Oxford Place Children s Centre Annual Report 2012

Transcription

1 Oxford Place Children s Centre Annual Report 2012

2 Oxford Place Children s Centre Annual Report 2012 Foreword If you are like me, you may be thinking as you pick this booklet up, Oh no, not another report to read. Before you put it down, may I recommend you carry on reading as this report is a celebration of an amazing childcare service offered to anyone involved in any aspect of Court proceedings in Leeds. Based opposite the Combined Courts, the Oxford Place Children s Centre is a project working out of Leeds Methodist Mission, where parents can safely leave their children (from 0 12 years old) in an Ofsted registered childcare facility whilst they attend any of the Courts or participate in Court-prescribed programmes. Started in 1983 by Methodist women from across Leeds, who recognised the pressures on families attending the Courts with children, this free facility has supported thousands of families. Now staffed by childcare professionals supported by volunteers, the Oxford Place Children s Centre continues to offer a place of safety and play for children for as long as their parents are in Court. Unlike other childcare facilities the children may only need a place for an hour, or they may attend for several days sometimes even longer. On some occasions the parent may received a custodial sentence and the Children s Centre staff must work with the Courts to ensure the child has appropriate care to go to. In spite of all these pressures the Oxford Place Children s Centre is

3 usually a place of tranquillity where children find loving care and a place to play. In these tough economic times the Oxford Place Children s Centre, has been fairly successful in accessing numerous, usually short-term, funding streams. Whilst accommodation is subsidised by Leeds Methodist Mission and grants are received from Leeds Methodist District and Methodist Women in Britain, our main source of funding comes through a grant from Leeds City Council. This grant has been maintained for the past two years, but will be reviewed in April With so many calls on the council s purse we cannot assume funding will continue. Other grants in 2010/11 were received from the Sir George Martin Trust, the Joseph Rank Foundation, Leeds Community Foundation, Resolution and many donations were received from Methodist Churches across the Leeds District. We are very grateful for this continuing support and all the hard work our secretary, Gill Jewell, puts into writing applications. Many thanks. Whilst the Methodist Church is a vital supporter of the Children s Centre, I must stress that our aim is not to proselytise but to use our facilities and resources creatively to support families attending the Courts. I recommend the wonderful work of the Oxford Place Children s Centre to you and hope you enjoy reading the various reports. Deacon Jenny Jones, Chair, Oxford Place Children s Centre Deacon, Leeds Methodist Mission

4 Manager s Report The Centre has had another year of not knowing if we have the funding for us to carry on, but as always, the money arrived, due to a lot of hard work from Gill and the committee. The following numbers show that, as usual, the numbers have been up and down. Magistrates Crown Other Total Mornings ,111 Afternoons Total ,555 I would like to thank Anne, Christine, Irene and all the volunteers for all their hard work and support. We would all like to send our sincere sympathy to Christine Butler on the loss of her husband Brian. Brian brought so much pleasure to all the children in the Centre with the play kitchen he made and the storage cupboard in the office, which has made staff and volunteer s lives so much easier. All the best to Christine and family and a big thank you to all of you. We now have students in the Centre most of the time and things are going well. Leeds City College are very pleased with our work with the students. Julie Commons, Manager

5 Rota Secretary s Report On behalf of the staff and Management Committee of the Children s Centre and myself, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to our small, but very willing band of volunteers. We cannot manage without you. THANK YOU those two words small though they are, are very definitely giant sized! No words are really adequate to express our thanks. Well done every one. Thank you too for your prayerful support and your friendship. Also, for never making me feel that I am imposing on your generosity of time. Many thanks Irene Hebden

6 Volunteers Whilst having three paid qualified child-care professionals the Oxford Place Children s Centre has a bank of volunteers who support the staff and children When I retired, about six and a half years ago, I knew I wanted to do something worthwhile with my time. I had heard of the Children s Centre at Oxford Place and a friend from church had also given me a leaflet about it. I thought that it would be ideal for me as I have always worked with children, (through Sunday school teaching, as an infant teacher, and through raising four children of my own). A couple of months later I began as a volunteer at the Children s Centre, working every alternate Monday. I enjoy working here as we provide a safe and comfortable environment for children who have to be separated from their parents. Although, only for a few hours, it can be a frightening experience, so helping them to have an enjoyable time is very important. Most of the children who stay at the centre enjoy their time with us as we provide a wide variety of toys and games along with a great deal of individual attention. It is also a great help for parents who are experiencing a stressful time, which is an important part of our work too. As a Christian I like to use my time doing things that help other people and I feel that the Children s Centre allows me to do that. I look forward to coming to the Centre; it is nice to catch up with the news from the staff and other volunteers and makes for a very fulfilling day. June McBurney

7 Leeds Combined Court Oxford Place Children s Centre Leeds Magistrate s Court

8 Accounts for the year ended 31st August 2011 Receipts and Payments General Bequests Total Funds 2009/10 Fund Receipts Grants 31, , , Churches 7, , Network 3, , , Personal 2, , , Other Donations Other Income 1, , Total Income 47, , , Payments Staff Costs 28, , , Accommodation 4, , , Telephone Equipment Running Costs 1, , , Sundries Total Expenditure 34, , , Net Receipts/(Payments) 12, , (5,815.22) Transfers between Funds Net Movement in funds 12, , (5,815.22) Balance b/f 1st Sept , , , , Balance c/f 31st Aug , , , , Cash Current Account 5, , , Savings Account 12, , TMCP Trustees Interest 1, , , Fund Total Balances 17, , , ,112.13

9 Methodist Women in Britain (MWiB) MWiB is the new name for Network, but as far as the Children s Centre is concerned it is business as usual. We have been their special project ever since we opened and, despite a big fall over the years in the number of small meetings, there has been no change in their commitment to our project. We are immensely grateful for all your fundraising for the Centre, which over the years has been crucial in allowing us to replace worn-out carpets, broken toys etc. Thank you one and all for your wonderful support for us. Irene Hebden You bring happiness to us and smiles to our faces even at other plase if were above if were below and even in snow youll always be there for use Child s words and spelling Spreading the Word Sometimes, it s not what you know but whom you know! Taking my granddaughters to school, I realised that the Sure Start organisation was based there. I made an appointment with the co-ordinator, Sue Broadhurst, and took along an Annual Report and other information to show her. Sue was very enthusiastic about the work we do at the Children s Centre, and said she would bring us to the notice of all Leeds Sure Start projects. Our details are now in all their Activity leaflets. Many thanks to Sue for her help and support. Angela Foster

10 Dear Julie Commons Each year the Oxford Place Children s Centre takes students from Leeds City College who require work experience placements for their qualification. Below is a letter from the Work Experience Co-ordinator Firstly may we thank you for giving our students the opportunity to complete their Work Experience Placement at your center, without this opportunity the students would not fulfill their course requirements. We have been placing students with your centre for the last 2 years and over that period you have offered placements to 10 students studying a range of different courses, including CACHE Childcare & Education, BTEC Child Care, Learning & Development and BTEC Health & Social Care. All of the courses have a compulsory requirement that the students have to complete a number of hours in a setting to pass the course, and without your support the students would not gain their qualification but also the skills to help them in their personal and professional life. Whilst on placement the student will gain confidence to work with children and will also improve their social skills. So, once again we would like to thank you for accepting the students of Leeds City College and supporting them through their placement. We hope to continue working with your centre over the coming years and as a college we want you to know how much we value and appreciate your support. Many thanks from Charlotte Duffy Work Experience Co-Ordinator and the Leeds City College Work Experience Team.

11 Wanted urgently a Fundraiser The Children s Centre is part of the work of Leeds Mission and a project of District Network. We care for children whose parents/carers are involved in court proceedings, two sessions a day, five days a week all year round free of charge. We all thank you for being there to help us out during our stressful time. A Family Are you computer literate? Could you research funding opportunities? Could you apply for grants? Or do you know someone who could? We have three fully qualified paid staff and are registered with Ofsted. Volunteers from around the Leeds Methodist District provide other staffing. Fundraising is essential to complement the money we receive from Leeds Council and the courts together with donations from Churches and Women s Network. It is variable in the amount of time required and relevant funding opportunities need researching online to enable application for grants to be successful. To find out more please contact Gill Jewell (Sec.) on

12 Treasurer s Report Thanks largely to a huge fund-raising effort from our Secretary Gill Jewell, we were able to record a significant surplus and replenish reserves. Donations were received from the Rank Foundation, the George Martin Trust, The Leeds Community Foundation and 'Resolution', as well as increased giving from churches and individuals within the Leeds Methodist District. However, the reserves represent little more than half a year's running costs and the future of our local authority funding is uncertain at the time of writing. Acknowledgments Our thanks go to: - Members of the Management Committee, past and present, for their work and support behind the scenes. Members and staff of Oxford Place Church for their continual interest help and support. Mr. Leslie Sudron for acting as our auditor. Leeds Magistrate Court and Leeds Combined Courts for their continual support. Leeds City Council for their help and advice as well as their Annual Grant. We are grateful to everyone who has given their time and talents to help us in so many ways during the past year. If we have inadvertently missed anyone, please accept our apologies for the omission and assume our gratitude.

13 Oxford Place Children s Centre New volunteers are welcome Do you have one day a fortnight? one day a month? when you could volunteer to help in the Centre. The Centre is open Monday Friday, 9.30 am 4.00 pm The safeguarding of the children is paramount and it is essential that we create a safe space for them. All volunteers will be required to undergo an enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check.