22 1GM Saturday September 5 2020 | the times
News
Charities have been accused of breach-
ing fundraising rules after the regulator
received a growing number of com-
plaints about approaches on the street
and doorstep callers.
Many organisations have resumed
face-to-face appeals for donations after
losing income during lockdown.
The head of the regulator said an
increasing number of people were
alarmed or unsettled by such ap-
proaches. He called on charities to limit
the number of fundraisers operating in
any area, and said they should stand
still rather than chase or call out to
passers-by, wear masks and sanitise
pens, clipboards and card readers.
Lord Harris of Haringey, a Labour
peer who is chairman of the Fund-
raising Regulator, said face-to-face ap-
proaches asking people to sign direct
debit forms were the largest source of
complaints received over the summer.
“The whole point is some people will
be very anxious, more anxious than
usual, about interacting with others,
and it is essential that fundraising be-
haviour respects that,” he said.
Lord Harris added that the right tone
must be adopted by unsolicited callers
at the door, saying: “They may have
rung the doorbell... they [should] then
Charities rebuked as
complaints about
street collectors rise
take two or three steps back, they
should be wearing a mask.”
Street collectors must adapt to main-
tain an appropriate distance, he said,
adding: “That may mean rather than
running after you they should maintain
static positions. They need to review
how they process donations and re-
member that people may be very reluc-
tant to touch something that has been
touched by members of the public.”
An increase in complaints prompted
the regulator to issue guidelines to
charities over the summer on how to
approach face-to-face fundraising, in-
cluding to stay away from narrow walk-
ways, not to shout to attract attention
and never to put donors under pressure.
Rob Wilson, the former charities
minister who set up the Fundraising
Regulator in 2016, said: “The rules need
to be strictly enforced... There are still
far too many examples of bad practice
and organisations flouting the rules.”
The 50 largest fundraising charities
had 18,000 complaints in 2018-19, Civil
Society News magazine found in March.
Daniel Fluskey, of the Institute of
Fundraising, the membership body for
charity fundraisers, said at least 5,000
people over three weeks last month had
signed up to give a regular gift to charity
after a face-to-face appeal, showing
“people are responding positively”.Greg Hurst Social Affairs Editor
KAREN MILLER/SOLENT NEWSMan died after
wife was sent
to care home
Greg Hurst
An elderly man died within weeks of his
wife of 59 years being moved to a care
home against their family’s wishes.
The couple, named only as Mr and
Mrs Y, were separated when Mrs Y was
admitted to hospital and discharged to
a care home. She had limited under-
standing but caressed her husband’s
face when he was taken to visit her, an
investigation by the local government
and social care ombudsman found.
Mr Y was left alone in the couple’s
bungalow, where he lost weight and
became depressed. Visits by carers were
arranged but were too short. On one
occasion his son found him wearing
urine-soaked clothes. Mr Y died at
home within two months of being
separated from his wife.
The ombudsman criticised Windsor
and Maidenhead council, whose adult
social care is provided by Optalis,
saying that it should have listened to
the family’s wish for the couple to stay
together, perhaps with a live-in carer.
“Mr Y was devastated,” its report said.
“He experienced poor care as well as
being on his own, and this badly affect-
ed his quality of life.”
Michael King, from the ombuds-
man’s office, said: “This is a prime ex-
ample of the council losing sight of the
real people behind its busy caseload...
people must be treated with the respect
and care they deserve, no matter the
pressures councils are working under.”Hop off! It may look displeased but this mountain hare was merely caught in the
act of grooming in the Mondhliath Mountains east of Aviemore in the Highlands