A disability support charity has changed its governing documents after a Charity Commission investigation found "serious concerns" about "excessive private benefits" for volunteers, including the payment of school fees, holidays and mobile phone bills.
The Commission said in an operational compliance report released this week that it had received a number of reports about the levels of benefits received by Camphill Villlage Trust volunteers known within the charity as co-benefit workers.
It also said that the chair of the charity had expressed concerns about the lack of proper control by the trustee body and the lack of adequate record keeping for benefits received by volunteers.
Camphill Village Trust, which currently has a turnover of around £25m, provides care and education for people with disabilities in nine communities which sees volunteers live alongside beneficiaries and provide them with care and support. Volunteers do not receive a salary but have ‘reasonable needs met’, the Commission report says.
In 2012, Camphill Village Trust spent £2.4m on benefits for volunteers, according to its accounts. This included £465,311 on school fees; £545,024 on holidays and £96,365 on child support.
In its report, Charity Commission says the benefits received by volunteers must be understood in the context of them not receiving a salary.
The Charity Commission said: “Without a recognised policy to authorise these payments, there was a real danger to the reputation and funding of the charity.”
As well as concern from the charity’s chair, public sector funders also had concerns.
As a result of the Charity Commission’s intervention, Camphill Village Trust has introduced a new, clarified policy on volunteers’ remuneration and amended its governing documents to ensure trustees manage any conflict of interest.
Andy Paton, communicatons director at Camphill Village Trust (CVT), said: "CVT welcomes the Charity Commission 'Operational Compliance Report'. It provides a positive conclusion, illustrating how we took effective action and have made significant progress as an organisation since the period in question.
"The report recognises that CVT can now show that all co-worker benefits are rightly used to ensure our beneficiaries are cared for in the best way possible. It also highlights our trustees' commitment to transparency - a commitment which is echoed throughout CVT as a whole".
