News: Regulatory Update — Mentor Accreditation Standards and Virtual Hearings Impact on Trustees (2026)

Hook: Regulatory shifts in 2026 change practical trustee obligations

This week’s digest covers two important regulatory developments: updated mentor accreditation rules for traditional complementary medicine (TCM) — with implications for trustees of educational endowments and training funds — and guidance on virtual hearings that affect how trustee evidence is prepared for disputes. Both create operational tasks for trustees and advisers.

Mentor accreditation changes — why trustees should care

Regulatory changes to mentor accreditation for TCM programmes mean charities and training trusts must update compliance checks and funding criteria. Trustees overseeing educational trusts must ensure grant agreements align with new standards (Regulatory Update: Mentor Accreditation Standards for TCM (2026)).

Virtual hearings and trustee preparedness

Virtual hearings are now normalized in many jurisdictions. Trustees involved in disputes should prepare for new procedural norms and consider wellbeing supports for beneficiaries and staff participating remotely. Guidance on preparing for the legal and emotional impact of virtual hearings helps trustees reduce litigation risk (Facing Legal Stress: Preparing for Virtual Hearings and Reducing Court-Related Anxiety (2026)).

Operational checklist for trustees

• Review grant agreements for training programmes affected by mentor accreditation standards; ensure compliance clauses are updated (mentor accreditation).
• Update dispute-response protocols for virtual hearings; rehearse evidence presentation and remote testimony procedures (virtual hearings guidance).
• Ensure record retention and event logs from trustee systems are accessible and admissible for remote proceedings.

Case highlight: An educational trust adapts

An educational trust that funds apprenticeships in complementary health updated its grant criteria and added mentor audits to ensure compliance with the new standards. They also built a remote evidence kit for potential hearings that included screen-sharing walkthroughs, time-stamped audit logs and a designated remote-witness coordinator.

Related regulatory context

As hybrid and remote models grow, trustees face evolving operational demands. For broader labor-market regulatory shifts affecting trustees’ hiring of remote specialists, see changes in remote marketplace regulations and how they affect gig contractors (How the 2026 Remote Marketplace Regulations Change Gig Work).

Next steps for trustees

1. Commission an audit of grant agreements tied to accredited programmes.
2. Formalize a remote-hearings playbook with wellbeing support.
3. Train staff to gather and export admissible digital evidence from beneficiary portals.

Further reading

• Mentor accreditation standards (TCM) — Regulatory Update
• Preparing for Virtual Hearings — Practical Guide
• Remote marketplace regulation changes — Practical survival guide

Bottom line

Regulatory updates are operational work for trustees. Review agreements, rehearse remote procedures and document everything with an eye to wellbeing and admissibility.