30 January 2025
The Home Office and Government Digital and Data Function have been jointly awarded the 2024 Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence for their innovation and commitment in recruiting external candidates who may not have previously considered a role in the Civil Service.
Home Office won for their strategic approach to recruiting more women into frontline roles and outstanding work to support external candidates at different stages of the recruitment process.
The Government Digital and Data Function won for their innovative regional tech partnerships to secure senior digital talent on secondment to contribute to the work of Government.
First Civil Service Commissioner, Baroness Gisela Stuart, said:
"The purpose of the Mark of Excellence is to showcase some of the exemplary work occurring across government, highlighting innovative and thoughtful initiatives that attract strong and diverse fields of candidates for Civil Service jobs.
"Both the Home Office and Digital and Data Function team demonstrated exceptional commitment to attracting, encouraging and retaining applicants who may never have considered working in the Civil Service before. They have tried new and different approaches within the Commission’s Recruitment Principles, which ensure appointment on merit after fair and open competition.
“Home Office’s work to provide tailored support for external candidates in bulk campaigns using information events, chat bots, call centres and videos, providing advice and insight to candidates, demonstrated real impact - delivering 22,000 applications for these campaigns alone in 2024 with a high proportion from female and ethnic minority candidates.
“The Digital and Data Function entry impressed the panel with its professional collaborations across the sector to bring in senior tech specialists on secondment. Digital is an area in which the Civil Service can struggle to recruit; their cross-government secondment programme develops the Civil Service’s capability in an ever-evolving digital landscape and builds greater understanding of government work.
"Being joint winners is a testament to their consistent and innovative work, illustrating what can be done within the Recruitment Principles to attract and recruit new skills and talent.
"One of the Commission’s strategic priorities is to support departments to comply with the legal requirement to recruit on merit, after a fair and open competition. As well as highlighting best practice through the Mark of Excellence, we do this through our revised audit approach and outreach work with departments. These monthly sessions have attracted over 200 attendees per session. We will continue these this year and provide more bespoke support to individual departments where their audit results indicate that this is required.”
The 2024 Mark of Excellence judging panel included Baroness Gisela Stuart, First Civil Service Commissioner, Tony Poulter, Civil Service Commissioner, who was a PWC Partner for over 25 years and Liz Walmsley, Civil Service Commissioner, who held senior roles in ICI and a private equity firm.
There were 27 applications from departments and agencies for the Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence, now in its third year.
Winning organisations are entitled to display the Mark of Excellence logo on all their recruitment advertisements for one year.
Website http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk
Notes to Editors
- More information about the work of the Commission is available on its website: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/
- Media enquiries about the work of the Commission should go to Maggie O’Boyle on 07880 740 627.
- The Civil Service Commission was established as a statutory body in November 2010 under the provisions of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The Commission is independent of Ministers and the Civil Service. It is responsible for upholding the requirement that recruitment to the Civil Service is based on merit through fair and open competition. The Commission comprises senior figures from the private, public, and third sectors who oversee recruitment into the Civil Service. Commissioners are appointed by the Crown for five-year non-renewable terms of office.
- You can also follow the Commission on LinkedIn and X @CivServComm.
Baroness (Gisela) Stuart
First Civil Service Commissioner
Maintaining Civil Service integrity in recruitment
On 5th July the party in power changed for the first time in 14 years and – unlike in the United States - existing UK civil servants must turn to serve a new government overnight. Often wrongly described as ‘independent’, the civil service is actually part of government in the UK. It must be impartial - permanently ready to serve the democratically elected government, whatever its colour. Impartiality isn’t passivity or indifference; it requires that civil servants must serve the government of the day with energy and commitment.
There are around 510,000 civil servants across the UK – and approximately 30,000 leave every year. Maintaining a workforce with the necessary skills ready to deliver the government’s agenda is an important function of the leadership of the Civil Service.
The Commission’s role - as the independent statutory regulator - is to provide public assurance that entry into the Civil Service is on merit, after a fair and open competition. This long-standing convention became a legal requirement in the UK in 2010 and is interpreted through the Commission’s Recruitment Principles. Recruitment on merit is core to maintaining the integrity and impartiality of the Civil Service.
Exceptions to appointment on merit are allowed within the Principles and the law only in specific circumstances and are time limited. Used appropriately, they can be a sensible and practical way to bring in skills needed for short periods, for example, or where a particular role will only exist for a short time. There are also Exceptions to support schemes for veterans and care leavers.
The recent interest in some appointments by exception is legitimate scrutiny of whether appointments are being made in line with those Principles. However, some of the headlines could benefit from greater understanding of the purpose and use of Exceptions. There is a balance to strike here - protecting the important principles but allowing leaders some flexibility where a full recruitment competition isn’t practical or proportionate.
Exceptions should be exceptional. Indeed, of the 98,328 appointments made this year, 6.977 were by Exception, with the proportion appointed by Exception falling year on year post Covid. The majority relate to temporary appointments of, for example, interns, employment lawyers, driving examiners and public inquiry staff to meet short term business needs – as well as my personal favourite - Christmas elves, temporarily recruited by the Forestry Commission for the Christmas season.
For more senior roles and those paying £97,000 or above (and in other specified circumstances), departments must submit a request to the independent Commission for approval to appoint by exception to the legal requirement. We may approve, not approve or change the length of time the Exception is allowed for.
Below that level, the power to appoint by Exception is delegated to departments and they must follow the Recruitment Principles in doing so – and the Commission’s regular audit process looks at departments’ handling of these appointments too.
Given the importance of public trust in appointments to the Civil Service, the Commission has been carrying out a rapid review of appointments made under those delegated powers since the election and will be reporting on our findings later this month as the regulator.
Appointment on merit is vital to the integrity of the Civil Service and we want departments to get better at workforce planning to reduce their need to use Exceptions further. Fair and open recruitment competitions need not take very long. As well as being the law, fair and open recruitment has wider organisational benefits. It allows the hiring team to properly test the market fully for potential new candidates and gives the successful candidate the legitimacy that they were the best person available.
The Commission has long supported open recruitment and we use our regulatory influence to encourage departments to do more to attract new pools of candidates for civil service jobs. We already see excellent practice in some departments and agencies. Our Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence – now in its third year – seeks to recognise and share some of the more innovative work underway attracting and selling civil service roles to people who may never have thought about it.
Our independent Commissioners, who personally oversee recruitment processes for senior roles, come from a wide range of different backgrounds. They unanimously tell me they find the breadth and complexity of the Civil Service roles incredible. To attract new talent in a competitive skills market, the Civil Service needs to do a lot more to sell the fascinating and unique challenge of – for example – leading digital change in the justice system or strategy on climate change at the Ministry of Defence. These are jobs like no others. We also need to do more to sell the Civil Service values – honesty, impartiality, integrity and objectivity. They are the bedrock of trust in our system and underpin the Civil Service Code which all civil servants must follow.
At a time of major global uncertainties, our Civil Service will require the flexibility and skills to handle increasingly complex decisions and deliver the changes the new government has set out. To do this, our focus must be on attracting and retaining the best talent available to serve the country.
This article first appeared in The House magazine.
The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 stipulates that the Civil Service Commission may “except” certain appointments from the requirement that recruitment into the Civil Service takes place on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
The First Civil Service Commissioner has today (20 November 2024) written to the Cabinet Secretary outlining action taken by the Commission to provide assurance around the use of appointments by exception.
Read: First Civil Service Commissioner to the Cabinet Secretary, 20 November 2024
The Commission has also published a review of appointments by exception made by departments which did not require prior approval by the Civil Service Commission in July and August 2024.
Read: Review into appointments by exception delegated to departments (November 2024)
Read: First Civil Service Commissioner to Heads of Departments, 20 November 2024
Read more:
- Read: News: Civil Service Commission to review appointments made by exception at delegated grades
- Read: Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles
- Read: Exceptions - why are they allowed?
Are you new to working in Civil Service HR or would you like refresher training on the Recruitment Principles? Or a Civil Service manager who needs to understand what to do to recruit in compliance with the Principles?
The Commission offers regular online training on the Recruitment Principles which set the framework for all recruitment into the Civil Service. These sessions are intended to support staff using the Recruitment Principles to make appointments on merit after a fair and open competition, and to better understand the role of the independent Commission as the regulator.
The training will cover how to use the Recruitment Principles, Exceptions to appointment on merit, how complaints are handled, what to expect from our audit, and an introduction to the role of our independent Commissioners. There will also be time at the end for any questions.
Our next session will be via MS Teams on 8 January 2 - 3 pm.
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“These sessions are intended to be practical and useful, to help you gain the confidence to develop and apply recruitment processes that best meet your business needs, while following the Recruitment Principles. Sessions are free and online, so please do sign up.”
Kate Owen, CEO, Civil Service Commission
If you have a specific query or need advice, or would like to suggest specific areas where additional training would be helpful, please contact compliance@csc.gov.uk, and one of our team will contact you.
The 2024 Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence, which recognises innovation and excellent practice in recruitment across the Civil Service, is now open for entries.
This year, the Commissioners’ award will focus on openness in recruitment, looking for hiring teams who have made efforts to bring new skills and talent into the Civil Service by:
- innovative or new approaches to advertising vacancies externally
- providing support for candidates to enable them to make strong applications or prepare for Civil Service style interviews
- encouraging secondments from outside the Civil Service or
- encouraging candidates from local government and the wider public sector to apply for roles in the Civil Service
The judging panel this year will include Baroness Gisela Stuart, First Civil Service Commissioner, Joanna Abeyie, Civil Service Commissioner and social impact entrepreneur, and Tony Poulter, Civil Service Commissioner who was a PWC Partner for over 25 years and who now holds a range of Non-Executive roles in government and the private sector.
The application process runs from today until Wednesday 6th November. Please note: this deadline has now been extended to Friday 15th November.
Baroness Gisela Stuart, First Civil Service Commissioner, said:
“We know from our work as a regulator there is some truly outstanding recruitment practice in departments and agencies. The aim of the Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence is to share examples of what can be achieved and to celebrate those hiring teams that go the extra mile to attract talented people who might not have previously considered a career in the Civil Service. Further information can be found on our website. We are looking forward to reviewing your entries’
The winners of the 2024 Mark of Excellence will be announced by the end of the year. Winners of the Mark of Excellence are able to display the logo on all their recruitment advertising for one year.
Please download the application form here.
The First Civil Service Commissioner, Baroness Gisela Stuart, has today (30 August 2024) written to all departments outlining a review of all appointments made by exception which did not require prior approval by the Civil Service Commission in July and August 2024.
The Commission has also today written to departments outlining next steps for this review.
Read: First Civil Service Commissioner to Heads of Departments, 30 August 2024
Read: Interim Chief Executive to HR Directors, 30 August 2024
Read: Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles
Read: Exceptions - why are they allowed?
Kate Owen, Interim Chief Executive, Civil Service Commission
The Civil Service Commission exists to provide assurance that appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of a fair and open competition. In effect, that the best person gets the role.
This has been the basis of recruitment into the Civil Service since the Northcote Trevelyan Report. The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act put this requirement on a statutory footing in 2010. The legislation makes clear that the Commission’s published Recruitment Principles set the framework that departments must follow.
At senior levels, the Commission’s regulatory role is carried out by an independent Commissioner personally chairing the recruitment process from start to finish, while recruitment below SCS2 level is delegated to Departments and audited by the Commission.
Exceptions
Like any major organisation, there are times when the Civil Service urgently or for a fixed term requires particular skills which are not found within it. Take for instance, the recruitment of large numbers of staff for the Covid-19 Test and Trace scheme or the short-term need for lots of statisticians to complete the UK Census once every ten years, or the requirement for AI specialists.
In some cases it makes sense for the Civil Service to bring in these skills by Exception as and when they are required and often for a short period, for example deep financial services knowledge. In other cases an Exception is needed because the Civil Service simply struggles to recruit in this field, for example AI.
When might an ‘Exception’ be granted?
The Commission’s Recruitment Principles allow for specific time-limited ‘Exceptions’ to the legal requirement to recruit on merit on the basis of a fair and open competition. This must either be to meet the needs of the government or to enable the Civil Service to participate in a government employment initiative such as schemes that provide support for veterans or care leavers.
The Commission reports on these Exceptions each year in its Annual Report and Accounts (ARA). The ARA for 2022-23 can be found here. The ARA for 2023-24 will be published and laid in Parliament in October.
In appointing by Exception, Departments must be able to justify why, in any particular appointment, it is not possible to select someone on merit through a fair and open competition and why the specific skills needed cannot be found in the Civil Service.
Which ‘Exceptions’ are within the Commission’s scope?
In most cases departments determine the case for an Exception themselves. The Commission audits Departmental use of exceptions as part of its audit programme.
The Commission’s approval is however required for:
- Any appointment by Exception at Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2 minimum (£97,000) or above at any grade
- Any extension or variation of any fixed-term appointment previously agreed by the Commission at Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2 or above
- The use of an Exception within 12 months of an earlier Exception for the same individual
- Any fixed-term appointment by Exception in excess of two years
In reaching its decision, the Commission will look at the detail of the business case put forward by a department about why a particular role could not be done by existing staff or why the role could not be recruited through fair and open competition. The Commission will respond to the business case in a number of ways:
- Approve; or
- Approve but apply conditions such as shortening the period of time for which the Exception is granted or require enhanced reporting in the case of a bulk exception; or
- Reject the business case
Are appointments by ‘Exception’ subject to the Civil Service Code?
Appointees, whether by exception or through fair and open competition, are civil servants and bound by the Code and the values of impartiality, honesty, objectivity and integrity that underpin it.
In the event that a current civil servant has concerns relating to another civil servant’s conduct under the Code, they can raise this with their department in the first instance and, if concerns persist, bring that complaint to the Commission.
Who is responsible for background checks?
The department – as the employer – is responsible for carrying out background checks on individuals who may be appointed by exception. The department is also responsible for addressing any potential propriety matters.
The Cabinet Secretary and First Civil Service Commissioner have written to all members of the new government to outline how ministers can play a part in appointments to the Civil Service under the Commission’s Recruitment Principles.
There’s been a lot of interest recently in the small independent offices that regulate parts of public life as indicated by reports and papers from a range of academics, think tanks and integrity experts. But what is it like to work at an independent regulatory body? And what sorts of skills are required?
The Civil Service Commission Secretariat supports the work of three organisations – the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, which provides advice to those leaving senior government roles, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, who regulates appointments made by Ministers to the boards of public bodies, and the Civil Service Commission, which oversees appointments into the Civil Service to provide assurance they are on merit, after a fair and open competition and acts as the appellate body for appeals under the Civil Service Code.
Although each body has separate and distinct regulatory roles and powers, there are some common skills and qualities required by the staff who support them. I wrote more about this here in March. When we recruit to our team, we advertise externally as we know these qualities are available both inside and outside the Civil Service. For example, we have staff who have handled casework in previous roles across the public sector. We also have a number of former teachers who bring with them strong communication skills and the ability to engage with a wide range of people. We are interested in an applicant’s transferrable skills and abilities, not where they acquired them.
What type of work do we do?
A common theme across each team is casework. Team members look carefully at the evidence provided to establish whether they have all the information they need to consider the case. They also need analytical skills to be able to unpick the key issues which sit behind the case and consider a decision from all angles. The team will consider whether there are precedents and whether the case concerned would establish a new precedent or diverge from an existing one.
People who lodge a case with our teams do so because they feel something has happened that should not have and would like it investigated or, in the case of ACOBA, that they have an application upon which they require advice. Sometimes working in regulation means we have to speak to people who feel strongly about a decision or may not like the decision made. We look for staff who can demonstrate the ability to have these conversations in a clear, professional and emotionally intelligent way.
We also look for strong written communication skills which enable our staff to explain the often complex factors taken into account in regulatory decisions. Our work is rightly highly scrutinised by the public, media, academics and parliamentarians so it is critical that our cases are resolved in a way that is clear and transparent to all concerned.
What support will I receive?
We work hard to maintain ethical practices in our own team, drawing on thinking in the Committee for Standards in Public Life’s 2023 report on Leading in Practice. We have spent time reflecting on our values (Independent, Respectful and Expert), how we embody these in our work and how we work as a team.
We focus on the ‘how’ of decision making so that staff can be confident in the judgements they are making. We pride ourselves on our supportive culture and flat hierarchy in which everyone can take the opportunity to test their thinking both within and across the wider team. Our People Survey results are very strong and reflect the culture we strive to achieve. We work hard to ensure staff feel supported in their work and draw on the expertise of our trained Mental Health First Aiders and Fair Treatment Confidant to ensure that there is a healthy culture in which everyone can thrive.
We also invest considerable time in training and developing staff. We are proud of the roles people secure when they take their next steps and try to ensure that people are well equipped to make competitive applications for wherever they would like to go. Many people have found time in the Secretariat to be a good stepping stone for a wide range of careers.
We endeavour to provide an expert service to those we regulate and are constantly looking at how we might do things better. Our recent People Survey results tell us that our team is highly engaged with their work – and they tell me regularly how fascinating our work can be. But don’t just take my word for it, here’s what some of our team have to say about working here:
Neema Begum: Compliance Lead, Civil Service Commission
“Since joining the Compliance Team, I've led on rolling out a new audit methodology covering over 70 Civil Service departments; gained experience in stakeholder management from presenting at my first ever Board meeting and collaborated with others to define policy positions under the Recruitment Principles. Looking back from when I joined the team in September 2023, I can see how far I've come in my professional development, with the added privilege of working in an amazing team full of inspirational individuals.”
Jessica Barrow: Policy and Casework Officer, Advisory Committee on Business Appointments
“Working for the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) is dynamic and interesting- no two days are the same. Since joining the team, I have been able to develop skills in drafting, casework and analysis. At the heart of my job is the ability to weigh up evidence from a number of different sources to provide advice to stakeholders including: government departments, ministers and Crown servants. ACOBA works with a collaborative approach, and so I always feel supported within the team.”
Benjamin Lomas: Policy Lead, Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments
“I started working for the Commissioner for Public Appointments in October 2023 and the subsequent months have been busy, understanding how a new policy area operates across government. It is a pleasure to learn every day and to confront complex and technical challenges. While the profile of the work and the people it concerns are their own motivations, both are enormously enhanced by the team environment. Colleagues are inquisitive and helpful, frequently sharing advice and guidance from different perspectives across the Independent Offices.”
If you are interested in working for us, please search Civil Service Jobs. We are currently advertising for EO roles across the Secretariat and SEO roles in ACOBA.
As outlined in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the Commission is responsible for hearing complaints on appeal brought by civil servants under the Civil Service Code. The Commission also has a role in helping Departments with promoting the Code. The Civil Service Commission took on this role in 2003 at the suggestion of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, and with the support of the Cabinet Secretary.
Following the publication of the 2023 People Survey results, on 10 May 2024 First Civil Service Commissioner, Baroness Gisela Stuart, wrote to all Permanent Secretaries to outline the Commission’s role in relation to the Civil Service Code and request their support in building a better understanding of Code complaints within Departments.
Speaking at a debate of the House of Lords Constitution Committee on its Permanent Secretaries: Appointment and Removal report, Baroness Stuart said:
“Now that the full results of the people survey are available to us, we have written to all Permanent Secretaries in Scotland, Wales and England in order to engage in outreach with their departments over the coming year. We will ask each department for a list of the department’s nominated officers, details on the number of code complaints that the department has received, and the number of code complaints that have been upheld by the department. We are keen to ensure that civil servants understand the provisions of the code and are aware of the ways in which they can make a complaint, and that adequate processes are in place within departments.”
The text of the letter can be found below:
We look forward to continuing to work with Departments on promoting the Code and understanding Code complaints over the coming year. We will report more on this work in our Annual Report in due course.
