2024 WAS THE FIRST YEAR OF OUR STRATEGY, ‘PEOPLE, POTENTIAL & PARTNERSHIPS’, AND WHAT A YEAR IT WAS.
The work we do is built on evidence and backed by data. The research papers that we have produced in the year share this learning with others, and we make this all freely available in the publications section on this website.
This year saw the development of our first smart house, designed to better support the people living there through advanced practical and passive monitoring technologies. It also significantly reduces environmental impact by incorporating solar panels, industry-leading insulation levels, low-voltage lighting, and improved systems for energy monitoring, measurement and management. This will be the template for all new future developments.
We continue to support people, and 2024 saw the creation of ‘Here to Help’, an innovative project aimed at preventing suicide by people with autism, who are 9 times more likely than the general population to die by suicide. The service has directly supported over 2,000 people. 72,000 people, including from as far away as Finland and China, have accessed materials from the dedicated website, and we have trained 900 people from the Samaritans in how to support autistic people who contact them at a point of crisis. It is one of our strategic aims to support others to do more good.
Supporting other organisations and working in partnership are a core part of our strategy and in the coming year we will see new housing partnerships that will provide housing for people in the south east, and in 2025 with the relocation of our head office, we can support the third sector in Darlington through the creation of a co-working hub, so that they can do more great work.
The work that we do is important and so it is important that we do this well. We achieve this because of the great support that we receive from the people that we serve, from our colleagues, and from our donors and partners, and for this we are incredibly thankful.
SJOG
AT A
GLANCE
Our Strategy
2024 was the first year of delivering on our strategy ‘People, Potential and Partnerships’, which was developed by people who use SJOG’s services and our colleagues.
‘People, potential and partnerships’ is shaping the future of the charity to more closely reflect what our community says that it needs and wants from SJOG.
Our strategy informs delivery across the charity, guiding how each service and department plans, delivers, and measures impact in all six strategic areas. These tailored plans form the basis of our business planning, aligning services and departments to effectively deliver on our charitable purpose.
The six areas of our strategy:
- ACTING WITH HOSPITALITY
- RESPECTING THE INDIVIDUAL
- EMBRACING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
- USING TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT PEOPLE SUPPORTING PEOPLE
- EVIDENCING WHAT WE DO
- INFLUENCING OTHERS TO DO MORE GOOD
WE ARE AN ORGANISATION THAT IS DRIVEN BY OUR VALUES OF HOSPITALITY, COMPASSION AND RESPECT.
SJOG is a diverse charity that supports older people, disabled people, people experiencing homelessness, people who have been trafficked and subject to modern day slavery, and people displaced by the war.
The way we do this is simple, we provide housing, and we provide support, and in the coming year we will focus on:
How we offer better living environments that have less impact on the wider environment.
How we can support people in ways that are of greater benefit.
ACTING WITH HOSPITALITY
Do Good Day 2024 is a day of action and saw colleagues and those we support give over 9,000 volunteer hours to their local communities.
The LOVED (Living Our Values Every Day) programme continues to support our colleagues’ financial, emotional, mental and physical wellbeing both inside and outside of work.
Investment in our housing team has expanded capacity to develop and maintain 398 properties, offering greater choice in homes.
In 2025, we will work with partners to provide a wider range of housing options.
RESPECTING THE INDIVIDUAL
The People’s Charter, developed by experts by experience, is embedded into inductions and informs our board meetings.
In 2025, we’ll see the release of a film from our experts on topics that are meaningful them. And we’ll see the creation of a Colleagues Council, giving our colleagues a voice on how their charity is run, with the first focus of their work covering a wellbeing charter.
USING TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT PEOPLE SUPPORTING PEOPLE
Technology investment and improved quality auditing process means our services are better placed than ever to demonstrate the impact of what they do, and use of data visualisation tools in our financial reporting, better informs our decision making.
In 2025, we will see the further roll out of the multi-year investment program to develop the network architecture and smart building models; upgrade our care management system, and increase the use of AI tools across the charity.
INFLUENCING OTHERS TO DO MORE GOOD
The Pomegranate Café opened, and the second edition of We’re Here to Help was published. In 2025, we will contribute chapters to books on trauma and modern slavery, and our new head office will host a third sector hub for charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups in Darlington.
2024 saw the realisation of the pomegranate café, an idea initially developed in partnership with Northumbria University.
SJOG’s book, ‘We’re here to help’ has been republished as a second edition. The book promotes and supports the effective management of charities.
2025 will see us adding chapters to books on contextualising trauma and modern-day slavery, and with the relocation of our head office, we can also create a third sector hub to provide co-working space and meeting rooms for other charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups based in Darlington.
WE SUPPORT PEOPLE TO LIVE THE LIVES THEY CHOOSE.
EMBRACING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
We continue to open new services to meet the needs within our communities. We opened Fairfields, our first smart home, the first of its kind, with technology built in to reduce the environmental impact of the service, as well as providing a level of passive monitoring for people who demonstrate complex behaviours.
We also worked in partnership with the Good Shepherd in Wolverhampton to create a community shop and café.
In 2025 and beyond, new services are planned for the North East, and an innovative housing partnership will enable us to deliver accommodation across the South East.
Eight research projects were carried out in collaboration with universities, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and other charities to develop services, frameworks, and new policies that will shape how people affected by modern-day slavery are supported in the future.
EVIDENCING WHAT WE DO
For the fourth year, CQC rated 100% of our services as ‘good’, with touches of ‘outstanding’.
We hold ISO accreditations in Information Security, Environmental Management, and Business Processes, with reaccreditation due in 2025.
Looking ahead, our UKRI funded project in partnership with Nottingham Trent University will publish a mid-project report on developing an ESG toolkit for the third sector that will develop the metrics we use to evidence the positive impact on the lives of the people we are here to serve and on our impact on the environments where we are based.
THE WORK THAT WE DO IS IMPORTANT AND SO IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE DO IT WELL.
Our
Impact
THERE IS A WISH TO BE EXCEPTIONAL... NOT JUST ANY ORGANISATION, BUT AN ORGANISATION THAT DOES CUTTING EDGE WORK.
Financial Review
SJOG is a charity where people support people. We are primarily funded through local authorities and central government, and whilst we are not reliant upon fundraising it allows us to provide more and better services.
This was another challenging year for central government and local government finances, but we have worked hard with commissioners to achieve a fair rate for the care and support provided. This means we are able to pay our colleagues a real living wage, and that in turn means that we are able to recruit good colleagues that add to the quality of work of the charity.
OUR TOTAL INCOME IN 2024 WAS £30.3M
(in 2023 it was £28.9m)
TOTAL EXPENDITURE WAS £29.6M
(in 2023: £27.5m)
RESERVES GREW TO £9.2M
(from £8.5m at the end of 2023)
THE CHARITY IS IN A STRONG POSITION TO BE OF HELP, BOTH TODAY AND INTO THE FUTURE.
The trustees’ annual report which contains a complete set of financial statements for 2024 can be found on our website www.sjog.uk in the about us/publications section.
To request a copy, please emailenquiries@sjog.org.uk
Esg
Reporting
ESG reporting refers to an organisation’s disclosure of information on its operations in three areas:
ENVIRONMENTAL • SOCIAL • GOVERNANCE
Environmental
We continue to decarbonise the properties that we use through improving insulation, upgrading double glazing, utilising solar panels, and a programme of behaviour change amongst our colleagues.
Our Green Team has been remarkable in developing gardens across SJOG and in volunteering in environmental projects across the north of England.
Work continues to support food businesses to reduce food waste. We reduce food waste of food businesses by supporting them to divert good food that would otherwise go to waste, to feed people in Wolverhampton and at Olallo House.
As part of our ISO commitments pertaining to ISO 14001, we have an environmental management system in place that covers everything from Co2 emissions for employees commuting to waste disposal.
WE HAVE PUBLISHED THE INTENTION TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF PURCHASED ENERGY BY 40% BY THE END OF THIS THREE-YEAR STRATEGY.
Energy
We have published the intention to reduce the amount of purchased energy by 40% by the end of this three-year strategy.
In our updated environmental policy, we have undertaken to decarbonise our housing stock, and this work continues. Our commitment is that all our properties will receive an energy performance certificate (EpC) rating of B by the end of 2027.
This year we developed Fairfields, our first smart property, which has solar panels, a new energy efficient boiler, low energy lighting and other efficient technologies built in from the start. This will be the model for future developments.
Our colleagues and the people we support are being encouraged to make behavioural changes, both at work and at home, through better information, training and conference sessions.
Waste
SJOG is committed to reducing waste and aspires to sending zero waste to landfill within 2025. We are developing our understanding of the types and quantities of waste, and how to track our progress. The environmental audit and research project has provided a baseline of the charity’s current impact.
Social
We are an organisation that is driven by our values of Hospitality, Compassion and Respect. We say that that our values on the wall are the same that you will see on the floor of any of our services and offices.
SJOG has developed a comprehensive package of support for our colleagues’ mental health. We have an aspiration to have mental health first aiders in every service and office across the country.
We have achieved 50% female representation on our boards and in our senior management team, and we are committed to improving the ethnic diversity representation on our board.
OUR COLLEAGUES CONTINUE TO DELIVER REAL LIFE CHANGING IMPACT IN THE 60 COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE ACROSS THE UK.
Governance
SJOG is the trading name of Saint John of God Hospitaller Services and is led and governed by a trustee board. The trustees are volunteers and give their time and experience freely.
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2024
Emma Gibbons
Robert Moore
Malachy Brannigan
Duncan Reid
Abigail Ampofo
Emma Peacock
Lesley Selfe
Jack Taylor
Claire Turner
Melanie Denyer
Mark Leigh
Steve Williams
SJOG operates throughout the UK and is a charity registered in England and Wales (Charity Commission registration number 1108428) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England (company number 05324279).
The charity is governed by its articles of association, which were last reviewed and revised in 2023. The articles of association set out the charitable purposes for public benefit in the following terms:
- the relief of poverty, sickness, old age, distress and disabled persons.
- to further the charitable purpose for the time being, of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God and in a manner that is consistent with Catholic Social Teaching.
Read our full ESG report in the trustees annual report and accounts 2024
Click here
SJOG abides by the Charity Governance Code, which sets the principles and recommended practice for good governance. These cover the areas of:
- ORGANISATIONAL PURPOSE
- LEADERSHIP
- INTEGRITY
- DECISION-MAKING, RISK AND CONTROL
- TRUSTEE BOARD EFFECTIVENESS
- INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY
- OPENNESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY
GRAHAM
After a year of collaborative planning, Graham now has a personalised communication tablet featuring a specialist app tailored to his needs. Graham led every meeting, supported by staff and tech partners. This tool unlocks a whole range of vocabulary, enabling Graham to express himself more fully - marking a transformative step for him.
SISTER TINA
Sister Tina, aged 99, has been nursed in bed for five years. Despite an end-of-life prognosis in 2019, dedicated care has kept her comfortable and bedsore-free. Praised by district nurses, this outstanding achievement reflects the team’s unwavering commitment to dignity, compassion, and quality of life in her final years.
DAMIAN
With support from SJOG staff, his brother, and the church, Damian travelled abroad for the first time in over a decade, returning to Lourdes – a very special place for him. Overcoming passport delays and much anxiety, we got him to the airport where he met with the church community. This milestone reflects our commitment to inclusive, person-led care and enabling deeply meaningful life experiences.
FAISAL
In 2024, Faisal a 24-year-old man with autism, reconnected with his faith and community by becoming an active member of his local mosque. With sensitive support from his key workers and mosque leaders, Faisal now confidently participates in prayers and preparations - arriving early to turn on lights and set out chairs for elderly members and finding belonging once again.
DANIEL*
Daniel, aged 37, was inappropriately placed in an elderly care home and faced declining health. Since moving to the Minims, he now sleeps comfortably, manages his insulin, and showers regularly. His cellulitis has cleared, and professionals praise the life-changing impact of this move—restoring dignity, health, and happiness to his daily life.
*Name changed
PAUL
With support from staff and a generous contribution from Paul’s dad, a new sensory room was created at Bede’s Close designed around Paul’s needs. His reaction said it all— a big thumbs up, a smile, and quiet joy as he relaxed among lights and colours. A space truly made for him.
JAMIE
Since taking up walking, Jamie who has autism and complex needs, has seen remarkable improvements in fitness, routine, and emotional regulation. Time outdoors has proven therapeutic with a fantastic impact on Jamie’s quality of life. Incidents of self-injury have dropped by 29%, and average incident duration has reduced by 73%, thanks to structured, active days.
IDA*
Ida joined our MDS outreach service in May 2023 as an asylum seeker. With dedicated support from her project worker, she navigated university applications and student finance. Ida has now moved on - holding a temporary stay visa and accepted to university, she begins a new chapter—pursuing independence, education, and a brighter future.
*Name changed
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who supported our work this year. Your generosity and commitment make a profound difference to the people and communities we serve.
This year's Annual Review reflects the progress we’ve made together and the lives you've helped transform. From survivors of modern slavery finding safety and dignity, to shaping services that enable disabled and autistic people to thrive, to older communities rediscovering connection and purpose, your support has been at the heart of it all.
SJOG walks alongside more than 1,500 people, offering housing, care, and pathways to independence. Because of you, 85% of people supported through our homelessness services moved into stable housing, 95% of participants in our Here to Help project reported greater confidence, and satisfaction across all our services reached over 90%. These are not just numbers. They are stories of resilience, belonging, and hope.
Looking ahead, we remain committed to bold, values-led growth. With your partnership, we can go further and faster, ensuring that no one is left behind.
WITH YOUR PARTNERSHIP, WE CAN GO FURTHER AND FASTER, ENSURING THAT NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND.
If you would like to continue making a difference, please visit our giving page. Your support helps us reach even more people with dignity, compassion, and hope.