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Charity Commission - Leaving a legacy in good faith

26 Aug 2010 01:48 PM

The Charity Commission’s Faith and Social Cohesion Unit (FSCU), whose work comes to a close at the end of this month, today made a range of new resources for faith-based charities available online.

The resources include tailored guidance on developing a governing document for faith-based groups preparing to register with the Charity Commission, a pre-registration checklist to track a charity’s progress to registration and three case studies of mosques demonstrating good governance.

These new resources complement existing guidance for faith-based charities, such as Faith in Good Governance, which highlights areas of charity law and good practice most relevant to faith-based charities and a survey of mosques.

Rosie Chapman, Executive Director of Policy and Effectiveness, said:

“We hope that these practical tools will help faith-based charities prepare for registration with the Commission as well as assisting existing charities develop their governance structures. I am pleased that the newly published resources, set alongside existing guidance developed by the FSCU, will secure a long legacy for the work of the unit to benefit of faith-based charities.”

The FSCU has been working with faith-based charities to promote high standards of governance and accountability, and to encourage charities to embrace the benefits of registration with the Commission. It winds up at the end of this month, leaving many of its activities embedded in other areas of the Commission’s work.

The Commission has also been working with Muslim umbrella groups across the country, including the Mosques and Imams Advisory Board (MINAB) which will now continue to promote good governance among their members.

Fazal Rahim, Coordinator of Oldham Interfaith Forum, one of the groups the FSCU has been working with, said:

“The work of the FSCU has made a huge contribution to helping mosques and other Muslim charities move forward in developing effective systems of governance. The team, led by Ghulam Rasool, has shown genuine dedication to helping faith-based charities register with the Commission and has been successful in raising awareness of the regulatory framework for charities”.

For more information about unit and its achievements, please read the FSCU’s final newsletter. All of the resources for faith-based charities developed by the FSCU are available on the Commission’s website.

For further information, please contact the press office.

Notes to Editors

  1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. See www.charitycommission.gov.uk for further information or call our contact centre on 0845 300 0218.
  2. Our mission is: to ensure charities’ legal compliance, enhance charities’ accountability, encourage charities’ effectiveness and impact and to promote the public interest in charity.
  3. The Faith and Social Cohesion Unit was a dedicated team within the Charity Commission. The team has worked to improve the Commission’s understanding of faith-based charities. It has engaged with faith communities to identify and support organisations that could be but are not currently registered with the Commission. It has also assisted faith-based charities to improve their standards of governance and accountability and thereby increase their effectiveness.
  4. Since 2007, the number of charities identified on our register as mosques has increased from 331 to 622. In part, this reflects newly registered mosques but also includes charities which were not previously identified as mosques. The unit has also made over 500 outreach visits to charities and has held work shops and seminars across the country.
  5. The FSCU’s work, which has been partially funded by a grant from the Department of Communities and Local Government, is coming to an end this month.