Public Sector Fraud Authority 2022/23 Building For Success (HTML)
Published 19 December 2022
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Our first six months focus
The Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) was launched on 3 August 2022. Its purpose is to work with departments and public bodies to better understand and reduce the impact of fraud against the public sector. In the first 6 months, the focus will be on designing and building the new services and functions. Alongside the PSFA will continue its successful data and analytics services - looking to meet the target of £180m in audited benefits. This plan shows some of the key deliverables from the functions and services of the PSFA to March 2023.
Our Functions
Supports benefits
Delivered by departments and public bodies
Performance, Assurance and Evidence
- Map counter fraud resources and outcomes across the public sector.
- Agree financial outcomes with more public bodies.
- Roll out guidance on Initial Fraud Impact Assessments (IFIAs) and quarterly review completed IFIAs.
- Develop new assurance processes for the Functional Standards and pilot their use.
Delivers products
Enablers that help the system to deliver
Practice, Standards and Capability
- Agree a Professional standard for fraud prevention for use in the public sector.
- Create and deliver a training academy for fraud leads in the public sector.
- Deliver training across government to better understand fraud risk - including on fraud risk assessment and IFIAs.
- Work with NATIS to assure their learning environment against the Professional Standards.
Policy
- Publish the Mandate for the PSFA.
- Review and develop proposals for improved powers to combat public sector fraud.
- Agree objectives for tackling public sector fraud in the new Economic Crime Plan.
- Publish guidance from the International Public Sector Fraud Forum on leading practice on fraud in aid.
Our Services
Delivers products
Enablers that help the system to deliver
Risk, Threat and Prevention
- Design and recruit a Risk, Threat and Prevention Service for public bodies.
- Pilot an approach to Tiger teaming - bringing together experts of different types to support departments.
- Design and develop a new Global Fraud Risk Assessment and High Risk Portfolio.
- Provide support to public bodies completing IFIAs.
£180m
In recognised, auditable benefit from services in 2022/23
Data and Intelligence
- Deliver the National Fraud Initiative exercise for 2022/23.
- Provide data and analytics support to the Bounce Back Loan Scheme.
- Close the C-19 Fraud Hotline and disseminate the intelligence to public bodies.
- Commence the 3 year review of the Digital Economy Act provisions.
Enforcement
- Complete a design for an enforcement unit to improve action on cases of potential fraud across the public sector.
PSFA Budget (22/23)
The PSFA has a budget of £11.3 million.
PSFA Outcomes
The PSFA has a target of £180m in audited benefits from its services and a mandate to agree targets with departments and public bodies to make transparent, system wide performance.
Our Functions and Services are supported and enabled by a small corporate services offering that will help our experts focus on understanding and reducing the impact of fraud.
Building the PSFA:
- Recruit our experts
- Procure our key partners
- Create our Advisory Panel
Our work is underpinned by five value principles:
- Expertise
- Innovation
- Collaboration
- Integrity
- Respect
What are we targeting?
The government has created the Public Sector Fraud Authority to transform the way that the government manages fraud. The PSFA works with departments and public bodies to better understand and reduce the impact of public sector fraud. Our deliverables this year will contribute to the modernisation of the counter fraud response and help key parts of government to take action on fraud.
Our Functions
Improve the performance of counter fraud activity across government.
Performance, Assurance and Evidence
- To show where there are investments in counter fraud - and what they are delivering.
- To show the impact that investments in counter fraud are having across government.
- To improve the quality of IFIA activity.
- To provide a transparent method to assessing public body compliance with the Functional Standard.
Deliver products, policies and services that enable departments and public bodies to take more action on fraud.
Practice, Standards and Capability
- To gather the leading skills and practices and enable public bodies to improve their capability in preventing fraud.
- To provide fraud leaders with industry leading skills.
- To help public bodies understand fraud risk and exposure up front.
- To provide confidence to NATIS, and their users, that their investigators meet the Professional Standard.
Policy
- Make the role and remit of the PSFA clear to all.
- To look to improve the powers available so more action can be taken on fraud.
- To reflect the work on the public sector fraud agenda in the government’s new plan.
- To continue to make international leading practice available across the UK and the international community.
Our Services
Deliver products, policies and services that enable departments and public bodies to take more action on fraud
Risk, Threat and Prevention
- To build the ‘RTP’ service, ready to work with public bodies in 2023/24.
- To test the Tiger Team method, in support of new government schemes.
- To create the methodology for starting to track fraud risk across government, and establishing the riskiest areas.
- To improve the quality of IFIAs.
Deliver auditable benefits from the PSFA by running service that deliver those benefits
Data and Intelligence
- Provide high quality matches to Local Authorities and other partners to enable them to find more fraud.
- To assist lenders to identify fraud in the BBL scheme.
- Enable public bodies to understand the alleged fraud against their schemes as reported by the public.
- Build a transparent report of the value of the Digital Economy Act.
Enforcement
- To provide a design for an enforcement unit that can take unresolved instances of potential fraud against the public sector and bring them to resolution.
Our Wider Impact
We are building an Authority to modernise the government’s response to fraud. In building this Authority, we are building on the centre of the Counter Fraud Function, but we want to enhance it:
- The PSFA will increasingly be based outside of London in our hubs in Glasgow, Newcastle and York.
- Increasingly be integrated with HM Treasury teams and processes.
- Embed hybrid working - making the most of the office, home and travel.