On 9 June 2025, the Charity Commission significantly refreshed its guidance CC47—”Raising a Concern with the Charity Commission” and updated the online form to make reporting easier.
There are no changes to the underlying legal requirements; this is simply a revision to the guidance.
The changes to the guidance aim to help trustees, staff, volunteers, and the public more clearly understand:
- Which concerns should be raised with the Commission, including serious issues such as breaches of law that damage reputation, serious harm to beneficiaries, misuse for private gain, major financial loss or asset mismanagement, and criminal or terrorist activity.
- The reporting routes, such as whistleblowing, serious incident reports, or matters of material significance, guide users to the appropriate response channels.
Why this guidance matters
- Trustees must report serious incidents, such as financial crime, safeguarding failures, data breaches, insolvency threats, or loss of banking services, using the Commission’s official serious-incident reporting portal.
- Professional advisors (including auditors and accountants) are generally legally required to inform the Commission of “matters of material significance”, irrespective of whether or not the charity has already reported the matter.
This update is a timely reminder that accurate and transparent reporting is not only good practice, but a legal and regulatory duty.
