Following recent events, the Charity Commission would like to remind ALL trustees to take safeguarding extremely seriously. Safeguarding should be a key governance priority for all charities, not just those working with groups traditionally considered at risk.
As your regulator, we expect charities to meet these expectations.
Our advice is that you should now:
- Undertake a thorough review of your charity?s safeguarding governance and management arrangements and performance if you haven?t done so within the last 12 months.
- Contact the Commission about any safeguarding issues, or serious safeguarding incidents, complaints or allegations which have not previously been disclosed to the charity regulator.
Our regulatory role is to ensure charities comply with their legal duties, manage any incidents responsibly and take prompt steps to protect the people affected by it. We cannot look after the safety of your people for you and we do not investigate individual incidents for you.
Find more information about what and how to report to the regulator. More information about safeguarding responsibilities for trustees, and the role of the Charity Commission and other regulators, is below:
Safeguarding is a key governance priority for all charities, regulator reminds trustees
Regulatory alert to charities – safeguarding,
Strategy for dealing with safeguarding issues in charities
