Introduction
At Neuven Consult we are the largest and most successful UK provider of independent compliance audits. Our team has worked for over 10 years with organisations from numerous industries from Healthcare to Manufacturing, Public to Private sector - ensuring the people employed are compliant and qualified to do so. Our team of experts have delivered thousands of audits, reviewing hundreds of thousands of agency worker, files and suppliers' policies in the process.
So when Castle Employment Group (CEG) reached out to us through a mutual recommendation to help manage their auditing compliance for a Crown Commercial Service (CCS) RM6238 Supply Teachers Framework, we knew we were the right team to oversee this project.
CEG is an award-winning recruitment agency based in Yorkshire. The recruitment agency is a busy and fast-paced business, now in its sixth decade, and growing continuously.
CEG employs over 70 members of staff across its four offices, working with more than 600 companies from SMEs to large corporations. With over nine specialist divisions including; accountancy and finance, business support, education, engineering and manufacturing, hospitality, HR, industrial, procurement and technology, the company provide expert advice on employment law and health and safety through the sister consultancy, Castle HR Solutions.
The requirement for Neuven Consult’s services was to collectively improve standards across the CEG organisation and support the implementations of the CCS Framework, including working closely with the supply chain and clarifying and improving the collective approach to compliance.
The Challenge
One of the challenges facing CEG was to undertake a new and unfamiliar audit process, with additional requirements not previously required by previous contracts delivered. It was our job to seamlessly and effectively introduce the new policies, processes and practices to ensure compliance was in line with the current accreditation standards.
Due to the urgency of this audit, CEG required a very quick turnaround, which we were able to provide within the first 7 days of the initial phone conversation. This enabled CEG to be a part of the CCS RM6238 Supply Teachers Framework quickly and responsively.
“Ben answered many questions for me, both during and after the audit, which is really helpful – it's good to know that someone involved in the audit process is willing to answer questions, to clarify our understanding of our obligations.
Joanna went on to say; “Neuven really helped us out, when the time was against us and provided a really easy, simple process through which we were audited. The remote process was simple and easy to follow, while also having the benefit of not having an on-site audit, which can be disruptive to day-to-day business. They were very helpful and answered many questions to help me understand the process, as well as questions about the required standards of documentation & record-keeping for the audit criteria.
The price was also very reasonable. I would recommend their services to anyone requiring them, and we are very grateful for the support we received to see us through to getting our CCS accreditation.”
The Process
Ensuring compliance with a new standard is never an easy task. The introduction of new policies, processes and practices requires a business to review and revise current standards, which can in itself impact immediate deliverables and take an extended period to implement.
CEG engaged early in the process with Neuven’s Head of Audit - Ben Clark, to ensure that they had a full understanding of the expected compliance requirements when supplying staff via the CCS RM6238 Supply Teachers Framework.
Ben shared with CEG the specific audit process, scoring methodology and outcomes that would be included in the project and a full breakdown of the Accreditation Criteria. The audit took place remotely and was completed in 2 days, whilst Ben and his point of contact at CEG, Joanna Revett, Financial Controller were in communication throughout the entirety of the process.
Whilst the audit process was taking place the CEG team showed a willingness and desire to fully understand the requirements for delivery – ensuring that appropriate safeguarding, compliance and experience checks were undertaken on their temporary staffing workforce – all of which are incredibly important when supplying teaching staff.
Value delivered
Overall CEG were delighted with the professional and knowledgeable service Neuven Consult provided. Recommendations and action points were made to further support the organisation with its continued drive for improvement and streamlining. We are very much looking forward to the follow-up audit to see any changes made and the positive impact this has had on both the candidates and customers alike.
CEG mentioned that they were pleased that they had the option to have the audit conducted remotely, meaning their team could complete the provision of documents on their own schedule while keeping within the required timeframe.