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Group Annual Report 2022-23
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THE EXTERN DIFFERENCE We Reach In We Walk Alongside
WE WALK ALONGSIDE. We believe in giving people as many chances as they need to transform their lives. Whatever problems or challenges a person may be facing, we keep going back - and back - until they are ready to engage with us. And if someone chooses to step back from working with us, we leave them with one important message: “When you are ready, however long that may be, we will be here for you. And we’ll say hello again soon.” WE REACH IN. Every day we work with people who are marginalised, who feel isolated and vulnerable, and may find themselves unable to break out of the situation they find themselves in. So, when we knock on a door for the first time, we are often seeing an adult, a family or a young person at their most raw or vulnerable. And we understand, because we deal in reality. We are proud to work alongside people who society may have forgotten about, or dismissed as ‘hard to reach’. So, when that person is ready, we help them open the door to begin to change their life, by reaching in and offering the support that they need.
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CONTENTS Chair & CEO's Welcomes
4-5
We are Extern Group
6-7
Our Services
8-19
Addictions
8-9
Homelessness & Housing
10-11
Justice Services
12-13
Mental Health
14
Minority Communities
15
Our Limerick Hub
16-17
Young People & Families
18-19
Looked After Children
20
Education & Employability
21
Practice Development Unit
22-23
Our People
24-25
Volunteering: An Extra Special Year
26-27
Fundraising: A Year of Giving
28-29
Appendix: Company Details
30
Appendix: Board of Trustees
31
Appendix: Financial Accounts
32
Appendix: Our Funders
33
The names have been changed in the service user stories throughout this report to protect the identities of those involved. Any accompanying photos we have used are for illustration only and should not be taken as bearing any resemblance to those people involved in our narrative.
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Chair’s Message As the Chairman of Extern Group, I am pleased to welcome you to our annual report for 2022-23.
Extern is an exciting charitable organisation to chair as it touches so many lives and meets such deep needs in our society across the island of Ireland. It is a large and complex organisation but has a huge heart for the people it serves and the difference it makes to many lives. The huge heart comes from our frontline project staff, our volunteers, our excellent support staff, and our management and trustees, who all evidence values of resilience, compassion and dedication in their approach to the people we serve. In this annual report, you will find an overview of our activities, achievements and the impact we have made on the lives of those in need across the island of Ireland. Contained inside, however, is more than just a collection of facts, figures and testimonies. Our diverse team of compassionate people believe in the power of making a difference. They are the essential part of our story. We have made meaningful progress in so many of the areas in which we work, such as supporting young people and families in communities across the island, providing a lifeline to those fleeing conflict and persecution overseas, and helping those with addictions to access long-lasting solutions. We address emerging and existing societal needs with innovative and creative solutions, working with statutory bodies to deliver effective programmes for our clients. And through the outstanding work of our Practice Development Unit we are continuing to show how we are leaders in our field in training future generations of frontline staff, something which is all too important given the recruitment challenges facing our sector right across our island. I have also been delighted to welcome Colin Hayburn as Extern’s new CEO. Colin brings extensive leadership experience and a keen sense of social justice which will prove vital to the next phase of our work. Furthermore, we have also strengthened our group management by making several key appointments and some structural changes. These are already bringing significant benefit in our relationships with commissioners and statutory bodies.
Our Vision We will aim to change lives to support a socially just and inclusive society.
Our Mission We will create opportunities and provide supports to enable everyone to meaningfully participate in society.
I am writing this welcome as I come to the end of my tenure as a trustee of this organisation. It has been a privilege to have served in this way for the last ten years. I believe that the organisation is in a strong and secure position to continue its work of reaching into the lives of the most vulnerable and marginalised, especially as the cost-ofliving crisis continues to have a profound effect within our communities; but together, there is nothing we cannot achieve. It is our collective efforts and shared values that will continue to drive us forward. I would like to express my personal thanks to every single member of staff and every volunteer that works so hard every day. Your commitment is so greatly appreciated. I also thank the senior leadership team for their dedication. My sincere thanks go to those that serve alongside me as trustees for their wisdom and counsel as they discharge responsibilities of strategic direction and financial oversight. I further acknowledge our funders, stakeholders and partners. Thank you for being a part of our journey. Your support is the bedrock upon which we build a brighter future for those in need. Together, we can make a profound impact, one that will resonate for generations to come. Allen McCartney Chair, Extern Group
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CEO's Welcome I am fortunate and honoured to be in the role of CEO of Extern as of January 2023. When I read the stories contained in this report, I am both humbled and inspired to now be part of Extern. Faced with seemingly overwhelming societal and personal circumstances each person, within this report, has courageously met the challenges they have been presented with and has begun the journey to where they wish to be. I have the added privilege of being a witness to how the incredible staff at Extern engage with those we work with. I hope you are also inspired when you read this report. I also hope, like me, you are challenged. Challenged to be part of a society that remembers and supports a community wherein no-one is left behind for whatever reason. We should also continually challenge ourselves to be informed about the issues in society that keep anyone from achieving their aspirations; be that for a place to call home; to feel safe; to keep their family together; to have access to education and employment; to be accepted and not judged by their past or their circumstances. As an organisation Extern partners with, and is an advocate for, those who deserve a second chance. We have an outstanding team across the island who put their heart and soul into their work. Our desires are to encourage each person to progress and not to be hindered or kept back by societal pressures. I am privileged to be part of this team and would like to thank the trustees for giving me this opportunity. Finally, I have also been privileged to meet and work with our commissioners who have the unenviable job of discharging their statutory duties whilst under severe budgetary pressures. This will be an ongoing struggle in the years ahead, but I believe with good communication and prioritisation, together we can meet the challenges ahead to better the lives of those most in need. Colin Hayburn CEO, Extern
Our Values Respect We value the feelings, opinions and rights of our service users, colleagues, and other stakeholders. Integrity All our decisions and interactions will be ethical, open, honest, and transparent. Compassion We care about our service users and colleagues and will act with empathy in all engagements. Accountability We hold ourselves and each other responsible for our decisions and actions. Professional We work inclusively with service users, colleagues, and key stakeholders to deliver high quality supports and evidence-based services.
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We are Extern Group We are a charity which works across the island of Ireland to support people in bringing positive change to their lives – no matter how big or small that change may be.
The services we provide are as varied and diverse as the people we support. Just as no two people are the same, so too do we recognise that everyone we support is facing a unique set of circumstances and challenges. We are not there to judge or offer empty promises. We are there to give everyone – whatever their situation, whatever their past – the right support to manage the challenges they may be facing.
Almost
Over
18,000
3,000
ADDICTIONS Our services provide flexible, pragmatic support, with our teams providing person-centred engagement and adopting proven harm reduction and intervention approaches to treatment and support. See Page 8 to find out the work they have been doing to meet this critical need.
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people supported by Extern across the island of Ireland in 2022-23
MINORITY COMMUNITIES Through our refugee and minority community projects, we support a diverse range of people, meeting them at their point of need and acknowledging the trauma which many may have experienced before coming to us. Turn to Page 15 to see how we have continued to support people with finding positive ways to integrate.
HOMELESSNESS & HOUSING Our frontline teams bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to meeting our service users at their point of need, taking a holistic view to supporting people with often complex underlying issues in their lives. Turn to Page 10 to see how we have been working with partners and stakeholders to try and bring positive change to people’s lives.
people supported by our Young People & Families projects across NI & ROI
YOUNG PEOPLE & FAMILIES Our Young People and Families services focus on building the capacity of individuals and families, supporting their individually assessed needs through a strengths-based approach. See Page 18 for how we are building positive, trusting relationships with the aim of keeping families together, improving family function and resilience and increasing better parenting skills
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Over
JUSTICE SERVICES We put our service users at the heart of our decision-making, taking a holistic, needs-led and trauma-aware approach to meeting the challenges they are facing. On Pages 12-13, we meet Michael Warren, who was appointed as manager of our Dismas and Innis hostels in Belfast, as well as finding out about the latest work of our Bail Supervision Schemes in the Republic of Ireland.
600
staff and volunteers working with Extern in 2022-23
MENTAL HEALTH Our mental health services take a person-centred and trauma-aware approach to meeting the needs of those who come to us for support, acknowledging the underlying experiences and inequalities which contribute to these needs. On Page 14 we look at how our community-based teams have been reaching in to support people who are managing poor mental health.
DISABILITIES
EDUCATION & EMPLOYABILITY Through our Moving Forward, Moving On project, we support people who are among the most marginalised to find a pathway into training or employment, to improve their opportunities and experiences in the world of work. See Page 21 for details.
Our Disabilities Services provide a needs-led, creative, flexible and person-centred approach to supporting people with a disability and/or autism. Turn to Page 17 to see at first-hand how our team has been supporting one of our service users with making positive choices towards becoming an independent member of his community.
LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN
We believe that all young people deserve the best start possible. Turn to Page 20 to find out how our Mentoring (Children Looked After) programme provides life-changing supports to young people who are within the care system in NI, helping them to realise their true potential and find a positive outlook for their lives. EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 7
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ADDICTIONS MEETING COMPLEX NEEDS: NORTHERN IRELAND Working at community and street level, and across a number of locations in Belfast and farther afield, our diverse range of projects continued to support people living with varying levels of problem drug and alcohol use. Our frontline teams faced ever increasing demands for services as unfortunately the number of people impacted by addictions remained high. One of the most challenging situations faced by the teams was in response the tragic deaths of 16 people on the streets of Belfast during the summer of 2022. While deaths from overdose and poly-drug use have been becoming increasingly common on our streets in recent years, it was the swiftness with which these occurred during such a short period from June to August that brought the issue to wider public attention. This saw renewed calls by Extern for a dedicated Overdose Prevention Facility (OPF) for the city, as it became clear that there was a need for an additional preventative measure to tackle this issue. To support our call we held a special film screening event in December alongside Queen’s University Belfast of the film Love in the Time of Fentanyl at the Queen’s Film Theatre. An audience of invited guests – including representatives from the PSNI, Belfast City Council and other statutory agencies - were given a screening of this powerful documentary, filmed in an OPF in
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Vancouver. This was followed by a panel discussion which included speakers from Queen’s University and the European Network of People Who Use Drugs. Another positive step forward came in March 2023, when Belfast City Council successfully passed a motion calling for an OPF within the city. Our Belfast-based BDACTS Connections project also continued its work reaching into communities to offer support and health advice around drug and alcohol use. The service was at the forefront of marking Dry January and Feelgood February at the beginning of 2023 with a series of workshops on healthy living across local communities. This was also a busy year for our projects working in the Northern and Southern Health Trusts, including our Low Threshold teams which delivered hundreds of interventions, including 1-1 appointments and telephone calls to people seeking support, as well as their family networks. Our Step 2 teams also identified a marked change in the needs of many individuals during the year,
with many addiction-related issues resulting from financial stress, poor mental health and isolation. In response the teams focussed on areas such as early intervention for mental health, working systemically to support the whole family network and ensuring that anyone experiencing suicidal ideation could be supported in a timely manner and signposted to appropriate supports.
ADDICTIONS: NI COMMISSIONERS: Public Health Agency; Policing and Community Safety Partnership SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: 3,650 LOCATIONS: Belfast; Ballymena & wider Northern Trust area; Newry and wider Southern Trust area HIGHLIGHTS: 1,177 people given support through our Street Injectors Support Service and Drugs Accommodation Support Project (DASP) in Belfast; the Northern Low Threshold project saw a marked increase in referrals, with 229 people engaging for the first time
Image Credit: Justin Kernoghan Belfast Live
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ADDICTIONS
AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE: IRELAND For our Extern Problem Gambling project, this year saw its collaboration as part of the Erasmus+ Experts by Lived Experience programme near its completion. The innovative EU-funded programme was co-produced by Extern alongside Finnish social welfare organisation Sosped, and Spillavhengighet Norge, which supports people with problem gambling in Norway. Running for three years, the Experts, by Experience programme aimed to train people with lived experience of gambling addiction and recovery who wish to provide supports to others. Altogether, four participants completed the programme. This is the first time such a programme had been delivered in Ireland alongside international partners. It is hoped that this will help to enable the voices of ordinary people with lived experience of problem gambling to be included in moves to regulate the betting industry island-wide. The team also recorded a podcast episode in Norway, with their Norwegian and Finnish colleagues, to detail the work of the project. Barry Grant, manager of the Extern Problem Gambling project, said: “Through our participation in this programme, we have learned that there has never been a greater need for more voices to advocate for reform of the gambling industry and improved public health supports to treat and prevent gambling addiction and gambling harms in Ireland. “We believe that Experts by Experience can - and should - play a vital role in this process, at all levels of policy-making.”
ADDICTIONS: ROI COMMISSIONERS: Various SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: 6,228 LOCATIONS: Co Waterford (covering all of Ireland) HIGHLIGHTS: 532 hours of counselling delivered; 68 schools visited as part of Youth Gambling Awareness programme
“BECOMING AN EXPERT BY EXPERIENCE CHANGED MY VIEW OF GAMBLING” “For years I had struggled to find the right treatment method to stop gambling, and it was Extern’s understanding of what I was going through that gave me the courage and belief in myself that I could change my life. When I heard that they were piloting the Experts by Experience Programme in 2022, I volunteered to be part of the group as I was excited to see an organisation in Ireland promoting the use of lived experience of gambling harm. The programme was my first introduction to a network of peers in Ireland who not only understood recovery from gambling harm, but who also, like me, wanted to use their negative experience to create positive change. We had weekly meetings to discuss the content of the programme workbook which contained information relating to regulation in Ireland, Norway, and Finland, different types of gamblers, dangers associated with gambling, and the treatment options available. This was then coupled with information on selfcare, personal recovery, and engaging with the media as an expert by experience. Being part of the EBE Programme helped me to gain a further insight into the current state of play with regard to the gambling landscape in Ireland. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been part of the programme and to have connected with like-minded people across Ireland.” Claire Donegan, Experts By Experience programme EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 9
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HOMELESSNESS & HOUSIN SHARING OUR WORK ON THE FRONTLINES: NORTHERN IRELAND Our dedicated teams across Belfast and farther afield continued to be at the forefront of meeting the needs of the people we support through our range of homelessness and housing services. In December, our teams marked Homelessness Awareness Week (HAW) with a series of ‘Meet the Team’ events at our Belfast-based Royal Avenue hub and our Mid-Ulster and South Tyrone (MUST) Hostel in Cookstown. An invited audience of partners, funders, elected representatives and key stakeholders from across the sector – including the Lord Mayor of Belfast Cllr Tina Black - were given the opportunity to see at first hand the life-changing work which is carried out by our teams across our range of housing and homelessness projects. In keeping with HAW’s theme of ‘Having the Conversation’, a special panel discussion was also held at the Belfast event to look at the issues which are currently affecting the sector. Chaired by Extern Homes Manager Declan Morris, the panel included representatives from Homeless Connect and the NI Housing Executive as well as staff from our frontline homeless and hostels projects.
funding for services, recruitment issues within the sector and how to tackle the lack of adequate social housing for those wishing to move on from temporary accommodation. And guests at our Cookstown event took the opportunity to meet with staff from both our MUST and SAIL (Supporting Adults for Independent Living) projects (below), as well as being given a tour of the site. This year the hostel participated in a full inspection by the Criminal Justice Inspectorate NI and was commended for its warm environment and service-user led approach.
Among the key issues covered in the debate were the need for multi-year
HOSTEL TEAM TAKES TOP PRIZE There was great news for our Belfastbased homeless teams as they were recognised for their innovative work supporting people facing problem substance use at the Chartered Institute of Housing All Ireland Housing Awards 2023. The team took home the award for Excellence in Health & Wellbeing for our innovative Ormeau Centre/Drugs Accommodation Support Project (DASP).
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The prestigious awards recognise and celebrate good practice, highlight innovation, and showcase the work of housing professionals and their communities across the island of Ireland. Also shortlisted at the awards, in the Working in Partnership category, was Extern’s Multi-Disciplinary Homeless Support Team (MDHST), which provides support to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and have complex additional needs,
including diagnosed and undiagnosed mental health, substance misuse, physical health issues, offending backgrounds, learning disability and family issues.
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HOMELESSNESS & HOUSING
NG ND
HOMELESSNESS & HOUSING: NI COMMISSIONERS: Northern Ireland Housing Executive/Supporting People SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: 1,757 LOCATIONS: Belfast; Enniskillen; Newcastle; Downpatrick; Cookstown; Magherafelt, HIGHLIGHTS: 846 people provided with support through the MultiDisciplinary Homeless Support Team (MDHST) in Belfast; 15 people successfully resettled to independent accommodation from the Ormeau Centre hostel Extern NI Chair Aideen D'Arcy (left) with Lord Mayor of Belfast Cllr Tina Black and Extern Assistant Director of Services (NI) Emma Purdon at the Royal Avenue event for Homelessness Awareness Week, which took place in December.
NEW WEB TOOL SUPPORTS LANDLORDS
In May, Extern joined forces with NIACRO to launch a unique new online training tool to help educate landlords in how to prevent their tenants from sliding into homelessness. The online tool, and associated website, provides landlords in both the private and public sectors with the skills to identify when renters may be facing issues which could impact upon their ability to sustain their tenancies, such as poor mental health, financial issues or family breakdown.
Co-Chairs of the Homelessness Prevention Forum Declan Morris, from Extern, and Paul Fleming, from NIACRO, highlighted how the increased interventions and support provided through the website could stop many issues from escalating to a crisis stage where people lose their homes.
The tool was developed by the Homelessness Prevention Forum - a collaboration of 19 services involved in the prevention of homelessness and housing support, of which Extern is a member through funding from the Housing Executive. EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 11
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JUSTICE SERVICES PROVIDING SUPPORT: NORTHERN IRELAND Our teams played a vital role in supporting people who have been engaged within the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland during another busy year. The appointment of a new manager to our Probation Approved hostels in Belfast has brought renewed energy to our work supporting people who have been engaged within the criminal justice system. Michael Warren has been associated with Dismas and Innis for a number of years, having previously worked there in other roles. And for the father-of-one it has been an overwhelmingly positive experience to date. “I actually started in Innis and Dismas in my early 20s doing bank work, so it's been a nice turnaround to come back as the manager,” he says. “I've worked with several teams in Extern and I've always enjoyed it. So Extern is a bit like home to me career-wise.” Michael can also call upon some family experience for his new role, as his father John also worked for many years within Extern’s hostels. “He managed Innis and Dismas at separate times, so that's been a really lovely experience, to be sitting in his chair and be doing the work that he was doing. It has been a really wholesome experience for both of us and it's nice to make him proud like that.” Michael has also inherited a strong team of dedicated professionals, many of whom he has worked with already for a number of years. “I would have known some of the core staff already from my own experience working
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there; walking in the door from the first day, those guys have given me nothing but respect.” Michael has seen many changes over the past decade or so, especially in the complexity of need which faces many of the people he and his team supports. “The client group is quite different to what I would have remembered. There's a lot more addiction issues, and a lot more mental health issues that are now being spoken about that maybe wouldn't have been acknowledged as much before.” Just as that complexity of need has changed in recent years, so too has the approach taken to managing this. “We've always had to adapt to new challenges and new ways of working. The criteria for admissions into the hostels have changed and the risks have increased and we've had to adapt to that.
“We have more risk of overdose and we have more individuals with violent offence backgrounds than we would have ever had before. “So it's really about ensuring that those people are supported, but also making sure you're mitigating the risks and looking after the staff.” Ensuring that everyone who arrives at our hostels is treated nonjudgmentally and with respect is also central to the work of Michael and his team. “Relationships are key to what we do. You need to get off to a good start with everybody that's walking in that door and who is going to reside there for however many months. “It's about making it feel like a home for them. That's where they live, it's not just a hostel, it's not just temporary accommodation. While they're there, you want them to feel safe and supported and I feel like we've accomplished that well over this past year.”
JUSTICE SERVICES: NI COMMISSIONERS: Department of Justice; Northern Ireland Housing Executive/Supporting People SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: 344 LOCATIONS: Belfast; Cookstown; Derry-Londonderry; Northern Trust HIGHLIGHTS: 69 people provided with a place to stay at our Dismas and Innis probationapproved hostels; 41 people engaged with our MUST hostel, Cookstown; 234 service users supported through our Criminal Justice Floating Support Service
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JUSTICE SERVICES
HAVING AN IMPACT: IRELAND Working across three key project areas – Bail Supervision, Janus Justice and Youth Diversion Projects – our youth justice services in the Republic of Ireland recorded another busy year of activity, engaging with young people and their families to help provide positive pathways for those at risk of, or already engaged within, the criminal justice system. Our Bail Supervision Schemes had a successful year improving the lives of families in the community, with many positive outcomes for those they are supporting. In our newer hubs of Limerick and Cork, the project has been making huge progress in becoming better established, and is now well known among local youth justice organisations, as well as being recognised for the difference it is making in the lives of the families with whom they work. Key to this has been building strong stakeholder relationships with Gardai, Juvenile Liaison Officers, Probation Officers and school staff, among others.
The project has also facilitated positive outcomes for many of those it supports, including one young person in Limerick who is now attending third level education and completing a 12week ‘Access to Apprenticeship course’. Another with severe social anxiety who hadn’t left their home for over a year was successfully reintegrated to mainstream education, attending family holidays and socialising with positive peer groups. Bail Supervision in Dublin and Cork has also been enhanced by the addition of a strand which builds upon the work of Extern’s Janus Justice programme, which had already been running in the Limerick area for a number of years. Where the already existing version of BSS was designed for young people who are living at home with a caregiver, this alternative model caters for young people who are living in residential care, supported accommodation or living independently (i.e. not living at home with a caregiver). Providing an individual 1-1 keyworking service, this new element
has been designed to bridge a gap which had been identified for a section of hard-to-reach young people who required support but who did not fit the criteria for the already existing scheme. And the life-changing work of our Youth Diversion Project teams was the focus of a special visit by James Browne, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, during the year. Mr Browne met staff from Extern’s two YDPs in Co Kildare, during a special visit to the team’s offices in Naas, where he heard about the life-changing work which Extern carries out in support of young people across the area. Our staff were also among the guests at the Annual Youth Diversion Project Conference, in Dublin. Hosted by the Department of Justice, the event offered delegates an opportunity to meet face-to-face at a large scale event for the first time since the Covid pandemic, where they could collectively consider their own experience of implementing the 2021-2027 Youth Justice Policy.
JUSTICE SERVICES: ROI COMMISSIONER: Department of Justice SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: 196 LOCATIONS: Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Kildare HIGHLIGHTS: HIGHLIGHTS: 60 hours each of engagement provided to families in the Limerick BSS; reduction in criminal behaviour among all young people engaged EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 13
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MENTAL HEALTH REACHING OUT TO SUPPORT WELLBEING: NORTHERN IRELAND With mental health continuing to affect so many people within our communities, our range of acute and locally-based services had another busy year. Meanwhile, staff from our Community Crisis Intervention Service in DerryLondonderry opened their doors to invited guests for a special open afternoon event during the week. Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Alderman Graham Warke was among the guests at the ‘Meet the Team’ event, which took place at CCIS’ office in the Waterside area of the city. Also joining us on the day were funders, partners and peer organisations from the local area, who took the opportunity to engage with our frontline staff and find out more about the life-saving work they carry out. Staff and volunteers from our mental health projects across Belfast, East Antrim and Derry-Londonderry joined in with Mental Health Awareness Week in May with a series of events and activities aimed at promoting mental wellbeing as well as raising awareness of our work. Supporters from our Embrace open water swimming group in Larne (above) got the week off to a brisk start with a special sunrise dip at Ballygally beach as part of the Darkness Into Light event. Formed by a number of our fantastic Community Champions, the group promotes the mental and physical benefits of cold water therapy and has attracted a loyal following of open water swim enthusiasts. The importance of taking time out to share your worries or anxieties with others was also the focus of a number of Tea & Talk events during the week. We were very kindly welcomed into cafes in Larne and the Shankill to meet with the public and offer a listening ear, as well as signposting to services in the local area.
Our Belfast-based Crisis Intervention Service also continued its vital work offering support to people with current and ongoing suicidal thoughts and behaviours. The service provided crisis response to over 250 individuals, delivering 1,500 sessions across the year.
MENTAL HEALTH: NI COMMISSIONERS: Public Health Agency; Department for Communities; Department of Health/Community Foundation NI; The Executive Office/Co-operation Ireland SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: 1,530 LOCATIONS: Belfast; Derry-Londonderry; Carrickfergus/Larne HIGHLIGHTS: 895 interventions recorded by the Community Crisis Intervention Service in DerryLondonderry; 334 people across Greater Belfast given help with mental health through the Reach Out project
"I FEEL LIKE I AM AN ASSET TO EXTERN NOW" “I’ve suffered from mental health issues for much of my life. I had multiple adverse childhood experiences, which led to prolonged periods where I’ve suffered from depression, as well as feelings of guilt and shame. These then led to poor self-esteem and feelings of hopelessness. At its most severe my low mood led to me attempting to take my own life. I have used drugs and alcohol to cope, but mostly to escape. At the beginning of 2022, my depression returned, as did the suicidal thoughts. This manifested into a period of excessive alcoholism which left me hospitalised. After getting out of hospital I sought help for my issues, and that’s when I first became aware of Extern. It was their idea of setting up a Post-Recovery Hub that drew me to become more involved with them. They offered me extensive support and I have gone on to become a Community Champion for them, which has given me structure and routine. I feel like I’m an asset to Extern and that my contribution is valued. My selfesteem has greatly improved, I’m happier, more positive and hopeful for my future.”
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Eddie, Service User, Reach Out, Belfast
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MINORITY COMMUNITIES AN EXPERIENCED APPROACH: NI The ongoing needs of those whose lives have been impacted by conflict were a key focus of our refugee support work throughout this year. As the war in Ukraine dominated the political agenda, our experience of supporting refugees proved invaluable as we took on a key role in helping find new homes for those fleeing the fighting. Following our involvement in delivering the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, alongside partners within the sector, Extern was invited to join an initial response steering group to the Ukraine conflict with representatives from across government departments, as well as statutory and voluntary services. There, it was determined that Northern Ireland would be implementing the Homes for Ukraine scheme, whereby Ukrainian individuals and families would match with ‘hosts’, who would offer accommodation to people who were fleeing the conflict. The scheme would require hosts to be screened for suitability and eligibility of a government ‘thank you payment’. It was determined that Extern and Barnardo’s would take forward this screening process by mobilising a team of skilled keyworkers. “We have been delivering services to individuals fleeing conflict for many years, so we had a team of skilled and experienced keyworkers in place who understand the complexities and challenges facing individuals resettling in Northern Ireland,” explains Programme Manager Kirsty McCann. “We had also established good working relationships with many key partners within the refugee integration sector so we were
confident that we could undertake this challenge with the urgency it required.” Within days of the steering group being established, Extern were setting up the team to deliver this service, with home visits to prospective hosts commencing within just a few weeks. This required establishing processes and systems to assess and record the information required for screening suitability. “As this was a very quick turnaround, the initial challenges we faced were around completing visits at a rapid pace, reassuring hosts’ concerns and managing a daily increase of allocations being made to the service,” says Kirsty. “We were very proactive and colleagues from other projects across the organisation volunteered to support the home visit process to meet the need, which really demonstrated the ‘above and beyond’ ethos and values of staff within Extern.” As well as the excellent working relationships we had already established with partner agencies, our previous experience was also important in putting in place the systems which would immediately benefit the service users, such as interpreting services and signposting to other supports to meet their basic needs.
CAVAN TEAM LAUNCH HUB: ROI Our Cavan-based teams took centre stage for a special ‘Meet the Team’ event to showcase our newly refurbished offices in the town. The drop-in event was attended by key stakeholders from statutory and community organisations in the area, who were provided with a tour of the facility and took the opportunity to find out more about our work locally, The Cavan building is used as a base for our Traveller Primary Healthcare programme, as well as our Janus and Time Out projects in the area, and underwent a clear-out and redecoration. As part of the refurbishment, the Traveller team (above) have developed their ‘hub’ as the focal point for their workshops. From here the team – who are all recruited from the local Traveller community – runs regular meetings and events aimed at promoting important healthcare initiatives.
MINORITY COMMUNITIES: NI & ROI COMMISSIONERS: NI - Dept for Communities; Belfast Trust ROI - HSE SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: NI – 824 ROI - 218 LOCATIONS: NI – Belfast ROI – Cavan; Meath; Louth HIGHLIGHTS: 682 people in NI provided with assistance through the Homes for Ukraine scheme; 1,440 hours of direct contact delivered by the Cavan Traveller Healthcare team EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 15
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LIMERICK HUB A CENTRE OF LIFE-CHANGING ACTIVITY: IRELAND The past year has seen our services ‘hub’ in Limerick go from strength to strength, as it continues to provide a wide range of services to young people and families. Working from their offices in the Watch House Cross area of the city, the teams cover a wide area both geographically and in terms of the range of services provided, including youth justice, family support and disabilities. While it might be tempting to think of the site as one unique ‘hive mind’ of collaboration, however, such crossover between projects is not an automatic given. Rather, the strength comes from teams being able to benefit from the broader insight provided by each other’s experience of unique situations or scenarios that might be affecting service users. “Where we work closely together is not so much with specific families, but if I encounter a problem in the justice services that I haven't come up against before, I might find that the other managers would have done so in their projects,” says justice services manager Michelle Kennedy. “The families often have a lot of issues that could be present in any service, so it's really helpful for us as managers to have each other to bounce ideas off or problem-solve with. If you're passing someone or they're in your office, you can just have a chat and try and figure things out together.” While having such a strong concentration of services in one part of the country has meant much greater profile for our work with service users and among our commissioners, this has not always translated into a wider public awareness. Although, as youth services assistant manager Claire Cussen points out, this is something of an advantage given the nature of their work with people who are marginalised.
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“Obviously the families we work with know us and they really appreciate the service and the support, due to the fact that we go in and there is no judgment, regardless of what's going on,” she says. “If you're not engaging with us, though, we are quite under the radar – but that works for people, as there can be that stigma attached to having services coming into the home, so I think that works for individuals as well.” It is a view shared by Bryan Gough, who manages the Extern Outreach Support Service, which works with people who have autism or intellectual disability: “The days of putting the name of the organisation you work with on the side of a bus, or going around with branded t-shirts is gone, because families and services we work with don't want that stigma. They don't want to be seen by the wider community as needing a service, they just want to get on with their lives the same way as anyone else. They might need a little support at a particular point in time in their lives, but that doesn't define them as who they are.” As with so much of the work being carried out across Extern, for staff the rewards of their roles are in seeing the change and progress which can be made within the lives of young people and families. “I had a lovely conversation with a young man who said that his life has changed in the past twelve months,” says Bryan. “He hadn't left his house for years, and he told me he was going to be starting a job in the next couple of weeks. He had gained some friends, he had clubs that he went to on the weekend and he was in the process of writing a book that hopefully gets published. So from someone who said he hasn't left his
house in a number of years previous to that, that's a really positive story.” Says Michelle: “We use the line ‘changing lives every day’ a lot in Extern sometimes without really thinking about it. But it’s definitely the most exciting part, meeting a child who you genuinely know that your service has changed their life, when you know that it was going a completely different direction. I think that's really what keeps us going.” Adds Claire: “It’s about the outcomes that you see for young people. We had a young person who came through our services and is now a volunteer with Extern. He has progressed onto third level education and that's a major success. “Those small wins are the snapshots that you get, like when we have somebody in at five o’clock of a Friday evening that has just experienced something extremely traumatic and you're providing a place of safety for them for the next three nights - the difference that that makes, that they feel safe, regardless of what's going on in the background.”
DISABILITIES SERVICES: ROI COMMISSIONER: HSE SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: 53 LOCATIONS: Limerick; Clare HIGHLIGHTS: 1,682 individual sessions delivered; 14 new referrals received; funding secured for three additional project workers
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“EXTERN HELPED ME TO FIND MY OWN INDEPENDENCE" “I was living in a residential unit but I wasn’t happy there, I wanted to live independently and have my own place and freedom. My Extern key workers helped me to move out of the unit and find my own apartment, which has been a great thing for me. They really look out for me. We do activities together which I enjoy, and they help me sort out problems like when my phone or laptop isn’t working. They drive me to places I want to go and we listen to music. They help me when I get frustrated and speak up for me in meetings when I am nervous. They support me to make decisions for myself and talk through options when I am unsure of what decision to make. We have weekday sessions together where they support me with daily living skills like cooking, cleaning, taking care of my personal hygiene, money management, and managing my relationships with family members. Thanks to Extern I can now do many things that I could not have done in the past, such as live independently and take care of myself.” Jack, Service User, Extern Outreach Support Service (EOSS), Limerick EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 17
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YOUNG PEOPLE & FAMILIES CHANGING THE CONVERSATION: NORTHERN IRELAND Our projects across Northern Ireland continued their outstanding work in supporting young people facing a range of complex issues in their lives. One of our Belfast-based projects made big steps in building good relationships between young people and the police during this year. Reaching in to young people within deprived communities has long been at the heart of much of Extern’s work. And a key part of this has been the Conversation Piece project, which successfully concluded this year after supporting dozens of young people across inner city Belfast. Created in 2019, Conversation Piece was commissioned by Belfast City Council’s Policing and Community Safety Partnership to ‘personalise’ relationships between young people and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. One of the purposes of the project was to encourage young people to see police officers as ‘real’ people – that by humanising the men and women in uniform they might engender better relationships. The barriers which were stopping many young people from engaging with or seeking assistance from the police were many, but one key underlying issue was the influence of paramilitary organisations within many local communities. Giving young people the confidence that they would be listened to was therefore a crucial aspect of Conversation Piece. While the premise of the project was, at first glance, straightforward enough – people sitting in a room and talking –
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it required a great degree of preparation to ensure the sessions began positively. This included working with a skilled facilitator to be able to direct the conversation and conducting preparation sessions with the young people beforehand, to look at what areas of discussion they wanted to cover with the police officers. Extern’s wealth of experience in supporting young people through its youth work projects also provided a positive basis for the project to build upon. Indeed, Covid restrictions around the time of the initial launch meant some of the earliest sessions were rolled out with young people who were already engaged with Extern’s projects, such as Pathways and the Personal Change Project. The initial response from young people to the project was good, with word of mouth also generating further interest among their peers, and overall feedback from both the young people and PSNI was positive. With the project concluding during 2022-23, hopes of being able to renew it on a longer-term basis remain. And whatever the future may hold, the trust that has been built among many of those who engaged will undoubtedly provide a vital foundation in diverting young people away from negative influences in the future.
LINX Our Newtownards-based LINX project enjoyed another successful year, providing over 3,600 hours of tailored support to young people and their parents across the SouthEastern Trust area Among the highlights of the programme were a fantastic summer programme for small groups, focussing on wellbeing, social skills and pro-social activities, while some of our young people even attended a therapeutic well-being group at a local donkey sanctuary.
YOUNG PEOPLE & FAMILIES: NI COMMISSIONERS: Belfast Trust; South-Eastern Trust; Northern Trust; Western Trust; Strategic Planning and Performance Group; Education Authority; Public Health Agency SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: 2,196 LOCATIONS: Derry-Londonderry; Lisburn; Newtownards; Bangor; Enniskillen; Omagh HIGHLIGHTS: 707 placements supported through our Roscor Youth Village, Co Fermanagh; 144 Time Out placements provided at Kinnahalla Respite Centre, Co Down
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GIVING NEW HOPE: IRELAND
YOUNG PEOPLE & FAMILIES
Working across the country, our services have continued to reach in to meet the needs of young people and families who have a range of complex needs, including those facing threats from criminal gangs. Since opening in Drogheda in 2021, the Intensive Family Support Service (IFSS) has begun to have a noticeable impact in supporting young people at risk of being groomed by gangs in the area. Working out of the town and covering a wide area, the project - which is funded by the Department of Justice - was created in response to a scoping review of community safety and wellbeing supports in the town. This followed a period of acute crimerelated violence, which included the horrific murder of a local 17-year-old who had been engaged with adults in criminal networks from a young age. The dedicated team of professionals have had a busy year of activity in addressing each of four main strands of work: Intensive Family Support; Pro-social Behaviour Support; Community Efficacy; and Supporting Network Disruption. Among their priorities have been tackling the critical issues facing many families, such as accrual of drug debts and subsequent intimidation to extort money or to coerce young people into criminal behaviour to offset the debt. “The issue of children and teens being groomed into criminal behaviour is a major challenge in the community,” explains project manager Liz Cronin. “That often manifests itself in that we have young people and families who are under acute financial pressure, but also the threat of violence is often imminent. So that has a real ripple effect in terms of community safety, as well as family safety and wellbeing.” While ‘typical days’ are what Liz and her team strive for with the families they support - days that have a routine which can support pro-social behaviour and a sense of wellbeing – such is the varied nature of the team’s work that their duties can stretch across a wide range of tasks. “Our project workers and community mentors are by and large in the community, in people's family homes or
Team members from Extern's Intensive Family Support Service, who have been bringing life-changing support to young people in Drogheda this year
wherever they're living at the time,” says Liz. “This can mean supporting families with parenting needs, linking in professionally with partners in statutory organisations, or supporting sport and cultural programmes, as well as with health and housing needs. “The criminal gangs don't give the opportunities to families to integrate into public and community settings or to engage in pro-social activities within their communities. So we disrupt this and let opportunities happen for families to reach positive outcomes. It’s about empowering families to use the tools that they have and to develop them.” Reaching in to the lives of service users is often the biggest challenge facing many of the team, as issues like drug debt intimidation can lead to families not actively looking for help, as it is linked to offending behaviour. “We work with the families to challenge that mindset, so we support them with attending school programmes, attaining educational training,” says Liz. “A lot of people are distanced from the workplace too and they're isolated as a result, so we'll make sure that we remove barriers to that as well.”
While the nature of the work may be challenging, the past year has seen plenty of highlights for the team as well, such as community sports days with local families within the areas where they live. “We had up to 300 families come together and reclaim the space for the kinds of fun, social activities that they will be able to look back on and remember as such a positive thing that they did," says Liz.
YOUNG PEOPLE & FAMILIES: ROI COMMISSIONER: Tusla SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: 549 LOCATIONS: Dublin, Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Longford, Westmeath, Kildare, Wicklow, Louth, Galway, Roscommon, Cavan HIGHLIGHTS: 276 families given support by the Janus programme across Ireland; 80,950 hours of service delivered across the country EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 19
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LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN A CARING APPROACH: NORTHERN IRELAND The young people engaged with our Mentoring (Children Looked After) project made the most of the return to normality following Covid with a range of exciting activities throughout the year. This included activity days from go-karting and trampolining to attending the pantomime over the Christmas period. Staff also continued to engage the young people in one-to-one mentoring around areas of need and, in partnership with the young people themselves, to support them with areas of their lives they might be finding difficult. Our young people also enthusiastically participated in sessions around Children’s Mental Health Week, and celebrated Care Day by engaging in a group activity on the positives of being in care, challenging some of the negative stereotypes associated with this. Mentors also engaged young people in positive self-talk sessions, taking a strengths-based approach to building on confidence and self-esteem. The team created self-care packs for the young people, including mindfulness colouring books and breathing technique worksheets with a focus on managing anxiety, particularly for young people approaching exams. The mentors have continued to build on relationships with carers and other professionals too, networking across the statutory, voluntary and community sector, attending reviews and supporting care plans. This included attending events such as The Fostering Network’s Tick the Box campaign and the Generation Hope: Youth Suicide Prevention Conference. The team also joined with our Moving Forward, Moving On project this year to commission a special report from Ulster University on the impact of our mentoring work. This included a series of focus groups with staff and young people, with the report due to be formally launched later in 2023.
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LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN: NI COMMISSIONERS: Strategic Planning and Performance Group; Western Trust; South-Eastern Trust SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: 150 LOCATIONS: Belfast (supporting NI-wide); Western Trust; South-Eastern Trust HIGHLIGHTS: Around two-thirds of the young people supported by the Mentoring (Children Looked After) project stated they had improved physical health, feelings & behaviour and/or education & learning outcomes following their engagement
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EDUCATION & EMPLOYABILITY HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY: NI Our Belfast-based Moving Forward, Moving On programme was one of a number of projects which helped to trial a new online platform aimed at young people aged 16-24.
The ITER Project offers staff an interactive platform to engage with young people they support. The software – developed by Antares SRL Italy – features games and activities which allow the young person to share their thoughts and feelings in an easily-accessible manner. Staff can then gauge the young person’s strengths as well as areas for development. This in turn can help to inform the young person’s aims and aspirations towards training or employment. The project has been delivered in partnership with a number of other European organisations, including: GEMS Northern Ireland Limited; University of Huddersfield; Time Associates; Antares SRL Italy; Eulab Consulting, Italy; Desincoop, Portugal; University Politehica of Bucharest, Romania; and Békés County Government Office, Hungary. Staff from MFMO travelled to Huddersfield in Yorkshire to report on their work, and to showcase a specially-commissioned video showing the software in action (below).
“The Mentoring project gives me something to look forward to every week, I always have lots of fun. I enjoy going out for coffee and talking because we always have a lot of laughs and I feel comfortable. It has helped me in many different ways.” Young service user, Mentoring (Children Looked After)
The video also features moving insight from former service users who have now joined Extern as staff members. Alex and Jamie shared their own personal stories of how mentoring helped them to overcome challenges when they were younger. Feedback from funders towards the video was overwhelmingly positive, with particular praise for Alex and Jamie’s contributions.
SKILLS & EMPLOYABILITY: NI COMMISSIONERS: Department for the Economy; National Lottery Community Fund SERVICE USERS SUPPORTED: 118 LOCATIONS: Belfast HIGHLIGHTS: 58 participants progressed into education/training and 19 into employment EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 21
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TRAINING A LEARNING APPROACH Our Practice Development Unit embraced wider opportunities available for learning and development for staff, students and volunteers alike. safeguarding training for each project within our services directorate, in partnership with managers and the Head of Safeguarding. This has enabled teams to share learning that is specific to their safeguarding role. Training in the Republic of Ireland was successfully completed within this year and work began to deliver this to Northern Ireland-based services as well. The team also continue to have an important role in supporting Extern’s goal of being a trauma-informed organisation, by offering learning and development opportunities to staff, students and volunteers around trauma and its impact. This year saw them lay the foundations through facilitating information sessions for senior managers within the organisation.
Extern's Practice Development Team (l-r) Kristina Januleviciute, Tina O'Reilly, Kathy Faulkner and Sarah McCarthy
The team built upon some of the positive developments and learnings from the adjustments they had made during the Covid pandemic, such as increased use of IT for remote learning. An exciting development was the acquisition of a new Learning Management System, which has the capacity to widen access to training for staff, making many courses more accessible and providing flexibility around completion. Initial work on developing the system involved the transfer of historical training records onto the new system, with over 12,500 records transferred across during the year. Extern continued to be a lead organisation for social work practice learning within the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland, through both VOCALS and our Practice Learning Centre, both services being commissioned by the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC). Social work
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students continued to share positive feedback regarding the learning opportunities and support they received during their placements within Extern and its associates. The team presented 111 offers of student placements within the voluntary sector for allocation, an increase on the 97 placements that were offered the previous year. The team have strengthened their work to develop practice learning within the third sector, supporting other organisations to engage or reengage in this following the pandemic. They also provided guidance and consultation to assist an independent Review of Practice Learning within the sector, commissioned by NISCC. This is likely to lead to changes in how practice learning is organised within the sector. The team also had a significant role in delivering key objectives identified within the Safeguarding Review. One example is bespoke
The team also increased its capacity to provide training in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention by further recruitment of trainers. The Practice Learning Centre welcomed 40 social work students on placement within the year, with 29 of those completing placements within the organisation and 11 through our associate providers. This included students from Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University, South Western College, Belfast Metropolitan College, the Open University and four students from our partners in Florida State University, who took up placements in our MDHST, Dismas House/Innis hostels and Pathways projects.
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TRAINING
Participants in our Therapeutic Crisis Intervention training
This also included three Extern staff members completing the Social Work degree through the Open University, with their first placement taking place within the organisation. This has provided an exciting opportunity for some of our social care staff to train as social workers. In the Republic of Ireland, meanwhile, we helped coordinate 10 student placements. Support was provided for qualified social workers across the sector to engage in Continuing Professional Development through NISCC’s Professional in Practice Framework. As well as our involvement in assessment and mentoring across different aspects of the framework, our role in supporting candidates to engage with CPD was highly valuable. This included supporting 16 candidates on a one-to-one basis and delivering 14 workshops or information sessions across the year. There was a significant boost to the team as two new members of staff took up permanent positions during the year. Kathy Faulkner was successfully appointed to the Practice Development Manager (NI) role and Amanda Murphy was permanently appointed as Practice Development Manager (ROI). Both have made a positive impact on staff development within the organisation, bringing a wealth of knowledge
and experience into their roles, as well as a strong commitment to developing others. As well as being a qualified practice teacher, Kathy’s expertise in dual diagnosis and harm reduction has been gathered through her frontline experience in supporting people who are injecting drug users. Meanwhile, Amanda has brought her knowledge and experience of working with vulnerable young people and adults to her role. She also successfully completed a Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy during the year and has integrated this knowledge successfully into her training.
2,500 training places provided across NI and ROI this year
SOCIAL WORK STUDENT NIALL WARD SPENT HIS PLACEMENT WITH EXTERN’S CRIMINAL JUSTICE FLOATING SUPPORT TEAM IN BELFAST Tell us a bit about your placement with Extern – what were you expecting? I came to Extern from Ulster University as final year social work student, and found that the preparation I was given was very helpful. The opportunity to speak with my supervisor and team members helped me understand more about what would be involved regarding the service user group and the level of need and risk. I arrived on placement willing to learn from day one, I gained vast knowledge in practice and I was well supported by colleagues and the wider team. What specifically did you like about the placement? The work with service users was very engaging from the beginning of my placement. I learned the importance of seeing the person first, as well as the reallife challenges of managing risk in a range of contexts and with changing levels of complexities for service users. How did Extern support you throughout your time here? The whole network around me as a student was very supportive and I felt that I really had the opportunity to help others make positive change. The opportunity to connect with other students was excellent too; it made a big difference to the experience and promoted a sense of community. This helped reduce any sense of isolation, which can be common for students on placement. What were the particular challenges you faced over the course of the year? One particular challenge as a student is the impact of the cost of living crisis and the cost of travel to placement. But my supervisor was very responsive and able to suggest flexibility to support my need. I really felt listened to and valued throughout. EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 23
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OUR PEOPLE CORPORATE SUPPORT Every day, our fantastic frontline teams go the extra mile to make a difference in the lives of so many of the diverse range of people we support across our wide range of projects.
“I enjoy working for Extern as I feel as though I am part of a bigger picture and am helping to deliver crucial services in the community. I like doing work that helps to promote a positive employee experience, whether this is learning and development or an employee wellbeing initiative. In my role there is also scope to be creative in terms of approaching things differently to how they’ve been done before and to put my mark on things, and I like having that challenge.” Matthew Harbinson, Learning, Development and Wellbeing Advisor
And supporting them are a team of highly-skilled professionals and specialists across a range of corporate support services, including ICT, Human Resources, Finance, Data Protection, Admin and many others.
These dedicated people ensure that all of the functions and processes are in place to enable our services within local communities to be able to provide the best service possible to the people they support.
“I provide financial support and assistance for the projects that I am associated with, so I need to have good attention to detail to ensure costs are being recorded and reported accurately. I also need to have good communication skills to have financial conversations with the team on the project who may not have a finance background. Being involved in the financing of the work we do really gives me an insight into what the funding is being used for and how it is helping people. When we can continue to fund a project or make a new project financially viable I feel I am making some small contribution towards Extern’s goals and in helping our people on the frontlines deliver our services to those that we want to help. I think the work that we do makes Extern a special place to work but that would not be possible without those individuals within the organisation who are so committed to trying to help improve the lives of other people. It’s these things that make Extern a very special place.” Felix Brennan, Finance Business Partner
“I decided I wanted to work in the charity sector because I loved that whole idea of being able to give something back to others. Working for Extern has given me a real insight into the challenges faced by many people within the community, and how we can assist them to overcome these. On a day-to-day basis, my job is to develop and implement policy, and to coach and mentor people on HR best practice. I do a lot of one-on-one coaching, and I support individuals, both managers and workers, who may have concerns or issues arising in the workplace that they need addressed. What stands out for me about Extern is the culture. Everybody is so caring, and friendly and welcoming. There is very much an ‘open arms’ approach, and I was very quickly incorporated into the team. Another thing that’s very positive is the level of flexibility and support that is given to staff. People here are so passionate about what they do, and everybody just really wants to do their absolute best to help others.” Deirdre Congdon, Senior HR Business Partner
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OUR PEOPLE
“I wanted to work for a charity, but helping out in the background rather than on the frontline, so that’s why I enjoy my role so much. I can do my bit for Extern in the best way I know how. Most people consider GDPR to be rather a dry subject, but if you understand it, it is quite interesting in how it affects other laws and legislation. There are so many aspects to it, everything from handling Subject Access Requests and dealing with data breaches, to working with frontline services to help them comply with legislation through things like policies and procedures, guidance, and training. With so many projects and funders to think about, it can be pretty challenging at times, but it’s enjoyable too and quite rewarding.” Keeva Turner, Data Protection Officer
“My days are packed with a variety of tasks all aimed at keeping our tech operations running smoothly and securely. My main job is overseeing the daily hustle and bustle of the IT department and making sure projects are moving along nicely. The services provided by Extern whether it's assisting those facing homelessness, dealing with mental health issues, or providing support to families - require a reliable and efficient IT backbone. Our task is to ensure that this remains capable of supporting the diverse range of services offered. While our work may mostly reside behind the scenes, the significance of IT's role in supporting and enhancing the frontline services is undeniable.
Caoimhe McDonald and Matthew Harbinson from our HR team saw their hard work and dedication repaid this year after receiving their Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management, while Caoimhe completed her ILM in Volunteer Management
Having been a part of Extern for a decade, I’ve witnessed first-hand the commitment the organisation has towards creating a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals and communities. The ethos and the purpose-driven approach of Extern make it a remarkable place to work.” Alan Keenan, Assistant Manager of IT
Our HR team have been busy throughout the year, with key achievements including: • A new HR Information System (People HR) Introduced from September 2022 • We became a Real Living Wage Employer, with a commitment to track the Real Living Wage in NI • We established an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion forum • Developing and delivering our E-Learning to include an online organisational induction for all new starts • Strengthening our suite of HR policies to keep in line with changes in legislation and best practice • Improving our processes in relation to Performance Appraisals and Supervision • A continued focus on employee reward, including implementation of pay increments and cost of living award to support recruitment and retention • 51 new starts commenced and inducted EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 25
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VOLUNTEERING AN EXTRA SPECIAL YEAR… Our volunteering programme continued to grow throughout 2022-23, building upon the successes which had been achieved the previous year with the establishment of the Extern Extras programme. As we began the year, we were able to reflect on the first full year of the new and improved Extern Extras programme, which had seen the launch of several new opportunities, revised role descriptors, and brand-new bespoke volunteer training courses, as well as a cohort of enthusiastic new volunteers and Community Champions. On the back of these developments, it was during 20222023 that we really started to reap the rewards of the new and improved processes we had established, welcoming 32 new volunteers to the organisation. “Overall, we have seen a continued interest in volunteering both internally and externally,” says Volunteer Coordinator Caoimhe McDonald (right). “Members of the public are passionate about Extern’s mission to transform lives, and we continue to be humbled by their kind offers to volunteer to work alongside our staff teams. As we emerged from the worst of the pandemic, many people also felt called to give back to and support their local communities. “Across the organisation, word has also been spreading about the amazing work our volunteers do, and many more managers and staff teams were in contact during the year to express an interest in engaging volunteers.”
15
projects and programmes supported by our volunteers across the island of Ireland
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£30,000 raised with support from volunteers
As well as continuing to fill many of the existing roles, this year we were able to offer some new volunteer opportunities, including recruiting for an Education Support Volunteer for Extern Ireland, as part of our Youth Diversion Projects, which support young people aged 12-17 who are at risk of, or who are involved in anti-social and/or criminal behaviour. Delivered in partnership with the HSE, the Iscoil programme is a nonprofit online learning service that offers young people a pathway to learning which supports them to obtain an education and achieve their potential.
In
Northern Ireland, meanwhile, our volunteers have been filling a variety of roles, including preparing meals in our hostels, delivering mental health and bereavement support groups in the community, helping our drug and alcohol street teams, or delivering exciting workshops activities to our young people. “Following the Covid 19 pandemic, we have also seen a change in the typical profile of those becoming volunteers,” says Caoimhe. “Whereas the assumption would often be that volunteers would be retired, almost all of our volunteers are working, studying, have childcare commitments or even volunteer with other organisations or sports clubs. Many are working towards a new career or to learn new skills, and therefore the need for flexibility is more important than ever.
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VOLUNTEERING “Volunteers have also been commenting on the quality of the training they have received from Extern’s award-winning Practice Development Unit, telling us how the courses not only enable them to carry out their role, but in many cases are also beneficial for their studies and future careers in social care.” As well as the bespoke training courses which are delivered ‘live’, this year a number of online modules were also launched using the MS Sway platform. This allowed volunteers to complete a range
of courses in their own time, and to better meet their own commitments. As the year drew to a close, the Extern Extras programme was looking forward to a bright and productive year ahead, with continued growth in volunteering in Extern Ireland, as well as the goal of working towards a prestigious Investors in Volunteering award and even a Volunteer’s Forum.
SAYING THANK YOU Dozens of our volunteers and Community Champions from across the organisation joined us for a special celebration event during the summer, as well as a Festive Favourites coffee morning for Christmas.
12
unique volunteer roles filled
Lee Travers volunteered with Extern’s team in Athy, Co Kildare, as part of the iScoil programme, which offers young people a safe learning environment to re-engage with education, achieve qualifications and access further education, training and employment. “I first became involved with Extern after hearing about the iScoil programme in Athy. The project was new to Kildare and the team were looking for an assistant to help with rolling it out. As I was going on to do a Professional Masters in Education (PME), I was excited to get some experience outside of the school system and to be aware of the support and opportunities an organisation like Extern can offer.
The events were held not only as a way for us to thank those very special people who have been devoting their time and energy to our work, but to allow volunteers the opportunity to meet and share their stories and insights. Volunteers from across our projects, including those working in Extern Ireland, travelled to the summer and Christmas events, where they shared their own very personal stories of volunteering, took part in games and activities and had the opportunity to meet the wider Extern family.
I was surprised at how well-prepared Extern made me feel before starting any of the volunteering work. My induction involved several different training sessions and made sure I was set up and ready to go. Volunteers were treated as if they are paid staff, and I really liked this approach. Through volunteering with Extern, I found that I'm more aware of some of the challenges that face young people and the wider community. This has helped me greatly in my day-to-day life and allows me to look at things from a different perspective. Everyone I have met along the way has been so friendly and welcoming. The Extern staff and the service users are all amazing people and you can feel a real warmth and trust between everyone. The young people are all characters in their own way and make the weeks fly by. I love the fact that everyone in Extern believes that another chance can change a life - that makes Extern really special!”
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FUNDRAISING
A YEAR OF GIVING: NI This was another busy year for our fundraising team as we witnessed the incredible generosity of the public in support of our locally-based projects. Community fundraising featured strongly in much of the support we received throughout the year, with some truly poignant contributions of
funds and gifts from those whose lives have been impacted by issues such as mental health and addiction. Among these were a donation of
£10,000 (left) from the family of young Co Antrim woman Lisa McAlister, who died tragically by suicide in 2020. The mother-of-two had been passionate about supporting the work of mental health charities, and the generous funding was used to provide new supports to tackle suicide and poor mental health among people living in the Cushendall and wider Glens area. Meanwhile, the family of Larne man Ally McCrellis donated over £3,500 in his memory, following a fundraising dance and social evening which was held in the village of Carnlough. This was used to support our work in the East Antrim area, where we offer a number of community-based mental health and wellbeing services, including counselling, training and awarenessraising events.
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FUNDRAISING
A HELPING HAND FOR FAMILIES: ROI Those we support across the country struggling with the cost-of-living crisis were given a welcome boost during the year thanks to the support from the Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA).
Janet Cullinan (left) from Moy Park with Jason Whatley and Hannah Paisley from the MUST Hostel and SAIL Project in Cookstown, whose projects benefitted from generous funding from the company this year
The annual family fun day in memory of Larne man Lee Barry also raised thousands of pounds for our services in the area. The event took place at Larne FC’s Inver Park ground in honour of the popular local DJ, who died through suicide in 2020 following a personal struggle with addiction and mental health issues. Service users at our MUST hostel in Cookstown also benefitted through a fantastic donation from leading food company Moy Park to support residents with moving into independent accommodation. The impact of trauma and addiction on mental health was also a central theme for a number of events held in September. Businesswoman and therapist Vivian McKinnon hosted a special film screening at The MAC theatre in Belfast, charting the story of her traumatic childhood. And Vivian was also among the guests at a special fundraising afternoon tea event at Belfast restaurant A Peculiar Tea. Chef Gemma Austin opened the doors to her popular establishment to help us raise over £3,000 for our mental health services.
Programme Managers Clare O'Connor and Dermot Berry from Extern with some of the vouchers being given to families
Generous funding of over €23,000 from the CRA – which changes the lives of children in Ireland by making sure that their rights are respected and protected – enabled our teams working in Dublin, Kildare, Limerick, and other areas, to purchase supermarket vouchers to distribute to families they support who were facing acute need for help with buying the basics. Over 200 families - including at least 530 children and young people - benefitted from the vouchers, which enabled them to put food on the table in the face of spiralling costs over the course of the year. Extern Manager Clare O’Connor said: “This had a hugely positive impact on the families we work with, many of whom might otherwise have found it hard to ask for help. With the cost-ofliving crisis hitting many households hard some of the families we work with are not able to make ends meet, so when these vouchers were distributed they were received with genuine gratitude and appreciation at being able to provide this most basic of needs."
Other generous donations we received for our projects in the Republic of Ireland during the year included: - An incredible €50,000 from the Smurfit Kappa Foundation to go towards our newly-acquired respite property at Cratloe in Co Clare - A welcome €3,000 from the Hospital Saturday Fund to help support the work of our Problem Gambling project - A fantastic €1,883 donation from Leargas, which enabled our Youth Diversion project in Naas, Co Kildare to continue its life-changing work
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REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Chair Allen McCartney
Other Directors Aideen D’Arcy Ian McAvoy Jim Daly Stephen Leach Eavann Murphy (appointed 5 September 2022) Brendan Johnston (retired 15 December 2022) Andrew McCloskey (retired 15 December 2022)
Company Secretary Stephen Leach (from 15 December 2022) Aideen D’Arcy (until 15 December 2022)
Management Team Danny McQuillan, CEO (resigned 14 July 2022) Colin Hayburn, CEO (appointed 16 January 2023) Dr Gavin Adams, Director of Business Development (resigned 3 October 2022) Sharon Hearty, Director of Policy and Development (appointed 30 January 2023) Jonathan Carroll, Director of People and Organisational Development Pauline Flynn, Director of Finance and Corporate Services Leslie Ann Scott, Director of Services Deirdre O’Driscoll, Interim Director of Services RoI (appointed 12 September 2022) Neil McKittrick, Director of Services NI (appointed 6 February 2023)
Principal Bankers:
Bank of Ireland 4-8 High Street , Belfast BT1 2BA
Auditors: Moore NI Donegall House, 7 Donegall Square North Belfast BT1 5GB
Company Reg No: NI618684
HMRC Charity No. NI00263
30 I EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23
Principal Solicitors: Worthingtons Solicitors 24-38 Gordon Street, Belfast BT1 2LG
Registered Office Hydepark House 3 McKinney Road, Newtownabbey BT36 4PE
Charity Commission No. NIC103226
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EXTERN GROUP BOARD OF TRUSTEES Allen McCartney
Allen is by profession a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, with degree qualifications in both electrical engineering and corporate leadership. He had a distinguished career at Director level in Northern Ireland Electricity and Viridian Group and brings a wealth of experience from previous public sector board appointments in the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, the Department for Regional Development, and the Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland. He is a Lay Magistrate and an Assessor for the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency.
Jim Daly
Jim is from Clonakilty, Co Cork. He is a qualified teacher and former school principal who has successfully completed his studies with the Institute of Directors to become a chartered Director. Jim spent 16 years working as a public representative and announced his intention to retire from politics in 2020 while serving as Minister for Mental Health & Older People. Jim has a keen interest in children’s welfare and education and recently completed studies at UCC in Trauma Informed Care. He is currently a non-executive Director of a number of private and not-for-profit boards as well as providing consultancy services to a wide range of businesses, especially in the health area. He is currently the CEO of the Private Hospitals Association.
Aideen D’Arcy MBE
Aideen was educated at Queen’s and the Ulster Universities. Aideen taught in the post-primary sector before embarking on a career in social housing for over 30 years, specialising in the provision of supported accommodation for vulnerable people. Aideen served on the NI Regional Council of the Society of St Vincent de Paul for over 15 years and undertook several initiatives to improve standards of accommodation and service provision of the organisation's homeless facilities throughout Ireland.
Ian McAvoy
Ian lives in Belfast and was educated at MCB and London University. After graduating in economics Ian studied accountancy. After a spell in practice, he became the Finance Director of a leading Irish brand and was promoted to Chief Executive, holding that position for 16 years. He has much expertise in strategic planning, transformation, finance and marketing. Ian was Chair of PlayBoard, Vice Chair of Sport NI, Director of Sport NI, and is presently Vice Chair of Ark Housing. He holds the position of Chairman of Rugby at Queen's University, Belfast.
Andrew McCloskey
Andrew is a business professional with more than 20 years’ experience in global companies. He has worked in the procurement, IT, and planning departments specialising in the use of technologies to enhance business performance and holds a Master of Business Administration from Ulster University and a Law Degree from the Open University.
Stephen Leach
Stephen was educated at Cambridge University. He joined the Civil Service in 1975 and worked in the Northern Ireland Office and other Departments. In 1990/91 he spent a year in the USA as a Humphrey Fulbright Fellow. Subsequently he was involved in the negotiations which led to the Good Friday Agreement and from 2000 to 2009 he was the Chair of the Northern Ireland Criminal Justice Board. After retiring from the Civil Service in 2009, he was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Health and Social Care Board. He has also served as a Parole Commissioner and as the Northern Ireland Commissioner on the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Eavann Murphy
Eavann studied HND Computer Science, Masters - Marketing Management and ACCA Diploma Accounting & Finance at the University of Ulster. She was the founding Chair of the eir Group Brand Council. Eavann has an extensive corporate career working in Bank of Ireland, Northern Ireland, from 1988-2000 in various marketing and strategy roles, then in Telecommunications with Vodafone 20002014. Since 2015 she has worked within the eir Group managing key business units across consumer, business and public sector markets. She previously served on the Board of Governors for Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, and completed the Institute of Directors Chartered Directors Diploma in 2021.
Brendan Johnston MBE
Brendan is a social worker and has spent his career in statutory social work in Northern Ireland. He has had experience of many different roles in his career, working in all programmes of care, though mainly in the area of children’s services. In the late ‘90s he worked closely with Extern West, particularly with development of Killadeas, and later Roscor. Brendan was the first Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Social Care Council and was responsible for establishing the regulation of social care workers in Northern Ireland.
EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 31
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EXTERN GROUP
Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating an Income & Expenditure account) for the Year Ended 31 March, 2023
2022/23 Total Income £22.7m
2022/23 Total Expenditure £22.2m
2021/22 Total Income £24.5m
2022-23 £M Tusla 6.2 HSE 1.8 Dept of Children & Youth Affairs 2.0 Dept of Justice (YDP) 0.7 Health Trusts 4.5 Housing Executive inc Supporting People 4.1 Government Departments 1.6 Other Income 1.8 Total Income 22.7
2021-22 £M 6.4 1.8 1.9 0.7 4.9
2021-22 Total Expenditure £23.8m
2022-23 £M Addiction Services 1.3 Disability Services 1.8 Education & Employability 0.7 Homelessness & Housing 4.5 Justice Services 2.3 Looked after Children 0.5 Mental Health Services 0.9 Minority Communities 1.2 Young People & Families 8.9 Total Income 22.1
4.0 1.8 3.0 24.5
2021-22 £M 1.2 1.6 1.4 4.2 3.3 0.5 1.0 0.7 9.9 23.8
Unrestricted Funds £
Restricted Funds £
Total 2023 £
Total 2022 £
Income and endowments from: Donations & Legacies Charitable Activities Other Trading Activities Gain/Loss on Exchange Other Income Investment Income
324,579 7,172,011 64,596 147
6,767 15,146,801 -
331,346 22,318,812 64,596 147
449,186 24,038,139 58,070 37
Total Income
7,561,333
15,153,568
22,714,901
24,545,432
Expenditure on: Raising Funds Charitable Activities
(317,847) (8,971,004)
(12,802,892)
(317,847) (21,773,896)
(151,958) (23,603,209)
Total Expenditure
(9,288,851)
(12,802,892)
(22,091,743)
(23,755,167)
Unrealised Gain/(loss) on Exchange Exchange Rate Gains/(Losses) on Consolidation
19,655 82,885
-
19,655 82,885
(3,236)
Net Income/(Expenditure) before Exceptional Item & Transfers
(1,624,978)
2,350,676
725,698
787,029
-
-
-
(601,879)
(1,624,978)
2,350,676
725,698
185,150
Transfers Between Funds
3,814,877
(3,814,877)
-
-
Net Movement in Funds
2,189,899
(1,464,201)
725,698
185,150
Funds Brought Forward
5,333,974
3,277,486
8,611,460
8,426,310
Total Funds Carried Forward
7,523,873
1,813,285
9,337,158
8,611,460
Exceptional Item Net Income/(Expenditure) after Exceptional Item & before Transfers
Reconciliation of Funds
32 I EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23
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WE ARE MOST GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE FOLLOWING:
EXTERN GROUP ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23 I 33
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“Offering kindness and support can lighten a person’s load in their darkest times. It’s always worked.” Janus Team Member, Galway
34 I EXTERN IRELAND ANNUAL REPORT // 2022-23
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“What makes it all worthwhile is just being able to be there for people when they are having a bad day… and even making them smile sometimes too.” Ormeau Centre Team Member, Belfast
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Members of Extern Administration Team
twitter.com/externcharity facebook.com/externcharity instagram.com/extern_charity/ Registered Office: Hydepark House, 3 McKinney Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 4PE Tel: +44 (0) 28 90840555 Fax: +44 (0) 28 90847333
linkedin.com/company/externcharity
info@extern.org www.extern.org