Committees not in control, especially over business planning strategies of inspection outcomes ‘Denial’ Breaches of loan agreement conditions Lack of clear treasury strategy Failure to recognise breaches of payments & benefits requirements (especially in the period after the original payments and benefits guidance lapsed) Failure to identify and manage conflicts of interest Failure of internal controls, internal financial controls; no effective internal audit arrangements Ineffective risk management processes not embedded in the – organisation’s culture as a way of dealing with grievances ‘Management by settlement agreement’ – or people with this, inappropriately high settlement ‘clearing out’, and, payments No clear audit trail for all committee decisions especially those taken in – confidential session Failure to respond with any urgency to the requirements of Regulatory Standards Tick box approach to policies; lack of active programme of policy review or effective policy review process Addressing some myths It may be the case that some whistle blowers may be wrongly motivated, have their own agenda etc., but what matters in the end is and what what’s true isn’t SHR has any kind of agenda to steer HAs towards mergers or Don’t believe partnerships a myth to believe that no connection between governance failures It’s there’s or financial mismanagement and the effectiveness of the housing Association and its services to tenants. 3 The appointee/co-optee’s perspective Patrick McGrath –
Committees not in control, especially over business planning strategies ‘Denial’ of inspection outcomes Breaches of loan agreement conditions Lack of clear treasury strategy Failure to recognise breaches of payments & benefits requirements (especially in the period after the original payments and benefits guidance lapsed) Failure to identify and manage conflicts of interest Failure of internal controls, internal financial controls; no effective internal audit arrangements Ineffective risk management processes – not embedded in the organisation’s culture ‘Management by settlement agreement’ – as a way of dealing with grievances or ‘clearing people out’, and, with this, inappropriately high settlement payments No clear audit trail for all committee decisions – especially those taken in confidential session Failure to respond with any urgency to the requirements of Regulatory Standards Tick box approach to policies; lack of active programme of policy review or effective policy review process Addressing some myths It may be the case that some whistle blowers may be wrongly motivated, have their own agenda etc., but what matters in the end is what’s true and what isn’t Don’t believe SHR has any kind of agenda to steer HAs towards mergers or partnerships It’s a myth to believe that there’s no connection between governance failures or financial mismanagement and the effectiveness of the housing Association and its services to tenants. 3 The appointee/co-optee’s perspective – Patrick McGrath
From-Crisis-to-New-Dawn.docx