Award-winning joint service helps whole community

The Internal Audit Service, (IAS) clinched the coveted 2011 Cliff Nicholson Prize for innovation and excellence in public sector auditing.  

The award was presented by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in recognition of the work carried out by the IAS with their public sector partners - through Southend Local Strategic Partnership - Southend Together, to help assess residents' experiences of the services they provide.  

CIPFA praised the IAS Services in designing how to undertake reviews and report jointly on the best ways to help Southend's key strategic partnerships work more effectively together to deliver services, in collaboration with NHS South East Essex's auditors RSM Tenon and Essex Police Authority's auditors Essex County Council Internal Audit and Risk Management Consultancy.  

Its work with the Southend's Local Safeguarding Children Board to ensure lessons learnt from serious incidents involving vulnerable children were properly dealt with was also singled out for praise.  This was delivered in collaboration with NHS South East Essex, the South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, the Essex Probation Service, South Essex Homes and Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

This joint approach helped Southend LSCB partners strengthen their working arrangements, thereby improving the overall safety of children in Southend. 

The IAS faced tough competition for the accolade as the award category was open to internal or external auditors of all organisations delivering public services.  

Entries were judged by Cliff Nicholson, a past president of CIPFA who had a distinguished career in public service, and members of CIPFA's Audit Panel.  

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council Leader, Councillor Nigel Holdcroft, who also chairs the Southend Together partnership said: "I am pleased and excited that the service's work has been recognised as being outstanding and innovative on a national stage.    

"I believe that as the Local Strategic Partnership's structure settles this work will become increasingly significant in helping all of us quantify the efficiency and effectiveness of our joint service responsibilities in a constantly challenging financial environment."  

The Head of the Internal Audit Service, Linda Everard added: "We are proud to be recognised by CIPFA for working with our public sector partners to help Southend Local Strategic Partnership assess whether services which rely on cross sector working, are delivering real outcomes to the public, and specifically for local children."