6. Information for cross-border charities

Cross-border charities; charities registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW) and with the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).

OSCR and CCEW work on a ‘lead regulator’ basis for cross-border charities to reduce the regulatory burden. This means that CCEW will be the lead regulator for cross-border charities and in general will take responsibility for dealing with concerns about cross-border charities.

CCEW have produced guidance specifically for charities on COVID-19

This does not mean that cross-border charities only have to report to CCEW. All charities registered in Scotland must fully comply with the requirements of Scottish charity law. 

Both regulators have similar regimes in terms of when charities should report certain events and incidents to them. CCEW calls this ‘serious incident’ reporting, while OSCR refers to it as ‘notifiable events’. Cross border charities are required to report to CCEW, but do not need to also report the incident/event to OSCR. 

If you have received a filing extension from CCEW you do not need to apply to OSCR for one but please inform us of your new deadline date.