In recognition of the importance of strong leadership for effectively delivering organisational strategy the National Disability Authority tendered for the provision of a customised leadership development training programme for senior and middle managers in 2009, as provided for in the National Disability Authority's HR Strategy 2007-2009. The aim of the programme was to foster and promote a consistent leadership style in the National Disability Authority, underpinned by the mission, vision and values of the organisation and to support the effectively delivery of the National Disability Authority's Strategic Plan and the Programme for Government. An assessment phase, to help inform the customisation of the training programme, was completed in December 2009 followed by the delivery of a training module for all senior and middle managers in 2010.
In June 2010, following a re-shuffle of Government Departments, the National Disability Authority transferred to the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs. As a result, and in support of continued efficiencies, the National Disability Authority commenced work on the transfer of creditor payments, payroll and travel and subsistence processing to the shared service facility of the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs in December 2010.
In line with good governance, the National Disability Authority conducted a review of internal financial controls in April 2010 which helped inform the approval of the Financial Statements 2009. The National Disability Authority also commissioned a review and update of the Corporate Governance Manual to reflect current best practice, and in particular to incorporate the requirements of the revised Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies 2009. This work was on-going at the end of the year.
During 2010 the National Disability Authority developed a bespoke database to store the superannuation history and details of current and former employees. The database will help the National Disability Authority meet its statutory obligations and legal requirements concerning pension entitlements and ensures that the information is stored and maintained in a central, secure area. In addition it provides easy and quick access to detailed information, as well as a forecast of pension entitlement upon retirement age.
Work also commenced on the enhancement of the National Disability Authority's Fixed Asset Register into a comprehensive information database to effectively monitor records and track assets.
The National Disability Authority's partnership committee held four meetings during 2010. Areas that the committee contributed to during the year included: the Access and Energy Officer Plan; the Customer Action Plan, feedback on the Communications Strategy and corresponding action plan; and a process for a review of the operations of the partnership committee in 2011.
The Disability Act 2005 requires every public body to have a least one Access Officer. The National Disability Authority's Access Officer arranged appropriate assistance for people with disabilities who used the National Disability Authority's information and services during 2010. The Access Officer's contact details are available on the home page of the website.
Following consultation with National Disability Authority's external stakeholders, and internally with staff, a Communication Strategy 2010-2012 and associated action plan was developed to support the delivery of the Strategic Plan 2010-2012.
As part of the on-going work under health and safety to enhance the overall accessibility of evacuation routes, the upgrade of the front building lift for use in an emergency evacuation was completed.
The National Disability Authority holds over 55,000 items on disability and related topics, providing a resource to support evidence-based information, advice and guidance. The extensive collection is made up of books, journals, newsletters, newspaper articles, DVDs, videos and CD-ROMs. As well as offering an online catalogue, the Library also provides books and journal articles by post. People can visit the Library for more in-depth work. The Library also sources books and articles, for staff, from other larger library resources. The Library is operated on a part-time basis, providing telephone access each weekday morning and taking appointments for two days each week.
During 2010, the Library answered 935 queries (one-third of which came from staff), with 49 new members joining up during the year. The Library also provided 192 books on loan and 272 journal articles.