Charity whistleblowing reports at record level

The Charity Commission received almost 600 whistleblowing disclosures over the last year, the highest it has received in the last 10 years.

Its latest figures for the 12 months to March this year show it received 594 reports about charities from whistleblowers, a 9% increase on the previous year when it received 546 reports.

Three in five reports are from charity workers and former staff employees, up from just over half the previous year.

The primary concerns involved are governance, cited by almost two in five, and financial management and safeguarding, which are mentioned by just under one in four.

But while governance is the primary concern raised, the proportion of reports involving such issues has dropped from more than half last year.

“Safeguarding and governance issues can arise in many different situations and are often closely connected,” said the Commission.

“For example, weaknesses in governance can be a significant contributing factor in safeguarding incidents, particularly where the safeguarding concern relates to risks faced by beneficiaries.

“Because of this close relationship, safeguarding and governance issues often overlap, and concerns in one area may indicate problems in the other.”

Over the last 10 years the number of disclosures has increased steadily since 2019 when the Commission changes its approach to whistleblowing to encourage reports.

Among this year’s reports 58 mentioned conflicts of interest, 16 discussed disputes, six focused on reputational damage and two cited a data protection breach.

Just over two in five cases have closed. One in 10 involve regulatory advice and guidance being issued, one in 50 saw the Commission use information gathering powers or complete additional verification.

In more than one in three cases it was decided “that it was not proportionate to take further action”.

“We focus on dealing with concerns which may cause the greatest impact or harm to charities and public trust and confidence in charities,” said the regulator.

“The regulatory action we take will be proportionate to how serious the harm is. For example, we may provide the trustees with advice and guidance or an action plan as a first step and monitor the charity’s progress.

"If these actions do not resolve the issue, or in cases where there is the most serious impact or harm, we can use our protective powers.”