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

• Effective implementation of PMDS and, in
particular, addressing issues raised in the staff
attitude survey: During 2006 the Department
implemented a range of preparatory measures
and communications process to ensure that
the new arrangements for PMDS were working
satisfactorily. (See PMDS section of Objective
4 of this goal) An action plan to address the
issues raised in the staff attitude survey was
circulated to all staff in August 2006.
• Continued progress on the MIF project and
related initiatives. (See Objective 3 of the
“Government and Management of Resources”
section of this Goal).
Following the publication of Towards 2016: Ten-
Year Framework Social Partnership Agreement, a
new Modernisation Action Plan was prepared.
After consultation with the Department’s
Partnership Steering Committee, the MAP was
agreed in late 2006. It builds on the progress of
the last MAP by continued development of key
projects, and also includes new modernisation
initiatives such as: implementation of the transfer
of certain functions from the Health Sector to
DSFA; implementation of the Department’s
Disability Sectoral Plan; new document, record
and information management systems across
the Department; and new social and economic
participation measures as set out in Towards 2016.
> OBJECTIVE 3
Ensure that the Department maintains a robust
system of internal control and arrangements to
evaluate same and that the principles of efficiency,
effectiveness and economy are applied in all the
Department’s activities.
> Internal Audit of control processes
The robustness of internal control processes was
subjected to continuous review during the year.
All significant control and governance issues and
recommendations brought to attention by internal
and external audit and by other review areas were
responded to by management and enhancements
actioned as appropriate.
During 2006, the DSFA Internal Audit Unit - which
is an independent, objective, assurance and
consulting activity, provided audit reports, reviews,
questionnaires and other audit activities in respect
of many aspects of the Department’s business
environment including social welfare schemes,
head office areas, computer areas and local offices.
> Payment and Agency
Reconciliation Project (PARP)
The objective of PARP is to provide an integrated
reconciliation solution which will reconcile all
the Department’s payment instruments and
associated agency accounts and will integrate
with the Department’s financial and payment
systems. The project is currently under way and
good progress was made in 2006.
> Project Governance
The Department’s Project Governance Committee
(PGC) meets monthly to prioritise, approve and
monitor projects and review, where necessary
resource requirements including allocations for
consultancy. A Project Management Framework,
based on best practice, is in place and is subject
to continuous improvement on an ongoing
basis. Supports available to Project Managers
have included information seminars, training,
guidelines and templates.
> Management Reporting
During 2006 the focus of the Department’s
Management Information Framework (MIF) Project
was on the development of a management
information system and the design of associated
management reports for regional business
activities. These reports contain both financial and
non-financial data. A MIF data warehouse has been
built to facilitate the production of these reports.
This body of work entailed an in-depth reexamination
of the Department’s business
activities, existing reports and various data sources
so as to arrive at a common understanding of
business terminology and data definitions in order
to produce meaningful management reports.
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