Youth Justice Agency governance
Governance arrangements within the Youth Justice Agency including register of board members and the Youth Justice Agency Audit & Risk Committee membership and remit.
Organisational structure
The Chief Executive is directly accountable to the Minister for the Agency's performance. He is supported in discharging the day to day responsibilities by a Management Board, which comprises:
- Director of Youth Justice Services
- Director of Custody
- Director of Corporate Services
- two Independent Board Members
The current top management structure is as follows:
Role | Member |
---|---|
Chief Executive | Stephen Martin |
Director Youth Justice Services | Colleen Heaney |
Director Juvenile Justice Centre | Mary Aughey |
Director Corporate Services | Paul Gibson |
Independent Board Member | Dr Thomas Moore |
Independent Board Member | Dr Richard Horton |
Register of board members interests
The Agency maintains a Register of Board Members Interests. Where a Board member or employee is connected to a party involved in the supply of goods or services to the Agency, this information will be fully disclosed in the Annual Report and Accounts of the Agency.
Date | Name | Position | Date of entry in register | Declaration of Interests |
April 2024 | Stephen Martin | Chief Executive Officer |
May 2021 October 2023
|
|
April 2024 | Richard Horton | Non-Executive Board Member | October 2022 |
|
April 2024 | Dr Thomas Moore | Non-Executive Board Member | November 2022 |
|
April 2024 | John McCord | Independent Member of YJA ARC |
April 2024 |
|
April 2024 | Mary Aughey | Director Custodial Services | Nil return | |
April 2024 | Colleen Heaney | Director Community Services | March 2025 |
|
April 2024 | Paul Gibson | Director Corporate Services | Nil return |
Youth Justice Agency Audit & Risk Committee
The Agency's Audit & Risk Committee is chaired by Dr Richard Horton, Independent Board Member. The terms of reference for this Committee are replicated below.
Role
The Accounting Officer (AO) has established an Audit and Risk Committee (“the Committee) as a Committee of the YJA Management Board to support the AO in his responsibilities for issues of risk, internal control, corporate governance and associated assurance. It does so by reviewing the comprehensiveness of assurances to meet the AO’s and Board’s assurance needs and in reviewing the reliability and integrity of these assurances. These Terms of Reference and the functions of the Committee comply with accepted good practice for Audit & Risk Committees and the specific guidance set out in the Department of Finance Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Handbook (NI) April 2018.
Membership
The members of the Audit Committee are:
Role | Member(s) |
---|---|
Independent Board Members | Dr Richard Horton: Dr Thomas Moore |
Independent Representative | John McCord |
Chair | Dr Richard Horton |
In attendance
The following will also normally attend Audit and Risk Committee meetings:-
Representing YJA
- Chief Executive (as Accounting Officer)
- Director of Corporate Services
- Financial Services Division:
-Head of Financial Reporting and Service
-DP Accountant, Financial Reporting and Services
-YJA Accountant
- Head of Data Security
- Committee Secretary
External representatives
- Head of Internal Audit
- NI Audit Office representative
- FPM Representative
Meetings
- Committee meetings will be held on a tri-annual basis. The Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee may convene additional meetings as deemed necessary.
- A minimum of 2 members of the Audit and Risk Committee will be present for the meeting to be deemed quorate.
- The Audit and Risk Committee may ask other officials of the organisation to attend to assist it with its discussions on any particular matter.
- The Audit and Risk Committee may ask any or all of those who normally attend but who are not members to withdraw to facilitate open and frank discussion of particular matters.
Secretarial Support
The Audit and Risk Committee will be provided with secretarial support by the YJA Business Support Team.
Responsibilities
The Committee will advise the Board and Accounting Officer on the following:
- The strategic processes for risk, control and governance and the Governance Statement;
- The adequacy of arrangements for internal control and risk management including the preparation of the Governance Statement;
- The accounting policies, the Accounts and the Annual Report of the organisation, including the process for review of the accounts prior to submission for audit, levels of error identified and management’s letter of representation to the external auditors;
- The planned activity and results of internal audit and external audit;
- The adequacy of management response to issues identified by audit activity including external audit’s Report to Those Charged with Governance;
- Assurances relating to the management of risk and corporate governance requirements for the organisation;
- The adequacy of Counter-fraud policies, whistle blowing processes and arrangements for special investigations; and
- The Committee will annually review its own effectiveness and report the results of that review to the Management Board.
Reporting
- The Committee will report back to the Board and Accounting Officer after each meeting.
- The Committee Secretary will circulate the draft minutes of each meeting to attendees within two weeks, with final agreement and ratification at the next meeting.
- In addition, the Chair of the Committee will provide the Management Board and Accounting Officer with an Annual Report timed to support the finalisation of the Accounts and the Governance Statement, summarising the conclusions of the Committee’s work during the year.
Access
The Head of Internal Audit and the representative of External Audit will have free and confidential access to the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee as necessary. The Chair will ensure additional access to the Committee where required.
Papers
All papers for consideration by the Committee should be received by members 5 working days in advance of the meeting.
Information Requirements
The Chair will agree the agenda for each meeting with the Committee Secretary.
For each meeting the Committee will be provided with: -
- A report summarising any significant changes to the organisation’s corporate risks and a copy of the Corporate Risk Register; and
- A progress report from the Head of Internal Audit summarising: -
- Work performed (and a comparison with work planned);
- Key issues emerging from Internal Audit work;
- Management response to audit recommendations;
- Changes to the agreed Internal Audit Plan; and
- Any resourcing issues affecting the delivery of Internal Audit objectives.
- A progress report (written / verbal) from the External Audit representative summarising work done and emerging findings(this may include, where relevant to the organisation, aspects of the wider work carried out by NIAO, e.g. Value for Money reports and good practice findings);
- Any Management assurance reports;
- Reports on the management of major incidents, ‘near misses’ and lessons learned; and
- A report on any cases of whistleblowing and fraud
- As and when appropriate:-
- Proposals for the Terms of Reference of Internal Audit / the Internal Audit Charter;
- The Internal Audit Strategy;
- The Head of Internal Audit’s Annual Opinion and Report;
- Quality Assessment reports on the Internal Audit function;
- The draft Accounts of the organisation;
- The draft Governance Statement;
- A report on any changes to accounting policies;
- External Audit’s “Report to Those Charged with Governance”
- A report on any proposals to tender for audit functions;
- A report on co-operation between Internal and External Audit;
- Internal Assurance reports/action plan updates;
- Information Assurance Reports; and
- The Risk Management Strategy
Review
These terms of reference for the Audit and Risk committee will be subject to bi-annual review.
Training and Development
Members will require on-going refresher training to keep abreast of developments in risk management, internal control and corporate governance. Opportunities for training and development will be made available to Committee Members.