Effective Date: 12 May 2026

Purpose

Right First Time UK is committed to acting with honesty, fairness, transparency, and accountability.

Trustees, volunteers, and anyone acting on behalf of the organisation must always act in the best interests of the charity and the public benefit it serves.

This policy helps protect public trust by ensuring that personal, financial, family, or professional interests do not improperly influence decisions made by the organisation.

Transparency protects integrity.

What Is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest happens when a person’s personal interests, relationships, financial interests, or outside roles could influence—or appear to influence—their decisions for Right First Time UK.

Conflicts may be:

Actual

A direct conflict exists.

Potential

A conflict could arise in the future.

Perceived

It may appear to others that a conflict exists, even if no improper action has taken place.

All three matter.

Public trust depends on openness.

Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to:

• Trustees
• Volunteers
• Committee members
• Advisers acting on behalf of the organisation
• Staff (if employed in future)
• Anyone involved in decision-making for Right First Time UK

Everyone has a duty to act honestly.

Examples of Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts may include:

• financial benefit from decisions made by the charity
• contracts involving family members or close associates
• personal relationships influencing recruitment or appointments
• business interests linked to suppliers or sponsors
• trustees connected to organisations seeking partnership or funding
• using charity opportunities for personal advantage
• involvement in complaints where the individual has personal interest

Even the appearance of unfairness can damage trust.

Trustee Responsibilities

All trustees must:

• act only in the best interests of the charity
• declare conflicts openly and promptly
• avoid using their role for personal gain
• withdraw from decisions where conflicts exist
• support fair and independent decision-making
• protect the reputation of the organisation

Trustees must never place personal benefit above public benefit.

Declaring Interests

All trustees and key volunteers must declare:

• financial interests
• business interests
• family relationships relevant to decisions
• professional relationships
• outside trustee or leadership roles
• sponsorship or funding connections
• any circumstance that may affect impartiality

Declarations should be made:

• when joining the organisation
• annually for review
• immediately when a new conflict arises

Early disclosure prevents bigger problems later.

Register of Interests

Right First Time UK will maintain a written Register of Interests.

This register will include:

• declared financial interests
• family and professional connections
• external roles and responsibilities
• partnership links
• relevant sponsorship interests

The register will be reviewed regularly by the Trustee Board.

Good records protect everyone.

Managing Conflicts

Where a conflict exists, the person involved must:

• declare the conflict
• leave discussions where appropriate
• not vote on the matter
• not influence the decision improperly
• allow independent decision-making to take place

The Trustee Board will decide how the conflict should be managed.

Fair process matters.

Financial Conflicts

Special care must be taken where money is involved.

This includes:

• donations
• sponsorship
• fundraising
• trustee expenses
• contracts
• supplier relationships
• professional services

No trustee, volunteer, or connected person should receive improper financial benefit from the charity.

Charity funds must always serve public benefit.

Gifts and Hospitality

Trustees and volunteers should not accept gifts, hospitality, or favours that could influence decisions or create unfair advantage.

Small tokens of appreciation may be acceptable where reasonable and transparent.

Where in doubt:

Declare it.

Transparency is always safer.

Failure to Declare a Conflict

Failure to declare a conflict of interest may result in:

• review by the Trustee Board
• removal from decision-making
• trustee removal procedures
• volunteer role termination
• referral to regulators where necessary

Integrity is non-negotiable.

Our Commitment

We are committed to:

Fairness

Transparency

Accountability

Public Trust

Conflicts of interest do not always mean wrongdoing.

But hiding them damages trust.

Open declaration protects the organisation and the people we serve.

Contact

For questions about this policy or declaring a conflict of interest:

Right First Time UK

Email: dan@rightfirsttimeuk.com
Website: www.rightfirsttimeuk.com

Right First Time UK

Transparency Protects Trust

Fair Decisions. Strong Governance. Real Accountability.