You searched for
''

About this guide

Find out who this guide is for and how to use it

  • Safeguarding

Understanding the law on safeguarding

Find out about the key legal sources that we refer to in this guide

  • Safeguarding

Legal duties specific to charities

Legal duties that charities have to ensure good safeguarding

  • Safeguarding

Charities’ general duties of care

Find out where charities' duties of care can arise from and who they might affect

  • Safeguarding

A charity’s duty to have liability insurance

The key duties for charities and volunteer organisations regarding insurance

  • Safeguarding

A charity’s duty to report safeguarding issues

Find out about the Charity Commission's expectations for reporting incidents

  • Safeguarding

A charity’s duty to not discriminate or harass

The Charity Commission's recommended steps that your organisation can take

  • Safeguarding

Trustees’ safeguarding duties

Find out about the specific role that trustees can play in safeguarding

  • Safeguarding

Safeguarding children

Find out about the key Acts and treaties designed to protect children

  • Safeguarding

Overview

Key areas of law to be aware of if you or your organisation is responsible for safeguarding children or young people

  • Safeguarding

Five insights about the state of the voluntary sector

Key insights about the state of the voluntary sector from our Civil Society Almanac 2022

  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Responding to crises
  • Funding and income

Volunteering round-up: October 2022

  • Involving volunteers

17,000 members milestone reached in tough financial climate for voluntary sector

Today we publish our annual report and financial accounts for the year ending 31 March 2022.

  • Governance
  • Membership
  • Inside NCVO

Two new directors join NCVO as organisation announces leadership team

Two new directors join NCVO as organisation announces leadership team

  • Inside NCVO

Five reasons why understanding the law helps build safer organisations

  • Governance
  • Safeguarding

Impact round-up: Autumn 2022

In this edition, Sandy Chidley, senior consultant, spotlights opportunities in impact and evaluation and shares useful evaluation resources and training opportunities

  • Impact and evaluation

Ensuring good governance for NCVO and the voluntary sector

How NCVO's independent governance review is helping us live up to our values and the Charity Governance Code we helped create

  • Governance
  • Inside NCVO

Governance round-up: November 2022

  • Governance

Government’s economic plans will widen inequalities in communities

Sarah Vibert, NCVO CEO, responds to the Autumn Statement

  • Government and politics
  • Responding to crises

Two appointments to NCVO’s board of trustees and three key ambitions for the future

Highlights from our 2022 annual general meeting

  • Inside NCVO

Dual bottom line analysis

  • Business planning and strategy

Forcefield analysis

Use this tool to help you identify the forces working for and against a particular option

  • Business planning and strategy

Even over statements

Use this tool to help your organisation explore tradeoffs

  • Business planning and strategy

Deciding to close

Important things to consider before deciding to close your voluntary organisation

  • Closing down

Reasons to close

Every voluntary organisation should regularly ask whether it’s still well placed to achieve its goals

Alternatives to closure

If your organisation is still financially viable, you may want to consider alternative options to closure

Factors to consider before closing

Whatever your reasons for considering closure, you’re likely to have legal responsibilities to follow

Planning for closure

Steps you need to take before closing your organisation

  • Closing down

Create a closure plan

Depending on your route to closure and your legal structure, you may have different legal duties and wider responsibilities

Plan your closure communications

Once the decision has been made to close, you’ll need to decide who to inform and how to inform them

Theory of change for strategic planning and evaluation (1 day)

Learn how to create your own theory of change and narrative. This course will challenge you to think critically about what you're doing and why

Supporting good governance (4 x 0.5 days)

This course will help you implement structures and processes to support trustees, and ensure systems are aligned with your organisation’s purpose and objectives

Charity finance skills (1 day)

This course will help people with little or no financial background to feel confident in managing day-to-day charity finance

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in charity governance (2 x 0.5 days)

This course has been created by The Social Justice Collective to help you understand, address and embed equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) into your governance practice

Charity trustee induction and refresher (2 x 0.5 days)

This course will give trustees an overview and understanding of charity governance, regulation and best practice

NCVO member welcome and refresher session: July 2025

Being an NCVO member means being part of a community. Whether you've just joined us, or you're renewing your membership and need a refresher, join this session to meet and network with other members online

All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Charities and Volunteering

A chance to hear from regulators about their plans for the voluntary sector.

Outcomes and impact measurement (1 day)

Learn how to create an evaluation plan to better understand and demonstrate the difference your work makes

Managing conflict and ending volunteering well (0.5 day)

This course will help you to manage conflict and problem solve with your volunteers, and navigate the process of ending volunteering well.

Strategic planning: tools for decision making (1 day)

This course will introduce processes and tools to help ensure that decision-making is responsive to your environment and focused on the most important issues affecting your organisation