One Plus: One Parent Families

02 May 2008

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator has concluded its enquiries into the collapse of a major charity and child care provider.

Read OSCR's report here.

SC011688 One Plus: One Parent Familes went into liquidation in January 2007. OSCR examined the reasons behind the charity’s collapse to identify any lessons for the sector generally.

OSCR has now published its case study report, which examines the reasons behind the collapse of the charity and makes clear that no single factor was responsible.

‘There are lessons to be learmed for all involved, including charity trustees, funders of charities and OSCR itself,’ said OSCR’s Chief Executive, Jane Ryder. ‘Charity trustees have a very clear role to ensure that the Board has the skills and experience necessary to meet governance responsibilities, including business challenges.

'They should also consider the use of professional advice appropriate to the scale of their charity’s operations. Funders should examine the potential complications of multiple funding, including funding of the costs of financial and reporting systems.’

One Plus had been due to file its accounts with OSCR a month after it was placed in liquidation. Had those accounts been submitted, OSCR’s monitoring system, applied to all charity accounts, would have identified an apparent cause for concern.

Jane Ryder confirmed that OSCR was planning to consult in 2009 on further development of its monitoring programme and integrated reporting.

‘There are particular points in our report that are relevant specifically to larger charities and to funders,’ she said. ‘However, the wider sector will also find this report of interest, particularly those who see their charity developing quickly in terms of income and scale of operation.’

ENDS

Issued by OSCR, Quadrant House, 9 Riverside Drive, Dundee DD1 4NY. Telephone: 01382 220446.

For further information please contact Mark Simpson or Morag McDonald at OSCR on 01382 346890 or email mark.simpson@osc.org.uk or morag.mcdonald@oscr.org.uk