The new Charities Governance Code was published on 7th November 2018. The Code sets out the minimum standards Charities should meet to effectively manage and control their charity. The purpose is to help charities to meet their legal obligations under the Charities Act 2009. This is something many charities struggle. The Code is written with volunteer-only charities and charities with a small number of paid staff in mind as this reflects the reality of the charity sector in Ireland, where these two groups make up the majority of registered charities.
Additional governance standards have been included, which the Regulator expects more complex charities to meet.
Important Deadlines
- 2019 -Transition and Learning for Charities
- 2020 – first year that registered charities are expected to comply with the Code.
- 2021 – first year that registered charities are expected to report on their compliance with the Code
The Code applies to all registered Charities. The Code is for charity trustees. The term ‘charity trustee’ includes:
- committee members;
- council members;
- board members;
- company directors.
What Is The Code?
The Code contains:-
- 6 Principles
- 32 Core Standards
- 17 Additional Standards
The 6 principles are:-
- Advancing its charitable purpose
- Behaving with integrity
- Leading people
- Exercising control
- Working Effectively
- Being accountable and transparent
How to Comply
The Code sets out 10 steps to report compliance and the Charities Regulator has issued a Charities Governance Code Toolkit which contains Guidance Notes and Templates.
All charities should begin reviewing the Code and planning how to implement the Code in 2020.
Note: The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other advice.
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