OSCR is broadening its focus from almost solely on regulation to becoming “a more outward-reaching proactive organisation”.
The Scottish charity regulator revealed in its accounts for financial year 2012/13 that the next period will see it enter into a new phase in terms of operational activity.
The three-pronged strategy consists of: ensuring that the public understand which organisations are charities, who they are and what they do; ensuring charity trustees and staff understand their responsibilities and are able to carry them out with integrity; and taking decisive action against those who put the reputation of charities at risk.
Another element of this revised approach for 2013/14 is the establishment of an ‘Engagement Team’ to lead dialogue and capacity-building with stakeholders, and a ‘Contact Team’ to respond to enquiries from stakeholders.
In January, an OSCR survey of its staff revealed that they were losing confidence in management and vision at the regulator.
Regulator enhancing online services
OSCR’s net operating costs rose slightly from £2.78m in 2011-12 to £2.8m in 2012/13, with staff costs up to £2,030,000 from £1,953,000.
The regulator considers one of its most significant achievements in the last financial year to be the introduction of online services for charities, OSCR Online, in June 2012. Charities can now complete and forward annual and monitoring returns and accounts to the regulator electronically.
Uptake of the service has so far exceeded OSCR’s expectations, with over 50 per cent of charities accessing the system within three months of its launch, and electronic submission rates averaging 45 per cent.
OSCR recently announced that it was also considering publishing some charity accounts online, as is the case with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
At the end of March 2013 there were 23,634 charities listed on OSCR’s register, a slight increase from the 23,459 in March 2012. The number of charities removed from the Register, at 674, was a slight decrease on previous levels.
