ACCREDITED COUNTER FRAUD SPECIALIST PROGRAMME 1 What s the ACFS about? As fraud ncreases to a staggerng 190bn there s pressng need for sklled and professonal fraud nvestgators. How can you gan these sklls? Our Accredted Counter Fraud Specalst Programme (ACFS) wll gve you them. What wll I get out of t? A natonally recognsed counter fraud qualf caton the ACFS Award - plus the rght mx of sklls and knowledge you need to nvestgate fraud. The ACFS Award Our Accredted Counter Fraud Specalst Programme (ACFS) s approved by the Counter Fraud Professonal Accredtaton Board (CFPAB) of the Unversty of Portsmouth. If you successfully complete the 14 day programme and assessments you wll acheve the ACFS award whch s worth 40 Level 4 Credts on the Natonal ualfcatons Framework. Level 4 s the equvalent of the frst year of an undergraduate degree and equvalent to one thrd of the year. It s not normally possble to undertake the programme n one block as preparaton usng experence from the workplace s necessary before each module. THE PROGRAMME Our ACFS Programme has 6 elements: 1. Introducton Module 1 day - ncludes refreshng study sklls for those who have been away from educaton for a whle 2. Foundaton Intellgence Sklls 4 days see page 3 3. Investgaton Sklls 3 days see page 4 4. Intervew Sklls 4 days see page 5 5. Evdence and Courtroom Sklls 2 days see page 6 6. Dstance Learnng Assgnment see page 2 for detals about learnng and assessment on the programme. Ths assgnment explores the mpact of fraud reducton on your organsaton and the wder communty. Duraton:14 days assgnments. KEY TOPICS Nature of fraud Gatherng and usng ntellgence Analysng ntellgence Fraud Act and other offences Introducton to the legal system Plannng nvestgatons Dsclosure and RIPA Intervews wtness and under cauton PACE Codes of Practce PEACE model Tape ntervews Identfyng and securng evdence Wrtng statements Exhbts Gvng evdence n court
LEARNING & ASSESSMENT 2 How wll I learn? We beleve that most learners are self motvated and learn best f they are fully engaged wth materal that s clearly related to the real problems they face. Most mportantly we beleve learners need the chance to practce, get feedback, and make sense of ther learnng for themselves. What help wll I get? Our qualf ed and experenced ACFS traners want you to succeed. They wll gve you feedback and revew progress regularly. You can contact them outsde of the course so you can feel conf dent about the assgnments. Learnng for Grown Ups In the ACFS programme we ensure all learnng actvtes embrace what we know about the way adults learn. Ths s that adult learners are self drectng; through ther own experence adult learners provde a rch resource for both ther own learnng and the learnng of others; that real lfe problems faced by learners provde the best bass for effectve learnng and that adult learners are naturally curous about the world and provde ther own nternal motvaton to learn. These are not jargon phrases sutable only for the world of the HR professonal. We frmly beleve that our role s to facltate learnng through provdng a motvatng and exctng envronment for the learner. Learnng actvtes must be based on real lfe ssues facng the delegates. THE ASSESSMENTS Fve multple choce objectves tests on four of the courses Assgnment n Foundaton Intellgence Sklls where you examne and revew how your organsaton manages and uses ntellgence to support nvestgatons Learnng Log n Investgaton Sklls where you revew your own nvestgatons and apply the learnng from the programme Case Study n Intervew Sklls where you revew an ntervew you have conducted or observed usng the knowledge ganed from the programme Practcal Court Exercse n Evdence & Courtroom Sklls where you are assessed on the evdence you gve to a mock court usng a case study you have developed on the programme Dstance Learnng Assgnment where you examne fraud nvestgaton n the wder context wthn whch your organsaton and the government operate. Duraton: 2 days Plus practcal court exercse
FOUNDATION INTELLIGENCE SKILLS 3 What s ths course about? Ensurng the decsons n fraud nvestgatons are ntellgence led. Ths ncludes assessng the rsks, gettng the rght nformaton effectvely, analysng the data and makng the best use of resources. Most mportantly ensurng all of ths s done ethcally and wthn the law. Two n course tests and a post course assgnment where you revew how your organsaton supports nvestgatons through ntellgence. Intellgence s not optonal The problem wth ntellgence s that t s often seen as an optonal extra to the real work of nvestgaton. Intellgence used on an ad-hoc bass n ths way may have some benefts, but t can never be truly effectve. All organsatons depend on nformaton to make decsons and fndng the rght nformaton s a key task on whch ther busness depends. All companes have to dscover what ther customers want and what ther compettors are dong. The process of fndng out ths ntellgence s not ancllary to ther busness t must be nformng the company s decsons every step of the way. Fraud nvestgatons are no dfferent. wll be able to: 1. Apply the ntellgence cycle and NIM to ther operatons. 2. Apprecate the key role of ntellgence n nvestgatons. 3. Descrbe common sources of data 4. Identfy problems n collectng data 5. Descrbe ther powers to collect data 6. Construct effectve collecton plans 7. Evaluate data usng the 3 x 5 x 2 system 8. Apprecate the mportance of observng data protecton and securty 9. Identfy a range of strategc and operatonal analyss technques 10. Task others to collect nformaton effectvely Duraton: 4 days assgnment ths workshop wll nclude: carefully guded learnng from a specalst ACFS traner a range of dverse nteractve exercses ndvdual revews and evaluaton for each delegate and wll focus on the topc areas of: ntellgence and the ntellgence cycle; the Natonal Intellgence Model; strategc and operatonal ntellgence analyss; data sources, data evaluaton; the 3x5x2 system; data protecton; Human Rghts Act and creatve problem solvng..
INVESTIGATION SKILLS 4 What s ths course about? Understandng how fraud offences are nvestgated and how the law supports your nvestgaton. Recognsng the elements of a wde range of fraud offences. Ensurng your fraud nvestgatons are properly recorded and reman lawful and proportonate One n course test and a post course assgnment where you complete a learnng log relatng nvestgaton sklls to your everyday work. Knowng about fraud offences s vtal Many fraud prosecutons fal because key evdence whch was avalable to an nvestgator was never presented to the court or Crown Prosecuton Servce. Knowng the elements you need to prove that someone s gulty of a common fraud offence wll ensure you secure the rght evdence as you work through your nvestgaton. You don t have to be a lawyer to understand fraud offences. Once you have got your head round the legal language most fraud offences are not complcated. The best weapon you have as an nvestgator s sound common sense. wll be able to: 1. Identfy and descrbe basc legal termnology n nvestgaton, evdence gatherng and prosecuton. 2. State the man offences and ther root legslaton under whch crmnal proceedngs can be taken. 3. Descrbe the man provsons of the relevant nvestgatve legslaton and codes of practce that govern them 4. Identfy and apply approprate professonal and ethcal procedures nvolved n crmnal nvestgatons. 5. Comply wth the provsons of dsclosure when dealng wth nvestgatons nto alleged offences. Duraton: 3 days assgnment ths workshop wll nclude: carefully guded learnng from a specalst ACFS traner a range of dverse nteractve exercses ndvdual revews and evaluaton for each delegate and wll focus on the topc areas of: Investgaton polcy, procedures and protocols; ntroducton to the law; prosecuton and the role of the CPS; theft, fraud and forgery offences; dsclosure and cvl procedure rules, RIPA; ethcs and professonalsm n nvestgatons.
INTERVIEW SKILLS 5 What s ths course about? Enhancng nvestgators powers to obtan vtal nformaton from ntervew subjects through proper plannng and effectve questonng: remanng faultlessly professonal and ethcal at all tmes. Practcal tps on ntervewng ncludng tape procedures. One n course test and a post course case study where you revew an ntervew conducted or observed by you and relate t to your learnng. Askng uestons - the Investgator s Best Tool Intervewng someone can seem a bt scary but askng people questons s the bedrock of all nvestgatons. Whether you suspect the person of beng nvolved n some wrong dong or just need to fnd out what has happened the same basc sklls apply. There are some rules you need to follow f you are gatherng evdence but ntervewng s a skll everyone can learn. It s about havng a plan; askng questons and evaluatng what you get back. And above all t s about lstenng. wll be able to: 1. Use the PEACE model to prepare effectvely for an ntervew 2. Recognse and respond to the dfferent demands of wtness ntervews and ntervews under cauton 3. Acknowledge ther responsbltes under the Polce and Crmnal Evdence Act 4. Conduct an effectve tape recorded ntervew n accordance wth the law, and Code of Practce 5. Use professonal and ethcal nvestgatve ntervewng technques 6. Record and manage nformaton, ntellgence and evdence gathered n an ntervew effectvely. Duraton: 4 days assgnment ths workshop wll nclude: carefully guded learnng from a specalst ACFS traner a range of dverse nteractve exercses ncludng a professonal role actor to ntervew and wll focus on the topc areas of: Seven prncples of nvestgatve ntervewng; Polce and Crmnal Evdence Act Codes C and E; recordng the ntervew; audo recorded ntervews; MG forms; PEACE model; plannng the ntervew; buldng rapport; questonng and lstenng sklls; challengng and clarfyng; evaluatng the ntervew and keepng safe.
EVIDENCE & COURTROOM SKILLS 6 What s ths course about? Provdng nvestgators wth everythng they need to stay entrely complant wth the law when securng evdence and wrtng statements. Ensurng nvestgators gve evdence n court clearly and assertvely. One n course test and an assessed practcal courtroom exercse where you wll be requred to gve evdence n one of the case studes from the programme. Locard s Prncple of Exchange - Every Contact Leaves a Trace Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconscously, wll serve as a slent wtness aganst hm. Not only hs fngerprnts or hs footprnts, but hs har, the fbres from hs clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the pant he scratches, the blood or semen he deposts or collects. All of these and more, bear mute wtness aganst hm. Ths s evdence that does not forget. It s not confused by the exctement of the moment. It s not absent because human wtnesses are. It s factual evdence. Physcal evdence cannot be wrong, t cannot perjure tself, t cannot be wholly absent. Only human falure to fnd t, study and understand t, can dmnsh ts value. Edmond Locard wll be able to: 1. Dstngush between dfferent types of Brtsh courts 2. Dfferentate between dfferent ways of obtanng, recordng and presentng evdence 3. Identfy the boundares of expert evdence. 4. Avod usng hearsay evdence 5. Delver clear and assertve evdence n court 6. Follow court rules and procedures Duraton: 2 days Plus practcal court exercse ths workshop wll nclude: carefully guded learnng from a specalst ACFS traner a range of dverse nteractve exercses ncludng a practcal court exercse and feedback and wll focus on the topc areas of: Ways of obtanng and presentng evdence; contnuty of evdence; dentfyng and handlng exhbts; wrtng statements; the courts and the legal system; how legal proceedngs are nsttuted; dfferent types of court; dfferences between England/Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland; presentng evdence n court.