Overall Score: 12 based on 18 data points
Finance: -1
Governance: 2
Support: 11
Low unrestricted reserves: -2, Multiple Deficits: -2, Fundraising costs low: +3,
12+ Trustees: -1, Good trustee age range: +3,
Supporters: +11

THE FORWARD TRUST 

Provide a range of services to support individuals, families and communities whose lives are impacted by drug dependency, alcohol and other substance misuse. The charity operates with challenging service users who have complex needs in the community and within the criminal justice system.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • This charity is endorsed by a respected charity impact evaluator
  • Spending has increased over the last 3 years relative to the previous period
  • Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • There are 15 trustees whereas the Charities Commission recommends a maximum of 12
  • Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial issues to consider:

  • Unrestricted reserves appear to be dangerously low at the latest year end
  • On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending
Established: 33 years

www.forwardtrust.org.uk

info@forwardtrust.org.uk

02039815525

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseTwitterFacebook
UN SDGs
?

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/22£34,470£29,973£4,497£27£7,709£6,6462.7701151
31/03/21£21,376£21,531£-155£23£3,148£2,6301.5431243
31/03/20£21,295£20,558£737£17£3,253£2,7021.6411100
31/03/19£22,032£22,346£-314£52£2,452£2,1441.243045
31/03/18£22,615£23,313£-698£35£2,712£2,5941.344461
31/03/17£18,255£17,918£337£337£3,344£2,6801.83600
31/03/16£20,987£20,432£555£243£2,944£2,3761.44480
31/03/15£20,823£21,574£-751£715£2,400£2,1851.24700
31/03/14£18,135£17,894£240£667£2,916£2,4441.64540
31/03/13£14,322£13,832£489£458£2,719£2,4742.13380
31/03/12£10,247£10,167£80£278£2,233£2,0292.43100
31/03/11£10,153£9,782£371£385£2,154£1,8462.32870
31/03/10£9,093£8,955£138£294£1,783£1,2591.72510
31/03/09?£7,922£7,778£144£323£1,645£1,2161.92480
30/04/08£8,372£7,984£388£198£1,501£1,0571.62460
30/04/07£7,842£7,524£318£191£1,113£6721.12360
30/04/06£7,112£6,633£479n/an/an/an/an/a0
30/04/05?£4,249£4,566£-316n/an/an/an/an/a0
31/03/04£3,136£3,470£-334n/an/an/an/an/a0

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0.1%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0.1%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 6%
Highest pay band: £100,000-£110,000
Liabilities/Assets: 28%
Liabilities/Income: 9%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 93%
Reserves/Spending: 2.7 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 2 months
Quick Ratio: 1.2
Asset Split ?
What it does
  • Accommodation/Housing
  • Education/Training
  • General Charitable Purposes
  • Other Charitable Purposes
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
Who works here?
  • 701 employees
  • 151 volunteers
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Other Defined Groups
  • People Of A Particular Ethnic Or Racial Origin
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/Mankind
How it operates
  • Other charitable activities
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides human resources
  • Provides services
  • Sponsors or undertakes research
Where it operates
  • Throughout England,

Who's supporting them? ?

Endorsed by:
Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
The National Lottery Community Fund£479,927
Greater London Authority£150,000
Garfield Weston Foundation£100,000
The Rayne Foundation£75,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Garfield Weston Foundation
£100,000 03/12/2021
Families in Recovery - M-PACT
Community Foundation for Surrey
£5,000 30/07/2021
12
Funding towards staff costs for a national charity working within Surrey-based prisons to stop prison leavers reoffending.
CHK Foundation
£15,000 11/03/2021
to support specified work
The National Lottery Community Fund
£479,927 03/03/2021
35
The funding will be used to develop and formalise an online and physical community to several thousand offenders and substance misusers who have already progressed through the earlier stages of their ....more
Suffolk Community Foundation
£20,000 23/09/2020
12
To offer recovery and reintegration services to those in 5 prisons.
DCMS
£9,750 24/06/2020
"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to ....more
CHK Foundation
£60,000 10/06/2020
to support specified work
Greater London Authority
£150,000 01/01/2020
Positive activities for young people involved in crime or at risk of crime or exclusion
The Rayne Foundation
£75,000 11/03/2019
36
Towards the a specialist housing service enabling more people in recovery to find and sustain tenancies in the private rented sector, contributing to their wider recovery and desistance from crime.
The EQ Foundation
£3,500 15/12/2018
Unrestricted via Big Give Xmas Appeal
Garfield Weston Foundation
£300,000 22/02/2018
Core Costs
The EQ Foundation
£5,000 15/12/2017
Via Big Give
City Bridge Trust
£123,400 24/11/2016
36
£123,400 over three years (£40,100, £41,100, £42,200) towards the salary of a full-time Recovery Support Worker working out of the London Hub, and associated project costs.
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
£150,000 31/08/2016
36
Towards core work, providing training and employment opportunities for ex-offenders.
Woodward Charitable Trust
£2,000 06/08/2015
Towards training costs for ex-offenders.
Woodward Charitable Trust
£10,000 12/07/2012
Towards building a graduate trainee programme for ex-offenders, offering paid employment.
Samworth Foundation
£80,000 01/06/2011
A grant over 2 years to allow their work to continue once offenders have left prison, often the most crucial stage
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
£78,480 30/09/2009
24
Towards Core costs Towards the salary and costs of the recycling supervisor to manage ex-offender employees in recycling centres within six West London boroughs.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How do they operate?

Prison Drug and Alcohol Services

Objectives: To provide an intensive abstinence-based treatment programme in UK prisons

Description: Forward deliver drug and alcohol recovery in prison, ‘Recovery Support’ and ‘through the gate’ services when clients leave prison. These include harm reduction advice and services, peer-led motivational workshops, intensive structured 12 step programmes and recovery support, employment and housing offers

Forward East Kent Substance Misuse Service

Objectives: To prevent substance misuse in the East Kent area

Description: Forward, in partnership with mental health charity Rethink, co-designed support services in East Kent out of five hubs to give local stakeholders the power to reshaping the support available

Forward Connections Relationship Support Service

Objectives: Reducing reoffending and supporting recovery for those with substance dependence through ongoing contact with partners or family members

Description: The Connections Relationship Support Service includes assessment of family relationships and referrals to specialist family workers, relationship in-cell information packs, a structured Family Ties programme run in prison and in community settings, a Man Up psychosocial programme focused on developing positive male identity, the Our Space community forums for family members to learn more about addiction and the Family Recovery Support Network, a community peer run group for concerned significant others to gain support

Documents
Business strategy report Programme Report Download Document

How is it governed?

Trustees (15)
Current Trustees appointed

Age Range of Trustees: 41-79
  • DAME BENITA REFSON
    Appointed: 2013, Occupation: Chief Executive & Founding Trustee, Place2be
  • IVOR ST JOHN MCKAY
    Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Group Analytic & Individual Psychotherapist
  • JOYCE ADU
    Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Director Of Dispute Support And Resolution
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 29/01/1991, number: 1001701
  • Registered at Companies House on 20/11/1990, number: 02560474
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Event History
Other Regulators
  • Care Quality Commission
  • Ofsted (Office For Standards In Education)
Policies in force
  • Complaints handling
  • Conflicting interests
  • Investment
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Volunteer management
Recent reorganisation events:
  • Asset transfer in from ACTION ON ADDICTION on 16/05/2023
Main office

Unit 106
Edinburgh House
170 Kennington Lane
LONDON
SE11 5DP

Objectives

2. ObjectsThe objects of the Charity are for the public benefit and particularly, but not exclusively, by working with persons suffering from alcoholism, addiction, offenders, ex-offenders, those at risk of offending, and marginalised groups in society:2.1 to relieve poverty, sickness and distress amongst:2.1.1 persons suffering from the effects of alcoholism, drug addiction or other forms of addiction or dependence to substances;2.1.2 persons engaged in substance misuse;2.1.3 persons suffering from other compulsive disorders and related mental illnesses; and2.1.4 the families and dependants of such persons;including but not limited to by the provision of treatment, advice, support, information and counselling to such persons, and to assist in the rehabilitation and recovery of such persons;2.2 to promote the health of such persons through the provision of medical or psycho-social interventions or other treatment;2.3 to advance the education: 2.3.1 and training of any person in the care or treatment of such persons working in the field of alcoholism, drug addiction or other forms of addiction or dependence to substances, substance misuse, other compulsive disorders and related mental illnesses; and2.3.2 of the public in all aspects of addiction problems, including alcohol and substance abuse; 2.4 to promote research into addiction, substance misuse, compulsive disorders and related mental illness, including their natures and causes, and physical, psychological and social consequences and methods of treatment, and into the care and treatment of persons who are suffering from the effects of alcoholism, drug addiction or other forms of addiction or dependence to substances, persons engaged in substance misuse, and persons suffering from other compulsive disorders and related mental illnesses and to disseminate all useful results of such research to the public;2.5 to prevent addiction, substance misuse, compulsive disorders and related mental illness and provide for the after care of those recovering (or who have recovered) from them;2.6 to promote the care, resettlement and rehabilitation of offenders, ex-offenders and those at risk of offending, and to support their families and dependants, in particular (but without limitation) by providing, promoting, supporting or organising the recruitment, employment, education and training of offenders, ex-offenders and those at risk of offending and to assist them in finding employment or self employment and accommodation and in rehabilitating themselves;2.7 to promote the prevention of crime and social exclusion by supporting or carrying on either alone or in co-operation with any other body, authority or person any project of scheme and by providing money for such purposes whether by loan or otherwise;2.8 to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the general public;2.9 to provide or assist in the provision of spiritual help and guidance for the beneficiaries identified in Articles 2.1.1 to 2.1.4 above.

Defined Area of Benefit: NOT DEFINED.IN PRACTICE U.K. SPECIFICALLY GREATER LONDON

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase

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