If you are involved in supporting statutory officers in fulfilling their roles, corporate policy making, area assessments, shaping governance or its audit and assurance, then this is the conference for you! Book online now!

CIPFA Technical Audit Update - 4 December 2008 - London
Last year’s conference received positive reviews from attendees, one delegate said “advice was given that we could take back and use” With our practical based approach you will gain expert knowledge on how to maintain professional standards for internal auditing in your organisation. We have invited top quality speakers who are expert in their field of audit and keen to pass on what they have learnt over the years. With the opportunity for questions at the end of each session come prepared to iron out the challenges you may be facing and hone the practices of the internal audit role. Book online now.

Nominations now invited for Cliff Nicholson Award 2009
The Cliff Nicholson Award for Innovation and Excellence is an annual award that is presented for outstanding work in the field of Audit. Nominations are now invited for the 2009 Award. Please click here to download the relevant documents. The closing date for submissions is 23 January 2009.

Perception of Audit Quality survey
An invitation has been sent out to selected CIPFA members to participate in what is the largest and most comprehensive survey of its kind carried out across the UK. When CIPFA last carried out a survey of this type in 1997, the findings were presented at several national conferences, reported in the national press and published in both professional and academic journals. One aim of the 2008 survey is to identify how quality perceptions may have changed since the original survey as well as to pinpoint the key issues currently affecting the internal audit community.

The survey will provide rich information that will allow CIPFA, and the internal audit community, to identify the nature of a future quality audit service. The data will be used to establish a comprehensive knowledge-base which can be readily accessed and used to provide insight into the following questions:

• What are the perceived advantages of individual outcomes from a varying set of audit services?
• Will changes in the 'mix' be needed in the future?
• Will additions to the current provision of services be required/demanded in the future?
• How best to delineate perceptions of 'quality' and match these to current and future perspectives?

For internal audit providers the results of the survey will be helpful in:

• optimising their service provision in the future, in line with client needs
• understanding their clients' value drivers for particular products
• clarifying their current position, strengths and weaknesses by identifying significant areas of difference
• mapping the potential for improvement.

The Audit Panel has commissioned Cara Research Ltd to undertake the 2008 survey, which is electronic to optimise the engagement process and to simplify the transmission and collection of invitations and data retrieval.

The survey is open to all those interested in participating and can be accessed directly at http://www.cararesearch.co.uk/cipfa. The closing date for the survey is the 14th March.

The initial survey results will be presented at the CIPFA Audit Conference to be held on 23-25 April in Southampton and a detailed report will be published later on in the year.

If you have any queries, please email Keeley Lund (keeley.lund@cipfa.org) or Bob Hopkins at Cara Research Ltd (bobhopkins@cararesearch.co.uk).

(Updated 26 February 2008)

Audit Viewpoint
CIPFA’s magazine for the audit practitioner, Audit Viewpoint, is used to communicate expert, practical advice on a wide range of audit issues. Each issue is released as a hardcopy and you also have the option of receiving each edition via email as a pdf, at no extra charge.

To set up your subscription, email publications@cipfa.org or call 020 7543 5602.

Download past editions

Pension scheme internal audit guidance
A working party of the County Chief Auditors Network (CCAN) and Lead Authority Working Group on the Audit of Investment Managers (LAWGAIM), supported by funding from the Society of County Treasurers (SCT), has produced updated guidance for internal auditors working with Local Government Pension Scheme administering authorities.

Led by Duncan Savage, Assistant Director (Audit and Performance) at East Sussex County Council, the working group, with input from the Audit Commission, PWC and CIPFA, has built upon existing shared audit arrangements (largely aimed at gathering assurance on investment management activity) to produce, for the first time, internal audit guidance that considers all aspects of pension scheme administration.

Although written specifically with local government pension scheme auditors in mind, internal auditors working with other public sector schemes may also find elements of the guide useful to their own work.

The guidance, approved by the SCT, is available to download below in PDF format, with Appendix C (Risk and Control Matrix) also available as an Excel file for those organisations wishing to tailor it for their own use.

Pension scheme internal audit guidance(PDF)
Appendix C – Risk and Control matrix (Excel)

The guidance has also been incorporated into the TISonline Internal Audit stream where it will be updated from time to time via the stream editorial board. For more information on TISonline please visit www.tisonline.net.