Charity News: Transparent and accountable governance

Charity News: Transparent and accountable governance

In June CCEW issued an alert for charities, highlighting the importance of transparent and accountable governance. The alert is aimed at larger charities, those with income over £9 million with a complex governance and management structure and where they are a service providing charity where front line staff interact with beneficiaries, some of whom may be vulnerable. Your charity may not have faced issues in how it is governed and managed historically, but the alert confirms that it is crucial that you are aware of the risks which can result from governance or management failures. The timing of the alert is in response to recent high profile governance failings that have the potential to damage the sector as a whole, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is placing considerable strain on many charitable organisations.

The alert reminds trustees of the risks that can result from failures of governance and seeks to help them mitigate those risks by providing guidance on how to implement effective governance. Separate guidance for trustees and executives is included in the alert on risk management, communication and reporting handling complaints, amongst other topics. There is also guidance on safeguarding and guidance for charities that provide services directly to beneficiaries.

Guidance: https://bit.ly/36iuHKC

Our full Charity Newsletter can be found here.

For more information on our charity services please visit our website or contact Frank Harling on 01932 830664 or charities@wardwilliams.co.uk

About the author

Colin is a Director at Ward Williams who has more than 25 years of practical experience and qualified with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 2001.

He has a diverse portfolio ranging from small owner managed businesses to larger companies requiring audit together with a number of specialist clients such as charities, pension schemes, acadamies and solicitors. Colin provides a range of accounting, tax and audit services to these clients.

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