department of social and family affairs annual report 2006 - Welfare.ie

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OBJECTIVE 5 Ensure a working environment which is based on co-operation, participation and mutual support. > Partnership A key guiding principle of the Department is the recognition that effective delivery of our services and management of our work requires a partnership approach between management, unions and staff. The Department’s Partnership Steering Committee is tasked with promoting and fostering the development of Partnership in the Department. In addition, under the National Agreements - Sustaining Progress - and Towards 2016 the Partnership Steering Committee must agree the Department’s Modernisation Action Plan and consider the various reports on progress on implementing the Plan. The Partnership Steering Committee met on nine occasions in 2006, including a one-day seminar. > Climate Survey Action Plan In consultation with the Management Advisory Committee (MAC), the Senior Management Team (SMT), and a number of partnership committees a range of actions were drawn up to address the challenges identified which was published in September 2004. These actions were set out in an agreed Action Plan which was circulated for implementation in August 2006. The Action Plan covered the following broad areas: Better communications, PMDS, consistency in performance standards and mobility. Information and Communications Technology > OBJECTIVE 1 Operate, maintain and enhance the Department’s information technology production systems The Department continues to have in place system maintenance and business continuity activities to ensure that payments are issued correctly and on time, and that new systems are in place to support new policies and procedures. The initiatives supported by IT in 2006 include: • All increases in payment rates announced in the 2006 Budget were implemented in time • Changes in the tapered Increases for Qualified Adults were made in time for the effective date of May 2006 • Pensions systems were adapted to cater for new Bank Identification Codes for certain countries in the Euro zone • Christmas bonus payments made on time, including for the first time the payment of a Christmas Bonus to people on Carer's Benefit. • One Parent Family Payment cases moved between computer systems, to facilitate their roll-out to local offices • IT support provided for opening of new Family Support Agency offices. > OBJECTIVE 2 Develop and enhance ICT systems to respond to the requirements of the Department’s change agenda. See Goal 4, objectives 9-12 incl. Each Partnership committee (regional, local and specialist) was invited to identify actions for inclusion in the Action Plan. Fourteen committees responded. annual report 2006 67
Governance and Management of Resources > OBJECTIVE 1 Ensure the governance arrangements of the Department and its agencies are appropriate to achieve the task which must be undertaken. The Department’s agencies are: • The Pensions Board > DSFA Audit Committee The DSFA Audit Committee, which operates under a written charter and whose membership of six includes three external members (including the Chairperson), is an integral part of the Department’s corporate governance processes. The Committee met on four occasions in 2006 and provided advice and guidance to the Department in relation to business control, internal audit, risk management, its relationship with external audit and other governance issues. goal 6: the department and its staff • The Family Support Agency • Combat Poverty Agency • Comhairle/Citizens Information Board • Pensions Ombudsman See Chapter 1 for details of the functions of these agencies. The Department liaises regularly with all its agencies and participates in the work of various committees as appropriate. It is represented on the Pensions Board and on the boards of the other agencies. The Pensions Board and the Pensions Ombudsman submit an annual report to the Minister; the accounts of all the agencies are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General each year. > Management Board and subcommittees The Management Board (formerly known as the Management Advisory Committee) was restructured in 2006 as a result of a consultants’ review of its role and functions. The Board is supported by a number of subcommittees including the Risk and Operations Committee and the Policy Committee. In addition, the Top Management Team of Social Welfare Services meets on a regular basis. > OBJECTIVE 2 Ensure the Strategic Management Initiative (SMI) is implemented in the Department. Under the Sustaining Progress agreement, the Department’s Modernisation Action Plan (MAP) continued until mid-2006. Good progress was made on implementing the MAP during the year. Key priorities included: • New technology and eGovernment: Considerable progress was made on the SDM programme, including new releases for State Pension (Transition), State Pension (Contributory), Early Childcare Supplement and other Budget changes. (For more details, see Goal 4, objective 12, ) • Continuing the programme of process improvement and localisation of services: Localisation of the new One Parent Family Payment claims to local offices was completed and the localisation of existing claims was started. • Maintaining business continuity in the context of, in particular, preparations for decentralisation: Progress was in line with the Department’s decentralisation implementation plan, and focussed in particular on the forthcoming moves to Sligo and Carrick-on- Shannon which are scheduled for early 2007. (See Objective 6 of this Goal for more details) 68
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