Yellowknife, 7 March 2013—The Department of Education, Culture and Employment ensures that residents have reasonable access to income security programs in communities across the Northwest Territories, but it does not follow applicable requirements when delivering these programs, says Michael Ferguson, the Auditor General of Canada, in his Report delivered today to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. The requirements that the Department should be following are set out in legislation, regulations and policies, and speak to program eligibility, the types and amounts of assistance that residents may receive, and how the Department is to deliver programs.
“Thirty-eight of 65 files reviewed during our audit did not meet key requirements. For instance, the Department did not always obtain client’s income information, which is critical to determine eligibility in many programs,” said Mr. Ferguson. “The inconsistent application of program requirements has led to considerable variation across the Northwest Territories.”
The audit noted a number of weaknesses in the Department’s processes to support program delivery. For example, it does not make full use of existing monitoring and auditing provisions to ensure that programs are delivered in a consistent manner by regional offices and community service centres across the Northwest Territories. In addition, better training and support for client service officers are needed to ensure they have the capacity to follow procedures and deliver programs according to requirements.
The audit also found that the Department does not sufficiently use the data it collects for its income security programs to analyze program performance and adjust programming. While it has analyzed usage of one program and undertaken a review of funding levels in another, it has not formally assessed whether programs are meeting their objectives.
“Making better use of the data it currently collects will help the Department improve the way it manages its programs and help it assess whether they are achieving their intended objectives,” said Mr. Ferguson.
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