Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees

Protecting people and safeguarding responsibilities should be a governance priority for all charities. It is a fundamental part of operating as a charity for the public benefit.

As part of fulfilling your trustee duties, whether working online or in person, you must take reasonable steps to protect from harm people who come into contact with your charity.

Trustees are expected to report safeguarding matters to the relevant agencies (such as the police, social services or Ofsted) and for  putting matters  right if things go wrong.

The Charity Commission can hold trustees to account if things go wrong and can check that trustees followed this guidance and the law. We can look at how trustees have acted to protect beneficiaries, staff, volunteers and anyone else who comes into contact with their charity. Read about how the Charity Commission will assess any concerns that come to its attention and when it may become involved.

The Commission is not a safeguarding authority. We do not investigate individual allegations of abuse, decide whether any allegations are true or bring prosecutions. But we can refer concerns to relevant safeguarding agencies and other regulatory bodies to take further action.

Trustees should promote an open and positive culture and ensure all involved feel able to report concerns, confident that they will be heard and responded to.

We expect all trustees to make sure their charity: