CIPD partnership has given the Irish Civil Service the tools, standards and confidence to transform the role of its people community – and, in turn, the future of public services.
When the Irish Government launched its Better Public Services strategy, it placed people at the heart of transformation. The Civil Service knew that the people profession would be central to delivering that ambition but recognised that capability and maturity varied across departments.
Working with the CIPD, in less than 18 months, they created a people standards framework, audited policies, benchmarked capability and opened up learning opportunities for over 800 people professionals. The result has been a significant shift in recognition, capacity and credibility, both within the Civil Service and across the wider public sector.
The Irish Government’s 2030 Better Public Services strategy calls for a workforce that is skilled, motivated and supported by modern policies and inclusive cultures. The Civil Service recognised that to achieve this it would need to support its people professionals to act as true strategic enablers of transformation.
But civil service departments were at different stages on their strategic HR journey, with many advancing professional HR practices but others at the early stages. What was missing was a common language and a benchmark to guide consistent practice across the service.
The CIPD’s internationally recognised standards and expertise made it the natural partner. With many of the Civil Service’s HR community already in active CIPD membership, the partnership strengthened credibility and provided a consistent professional framework.
“We needed to move from pockets of good practice to shared standards and a common language across the service. As a trusted professional body, we knew the CIPD’s standards would give the credibility and consistency we needed.”
In early 2024, the Civil Service and the CIPD set out a four-pillar plan to professionalise its HR community and grow capability. Their aim was to give HR teams the tools, confidence and consistency they need to help government departments build a workforce fit for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
The Civil Service used the CIPD’s People Impact Tool to get a clear picture of capability across its people community. The simple survey gave leaders a benchmark of current strengths and areas for development, drawing on feedback from across the service, including business leaders and people professionals. For heads of HR, it offered an invaluable view of where their teams were in that moment, and what they needed to do to be ready for the future.
To bring the Civil Service’s HR policies up to date, the CIPD audited almost 80 central policies. In this in-depth review, our expert team highlighted where guidance could be modernised, simplified and made more accessible. This has prompted the design of a new digital People Hub with AI capability, which will offer consistent, user-friendly advice for employees, managers and people teams across the Civil Service.
More than 300 people professionals helped shape a Civil Service People Standards Framework, aligned to the CIPD Profession Map. This framework sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected across the people community and underpins clear career and development pathways.
Because the framework was co-created with the people community, it has real credibility and support. Backed up by formal sign-off by the CIPD and launched by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in May 2025, it has been recognised at Cabinet level as a key step in professionalising the people function.
More than 800 people professionals now have access to the CIPD’s evidence-backed resources and learning opportunities through a Group Affiliate Subscription. We are also working with the Institute of Public Administration (IPA), a CIPD-approved learning centre, to roll out new accredited qualifications. These give people professionals clear pathways to build expertise and grow their careers, whether they’re CIPD members or not. The approach broadens access to high-quality learning and fits perfectly alongside the new standards framework.
“The CIPD was instrumental in benchmarking where we were, setting out standards of good practice and creating more accessible learning for every member of our community. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve so much in so little time without their support.”
The process of developing the people standards framework itself had a significant impact. Hundreds of people professionals across the Civil Service community were involved in shaping what ‘good’ looks like in their roles. This inclusive approach meant the final framework is based on the voices of early-career practitioners, senior leaders and everyone in between.
By encouraging and enabling this sense of ownership, the Civil Service has seen real change. New communities of practice have formed around key priorities such as equality, diversity and inclusion, wellbeing, workforce analytics and organisational development. These groups are sharing ideas, challenging old ways of working and building a stronger professional identity across the Civil Service.
Learning is also now much more accessible, thanks to the CIPD’s Group Affiliate Subscription. For the first time, people professionals across the Civil Service, regardless of grade, location or whether they hold a formal qualification, can access the same bank of knowledge, tools and resources. It has levelled the playing field, giving everyone a chance to develop their knowledge and feel part of a wider professional community.
Practitioners are now using CIPD resources to solve everyday challenges, making the most of evidence-based guidance and learning they might not otherwise have discovered. It’s also sparked interest in professional membership and qualifications, with more people accessing accredited programmes through the IPA.
Perhaps most importantly, the people profession is now visible at the highest levels of government. Senior leaders are increasingly involving departmental heads of HR in strategic working groups and transformation projects, recognising the profession as key to driving change rather than just a support service. That recognition has been reinforced by the Cabinet’s endorsement of the framework and through the growing interest from other public sector bodies that see the Civil Service’s work as a practical blueprint they can follow.
“The process of developing the people standards framework had a huge impact. The inclusive approach provoked an engaging conversation around what’s important to HR professionals in the Civil Service. Everyone had a voice, so it’s really reflective of our context.”
“Partnering with the CIPD has given our HR teams access to knowledge, skills and qualification opportunities that ensure we’re successful in our roles. We’ve prioritised strengthening HR effectiveness in our people strategy, acknowledging that the function is central to the success of our organisation, now and into the future.”
The Civil Service is now embedding the people standards framework across departments, using it to shape recruitment, career pathways and professional development. Work also continues on the new People Hub, including the development of an AI-driven tool, which will house modernised policies and help make the Civil Service an employer of choice.
The service aims to continue to grow professional membership across the community, develop new qualifications and support the CIPD in developing a new apprenticeship scheme. But ultimately, its goal is to build a professional community that is confident, capable and recognised as central to delivering better public services.
To find out how the CIPD can support you in raising the capability and credibility of your people community, get in touch.
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