Risk Awards 2023

This Award recognises approaches to managing organisational risk that has been identified outside of normal service delivery. 

2023 Finalists

Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service

To alleviate pressure on health & social care partners, the Service provided a response service for patients who had fallen, been triaged and required assistance. In four months, the Service enabled 150 people to remain in their homes after a fall, without requiring medical intervention. Although not a traditional core fire service function it provides a vital lifesaving service in the community and eases the volume of response from partner services.

Essex County Council

Over the past four years the Council has completely rebuilt and transformed its business continuity management (BCM). The road from zero (no staff, system or plans) to embedded, dynamic and robust BCM has been paved with challenges, obstacles and complexities. In 2018, the Emergency Planning Team was brought in-house and the Business Continuity Team was disbanded. The Emergency Planning & Resilience Team was established and given responsibility for business continuity too. Keeping staff and residents at the heart of the approach was critical to making a real difference long-term.

West Midlands Police

To support the 2022 Commonwealth Games, WMP’s regular fleet of motor vehicles was increased by over 250. This temporary increase supported policing of the geographical area during the games, and ensured the international audiences were protected. Responding to the temporary increase in fleet size, the Insurance Team developed an innovative initiative to manage the increased financial risk. An  independent motor insurance policy was proposed, with the level of police excess reduced to £1,000. Through negotiations with the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, WMP secured full reimbursement of all premium and policy excess costs, resulting in no  financial expenditure for WMP.

This Award recognises innovative approaches to managing service delivery risk to our communities. This would include initiatives that help deliver better services with improved outcomes. Entries will be judged on the success of the initiative in mitigating risk and improving outcomes for the community.

2023 Finalists

Leeds City Council

Threats to the health & social care sector from adverse weather over winter are significant, including unplanned power outages. Although health & social care providers have plans for disruptive incidents, the Council wanted to ensure these plans covered power outages. The Council devised and ran focused and timely virtual workshops for local care homes and homecare companies. The workshops considered  threats from a power outage and how providers would manage and mitigate a power outage. The arrangements identified from the workshops  have been included in provider business continuity plans, providing greater organisational resilience.

Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service

To alleviate pressure on health & social care partners, the Service provided a response service for patients who had fallen, been triaged and required assistance. In four months, the Service enabled 150 people to remain in their homes after a fall, without requiring medical intervention. Although not a traditional core fire service function it provides a vital lifesaving service in the community and eases the volume of response from partner services.

City of Edinburgh Council

The Council developed and implemented significant occurrence procedures to support schools. This related to incident management and psychological welfare of staff and pupils after an incident. The procedure was developed by the Council’s Service Operations Manager, in partnership with educational psychologists. It includes incident reporting criteria such as intruders in school, absconding, weapons in school, and loss of premises. The procedure provides incident information which helps to deal with unknown unknowns in a managed way, with operational resilience and risk management at the heart of what the Council does.

This Award recognises innovative approaches to improving resilience. This would include initiatives to respond to and recover from incidents. Entries will be judged on the success of the response and recovery and how this has improved organisational resilience.

2023 Finalists

London Borough of Havering

Wennington Village in east London suffered a widespread fire on 19 July 2022. The Council activated its major emergency plan and  co-ordinated with emergency services, deploying liaison officers to the incident site and opening a rest centre nearby. The response involved establishing a Wennington Fire Recovery Board with bronze sub-groups covering; health, mental & wellbeing; site management,  accommodation & rebuilding; streetcare & highways; community, volunteers & donations; and communications. The future focus will be on  applying lessons learnt and providing support, including facilitating home rebuilding, and working with landowners and residents on prevention measures to minimise the impact of such occurrences.

City of Edinburgh Council

The Council developed and implemented significant occurrence procedures to support schools. This related to incident management and psychological welfare of staff and pupils after an incident. The procedure was developed by the Council’s Service Operations Manager, in partnership with educational psychologists. It includes incident reporting criteria such as intruders in school, absconding, weapons in school, and loss of premises. The procedure provides incident information which helps to deal with unknown unknowns in a managed way, with operational resilience and risk management at the heart of what the Council does.

Leeds City Council

Threats to the health & social care sector from adverse weather over winter are significant, including unplanned power outages. Although health & social care providers have plans for disruptive incidents, the Council wanted to ensure these plans covered power outages. The Council devised and ran focused and timely virtual workshops for local care homes and homecare companies. The workshops considered  threats from a power outage and how providers would manage and mitigate a power outage. The arrangements identified from the workshops  have been included in provider business continuity plans, providing greater organisational resilience.

This Award recognises innovative approaches to managing sustainability risks or risks associated with sustainability strategies and activity. Entries will be judged on the success of programmes that have made a positive difference to the sustainability of your organisation or the services it provides.

2023 Finalists

Essex County Council

Over the past four years the Council has completely rebuilt and transformed its business continuity management (BCM). The road from zero (no staff, system or plans) to embedded, dynamic and robust BCM has been paved with challenges, obstacles and complexities. In 2018, the Emergency Planning Team was brought in-house and the Business Continuity Team was disbanded. The Emergency Planning & Resilience Team was established and given responsibility for business continuity too. Keeping staff and residents at the heart of the approach was critical to making a real difference long-term.

Leeds City Council

Threats to the health & social care sector from adverse weather over winter are significant, including unplanned power outages. Although health & social care providers have plans for disruptive incidents, the Council wanted to ensure these plans covered power outages. The Council devised and ran focused and timely virtual workshops for local care homes and homecare companies. The workshops considered  threats from a power outage and how providers would manage and mitigate a power outage. The arrangements identified from the workshops  have been included in provider business continuity plans, providing greater organisational resilience.

South East & Eastern Region Police Consortium

SEERPIC was established as an insurance buying partnership across policing. It was formed with the specific intention of securing better value from its risk financing arrangements by sharing internal resources and expertise, standardising practice, and using the joint purchasing power of its partners. The Collaboration has benefitted from: reduced incident frequencies, meaning less work absence, administration and sick pay; ancillary cost savings; consistent data for trends analysis; and enhanced claims defensibility.

This Award recognises innovative approaches to managing partnership risk. Entries will be judged based on the success of the collaborative partnership approach in mitigating risk, improving outcomes for all stakeholders.

2023 Finalists

Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service

To alleviate pressure on health & social care partners, the Service provided a response service for patients who had fallen, been triaged and required assistance. In four months, the Service enabled 150 people to remain in their homes after a fall, without requiring medical intervention. Although not a traditional core fire service function it provides a vital lifesaving service in the community and eases the volume of response from partner services.

South East and Eastern Region Police Insurance Consortium

SEERPIC was established over 20 years ago as an insurance buying partnership, with the specific intention of securing better value from its  risk financing arrangements. The ten police forces involved have developed common processes and governance in addition to aligning policy dates, deductibles, limits of indemnity and coverage. Achieving true organisational change necessary for a dynamic partnership was a bigger challenge which required commitment from all levels. SEERPIC is the first true public sector police partnership, the emphasis is now on the operational teams leading and enhancing the fleet risk management function, which in term secures better value from risk financing.

London Borough of Havering

Wennington Village in east London suffered a widespread fire on 19 July 2022. The Council activated its major emergency plan and  co-ordinated with emergency services, deploying liaison officers to the incident site and opening a rest centre nearby. The response involved establishing a Wennington Fire Recovery Board with bronze sub-groups covering; health, mental & wellbeing; site management,  accommodation & rebuilding; streetcare & highways; community, volunteers & donations; and communications. The future focus will be on  applying lessons learnt and providing support, including facilitating home rebuilding, and working with landowners and residents on prevention measures to minimise the impact of such occurrences.

This Award will be presented to a blue light professional or team that demonstrates how an innovative approach to a situation enabled a stronger response and better outcomes for both service and the community. Entries will be judged on evidence which demonstrates how this was achieved.

2023 Finalists

West Midlands Police

To support the 2022 Commonwealth Games, WMP’s regular fleet of motor vehicles was increased by over 250. This temporary increase supported policing of the geographical area during the games, and ensured the international audiences were protected. Responding to the temporary increase in fleet size, the Insurance Team developed an innovative initiative to manage the increased financial risk. An  independent motor insurance policy was proposed, with the level of police excess reduced to £1,000. Through negotiations with the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, WMP secured full reimbursement of all premium and policy excess costs, resulting in no  financial expenditure for WMP.

Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service and Staffordfshire County Council

In February 2023 the Council approached the Service to assist with implementing and delivering the Winter Warmth programme, to help residents claim financial help with their heating bills. Working in partnership allowed both organisations to engage at a household level to pass on vital information to keep residents safe and well. It also enabled the Service to conduct home fire safety visits to improve related fire safety. The initiative was well received, resulting in 59 successful visits with the potential to claim £800 each.

South East & Eastern Region Police Consortium

SEERPIC was established as an insurance buying partnership across policing. It was formed with the specific intention of securing better value from its risk financing arrangements by sharing internal resources and expertise, standardising practice, and using the joint purchasing power of its partners. The Collaboration has benefitted from: reduced incident frequencies, meaning less work absence, administration and sick pay; ancillary cost savings; consistent data for trends analysis; and enhanced claims defensibility.

This Award will be presented to an apprentice, student, or someone new in a role who demonstrates enthusiasm for, and innovation in promoting risk management. Entries will be judged on evidence which demonstrates how this individual has engaged in, promoted, and developed opportunities to improve risk management.

2023 Finalists

Saskia Richardson

Risk & Business Continuity Officer, Shropshire Council

Saskia joined the Council in July 2022 making “an immediate impression” and showing “exceptional enthusiasm”. Among her many  achievements, Saskia has developed the SharePoint risk environment to allow projects and programmes to capture their opportunities, facilitated risk workshops for new projects, and created two online training modules for risk management and business continuity.

Charlotte Leman

Insurance Officer, London Borough of Sutton

After completing her law degree, Charlotte joined the Council as an Insurance Officer, soon identifying an opportunity for herself and the team. The Council funded training so she could handle litigated claims in-house. Charlotte has since created a subsidence guide, a live tracker document to manage stakeholder meetings, and took ownership of analysing stakeholder claims data to assess potential risks.

Stephanie Fisher

Principal Internal Auditor, Cambridge City Council

Stephanie was tasked with launching a new risk management framework and stategy; establishing risk indicators; developing organisational knowledge; and actively engaging with risk owners, to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Council’s risk management. Working with stakeholders, Stephanie has developed training videos, guidance, and learning resources to enable colleagues to self-serve. Nominated by a  olleague, Stephanie has “contributed positively to the Council’s governance framework and transformation programme.

This Award will be presented to an outstanding team who demonstrate achievement, commitment, and enthusiasm in the promotion of service delivery. 

2023 Finalists

Risk Team, Buckinghamshire Council

Before becoming a unitary authority in April 2020, Buckinghamshire was made up of five legacy councils, each with their individual risk  management arrangements. Combining best practice from each council, the Team implemented a new risk management framework. This includes a network of risk champions to raise the profile of risk management, and to embed risk management into business-as-usual activities.

Corporate Risk Management Group, Renfrewshire Council

The Group has redefined its way of working, to be more dynamic, innovative and effective. The Group took forward the largest development in  risk management in the past decade at the Council. In 2022 the Group developed a new model moving from risk assessment to risk assurance. In partnership with stakeholders and subject matter experts, the Group has delivered this new model, adding significant value to the organisation.

Group Risk Team, Network Rail

The Team delivered an industry leading enterprise risk management system at minimal cost. They engaged with stakeholders to implement a consistent and flexible approach, taking risk management and reporting to the next level, providing leadership with data to navigate an unpredictable operating environment. The Team reconfigured Active Risk Manager to incorporate Network Rail’s requirements, then migrated  over 300 risks. The benefits will be felt by stakeholders including Department for Transport, Highway’s England, train and freight operators.

Risk Management Working Group, West Lancashire Borough Council

The Group brings together risk champions from  all service areas for a consistent approach to risk management, and to ensure it is embedded, supported, and promoted. The Group has driven a cultural change, working collaboratively with services and members. An external review of  risk management in 2022 highlighted improvements implemented by the group and commented that the Council’s risk management is strong,  taken seriously, and effective.

This Award will be presented to an outstanding professional who demonstrates achievement, commitment, and enthusiasm in the promotion of service delivery, and whose individual efforts have contributed to successes in managing risk, building resilience or developing business continuity for an organisation. 

The winner of the Professional of the Year Award will be invited to attend the 2024 PRIMA Conference from 16 to 19 June in Nashville, Tennessee. Travel, accommodation and food expenses will be covered. 

The winner will be required to produce an account of their experience and professional learnings, to be published in stronger, ALARM's member journal, and shared by Risk Management Partners, as sponsors of the Award.

2023 Finalists

Karen Gooch

Risk and Insurance Manager, Essex County Council

Karen has introduced and overseen a range of improvements to the insurance provision including; an academy framework, procuring a claims system; improving the repudiation rate; and successfully managing the £5 million insurance reserve fund at the Council. Karen has been described by her colleagues as “an absolutely vital component in the success of our delivery. Her contribution to our improved performance  over the last few years cannot be understated.” Karen has been a member of the ALARM South East Committee since 2015, acting as Vice Chair and Chair during that time. She is a regular speaker at ALARM events, and helped organise the 2023 ALARM South Conference.

Clare Simmons

Insurance Manager, Staffordshire Police

Clare was nominated by a colleague in recognition of her wealth of experience and knowledge. “Clare is professional and always imparts her knowledge to stakeholders in a clear, concise and professional way. The service Clare provides through her team is always of the highest standard.” Clare identified insurance risks and managed them internally ahead of renewals to create an easier and more succinct process. She has spent time with the head of fleet and operational colleagues to focus on driver standards, and knowledge of claims and patterns to protect and support insurance and risk within the force.

Ruth Kydd

Insurance Manager, City of Edinburgh Council

As well as being the Insurance Manager for the  City of Edinburgh Council, Ruth also works for Scottish Borders and East Lothian Councils, Edinburgh Trams and ALEOs. She has successfully extended the reach of her impact to promote both risk and insurance in the wider,  external context. Ruth has been a member of the ALARM Scotland Committee since 2017, and is currently Chair. She has represented ALARM in Scottish Government working groups, covering the Redress Scheme and the Forum of Scottish Claims Managers. She has also recently  begun having input into the fact-finding calls with the New Zealand government in relation to their own redress scheme.