OSCR will raise its profile to inspire confidence in Scottish charity sector 1

Governance | Niki May Young | 6 Oct 2011

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) is considering employing public relations experts to raise its own profile in a bid to improve public trust and confidence in the sector, it has advised.

The revelation was made amidst a call for views on its Draft Public Focus Strategy, which seeks to increase public participation with the regulator.

OSCR, which is responsible for the regulation of more than 23,500 charities in Scotland, has developed its proposal to fit within new Scottish guidelines, the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.

Commenting on the regulator's new proposals, Quentin Fisher, OSCR's head of policy and development said: "In contrast with most other regulators, our key functions relate to the governance of charities and their compliance with charity regulation rather than on the quality of the service they provide.

"Nevertheless we exist to serve the public interest and we are clear that public input is important."

The draft strategy outlines a number of methods for improving public engagement with the regulator and highlights the need to improve its own visibility:

"Unless the public know about us or are engaged in a way that encourages their participation, they can’t inform how we carry out our scrutiny functions," it states.

Under the remit of the communications manager, OSCR may employ the services of public relations professionals or other forms of media which could incur costs, the proposal states. Measures will be taken as part of an ongoing communications strategy.

The regulator will also develop staff training programmes on public focus, which may be conducted externally, under the proposals.

A public consultation on the proposal is open until 23 December.

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Peter Dempsey
Hon Treasurer
Starter Packs Glasgow
12 Oct 2011

It'll take more than a PR company to redeem the regulator in the eyes of many in the charity sector.

I found OSCR to be arrogant, unaccountable and unapproachable.

And not amenable to even the mildest criticism.

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