Northern Ireland Audit Office’s Post

Do you know of any young people working to make your county safer? If so, we want to hear from them. #NationalCrimebeat is the youth crime prevention charity of the High Sheriffs’ Association and is governed by trustees who are mainly former High Sheriffs as well as previous participants. The purpose of National Crimebeat is to give recognition to the most innovative and successful crime prevention projects carried out by young people. They encompass the whole of England and Wales, and projects can be submitted from any organisation or individual. The trustees organise a prestigious annual awards ceremony in London where the six best groups, or individuals, present their projects to the audience, before receiving their prizes. To be eligible for the awards, projects must prevent or reduce crime or antisocial behaviour, or it must assist victims of crime. The initiative must be delivered and managed to some extent by young people aged between 5 and 25 years. Projects should have a beneficial effect on the community outside of the group, and it should be aimed at reducing and/or preventing crime in the county, be well established, and with benefits already being achieved. Some of the winners attending the ceremony are themselves vulnerable young people, some on the edge of crime or antisocial behaviour. Equally, more often than not they have never been winners either individually or as a group. National Crimebeat is a means to give them the recognition they deserve, and build confidence and self-belief. The charity has no employees, and the raising of sponsorship and organising of the annual award ceremony is undertaken by the trustees who do not receive any form of remuneration. If you would like to know more about our previous winners or know of an individual or group who fit the criteria, please visit our website. https://lnkd.in/eEnsYYrv Closing date for entries: Monday 20th January 2025 Awards Ceremony: Tuesday 18th March 2025 #HighSheriffsAssociationofEnglandandWales #YouthUnitedFoundation #youthvolunteers Elizabeth Fothergill CBE Ian Morgan OBE FCILT Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts Matt Crawford Derby College The Staff College Tracy Harrison Peter Ellse DL MBA Neil Ainslie Jericho House Derby Paul Burrows Derbyshire Business Networking YouNG Project Fiona Daniel

It's about an emergency - charity provided - social support system around #foodinsecurity #poverty #costofliving, and while it's dearly needed, we can't use it to take the government off the hook for sorting out how they organise, fund and deliver social protection and safety measures more generally; how they structure and what they prioritise spendings on in the economy and fiscal space; what kind of a social contract they want to run the country under. It's not even only about the UK, it's systemic and wide-spread.

Backing Brexit is not a protected philosophical belief under the Equality Act, an employment tribunal has ruled after a case involving former UKIP councillor Colette Fairbanks, who was dismissed by charity, Change Grow Live (CGL) after sharing offensive social media posts. Employment Partner Fudia Smartt spoke with People Management to reflect on the tribunal's decision. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ewy8AH7D #WeAreSpencerWest

Today marks Anti-Slavery Day, an initiative to raise awareness of human trafficking and modern slavery, and encourage government, local authorities, companies, charities and individuals to do what they can to address the problem. Compliance with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act isn’t just a legal requirement—it’s a responsibility that helps drive transparency and accountability in your supply chain. Does your business need to comply? You’re impacted if ALL the following apply: ✔️ Annual turnover exceeds £36 million ✔️ Operates as a corporate body or partnership ✔️ Has a presence in the UK ✔️ Supplies goods or services Unsure about your obligations? Take our quick test to find out 🔗 https://okt.to/bjy7s3 We can assist businesses in meeting the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act by: 📃 Producing Modern Slavery Statements 🔍 Identifying areas for improvement within your business and supply chain 📊 Data collection and risk analysis to assess supplier compliance 🔧 Developing corrective action plans to enhance ethical standards Take action today to ensure your business is operating responsibly and transparently. To find out more about complying with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act, visit our webpage 💻 https://okt.to/oFzElw #AntiSlaveryDay #ModernSlaveryAct #ethicalbusiness #SupplyChainTransparency #businesscompliance #corporateresponsibility

Total full circle moment! We’ve just launched the strategic planning process for the Ottawa Food Bank. The full circle moment: Ayoub (my brother and partner in goodness) and I used to volunteer there growing up! 🥰 Before he was born, our family used to use their services! 🙏🏾❤️ Now, I come home to this newsletter from my community association, inviting me to volunteer in a different way. Like many of the organizations I feel fortunate to work with, I like highlighting their work, so here it is: 🍎 The Ottawa Food Bank is more than just a food supplier; it’s the backbone of a vast network of community partners, including food programs, emergency shelters, community housing, and more. Having worked with a lot of its partners, it feels like I'm seeing another piece of the puzzle which as a systems thinker, I'm so grateful for! 🤤 🍎They support 112 member agencies across the city, ensuring that vulnerable community members have access to nutritious food. Their reach extends far beyond their own walls, leveraging partnerships to amplify impact and address food insecurity on a larger scale so we've employed a process that allows us to capture the input from everyone! 🍎Finally, last fall I was mindblown by their Hunger Report (link in comments). It is one of the best communication tools I've seen. It’s not just a report; it’s an incredibly effective way to communicate the realities of food insecurity in Ottawa. The report captures data, personal stories, and the broader systemic issues, making it a powerful tool to inform, engage, and mobilize the community. It is also visually captivating and has inspired a lot of how I do things. Blessed Thursday! #foodinsecurity #nonprofit #volunteer #community Sayid Consulting Inc.

🎁 **Gifts and hospitality - Don't get caught out!** 🏢 It's that time of year again with Christmas on the horizon. While many of us are looking forward to festive cheer, those in the financial sector need to tread carefully with gifts and hospitality. This isn't just about avoiding a faux pas; it's about staying compliant with the law and maintaining integrity. A well-defined Gifts & Hospitality (G&H) policy can make a world of difference. It helps ensure that everyone understands what constitutes acceptable behaviour. This is more important than ever in sectors ranging from Capital Markets to Consumer Credit, and Asset Management to Payment Services. Clear guidance and robust records are crucial in navigating this seasonal territory. A simple policy and register can safeguard against potential conflicts of interest and ensure your actions remain above board. Remember, the line between a gift and a bribe can often be blurred. The 2010 Bribery Act is in place to prevent corruption, not to halt all gift-giving. Proper documentation and clarity about what is and isn't acceptable can help avoid misunderstandings. For example, policies should prohibit cash gifts and require due diligence for political and charitable donations. It's just good practice. ✅ So, what can you do? - ✅ Ensure your G&H policy is up-to-date and well-communicated. - ✅ Monitor and record all gifts and hospitality received. - ✅ Train your staff regularly and remind them of these policies. The link to a very good article (as per usual) by Cosegic can be found in the comments section #Compliance #FinancialServices #GiftPolicy

Have you heard about this? Burger King messed up on this one. Kevin worked as a dedicated employee at Burger King for 27 years. He never missed a day of work. For his 27th anniversary, they gave him a back pack with movie tickets and other small items. After this story hit the public (thanks to social media), over $400k was donated to Kevin. He retired and opened his own mobile food truck. Link in the comments with more details. #EmployeeAppreciation #HumanResources #AppreciationGifts #HeyyyHR

Webinar: Are Public Rights of Way Discriminatory? An Examination of Highways and the Equality Act 2010 🛣️ 📆 Monday, 2nd December 2024 🕙 10am - 11am 💻 Free Zoom Webinar (recording available to all registered and via our website) 🖱️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/edgighSN Over the last few years, there has been a growing tension between a local highway authority’s duties and obligations under the Highway Act 1980, and their corresponding duties and obligations under the Equality Act 2010. This has not been helped by a collection of out-dated and contradictory ‘guidance’ documents produced by the government and charities. To assist Ruth Stockley KC  – the newest specialist highway law silk – and Piers Riley-Smith will examine the nature of those duties and explore how local highway authorities can pragmatically chart their way through this tricky area.  #highwayslaw #planninglaw #localgovernment

Meet Tim Kennedy. The media silence on #Helene and lack of leadership out of DC is infuriating. The only way we get help to those who need it will be citizen journalism and social media. This is an update as of this morning. Forget any politics. People are dying because they are trapped. See my next post. If you have the ability please donate to local non beuroctatic volunteers, and non profits. Fema, and governmental NGOs are fumbling through red tape. Hurry up and wait. It's typical. 🙏🏼 Asheville update: -businesses are cash only -very limited gas but seems to be coming in -grocery stores are limiting what you can buy and how many people can come in at one time -there’s a curfew at night and businesses close at 7 PM -there are no restaurants open -people outside of the city are still completely isolated with roads in and out being washed away or sinkholes prevent anyone from driving out -command control from federal agencies and National NGO’s are a bureaucratic failure -state and local law-enforcement are doing the heavy lifting -all hotels are full. The federal agencies booked entire hotel, preventing locals from having rooms