Charities Governance Code Update

The Charity Regulator’s online annual report process has now been updated for submissions being made in 2021.

As advised in the October 2020 information notice , the annual report submission process now includes a section that requires you to provide details of your organisation’s compliance with the Core and Additional Standards of the Charities Governance Code.

You now must make one of the following declarations.

a. your organisation does not need to meet the Additional Standards of the Charities Governance Code

b. your organisation does need to meet the Additional Standards of the Charities Governance Code

c. your organisation has not yet commenced compliance with the Charities Governance Code

You are then required to state that at this time our organisation has:

a. complied with all sections of the Charities Governance Code

b. complied with some sections of the Charities Governance Code

Where you have stated b. Our organisation has complied with some sections of the Charities Governance Code you are then asked to select the Principles your organisation has complied with, answering yes or no to each set of standards.

Following this series of questions, you are asked to explain why your organisation has not complied with all standards of the Charities Governance Code.

Finally, those organisations that are partially compliant have the option to choose whether or not you want the status of your compliance with the Charities Governance Code to be displayed on the Public Register of Charities?

We would advise all charities to endeavour to be fully compliant with all core, and where applicable additional standards of the six principles when filing their 2021 annual report.

Where your organisation is stating full or partial compliance with the Governance Code, the Trustees must have completed a compliance record form and have gathered the relevant documentation to demonstrate compliance with the standards.

Charities with a 31 December 2020 year end must make their annual return submission on or before 31 October 2021. We would strongly advise any charity that has not yet begun the process of compliance to do so without further delay.

For information on how Walsh O’Brien Harnett can assist you please contact Ronan O’Brien or Andrew Kevitt.