, the Dream Centre has widened the opportunities for the young people with its cutting-edge immersive space, huge stage for drama productions, a sports hall and built-in trampoline for rebound therapy. It is an extremely well-used resource with a timetable of sessions which are fully booked, allowing all the young people on site to make use of its facilities. We have featured the Dream Centre on page 25 in the spotlight on our specialist services. Thanks to the support of many donors, the Dream Centre has been an invaluable resource during lockdown, providing much needed additional space for socially distanced lessons and activities for residents outside the school day. Lockdown during the Spring of 2020 temporarily halted new construction projects such as the staff room and additional car parks, but they were back on track as soon as lockdown eased. The Trustees accepted that building additional car parks on site is essential for the safety of the pupils, young people, parents/carers and staff. This large one-off expenditure will impact on the Charity’s reserves and capacity to pursue other capital projects in the short term. However, new car parks are also an important investment for the future, enabling the charity to grow its current services and develop new ones. Both car parks were completed and ready for use by December 2020. Tender prices for the new music studio were higher than expected and so the project had to be delayed until sufficient funds have been raised. Our aim is to provide a stateof-the art studio, fully accessible for the needs of young people with complex physical