On 14 July, we welcomed partners, volunteers, supporters and friends of CatZero to our Annual General Meeting.
Formally, the AGM is where our trustees approve the charity’s Annual Report and Accounts. It’s an important part of good governance, demonstrating that CatZero is well managed, financially sound and accountable to everyone who places their trust in us.
For the second year running, however, we chose to make our AGM about more than governance and finance. Alongside presenting our accounts, we invited those who support CatZero to hear about the difference their investment, partnership and belief in our work has made over the past year.
Because while our accounts show where every pound came from and how every pound was spent, they don’t tell the whole story.
Behind every figure is a young person whose future looks brighter. A family that’s become more resilient. A veteran who’s rebuilt their confidence. A life that’s taken a different direction.
This year, we were also able to tell that story in a new way.
Alongside the outcomes we’ve always measured, we presented CatZero’s first Social Value Report, giving us an even-clearer understanding of the long-term difference that our work creates for individuals, families, communities and the Humber as a whole.
At CatZero, our purpose is simple: delivering lasting personal change.
Success isn’t measured by how many programmes we deliver or how many people we support. It’s measured by what happens because of them.
Does a young person find and sustain employment? Does a family become stronger and more resilient? Does someone leave believing in themselves again?
That’s what lasting change looks like.
Real people. Real change.
Every statistic represents a person who chose to take a step forward.
Since we launched in 2008, we have consistently enabled 65% of participants to move into employment, education, training or volunteering. For many, that represented a significant milestone after periods of unemployment, low confidence or social isolation.
Those outcomes were built on something even more important.
During 2025, among lots of stats, our participants:
- 83% reported improved confidence.
- 88% felt more motivated.
- 91% experienced a better quality of life.
- 94% said they felt more in control of their lives.
These are the foundations for lasting personal change.
On our Full Families programme works alongside whole families, helping them overcome the barriers that prevent them from thriving.
Throughout 2025 we:
- Identified 63 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and supported families to begin addressing the impact of trauma.
- Helped 12 children improve school attendance.
- Supported 13 EHCP requests and 12 neurodivergence pathway referrals.
- Helped 104 family members improve communication.
- Supported families to improve their wellbeing, confidence, motivation and financial resilience.
- Helped 41 family members engage with new opportunities in their communities.
For some families, the impact was transformative, with improved housing, stronger parenting, greater financial stability and, in some cases, Social Services closing their involvement following sustained engagement with CatZero.
One parent who received support through CatZero’s Family Development Programme said:
“It felt like, for the first time, someone listened to me. When I first met Sarah from CatZero, I was a mess. She supported me with attending big meetings and helped me with my parenting through Triple P (The Positive Parenting Programme). She made me realise more about being a mum and what it’s all about.”
Another commented on a Facebook post with:
“CatZero have supported me and my little family for almost a year. Tomorrow we say goodbye to our regular support.
The service Fiona has provided has been outstanding and helped changed our lives for the better. I’ll be forever grateful. As promised we will always stay in touch.
Please if any family feels parenting is becoming a bit of a struggle, reach out to this fantastic service.
If only every family had CatZero for support, the future for all children would be so much brighter.”
Measuring the wider impact
For the first time in 2025, we looked beyond individual outcomes to understand the wider value our work creates.
Using the nationally recognised Social Value Engine methodology, we assessed the social and economic impact generated through CatZero’s programmes.
The results were incredibly encouraging.
For every £1 invested in CatZero’s programmes, we generated £8.04 of social value.
Across the year, that equated to more than £6.4 million of social value created.
That value isn’t reflected in our bank account. It’s reflected in healthier people, stronger families, improved educational outcomes, increased employment and communities that are better connected and more resilient.
These findings reinforce what we’ve always believed.
When you invest in people, the benefits extend far beyond the individual.
Looking ahead
The need for CatZero’s work continues to grow.
Young people face increasing barriers to employment. Families are navigating ever more complex challenges. Communities continue to feel the effects of inequality and disadvantage.
That’s why measuring our impact matters.