Finance Score: -3

Governance Score: 3

Support Score: 6

Liabilities <10%: +3
Excess reserves: -3
Pension deficit: -1
Multiple Deficits: -2

No volunteer policy: -2
Good trustee age range: +3
Dynamic board: +3
Mainly male board: -1

Grant maker support: +6

Overall GiG Score: 6

FIRST STEP TRUST

FST seeks to enable socially excluded people experiencing enduring mental health problems & other disadvantages to have the opportunity to work & to access paid employment. FST, in partnership with statutory agencies & other partners, sets up projects that assist its service users to gain work skills & qualifications while overcoming the barriers & difficulties to employment in their daily life.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

This charity has a robust balance sheet
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 and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

Although this charity works with volunteers it does not have a Volunteer Management policy
The Board is predominantly male
Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial issues to consider:

This charity has substantial assets and unrestricted reserves of £4,243,298 available, equivalent to 42 months of spending and so may not be able to utilise additional funding
There is a pension deficit of £115,811
On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending

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
31/03/23		£1,578	£1,225	£353	£0	£4,267	£4,243	41.6	21	120
31/03/22		£1,492	£1,187	£306	£0	£3,168	£3,020	30.5	19	310
31/03/21		£1,331	£1,477	£-146	£0	£2,665	£2,571	20.9	19	121
31/03/20		£1,603	£1,628	£-25	£0	£2,922	£2,876	21.2	29	350
31/03/19		£1,590	£1,727	£-137	£0	£2,803	£2,803	19.5	28	350
31/03/18		£1,643	£1,719	£-76	£0	£2,955	£2,955	20.6	30	0
31/03/17	*	£1,607	£1,675	£-68	£0	£3,007	£3,000	21.5	31	0
31/03/16	*	£1,781	£1,745	£36	£0	£3,168	£3,130	21.5	34	0
31/03/15		£1,924	£1,922	£2	£15	£3,040	£3,025	18.9	36	0
31/03/14		£2,124	£2,151	£-27	£14	£3,212	£3,021	16.9	40	0
31/03/13		£2,226	£2,281	£-55	£16	£2,935	£2,654	14	37	0
31/03/12		£2,502	£2,217	£285	£0	£3,021	£2,688	14.5	40	0
31/03/11		£2,238	£2,338	£-100	£0	£2,879	£2,746	14.1	41	0
31/03/10		£2,551	£2,621	£-70	£13	£2,945	£2,722	12.5	51	0
31/03/09		£2,692	£2,578	£114	£0	£3,294	£3,017	14	49	0
31/03/08	*	£3,742	£2,824	£918	£0	£3,236	£2,774	11.8	52	0
31/03/07	*	£3,269	£2,792	£478	£27	£2,204	£1,554	6.7	55	0
31/03/06	*	£3,091	£2,441	£650	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/05		£2,201	£1,997	£204	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/04	*	£1,761	£1,681	£79	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0

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Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 18%
Highest pay band: £90,000-£100,000
Liabilities/Assets: 4%
Liabilities/Income: 11%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 99%
Reserves/Spending: 41.6 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 34 months
Quick Ratio: 21.2

Asset Split ?

Established: 25 years

www.firststeptrust.org.uk

mainoffice@firststeptrust.org.uk

02088557386

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Listed activities

Disability
Economic/Community Development/Employment
Education/Training
General Charitable Purposes
The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty

GiG Classification

Technical, vocational and continuing education

How it operates

Provides services

Where it operates

Bexley, Bury, Greenwich, Lambeth, Salford City, St Helens,

Who it helps

People With Disabilities

Who works here?

21 employees
120 volunteers

Who's supporting them? ?

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

Walcot Foundation	£25,000
The Clothworkers Foundation	£13,800
National Lottery Community Fund	£10,000

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
The Clothworkers Foundation - Grant to First Step Trust
£13,800	13/12/2023	Purchase of the car for a charity which works with people with disabilities in Greater London
National Lottery Community Fund - Improving Abbevilles
£10,000	03/02/2020 1	The funding will be used to install double glazing at a local social enterprise restaurant which provides placement opportunities for people with disabilities to learn new skills and improve their ....more The funding will be used to install double glazing at a local social enterprise restaurant which provides placement opportunities for people with disabilities to learn new skills and improve their confidence.
Walcot Foundation - 12 Steps into Catering
£25,000	26/11/2019 12	12 Steps into Catering
National Lottery Community Fund - SMaRT Pathways
£499,985	18/04/2019 36	The project will provide a training programme that enables people with no educational qualifications or those who are unemployed because of mental health problems and other disadvantages to progress ....more The project will provide a training programme that enables people with no educational qualifications or those who are unemployed because of mental health problems and other disadvantages to progress towards a career in the automotive industry initially but gradually expanding to other sectors over time. This will be tailored to address each trainee's lack of formal learning skills by means of a Personal Development and Training Plan.
National Lottery Community Fund - SMaRT Work
£452,954	10/08/2010 48	This project in Greenwich will enable people who are unemployable because of mental health issues and other disadvantages (such as ex-offenders and those with a history of substance misuse) to become ....more This project in Greenwich will enable people who are unemployable because of mental health issues and other disadvantages (such as ex-offenders and those with a history of substance misuse) to become work ready and begin employment seeking. A social enterprise will be set up providing MOT and garage repair services to the general public, while offering beneficiaries real work experience, vocational qualifications, individual supervision and a weekly support activity club.
Tuixen Foundation - Core grant to First Step Trust
£20,000	01/07/2010	First Step Trust provides employment and training for people with long-term mental health problems in real business enterprises.

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (5)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 44-64

MOHAMMAD MOHTASHIM KHAN Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Programme Management/Management Consultant

PETER HOLBROOK (Chair) Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Chief Executive Office, Other trusteeship: EXPERT IMPACT,

SHAMMEN ABDUL CADER Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Volunteer

STEVEN MICHAEL PRICE Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Retired, Other trusteeship: WALK THE LOOP,

TERESA SALLY NEWCOMBE Appointed: 2011, Occupation: None Specified

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 27/10/1999, number: 1077959
Registered at Companies House on 10/03/1999, number: 03730562

Gift Aid

NOT registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

Filing Record

20 returns made; AR17: 1 days late, AR16: 1 days late, AR08: 43 days late, AR07: 83 days late, AR06: 39 days late, AR04: 48 days late,

Main office

UNIT 9 KINGSIDE BUSINESS PARK
RUSTON ROAD
LONDON
SE18 5BX

Objectives

TO SUPPORT OR PROMOTE SUCH CHARITABLE PURPOSES AS THE TRUSTEES MAY IN THEIR ABSOLUTE DISCRETION DETERMINE BUT IN PARTICULAR TO ASSIST THOSE IN THE COMMUNITY WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS BY THE APPLICATION OF THE TRUST PRINCIPLES TO THE PROVISION OF SERVICES FOR SUCH PEOPLE.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED

Data Sources