The Cabinet Office has published a document setting out how the Office for Civil Society and Innovation (OCSI) will implement the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016. It gives a detailed timeline of when they expect the different sections of the bill to be commenced.

Most of the Act will come into force during 2016 – the first Commencement Order should take place in July – with the remainder of the provisions coming into force in 2017. Some provisions will require existing guidance to be updated, whilst other provisions may require new guidance to be prepared and consulted on.

The Charity Commission has published a blog post alongside this implementation plan, giving charities an idea of how they will be affected by the upcoming changes. Many of the Act’s provisions help to address gaps in the Charity Commission’s protective powers and will only affect a relatively small number of charities and individuals. The Act does, however, make a few significant changes – most notably on disqualification – of which all charities will need to be aware. The implementation timetable should give trustees sufficient time to take any action that is needed.