Trustees' Annual Report Report Of The Council Of Management Year Ended 30 September 2006

ORGANISATION

BIRD (The Centre for Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Development) abbreviated here as BIRD, is a Charity, constituted as a company limited by guarantee, established on 10 August 1982 and does not have any share capital. BIRD is governed by Memorandum and Articles of Association and members of the council are both Trustees in terms of charity law and directors of the Company.

APPOINTMENT

The Trustees are the members of this registered charity as referred to in the Memorandum of Articles of Association. They are elected by unanimous approval of the other members, and offered for appointment by invitation of the chairperson in office at the time.

No other person or body is entitled to appoint Trustees.

Potential Trustees apply to the Chairman in writing to express an interest in joining the Board of Management, illustrating their skills and knowledge and what particular strengths they can bring to the Board.

The Chair considers the application and matches it to the existing skills of the Trustees.

The applicant is invited to meet with the Chair who then gives an overview of the Charity’s history, its aims and objectives, financial position and a copy of the Governing Document, strategic vision document and Responsibilities of Charity Trustees (CC3 issued by the Charity Commission).

The applicant is then invited to observe the next EGM and is introduced to other Trustees. Should the potential Trustee agree to join the Board and there are no objections from existing Trustees a formal letter of invitation is issued.

The induction process includes meeting with the Chief Executive and key personnel of the Charity during which they will receive explanation of the Governing Document, financial accounts and overview of the Charity History, strategic plan, vision and values statement.

The new Trustee is asked to sign a document to say that they have read and understood all the induction documents and to sign a declaration that they are not disqualified from acting as a Charity Trustee.

The new Trustee is co-opted onto the Board at the next EGM.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

The BIRD Charity is a company limited by guarantee. Company registration number: 1657517. Incorporated on 10 August 1982. A registered charity, number: 326194.

Management of the company is effected by a senior management team of Chief Executive and Practice/Administration Manager.

Governance of the Charity and Company is the responsibility of the Trustee/Directors with clearly defined terms of reference, delegation to Sub Committees and lines of authority and reporting. The Management team implements the Policies laid down by the Board and takes responsibility for the day to day running of the Company.

The names of Trustee/Directors are listed on page 1. Members of Council retire by rotation, in accordance with the Articles of Association and if eligible, may offer themselves for re-election by the Council members. The Council appoints new members subject to re-election at the next Annual General Meeting, on the basis of their skills and experience, relevant to the effective management of the company. The Patron of the Charity is Lord Jones. The Finance sub-committee has a three person membership consisting of Mr D Linton, and Dr D J McGlown and Mr J D Smith. The total staff team consists of 5 full-time and three part-time staff. Dr D J McGlown is Clinical Consultant to the Charity

Management Accounts are prepared and reviewed monthly by the Chairman and members of the Finance Sub Committee and quarterly reports prepared for all Board members.

The Annual Accounts are independently audited.

The Trustees receive comprehensive reports from the Chief Executive and Clinical Consultant at EGM and AGM meetings.

STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBERS OF COUNCIL

Company law requires the Members of the Council to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and its incoming resources and application of resources for that period. In preparing the statement the Directors are required to:-

  • select suitable accounting policies and apply them;
  • make judgements that are reasonable and prudent;
  • state whether the applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
  • prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.

The Members of Council are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records and for disclosing with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company enabling them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 1985. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for taking reasonable steps to ensure the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

OBJECTS

BIRD is established for the relief, treatment and advancement of brain injured persons and of persons with a range of disabilities and learning difficulties which owe their origins to development dysfunctions of the central nervous system.

The BIRD Charity supports children and adults who have a brain dysfunction through its treatment programme ‘Developmental Reflexive Rehabilitation’ which has been successful in improving the lives of brain injured children and adults since 1982 when Dr David McGlown, pioneer of the BIRD approach to treatment, founded the BIRD Charity.

Families and individuals are invited to the Charity’s Centre near Chester where each child or older person is given an initial assessment followed by a comprehensive report reading during which information is given as to whether the treatment is suitable for the individual concerned. An individually designed programme of rehabilitation exercises is taught to parents or carers who carry out the programme on a daily basis in their own homes. Close contact is maintained with families in between visits to the Centre for reviews of the programme to monitor progress.

In this way, the Centre helps a significant number of children and adults achieve their potential and increase their quality of life enjoyment. The success of the treatment is evident from the number of families and individuals who wish others to hear of the positive outcomes from joining the BIRD treatment programme.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The BIRD Charity has an inclusive Equal Opportunities policy irrespective of colour, race, creed or financial means. It operates a Bursary Award system to ensure that children and adults from low income families receive equality of opportunity to join the treatment programme. Children and adults from all over the United Kingdom are leading more independent and fulfilling lives through the dedication of the BIRD staff in partnership with their families and carers.

POLICIES

BIRD has implemented a number of detailed policies in relation to personnel and other matters including;

  • Equal Opportunities
  • Health and Safety
  • Conflicts of Interest
  • Reserves
  • Child Protection
  • Complaints
  • Risk Management

RESERVES POLICY

BIRD’s Reserves Policy focuses on the level of ‘free’ reserves. These reserves exclude restricted and designated funds.

BIRD retains free reserves for two main reasons:

  • To manage the risks to which the Charity is exposed in the course of its business, including;
  • Safeguarding activities funded by volatile voluntary income streams or by other sources that may be reduced or withdrawn;
  • To finance future plans, in line with BIRD’s aims and strategic vision.

The Trustees consider that to meet these needs they should have reserves of £125,000. This represents 6-12 months expenditure. BIRD’s free reserves were £131,805 at 30 September 2006 (£193,238 at September 2005) that represented 6 months of expenditure cover.

Internal Control and Risk Management

The day to day management of the Company is delegated by the directors to John Williams – Chief Executive and Helen Schielke – Practice/Administration Manager.

The systems of internal control are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mis-statement or loss and include:

  • A full budget approved by the Board;
  • Regular consideration by the Board of financial results, variance from budget and non-financial performance indicators;
  • Delegation of authority and segregation of duties;
  • Financial control systems which are reviewed and audited on an annual basis;
  • Identification and management of financial risks by the Board and Line Management.

The Board has introduced a formal risk management process to assess business risk and implement strategies, which is reviewed yearly. This involves identifying the types of risks the Charity faces, prioritising them in terms of potential impact and likelihood of occurrence and identifying means of mitigating the risks. As a part of this process, the Board regularly reviews existing risks and the enhancement of procedures and policies, where these are required. These are implemented by the Chief Executive and Practice Manager of BIRD, who are accountable to the Board.

TRUSTEES REPORT

Review of the year

The year 2005/06 has been a challenging one for the charity, following the restructuring of the clinical services in the previous year. Revenue received from parental contributions was down on the year but fortunately funding was secured from BBC Children in Need which has enabled us to add a graduate physiotherapist to the staff team who is now undertaking an extensive training programme in Developmental Reflexive Rehabilitation at the Centre and in the coming year will enable a greater patient throughput.

Income from fundraising fell short of expectations and during the year the ongoing process of exploring the possibilities of securing alternative sources of financial support for the work of the Charity continued.

The Trustees and key staff of BIRD carried out a strategic review and a positive plan of action has been put in place to safeguard the future financial viability of the Charity.

A revaluation of the freehold property which has served the needs of the charity since 1983 was undertaken in July, 2006 which has resulted in an increase in book value of £76,686. This figure has been incorporated into the financial statement.

The Trustees made the decision to sell the current property at Broughton and is to move the work of the Charity to a suitable building in the village of Eccleston, Cheshire. The new Centre will be leased from the Duke of Westminster’s Estate. Capital realised from the sale will be used to secure the medium term future financial stability of the charity’s work.

The Trustees are grateful to families, carers and individual patients who support the charity through allowing their case stories to be used by the media to help raise the awareness of the BIRD treatment programme. These heart-warming stories are used to publicise the benefits of the programme to people with a wide range of neurological problems through the national and local media and also feature on our website and information packs as an encouragement to others.

During the year BIRD received financial support from Trusts, Foundations, businesses, groups and individuals, who have donated sums, large and small to ensure that the Centre has been able to provide its effective programme of work for children and adults.

The Trustees would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff of BIRD for their hard work during the past year.

In the coming year the Board will be actively seeking new Trustees to strengthen its infrastructure and a full induction plan has been set in place to ensure the effectiveness of anyone chosen to become a Trustee.

We now look forward to 2007 which is a year in which the Charity celebrates its 25th year of foundation by Dr D J McGlown. This is an important milestone which will be used to raise the profile of the work of BIRD with professionals and the public and attract greater numbers of people who may benefit from its programme of rehabilitation the charity offers.

DEVELOPMENTAL REFLEXIVE REHABILITATION PROGRAMME

The BIRD Charity has well equipped treatment rooms which are used at all stages of the treatment programme.

Two graduates with a psychology background and two graduate physiotherapists administer the BIRD treatment approach known as The Developmental Reflexive Rehabilitation Programme. The staff carry out the programme under Consultant Dr D J McGlown.

Following an ‘Initial Assessment’, ‘Report Reading’ and teaching of the specific remedial exercise programme to the family, they are invited to return to the Centre after six weeks to monitor progress and check that the exercises are being correctly carried out. A further visit at three months to review progress is followed by three monthly reviews at the Centre, until discharge from the programme. Families are encouraged to keep in close contact with the programme team, who can then offer advice and guidance throughout the treatment period.

In order to regulate the use of the charity funds for treatment purposes, the charity launched its Bursary Award Scheme in 2004. Since its foundation in 1982, the Charity has supported 50% of the treatment value for everyone who joins the programme, using funds donated for that purpose. The Bursary Award aims to give support for the balance of treatment cost for children and adults with low incomes. They can apply for up to 100% of the balance of the cost of treatment whilst on the programme. This is a fair way of ensuring that most financial help goes to those in greatest need.

The Bursary Award Scheme has been supported by many Trusts and businesses through the ‘Little Miracles Appeal’.

COMMENTS ABOUT OUR WORK

It is encouraging that the work of the Charity continues to have such an impact upon the lives of children and adults with neuro-developmental dysfunction, who richly deserve the chance to improve their quality of life.

The endorsements of parents speak for themselves.

Julianne from Scotland,
‘Before BIRD we had no thoughts for the future and saw our little girl being unable to have any independence or choice of life but since coming to BIRD her quality of life is excellent’

Wendy from Shropshire
‘having been told by doctors that there was ‘no hope’ for our son, BIRD has helped him enormously, he can now do things that a year ago we never thought possible’

Simon from Manchester
‘Looking back now we feel that it is nonsense for medical people to have told us that autistic children cannot be helped, through BIRD our son’s behaviour has been changed forever. It hasn’t been a cure, our son still has his own little ways but he has gained in confidence, is a lot happier and we now feel that there is a good chance that he will live independently as an adult’

Chiz from Manchester
‘I came to BIRD as a last resort. A few days after starting the programme we saw small improvements, after two years we have never looked back, thank you BIRD a million times over!’

Alex from Merseyside
‘It’s a long slow process, but I’m so proud of my dad for making it. Above all, BIRD gave us hope where before we were without it. You can’t go on without hope and only BIRD gave us that. They’re a wonderful organisation and I’ve told them that if I ever win the lottery, £2 million of it is theirs!’

Tracy from Southampton
‘Its such a pity we didn’t know about BIRD earlier, the improvements in our daughter have been amazing. It is a truly remarkable organisation’

AUDITORS

In accordance with Section 385 of the Companies Act 1985 a resolution to reappoint Champion will be proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

On behalf of the Board
David Linton
Director

Date: 12 January 2007