E1 External Recruitment

Background

The Civil Service Order in Council 1995 governs recruitment into the Home Civil Service. The Order in Council sets out the legal basis for our recruitment policies and practice. It requires the Civil Service Commissioners to provide a recruitment code on the interpretation and application of principles for recruitment into the Civil Service. The principles and this code are mandatory. They must be followed when any post is opened to competition from outside the Civil Service.

Principles

• All recruitment must be on merit and comply with the principle of fair and open competition
• Finding the best available person for the job regardless or age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or disability
• All appointments must be above suspicion of patronage
• Ensure that recruitment procedures reinforce the principle of political impartiality
• Job opportunities are known about and publicised
• Selection is fair and objective at each stage
• Those appointed have the necessary skills and competencies for the job.
• We can demonstrate that we have applied our recruitment principlesby taking the above steps.

These principles apply to all UK based recruitment but should also apply to any SAIC recruitment undertaken.

Compliance Tasks

1. Where vacancies have not been filled through an internal process or where it is known an eligible / suitable candidate is not available internally, recruiters in consultation with Human Resources Division (HRD) will decide if external recruitment is the best option for filling a vacancy.

Task assigned to: Recruiter

2. Advertised vacancies should be within Director level divisional workforce plans.

Task assigned to: Head of Department, Head of Overseas Office

3. Recruiters are responsible for ensuring that external advertisements comply with legislative and government requirements.

Task assigned to: Recruiter

4. Heads of Overseas Office are responsible for ensuring local employment legislation requirements are met for Staff Appointed in Country (SAIC) recruitment.

Task assigned to: Head of Overseas Office

Risks of non-compliance

• DFID does not get the best available people to carry out the job, when it needs to be done
• DFID is taken to an Employment Tribunal due to an alleged breach of discrimination on age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or disability
• Vacancies remain unfilled
• Legal challenge to DFID for acting incompatibly with the 1998 Human Rights Act

Associated learning and skills

• For Board members - Equal Opportunities guidance/briefing Interviewing Skills guidance/briefing
• For Lead CHR Assessors - Assessor Training (also for CHR assessors) Lead HR Assessor Training.