Module 1. Understanding propriety and ethics in government communication
The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder
The popular dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English
Guide for Employing people
Guidance on the conduct of civil servants in the pre-election period
A comprehensive guide on best practices in propriety, made specifically for government communicators
Nolan Principles
A short film by the Committee on Standards in Public Life about the Nolan Principle of Selflessness (1 min 42 sec)
A short film by the Committee on Standards in Public Life about Objectivity, one of the 7 Principles of Public life. (1 min 22 sec)
A short film by the Committee on Standards in Public Life about Objectivity, one of the 7 Principles of Public life. (1 min)
A short film by the Committee on Standards in Public Life about the Nolan Principle of Accountability. (1 min)
A short film by the Committee on Standards in Public Life about the Nolan Principle of Openness (1 min 19 sec)
A short film by the Committee on Standards in Public Life about the Nolan Principle of Honesty (1 min 19 sec)
A short film by the Committee on Standards in Public Life about the Nolan Principle of Leadership (1 min 19 sec)
Ethics: definition and context for communicators
A government introduction to social media; from aiding research to the ethical considerations of using such platforms.
Guidance for producing quality analysis for government.
Biography. Darren Tierney, Director General, Propriety and Ethics
Building trust by role-modelling ethical behaviour, and applying principles and values consistently in decision-making
The 'Civil Service management code' outlines civil servants' terms and conditions of service for government departments and agencies.
Statutory guidance
For example, read on the BBC website how Journalists must operate within legal and ethical ethical guidelines.
The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in the Civil Service, local government, the police, courts and probation services, non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and in the health, education, social and care services. All public office-holders are both servants of the public and stewards of public resources. The principles also apply to all those in other sectors delivering public services.
Module 2. Making ethical decisions
Guidance on the conduct of civil servants in the pre-election period
The Code of conduct for board members of public bodies sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK government departments, non-ministerial departments, executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies, and national public corporations.
- UK government's guide to using artificial intelligence in the public sector
- UK Government’s 7 principles of public life (The Nolan principles)
- Global Ethics Day
- Global Alliance Code of Ethics
The guide covers the procedures on how to raise a concern.
Module 3. Other things to consider
Dealing with life's challenges can be hard. This charity supports civil servants, past and present, when times are tough, listening without judgement and offering practical, financial and emotional support.
Online resource designed to support your mental health and wellbeing
Whistleblowing for employees
Have you heard about the GCS wellbeing group? If you haven’t, this blog is for you!
A comprehensive guide on best practices in propriety, made specifically for government communicators.
Ministerial Code setting out the standards of conduct expected of ministers and how they discharge their duties.
The 'Civil Service code' outlines the Civil Service's core values, and the standards of behaviour expected of all civil servants in upholding these values.
Diversity blog
This guide explains the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to help organisations comply with its requirements.
The Data Protection Act 2018 controls how your personal information is used by organisations, businesses or the government.
Guidance on building and using artificial intelligence in the public sector.
Introduction to data, automation and artificial intelligence.
Guidance for public sector organisations on how to use automated or algorithmic decision-making systems in a safe, sustainable and ethical way.
A guide for the responsible design and implementation of AI systems in the public sector.
Findings from the first wave of tracker survey.
A report on how attitudes towards data and AI vary over time, as well as to assess the drivers of trust in data use.
Read this article to find out what problems keep AI experts up at night.
Report by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
Article by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)