Corporate Governance Requirements For Public Bodies

Course details

Public bodies and many other organisations in receipt of public support must insure that their standards of corporate governance are of a high standard and that they are in compliance with specified corporate governance codes. This course will give insights into the principles on which codes are based, provide an overview of the key issues for the different stakeholders and discuss the implications of how governance practices can be assessed.

The course will provide a valuable introduction for staff, senior management and members of boards/governing bodies to the implications and the benefits which arise from good governance. It will look at the different sides of reporting governance- whether as an agency reporting or the assessment responsibilities of a Government department. In dealing with case examples the experienced tutors will facilitate an interactive approach with the intention of discussing particular contexts of most relevance to participants.

The most widely applied code to public bodies is the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies (Department of Finance). This course pays particular attention to the key topics in that Code while referring to example where differences may apply.

Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will have:

• A familiarity with corporate governance requirements of public bodies and how good governance procedures can add to the effectiveness of organisations.
• An understanding of the requirements of the Department of Finance Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and other relevant governance expectations.
• An understanding of how the governance of an organisation should and can be assessed
• Guidance material on the assessment of an organisation’s corporate governance

Content

The course will cover the following areas:

Overview of Corporate Governance

• The principles of good governance
• The similarities and differences with the private sector
• Guidelines and documentation
• The ‘hot topics’ in 2013

The role of a Board/ top management

• Effective processes
• Who is responsible for what?
• Receiving assurance
• The Audit process- committee, external auditor, internal Audit

Reporting and stakeholder relationships

• Relationships between Departments and State bodies
• Deciding the level of detail required
• Statement of internal financial controls
• Contents of an external Assessment