OSCR | Concerns about charities: what OSCR can deal with

01 Oct 2026

News

Concerns about charities: what OSCR can deal with

As Scotland's charity regulator, OSCR can be contacted when there are serious concerns about how a charity is being run or managed.

Many concerns come from members, volunteers, beneficiaries, trustees, supporters or donors who care deeply about the charity and genuinely believe something has gone wrong.

Some concerns are appropriate for OSCR to consider under charity law. However, we also receive concerns that fall outside our regulatory remit.

Our role is to ensure charities comply with charity law, protect charitable assets and maintain public trust and confidence in charities. We are not a complaints service, ombudsman, mediator or appeal body, and we cannot resolve personal disputes or overturn decisions simply because someone disagrees with them.

Before raising a concern, please consider the five questions below. They will help you decide whether OSCR is the right organisation to contact and help us focus on concerns that may require regulatory action.

1. Is it a regulatory concern?

OSCR is most likely to become involved where there is evidence of:

Misuse of charitable funds or assets
Serious governance failures or trustee misconduct
Failure to comply with charity law
Significant risk to beneficiaries, charitable assets or public trust.

2. Are you looking for a personal remedy?

OSCR cannot normally reinstate a member or volunteer, change a charity’s policy, award compensation or secure another personal outcome. If that is your main aim, another route may be more appropriate.

3. Have you raised it with the charity?

Where possible, use the charity’s complaints process first and allow it a reasonable opportunity to respond. OSCR will not normally replace that process.

4. Do you have evidence?

You will be asked for relevant documents, correspondence, photographs or first-hand information when you submit a concern. Concerns based only on speculation or hearsay are harder to assess and may not be appropriate.

5. Is another organisation better placed to help?

Depending on the issue, a local authority, Police Scotland, a complaints body or another specialist regulator may be better placed to act.

When should you contact OSCR?

Contact us if you believe there is a significant issue with how a charity is governed, managed or operated, particularly where charitable assets, beneficiaries or public trust may be at risk.

Submit all concerns through OSCR’s online concern form. It gathers the information we need and explains what we can and cannot deal with.

When OSCR cannot normally help

OSCR cannot normally resolve a concern when its main purpose is to secure a personal outcome. Here are some examples of concerns that are not appropriate for OSCR:

‘I want OSCR to reinstate me as a charity member, trustee, employee or volunteer’
‘I want OSCR to overturn the outcome of a charity’s complaints or disciplinary process’
‘Please resolve a disagreement between individuals, trustees, members or organisations’
‘A charity hasn’t given me an apology, compensation or another personal remedy’
‘I am unhappy with a charity’s decision or policy’ (but have no evidence that charity law has been breached)
‘I believe criminal activity may have taken place, but I have not reported it to Police Scotland’

What happens after you submit a concern

We assess each concern on its own facts and circumstances. We may ask for more information or make enquiries with the charity after receiving a concern. If the evidence suggests regulatory action may be required, we may open an inquiry, although this does not necessarily mean the charity has done anything wrong.

After you submit a concern, we will not be in touch with you again unless we require further information. If your concern leads us to making inquiries with the charity, we are unable to update you on the status of those inquiries.

We must publish an inquiry report when our formal powers are used, and we may publish one in other cases where it is in the public interest or offers useful learning for the sector.