Our weekly roundup of news and updates from across the sector.

To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic.

Charity Commission

Consultation on new trustee disqualification powers

The government is consulting on proposals to give the Charity Commission stronger powers to tackle the extremist abuse of charities. The changes would automatically disqualify individuals convicted of certain hate-related offences from serving as charity trustees or senior managers, building on existing restrictions for those convicted of terrorism and other serious crimes. The proposals would also allow the Commission to disqualify individuals where there is evidence that they have promoted violence or racial or religious hatred.

The consultation closes on 23 December 2026. If your charity is considering a response, or would like to learn more about the proposals, you are invited to join our webinar to hear what’s covered and what the wider implications of the changes may be. 

Other plans announced by the government in March 2026 to extend the Commission’s ability to suspend trustees and shut down charities, introduce trustee verification and digitalise charity accounts are not within the scope of this consultation, and no indication has been given as to when they will be progressed.

Annual Public Meeting

If you missed the Charity Commission’s Annual Public Meeting last week, you can watch a recording of it or read the speech by Chair, Dame Julia Unwin. 

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Sector general

Directory of Social Change (DSC) has announced that it has appointed an insolvency practitioner and will close after more than 50 years. DSC attributed the decision to financial pressures including tighter budgets among the charities it supports, rising supplier and National Insurance costs, increased competition and changes in how people buy and learn.

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Fundraising

With cryptocurrency donations becoming more common, the Fundraising Regulator (FR) has released new guidance to help charities assess the opportunities and risks involved in accepting them. The guidance highlights the steps charities should take before accepting crypto donations, including assessing risks, carrying out due diligence and putting appropriate policies in place. It also clarifies how the standards in the Code of Fundraising Practice apply to this form of giving.

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Legacies

We recently hosted our annual Charity Legacy Conference for legacy professionals, this year focusing on how to maximise and protect legacy income. See our key legal and practical takeaways from the event.

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AI

We have launched our Innovate for Impact webinar series where you can gain insights from legal experts about legislative developments and key compliance takeaways on a range of topics, including using AI to support fundraising activities, developing tech-based solutions for beneficiaries, data protection essentials when using AI, and more.

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Social enterprise

For charities and social enterprises working to influence systems, as well as others, NPC has published a practical guide to evaluating systems change. The guide considers what constitutes systems change and sets out a 5-step process intended to help organisations to understand and learn from their systems change efforts.

The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN) has announced a pilot fund for investment into businesses whose founders are refugees. The Refugee Venture Fund aims to invest between £25,000 and £100,000 for a minority share in early-stage companies, and every investee will be awarded a place in a ‘Showcase’ (where they can pitch for co-investment), coaching, and access to TERN’s entrepreneurs and advisers network.

Good Finance and UnLtd have co-authored a short blog and case study that considers the relationship between grants and social investment as complementary tools, depending on the stage of the business.

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Social investment / social impact investment

Better Society Capital has authored an article with global professional services firm Marsh, setting out why investing in tackling homelessness is a compelling impact theme for UK endowments and foundations. Noting the risk that the current demand for affordable housing presents to local government finances, the article outlines key investment approaches in this sector and considerations for endowments and foundations considering an allocation.

A new report from Impact Europe, based on survey data, explores the landscape of ‘catalytic’ grant making: where grants support a new initiative to be proven or an early-stage venture to mature, to enable it to move forward to access investment or other funding and income. Among the report’s findings, €432 million in catalytic grants were paid out in 2024 by just 20 organisations responding to the survey, and 85% of respondents said they focus on people or issues that mainstream funders overlook. For more, Impact Europe has published ‘Meet the Champions’: profiles for 12 grant-makers that participated in the survey, including Access – The Foundation for Social Investment and Oxfam.

The UK’s development finance institution and impact investor, British International Investment (BII) has announced a $1.6 billion commitment to climate finance in the region over 5 years, approximately half of which will be provided by BII. The aim is to assist countries that rely on high-emitting fossil fuel power to transition to a renewables-based future. For more, BII and Swedfund have released a report identifying significant investment gaps in Black-owned and -led businesses in sub-Saharan Africa.

Announcing its new Philanthropy Hub, the World Bank Group noted the increasing role that philanthropic organisations are taking in providing grant funding, investment capital and expertise, and in convening participants for impact. Among other aims, the hub intends that partners will help shape priorities and solutions from the outset, and that it will help them find the right ways to participate based on their capacities.

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Education

General

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a national campaign to recruit more foster carers in England as part of wider reforms aimed at creating 10,000 new foster care places. The campaign follows research showing that 66% of adults believe they could be a good foster carer if practical barriers were reduced, and is supported by £88 million of investment in fostering reforms, including trials of more flexible fostering models and measures to improve recruitment and support for carers.

Schools

Ofsted has announced a pilot Independent Complaints Review service for schools inspected during the 2026/27 academic year. The new service, introduced in response to calls for greater external oversight, will allow schools to request an independent review of how Ofsted handled a complaint and, for the first time, whether the outcome was fair and reasonable, including in relation to inspection findings and grades awarded. The pilot forms part of wider efforts to increase transparency and confidence in the inspection system.

In a speech at the CST Conference 2026, Education Secretary Lucy Powell set out a vision to “reimagine childhood” and reform education to better meet the needs of young people. Key proposals included introducing new vocational GCSEs and pathways, giving oracy equal status to reading and writing in the national curriculum, expanding enrichment opportunities, reforming SEND provision, and reducing reliance on repeated GCSE resits. The speech also emphasised the importance of tackling persistent absence, improving inclusion and ensuring education better prepares children for a rapidly changing world shaped by technology and AI.

The DfE has launched a call for evidence on proposed school exclusion reforms set out in the Every Child Achieving and Thriving White Paper. The consultation seeks views from practitioners, researchers and other stakeholders on proposals relating to internal suspensions, reintegration support following suspensions, and the provision of schoolwork during the first five days of a suspension or permanent exclusion, with responses intended to inform future policy and statutory guidance.

According to BBC News, more than 150 clinicians have warned that excessive use of screens in classrooms could be harming children’s physical and developmental health. In an open letter to ministers, the group raised concerns about the impact of prolonged screen use on eyesight, hearing and speech development, and called for clearer guidance on the use of digital devices in schools. The government has said it is developing new screen time guidance for children aged five to 18.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has opened a UK-wide consultation on proposals to allow schools to purchase and keep spare adrenaline nasal sprays for emergency use by pupils known to be at risk of anaphylaxis. Schools can already hold spare adrenaline auto-injectors; under the proposals, they could choose to stock auto-injectors, nasal sprays or both. Existing safeguards would remain, including administration by appropriately trained staff, and the consultation closes on 14 December 2026.

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Disclaimer – The information contained in this update is not intended to be a comprehensive update – it is our selection of the website announcements made in the last week which we think will be of interest to charities and social enterprises. The views expressed in items we’ve included are the views of the named authors/sources, and should not be taken to be the views of Bates Wells, its partners or employees. The content in this update is necessarily of a general nature – specific advice should always be sought for specific situations.