Audit 42866

Lack of Segregation of Duties Criteria: Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining internal control. Adequate segregation of duties is a key control in preventing and detecting errors or irregularities. To protect the Organization?s assets, proper segregation of the recordkeeping, custody, and authorization functions should be in place, and where management decides segregation of duties may not be cost effective, compensating controls should be in place. Condition: Due to one employee being employed within the Organization, segregation of accounting duties necessary to ensure adequate internal accounting control is not possible. One employee is responsible for billing, collecting, recording, and depositing receipts as well as reconciling bank accounts. Context: This is not unusual in Organizations the size of Billings Child Care Association; however, the Board of Directors should be constantly aware of this condition and realize that the concentration of duties and responsibilities to one individual is not desirable from an internal control point of view. Effect: Inadequate segregation of duties could adversely affect the Organization?s ability to detect misstatements in a timely period by employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions. Cause: The Organization informed us that due to a lack of resources, hiring more than one employee is not feasible. Recommendation: We recommend Billings Child Care Association?s Board of Directors and management be mindful that limited staffing increases the risks in safeguarding the Organization?s assets and the proper recording of its financial activity and, where possible, implement oversight procedures to ensure that internal control policies and procedures are being followed by staff. View of Responsible Official: Concur

Lack of Segregation of Duties Criteria: Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining internal control. Adequate segregation of duties is a key control in preventing and detecting errors or irregularities. To protect the Organization?s assets, proper segregation of the recordkeeping, custody, and authorization functions should be in place, and where management decides segregation of duties may not be cost effective, compensating controls should be in place. Condition: Due to one employee being employed within the Organization, segregation of accounting duties necessary to ensure adequate internal accounting control is not possible. One employee is responsible for billing, collecting, recording, and depositing receipts as well as reconciling bank accounts. Context: This is not unusual in Organizations the size of Billings Child Care Association; however, the Board of Directors should be constantly aware of this condition and realize that the concentration of duties and responsibilities to one individual is not desirable from an internal control point of view. Effect: Inadequate segregation of duties could adversely affect the Organization?s ability to detect misstatements in a timely period by employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions. Cause: The Organization informed us that due to a lack of resources, hiring more than one employee is not feasible. Recommendation: We recommend Billings Child Care Association?s Board of Directors and management be mindful that limited staffing increases the risks in safeguarding the Organization?s assets and the proper recording of its financial activity and, where possible, implement oversight procedures to ensure that internal control policies and procedures are being followed by staff. View of Responsible Official: Concur