Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Corporate Resources – To provide the Committee with an updated Corporate Risk Management Policy and Strategy for review and approval, and also a copy of the current corporate risk register for review.

Members of the Committee were asked to consider the latest version of the Corporate Risk management Policy and Strategy  for 2011-12 and  Corporate Risk Register June 2011. As agreed at the previous committee meeting  the changes to the policy were highlighted for consideration. The process and system for  recording and monitoring  risks was outlined as well as the latest version of the corporate risk register  for member consideration and comment.

Reference was made to  risk  concerning the lack of safety and well being for clients within child protection services.  It was  questioned whether the  salary for the Director of Children and Young people’s services could now be justified given the rag status of this risks was at amber instead of red. Also  understanding was sought on the  factors considered in  the assessment of this risk as although the positive developments for the service were recorded there was a  still a high scoring attached to the residual risk score.  It was explained that,  although a degree of calculation was required in the assessment of risk, this was also mainly a  judgement call.  The service  was  still subject to a  lot of external assessments  hence Council’s Management Board agreement   that the risk rating should remain high.

 Covalent was the electronic system used by business units to record risks  and comment was made as to why internal audit did not manage this process to monitor whether the actions identified, to manage the risks identified, were being taken. The Committee  It was noted that internal audit will use a range of sources to check what has been included in the risk register and how the actions relating to managing the risk can be part of an internal audit review.

Assurance was sought, from the Lead Office for Finance, representing the section 151 officer that business units were compiling their risk registers in accordance with the risk management policy.  This was given and explained to the committee that the absolute responsibility for each directorates   business units risk register laid the director of the service, and this was not done lightly.  It was in the director’s interest to ensure that all risks were included in the risk register as they would need to confirm this each year by physically signing off their risk register and providing this to the Head of Risk management and internal audit. It was confirmed that every business unit had a risk register in place and the Management Board of the council reviewed the risk register on a quarterly basis.

RESOLVED

1. That the updated Corporate Risk Management Policy and Strategy be approved.
2. That the information on the appended Corporate Risk Register be noted.