Maintaining performance integrity

The Leadership Team

Our Leadership Team is made up of our Chief Executive, the Deputy Chief Executives of our business groups, and the Chief Policy Advisor. It is collectively responsible for the governance and direction of the Ministry, and for ensuring we have the capability to achieve our strategic objectives.

During the year, we undertook a full review of the organisational governance arrangements supporting the Leadership Team to meet the Ministry’s future needs and expectations. A new governance structure has been implemented from July 2014 to provide Ministry-wide assurance, oversight and advice to the Leadership Team.

Independent advisory committees

We seek input and advice from external and independent sources to help maintain performance integrity:

• The Work and Income Board provides advice and expertise from outside the public sector to test and challenge our thinking as we implement Welfare Reform policy changes and the Investment Approach. The Board provides ongoing assurance to Joint Ministers and advises the Chief Executive on the performance of Work and Income, including the design, implementation and delivery of the Investment Approach.
• The Audit Committee provides independent advice on our risk framework and internal controls (including legislative compliance), on our internal and external audit functions, financial and other external reporting, and on our governance framework and process. The Committee is chaired by one of the three external members.
• The Value for Money Advisory Board provides advice and support to the Chief Executive on the implementation of the Ministry’s Value for Money programme, and on opportunities to embed a culture of efficiency and value for money within ongoing business activities. The Board is chaired by one of the three external members. One of these external members is a representative from the Treasury.

Complaints, reviews and resolution of grievances

Historical claims

We are committed to settling all historical claims of abuse or maltreatment that relate to the state’s care of children or young people by 31 December 2020.

In 2013/2014, we received 219 claims and resolved 120. As at 30 June 2014, 873 claims are now current; this is an increase of 99 from the 774 current claims at 30 June 2013.

Benefit Review Committees

Benefit Review Committees provide clients with an opportunity to have decisions about an application, income support or pension reviewed.

In 2013/2014, 4,736 benefit decisions were reviewed. Of these, 1,358 were referred to an external Benefit Review Committee. As a result of the external committee’s review, 81 per cent of reviews were upheld, 8 per cent were varied or changed and 11 per cent were overturned.

Chief Executive’s Advisory Panel on Child, Youth and Family Complaints

This panel responds to complaints related to Child, Youth and Family that are escalated to the Chief Executive. It is made up of independent members who are appointed on the basis of their credibility, community standing and professional respect. In 2013/2014, the Panel received 40 new complaints and 21 panel hearings were held. The Chief Executive accepted all of the Panel’s recommendations on these complaints.

Control and accountability

Our Risk and Assurance unit provides independent assurance and advice to the Audit Committee, Chief Executive and the Leadership Team on the systems, processes and controls that we use to deliver effective and efficient services. The unit undertakes an annual programme of work to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of our risk management, controls and business processes.

During the year, we continued to build on our approach to risk management, including further development of a risk management model. This outlines a systematic approach that helps to generate quality and robust information for Ministry-wide risk reporting. It will contribute to a Ministry-wide view of the risks and will enable more effective governance.

Security and privacy

The Ministry takes a risk-based approach to security and privacy. During the year, we strengthened governance arrangements to improve the oversight of security matters relating to our people, information, property and assets.

A programme of work was undertaken to embed best practice and integrate information security into long-term planning, including beginning the rollout of enterprise-wide security technology. We also began developing a Ministry-wide Privacy Strategy to continue building our privacy capability and enhance a privacy culture.

Our health, safety and security work programme was also progressed, including the development of a strategic framework and approach, improving staff awareness, and health, safety and security practices and tools. We will be reconsidering this work programme to incorporate the recommendations of the independent security review currently underway.

Privacy Complaints

In 2013/2014, the Privacy Commission:

• received 40 privacy breach complaints on the Ministry
• closed 41 cases, of which five were upheld as a breach.

Debt recovery

In addition to fraud, we are responsible for collecting other types of money our clients owe to the Crown. This includes:

• Recoverable Assistance Payment Grants, which is a payment that helps people pay for something they need urgently when they have no other way of paying for it. We granted $146.1 million worth of assistance and recovered $133.4 million. The total balance owed is $421.3 million
• Overpayments, which occur when a client’s circumstances have changed after a payment has been made. In 2013/2014, we recovered $145 million of the total $183.2 million overpayments made (1 per cent of the total benefit spend).