[WiLT] Charity Commission warns Trustees they must report serious incidents

[WiL Admin]

Charity Commission warns Trustees they must report serious incidents

Fraud, terrorism links and abuse must all be listed in trustees' annual returns

The Charity Commission has warned charities that boards must get better at
reporting serious injuries, as it launches updated guidance for trustees.
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/investigations/rsinotes.asp

The guide encourages trustees, as a matter of best practice, to report serious
incidents such as fraud, links to terrorism or abuse of vulnerable beneficiaries
as soon as they are aware of them. Trustees are also obliged to list serious
incidents in the charity's annual return.

However, according to Andrew Hind, chief executive of the commission, trustees
are not always aware they should alert the commission even when the police have
been called in.

"The commission would be very concerned if it became aware of a serious incident
that was not reported by the charity at the time," he said. "Serious incidents
have the potential to harm a charity's reputation or damage its ability to
fundraise. By reporting serious incidents to the commission, trustees can
demonstrate that they have dealt with them appropriately."

A commission spokeswoman said the commission had tried to make the updated
guidance clearer, and had inserted a new section about how the commission
handles confidential or sensitive information.

>From Third Sector Online http://ecm.hbpl.co.uk/re?l=ew0zwhI450l1k5Iw