30 YEARS of hElping Young pEoplE

INDEPENDENT

2012/13ANNUAL

REPORT

PEOPLE

Chair’s Report

Much of 2012 -13 has seen the Senior Management Team and others absorbed in commissioning and there is no underestimating the massive amount of work that goes in to this.

The pay off has been that 1625 Independent People has increased the amount of high support we deliver in Bristol. We won the contract for St Georges House and the Foyer, became part of two successful consortia to deliver the Bristol Youth Links contracts, have retained the Bristol young person’s f loating support service and are now delivering a homeless prevention mediation service.

These successes also demonstrate the value placed on the excellent work provided throughout the organisation, delivering innovative and effective support to young people who are homeless or leaving care or custody. We must remember however that for staff delivering these services, commissioning is a very hard time with job uncertainty and often restructures in the process. I really want to recognise the dedication demonstrated by staff which we have seen in this difficult year as in every year.

Alongside the commissioning was a second successful Big Lottery partnership bid (Improving Financial Confidence) led by Independent People to improve financial awareness in young people in social housing. Bristol Youth Links continues our successful delivery of peer education in schools with additional specialists providing

CONTENTSChair’s Report

Financial Information

Equality & Diversity Figures

High Support

Reboot

30th Anniversary

Involving Young People

The Team

Special Thanks

2-3

4-5

6-7

8-9

10-11

18-21

12-17

22

23

2

3

ChAiR’S REpoRT

hARd woRk, success, RESTRUCTURES & extreme wEATHERstage in pouring rain. Brisfest in September, where we have an awareness raising stall, was completely washed out with rain. To top them all the 1st anniversary celebration for our Big Lottery Future 4 Me work in January took place on the day when the most snow had fallen in Bristol for years. Despite the deep snow we had great attendance from people who had walked miles to come to the event including Frances Done, Chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales who walked several miles to be our guest speaker.

Once again an incredibly busy year in so many ways. Deepest thanks must as always go to the dedicated staff team, the young people and my colleagues on the Board.

The young people, staff and Board both past and present have made Independent People the great organisation it is today. It is brilliant to see the organisation move into its 30th birthday year in such a successful position. You will hear more about our 30 year anniversary in this report, on the website and elsewhere.

Stephen Lodge,Chair of Independent People

homelessness prevention work throughout the city. Together with mediation and financial confidence delivery this has created a specialist part of Independent People concentrating on the important area of prevention of homelessness.

The breadth of services we are now offering both in preventing homelessness and providing all round support for those who are experiencing homelessness (including training, education and employment) is why our Youth Board are concentrating on a stream of work called ‘More than just a landlord’ which you will hear more of in years to come. We have increased our work with public relations and fundraising with the launch of our online shop and Reboot (more inside).

I really want to recognise the dedication demonstrated by staff that we have seen in this difficult year as in every year.

We’ve held many events through the year including a thank you three course dinner for funders provided by young people, the Tuffin Ferraby Taylor quiz, young people’s consultation for the Big Lottery work with Barclays and the annual Rotary Dragon Boat race. The weather was extreme at three events this year. The Festival of Rotary in June saw Dom Wood CEO and Junior Saunders (Trainee Support Worker) take the

“

“

These summarised accounts contain information extracted from the annual accounts and certain information relating to both the Income and Expenditure Account and the Balance Sheet.

They may not contain sufficient information to allow for a full understanding of the financial affairs of the organisation.

Further information and copies of the full accounts which have been subject to an audit, and the annual report of the Management Committee can be obtained from Head Office.

Statement of the Management Committee

inCoME And EXpEndiTuRE ACCounTYEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2013

finAnCiAl infoRMATion

4

2013 2012

£ £

Turnover 3,302,309 3,361,116

less: operating costs (3,184,404) (3,343,074)

Operating surplus 117,905 18,042

other income 93,095 80,250

interest receivable 99 257

interest payable (9,606) (10,064)

Surplus for the financial year 201,493 88,485

Transfer from / (to) restricted reserves 29,498 10,675

Transfer from designated reserves - -

221,991 99,160

Revenue reserve at start of year 565,383 466,223

Revenue reserve at end of year 787,374 565,383

The results for the year relate wholly to continuing activities.There are no recognised gains and losses other than the results for the year as set out above.

2013 2012

£ £ £ £

Fixed assets

housing properties 312,568 332,749

Capital grant (71,895) (71,895)

240,673 260,854

other fixed assets 575,559 603,234

investments 977 1,223

817,209 865,311

Current assets

debtors 216,297 324,842

Cash at bank and in hand 798,965 296,315

1,015,262 621,157

Creditors: Amounts fallingdue within one year (418,010) (231,242)

Net current assets 597,252 389,915

Total assets less current liabilities 1,414,461 1,255,226

Creditors: Amounts falling due in more than one year (612,939) (641,222)

Provisions - (13,975)

Net assets 801,522 600,029

Capital and reserves

Called-up share capital 34 34

Revenue reserve 787,374 565,383

Restricted reserves 14,114 34,612

801,522 600,029

BAlAnCE ShEET AT 31 MARCH 2013

finAnCiAl infoRMATion

5

1%

EQuAliTY & diVERSiTY figuRES

6

% of young people per

service 32%

21%

22%

14%

Bristol housing Services

Bristol floating Support Services

South glos housing Services

South glos floating Support Services

St george’s house

future 4 Me

Key

Total number of youngpeople supported 824 2011/12

938 2012/13

Number of young people supported

Bristol housing Services 301

Bristol floating Support Services 198

South glos housing Services 13

South glos floating Support Services 210

St george’s house 126

future 4 Me 90

Percentages of young people who had a planned/positive move on or are still maintaining their tenancy

Bristol housing Services 83%

Bristol floating Support Services 97%

South glos housing Services 100%

South glos floating Support Services 95%

St george’s house 83%

Future 4 Me results

Young people managing their accommodation more independently 90%

Young people who progress from custody and care into good quality housing with support

98%

Maintenance completed on time Target

Emergency repairs 99% 100%

urgent repairs 94.4% 95%

Routine repairs 91.8% 90%

95%80% 100% 77%62%

5%20% 0% 23%38%

Bristol housing Services

Bristol floating Support Services

South glos housing Services

South glos floating Support Services

St george’s house

Bristol housing Services

Bristol floating Support Services

South glos housing Services

South glos floating Support Services

St george’s house

Bristol housing Services

Bristol floating Support Services

South glos housing Services

South glos floating Support Services

St george’s house

Age by Service Aged 18+ Aged 16/17

60% 58%

91%

54%

40% 42%9% 11%

46%

Ethnicity by Service non BME BME

66% 61% 64% 58%39%

34% 39% 36% 42%61%

Gender by Service female Male

EQuAliTY & diVERSiTY figuRES

7

future 4 Me

future 4 Me

future 4 Me

85%

15%

66%

34%

7%

93%

89%

Maintenance completed on time Target

Emergency repairs 99% 100%

urgent repairs 94.4% 95%

Routine repairs 91.8% 90%

Helping young people reboot their livesIn January 2013, the “Reboot” campaign was born at Independent People.

Offering 13 different projects and services and describing us as Housing Support Service felt like a bit of an understatement. We needed a more coherent message to engage public and corporate audiences in the work we were doing.

We enlisted the marketing expertise of long standing supporter and volunteer, Ryan James (Playmaker Services) to help us develop our message. With the help of copywriter Jim O’Conner (Stories that Sell) and Visual Communications Artist, Lizzie Everard, we set about trying to distil what we do.

A group of staff from around the organisation became the Campaign Development Team and we worked to find a simple message that would help us describe our service to one and all.

on ThE ouTSidE

“Independent People, helps young people reboot their lives”

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Everyone deserves the chance to reboot their life if they need to. The young people we work with are all at that point. If they’ve arrived at our door it’s because something has gone wrong and they have nowhere left to turn. Something in their life needs rebooting - whether it’s big or small. You as a supporter don’t really need to know the nitty-gritty details, they’re personal.

Reboot our brandThis is a bold move, but we feel we have achieved enough brand recognition within the housing sector to move away from the word “housing”. Professionals know what we do.

We wanted to position ourselves externally as an organisation that is there for all young people. The fact that our referrals are made through the homelessness route does not need to define us or the young people we support. Our support package looks at every aspect of a young person’s life, housing is the very important tip of a big iceberg.

Homelessness is not fixed by having enough houses or f lats to put a roof over someone’s head. Homelessness is about people, relationships, society and situations. Our job is two fold - to educate and inform young people so they can make informed decisions about their housing and to provide a springboard to those who don’t or can’t. We’re not content with being a safety net - when young people work with us they should leave our services in all-round better shape. Rebooted.

The word reboot assumes everything that is needed to be successful is already present. We thought this was an important nod to the strength of character of the young people we support.

Reboot can be applied to many things - reboot your life, reboot your career, reboot your confidence, reboot your attitude! In marketing speak - it had legs.

Corporate engagementWe already have amazing connections with local corporates and businesses, but we needed to expand on this and develop a package so new organisations can engage with us more easily.

We developed three strands of involvement – Champions who donate services, Partners who actively fundraise for us and Sponsors who donate cash.

When an organisation gets involved with us to the value of over £500, they are mentioned on our website and can use our official badges in their own marketing to show their support.

Current Reboot Sponsors include Art Express (Rachel Goodchild), Fresh Work Space (Paul Goodchild), Barclays Bank, The Funding Network and Redcliffe Homes

Reboot Partners are Playmaker Services (Ryan James) and Tuffin Ferraby Taylor Consultants

Reboot Champions are Solsoft, Playmaker Services (Ryan James), Tuffin Ferraby Taylor Consultants and Trevor Lever Consulting Ltd (Trevor Lever)

Going for GoldTaking our relationship to gold level means they’ve sponsored, partnered or championed us to the value of over £10,000.

It has to be noted that Bristol Bridge Rotary Club are special Gold supporters having relentlessly worked for us, donating, volunteering and fundraising for four years now!

on ThE ouTSidE

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I am delighted to report that, not only did we secure the medium term future of St. George’s House by successfully securing a three year contract, we were also successful in gaining the contract to manage Bristol Foyer. The Foyer is the other major High Support Service in Bristol, increasing the number of high support units we manage from 25 to 76 and positioning the organisation as the major provider of short-term, emergency accommodation to young people in the City.

Handover date for delivery: 1 June 2013.

high SuppoRT SERViCES

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High Support Services

RestructureThis achievement, and the transfer to the new delivery model, has resulted in a major staffing restructure, in which we retained a core group of our wonderful staff team and have had an equally fantastic group of new staff join us from Bristol Foyer. We have also created new trainee and apprentice roles, aiming to offer young and/or inexperienced people an opportunity to gain employment within the sector.

a transitional year

The dominant issue of the year, as it was for the whole organisation,

was to secure the future of our service through the Local Authority’s

commissioning framework

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high SuppoRT SERViCES

High Support Services

Positive actions and outcomesDespite the prevailing uncertainty and the impact on everyone’s capacity that comes with a large scale commissioning process, St. George’s House staff continued to perform to a high standard, delivering its core and complementary services to vulnerable young people. We exceeded our key performance targets over the course of the year and the staff worked incredibly hard to repeatedly facilitate positive outcomes for service users.

The needs of young people, particularly those that use High Support Services, are increasing in complexity and the staff have proven themselves to be experts at systematically overcoming barriers and providing a safe, affirming and encouraging living environment. Team members have widely consulted and worked with young people to develop a culture in which the service promotes and rewards positive action and supports the journey to independence.

Tougher targetsWe are now in a position to streamline and consolidate the two services and will be implementing the longer-term development phase with our partners towards the end of year one (2013-14). The staff and management team understand that we are faced with tougher performance targets than we have ever had to meet, which will demand the best of us, but our team is highly skilled, very cohesive and motivated about the future together. A note of special thanks must go to Sanja Taylor, our HR Manager, who tirelessly provided support, guidance and clarity to us all throughout a particularly challenging and uncertain period.

New Assessment CentreThrough the year, we continued to work in partnership with Children and Young Peoples Services to provide an Assessment Centre facility in four of the 25 units at St. George’s House: 43 young people used that service and 83% of them positively moved on within an average of 27 days and we maintained a 100% non-eviction rate for that element of the service through intensive multi-agency work.

Our newly formed services have plenty of scope for development: Priorities for the coming year will be to insert our new resettlement service to further improve the quality of move–on support, establish peer support roles into the central delivery model and fully embed the principles of Psychologically Informed Environments into both services. We look forward to continuing the transition!

Paul Hale, Operations Director

The staff and management team understand that we are faced with tougher performance targets than we have ever had to meet... but our team is highly skilled, very cohesive and motivated about the future together

It’s been an incredibly busy 30 years but we’ve managed to give a very

simplified timeline of how 1625 Independent People came to be. From

our origins as EBYHA to today...

three decades

OF HELPINg YOuNg PEOPlE

It all started here...

EAST BRISTOL YOUTH HOUSINg (EBYHA)

is set up in 1983

EBYHA is renamed

wAYAHEAD

HOUSINg AND

SUPPORT

in 2005

EBYHA helps to set up SOUTH BRISTOL YOUTH HOUSINg (SBYHA) in 1989

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30 YEAR AnniVERSARY

EBYHA is renamed

wAYAHEAD

HOUSINg AND

SUPPORT

in 2005

EBYHA helps to set up SOUTH BRISTOL YOUTH HOUSINg (SBYHA) in 1989 SBYHA is ren

amed

PRIORITY YOUTH

HOUSINg

in 1995

1625 Independent People is formed by merging

Wayahead and Priority in 2009

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It began because a group of us were working with unemployed young people... and lots of the young people had problems with housing, so we went looking for money to set up the housing organisation.Neil Pirie (Founding member East Bristol Youth Housing)

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...they managed to get an Urban Aid grant to do something about the youth homelessness problem in east Bristol.Sally Britton EBYHA’s first paid member of staff

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So much more than just housing...

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1625 Independent People now offers 13 different services under one banner of support. Helping young people reboot their lives means providing opportunities for personal development.

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Peer Support was set as one of the Youth Board’s core priorities, with a youth-led steering group helping develop our peer support service, including recruitment of a new Peer Support Co-ordinator through our Bristol Youth Links Consortium.

The development of the Youth Board drove some of our main achievements this year, identifying key priorities for service improvements, helping us establish a new system that enables young people and staff to work together on task groups to turn their ideas into reality, and communicate their work effectively with the Board and Senior Managers.

INVOLVINgYOuNg PEOPlE

Your Future 4 Me worker can help you find a place to live. We help you fill in forms, talk to the council and set up your bills or sort out debts. We can help with family stuff or health needs – mental or physical. And we can help you work out what you want to do next.

We only work with young people leaving care or custody so we know the system and have all the contacts you need.

We don’t judge you or tell you what to do – we just help you get to where you want to be in life.

It’s all about YOU.

Freedom. Your house, your rules. Sweet.

YOUROWNPLACE

for young people leaving care and/or custody

At the start of the year Barclays Bank directors joined

us in an activity-filled consultation day with young people to develop our

new £1 million Big Lottery funded Cashpoint project, so we could understand from young

people how we can best engage them in improving their financial confidence.

Young people from our Future 4 Me service, funded by the Big Lottery to improve outcomes for young people leaving custody and care, produced an inspiring DVD to promote the service to other young people in custody and care. The DVD was launched at multi-agency event at the M-Shed, with a key-note speech by Frances Done, Chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.

The Service User Forum continued to enable external agencies to reach young people and consult on their views, for example for Bristol’s recommissioning of f loating support services, and development of the new South Gloucestershire Housing Strategy.

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We continued to train young people in our recruitment processes, enabling joint decision-making on interview panels and workshops so we can employ the right people to engage young people and lead services, from managers to frontline support staff and financial skills workers.

A group of young people arranged our Christmas Social with our dedicated Rotary club volunteers. Fifty young people enjoyed a Christmas dinner, received gifts and enjoyed a ‘winter wonderland’ party at The Station.

Another camping residential took place in the summer, enabling twenty young people to have an unforgettable experience outside the city on the Pembrokeshire coast. Surfing , Coasteering, Star gazing and popcorn on the fire!

inVolVing Young pEoplE

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inVolVing Young pEoplE

The participation team has strengthened links with other organisations that seek to empower and develop young people’s potential, including Envision, working on social action projects, and the Care Forum, to enable the voice of young people to be heard in relation to health and social care provision.

Our Upfront Peer Education Project has continued to develop as part of our new Bristol Youth Links contract, building on existing links with mainstream schools and developing new links including the City Academy Bristol, specialist educational providers such as the Bristol Hospital Education Service, City of Bristol college’s New Start Programme and Learning Partnership West’s Choices programme.

Our professional kitchen was busy with young people working alongside a local business with the support of a volunteer. It was also used to deliver regular cooking skills sessions.

inVolVing Young pEoplE

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RECOgNISINg YOuNg PEOPlE’S ACHIEVEmENTS

Our film-making project worked jointly with a Dance Theatre company on a production of ‘Cathy Come Home’, and the two films by young people were used as part of a premier show at the Arnolfini Art Gallery.

A number of the peer educators completed multi-agency training aimed at professionals and volunteers, and a new initiative with MIND planned and delivered joint training for staff and service users in young people’s mental health. Feedback from these days was very positive, it is a model we will build on in the future.

One of our long-standing peer educators, Jade Howe, was nominated by her peers for the Bristol Lord Mayor’s Medal that recognises those who work tirelessly on a voluntary basis to improve the lives of others. The medal was presented at a special ceremony held at the Lord Mayor Mansion earlier this year. Further awards are planned at our summer social event to thank the young people who have contributed so tirelessly to improving services and outcomes for their peers. A huge thank you to all of you!

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Senior Management Team 2012-2013Chief Executive Dom Wood

Operations Directors Denise Tombs, Howard Symonds (left May 12), Paul Hale ( joined Feb 13)

Service Improvement Director Jamie Gill

Corporate Services Director Guy Malkerson ( joined Feb 13)

Volunteer Board of Management 2012-2013Chair Stephen Lodge

Vice Chair Karen Ross

Treasurer David Clowes

Board Members Nat Selman, David Morgan (left Nov 12), Meirion Rushworth, Sally Cordwell, Ann Thorne (left Sep 12), Barbara Berryman (left Sep 12), Donna Johnson (left September 12), Brendan Weekes ( joined Sep 12), Chas Townley ( joined Sep 12)

Permanent Position Volunteers 2012-2013Display Co-ordinator Duwayne Douglas

Marketing and Events Volunteer Emma Loui

Volunteer Administrator SGH Sarah Golding-Keanne

Volunteer SGH Ben Doherty

Indykits Coordinator Lea Minton

i-people Magazine Donough O’Malley

ThE TEAM

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SpECiAl ThAnkS

Finally, A Big Thank YouFor services/donations/acts of kindness between April 2012 - end March 2013

Help! CounsellingHilton HotelsHomeless Linki.e. Intelligent MarketingJephson Housing Association Jeremy Woodcock Kids CompanyKN Office Supplies Knightstone Housing AssociationLearning Partnership WestLizzie EverardLloyds Banking GroupLushMaking the ChangeMcKenna Smith Wessex Merlin HousingMinuteman PressMissing Link/Next Link North Bristol NHS Trust - Young People’s Substance Misuse Treatment ServiceOff the RecordOld Market Community AssociationOsbourne ClarkePlaces for PeoplePlaymaker ServicesPrince’s TrustPuresport Hospitality Quartet Community FoundationRehab Job fit/TBGRJA Consultancy (Robin Johnson)Second Step SGS collegeShutterBugs For Busienss

Abbeywood SchoolArt ExpressAvon and Somerset PoliceAvon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust - Bristol Specialist Drug and Alcohol Service Barclays BankBarnardosBeepTreat.comBIG LotteryBluefinBowden Locksmiths Bristol Bridge Rotary ClubBristol CharitiesBristol City CouncilBristol City Football ClubBristol Drugs ProjectBristol Rugby ClubBristol University (Big Give)Brook BSDAS Transitions service Burges SalmonBusiness in the CommunityCAMHSCAPITA Caring at ChristmasCharities Information Bureau (CIB)Children and Young People’s ServicesClinksConverse with Confidence Creative Youth NetworkCrisisDeb GeeDr. Jeremy Woodcock DTZEssentiaMail FareshareFast Track Solutions Frank Buttle TrustFull Fat Films Good Vibrations Network

SITRASolon South West Housing AssociationSolsoftSolution IP South Gloucestershire and Stroud College South Gloucestershire CouncilSouth West ConsortiumSouthern BrookesSpidergroup St BasilsSt. Mungos’ Wellbeing ServiceStories That SellStudio 2 PrintersSupport SolutionsThe HR Dept The Referral Institute The Sofa ProjectThe Station Thistle Hotels (The Grand Bristol) Training Exchange and Phil HarrisTrevor Lever Consulting TribalTrinity ArtsTuffin Ferraby TaylorUniversity of the West of EnglandVoscurYoung Peoples Substance Misuse ServiceYouth Justice BoardYouth Offending Teams

Kingsley Hall, 58-59 Old market Street, Bristol BS2 0ER0117 317 8800www.1625ip.co.uk

The leading provider of housing, support and advice to young people in the South west of England

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