Interim manager called in to review social media storm charity

The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to review a charity under investigation for the conduct of its trustees on social media.

A statutory inquiry into the Birmingham based religious charity Dar ul Uloom Islamia Rizwia was launched last year amid concerns of the social media activity of some of its trustees and staff.

“These resulted in the charity receiving negative media attention and complaints being raised directly with the Commission, said the regulator last year.

The regulator has announced that Virginia Henley of HCR Hewitsons has been appointed as interim manager to review the charity’s governance and administration and to make recommendations to the Commission based on her findings.

The charity provides a place of worship, religious teachings, and community services in the Small Heath area of Birmingham.

We’ve appointed an interim manager to Dar ul Uloom Islamia Rizwia (Bralawai).

Read more: https://t.co/lGlT1YSzMa pic.twitter.com/1xuinvgbJp
— Charity Commission (@ChtyCommission) December 8, 2022

The Commission had initially engaged with the charity in 2019 and found that safeguarding policies and procedures “were not in place”.

Its inquiry is looking at a “failure to ensure that the charity’s policies and procedures relating to safeguarding were complied with” as well “the conduct of trustees and senior management on social media”.

“Unmanaged conflicts of interest in relation to working with partners,” is also being looked at.

The charity’s latest accounts for the year ending March 2021 show it had a total income of £282,002, including a £4,889 government grant, however its total spending was £530,330.