Why is Records Management necessary now?
All further and higher education institutions operate in a complex legal and regulatory world. The penalties for non-compliance are increasingly harsh, both personally for the individual member of staff, and for the institution.
We live in an increasingly litigious society, that believes it should be rewarded, or at least compensated, for others' failures.
The natural instinct of most institutions given this scenario is to close ranks and release the minimum information possible to the public. This is not an option anywhere the UK Public Sector. Closer public scrutiny and audit of every aspect of an FE or HE institution's organisation and outputs is demanded in the name of good corporate governance.
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Acts came into full force in January 2005. All written enquiries and emails have to be answered within 20 working days. To complicate life further Data Protection enquiries have to be answered within 40 Calendar days and Environmental Information requests within 30 Calendar days. If these requests are for information under FOI they can come into any member of staff, and do not need to say why the information is wanted.
The personal memory of individual members of staff about past initiatives, procedures and organisation is becoming less reliable
as staff turnover increases;
as institutions grow rapidly and change their organisational structure more frequently.
Records management is a key driver in increasing organisational efficiency
The choice is between muddling through and hoping all will be well, or instituting a records management programme.
