Council Policy Business Continuity Management

Transcription

1 Policy Name: Business Continuity Management Council Policy Business Continuity Management ADOPTED BY COUNCIL: 19 th April 2016 DATE OF NEXT REVIEW: 18 th April 2020 RESPONSIBLE OFFICER: REFERENCES: Chief Executive Officer Local Government Performance Framework Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2007 Best Value Principles Pyrenees Shire Council has the responsibility to provide its ratepayers with best value, with all services provided by Council meeting the expectations in terms of quality and cost. In providing this, all services need to be accessible, responsive to the needs of the community, considerate of the natural environment and subject to continuous improvement. To achieve the best over life outcome for Council s expenditures, which meets quality and service expectations, there will be periodic review of services against best on offer in both the public and private sectors. All Council staff members are responsible for supporting best value principles in their normal day to day actions to ensure services are recognised by the community as delivering best value. Signed JIM NOLAN Chief Executive Officer

2 1. Purpose The purpose of this policy is to prepare Council to minimise the likelihood of business interruption events from occurring in the first instance, and to outline an appropriate response should such an event occur. It also clearly documents Council s commitment to implementing, overseeing and continuously improving Business Continuity Management (BCM), recognising the importance of business resilience and long term performance. In addition, the policy helps to protect the interests of Council and its internal and external stakeholders by employing a rigorous process to develop a BCM system to effectively manage and mitigate potential disruption risks to critical functions and services and to identify minimum resources and capabilities required to restore critical Council functions. 2. Scope This policy applies to all critical functions of Council and to all staff and contractors involved in the delivery of those functions and services, encompassing all aspects of strategic and operational areas and which are on a scale beyond the normal capabilities of management to address in day-to-day operations. 3. Definitions Business Continuity (BC): The uninterrupted availability of all key resources supporting essential business functions. Business Continuity Management (BCM): A whole of organisational process for managing operations to ensure that critical functions can, in the event of a disruption arising from internal or external events, be maintained, or restored in a timely fashion. Critical Function: A function within a business unit, which is considered an essential service. Business Unit: Defines the section within the organisation which manage a specific function under the responsibility of a Manager. Business Continuity Management System (BCMS): The collection of processes and resources that deliver the Business Continuity Management Policy and provide the means to achieve the organisational objectives using a Business Continuity Plan. Critical Business Objectives: The key objectives that must still be achieved during and after a major disruption.

3 Business Continuity Plan (BCP): A methodology for initial recovery in the event of a disruption to business that is regularly reviewed for currency. Critical Function Owner: Any person assigned by a Manager(s) to be responsible for the implementation of business continuity arrangement if a critical function is interrupted. 4. Policy 4.1. Policy Statement Council shall develop and maintain a sound Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) to effectively enable the Council to re-establish functions and services in a timely and efficient manner, with minimal disruption to stakeholders. By understanding the environment, vulnerabilities and criticalities of the organisation, Council is committed to ensuring there is a clear understanding of what accountabilities and responsibilities are in place when emergency, continuity and recovery are in effect Guidelines Planning 1. Council will maintain a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for critical services and functions and key business processes. 2. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will oversee the establishment and facilitation of the Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) throughout the Council. 3. The Manager Governance & Risk is responsible for: In conjunction with Managers identify critical objectives; Identifying, how the organisation can continue to achieve its critical objectives should interruptions occur by identifying the minimum resources and response time needed to assure operational continuity through an effective business impact assessment; Co-ordinating the implementation of the Business Continuity Management Policy; and In conjunction with Managers, ensuring that all staff understand their roles and responsibilities when a major disruption occurs. 4. The Manager Governance & Risk, with input from the Executive Management Team, will regularly test and report on the effectiveness of the BCP, develop and provide Managers with the appropriate assistance to enable the analysis and the constructing of the Department s BCP.

4 Development and Maintenance 1. Managers, in conjunction with the Manager Governance & Risk, are responsible for: Identifying the key objectives within their department (or business unit) that must still be achieved during and after a major disruption, taking into account stakeholder expectations of acceptable service delivery; Thoroughly evaluating the impact of disruption risks on critical business functions; The likely future scenarios that may result in a disruption to the organisation or department (business unit); Provide targeted guidance to staff involved in business continuity management; Identifying what is important to protect, provide or operate during a disruption (the critical business functions and processes); Ensuring there is clarity in relation to the specific response actions, roles and responsibilities, including integration with other Council documents, resources and plans; and The people, infrastructure and data resources required to maintain a minimal acceptable level of operations; Communications requirements and the methods of distribution. 2. Managers, in conjunction with the relevant Critical Function Owners, are accountable for the creation and implementation of the BCP within their department (business unit). This includes building consensus and commitment to the requirements of the plan, ensuring appropriate resources are made available and that currency is maintained. 3. The Executive Management Team and the Manager for Governance & Risk are responsible for regularly testing and reporting on the effectiveness of the BCP, to ensure it is up to date and effective. 4. All staff are expected to recognise the importance of BC, to be familiar with the provisions of this policy and to understand and support the processes that will enable the organisation to continue to achieve its critical objectives. 5. The BCP will include: Clearly defined and agreed roles and responsibilities for staff involved in managing any disruption; Maintaining high standards for services and functions;

5 Maintain sufficient levels of accounting practices and legislative compliance to enable statutory and regulatory requirements to be maintained; and Council will endeavor to accurately identify its critical functions and continually reflect upon changing environments and practice, to aid the recovery process and minimize extraordinary costs resulting from the event. 6. Council is committed to investing time, capital, tools and techniques to ensure that BCM is a fully embedded business management process Review 1. The Manager Governance & Risk is responsible for reporting to the Executive Management Team, the Audit Committee and to Council, at least annually, on the effectiveness of the BCMS. 2. The Executive Management Team, in conjunction with the Manager Governance & Risk, will conduct a review of the BCP and the BCMS annually.