Our vision is to enable learning disabled Londoners to stay healthy, be safe, and to live well in a society where people with learning disabilities are valued as equal citizens having the chance to make full use of everything their community has to offer just like everybody else. We know that this cannot be achieved without adequate resources, therefore, central to our ambition is the need to improve our financial performance and to recruit and retain high quality and well-supported staff.
We consult with a wide range of people about what we should be doing to develop our services. We talk and listen to people with learning disabilities, their carers and family members, as well as local authorities and other partners. This ensures that our services make a difference to people’s lives and are of the type that adults and children with learning disabilities want and need. We set objectives within each area of our activities as part of our business planning process. These objectives are continually monitored, reviewed and re-evaluated through our management and committee structure and various consultation groups and events.
LDN London currently has 10 Trustees who constitute the Board of Trustees, which is responsible for the administration, management and control of the affairs and property of the Charity. The Board of Trustees meets five times a year.
The management team is led by the Chief Executive (Gabby Machell) who reports to the Board of Trustees.
Membership of sub-committees is indicated in ( ) brackets
New Trustees are recruited from a wide range of professional backgrounds as vacancies arise.
Trustees serve for a term of three years and may be appointed to serve a further two terms. Trustees may serve more than three terms in exceptional circumstances. Appointment is by election at an annual board meeting. Trustees are nominated by members subject to approval by the Board on recommendation by the Nominations Committee. Prior to nominations, the Trustees review their skills audit to try to attract members with the relevant experience and skills to the Board.
The Trustees are responsible for LDN London’s risk management mitigation systems and reviewing procedures. The material financial and non-financial risks the Charity is exposed to have been identified and an action plan created to ensure any such risks are mitigated.
Current significant risk areas include the impact of Covid19, changes in contractual arrangements and associated funding, the recruitment, retention and training of staff, the pay and conditions for staff falling behind market rates, the level of agency staff used, the management of voids within our housing services and maintaining a high level of quality services.
A specific Covid19 risk assessment has been established and continually updated which identifies risks and mitigating actions in relation to the adults, children and families being supported, training and information provided, changing government, health and local authority guidance, staffing levels and absences, infection control, vaccinations, supply and use of PPE, health and safety at work and the impact on funding levels and other resources.
LDN London has a fundraising team, which organises fundraising events, and employs a fundraising manager, who oversees grant and trust applications and corporate fundraising. We have a fundraising charter in which we commit to high standards of fundraising to raise funds. All who are kind enough to support us can be reassured that we do not use intrusive fundraising practices and we value every penny provided to us to fulfil our ambitions for learning disabled Londoners. The full Charter is published on the website. No complaints have been received in respect of fundraising.
LDN London is committed to providing quality services in a manner that ensures a safe and healthy environment for all of our service users and employees whilst minimising our potential impact on the wider environment. We actively promote energy conservation, recycling and the reduction of waste in all of our activities and provide training and information to our service users and employees.
Volunteers provide direct support and assistance in our services, assistance with fundraising activities and attendance and associated work with The Board, Committees and other operational activities. We have not put a value on the many hours of work that our volunteers give us, but if we were to value them at £20.00 per hour, the total would come to £14,620 (2020: £52,180). This reduction is due to the impact of the Covid19 pandemic.
These few pages set out a summary of our our annual accounts and what we have achieved in 2021. To download the official set of accounts please click below.
