The Charity Commission’s interim chair has expressed concerns over the level of verbal and physical abuse some sector employees have faced from members of the public in recent months.
Mark Simms’ comments came as the regulator today published guidance for charities on how to respond to the current “hostile environment”.
Speaking at the commission’s annual public meeting this morning, Simms said the commission had heard of “death threats, threats of sexual assault, witnessed damage and vandalism done to charity offices” in recent months.
He said umbrella body NCVO would publish research later this week showing that some charities “are living in a pervasive climate of fear, with staff feeling uncomfortable simply getting to and from work, and people who use charities are afraid to walk the streets”.
“What I have found especially disturbing is how little surprise these events have sparked beyond the sector itself,” he said.
“If we accept as normal that charity workers being abused in the streets, their families threatened with violence, what will shock us as a nation.
“There’s something insidious about this, about this normalisation.
“The analogy of an eroding shoreline springs to mind waves of violence and threat crashing against land day-by-day, wearing us down inch-by-inch, the values and norms that we once took for granted.
“And yet, if we do not pay careful attention to this, we may fail to notice before it’s too late that we are standing on the edge of a cliff.”
‘Seek to heal rather than fuelling division’
While condemning any abuse they receive, Simms said charities should be “open to challenge and debate” and that they should not dismiss those who hold different views as “wrong, small-minded, or politically motivated”.
He said charities have the responsibility to “talk up what is right” and not to “talk down to those they think […] are wrong” and encouraged “meaningful dialogue”.
“Seek to heal rather than fuelling division. Don’t split us into them and us,” he said.
“Don’t go on personal vendettas against politicians, on commentators and, in these times, those influences that are critical of our work, but use instead your righteous anger to secure better outcomes for those that need our help, for our beneficiaries, to bring people around to our way of thinking.”
Simms also said that he would hand over with “great confidence” to Julia Unwin, who has been appointed as the commission’s next permanent chair.
Charities encouraged to review risks
In its guidance published today, the regulator advises charities to assess the risks they face from hostile members of the public and consider producing a plan for how to respond to “incidents of threat, abuse or intimidation”.
Its guidance encourages charities to review the security of their buildings, procedures for staff and volunteers to stay safe and to contact local police teams for further advice.
“Charities should not hesitate to call the emergency services if their staff, volunteers or beneficiaries face abuse, feel threatened, or are in danger,” the guidance reads.
