What trustees are expected to show
The Charity Commission expects trustees to take safeguarding seriously and to report serious incidents promptly. Its guidance explains the safeguarding duties of charity trustees and how to report a serious incident. When a regulator visits, the useful question is not only what happened but how the charity decided what to do, and whether it can prove it.
Safeguarding records that stand up to a visit
For each concern, CGRC AI records who it is about, whether that is a child, an adult at risk or both, the type of concern, the role of the person of concern, when the safeguarding lead was told, what was done straight away to protect people, and any referral made, with the date, who it went to and the reference. A concern can also trigger a case or learning review.
Serious incident decisions, recorded on purpose
The serious incident section records whether an incident must be reported to the regulator, with the reasons. The choices are not yet decided, reportable and not reportable. It also records who the report went to, when, the reference, when the trustees were told, and any other bodies told, such as the police, the local authority, insurers, funders or a denomination.
A decision not to report is recorded as carefully as a decision to report, because that is what a regulator will ask to see. If a safeguarding concern is logged and the reporting decision is still outstanding, the incident shows a warning until someone decides.
CGRC AI records and tracks. It does not file reports with the Charity Commission or any other regulator, and those reports are still made through the regulator's own channel.
The rest of good governance in the same place
- Conflicts of interest. A register of declared interests with management plans and review dates, linked to the board meetings where they were disclosed.
- Board and committee records. Meetings, decisions, follow-up actions and sign-off of minutes.
- Risks. A register with scores, owners, controls and review dates.
- Policies. Version control, review reminders and acknowledgement by trustees and staff.
- Grants and funder conditions. Reporting deadlines and the terms attached to each award.
- Training and complaints. Who has done what, and how concerns raised were handled.
AI that helps and people who decide
Staff and volunteers can describe a concern in plain words and the AI drafts the record for them to check. When someone investigates, the AI can read your own policies and earlier similar cases and say which ones it used. The AI never makes the decision, and it is never trained on your data.
Common questions
Does CGRC AI report serious incidents to the Charity Commission?
No. It records the decision about whether to report, the reasons, who it was reported to and when. The report itself is made through the Charity Commission's own channel.
Can we use it for safeguarding children and adults at risk?
Yes. A concern can be recorded as being about a child, an adult at risk or both, with the type of concern, referral details and a case or learning review where needed.
Is it only for large charities?
No. It suits any organisation that works with children or adults at risk, including churches, schools, sports clubs and community groups. We are looking for a small number of pilot partners.
Is CGRC AI certified?
Not yet. CGRC AI is at pilot stage and holds no formal certifications.
Related pages
Interested in being a pilot partner? Get in touch and we will arrange a conversation.
Last updated 12 October 2026.