1. Purpose of the risk management policy
This policy is intended to provide a framework for the management of risk and also to increase overall awareness of risk throughout the council and to enable managers and those responsible for risk reporting, to better identify, assess and control risks within their areas. It seeks to enforce ownership. It defines roles and responsibilities to help ensure the risk management process is understood. It gives advice on best practice and describes the different elements that need to be managed in order that risk management methodology is embedded in every layer of the council.
We recognise that there are risks involved in everything it does and that it has a duty to manage these risks. This duty is to staff, residents and people working in the district, service users, partners and funding agencies.
Risk is part of everyday life. It can be defined as the chance that something will happen that has an impact upon aims and objectives. Risk management is as much about exploiting opportunities as it is about managing threats, a certain amount of risk taking is inevitable and essential if the council is to achieve its objectives. Risk needs to be managed rather than avoided and consideration of risk should not stifle innovation.
We will use risk management to maintain and improve the quality of services within the district and to deliver our priorities and objectives.
Our risk management policy objectives are to:
- embed risk management into the culture of the council
- raise awareness and work with partners, providers and contractors to develop a common understanding of the council’s expectations on risk management
- integrate risk management into policy, planning and decision making
- enable the council to anticipate and respond to changing social, environmental and legislative conditions
These objectives will be achieved by:
- identifying, assessing and effectively managing strategic and operational risks across the council
- establishing clear roles, responsibilities and reporting lines for risk management across the council
- incorporating the assessment of risk into all key decision making and planning processes of the council
- using SPAR.net for recording, assessment, monitoring of controls and reporting of risks