Background:
All organisations have a duty to manage risks – financial, physical, service failure, business and reputational. Public sector organisations have particular obligations to ensure both legislative compliance and public safety risks are well managed by effective systems that monitor their operations, identify weaknesses in the identification and assessment of risks and apply appropriate mitigation strategies.
The following clients sought Reinforcements assistance in providing assurance of the effectiveness of their systems.
Ipswich City Council – in reviewing their risk procedures for managing the City’s Urban Forest
Australian Public Service Commission’s Panel Services Section in establishing an improved Risk Management Framework
What we did
In both cases Reinforcements began by examining existing systems and practices to assess current risk profiles and determine any legislative or corporate standards that might apply. We followed that up by working collaboratively with the client to develop the Framework most appropriate to their business model and the range of risk scenarios they faced.
In the case of Ipswich the review was focused specifically on the risk assessment and response procedures related to managing the City’s vast forest of street trees and public open space. From our own experience in the field we were able to query various aspects of the programs to develop improvement options for Management’s consideration.
In the case of Panel Services a completely new Risk Framework was required to be developed so as to be both consistent with the Australian Public Service Commission’s general standard and with the particular business needs of Panel Services related to procurement and tendering procedures. We conducted workshops with the entire Section to ensure input from all levels of process and to capture knowledge about risk scenarios from those in the front line.
Results
In both cases the Client achieved a new perspective on their risk management obligations and the policies and procedures required to best address those obligations.
Panel Services achieved a new comprehensive Risk Management Framework that provided a practical and compliant means of managing risks across the range of issues they encounter.
Ipswich City Council’s Works Parks & Recreation Department found an improved focus on key risk areas that previously had been of concern but not completely addressed. The improvement plan provided a pathway to more comprehensive risk coverage.
