The Charity Commission has updated its guidance around safeguarding for trustees to include a section on avoiding risks when operating online.

The new section of the guidance includes advice on ensuring charities have control over their website and social media accounts and that content is “suitable”.

Keeping users safe when communicating with the charity online is another issue as is monitoring content and asking questions such as “how do you monitor what people do, say and share when using your services?”

The advice urges charities to “be confident volunteers, staff and trustees understand how t keep themselves safe online”.

It adds: “You could use high privacy settings and password access to meetings to support this.”

Another issue covered is around the use of images on websites and social media account, warning that “you may need individual or parental permission”.

The guidance also urges charities to seek further guidance through organisations such as Internet Matters, Get Safe Online and the NSPCC, for children’s safeguarding issues.

Online abuse crimes have increased by 78% over the last four years according to the NSPCC.

The children’s charity released the figures in September as politicians began to scrutinize details of the government’s plans to regulate social media through the Online Safety Bill. The NSPCC warns that the Bill falls “significantly short" of safeguarding children online.

Share Story: