Public sector body identifies five key risk areas

ALARM has issued a report tackling the issue of partnership risks.

Losing track of the number of partnerships an organisation is involved in was identified as a key partnership risk, as was a lack of understanding of the public/private sector ethos.

The report considers the questions that public bodies should ask of their partnerships, from the necessity of their formation, to how to cope with new organisational structures, and how to maintain accountability to the public.

ALARM said: ‘Partnerships, whether between public, private or third sector organisations, bring improvements to our communities but also a whole new set of risks.’

Broadly, the report examines partnership risk under five headings: assessing need, governance, finance, personnel, and performance management.

The publication is the result of an ALARM North East Workshop, held in May 2008.

The ‘Partnership Risks’ report is available to download from the ALARM website at www.alarm-uk.org/publications.aspx.