Trustees Report

Achievements and Performance

For the year ended 30 September 2022

The year in context
This has been a momentous year. Globally, we started to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic only to face renewed challenges from climate change, economic uncertainty and a new war in Europe. For the UK, the last year was dominated by the death of Her Majesty The Queen, political turmoil, and economic uncertainty. For the social care sector, continued funding pressures, increasing demand and a deeply worrying staff recruitment and retention crisis pose huge challenges.

For the individuals working and living in social care, the worsening economic situation – particularly the return of inflation levels not seen for decades – have hit hard. This is as true for the staff, families and friends of CareTech staff and the communities in which they live as for any.

More parochially, this has been a significant year for our corporate founder at CareTech. At the very end of year, the purchase of the company by the founders and their partners saw the return of the company to private ownership and its de-listing on the stock market. The Foundation benefitted financially from this transaction as a result of its public shares in the former plc. Trustees were very pleased to see the clear public statements of continued support of the Foundation throughout the transaction process.

Our objectives for this year
Trustees agreed a set of key objectives for this reporting year, the most notable of which were as follows:

  • To continue to effectively manage a portfolio of major partnerships, ensuring that they deliver the impact expected and that there is a strong and trusting relationship between the Foundation and its partners.
  • To continue to grow the number of applications to the Foundation’s small grants schemes, with a spread across all areas of CareTech Ltd’s operations.
  • To agree the terms by which the Foundation can support CareTech plc’s CSR agenda.
  • To establish and deliver Championing Social Care’s four key programmes, growing engagement and participation.
  • To improve the long-term financial viability of Championing Social Care through securing event sponsorship and establishing new income streams.
  • To build the Foundation’s profile among its core audiences;
  • To ensure a continued focus on efforts to build greater awareness and deeper understanding of its work amongst CareTech staff.
  • To review the Foundation’s investment strategy, especially in the light of the acquisition of the CareTech plc shares;
  • To implement the agreed Income Diversification Strategy;
  • To establish the Foundation’s free reserves, in line with its updated policy;
  • To work with the Foundation’s new auditors on the annual audit to identify opportunities to further improve the charity’s systems and operations.
  • To recruit a new independent trustee.
  • To identify further additional members to ensure the Advisory Council effectively covers all aspects of the Foundation’s work and members are involved in the Foundation’s development.
  • To ensure continued high levels of compliance with the Charity Commission’s Guidance for charities associated with non-charities and with the Code of Good Governance.

As set out in this Report, trustees are pleased with the progress that has been made against all of these objectives.

Main achievements

The Foundation was established as a grant-making corporate foundation with ambitions to become a well- structured, ambitious and clear-sighted organisation, delivering meaningful impact to communities in the UK and overseas and delivering a unique contribution to the charitable marketplace. In so doing, trustees were clear that they wished to create a charitable Foundation of which the staff of CareTech and its service users would feel proud and in which they would be strongly engaged in its work.

As the Foundation enters the final year of its first five-year strategic plan, the Foundation has made significant progress in delivering on the vision set out by trustees. Since its establishment in 2017, the Foundation has distributed approximately £3,648,253 in grants and donations (£1,944,621 this year). The Foundation is now recognised as the leading corporate foundation in the social care sector.

With good governance, an effective trustee board and a high-achieving staff team in place, alongside a much clearer understanding of where the Foundation’s grant-making can best make an impact, the Foundation has delivered the following key achievements over the last year:

  • A strong portfolio of Partnership Grants recipients is in place, with new additions this year including those with Sense International, Alzheimer’s Society, MAITS and Carers Worldwide.
  • The Foundation’s fourth Impact Report sets out clearly the difference the Foundation has made to date, with 1,807,256 beneficiaries supported by the end of September 2022, as well as indirectly supporting 2,561,097 beneficiaries through 281 charities.
  • The cross-sector Championing Social Care initiative, hosted by the Foundation, has grown from strength to strength this year. The second Care Home Open Week enabled 2500 care homes to open their doors to the public – and over 100 MPs. The second Care Sector’s Got Talent programme attracted more applications and improved public audience. The return of the Care Sector Fundraising Ball was a particular success, raising over £400,000 for Alzheimer’s Society and the Care Workers’ Charity.
  • The Foundation’s external brand continues to build, with growing online and offline media recognition, enabling the Foundation to use its influence to further impact upon its core concerns and to contribute to wider debate in the social care sector.

We have been flattered that the Foundation and its people has been recognised in a number of leading awards, including being shortlisted for the Charity Times Awards 2022 Charity Partnership of the Year Award and Jonathan Freeman MBE being recognised in the Social Care Top 30 awards for the second year running. We were also very pleased that CareTech won the Philanthropy Award at the Better Society Awards 2021, in recognition of the company’s support provided to the Foundation.