Trustees at a charity that supports people facing social disadvantage breached their responsibilities, after enabling an individual convicted of murder to work in schools, the Charity Commission has found.
The St Giles Trust reported a serious incident to the regulator in January after the employee, Rashid Zaman, was allowed to work with children for almost two years despite being on the UK’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) barred list.
Zaman, 44, from Bradford, had served 15 years in prison after he and two other men were found guilty of killing a man who tried to stop them stealing a car in 2001.
The commission judged that the “serious safeguarding breach” was primarily down to an operational failure within the charity. But it found trustees had failed to fulfil their duties by enabling Zaman to work with children for much of 2023 and 2024, “placing beneficiaries at risk of harm”.
The regulator found this amounted to mismanagement in the administration of the St Giles Trust and provided formal advice. But the charity escaped further sanction after trustees took a proactive approach to improving safeguarding procedures following the breach.
‘Operational failure’
The St Giles Trust, which helps people overcome barriers relating to poverty, homelessness and criminal exploitation, told the commission Zaman had not been on the barred list when an initial DBS check was conducted in 2021.
But when reapplying in 2023, the list had been updated and by then included his name.
As a result of an operational failure in the charity, no action was taken to stop Zaman from working with young people until December 2024, the regulator said. The BBC previously reported that he had by then had contact with 28 children.
At this point, an HR officer at the trust reviewed the DBS check and reported the change to the charity’s senior management, which led to the situation being reported and a regulatory compliance case opened.
The commission met with the trustees to gain further understanding of the steps being taken in response to the information and check St Giles Trust’s safeguarding policies and procedures.
The trustees proactively updated the commission on actions being taken in response to the incident, including conducting a full internal investigation, the regulator said.
It added that the trust had made several subsequent changes, including updating DBS checks, risk assessment and safeguarding policies, and bringing in measures to ensure all DBS results are checked at least twice. The charity also procured a new DBS check provider offering “better automation and tracking”.
Regulator: ‘Effective safeguarding is never complete’
Chris Sladen, Charity Commission’s head of regulatory compliance casework, said the trust had made “a serious error which should never have been allowed to happen”.
“However, this case demonstrates that if problems do arise, the way trustees respond makes all the difference,” he added.
“This is a reminder that effective safeguarding is never complete
“All trustees should be routinely checking their policies and procedures are fit for purpose and are being applied properly to protect people who come into contact with the charity from harm.”
A spokesperson for the St Giles Trust said the charity had “welcomed the advice and guidance provided by the commission, and taken the opportunity to go above and beyond that guidance; improving our systems, policies and training in relation to safeguarding”.
They added: “We’re incredibly grateful to our supporters and staff for their continued commitment during this time; this support has been vital to protect the people who rely on our work. We are confident that we are now in an even stronger position to deliver the very best service for our clients.”
