Livability Annual Review 2010

Annual Review This book tells you what Livability did in 2009 and 2010

Also available at www.livability.org.uk and on audio CD

What you can find in this book

Welcome Welcome to Livability’s review of 2009/2010, a year packed with achievements and challenges. This year we have:

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Welcome

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Livability and you

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From Baroness Howarth, our chair of trustees

• provided residential care for 260 disabled people • educated 200 students • supported about 100 people in their own homes • trained over 600 church community workers rovided over 3,000 holidays for disabled people and •p their families

rovided specialist rehabilitation to over 250 people •p Page 6

Elaine’s story

at our brain injury unit in Suffolk

• i n Asia, trained nearly 900 health professionals in spinal injury rehabilitation, through Livability Overseas

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Nash students’ story

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What we did this year

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Where our money came from

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How we spent our money

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Stephanie’s story

Page 13 Gemma interviews Mike Smith, our new chief executive officer

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Leo’s story

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“I’m celebrating because…” photo gallery

Mary Bishop, chief executive officer, says: “Livability is here to support disabled people to have real choice in how they live their lives. In this review, we feature four stories about people who have used Livability’s support to achieve something significant this year.

“This year is especially significant for me, as I am moving on after eight years with the organisation. I am delighted that Mike Smith OBE joins Livability as chief executive officer, in October 2010. Mike comes to us with many years of experience of working with disabled people. You can find out more about him on page 13, in an interview by Gemma, who is supported by Livability.

“I would like to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone I have worked with and met over the years at Livability. I doubt I will ever find an organisation that will have such a special place in my heart.”

Mary Bishop Chief executive officer If you would like any more information about our work, or would like to download our full accounts, please visit www.livability.org.uk/aboutus

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Livability and you Who uses Livability?

Meet Baroness Howarth our chair of trustees

All kinds of people use Livability’s services. We work with disabled children and adults. Some have physical disabilities and some have learning difficulties. We also work with churches that are trying to make community life better.

This year, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told us our services are better than ever. All our adult services are now rated as good or excellent by CQC.

What does Livability do?

Livability offers a wide choice of services, including:

• Residential homes for disabled adults

We are pleased that our finances are healthier than last year. We feel that this is a particularly significant achievement in the current economic climate.

• A school and two colleges for disabled young people • Support for people to live in their own home • Support for people to get out and about in their community • Wheelchair-accessible holidays for disabled people and their families

• Brain injury rehabilitation for people who have had a stroke or serious head injury

• Getting the government to listen to disabled people • Helping churches find ways to make life better for those in their community

Our staff Our service users often say how wonderful our staff are.

We make sure our 1,600 staff are well-trained so they can give the best support possible.

What makes us tick Livability’s work is inspired by our Christian foundation. We work with disabled and disadvantaged people so they can have real choice and independence. We believe every person is equally important. We work with people of any faith or no faith.

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Baroness Howarth says: “Livability has made real progress in the second year since our merger, which joined John Grooms and the Shaftesbury Society. Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with us – our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, people who use our services, and staff and volunteers. And special thanks to our CEO Mary Bishop, who leaves us in September 2010. Mary has been an inspiring leader. Her work means Livability’s standards and financial stability are better than ever.

rowth is one of our top G priorities. This year we have opened new student accommodation and classrooms at Hinwick Hall College. We have also raised nearly £750,000 towards building projects. These include Victoria Education Centre and Sports College, and John Grooms Court.

We want to continue to grow and develop new services in the coming year. Our goal at Livability remains the same – to give disabled people real choice in how they live their lives and to help churches make a positive difference in their community.

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Elaine’s story

Nash students’ story

Elaine moved to one of our residential homes after she had a stroke. This left her unable to speak or walk. She has worked hard at therapy and her speech is coming back.

Students at Nash College were fed up with bad service when they went out. As part of Nash’s “Disability Challenge” programme, they decided to take action.

Now when they go out, the students check how good the place is for disabled people. They look at how accessible the building is and if the staff are friendly and helpful. Then they give the place marks for how well it has done.

They made a certificate to give to places that are great for disabled people to use.

Her next goal is to walk again.

She has physiotherapy every week and is making progress. Elaine says living at Livability has made a huge difference to her life: “It’s wonderful here. They really look after me.”

Elaine says: ‘It’s the dream of every mother to see her daughter married’

This year was special for Elaine because she was well enough to take part in her daughter Lisa’s wedding. “It’s the dream of every mother to see her daughter get married,” Elaine says. “When I saw her in her wedding dress, I was so proud. She looked so pretty.”

Elaine looked glamorous in a red outfit and enjoyed every moment of the day. “I organised the whole wedding so that Mum could be there,” says Lisa, the bride. “It meant the world to me that she was able to come.”

Nash students say: ‘We expect good service when we’re out’

Everyone agreed that the Starbucks coffee shop in West Wickham, near the college, should get an award. The students gave Peter the manager a certificate.

Peter said: “We were over the moon. We try to make sure all our guests are happy. Nash students are lovely people and we’re glad they like our store.”

Name changed to protect individual’s identity

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What we did this year Our corporate plan helps us to make sure our work stays on track. It covers four areas. We use it to see how we have done this year and to set plans for the next year.

1

Having the best services

This year…

We have worked hard to make our services even better.

All our adult services are now rated good or excellent

by CQC. (CQC is the organisation that checks the standard of care.) Making staff training a high priority means that 77 per cent of staff in adult services are NVQ-trained. This means we are doing even better than the government asks us to do. We also received the Investors in People award.

Next year…

We will carry on improving the buildings that we own, particularly Victoria Education Centre and Sports College, and John Grooms Court.

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Campaigning for disabled and disadvantaged people

This year…

Building on our Freedom to Live campaign, we continue to raise funds to launch a transitions website. This is for young disabled people who are moving from children’s to adult services. It can be hard to get good advice on issues like housing and education when you turn 18. This website will help.

Next year…

We will work collaboratively with disabled people, their families, our staff, other disability organisations and the church community to protect the rights of disabled children and adults against forthcoming government cuts.

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3

Having new ideas

This year…

Our partnership with another charity, Tearfund, means we have helped many more churches work out how they can make life better for people in their local community. Over 8,000 different people have visited the Community Mission website. Our monthly email newsletter now goes to twice as many people as last year.

Next year…

We will work on plans to grow Livability’s services. We want to offer choice and value as disabled people move to personalised budgets.

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Managing our money

This year…

We worked hard to “balance the books” so that we didn’t spend more money than we received. We are pleased that our finances are healthier than last year.

We feel that this is a very significant achievement in the current economic climate.

Next year…

We want to ensure that every room in our centres is used, as empty places cost us money.

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Where our money came from £42.7 million

We were given last year to run our services. Most of this money came from local authorities for people to use …

our services for disabled adults

£18.8m

our education services

£16.0m

Some of this money came from …

fundraising

profit on sale of properties and other assets

interest and other income from our investments

other sources

How we spent our money We spent

£40.5 million last year on... our services for disabled adults

£20.9m

our education services

£15.9m

fundraising

£2.2m

community mission and linked churches

£0.7m

trusts and other charitable purposes

£0.5m

governance (making sure Livability is run properly)

£0.3m

£6.4m

£0.7m

£0.5m

£0.3m

This information is from our audited accounts. This means they have been checked by people who do not work for Livability. You can find our full accounts at www.livability.org.uk/aboutus or please ask the communications team to send you one; team’s details on the back cover.

The trustees confirm that the financial information above is taken from the full set of financial statements, comprising the trustees’ report and accounts, which were approved on 29 July 2010. This summarised financial information may not contain sufficient information to allow a full understanding of the financial affairs of Livability. For further information, the Annual Report and Accounts should be consulted. A copy of this document, upon which the auditors have reported without qualification, has been delivered to the Charity Commission and Companies House and is available on request from Livability, 50 Scrutton Street, London EC2A 4XQ.

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By order of the trustees Date: 29 July 2010

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Stephanie’s story Livability set up a training day to help churches understand what going to church is like when you are disabled. They asked some people who use Livability services to help them.

Stephanie and Gary from York House came along. They worked with other disabled people at the day. They talked about what makes them feel welcome.

Stephanie told everyone what it’s like living with a disability.

Stephanie says: ‘I helped people think about what it’s like to be disabled’

The training day helped able-bodied people think harder about how you feel if you have a disability. People thought about how disabled people could take part in a church service. They thought about things like how you feel if have to go in the back door, not the front door like everyone else. Disabled people led a short service at the training day.

People who came to the day said it helped them understand more. One person said that now they would “look at the person, not at the wheelchair”.

Name changed to protect individual’s identity

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Introducing

Mike Smith

Gemma, a Livability service user, meets Mike, our new CEO, as he prepares to join the organisation in October 2010 Gemma (G): Why do you want to work for Livability?

Mike (M): Because it’s a great organisation and does a great deal of quality work with disabled people. It’s especially interesting to me because of my Christian faith and its Christian values. I’ve worked with disabled people since I was 18.

G: What are the most important things for a disability charity to focus on?

M: First, to give options and choices to disabled people. It’s not up to Livability to define what disabled people should do – we offer the options so they have the choice.

G: I agree! I don’t like it when just because you’re disabled, you have to be told to “do this, do that”, or “go to this place”. That’s wrong.

M: Yes, you can almost compare Livability’s work to being in the hospitality business. We have to offer attractive choices that cater to what people actually want.

G: When will you visit New Court Place, where I live, and the other services?

M: I’ve got a plan to go to every service and see everybody. But it will take time. It’s very, very important that I go and meet people as soon as I can, so they can know who I am and I can hear from them.

G: I’ll tell New Court Place that I met you today and that you will be coming soon.

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Leo’s story

I’m celebrating this year because …

Leo was left with brain injury after he was involved in a knife attack.

He had been very outgoing and sporty. He even played basketball for a first division team. But after the attack, his memory was poor and he was afraid to leave his house.

He heard about Livability’s Lifestyle Choices service, which helps disabled people to have a fuller life outside their home.

Lifestyle Choices supported Leo to try local sports clubs.

Archery was the one he loved and he joined a club.

Leo is now a keen archer and volunteers for a disability charity

Name changed to protect individual’s identity

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We ran the Ma rathon and to gether raised £ 56,00 0 Princess We won the s bility Award a iv L l a y o R for staff

I'm Jamie and I'm a world-class boccia player

He has made friends there and now travels to about 30 competitions a year. Not only that, but he took a computer class to learn IT skills and volunteers as a gardener for a disability charity.

“After the stabbing, I couldn’t talk to strangers – I was too afraid,” Leo says. “Now I can control my panic attacks more.”

Our cycle ride raised £ 1,600 for York House

reat day We had a g ability out at a Liv ty garden par

We hatched twelve chicks at T reetops

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How to contact

us

Phone us: 020 7452 2086 mail us: gtroup@livability.org.uk E If you email us, please give us your address Write to us: Communications team, Livability, 50 Scrutton Street, London EC2A 4XQ Visit our website: www.livability.org.uk

larg e pr int

If you would like to • make a donation to our work • find out more about how you can help us, please contact John Chamberlain, director of fundraising and marketing on tel: 020 7452 2110 email: jchamberlain@livability.org.uk Need a different format?

• You can get this information on our website: www.livability.org.uk

• You

can get this brochure in large print.

Just call us on 020 7452 2086

Trustees Leonard Beighton Martin Bradford Chris Carr Life presidents Sir Ron Hobson KCVO Anne-Marie Costigan

David Thompson LLB OBE Jenny Edwards President Baroness Howarth of Breckland OBE Sue Goodrich Alison Grieve Vice-presidents The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd D Williams MA DPhil, DD FBA Peter Griffiths The Rt Revd Dr T Butler MSc PhD LLD DSc (joint vice-chair, honorary treasurer) The Bishop of London, The Rt Revd and Rt Hon R J Chartres DDF SA David J Harmer Michael Edgar MA MChir RCS – resigned as joint vice-chair Jan 2010 Rev Joel Edwards Keith Hickey Mrs Pamela Farrell Tredinnick OBE Baroness Howarth of Breckland OBE Prof Ram Gidoomal CBE FRSA CCMI Patron

Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal

Vice-patrons

Mr Stephen Green, Lady Hobson MBE

Mr Robert Hodge The Most Reverend and Rt Hon D M Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes, FRCP MA DPhil DD LLD John Hughesdon Elizabeth Matear, The Moderator of the Free Church Federal Council Roy McCloughry BSc (Econ) MSc Professor Lord McColl of Dulwich CBE Mr Robert Powell Ms Esther Rantzen CBE Ms Pam Rhodes The Revd Canon Roger Royle Lady Wilkins Registered office: 50 Scrutton Street, London EC2A 4XQ Registered charity no: 1116530. Registered in England no: 5967087

(chair)

Paula Kerr – appointed joint vice-chair Jan 2010

Agnita Oyawale Rodger Scott Dawn Sugden