Charity Commission publishes updated safeguarding guidance

25 Oct 2018 News

The Charity Commission has published updated safeguarding guidance in an effort to help trustees understand their duties.

The guidance is not intended to change what trustees must do, the regulator said, but rather provide a single concise and easy-to-use resource.

The Charity Commission is currently engaged in a drive to ensure that charities have up-to-date safeguarding policies and properly report serious incidents to the regulator. 

The regulator’s emphasis on safeguarding issues predates revelations in national newspapers about failures to protect beneficiaries in aid organisations, but has been given additional impetus by the level of debate around the issue.

Sarah Atkinson, director of policy, planning and communications at the Commission, said: “The public rightly expect charities to be trusted environments in which they can feel safe, so safeguarding and protecting people should form the foundation of all charities. That means trustees must be alive to the risks facing people in their care and fully understand their responsibilities in terms of keeping people safe.

“The updated guidance we are publishing today is concise, user-friendly and accessible to anyone involved in charities. A commitment to keeping people safe should be embedded right across a charity’s culture, and this essential new tool will help charities achieve that.”

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