Their report, ‘Early Warning Signs in Public Sector Bodies’ calls for public sector bodies to put in place the processes needed to recognise these early warning signs and to facilitate a culture where speaking up about concerns and learning from mistakes are seen as a personal duty and valued by everyone in the organisation.
The report includes insights from the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) Chief Executive, Harriet Aldridge, who noted that it is part of the role of internal audit to support government departments and ALBs to identify potential problems earlier, spotting issues sooner, and working with organisations to develop a course of action to mitigate and resolve these issues faster.
Responding to the report findings, Harriet said,
“A robust internal audit approach should help to identify issues upstream. Earlier resolution ensures better outcomes for the public, saving taxpayers’ money and leading to the more effective delivery of public services,”
The Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) provides independent and objective internal audit and assurance services for government departments and ALBs.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life’s report recognised GIAA’s proactive approach to risk management, particularly with the development of artificial intelligence (AI) to support the real-time checking of data against risk criteria.
The Committee also recognised GIAA’s leading role in sharing learning through our wider cross-government Insight Programme.
For further information on the report ‘Early Warning Signs in Public Sector Bodies’ by the Committee on Standards in Public Life, please visit the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
Notes
The Committee on Standards in Public Life is an independent advisory body that advises the Prime Minister on ethical standards across the whole of public life in England.
The report ‘Early Warning Signs’ is published on Gov.UK.
Find out more about GIAA’s work with AI at the forefront of internal audit.
