Internal audit protects Cardiff Council by providing risk based and objective assurance, advice and insight.
Audit Charter
The Internal Audit Charter establishes the position of Internal Audit within the organisation, the Audit Manager’s functional reporting relationship with the Governance and Audit Committee, rights of access, and the scope of our internal audit services.
It also states how audit services are delivered in accordance with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards (PSIAS), encompassing the mandatory elements of the International Professional Practices Framework (‘Definition of Internal Audit’, ‘Core Principles’, ‘Standards’ and ‘Code of Ethics’).
Purpose
A primary requirement of the Audit Team is to deliver a plan of assurance audit engagements which are sufficient to publish an Audit Manager annual opinion on the Council’s control environment, comprising governance, risk management and control. The Audit Team also provides core assurance to the Section 151 Officer and the Governance and Audit Committee relevant to their respective responsibilities.
The Audit Team also provides consulting or advisory services, generally at the request of Management for independent insight and guidance on areas of control during process development / change. The aim is to deliver value by aligning the Audit Plan to the Council’s strategies, objectives and risks, and through delivering robust audit assurance and support.
The Investigation Team performs a range of proactive and reactive work in order to prevent and detect fraud. It supports managers to develop and maintain a culture in which fraud, bribery and corruption are understood across the organisation as unacceptable, for which firm action is and will be taken to prevent and detect fraud loss, bring fraudsters to account quickly and efficiently and to recover any losses.
The first line of defence is the internal control environment within each directorate, in which there needs to be a culture of accountability, a zero tolerance to fraud, supported by a robust application of controls.
Annual Report
Each year, the Audit Manager produces an Internal Audit Annual Report, which outlines the assessment and the opinion of the Audit Manager, on the Council’s control environment. The report details the audit work completed to support the opinion, and provides information on the performance of the Audit Service, and an account and assessment of ongoing conformance with the PSIAS.
Audit Progress Reports
Regular Internal Audit Progress Reports set out performance in relation to the Internal Audit Plan. They summarise the work performed, the priority recommendations raised, the critical findings, emerging trends, and relevant value for money findings across the Council. An executive summary report is attached to the relevant Audit Progress Report for any audit engagement in which an ‘unsatisfactory’ assurance audit opinion is provided over the reporting period.
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