Charity Fraud Awareness Week runs from October 24 to 28. Organisers agree that fraud within charities can be regarded as the ‘f-word’ – something distasteful that it’s hard to imagine that staff or volunteers would want to or could do to the good cause. But that could be part of a problem that makes a charitable body a soft touch, it’s argued.
Hence the week, which seeks to promote fraud awareness and encourages everyone working within the charity and not-for-profit sectors to start a conversation about fraud. For infographics and posters visit https://www.fraudadvisorypanel.org/charity-fraud/get-involved/.
The Fraud Advisory Panel – itself a charity, which works to raise awareness of fraud – points out that it’s vital for charities of all shapes and sizes to protect their income and assets by building strong defences. All trustees and managers should have the knowledge and skills to recognise the tell-tale signs of fraud and then to shape an effective and proportionate response.
On Friday, October 28, the panel and the sector regulator the Charity Commission are running a second annual conference in London, titled ‘Prevention is better than cure’. For a digest of proceedings and discussions at the first, 2015, conference, visit the panel website. peakers include representatives from: Amnesty International, Big Lottery Fund, British Council, British Pregnancy Advisory Services, Charities Security Forum, Charity Commission, City of London Police, Fundraising Regulator, Macmillan Cancer Support, Oxfam GB, RBS, The Salvation Army UK and Weber Shandwick.
For more about the 2016 event visit the ‘events‘ part of the panel website.
Visit www.charitiesagainstfraud.org.uk.
Separately, the Charity Commission’s serious incident reporting regime has been in operation since 2007. By incidents the Commission typically means fraud, theft and ‘safeguarding’ of children and other vulnerable people. Its current guidance for charities, ‘How to report a serious incident in your charity’, has recently been reviewed. To raise awareness of the updated guidance and to seek views on its revision, the commission has begun consulting on the proposed changes.
More in the December 2016 print issue of Professional Security magazine.
