Policies for churches/charities – serious incident reporting

The principal role of trustees of churches and charities is to help shape the culture, operations, processes and controls in such ways that the church/charity is successful and effective and that it is honouring to God. In so doing, the trustees recognise and accept that serious incidents can occur, even in well run organisations. It is not an indication of failure or a ‘badge of shame’ to make a report. In fact, it should be considered part of a well-run organisation that it manages difficult and serious situations well. This template policy and its associated guidelines provide the basis of a serious incident reporting policy and can be easily adapted by churches and charities to fit their own particular situation.

Topics included:

• Why is it important for churches and Christian charities to have a serious incident reporting policy?
• How can a church or charity identify and assess whether a serious incident has occurred?
• What processes should be put in place to ensure that serious incidents are identified promptly and reported both internally and externally to the appropriate regulators? 
• Where a serious incident is identified, what timetable should a church or charity follow to ensure that that the incident is reported with the appropriate level of urgency? 
• What steps should churches and charities take in training their staff and volunteers in the area of serious incident reporting?

Updated July 2023