12 March, 2009
10:00 - 15:15
Genesis Housing Group, Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London, NW1 5DT
The day covers governance matters relating to the risk of fraud, whistleblowing, board competence and IT project management, and the opportunity to engage in a discussion session of your own.
The seminar is kindly being hosted in Central London by Pat Davies at Genesis Housing Group (Capital House, 25 Chapel Street, London, NW1 5DT). The nearest tube station is Edgware Road. Attendance is free for one person from small HAs and up to three people from other member organisations.
If you are interested in attending this event please contact Christine Davison. Places will be allocated in the order of applications received.
Additional delegates and non-members will be offered places, subject to availability, when priority booking for members closes after 2 March, at a cost of £35 per person.
The timetable is:
10.00 Coffee on arrival
10.30 Forum Business
10.45 “Fraud in the context of Partnership and Trust” - Neil Tyson, GNT Fraud Solutions
Neil is a counter fraud specialist with over ten years experience in senior public sector roles. Most recently he was Head of Special Investigations at the Legal Services Commission. He now runs his own fraud management consultancy specialising in managing fraud risks in a contracted environment.
Neil has been working with a large Housing Association in London, specifically helping with an on-line training program, fraud risk workshops, and preparing maintenance contract staff to deliver key fraud messages to new term partnering contract holders.
11.30 “Discussion Session”
A chance for you to participate in discussing issues that matter to you. Neil is happy to stay on to assist in facilitating your discussion. We’ve received a suggestion to examine the risk of collusion using the following scenarios:
‘A senior manager seems to be very keen on developing our partnership relationship with one particular supplier. Should I be concerned and what should I do?’
‘There are rumours that the contract manager is "too close" to our partner. Should I listen to this hearsay and if so how should I investigate?’
12.00 Coffee
12.15 “Making Whistleblowing Work” - Shonali Routray, Senior Services Officer, Public Concern at Work
In the current financial climate, getting whistleblowing right is a necessity and just part of the picture in effective risk management for all organisations. Public Concern at Work (PCaW) is the independent authority on public interest whistleblowing. Established as a charity in 1993 following a series of scandals and disasters, PCaW has played a leading role in putting whistleblowing on the governance agenda and in developing legislation in the UK and abroad.
Shonali Routray will be talking about the experience of PCaW, and their role in empowering people to speak up about wrongdoing in the workplace and how they help organisations address risk responsibly. She will talk about the key messages of a good whistleblowing policy, some issues to consider when handling concerns, and finally the BSI Code of Practice on Whistleblowing Arrangements.
Shonali is a qualified Barrister and senior lawyer at Public Concern at Work. She is also an elected member of the Bar Council.
13.00 Lunch
13.45 "Where was Internal Audit when it all went pear-shaped?" - Arthur Merchant CPFA, Partner, Assurance, for Grant Thornton UK LLP
Arthur Merchant is the Lead Partner in Grant Thornton’s Hemel Hempstead office, specialising in the public, charitable and not for profit sectors. He will draw on a range of experience, including corporate failures, having worked with RSLs and others over a thirty-plus year career.
Arthur is a frequent lecturer for RSLs, the Tenant Services Authority and at housing conferences, and recently facilitated a housing group board awayday on developing effective governance. He is a member of the CIPFA Registered Social Landlord Panel and has recently completed a term of office as Chair of RSM Robson Rhodes LLP's Supervisory Board.
His principal responsibilities relate to the provision of assurance and advisory services to Registered Providers of Social Housing and local authorities. Arthur has had national responsibility for leading Grant Thornton’s work in social housing for the past 15 years. He leads as external audit partner for a range of housing associations.
14.30 “Getting the Most from Your Investment in IT” – David Timms, Senior Manager, IT Advisory Services, KPMG
KPMG and Information Age magazine have jointly carried out research into the return organisations receive for investing in technology. Does the outcome match expectations? David will take us through the research publications and highlight areas in the procurement process where the internal auditor should want to take an interest.
David leads KPMG’s IT Advisory and Assurance services for the Social Housing sector and has worked with many housing sector clients over the 10 years he has been at KPMG. In terms of assurance, David works with KPMG’s internal and external audit teams, providing them with the assurance they need that the IT systems in place within clients are working effectively. He has also delivered and managed engagements to housing sector clients helping them with IT Strategy and Governance, IT Cost and Performance Benchmarking, Process Analysis and Systems Selections.
Alongside his housing sector work David also leads IT assurance and advisory engagements across the wider public sector which includes working with the National Audit Office to deliver IT Audit work at HM Revenue and Customs.
15.15 Close
Christine Davison
Email christine.davison@jephson.org.uk
10.00am: Coffee on arrival 10.30am: Chris Down - Overcharging by Contractors; a Fraud Case Study Chris has seven years' experience as an internal auditor in housing and works for Merlin Housing as the Business Assurance Manager. Merlin was...
View event details