Celebrating 10 Years Of OSCR

Throughout our time as Scotland’s charity regulator, our focus has been on targeting our effort and our resources on maintaining the public’s confidence in charities. That work continues as we reshape our processes and structures, and work with Scottish Government, third sector organisations and support groups to ensure that charity law and regulation continue to meet expectations.

  • In 2007, 20.4% of charities with an income under £25,000 and 66.2% of charities over £25,000 met our requirements in the preparation of accounts. In 2015-16, the figures were 78% and 83% respectively – showing how we have driven up standards.
  • Our work in reorganising charities has released £40 million back to the charity sector
  • Since 2006 we've registered 9,102 new charities, granted consent to 8,450 changes to charities and handled 2,633 concerns about charities.
  • In 2015 we granted charitable status to 918 charities, up 22% on the previous year. In 2006, we granted status to 676 charities

To view the timeline, scroll down or click on the year in the list above. You can scroll left to right within each year.

2016

  • Highlights

    We launch our new Targeted Regulation approach and continue to engage with Ministers on the future of fundraising and charity law. We publish fully updated guidance on charity trustee duties and confirm that 92% of charities now use our online services.

  • March

    We publish new guidance for charities on banking and on charities campaigning in the EU referendum.

  • April

    Targeted Regulation is launched, with an upgraded OSCR Online, a new Annual Return form and changes to our processes to make reporting more straightforward for the majority of charities.

  • April

    We publish a new Good Governance page on our website, a single resource containing guidance and case studies to help those running charities to get it right.

  • April

    We publish our updated Guidance for Charity Trustees.

2015

  • Highlights

    We publish several key items of guidance and announce our programme of Targeted Regulation. We play a full part in the Scottish Government’s review of charity fundraising.

    1,170

    Applications handled for Charity status

    232

    Charity reorganisations

    362

    Complaints handled about Charities

    86%

    Closure of cases within 9 months, against a 75% target

  • January

    Our report into ALEOs (Arms Length External Organisations) concludes that they are generally compliant with charity law.

  • March

    We publish the findings of our consultation on Targeted Regulation – our new focus on how we will require charities to report to us in future, along with information on our planned changes.

  • August

    Our updated Meeting the Charity Test guidance is published, in HTML format – our new approach for key guidance publications.

  • September

    We actively participate in the review of charity fundraising in Scotland.

  • November

    We publish new Social Media guidance and support material for Scotland’s charities.

2014

  • Highlights

    This year sees a number of milestones – we conclude our review of fee-charging schools, launch our new website and confirm Scotland's 1,000th SCIO.

    542,218

    Unique hits on our new website

    1,092

    Applications handled for Charity status

    83%

    of cases closed within 9 months, against our target of 75% despite an increase in complaints by 26%

  • March

    We decide not to contest the Scottish Charity Appeals Panel’s decision in the case of St Margaret’s Children and Family Care Society, instead publishing new Equalities guidance for charities.

  • April

    We confirm the 1,000th SCIO as SC044684 Bright Stars Under Fives Playgroup in Galashiels.

  • September

    Our newly redesigned website is released and is well-received by the sector – 75% of users rate it "good" or "excellent".

  • October

    We make the Register available to download for research purposes, demonstrating our commitment to open data and delivering greater transparency.

  • December

    We conclude our review of all fee-charging schools, launched in September 2012.

2013

  • Highlights

    We have another busy and productive year supporting and monitoring Scotland’s 23,700 charities. The volume of our work remains high, with increasing complexity in some areas. We publish our guidance for charities and the independence referendum, which is widely welcomed in the sector.

    1,220

    Applications handled for Charity status

    92%

    Of charities file their returns and accounts within deadline

    265

    Complaints handled about charities

    348

    New SCIOs are entered in the Register

  • March

    We confirm the 500th SCIO as the South East Integration Network.

  • May

    We issue our decisions on six fee-charging schools: five meet the charity test and we issue a Direction to the sixth to widen access to the public benefit it provides.

  • July

    We publish guidance on the Scottish independence referendum for charities – making clear that charities generally may campaign providing this is in pursuit of their charitable objectives.

  • August

    Our report on our inquiry into the Rangers Charitable Foundation makes recommendations and provides key lessons for the wider sector. We also publish guidance for football club related charities, recommending that their constitutions are reviewed and the relationship with the football club made explicit.

  • September

    Along with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, we launch a consultation on the charity accounting standard, the SORP. This is our biggest consultation to date, participating in 18 sector events and producing 179 written responses.

  • October

    We issue our decisions on a further nine fee-charging schools. Eight meet the charity test and we issue one with a Direction.

  • October

    Our new Blog site is launched, featuring blogs from John Swinney MSP and a number of charity trustees. As part of Trustees' Week, we launch a series of webcasts featuring trustees explaining their role and encouraging new volunteers.

  • November

    We issue a Direction to the Fife Animal Trust not to sell its assets. Our work with Fife Council and Police Scotland ultimately results in the rehoming of the park’s animals due to welfare concerns.

2012

  • Highlights

    The importance of good governance has never been greater as the charity sector continues to face challenges, with funding under pressure and demand for services remaining high.

    1,225

    Applications handled for Charity status

    325

    Complaints handled about charities

    141

    Reorganisation applications handled

    9,746

    Returns are completed through OSCR online, 45% of the total

  • January

    Available to new applicants since April 2011, SCIOs become available for all existing charities seeking to convert. We confirm the first such conversion in May – SC024692 The Glen Urquhart Childcare Centre.

  • February

    We publish Protecting Charitable Status, summarising our work on individual charity reviews. We also publish Scottish Charities 2011, providing a profile of the sector; a guide to Working With SCIOs; and updated guidance on the Scottish Charity Accounting Regulations 2006, issued to all charities.

  • June

    The launch of OSCR Online, our secure online service that allows charities to submit annual returns and accounts electronically, as well as to make certain changes to their details. At March 2016 some 92% of charities are signed up for OSCR Online.

  • What people say about us

    The OSCR Online system is very easy to access and use. We feel that online services are much less onerous and we're very happy to use OSCR Online

  • What people say about us

    We believe that OSCR Online is a good initiative that will make reporting much more convenient for charities

  • What people say about us

    Thank you very much, if it wasn't for your guidance we wouldn’t have got anywhere!

  • July

    We approve the reorganisation of the Shetland Charitable Trust, one of the highest income charities in Scotland. This sees the establishment of a new Trustee Board with a minority of local Councillors.

  • July

    We hold a series of outreach events in Dundee, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, with a further two events held in Paisley and Stirling in September.

  • August

    We open our Twitter account. At March 2016 we have 2,700 followers.

  • September

    We announce a full review of the charitable status of all fee-charging schools that have not already been assessed against the charity test.

2011

  • Highlights

    Charities continue to respond to the challenges of the economic recession. We see an increase in applications to reorganise, amalgamate, or change legal forms. Despite a 5.7% reduction in our own budget, we meet all of our statutory deadlines and performance targets.

    1,231

    Applications handled for Charity status

    324

    Complaints handled about charities

    154

    Reorganisation applications handled

    161

    new SCIOs are entered in the Register and a further 60 existing charities convert to this new legal form

  • March

    We add to our range of guidance material, with the publication of "Who's in Charge?' giving clarity on independence and control in charities. We publish our guidance on Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations (SCIOs) in advance of this new legal form becoming available.

  • April

    John Naylor OBE retires as OSCR’s first Chair and is succeeded by The Very Reverend Dr Graham Forbes CBE.

  • April

    We work with the City of Edinburgh Council on the reorganisation of 30 charitable trusts, many dating from the 19th Century, to release £12.4 million of assets. The funds were transferred to SC040987 Elizabeth Finn Care with the agreement that the funds would be used in the spirit of the original trusts. This case becomes an example for other local authorities.

  • April

    We confirm Scotland's first SCIO – South Seeds in Govanhill, Glasgow. In 2016 SCIOs account for 50% of new applications and 9% of all charities on the Register.

  • July

    We issue our decision on a charitable status application from Dundee FC in the Community, a football club related charity. Media commentators describe our decision as 'a textbook example of firm and focused guardianship of charitable status'.

  • October

    Jane Ryder retires as OSCR’s first Chief Executive and is succeeded by David Robb.

2010

  • Highlights

    The year continued to present challenges for Scotland’s charities, as the economic climate raised searching questions for the sector. We produced guidance to help trustees respond to such issues, as well as training for third sector support organisations.

    792

    Charities removed from the register, including voluntary removals

    868

    Charities granted status

    108

    Reorganisation applications handled

    364

    Complaints about charities handled

  • March

    Accounting standards for charities continue to improve, with 76% overall meeting the required standard and "qualified pass" letters issued to a further 17%.

  • May

    80% of the public agree that "It's good to know that OSCR is there, looking after the charity sector", while Third Sector magazine refers to our "Textbook example of firm and focused guardianship of charitable status".

  • July

    We add to our range of guidance material, with the publication of ‘Who’s in Charge?’ giving clarity on independence and control in charities. We publish our guidance on Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations (SCIOs) in advance of this new legal form becoming available.

  • September

    We publish our report on our inquiry into SC020862 the Sick Kids Friends Foundation. While we find no evidence of misconduct, we issue recommendations to the trustees and publish key lessons for the wider sector.

  • December

    Our Outreach Programme is launched, aimed at professional advisors and support groups to cascade good practice to the wider sector. We deliver 22 training courses across Scotland including two with Moray Council’s Community Support Unit and one with Opp2mise, a support organisation in North Ayrshire.

2009

  • Highlights

    Our focus is on removing the last major group of "ceased" charities from the Register and our ongoing review of charitable status. We begin the development of OSCR Online.

    952

    Charities removed from the register, including voluntary and "ceased" removals

    944

    New charities granted status

    121

    Reorganisation applications handled

    310

    Complaints about charities handled

  • April

    We fail 912 sets of charity accounts due to unacceptable primary statements, with the vast majority resubmitted in a compliant form. Some accounts were in a format that raised potential issues of governance, and we identified several instances where charities had been reluctant to provide financial information to the public as required under charity law.

  • July

    We announce the planned development of Integrated Reporting – which in 2012 is launched as our OSCR Online service.

  • September

    We restructure our teams to focus our resources more effectively and improve the support we offer to charities, with the creation of a new Policy and Development Team.

  • November

    Six charities we directed to amend their Constitutions did so, and 4 fee-charging schools took steps to address our concerns about access to public benefit. Our Rolling Review programme is absorbed into our day to day work.

  • December

    Our first Carbon Management Plan sees our emissions reduce by 19% in the first year.

2008

  • Highlights

    A year of consolidation that takes into account the requirements of new Regulations. We handle high profile cases and launch our Rolling Review of charitable status, as well as preparing for a major review of our policies and procedures.

    1508

    "Ceased" Charities removed from the register

    1008

    Applications for charity status granted

    94

    Reorganisation applications handled

    150

    Complaints about charities handled

    120

    Compliance cases about charities handled

    87%

    Subscriber increase to OSCR Reporter

  • May

    We publish our report into the collapse of the charity One Plus: One Parent Families, including key lessons for the wider sector.

  • May

    We announce our "Meet the Regulator" roadshows in Benbecula, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Kelso and Tarbert and a further 4 video conference events for charities in Nairn and Wick.

  • October

    We assess 30 charities, including 11 schools, as part of our "Rolling Review" of charitable status and publish a full report on our findings, with lessons for the wider sector.

2007

  • Highlights

    From our work on the Register we identify that 67% of charities have an annual income below £25,000. Our processes are designed to reflect the profile of the sector and position us as a proportionate Regulator. We handle 1,495 applications for charitable status – a level that has remained generally consistent.

    798

    "Ceased" Charities removed from the register

    1495

    Applications for charity status granted

    150

    Complaints about charities handled

    185

    Compliance cases about charities handled

  • July

    We assess 16 "pilot" charities as part of our Rolling Review of charitable status to establish whether existing charities meet the requirements of the new charity test, including one fee-charging school – the High School of Dundee. We assess a further 30 charities later in the year.

  • October

    We handle the first charity reorganisations under sections 39 to 43 of the 2005 Act. This allows charities to seek our consent rather than apply to the Court to reorganise. As of April 2016 our work in this area has released over £40 million for the charity sector in Scotland.

  • October

    We begin to show on the Register dates when returns and accounts were submitted and to list defaulting charities, to provide transparency for the public. This establishes our procedure for encouraging charities to submit returns and accounts on time.

  • December

    As well as our own programme of ‘Meet the Charity Regulator’ events, we took part in over 30 events organised by others, including the Scottish Churches Committee and Universities Scotland.

2006

  • Highlights

    We take up our new powers with all our operational functions active on the first day. Our launch event on 24 April 2006 attracts over 800 charity representatives. We inherit the list of charities from HM Revenue and Customs and publish the Scottish Charity Register, working to identify and remove ceased charities. In 2006 there are 23,638 charities – a figure that has remained consistent.

    676

    Charities entered in the Register

    105

    Complaints about charities handled

    114

    Compliance cases about charities handled

  • April

    Commencement of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act. OSCR publishes new guidance on Meeting the Charity Test and guidance on Consents and Notifications on changes to charities.

  • April

    We move to our new offices at Quadrant House, Dundee, with 26 staff.

  • May

    First charity to be granted charitable status is confirmed as the Clatto Community Woodland Trust, an environmental charity that provides recreational facilities such as woodlands walks, on Clatto Hill in Fife.

  • July

    We remove the first batch of 2,182 ‘ceased’ charities from the Register – we remove a further 641 in September.

  • October

    We petition the Court of Session to protect the assets of the ME Foundation – the first time we have used these powers.