How We Work
The downloadable documents on this page explain how the Commission operate.
The Commission's powers and responsibilities are laid down in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act.
A 2025 Framework Agreement (PDF, 46 pages, 1.09MB) sets out ways of working between the Civil Service Commission and the Cabinet Office, its sponsor department.
The Civil Service Commissioners and the secretariat form the Civil Service Commission. Civil Service Commissioners form the Board of the Commission. The Board decide the day to day practices of the Commission, which are known as Standing Orders.
The Board of the Commission has overall collective responsibility and decision making for the key policy frameworks governing the Commission's regulatory activities and its governance, employment, risk control and accountability arrangements. Board minutes are published on the website.
Below are links to some of the Commission's key Standing Orders:
- Commission Regulatory Delegations - July 2014 (PDF, 3 pages, 146KB)
- Board Terms of Reference - September 2022 (PDF, 5 pages)
- Audit and Risk Committee terms of reference (PDF, 4 pages, 166KB)
- Financial and operational delegations and responsibilities from the commission to the Chief Executive (PDF, 4 pages, 153KB)
- Code of Practice for the secretariat (PDF, 6 pages, 79KB)
If you would like to see a copy of the Commission's complaints policy then please contact corporateandfinance@csc.gov.
