Internal Controls CQI Team

During the past year Saint Vincent’s Internal Controls CQI Team developed a new procedure for opening and maintaining client escrow accounts.  The procedure outlines the requirement that all youth (except employed youth) receiving or earning funds in excess of the client petty cash limit shall have an individual account set up under the escrow account.  The procedure also outlines the process for monthly reconciliation of bank statements, the process for deposits and withdrawals, and the process for assuring that the funds follow the youth upon discharge.  The procedures were approved at the Quality Council meeting in February 2009.

In addition, the Team received regular reports on enhancement of the inventory system.  It was decided that bar code readers for the system would be researched.  That process was begun in February and was ongoing at June 30th. 

The Team agreed to re-visit the installation of drop safes in all of the environments.  The use of a drop safe had been piloted in one cottage two years ago.  Research on the purchase of affordable safes with combination and key was begun in the Spring.  The team spent several meetings drawing up draft procedures for the use of the safes.   Safes will be in the environments in the Summer of 2009 and the finalized procedures will be ready for submission to Quality Council in August 2009.