Governance and Partnerships Audit Committee Member Workshop: 21 January 2010 Appendix 1.
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Transcript of Governance and Partnerships Audit Committee Member Workshop: 21 January 2010 Appendix 1.
Governance and Partnerships
Audit Committee Member Workshop: 21 January 2010
Appendix 1
Overall aim
To develop an efficient and consistent approach for partner bodies and Local Strategic Partnerships to both gain and provide relevant assurance that their governance arrangements are robust.
An introduction toLocal Strategic Partnerships
Audit Committee Member Workshop: Governance and Partnerships: 21 January 2010
Index
What is a Local Strategic Partnership (LSP)
What is it’s role and responsibilities Southend Together – an example
family! Governance & funding The risks
What is a Local Strategic Partnership (LSP)
In simplest terms:
An LSP is an agreement between the public sector agencies within an area to work together with the private, voluntary and community sectors to improve the quality of life for people to live, work and play in that area.
The Partnership’s Role
SustainableCommunityStrategy 2007-2017
Local Area Agreement 2008-11
and responsibilities?
Leadership and governing role - identifying and articulating the needs and aspirations of local communities and reconciling or arbitrating between competing interests.
Community consultation - Coordinate and monitor community consultation and engagement activities of individual partners and, where appropriate, combine them.
Oversee the planning and alignment of resources - Alignment resources in the area to deliver the sustainable community strategies and LAA, achieve more effective and efficient commissioning and ultimately better outcomes.
Performance manage progress - Review and challenge performance of the priorities and targets agreed in the SCS & LAA and ensure delivery arrangements are in place.
Safer Comm-unities
Stronger Comm-
unities
Safer & Stronger
Enterprise & Community Environment
Health & Wellbeing
Children & Young People
ST Performance Management Group
Cross Partnership Working Groups
Data Observatory Internal Audit Consultation and Engagement Community Cohesion Communications Area Based Grant/Procurement Equalities
Partnership Advisory Network
ST Executive
Police NAPs
Turning Tides
Elected members
Faith Groups,
Tenants & Residents Assoc
Children’s Centres
SOUTHEND TOGETHER BOARD
Renaissance Southend
Thames Gateway Partnership
Regional Cities EastSAVs
Further/Higher EducationSEEC
UniversityAdult Colleges
Community Safety Agencies
PoliceProbation Service
Fire & Rescue
Local Authority
Southend Borough Council PART TN EE AR MSHIP
Disability Forum
Older People Forum
Ethnic Minority Forum
Carers Forum
CYP Forum
Membership of Vol & Community GPs
GEO- GRAPHICAL DIMENSION
COMMUNITY
FORUM
BUSINESS &
PRIVATE SECTOR
Business networks
Business & Tourism Partnership
Health AgenciesNHS SEE
Southend HospitalSEPT
Southend Together – an example family
VOLUNTARY &
COMMUNITY SECTOR
Voluntary & Community Groups
STATUTORY SECTOR
Under review
Sustainable Community Strategy
To be a borough that has a safer, more accessible and affordable means of getting about, which supports the potential for regeneration and growth;
To provide visionary leadership and enable inclusive, active and effective participation by individuals and organisations;
To create a safer community for all; To be recognised as the cultural capital of the East of England; To create a thriving and sustainable local economy, which extends
opportunity for local residents and promotes prosperity throughout the borough;
To continue improving outcomes for all children and young people; To protect the borough for current and future generations and to remain an
attractive place for residents, businesses and visitors; To provide opportunities, support and information to people of all ages and
abilities to enable them to take responsibility for their health and choose a healthy lifestyle;
To be a borough with decent housing, in safe and attractive residential areas, that meets the needs of those who want to live here.
9 ambitions
Strengthening the local economy
Raising aspirations and achievement
Making a safer place to live
Leading a cohesive community
Tackling health inequalities
Safeguarding a high quality, sustainable environment
Revitalising Southend’s image
LAA 2008-11 priorities
35 targets from National Indicator Set 19 ‘local’ targets
Governance & accountability
Board - Leader of the Council = Chair, 17 partner agencies, 5 Community Forum strands, Faith Forum, Elected Members, MPs, regional body reps (e.g. Highways Agency)
Exec – SBC – Leader & Chief Exec; PCT – Chair & Chief Exec; Essex Police – Assistant Chief Constable &
Divisional Commander; SAVS – Chief Officer;
Performance Management Group Chaired by Deputy Leader
Funding
LSPs are non-statutory bodies and as such are not able to spend public money, enter into contracts or employ staff, other than through one of the partner bodies in the partnership.
LSP’s attract no real funding of their own and rely on strong relationship management to realign individual agencies resources and assets accordingly for the best needs of the area (Total Place).
They can attract: Specific grant funding for joint activity £m reward for achieving ‘stretch’ targets by 2010
(LAA 2007)
The Partnership and CAA
CAA focuses on… Quality of life for local people Priority setting that demonstrates genuine
understanding of drivers local need Participation and engagement – more and
better quality Delivery of agreed LAA and SCS improvement
priorities in partnership How well partnerships work to deliver very local
cross cutting targets and initiatives outside of the LAA and SCS
Duty to involve private and third sector bodies in delivering services
Areas of risk for any LSP:
Poor delivery of reward grant (stretch) targets
Ineffective use of assets & resources Poor engagement with communities Inadequate data quality and data
sharing Poor accountability and performance
management Weak joint working
Local Strategic Partnerships: What assurance are we looking for?
Audit Committee Member Workshop: Governance and Partnerships: 21 January 2010
Local Strategic Partnerships Are not statutory entities
Are not required to report annually on governance arrangements
Do not have an equivalent audit committee type function
Are an increasingly important service delivery mechanism
Significant Partners
Produce annual Governance Statements or Statements of Internal Control
Are subject to the Audit Commission’s annual organisational assessments
Remain accountable for service provision regardless of how it is delivered e.g.: By partnership working Via contracts with the private sector Via contracts with other significant public sector
bodies e.g. NHS Trusts and Housing Arms Length Management Organisation?
So what assurance do we need?Significant
partnersSignificant
partnersAssurance flow?
Do we need to include private sector contractors and significant public sector contractors within this assurance loop?
Local Strategic
Partnerships
Councils
NHS South East Essex
Essex Police Authority
Essex County Fire and Rescue
Service
Councils
NHS South East Essex
Essex Police Authority
Essex County Fire and Rescue
Service
Significant partners need to provide assurance that:
Relevant service risks are being mitigated
Information is appropriately managed
Data quality is good
Performance information is robust
Business continuity / emergency planning is up to date and regularly tested
Local Strategic Partnerships need to provide assurance that:
They consults effectively
Partnership targets are clearly defined
Performance and risk management arrangements are robust and effective
Their decision making arrangements are reasonable and effective
Complaints are dealt with promptly and fairly
So what are the risks? Potential duplication as each partner:
requests the same assurance from each other designs different processes for doing this
Assurance available will be incomplete
Different expectations regarding standards required
Different assessments produced of key strategic partnerships / LSPs arrangements
Good practice is not shared
How could we do this?Require our LSPs to: Adopt a Code of Governance?
Produce periodic reports on the robustness of their governance arrangements?
Produce an annual governance statement?
Produce an annual third party assurance statement covering key business processes?
Share results of independent assessments / inspections of partners?
What could internal audit do? Assess the adequacy of partnership working
arrangements in each partner organisation - and share this?
Work together across the partners to: assess the adequacy and effectiveness of
the LSPs governance arrangements? review areas where service improvements
could be made by better joint working (Total Place)
share good practice
Is there a role for an audit committee? Across LSPs, for an informal audit
committee forum to set expectations, establish common standards, share learning opportunities?
Within your LSP structure to focus on governance arrangements?
Questions
What assurance do we require from: each other our LSPs significant contractors (NHS Trusts,
South Essex Homes, private firms) What assurance should we be providing to
our LSPs? How are we going to do this? Is there a role for a cross LSP audit
committee forum and if so what is it?
Putting individuals and their relationships at the heart of service design…