Lancaster Parr Charity Health Check included when you book a training session! We will review your governing document, trustees' annual report, Charity Commission register entry and management processes, and alert you to any issues requiring review or action

Governance Training for Charities and Not-for-Profits

Lancaster Parr offers practical governance training for trustees of UK charities, social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations. These sessions are devised to maximise both the skills and time given by your trustees and directors, and to equip them with the confidence and practical tools to manage your organisation effectively.

Our governance training will be an interactive round-table session with your Board and senior executives, delivered at your offices. We will focus on the issues that need to be addressed within your particular charity, social enterprise or not-for-profit to achieve good governance.

Topics include:

  • the role and responsibilities of your Board - duties of good faith, care and skill
  • the scope of your organisation's constitution and its restrictions
  • the distinction between governance and management
  • delegation to your chair, executives or committees, and controls on delegation
  • information flow from committees/executives to Board
  • managing conflicts of interests
  • breach of trust, breach of duty of care, regulatory breaches
  • new Companies Act 2006 provisions relevant to charitable companies
  • risk assessment and management

We aim to provide good value sessions at an affordable cost for your organisation. E-mail us on rh.parr@lancasterparr.co.uk and we will call you to discuss your specific requirements.

Trustees of unincorporated charities - reducing your personal liability

If a charity is an unincorporated trust rather than a limited company, the trustees could be personally liable if the charity has insufficient assets to meet a claim against it. How do the trustees protect themselves?

Community interest companies - SIX years on

Community interest companies (CICs) were introduced in 2005 - six years on, there are over 4000 on the CIC Register. Find out if this type of company is more suitable for your community project or social enterprise than a charity.

Companies Act 2006 - the impact on charitable companies

In October 2009 the last set of provisions under the Companies Act 2006 were brought into force. Its deregulatory measures may help with the administration of your charity - but there are some new laws your trustees will need to know about.

Latest news on CIOs

The Office for Civil Society has announced that the new charitable incorporated organisation legal form (the "CIO") will become available at some stage in 2011. We shall wait and see!

Disposals of charity land

The Charity Commission has updated its guidance on the sale, lease, transfer or mortgage of charity land (CC28, May 2009). This reflects the new provisions in the Charities Act 2006. We can advise charity trustees and their professional advisers - lawyers, surveyors and accountants - who are dealing with charity land transactions on the correct procedure in this complex area of the law.

Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority                            Principal Solicitor: Rosie Parr M.A. (Cantab.)