RESOURCE TRUSTEES FOCUS
Resource focus: Equipping Trustees 1-5 November is National Trustees’ Week and to mark the week we're focusing on some of our new and existing resources especially designed for supporting and equipping Trustees. Trustees are the people in charge of a charity. For some churches this may be the Deacons, Elders or PCC members. Whether you’re a church or charity, it’s likely that your trustees play vital role, volunteering their time and working together to make important decisions about your organisation’s work. There are approximately 196,000 charities in the UK and just over 1 million trustees. Including many young Trustees (approximately 86,000 trustee positions are held by 16-34 year olds). Charity trustees have ultimate oversight of, and responsibility for, all aspects of the charity’s operation. They are the governing body of the charity and, as such, are legally accountable for all aspects of running the charity including Safeguarding. One of the most important and
comprehensive responsibilities of charity trustees is their duty of care both to their charity and towards their beneficiaries. Where a charity is working with vulnerable beneficiaries such as children and young people (those under 18 years of age), or with adults who may be at risk of harm, then they need to have safeguards in place to protect everyone from abuse.
IN ORDER TO FULFIL THEIR DUTY OF CARE TO THEIR CHARITY, TRUSTEES SHOULD ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE A SUITABLE SAFEGUARDING POLICY IN PLACE. The charity needs to promote itself as a safe place in order to give beneficiaries and public confidence in the charity. This
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demonstrates that the trustees are acting in the best interests of vulnerable beneficiaries, that they have taken reasonable steps to prevent harm, and that they have assessed and managed risk. As part of the support we offer organisations, we’ve developed a two and a half hour training webinar for those who have a trustee or leadership role in organisations that hold charitable status which explores their governance role as a trustee and to enhance their knowledge of safeguarding duties and responsibilities. Split across three modules, this online interactive course covers: The safeguarding landscape within the charitable sector across the UK; Essential requirements for effective safeguarding governance; and how to respond to and report serious incidents.
