Family affair

While most CAs enjoy successful and fulfilling careers, the ICAS Cares charity is on hand to help members who fall on hard times. President Karen Scholes CA introduces its new Chair, John Kennedy CA OBE

 

In mid-October I met members in Jersey and Guernsey before travelling back to northern Scotland to talk to a group of students at the University of Aberdeen. I will come back to both trips later in this column.

Obviously we hope that many of those students go on to become CAs. We often say that when you become a CA you become part of a worldwide network, an extended family, if you will. That means ICAS not only working for our members, but also being there for their families should circumstances suddenly change, be that through ill health or bereavement.

ICAS Cares (formerly SCABA) was founded in 1919 to support the families of CAs who never came back from the Great War and those members who suffered lasting injury in the field of battle.

Earlier this year, John Kennedy CA OBE became the new Chair, taking over from Ruth Adams CA who did an excellent job of developing the charity over the previous decade – a period which, of course, included the pandemic. So, I want to use this column to allow John to explain how ICAS Cares has evolved over the past decade.

ICAS Cares has been supporting ICAS members and their dependants in times of need for more than 100 years, initially as the Scottish Chartered Accountants Benevolent Association (SCABA) and more recently under the new name. Students on their road to becoming CAs are also potential beneficiaries.

I don’t think there is a wide enough appreciation among our members of what we do –  those who recognise the name probably think more of the financial support we provide, but we can do a lot more besides. Essentially we provide three strands of support – emotional, practical and financial. We have a charity manager, who is a CA, and an outreach worker with lots of experience. They provide much of the support and their work is overseen by the board of trustees comprising CAs and others with relevant experience.  

We provide emotional support, listening and understanding, helping to identify and explore possible solutions. For practical support, we signpost other professional advice available and ensure all relevant state benefits are applied for.  

We do provide financial support too. Maybe there is a short-term emergency, a need for a one-off payment; or sometimes it can be extended financial support to supplement other income and ensure a better quality of life.  

And all the advice and support is entirely confidential.

Thanks, John. Going back to my visit to Aberdeen, I spoke about sustainability, ESG and ethical leadership. The students I talked to were interested in how accountants can be a positive influence, whether by scrutinising a supply chain or making informed decisions about investing in a business, and they were keen to hear how that is embedded in the syllabus.

Interestingly, several asked about the concept of double materiality, which means companies reporting on how its operations affect the environment as well as how sustainability issues affect its financial performance. ICAS firmly believes this is the way forward for sustainability reporting.

“ICAS has made it a core mission to ensure that students have a possible pathway into chartered accountancy whatever their preference”

Both our Director of Policy Leadership, James Barbour CA, and I were very pleased to hear such technical questions, but also some relating to ethical behaviour and the Power of One – you can read about the latter two here.

Meeting students always makes me feel optimistic about the future of our profession. Jersey or Guernsey face a challenge, however – neither has a university, which presents a major blockage in the talent pipeline on the Channel Islands. Young people leave to attend university on the mainland – and many do not come back.

But there are also students who want to start earning as soon as possible. ICAS has made it a core mission to ensure that students have a possible pathway into chartered accountancy whatever their preference. From islander to city dweller, from school leaver to university graduate, and all points in between, the CA qualification is open to all.

Learn more about the different routes to becoming a CA

Donate to ICAS Cares