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| Interchange |
Scope
Interchange is a Government Initiative that promotes and encourages the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and other sectors of the economy.
The aim of the interchange initiative is to aid career development, plug skills gaps, create contacts and dialogues with outside organisations, and/or increase organisational flexibility. It is in line with the government's commitment to develop a modern, flexible, outward focussed Civil Service which works in partnership with all sectors of society.
The most common forms of Interchange are secondments and loans:
- Secondments are between the Civil Service and outside organisations not covered by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS);
- Loans are between or within Government Departments covered by PCSPS arrangements.
Secondments and loans normally last for a period of between three months and three years but can be extended to five years. There are five basic
categories:
- Secondment into the Prison Service of staff from outside the Civil Service as governed by the Civil Service Commisisioners' Recruitment Code
- Loan into the Prison Service of existing Civil Servants
- Prison Service staff on secondment to organisations outside the Civil Service
- Prison Service staff on loan elsewhere within the Prison Service e.g.
operational staff working in HQ or carrying out project work
- Prison Service staff on loan elsewhere within the Civil Service
Other forms of interchange include:
- Attachments - can last from a few days up to 3 months normally working on short projects or studies.
- Shadowing - normally lasts between one day and one week. Shadowing for longer periods would be difficult to sustain for either party without the "shadow" being given some specific task or project in which case it would become an attachment.
- Twinning - two people at similar levels in different organisations meeting regularly for mutual benefit and support. This often involves only minimal out of office time. There is no limit on how long people can remain "twins" but regular reviews should be used to ensure the arrangements remain fruitful to all parties. Twinning can often begin with periods of shadowing.
Key Principles and Responsibilities
Secondments and loans of Prison Service staff to other organisations - Senior Managers: Due to the need to ensure a smooth transition back into the Prison Service at the conclusion of a period on secondment or loan, all secondments or loans of senior managers to other organisations must be approved by the appropriate Director. There must be clear agreement that those approving the secondment or loan will accept the member of staff back into their Directorate at the end of the secondment or loan period.
- Other staff: The secondment or loan of Prison Service staff below Senior Manager grade must be approved by the appropriate Area Manager or relevant Director for HQ staff who, as above, must agree to accept the member of staff back into their Area or Directorate at the end of the secondment or loan period. Authority to approve secondments and loans may be delegated to Governing Governors and Heads of Group where a return to the same establishment or Group will be possible.
Non-mobile grades returning from secondment or loan must be offered a posting within reasonable daily travel of the original location, unless the individual has agreed to a transfer further afield. Headquarters Personnel will not take responsibility for returning staff unless their involvement has been explicitly agreed as part of the return plan.
Secondment or loan of staff from other organisations in to the Prison Service
Where a need to bring staff with particular knowledge or skills into the Service on secondment or loan has been identified, it will be for the initiating Prison Service manager to agree with their counterpart how this is to be managed. The minimum standards to apply are those set out in the
Civil Service Commissioner's Recruitment Code.
Attachments, shadowing and twinning
Arrangements for attachments, shadowing and twinning are at local management
discretion.
Secondments between the Prison Service and HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
(HMCIP) or The Office for Contracted Prisons (OCP) must be arranged in consultation with David Roberts, Personnel Management Group (01759 375076).
A Career Pathway Agreement is being developed for staff who go on loan to Training and Development Group (TDG). Further advice is available from
Susanne Moore, TDG (01788 834268).
Staff participating in Interchange retain their substantive grade and payband. Where the opportunity has been advertised or made available on temporary promotion, the secondment or loan should proceed at the higher grade or payband. However, on returning to the Prison Service, the member of staff would revert to their substantive grade and payband.
Staff on loan or secondment will not be eligible to apply for substantive promotion within another government department unless the opportunity has been advertised to other departments and agencies to include the Prison Service. Staff on loan to the Home Office may apply for promotion within the Home Office in the normal way assuming they are eligible to apply.
Where an individual meeting these criteria is promoted whilst on secondment or loan the arrangement will normally be converted to permanent transfer.
Subject to eligibility, Prison Service staff on loan or secondment are able to apply for progression and promotion opportunities advertised in the Prison Service.
Most Interchange activity will be initiated locally in response to identified business and/or personal development needs (which must also have clear benefits for the Service).
Secondment and loan opportunities for Prison Service staff are generally advertised in Home Office Notices. Secondment opportunities are also advertised on the Cabinet Office website www.interchange.gov.uk. Where Prison Service Headquarters are approached direct about such opportunities,
they will normally seek expressions of interest from staff.
Where an individual career development need has been identified by the Governing Governor or Head of Group this may be initiated without advertising by agreement with the Area Manager or Director.
From the outset there must be agreement by all parties involved as to what the interchange entails in terms of:
- duration
- sickness absence, performance management and discipline arrangements
- pay (including annual pay award) and expenses
- terms and conditions of employment,
- arrangements to ensure a smooth return to the employing department
- Keeping In Touch (KITS) arrangements
- reclaiming costs (see Below)
A secondment/loan agreement template covering the above, and a letter to the individual who is the subject of the interchange, are available. Those approving the secondment or loan of Prison Service staff to another organisation should be satisfied that a written secondment agreement is in place. This may be adapted as necessary to suit individual circumstances and advice may be sought from Home Office Legal Advisors Branch on particular cases. The key principles set out in the model agreement also apply to loans within the Prison Service (for example, operational staff moving to HQ for a specified period) to ensure in particular that return arrangements are agreed at the outset.
Apart from very few centrally advertised opportunities, there are no central funds available to cover the costs of Prison Service staff on secondment or loan. Arrangements must be set up to reclaim all monies, including pay and expenses, due to the Prison Service on a full cost recovery basis unless there is an agreement for costs to be met by the Governing Governor or Head of Group.
Where staff are being brought into the Prison Service on secondment or loan, it will be for their employer to supply a suitable agreement. The receiving Prison Service manager must ensure that the agreement is suitable and meets the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.
All postings in the Prison Service are subject to any necessary security clearance and checks: Standard Identity, Enhanced Identity, Criminal Convictions, Racists Groups, Protection of Children, National Security and vocational Qualifications
Guidance on security clearance and checks is available from the Security Vetting Website.
Good practice guidance on secondments and loans is available by clicking here.
Monitoring
All interchange activity needs to recorded in order that information can be forwarded to Cabinet Office as part of their annual monitoring exercise. The Interchange Monitoring Form must be completed as appropriate.
For details of how to complete and submit the form click here.
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