As well as providing you and your charity with value for money Charity Insurance policies, at NCi Charity we also look to provide charities, community groups, youths clubs and youth groups with advice and help so you get the cover you need at a price that suits your budget.

Here are some FAQ's along with answers but if you have any questions about your organisations insurance needs please feel free to call us on 0800 046 1446 and a member of our Charity Insurance team will be happy to help you find the answer.

What is the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and how does it affect our Charity?

We're setting up a new charity so what cover do I actually need?

Do we need insurance for our volunteers?

How can we make sure the trustees of the Charity are protected?

Getting a competitive premium is important to our charity; do you offer any instalment facilities so we can pay the premium over the year?

Can you provide cover for our vehicles and minibus?

Can you insure adventurous activities/outdoor pursuits such as canoeing, kayaking, sailing, climbing and abseiling on our charity/youth club policy?

What is the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and how does it affect our Charity?

The Criminal Records Bureau is a company that searches various databases to find out if your volunteers and employees have any criminal convictions or court orders, etc on their record.  This allows the employer/charity to see if a) applicants have been up front and truthful about their background and b) allows employers/charities to see if there are any causes for concern in letting the applicant have contact with children or vulnerable adults (i.e. previous convictions for assault against a minor).  If your charity works with either children or vulnerable adults then all those staff or volunteers who have direct contact with them need to have had a CRB check.

CRB checks should be completed for every organisation a volunteer works for.  Even if an applicant has had a check done a short time ago with a different organisation a new one should be applied for as the CRB checks only shows a ‘snap shot’ in time of a person’s criminal background.  The employer or charity needs to satisfy its legal obligations in ensuring that the check is carried out and an appropriate decision is made as to whether to allow the applicant access to children or vulnerable adults on the basis of the disclosure document.

A CRB check is valid indefinitely; there is no legal requirement to ‘renew’ it annually.  However most organisations do ask their employees or volunteers to reapply every 1-3 years.  For volunteers the check is free of charge, for employees a fee needs to be paid. More information can be found at: www.crb.gov.uk
 

We're setting up a new charity so what cover do I actually need?

The only compulsory insurances are Motor, Employers’ Liability, and Riding School’s Public Liability.  IF none of these apply then you don’t actually need any insurance at all!

However, given the nature of today’s legalistic society and the culture of compensation it is advisable to take Public Liability as a minimum.  This can come in various levels of indemnity (£1, 2, 5, 10 million).  You can also get Employers’ Liability to cover your volunteers as if they were employees.  If you wish to protect your volunteers or employees further, you can take out a personal accident policy or section.

Obviously, many charities will have equipment such as computers and other office equipment; this can be insured under the material damage section of a policy alongside any buildings.

The other main covers you may wish to consider are Professional Indemnity if your charity gives advice or provides other professional services; Trustees Indemnity to protect the personal assets of charity trustees against management claims; Money Cover, if you carry substantial sums of money.

Do we need insurance for our volunteers?

No! However, it would be unfair to expect people to give their time and efforts to a charity without providing financial and legal security.  It may be worth considering Employers’ Liability, Public Liability and/or Personal Accident cover.

How can we make sure the trustees of the Charity are protected?

Charity Trustees are financial guarantors for the charity in the event of liquidation, bankruptcy, etc (unless the charity is limited by guarantee).  It is possible to sue a trustee for either a breach of duty, breach of trust or any other ‘wrongful act’, both as an individual within the charity and also for poor decision making that adversely affects the charity financially.  As you can see a charity trustee runs quite a risk when he/she takes on the responsibility.  To transfer the financial burden that these possibilities may cause, a charity can take out Trustees’ Indemnity. This usually comes in the following limits of indemnity £100,000, £250,000, £500,000 or £1,000,000.  This cover will pay for your trustees’ costs and any damages awarded against them arising from any wrongful act.  The charity can also claim against this cover if they have to indemnify the trustee. Trustees Indemnity can be bought as an extension to an existing policy or as a separate policy.

Getting a competitive premium is important to our charity; do you offer any instalment facilities so we can pay the premium over the year?

Yes we do.  Most of our insurers can offer their own direct debit facilities with interest rates starting at 6%.  Some insurers offer interest free direct debit facilities when you reach a certain premium, e.g. £750.

Can you provide cover for our vehicles and minibus?

We have access to policies including commercial vehicle insurance which has been specifically designed for those who are closely linked to the not-for-profit or charity sector. As well as this, we can provide charity mini bus insurance for vehicles with between 10 – 17 seats which are not used for private hire. Whatever your charities requirements, NCi Charity have a solution to make the purchase and administration of your insurance as easy and straightforward as possible.

Can you insure adventurous activities/outdoor pursuits such as canoeing, kayaking, sailing, climbing and abseiling on our charity/youth club policy?

 
The answer to this is simple: No. However, it would be rare for a youth club or charity to offer these activities 'in-house'.  Non-specialist insurers tend not to want to get involved in this sort of risk, however if you are using facilities and instructors from an activity centre they should have their own insurance which would cover any injuries, death or property damage incurred at their premises or under their instruction off-site. The same rule applies if you bring freelance instructors in - the bottom line with both of these situations is that you need to check the instructors/providers you use are adequately insured.  If they hold no insurance you could end up footing the bill - on an uninsured basis.
 

There will be some youth clubs or charities that have volunteers who are suitably qualified to provide these types of activities. However you must still ensure they have adequate cover.  Usually this is comes as part of their membership fee.  For example a canoe coach, who has to be a member of the BCU to be an active, qualified coach has a public liability limit of indemnity of £10 million. In this case the BCU is unusual as the cover remains in place even if the coach is acting outside his/her remit. This sort of arrangement varies between national governing bodies.  For more information please refer to the following:
 

Canoeing & Kayaking - The British Canoe Union: www.bcu.org.uk

Sailing - The Royal Yachting Association: www.rya.org.uk

Hillwalking, Climbing & Abseiling - The British Mountaineering Council: www.thebmc.co.uk / Moutain Leader Training (England): www.mlte.org