What does your organisation need from assurance? An independent view of performance today is essential. So is understanding whether you have the foundations to deliver your plans, respond to change and make good decisions about what comes next.
At Littlechild & Haley, those questions shape how our services continue to develop. External Quality Assessments remain a core part of our work. Alongside them, our Innovation Suite brings together different ways to help organisations strengthen their capabilities and connect assurance to the outcomes they want to achieve.
Our work spans FTSE 250 businesses, government bodies and large corporations. That breadth gives us a valuable perspective on the challenges facing leadership teams and internal audit functions, while reinforcing something quite straightforward: useful support starts with understanding the organisation.
Building on an established strength
Our External Quality Assessments (EQAs) provide an independent assessment of internal audit’s quality and effectiveness. They also create space for a wider conversation about internal audit’s contribution, its relationship with stakeholders and where improvement would make the greatest difference.
Yet those conversations rarely stop at conformance.
Increasingly, we find ourselves discussing broader questions with Chief Audit Executives, Audit Committees, boards and leadership teams. Questions about assurance, confidence, capability, resilience and successful delivery. Questions about whether organisations have the conditions they need to achieve their objectives, respond to change and make informed decisions about what comes next.
Those discussions have shaped how our services have evolved.
Working across listed companies, government bodies, regulators, insurers, educational organisations and large private sector businesses has given us a broad perspective on the challenges facing leadership teams and internal audit functions alike. While every organisation is different, a common theme continues to emerge: leaders are rarely short of activity, reporting or assurance. More often, they are seeking greater confidence in whether their organisation is positioned to succeed.
That insight sits behind the development of our Innovation Suite.
Building on what organisations already do well
What follows will vary. One team may need specialist expertise to deliver a challenging audit plan. Another may want a clearer way to communicate assurance to its Board. Elsewhere, the priority could be understanding whether a transformation programme has the conditions it needs to succeed or whether emerging digital risks are being adequately addressed.
Rather than creating services for their own sake, we have developed a range of complementary offerings that respond to the questions organisations are bringing to us.
Our Innovation Suite provides several routes into that support. Each service addresses a different need, allowing organisations to start with the question that matters most to them.
| What do you need to understand or strengthen? | How we can help |
|---|---|
| Whether your organisation is equipped to achieve its objectives | Success-Centred Assurance™ examines the governance, capabilities and controls supporting your intended outcomes, and what could prevent their delivery. |
| How much confidence to place in successful delivery | Success Confidence Opinion™ brings evidence together into a professional judgement, explaining the uncertainties and priorities for improvement. |
| The skills and capacity available to your audit function | Capability Partner™ provides experienced practitioners, specialist expertise and flexible support for delivery and development. |
| Your business’s foundations for growth and resilience | SME Success Healthcheck™ helps smaller organisations identify strengths, vulnerabilities and practical priorities for future success. |
| Your readiness for digital risks and opportunities | Digital Confidence Healthcheck™ examines cyber security, digital resilience and data governance to help inform your next steps. |
| An audit issue that needs prompt, experienced advice | L&H Audit On Call™ provides access to senior internal audit advice when a question or concern needs attention. |
There is no fixed sequence. An organisation might need one focused piece of advice, additional capacity over several months or assurance around a major decision. The starting point is always the need, with the scope agreed around it.
Experience you can work with directly
Our approach combines experience gained across complex and highly regulated environments with direct access to senior practitioners. Clients can discuss challenges with the people delivering the work, agree priorities and adapt support as circumstances change. That close working relationship helps us respond quickly and keep assignments focused on what matters most.
While EQAs remain a core part of our work, the conversations that follow them have highlighted a wider need. Organisations often want support not simply to identify weaknesses, but to understand capability, strengthen resilience and increase confidence in successful delivery.
The Innovation Suite reflects that evolution. It brings together practical solutions for organisations seeking assurance, insight and support in achieving their objectives.
Whether the immediate requirement is an EQA, specialist expertise, additional audit capacity or a clearer view of future delivery, our goal remains consistent: helping organisations manage risks to success.
Explore our Innovation Suite to find the support that fits your organisation’s next step.
