Record Keeping
WATC is committed to implementing record keeping best practices and meeting compliance requirements. As per Section 19 of theState Records Act 2000, WATC has an approved Record Keeping Plan that is valid until December 2019.
The following information is provided in accordance with the
Efficiency and Effectiveness of WATC’s Record Keeping Systems
Ongoing monitoring, reviewing and evaluation ensures the efficiency and effectiveness of WATC’s record keeping systems and practices. WATC does this through a variety of methods, including conducting internal surveys, actively reviewing industry standards and systems, and completing biennial compliance audits.
With the Record Keeping Plan due for reporting to the State Records Office in 2019, WATC took the opportunity to also assess and gauge our record keeping maturity levels. As a result, the 2017/18 record keeping compliance audit focussed on WATC’s accordance with the State Records Commission standards. The recommendations of this audit review will feed into the updates for the Record Keeping Plan, as well as the 2018/19 Operational Plans for the Information Management team.
The upgrade to WATC’s electronic document and records management system (EDRMS) is progressing, with implementation scheduled for September 2018. This will also see the final recommendations from the November 2016 EDRMS health check being implemented. Furthermore, by integrating with SharePoint Online, the upgraded EDRMS will have the additional benefit of facilitating the capturing of records that are created and received through the WATC Client Portal.
Additionally, the Information Management team conducted regular consultations with our people. These sessions not only distilled information about developments of the system upgrade, but also sought input on functionality and feedback about any issues, no matter how small, with the current system. This information was valuable for the Information Management team when deciding what features to include with the upgrade. The team also endeavoured to troubleshoot and resolve as many issues as they could within the current version of the EDRMS.
Training and Induction Program
By 30 March 2018, all of our people had completed the online record keeping awareness training module. Additionally, all nine new starters partook record keeping training within two weeks of commencing with WATC. The three-hour record keeping component of the induction program includes:
Record keeping policies, procedures and EDRMS user guides are available to everyone via the corporate intranet. Provision of additional record keeping advice and training are also available to everyone when required. The Information Management team actively welcomes qualitative feedback from all training sessions. This feedback is reviewed and future training is amended accordingly.
Freedom of Information
The
The Information Statement is prepared in accordance with the requirements of the FOI Act and provides guidance in obtaining access to documents held by WATC.
WATC did not receive any FOI applications during the 2017/18 financial year.
Looking Ahead:
Maintain high standards of record keeping practices in accordance with best practices and compliance requirements.
The upgraded EDRMS will be implemented, along with the final recommendations from the November 2016 EDRMS health check.
Update induction, training and online training modules in line with the upgraded EDRMS.
Continue to maintain FOI requests as per the FOI Act.
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