Member Spotlight: Wollondilly Shire Council

Risk management is critical for every organisation. But this is especially true of those in charge of planning, organising, directing and controlling preventative actions for a city. The Wollondilly Shire Council knows this firsthand.

The Council used CivicRisk Mutual’s risk enhance funding to improve its enterprise risk management, giving the team financial assistance with any type of risk management projects that could require financial backing.

We talked with the Wollondilly Shire Council to learn about this experience and better understand how CivicRisk Mutual enabled the Council to positively adjust its operations using membership benefits. Here is what the team shared:

What is CivicRisk Mutual, and how did you become involved with it?

Wollondilly Shire Council joined the mutual following an EOI process to secure an insurance provider. There are several membership benefits offered by the mutual, such as risk management support, staff training sessions, grant funding and insurance claims assistance.

What is the risk enhance funding, and how did you apply for it?

The risk enhance funding is offered as an incentive to member councils to assist with any type of risk management projects they may need to fund. Once we had decided on our risk enhancement project, the application process was easy. We filled in the funding grant application form and provided supporting information to the Member Services Coordinator.

What were the main objectives and outcomes of your risk management project?

The main objectives of the risk management project were to review and update existing policies, define a clear risk appetite statement, enhance risk management training and ensure concise risk registers. Through these efforts, the project aimed to strengthen the organisation’s ability to identify, assess and mitigate risks effectively.

The outcome of the risk management project includes a refined risk management policy that aligns with better practice, a risk appetite statement that guides decision-making processes, enhanced risk awareness and response capabilities among staff and updated risk registers that identify risks and corresponding mitigation strategies. This framework will strengthen the Council’s resilience in the face of uncertainties.

What were the main challenges and learnings of your risk management project?

A lack of in-house expertise for a project of this scale allowed the Council to partner with an external risk management specialist which the funding covered. A roadmap was created which allowed for potential delays. However, time management was a key challenge due to busy schedules. The project’s insights were integrated into staff training, which was critical in promoting responsibility and understanding of risk management. 

How do you plan to sustain and improve your risk management framework in the future?

The risk management framework will be monitored through regular assessment to identify emerging risks and areas for improvement. Collaboration with stakeholders will allow us to gather feedback, insights and suggestions to refine the framework, being flexible to adapt to changes such as the organisational environment, regulations and industry standards.

The Council will continue implementing technology that assists with streamlining risk assessment, mitigation and reporting processes to enhance efficiency, accountability and accuracy. We’ll also Invest in culture by providing training and advice to staff.

By employing these strategies, we aim to sustain and continuously improve our risk management framework to effectively mitigate risks and support the Council’s objectives. 

Protect Your Organisation Just Like Wollondilly Shire Council

CivicRisk Mutual’s risk enhance funding helped Wollondilly Shire Council and it can do the same for your council. Our program assists with unique risk management needs for our members, offering them generous funding grants of $20,000 annually.

While Wollondilly Shire Council used the funding to improve its enterprise risk management, councils can allocate their funds how they see fit, protecting the most vulnerable parts of their organisation. Here are just a few examples of how our members have used this financial aid:

• Asset Management Plans.
• Business Continuity Plan Reviews, Training and Testing.
• Code of Conduct Training.
• Contractor Management.
• Cyber Risk Assessments.
• Delegation Templates.
• Driver Safety Training and Workshops.
• Risk Assessments.
• Risk Reporting Tools.
• Strategic Risk Workshops.

Are you a member looking to improve your risk management strategy and optimise funding? Get in touch with our team to learn more about our risk enhance program and other available solutions.