Manage the risks. Protecting people and safeguarding responsibilities should be a governance priority for all charities. It is a fundamental part of operating as a charity for the public benefit.
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”.
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 contact with the charity from harm. ... Find out more about your legal and regulatory responsibilities in safeguarding. Safeguarding; Help and ...
Through regularly reviewing their charity’s safeguarding policies, procedures and practice, trustees can ensure that the protection of people from harm is core to their charity’s culture and values. Please add this update to your reading list and use it to review safeguarding at your next trustee meeting.
There is also specific guidance for charities in each nation, which explains what safeguarding is and what trustees’ responsibilities are. In England and Wales, the Charity Commission has published guidance on Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees (Charity Commission for England and Wales, 2019).
Practical safeguarding steps. Charity trustees should take these practical safeguarding steps: Know your duties in terms of charity law: read our Guidance and Good Practice for Charity Trustees, and understand how, in your charity the role of a charity trustee relates to safeguarding; Know what specific statutory duties you have to comply with because of the nature of your charity’s ...
What trustees will need to do depends on what their charity does and who it works with. As the guidance makes clear, protecting people and safeguarding responsibilities should be a key governance priority for all charities. Charity trustees must hear this and act, if they are to meet public expectations of being trusted environments.
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.
What the Charity Commission requires. The Charity Commission requires any registered charity to report ‘serious incidents’. The responsibility for reporting serious incidents rests with the charity’s trustees so you must understand it, even if it is delegated to someone else, such as an employee or the charity’s professional advisers.
Charity trustees play a pivotal role in safeguarding the strategic integrity of the organisation. While they are not directly responsible for the day-to-day charity administration and operational details like staff supervision and volunteer rosters, charity trustees focus on upholding the charity's overarching mission and principles. Trustees ...
Whether you’re an experienced trustee or new to the role, the Charity Commission’s 5-minute guides are a handy way to help you be sure of your responsibilities and confident you’re doing the right thing for your charity. ... Safeguarding applies to every charity, not just those dealing with children and adults at risk.
Trustees must ensure their charity fulfils its safeguarding duties, because even if they delegate operational compliance, they retain overall responsibility. To do this, every trustee must ensure ...
Safeguarding is an important part of the role of every Trustee. But what is it, who needs to be safeguarded, and how can Trustees ensure that they are fulfilling this role properly? Safeguarding for Trustees means ensuring that your charity takes all reasonable and practicable steps to protect from harm people who come into contact with your ...
What is the Charity Commission’s role in safeguarding? The Charity Commission’s role is to ensure charities are a safe and trusted environment and that trustees are complying with their legal duties. The Commission’s focus is on the steps that trustees are taking to protect those that come into contact with the charity from harm and to ...
As trustees of a charity, elected representatives have specific responsibilities under charity law and should follow the Charity Commission’s safeguarding guidance. [4] Specifically, elected representatives play a key role in protecting their staff, volunteers and the beneficiaries of their charity, and in managing any safeguarding risks that ...
Although the ultimate responsibility for reporting safeguarding Serious Incidents to the Charity Commission sits with the Religious Community’s trustees, for reasons relating to confidentiality, the trustees may decide it is appropriate to restrict the sharing of detailed information relating to safeguarding incidents to a smaller group of ...
The fiduciary serves in a role of trust, which becomes critical when the person receiving the services is vulnerable or incapacitated. The duties of the trustee can include, but are not limited to: Duty to Administer: A trustee must administer the trust in good faith, in accordance with its terms and the interests of the beneficiaries.
Understand Your Fiduciary Responsibilities. As is discussed above, the trustee acts in a fiduciary capacity for the benefit of all the beneficiaries of the trust and cannot act to benefit any one beneficiary or group of beneficiaries to the detriment of other beneficiaries. The trustee also has the responsibility to make sure that valid debts ...
Explore financial resources for charity trustees from the Charity Commission. Helping you plan and manage your charity's finances. ... Our managing finance 5-minute guide can help you understand your responsibilities for ensuring your charity’s money is safe and properly used and accounted for. Read our guidance on charity finances.
