Annual
report
and
accounts
2020-21Contents
Introduction4
About Chailey Heritage Foundation
4
Meet Finn6
Statement from Chair of Trustees and Chief Executive
Meet Fia
7
11
Strategic Report
12
Education – outward looking – a regional Charity with
a national impact
12
Meet Lucy
14
Residential – open throughout the pandemic
15
Meet Lucy
17
Community services – filling a need – wrap-around services
18
Our dedicated workforce
20
Our partners
26
How we raise money
28
Our future plans
36
Financial Review
38
Trustees’ Report on Financial and other Statutory Matters
38
The impact of Covid-19 – maintaining ever more
vital services
40
Principal risks and uncertainties
43
Environmental, social and governance report
47
Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting
54
Meet Jacob
56
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities
57
Independent Auditor’s Report
58
Financial Statements including notes
62
Trustees, Governors, Executives and Professional Advisors
79
Chailey Heritage Foundation
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Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21
3Our 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.
”
About Chailey Heritage Foundation
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 our 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.
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.
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.
4
IntroductionOur values
The Foundation aims for a values-based culture, and we expect all staff and
volunteers to embody those values every day.
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
Our impact
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 that
of their families.
What we do
Under the Chailey Heritage Foundation umbrella, the Charity delivers services in
three main areas:
Education
Residential
Community
Services
An Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ nonmaintained special school for
3–19-year-olds.
A range of boarding options
for pupils of the school and
a transition service for young
adults up to the age of 25.
A range of on-site services as
well as an outreach service,
offering the skills of our staff
to families in their own home
and out in the community.
Chailey Heritage Foundation
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Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21
5Meet
Finn
Patchwork Farm has
given Finn the chance to
develop a new interest and his
personalised curriculum goals are
directly tied into experiences at the farm,
so learning is more fun than ever for him.
And for those pupils who take a little more
time to build confidence to visit the farm, the
animals come into the classroom first. It’s
not unusual to pass a classroom and hear a
goat bleating or chicken clucking!
Jemma
Finn’s teacher
Many of the young people who come here have sadly spent a lot of time indoors – in
hospitals, having treatment, physiotherapy, or being taught in indoor environments.
Having been accustomed to being indoors and feeling safe means that for some
young people, the idea of going outdoors, visiting new places and experiencing new
things is a very daunting step and may be the source of anxiety.
This is why Patchwork Farm is such an incredibly important part
of what we offer. For children who have learnt to prefer to stay
‘safe’ indoors, the farm can be a real challenge to step outside their
comfort zones, not just building the courage to go outside, but also
to touch and interact with the animals.
This was very much the case for 18-year-old Finn, who is a pupil at
school. His teacher, Jemma, knew that Finn wasn’t keen on visiting
the farm, particularly being around the smaller animals, so she
arranged for him to spend time with Nic-Nac, our Shetland pony
instead.
The result was transformative. Finn voluntarily reached out to stroke
Nic-Nac and even found the confidence to groom and lead him! Finn
didn’t want to leave the farm that day – and when his teacher asked
him what he’d enjoyed and felt most proud of, Finn used the symbols
in his communication book to say FARM and kept repeating the word.
This kind of active learning is absolute magic to witness, whether a
young person leans out of a wheelchair to stroke a donkey, work the
pig feeder, or to hold a guinea pig. Patchwork Farm offers the young
people here the chance to experience and achieve things they never
would in more passive, indoor environments including confidence
building, interaction, and a natural educational setting that stimulates
sight, hearing, smell, and touch.
6
Introduction“
We were here for
the young people and
their families.
”
Statement from Chair of Trustees and Chief Executive
Chailey Heritage is an amazing place. Our services are often life changing, not only
for the young person but also for their families.
In our report, you will meet some of the young
people and hear from their families about just
what being at Chailey Heritage means to them.
This is only possible because of the determination
of the young people, the dedication of our staff,
the support and understanding from parents and
families and the generosity of our supporters.
We are enormously grateful to our highly trained
and dedicated staff who faced the challenges
of the Pandemic again in 2020/21 and to our
NHS colleagues in Chailey Clinical Services.
We are proud of them. The commitment
and creativity of both teams shone through
so that the experiences and opportunities
for the young people were not diminished,
just reframed and sometimes, relocated!
In these difficult times, our wonderful site in the
Sussex countryside has been a key resource. The
Dream Centre and Patchwork Farm, both funded
from capital appeals and donations, came into
their own, extending opportunities for young
people who were unable travel offsite for much
of the year. We are immensely thankful for the
continued support from volunteers, friends and
donors for current and new projects and initiatives.
The Garden of Celebration, funded by donations,
designed, and tended by volunteers, began to
provide both solace and enjoyment to young
people and staff as a difficult year drew to a
close. The garden’s annual cycle will provide
hope and inspiration in the years to come and
a special place to remember those connected
with the Charity who have passed away.
Our mission to enable young people to have
every opportunity to make the most of their skills
and pursue their potential has continued to be
true throughout the pandemic. We never, ever
give up, despite the challenges that confront
us. Covid-19 did not deter us and, if anything,
we were better prepared and had learned
from our experiences the previous year.
However, strategically, 2020-21 was a year of
consolidation and recovery. Although less affected
than some similar organisations, the Foundation
was not immune. We determined to focus on
ensuring the Charity was ‘Fit for the Future’
and prepare for the final phase of our 10-year
strategy, looking towards our 2024 goals.
Through the ebb and flow of the Pandemic in
2020-21, we delivered on nearly all we set out
to achieve in our ‘Fit for the Future’ strategy.
Chailey Heritage Foundation
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Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21
7Statement from Chair of Trustees and Chief Executive
Continued
On track
We finished the building projects delayed by the Pandemic including the safety and
access project to add car parking spaces and make movement around the site safer,
with a new one-way system and lighting. We signed a lease for the Parish field and
began radical land improvement to provide more grazing for our ponies.
Most importantly, we concluded negotiations with Sussex Community NHS Foundation
Trust (SCFT) to extend the lease for the site to 2143.
With the help of SCFT pharmacists and nurses, as well as our dedicated managers,
the electronic medicines administration record (EMAR) system was finally successfully
extended to all services, while our digital booking system was used for the first time to
register entrants for our Focus 10k run.
Organisational resilience
Recruitment and retention became a preoccupation of summer 2021, with national
shortages made more challenging by our rural location and poor public transport.
Recognising that this was a long term rather than transient issue, the Trustees
committed to investing in structural solutions to reduce the Charity’s future
vulnerability on recruitment. This work quickly moved from the research stage and
has accelerated in 2021/22. In the short term, the HR team streamlined its on-line
application systems to speed up recruitment, making it easier for applicants to apply.
Streamlined clinical training and competency assessments enabled newly recruited staff
to contribute sooner.
Internally, our focus has been to build staff resilience by creating a positive culture
in which the stresses of the roles is acknowledged, mental health and well-being is
understood and supported by both managers and colleagues.
Remained ambitious
Throughout 2020-21, in a very difficult year, Chailey Heritage staff really lived our
values. They demonstrated such commitment. Attendance was never a problem; they
were brave in the face of the virus, and they never stopped trying to ensure life was
a normal as possible for the young people; “ok” simply was not good enough. They
celebrated; school leavers still had their “prom,” and a virtual Celebration Day in July
was very different with a socially distanced parade and award ceremonies streamed to
families. Our virtual Carol Service at Christmas was joined by more people than ever.
All services continued to focus on excellent outcomes despite the changes the Pandemic
required us to make to service delivery. The school remained open throughout and,
for those pupils who did not attend school, remote learning became the norm, blending
individual sessions with group sessions linking pupils in the classroom with their friends
at home. Materials and advice for parents from teachers and therapists were sent
home to ensure children did not miss out.
Residential staff were determined that young people should not miss out on activities
and instituted special treasure trails round the site, light displays and visits to our own
on-site farm.
8
IntroductionUsing tablets for remote learning and Facetime with parents boosted the skills of staff,
parents and young people across services and propelled us on our digital journey
more swiftly than expected. Our digital ambition extended to new systems for annual
reviews and the roll out of electronic medication administration records (EMAR) to all
services. EMAR demonstrated the potential of the system for other paper records and
led to plans to move towards recording health information digitally and developing
electronic care plans in 2022.
All social care services aim to be at least “good” with regulators and have the ambition
to be “outstanding”. The new Head of Social Care role was designed to accelerate this
by injecting further rigor in record, monitoring and follow through. Ofsted inspectors
found leadership and management stronger when they visited in September 2021.
Sustainable
Amongst the challenges Covid-19 brought, to reduce the potential for infection, we
moved all residents to single bedrooms and have decided to make this permanent. As
a result, bed capacity reduced although underlying demand for both 52 week and short
break placements remained strong. Plans began to increase capacity to enable the
Foundation to meet the demand, particularly from young adults seeking placements in
our Futures provision. Consultation with regulators, families, and commissioners took
place and architects were asked to develop plans for a new residential building. The
Pandemic and the uncertain fundraising environment delayed the completion of this
initial phase, but designs have now been agreed and planning permission submitted in
2022, with a view to launching a capital appeal in the summer.
As another measure to minimise infection, from April to June and again December
to March, short breaks ceased with the inevitable impact on income while fixed costs
remained the same. Reserves were used to maintain quality service delivery in the
short term while economies were made where possible. Fees were were rebased to
reflect the higher cost of delivering services and ensure long term sustainability.
Reconfiguring the Fundraising Team in 2021 increased capacity and skills. The team
demonstrated their strength and resilience by exceeding their targets for the year
whilst maintaining support for our specialist services.
Ready to Develop
The Vision Fund was launched in Autumn 2020 to help achieve the ambition of our 10year plan to have “the capacity to develop”. Carefully structured major capital appeals
are essential for specific projects, such as replacing the out-dated Memorial Hall with
the ultra-modern Dream Centre, but do not meet the Charity’s need for unrestricted
funds for immediate and urgent investment. The Vision Fund was established to do
just that and, in 2020-21, pledges from donors allowed us to “beat the heat” and
install quietly efficient air conditioning in each residential lounge in Spring 2021. The
fund will also be used in 2022 to fund, amongst other projects, the air conditioning to
all the young people’s bedrooms too. More details can be found on page 33.
Chailey Heritage Foundation
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Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21
9Statement from Chair of Trustees and Chief Executive
Continued
Began our Digital Ambition
With the help of a small group of technology experts, we began our digital journey
by appointing out first Head of Technology (see page 24). Eddie Erasmus joined
in January 2021 and, within four months, had mapped out and costed a digital
transformation programme spanning the next three years. This appointment marked
the beginning of a step change. It accelerated the adaption of cloud-based technology
and understanding the potential of systems we had already, such as Microsoft 365,
and set our ambitions for the future, both for digital improvement and optimisation of
existing systems or the development of new bespoke solutions.
We were very proud when the Dream Centre’s innovatory immersive environment
was recognised. It won the Thea Award for ‘Outstanding Achievement – Immersive
Design for Special Needs Guests’ and the ‘Education Project of the Year’ from AV
Magazine. We are so grateful to Teecom, North Star Engineering and, most of all, to
7th Sense without whose expertise we would never have procured, installed, or had
the inspiration for this award-winning digital experience, which we now tailor to the
interests of the young people.
The appointment of a new Communications & Marketing Manager and a digital
marketing lead in Summer 2021 ensured that the resources needed for the Charity’s
Christmas fundraising campaign and renewed efforts on recruitment were and continue
to be available.
By the end of 2020-21, like most organisations, Chailey Heritage was learning to live
with Covid 19 - “hoping for the best but ready for the worst”. Our strategic targets
were achieved, the Charity was ‘Fit for the Future’ and ready to look forward to the
final stage of its journey towards its 10-year goals.
Children and Young People are at the core of our charity so, for 2021-24, our focus will
be on Innovation and Excellence.
To achieve our ambitious plans for innovation and excellence, the Charity needs to
have firm foundations and, for the next three years, we aim to strengthen the charity
by addressing strategic fundamentals – investing in our staff, ensuring the Charity
remains financially resilient, completing the first and most intensive phase of our digital
transformation and continuing to support climate goals through the Chailey Carbon
Challenge. Our plans for the future are set out on page 36.
We have an ambitious and exciting programme but are looking forward to the
challenge.
Mark Creamer
Chair of Trustees
10
Introduction
Helen Hewitt
Chief Executive