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'''RNIB''' (formally, '''The Royal National Institute of Blind People''') is a [[Charitable organization|registered charity]] in the [[United Kingdom]] that offers practical and emotional support to blind and partially sighted people, their families and carers. It raises awareness of the experiences of blind and partially sighted people and campaigns for change to make UK society more accessible for people with sight loss.<ref name="About">{{Cite web |title=About us |url=https://www.rnib.org.uk/about-us/ |access-date=12 August 2024 |website=RNIB}}</ref>
'''RNIB''' (formally, '''The Royal National Institute of Blind People''') is a [[Charitable organization|registered charity]] in the [[United Kingdom]].


The [[Charity Commission for England and Wales]] investigated the charity from 2015 to 2019 and said that its failings which included [[medical error|medical errors]] and undocumented cases of [[physical restraint]] at its schools and residential facilities were some of the worst it had ever dealt with.<ref name="GuardianInq"/><ref name="CCInq"/>
The [[Charity Commission for England and Wales]] investigated the charity from 2015 to 2019 and said that its failings which included [[medical error|medical errors]] and undocumented cases of [[physical restraint]] at its schools and residential facilities were some of the worst it had ever dealt with.<ref name="GuardianInq">{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/apr/05/rnib-and-subsidiary-under-investigation-over-abuse-allegation |title=RNIB and subsidiary under investigation over abuse allegation |date=2018-04-05 |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=[[The Guardian]] |last=Watt |first=Holly}}</ref><ref name="CCInq">{{Cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charity-inquiry-the-royal-national-institute-of-blind-people-and-rnib-charity/charity-inquiry-the-royal-national-institute-of-blind-people-226227-and-rnib-charity-1156629# |title=Charity Inquiry: The Royal National Institute of Blind People (226227) and RNIB Charity (1156629) |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=[[Charity Commission for England and Wales]]}}</ref>


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[[King Charles III]] is the charity's Patron.<ref name="McCormick">{{Cite news |last=McCormick, Emily |date=29 May 2024 |title=RNIB appoints King Charles as royal patron |url=https://www.aop.org.uk/ot/industry/charity/2024/05/29/rnib-appoints-king-charles-as-royal-patron |access-date=9 July 2024 |work=Optometry Today}}</ref> His mother, [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]], was RNIB's Patron from the start of her reign in 1952<ref name="TheQueen">{{Cite web |title=Charities pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II |url=https://www.cause.org.uk/news/charities-pay-tribute-to-queen-elizabeth-ii |date = 8 September 2022|access-date=26 May 2024 |website=Cause}}</ref> until her death in 2022.<ref> RNIB 2022/23, pp.8–9</ref>
==Organisation==
==Charity commission enquiry into child abuse at RNIB's facilities==
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Anna Tylor has been RNIB's Chair since 2020.<ref name="White" /> Matt Stringer was appointed Chief Executive in 2019.<ref name="Weakley2019">{{Cite web |last=Weakley, Kirsty |date=25 April 2019 |title=RNIB appoints Matt Stringer as new chief executive |url=https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/rnib-appoints-matt-stringer-as-new-chief-executive.html |access-date=8 July 2024 |website=Civil Society}}</ref>
In 2015 the Charity Commission for England and Wales launched an inquiry into the institute following serious allegations of systemic failings within the organisation.<ref name="GuardianInq"/> The inquiry uncovered significant management, oversight, and staffing shortcomings that led to repeated incidents where young people in the charity's care were put at risk or harmed.<ref name="GuardianInq"/><ref name="CCInq"/> Moreover, it revealed that staff and trustees at RNIB had been guilty of misconduct and mismanagement in several of its care facilities over several years, breaching their duty of care to beneficiaries.


The Charity Commission described this investigation as one of the most severe cases of charity failure. It highlighted that RNIB's corporate stewardship of services for children with complex needs fell far short of expectations.<ref name="GuardianInq"/> The Charity Commission's report stated that the RNIB failed to protect its beneficiaries from coming to harm. Moreover, that serious safeguarding breaches occurred within the charity due to systemic weaknesses and the absence of a centralised data-management system for its care settings.<ref name="BeCivil">{{Cite web |url=https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/rnib-s-governance-failures-led-to-young-people-being-harmed-inquiry-finds.html |title=RNIB’s governance failures led to young people being harmed, inquiry finds |date=2020-06-25 |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=Civil Society |last=Weakley |first=Kirsty}}</ref><ref name="SeriousMismanagement">{{Cite web |url=https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/serious-mismanagement-rnib-exposed-vulnerable-people-risk-regulator-finds/governance/article/1687645 |title=Serious mismanagement at RNIB exposed vulnerable people to risk, regulator finds |date= |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=[[Third Sector]] |last=Royle |first=Orianna Rosa}}</ref>
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[[King Charles III]] is the charity's Patron.<ref name="McCormick">{{Cite news |last=McCormick, Emily |date=29 May 2024 |title=RNIB appoints King Charles as royal patron |url=https://www.aop.org.uk/ot/industry/charity/2024/05/29/rnib-appoints-king-charles-as-royal-patron |access-date=9 July 2024 |work=Optometry Today}}</ref> His mother, [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]], was RNIB's Patron from the start of her reign in 1952<ref name="TheQueen">{{Cite web |title=Charities pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II |url=https://www.cause.org.uk/news/charities-pay-tribute-to-queen-elizabeth-ii |date = 8 September 2022|access-date=26 May 2024 |website=Cause}}</ref> until her death in 2022.<ref> RNIB 2022/23, pp.8–9</ref>


As part of the inquiry, the charities commission heard from multiple parties involved with the charity who attributed its failings to dysfunctional leadership and governance over many years.<ref name="BeCivil"/> It also found that the RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning, a residential school near Coventry, failed to ensure its staff had adequate training, made multiple administration errors, neglected to document incidents of physical restraint, lacked effective safeguarding procedures, and administered the wrong medication on numerous occasions.<ref name="GuardianInq"/> The review attributed the charity's failings to a culture that was dismissive of external criticism from the parents of its beneficiaries. Furthermore, the charity's board was focused on narrow regulatory compliance and dismissive of criticism from the regulatory organisations it was accountable to; the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted.<ref name="SeriousMismanagement"/><ref name="CCInq"/>

The inquiry also found inadequate responses to complaints about unexplained injuries and improper management of medical care, possibly due to a reliance on unqualified and temporary staff. Moreover, five RNIB staff members were referred to the Disclosure and Barring Service after an audit uncovered twenty-six unreported serious incidents across the charity's facilities from March 2017 to April 2018.<ref name="GuardianInq"/>

Two of the charity's institutional creditors considered it to have defaulted on its credit agreement terms because of the Pears Centre's regulatory difficulties and Ofted's proposed cancellation of the establishment's registration. Therefore, its creditors declared that the organisation had to pay £21 million immediately.<ref name="CCInq"/> Subsequently, RNIB sold all 18 of its care homes and schools to mitigate the financial crises and limit the impact on its reputation.<ref name="GuardianInq"/> The Charity Commission described RNIB's shortcomings as 'one of the worst examples we have uncovered of poor governance and oversight having a direct impact on vulnerable people'.<ref name="SeriousMismanagement"/> The charity's former chief executive and four of its trustees resigned at the start of the inquiry. RNIB’s chief executive, Matt Stringer, apologised for the failings.<ref name="GuardianInq"/>

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From 2000 until 2023, RNIB operated from premises on Judd Street, in [[Bloomsbury, London]], which it shared with [[The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association|Guide Dogs]].<ref name="GuideDogs">{{Cite web |url=https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/guide-dogs-moves-out-of-rnib-office-share-after-five-years.html |title= Guide Dogs moves out of RNIB office share after five years |date=2023-01-23 |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=Civil Society |last=Wait |first=Sam}}</ref> [[Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh|The Duchess of Edinburgh]] opened the organisation's new headquarters in the Grimaldi Building on [[Pentonville Road]], London in 2023.<ref name="PentonvilleRoadAddress">{{Cite web |url=https://greaterlondonlieutenancy.com/news/hrh-the-duchess-of-edinburgh-opens-the-rnibs-new-london-office/ |title=HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh opens the RNIB's new London office |date=2023-06-15 |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=[[Greater London Lieutenancy]]}}</ref><ref name="Grimaldi">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ribaj.com/intelligence/rnib-grimaldi-hq-neurodiverse-blind-people-kay-elliott-architects-buro-happold |title=RNIB's new HQ becomes exemplar in designing for blind and neurodiverse people |date=2023-11-06 |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=[[Royal Institute of British Architects]] |last=Pearson |first=Andrew}}</ref>

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Anna Tylor has been RNIB's Chair since 2020.<ref name="White" /> Matt Stringer was appointed Chief Executive in 2019.<ref name="Weakley2019">{{Cite web |last=Weakley, Kirsty |date=25 April 2019 |title=RNIB appoints Matt Stringer as new chief executive |url=https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/rnib-appoints-matt-stringer-as-new-chief-executive.html |access-date=8 July 2024 |website=Civil Society}}</ref>
==History==
==History==
RNIB was first established on 16 October 1868 as the British and Foreign Society for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind.<ref name="Thomas 13"> Thomas, p.113</ref> The first meeting, which was held at 33 Cambridge Square, [[Hyde Park, London]], involved founder [[Thomas Rhodes Armitage]] (a [[physician]] who was partially sighted) and Daniel Conolly, W W Fenn and Dr James Gale (all three of whom were blind).<ref name="Thomas 13"/>
RNIB was first established on 16 October 1868 as the British and Foreign Society for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind.<ref name="Thomas 13"> Thomas, p.113</ref> The first meeting, which was held at 33 Cambridge Square, [[Hyde Park, London]], involved founder [[Thomas Rhodes Armitage]] (a [[physician]] who was partially sighted) and Daniel Conolly, W W Fenn and Dr James Gale (all three of whom were blind).<ref name="Thomas 13"/>
Later, the organisation became the British and Foreign Blind Association for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind and Promoting the Employment of the Blind – generally shortened to the British and Foreign Blind Association.<ref name="Thomas 13"/>
Later, the organisation became the British and Foreign Blind Association for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind and Promoting the Employment of the Blind – generally shortened to the British and Foreign Blind Association.<ref name="Thomas 13"/>
In 1914, the organisation relocated to larger premises in [[Great Portland Street]] and changed its name to The National Institute for the Blind, or NIB, to reflect its status as a national body involved in all aspects of the welfare of blind people.<ref name="Science">{{Cite web |title=Royal National Institute of Blind People 1868 |url=https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp146887/royal-national-institute-of-blind-people |access-date=11 August 2024 |website=[[Science Museum Group]] |location=London}}</ref>
The organisation was officially renamed the Royal National Institute for the Blind in 1953, having received a [[Royal Charter]] in 1949.<ref>Thomas, pp.142-43.</ref> In 2002, the organisation was renamed the Royal National Institute of the Blind ("of" rather than "for" blind people) when it became a [[membership organisation]].<ref>Bruce, p.229</ref> To coincide with the launch of the UK Vision Strategy in 2008, it was renamed the Royal National Institute of Blind People.<ref name= "Science"/>
The organisation was officially renamed the Royal National Institute for the Blind in 1953, having received a [[Royal Charter]] in 1949.<ref>Thomas, pp.142-43.</ref> In 2002, the organisation was renamed the Royal National Institute of the Blind ("of" rather than "for" blind people) when it became a [[membership organisation]].<ref>Bruce, p.229</ref> To coincide with the launch of the UK Vision Strategy in 2008, it was renamed the Royal National Institute of Blind People.<ref name= "Science"/>


In October 2008, RNIB and [[Action for Blind People]] agreed in principle to combine some services across England. The new arrangement began in April 2009, resulting in Action for Blind People becoming an associate charity of RNIB.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/Article/857002/RNIB-Action-Blind-People-announce-associate-deal/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930085828/http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/Article/857002/RNIB-Action-Blind-People-announce-associate-deal/|url-status=dead|title=RNIB and Action for Blind People announce 'associate' deal|author= Little, Matthew|work= [[Third Sector (magazine)|Third Sector]]|date= 24 October 2009|archive-date=30 September 2011|access-date = 31 August 2024}}</ref> It merged with RNIB in 2017.
In October 2008, RNIB and [[Action for Blind People]] agreed in principle to combine some services across England. The new arrangement began in April 2009, resulting in Action for Blind People becoming an associate charity of RNIB.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/Article/857002/RNIB-Action-Blind-People-announce-associate-deal/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930085828/http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/Article/857002/RNIB-Action-Blind-People-announce-associate-deal/|url-status=dead|title=RNIB and Action for Blind People announce 'associate' deal|author= Little, Matthew|work= [[Third Sector (magazine)|Third Sector]]|date= 24 October 2009|archive-date=30 September 2011|access-date = 31 August 2024}}</ref> It merged with RNIB in 2017.

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From 2000 until 2023, RNIB operated from premises on Judd Street, in [[Bloomsbury, London]], which it shared with [[The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association|Guide Dogs]].<ref name="GuideDogs">{{Cite web |url=https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/guide-dogs-moves-out-of-rnib-office-share-after-five-years.html |title= Guide Dogs moves out of RNIB office share after five years |date=2023-01-23 |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=Civil Society |last=Wait |first=Sam}}</ref> [[Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh|The Duchess of Edinburgh]] opened the organisation's new headquarters in the Grimaldi Building on [[Pentonville Road]], London in 2023.<ref name="PentonvilleRoadAddress">{{Cite web |url=https://greaterlondonlieutenancy.com/news/hrh-the-duchess-of-edinburgh-opens-the-rnibs-new-london-office/ |title=HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh opens the RNIB's new London office |date=2023-06-15 |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=[[Greater London Lieutenancy]]}}</ref><ref name="Grimaldi">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ribaj.com/intelligence/rnib-grimaldi-hq-neurodiverse-blind-people-kay-elliott-architects-buro-happold |title=RNIB's new HQ becomes exemplar in designing for blind and neurodiverse people |date=2023-11-06 |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=[[Royal Institute of British Architects]] |last=Pearson |first=Andrew}}</ref>

Since its foundation there have been discernible trends in both the methods and content of RNIB’s work. While the method of direct service delivery to blind and partially sighted people has remained a priority, from the mid-1970s onwards, campaigning and pressure group work has become increasingly important.<ref>Bruce, pp.245–256</ref> This recognises that RNIB cannot meet need alone and that society’s institutions and practices need to be persuaded to change.<ref>Bruce, pp.206–226 and 245–256</ref> From 2020, this has been extended to concerted persuasion of the general public to change their attitudes and behaviours towards people who “see differently”.<ref>{{cite web |title=How the sight loss community helped RNIB redesign its ‘old fashioned’ brand for the future|url=https://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/09/10/how-the-sight-loss-community-helped-rnib-redesign-its-old-fashioned-brand-the-future |last=Stewart |first=Rebecca |website=The Drum|date=10 September 2018|access-date =11 August 2024}}</ref>
RNIB's remit has always included reading and writing (e.g. [[Braille]]), education and employment.<ref>Thomas</ref><ref> Bruce</ref><ref name="Rose"/> From the 20th century, welfare/social support has been important.<ref>Thomas</ref><ref>Bruce</ref><ref name= "Rose"> Rose</ref> However, it was not till the late-1980s that eye health became a major focus.<ref name="Rose"/><ref>Bruce, p.48</ref> Previously, eye health was seen as the sole prerogative of ophthalmologists and optometrists.<ref name="Rose"/><ref>Bruce, pp.221-223.</ref>

==Programmes and services==
==Programmes and services==
RNIB provides a range of services and support for blind and partially sighted people, friends and family, and carers and support workers. Key services are offered at the point of a sight loss diagnosis and beyond; the focus is on giving practical and emotional support to blind and partially sighted people.
===Helpline===
RNIB’s helpline gives access to sight loss experts for questions and guidance.<ref name="Hemmings">{{Cite web |last=Hemmings |first=Beth |date=27 June 2023 |title=''In Touch'': The Support Hub; The RNIB's Helpline Services |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001n8km |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=[[BBC Radio 4]] }}</ref>

===Eye health and eye care===
RNIB’s ECLO (Eye Care Liaison Officers) service aims to help patients understand the impact of a sight loss diagnosis and can give them direction to the support they need.<ref name="ECLO">{{Cite web |title=CarePlace directory – Eye Care Liaison Officers (ECLO) – support for blind and partially sighted people |url=https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/directory_record/3726/eye_care_liaison_officers_eclo_%E2%80%93_support_for_blind_and_partially_sighted_people |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=[[London Borough of Hounslow]]}}</ref>
===Employment services===
RNIB offers employability skills and practical advice to people with sight loss who are seeking new roles or upskilling within an existing job. Resources include e-courses, preparation for interviews, and support with procuring government schemes and benefits, including Access to Work.<ref>RNIB 2022/23, p.16</ref>
===Reading services===
===Reading services===
RNIB offers an extensive range of reading services. They include RNIB Bookshare – a free library of over one million items, which supports students and others in education with a vast collection of accessible textbooks and materials<ref name="Exeter">{{Cite web |title=Accessibility: RNIB Bookshare |url=https://libguides.exeter.ac.uk/AlternativeFormats/RNIB_Bookshare |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=[[University of Exeter]] Library}}</ref> – and Talking Books,<ref name="SBC">{{Cite web |title=RNIB talking book service – Visual impairment support |url=https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/directory-record/10990/rnib-talking-book-service |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=[[Scottish Borders Council]]}}</ref> which features more than 40,000 fiction and non-fiction audio books.<ref>RNIB 2022/23, p.11</ref>
RNIB offers an extensive range of reading services. They include RNIB Bookshare – a free library of over one million items, which supports students and others in education with a vast collection of accessible textbooks and materials<ref name="Exeter">{{Cite web |title=Accessibility: RNIB Bookshare |url=https://libguides.exeter.ac.uk/AlternativeFormats/RNIB_Bookshare |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=[[University of Exeter]] Library}}</ref> – and Talking Books,<ref name="SBC">{{Cite web |title=RNIB talking book service – Visual impairment support |url=https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/directory-record/10990/rnib-talking-book-service |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=[[Scottish Borders Council]]}}</ref> which features more than 40,000 fiction and non-fiction audio books.<ref>RNIB 2022/23, p.11</ref>

===RNIB shop===
The RNIB shop sells products designed to help make everyday life more accessible for people with sight loss, including canes and other mobility items, Braille readers, gadgets and smart technology.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.manageathome.co.uk/brands/rnib/|website = Manage At Home|title= RNIB|access-date = 14 August 2024}}</ref>

===Business services===
RNIB works with businesses and organisations to help them meet the needs of blind and partially sighted employees and customers. Its services focus on embedding [[inclusive design]] and [[accessibility]] and include website and communications accessibility audits, user testing and staff training.<ref>RNIB 2022/23, pp.16-17</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://healthwell.eani.org.uk/activity-ideas-and-services/rnib-inclusive-business-services|title=RNIB – Inclusive Business Services|access-date = 14 August 2024|website= EAHealthWell}}</ref>

===Campaigning===
RNIB campaigns to change behaviours and perceptions around sight loss. It has been involved with several large-scale campaigns including calls for action to create a safer and more inclusive public transport system. In 2023, the charity played a key role<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66097850|work=[[BBC News]]|title=Train firms plan mass closures of ticket offices|access-date = 14 August 2024|date=5 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Topham, Gwyn |date=5 July 2023 |title=Plans for mass closure of railway ticket offices in England confirmed |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jul/05/plans-for-mass-closure-of-railway-ticket-offices-in-england-confirmed?trk=public_post_comment-text |access-date=11 August 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref name="Simone">{{Cite news |last=Simone |first=Carlo |date=5 July 2024 |title=Why could train station ticket offices be shut in England? |url=https://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/23634377.train-station-ticket-offices-shut-england/ |access-date=11 August 2024 |work=The Standard |location=Chester}}</ref> in the campaign to scrap plans to close ticket offices in train stations.<ref name="munro">{{Cite news |last=Munro |first=Craig |date=5 July 2023 |title=Almost every rail ticket office in England to be closed in next three years |url=https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/04/almost-every-rail-ticket-office-in-england-to-be-closed-in-three-years-19067928/?ico=metro-posts_article_whats-trending-now |access-date=11 August 2024 |work=[[Metro (newspaper)|Metro]]}}</ref>
In 2022, the charity launched its largest-ever advertising campaign, ''See the person, not the sight loss'',<ref>{{cite news|work= Eye News|date = 3 October 2022|access-date = 14 August 2024|title= RNIB launches new campaign to dispel myths and encourage people to ‘See the person, not the sight loss’|url=https://www.eyenews.uk.com/news/post/rnib-launches-new-campaign-to-dispel-myths-and-encourage-people-to-see-the-person-not-the-sight-loss}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| author=Mahtani, Nisna|url=https://lbbonline.com/news/why-the-rnib-wants-you-to-see-the-person-not-the-sight-loss|title=Why the RNIB Wants You to ‘See the Person, Not the Sight Loss’ | website= Little Black Book|date= 8 November 2022|access-date= 14 August 2024}}</ref> to raise awareness of sight loss and the support that people who have visual impairments might need.

Along with other leading health charities, RNIB lobbied throughout 2023 for better disability support across the [[National Health Service]] (NHS).<ref>{{Cite news|author= Pickover, Ella|date=6 February 2023 |title=Concern over lack of progress supporting people with communication needs in NHS |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/people-healthwatch-england-british-sign-language-work-disability-rights-uk-b2276630.html |access-date=8 July 2024|work=[[The Independent]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Fundraising===
RNIB organises fundraising events in the UK and overseas, as well as providing other ways to support – including raffles, recycling schemes, gifts in wills, online fundraising and corporate partnerships.

===Sooty collection boxes===
Since the 1950s, the children's fictional puppet character ''[[Sooty]]'' is an exclusive feature on the charity's collection boxes.<ref name="Dickenson">{{Cite news |last=Dickenson |first=Andy |date=28 February 2022 |title=Volunteers needed to collect 'Sooty boxes' as blind charity's takings fall |url=https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2022-02-28/an-uncertain-future-for-sooty-boxes-as-blind-charitys-takings-fall-by-half |access-date=11 August 2024 |work=[[ITV News]]}}</ref>

==Radio==
The RNIB runs [[RNIB Connect Radio]], Europe's first radio service for blind people.

==Controversy==
Between 2015 and 2018 RNIB had some very serious failures in one of its schools and in its general governance and management. These became clear through an [[OFSTED]] report<ref name="SunshineOfsted">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ofstedreport.co.uk/london/hillingdon/rnib-sunshine-house-school-and-childrens-home/ |title=RNIB Sunshine House School and Children's Home Ofsted Reports and Inspections: Ofsted Report |date=2019-03-28 |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=[[Ofsted]]}}</ref> and a report by the [[Charity Commission for England and Wales]], the latter of which revealed “comprehensive failures in governance that placed the safety of young people in its care at risk and allowed harm or distress to be suffered by some”.<ref name="CCInqDecision">{{Cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charity-inquiry-the-royal-national-institute-of-blind-people-and-rnib-charity/charity-inquiry-the-royal-national-institute-of-blind-people-226227-and-rnib-charity-1156629# |title=Decision – Charity Inquiry: The Royal National Institute of Blind People (226227) and RNIB Charity (1156629) |date = 25 June 2020|access-date=14 August 2024 |website=[[Charity Commission for England and Wales]]}}</ref>

The Charity Commission concluded that “there were systemic shortcomings at RNIB between 2015 and 2018, exacerbated by the 2017 charity reorganisation, in respect of:
* RNIB’s capability to manage complex and specialist care needs at the RNIB Pears’ Centre for Specialist Learning, a school and children’s home for young people who are [[blindness|blind]] or [[Visual impairment|partially sighted]] and who also have multiple [[disabilities]] or complex needs. The school, which was run by RNIB, was based just outside [[Coventry]];
* the safeguarding governance and management of RNIB’s regulated activity estate of specialist care and educational centres;
* RNIB’s broader corporate governance, which did not adequately address the complexity, scale, nature and associated risks of the charity’s activities and disparate group structure”.<ref name="CCInqDecision"/>

Matt Stringer, chief executive of the RNIB, said that “It is important to acknowledge that things did go very, very badly wrong at the RNIB, we accept all the Commission’s findings in full.”<ref name="RNIBApology">{{Cite news |url=https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/rnib-avoided-confrontation-with-regulator-during-investigation-says-ceo.html/ |title=RNIB avoided confrontation with regulator during investigation, says CEO |author= Whitehead, Harriet|date=28 April 2023 |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=[[Ofsted]]}}</ref> The failings identified in the report, he said, “represent the low point in our 152-year history” and added that “We fully accept the Charity Commission’s recommendations. It is clear that we seriously let down the children and their families, staff, volunteers, supporters, and blind and partially sighted people who make up the RNIB community. We are sorry to every one of them.”<ref name="Rosa Royle">{{Cite web |url=https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/serious-mismanagement-rnib-exposed-vulnerable-people-risk-regulator-finds/governance/article/1687645 |title=Serious mismanagement at RNIB exposed vulnerable people to risk, regulator finds |date=2020-06-25 |access-date=22 May 2024 |website=[[Third Sector (magazine)|Third Sector]] |last=Rosa Royle |first=Orianna}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.charitytimes.com/ct/Charity-Commission-criticises-RNIB.php|work = [[Charity Times]]|author= Lepper, Joe|title=Regulator criticises RNIB for “catalogue of serious” safeguarding failings|date= 25 June 2020|access-date = 14 August 2024}}</ref>

A recovery Action Plan was required and, as of 25 June 2020, the Charity Commission report said: “RNIB has made good progress in completing the Action Plan agreed with the Commission and it is part way through the transfer of care homes, schools and college to new specialist providers.”<ref name="CCInqDecision"/>
In the light of further progress, on 27 June 2022 the Charity Commission withdrew their adverse decision.<ref name="CCInqWithdrawal">{{Cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charity-inquiry-the-royal-national-institute-of-blind-people-and-rnib-charity/charity-inquiry-the-royal-national-institute-of-blind-people-226227-and-rnib-charity-1156629# |title=Decision – Charity Inquiry: The Royal National Institute of Blind People (226227) and RNIB Charity (1156629) |date = 27 June 2022|access-date=14 August 2024 |website=[[Charity Commission for England and Wales]]}}</ref>


== See also ==
== See also ==
{{bulleted list||[[RNIB Connect Radio]]|[[Royal London Society for Blind People]]|[[Royal National College for the Blind]]}}
{{bulleted list||[[Sexual abuse]]|[[Physical restraint]]|[[Medical error]]|[[RNIB Connect Radio]]|[[Royal London Society for Blind People]]|[[Royal National College for the Blind]]}}


== References ==
== References ==
Line 107: Line 57:


==Sources==
==Sources==
* {{cite book|author=Bruce, Ian|author-link= Ian Bruce (marketing)|title=Vision Changing Charity: RNIB in Socio-Political Context 1970-2010|publisher= [[Lutterworth Press]]|location = [[Cambridge]]|date=2023|ISBN=9780718896409}}
* {{cite book|url=https://media.rnib.org.uk/documents/APDF-SC230905_Annual_Report_2023-v08-WITH_SIGNATURES.pdf|title= RNIB Annual Report 2022/23|publisher= RNIB|date = 10 October 2023|access-date = 11 August 2024}}
* {{cite book|url=https://media.rnib.org.uk/documents/APDF-SC230905_Annual_Report_2023-v08-WITH_SIGNATURES.pdf|title= RNIB Annual Report 2022/23|publisher= RNIB|date = 10 October 2023|access-date = 11 August 2024}}
* {{cite book|author=Rose, June|author-link = June Rose|date= 1970| title=Changing Focus: the development of blind welfare in Britain|location= London|publisher=[[Hutchinson Heinemann|Hutchinson]]|ISBN=009100490X }}
* {{cite book|author=Rose, June|author-link = June Rose|date= 1970| title=Changing Focus: the development of blind welfare in Britain|location= London|publisher=[[Hutchinson Heinemann|Hutchinson]]|ISBN=009100490X }}
* {{cite book|author=Thomas, Mary G|date= 1957| title=The Royal National Institute for the Blind, 1868-1956|publisher= Brighton Herald, Ltd}}
* {{cite book|author=Thomas, Mary G|date= 1957| title=The Royal National Institute for the Blind, 1868-1956|publisher= Brighton Herald, Ltd}}


== External links ==
== External links ==

Revision as of 21:06, 17 September 2024

RNIB
Royal National Institute of Blind People
Formation16 October 1868 (1868-10-16)
TypeRegistered charity
Headquarters154a Pentonville Road, London N1 9JE
Location
Coordinates51°31′54″N 0°06′53″W / 51.5317°N 0.1148°W / 51.5317; -0.1148
Region served
United Kingdom
Chief Executive
Matt Stringer
Key people
Anna Tylor (Chair)[1]
WebsiteOfficial website

RNIB (formally, The Royal National Institute of Blind People) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom.

The Charity Commission for England and Wales investigated the charity from 2015 to 2019 and said that its failings which included medical errors and undocumented cases of physical restraint at its schools and residential facilities were some of the worst it had ever dealt with.[2][3]

King Charles III is the charity's Patron.[4] His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was RNIB's Patron from the start of her reign in 1952[5] until her death in 2022.[6]

Charity commission enquiry into child abuse at RNIB's facilities

In 2015 the Charity Commission for England and Wales launched an inquiry into the institute following serious allegations of systemic failings within the organisation.[2] The inquiry uncovered significant management, oversight, and staffing shortcomings that led to repeated incidents where young people in the charity's care were put at risk or harmed.[2][3] Moreover, it revealed that staff and trustees at RNIB had been guilty of misconduct and mismanagement in several of its care facilities over several years, breaching their duty of care to beneficiaries.

The Charity Commission described this investigation as one of the most severe cases of charity failure. It highlighted that RNIB's corporate stewardship of services for children with complex needs fell far short of expectations.[2] The Charity Commission's report stated that the RNIB failed to protect its beneficiaries from coming to harm. Moreover, that serious safeguarding breaches occurred within the charity due to systemic weaknesses and the absence of a centralised data-management system for its care settings.[7][8]

As part of the inquiry, the charities commission heard from multiple parties involved with the charity who attributed its failings to dysfunctional leadership and governance over many years.[7] It also found that the RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning, a residential school near Coventry, failed to ensure its staff had adequate training, made multiple administration errors, neglected to document incidents of physical restraint, lacked effective safeguarding procedures, and administered the wrong medication on numerous occasions.[2] The review attributed the charity's failings to a culture that was dismissive of external criticism from the parents of its beneficiaries. Furthermore, the charity's board was focused on narrow regulatory compliance and dismissive of criticism from the regulatory organisations it was accountable to; the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted.[8][3]

The inquiry also found inadequate responses to complaints about unexplained injuries and improper management of medical care, possibly due to a reliance on unqualified and temporary staff. Moreover, five RNIB staff members were referred to the Disclosure and Barring Service after an audit uncovered twenty-six unreported serious incidents across the charity's facilities from March 2017 to April 2018.[2]

Two of the charity's institutional creditors considered it to have defaulted on its credit agreement terms because of the Pears Centre's regulatory difficulties and Ofted's proposed cancellation of the establishment's registration. Therefore, its creditors declared that the organisation had to pay £21 million immediately.[3] Subsequently, RNIB sold all 18 of its care homes and schools to mitigate the financial crises and limit the impact on its reputation.[2] The Charity Commission described RNIB's shortcomings as 'one of the worst examples we have uncovered of poor governance and oversight having a direct impact on vulnerable people'.[8] The charity's former chief executive and four of its trustees resigned at the start of the inquiry. RNIB’s chief executive, Matt Stringer, apologised for the failings.[2]

From 2000 until 2023, RNIB operated from premises on Judd Street, in Bloomsbury, London, which it shared with Guide Dogs.[9] The Duchess of Edinburgh opened the organisation's new headquarters in the Grimaldi Building on Pentonville Road, London in 2023.[10][11]

Anna Tylor has been RNIB's Chair since 2020.[1] Matt Stringer was appointed Chief Executive in 2019.[12]

History

RNIB was first established on 16 October 1868 as the British and Foreign Society for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind.[13] The first meeting, which was held at 33 Cambridge Square, Hyde Park, London, involved founder Thomas Rhodes Armitage (a physician who was partially sighted) and Daniel Conolly, W W Fenn and Dr James Gale (all three of whom were blind).[13]

Later, the organisation became the British and Foreign Blind Association for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind and Promoting the Employment of the Blind – generally shortened to the British and Foreign Blind Association.[13]

The organisation was officially renamed the Royal National Institute for the Blind in 1953, having received a Royal Charter in 1949.[14] In 2002, the organisation was renamed the Royal National Institute of the Blind ("of" rather than "for" blind people) when it became a membership organisation.[15] To coincide with the launch of the UK Vision Strategy in 2008, it was renamed the Royal National Institute of Blind People.[16]

In October 2008, RNIB and Action for Blind People agreed in principle to combine some services across England. The new arrangement began in April 2009, resulting in Action for Blind People becoming an associate charity of RNIB.[17] It merged with RNIB in 2017.

Programmes and services

Reading services

RNIB offers an extensive range of reading services. They include RNIB Bookshare – a free library of over one million items, which supports students and others in education with a vast collection of accessible textbooks and materials[18] – and Talking Books,[19] which features more than 40,000 fiction and non-fiction audio books.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b White, Peter (15 December 2020). The RNIB's New Chair Of Trustees Anna Tylor. BBC (In Touch broadcast on Radio 4). Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Watt, Holly (5 April 2018). "RNIB and subsidiary under investigation over abuse allegation". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Charity Inquiry: The Royal National Institute of Blind People (226227) and RNIB Charity (1156629)". Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  4. ^ McCormick, Emily (29 May 2024). "RNIB appoints King Charles as royal patron". Optometry Today. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Charities pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II". Cause. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  6. ^ RNIB 2022/23, pp.8–9
  7. ^ a b Weakley, Kirsty (25 June 2020). "RNIB's governance failures led to young people being harmed, inquiry finds". Civil Society. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Royle, Orianna Rosa. "Serious mismanagement at RNIB exposed vulnerable people to risk, regulator finds". Third Sector. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  9. ^ Wait, Sam (23 January 2023). "Guide Dogs moves out of RNIB office share after five years". Civil Society. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  10. ^ "HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh opens the RNIB's new London office". Greater London Lieutenancy. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  11. ^ Pearson, Andrew (6 November 2023). "RNIB's new HQ becomes exemplar in designing for blind and neurodiverse people". Royal Institute of British Architects. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  12. ^ Weakley, Kirsty (25 April 2019). "RNIB appoints Matt Stringer as new chief executive". Civil Society. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Thomas, p.113
  14. ^ Thomas, pp.142-43.
  15. ^ Bruce, p.229
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Science was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Little, Matthew (24 October 2009). "RNIB and Action for Blind People announce 'associate' deal". Third Sector. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  18. ^ "Accessibility: RNIB Bookshare". University of Exeter Library. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  19. ^ "RNIB talking book service – Visual impairment support". Scottish Borders Council. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  20. ^ RNIB 2022/23, p.11

Sources

  • RNIB Annual Report 2022/23 (PDF). RNIB. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  • Rose, June (1970). Changing Focus: the development of blind welfare in Britain. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 009100490X.
  • Thomas, Mary G (1957). The Royal National Institute for the Blind, 1868-1956. Brighton Herald, Ltd.
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