Internal Audit

The County’s Internal Audit Department assists the Superintendent and School Board by providing objective analyses, recommendations, advice and comments concerning those areas reviewed to ensure an appropriate level of control at a reasonable cost.  To be effective, Internal Audit must maintain independence, and therefore reports directly to the Audit Committee appointed by the School Board.

Our Mission

Improve processes and accountability within Government.

Office Goals:

1. Review for proper safeguarding of government assets;
2. Examine for compliance with relevant laws and regulations;
3. Audit for reliability and integrity of School information;
4. Evaluate for effective and efficient operations.

Office Objectives:

1. Conduct scheduled Internal Audits to evaluate controls, note commendable practices and recommend workable improvements;
2. Follow Up on prior Audits to determine complete, monitored and effective implementation of agreed upon action plans.
3. Assist with the County’s annual external audit which includes the School Board.
4. Perform special audit requested by management to identify corrective actions as required.
5. Advise and consult with School management for improvements in operating efficiencies, effectiveness and results.
6. As a nonaudit service, maintain and promote the County’s fraud, waste, and abuse reporting mechanisms and follow up on all reports received, coordinating with other agencies as necessary.

Audit Committee

Internal Audit reports to the Audit Committee which has been established as a Superintendent’s Advisory Committee pursuant to HCPS Policy P8-02-002 and Regulation R8-02-002, Section 1.  The Audit Committee consists of two School Board members and a citizen member.  The Audit Committee oversees the adequacy of the school system’s internal controls and maintains a direct line of communication between the School Board, Superintendent, and independent external auditors and internal auditors.  The Committee’s responsibilities are outlined in the referenced Regulation.

 What Gets Audited:

We have identified numerous potential internal audits across all of the Schools’ divisions. These include, but are not limited to, audits of processes regarding:

• money receipts,
• expenditures,
• security and safeguarding of assets, pupils, and staff
• compliance with certain laws and regulations,
• access, security and general information technology controls for systems

We cannot audit everything each year. As such, to develop our Annual Audit Plan, we survey School leadership and consider factors such as the time since last audit, changes in operations or systems, and relative significance and impact to the County, as a whole, to help identify our Audits and focus our activities.

External Audits

The County’s Accounting Division within Finance is responsible for preparation of the County’s annual financial report which includes the School Board for each fiscal year ending June 30th.  The issued reports for each year can be found in the Public Data section of the County’s website.  Internal Audit assists an external firm in the audit of the annual financial report to help control the cost of the work.

External audits are also separately performed on the Schools’ Activity Funds.  The audit contract is managed by the Chief Financial Officer and the HCPS Accounting Department with assistance from Internal Audit, as needed.  The external auditors’ reports can be obtained through a FOIA request.

Fight Fraud

If you have information related to suspected fraud, waste, or abuse in the County of Henrico General Government or Schools operations, please report it to Internal Audit immediately. Use the County’s Report Government Fraud, Waste, or Abuse online service or the voicemail-only hotline (804) 501-4100.  You can remain anonymous.