Explains the safeguarding and child protection responsibilities of charity trustees and gives an overview of the key legislation and guidance.
Culture and governance – a strong safeguarding culture starts at the top, with trustees and senior leadership setting the tone and ensuring clear policies Training and awareness – regular training is essential for staff and volunteers to understand safeguarding responsibilities and recognise risks.
The Charity Governance Code is equally clear that, as part of its third principle regarding acting with integrity, charities should ensure “the right to be safe”, which includes trustees understanding their safeguarding responsibilities and going “beyond the legal minimum to promote a culture in which everyone feels safe and respected”.
Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees What to do to protect people who come into contact with your charity through its work from abuse or mistreatment of any kind.
If you need an introduction to safeguarding, start with our what is safeguarding page. The Charity Governance Code is a practical continuous improvement tool to help charities and their trustees develop high standards of governance. Revised in 2020, its principle around ‘Integrity’ includes details of how trustees ensure the right to be safe across the organisation. If your charity works ...
The Charity Commission’s work to protect charities and deal with any wrongdoing or abuse was highlighted in a report it published last month. The report highlights that safeguarding continues to be a key issue. We consider how charity trustees can try to meet their safeguarding duties. A safeguarding incident involves harm to people, assets and/or reputation. Safeguarding risks are primarily ...
Enhance your charity's safeguarding practices with our in-depth guide for trustees. Learn about policies, risk management, legal compliance, and creating a safe environment for all.
Safeguarding should be a key governance priority for all charities. Ensure your charity has an adequate safeguarding policy, code of conduct and any other safeguarding procedures.
All Trustees of all charities are accountable and responsible for ensuring that their charity has robust safeguarding practices. Responsibilities are not limited to those charities working with children and vulnerable groups (i.e. elderly or disabled). Trustees duty of care covers not only beneficiaries of the charity but also the staff, volunteers and other agencies the charity works with ...
Stay compliant with safeguarding responsibilities. Learn how to ensure your charity meets legal requirements and has effective safeguarding policies.
If charities fail to report and follow up on safeguarding concerns it undermines public trust and sends a message that such behaviours are tolerated. Where a charity works with vulnerable beneficiaries it is important that charity trustees develop an organisational culture that has safeguarding at its core.
Charity trustees are ultimately responsible for safeguarding within charities. Appropriate measures must be put in place to protect all of those who…
The Charity Commission is getting more and more involved in making sure that safeguarding in charities is led by Trustees. This short article explores what this means in practice for small charities.
That’s why we’ve published updated safeguarding guidance to help charities and trustees better understand their legal duties around protecting people. Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees is a guidance tool that sets out the steps charities must take to ensure they are a safe environment.
One of the responsibilities of charity trustees is to report any “ Serious Incidents ” occurring within their charity to the Charity Commission. This House of Bishops’ guidance explains how to identify when a safeguarding Serious Incident occurs and sets out the procedure for reporting such incidents to the Charity Commission.
It is essential that Trustees take the role of safeguarding seriously as it is vital to protecting people from harm. Good safeguarding requires habits and practices which keep people safe whilst they are engaging with your charity and should be an integral part of the culture of your Board of Trustees.
Charities in England and Wales are generally registered with and regulated by the Charity Commission. The Charity Commission has issued several pieces of non-statutory guidance about safeguarding. The Charity Commission’s main guidance on safeguarding states that a charity’s trustees are ultimately responsible for ensuring there are measures in place to protect the people who come into ...
