The Civil Service
The Home Office’s work is delivered by Civil Servants.
Civil Servants are politically impartial and are not members of the Government; instead, Civil Servants bring their specialist skills to bear in helping the government of the day develop and implement its policies as effectively as possible.
Civil servants are accountable to government ministers.
Government Ministers and Special Advisers
Ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister from the members of the House of Commons and House of Lords. Ministers are accountable to Parliament.
Special advisers are temporary civil servants appointed to add a political dimension to the advice and assistance available to Ministers. In doing so they reinforce the political impartiality of the permanent Civil Service by distinguishing the source of political advice and support.
Civil Service Code of Conduct
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards expected of all Civil Servants. They are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.
- ‘integrity’ is putting the obligations of public service above your own personal interests
- ‘honesty’ is being truthful and open
- ‘objectivity’ is basing your advice and decisions on rigorous analysis of the evidence
- ‘impartiality’ is acting solely according to the merits of the case and serving equally well governments of different political persuasions
If a Civil Servant believes they are being required to work in a way which conflicts with the Civil Service Code or becomes aware of the actions of another Civil Servant being in conflict with the code, they should follow the appropriate complaints process.
Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
Home Office Values & Standards
As set out in the Civil Service Management Code, we expect staff to have nothing in their recent past that is likely to bring discredit upon the department or the Civil Service in general.
As well as complying with the Civil Service Code, we expect everyone joining the Home Office to support our department’s Values, to be:
- Compassionate. We act ethically, with honesty, care and sensitivity, seeking to understand the realities and perspectives of the people we serve to build trust and confidence.
- Respectful. We treat everyone fairly, respecting individual perspectives and valuing and embracing our differences to create an inclusive environment.
- Courageous. We are outward looking and professionally curious, testing new ideas while encouraging challenge and being bold in our pursuit of delivering outcomes for the public.
- Collaborative. We work as one team, listening to and supporting each other and our stakeholders, working across boundaries to improve outcomes for the public.
Created by our staff, these values are the foundation of the culture we want in the Home Office and underpin everything we do. We want to always put people before processes, and create the best environment for all our colleagues to work in.