Any acting up arrangement should be advertised in the normal manner. Further information can be found in How to manage and advertise a vacancy.

All relevant pre-employment checks should be completed where there is a significant change in duties which may require verification through Occupational Health or PVG/Disclosure Scotland. This must be completed in advance of any acting up duties being undertaken. Further information can be found in How to carry out recruitment checks.

If you are considering acting up arrangements, then you need to decide what level of allowance may be appropriate. The allowance will be determined by:

• The salary for the higher graded post;
• The percentage of additional duties and responsibilities undertaken;
• The period of time the duties are undertaken.

It will be up to you as the manager to determine and agree appropriate arrangements for the allowance and advertise the acting up arrangements on this basis.

You will need to ensure that the Payroll Related Change form on HR Forms Plus system is updated in order for the employee to receive written confirmation from Staffing and Recruitment of the arrangements, and to ensure appropriate payments are made. The contractual documentation should be issued in advance and should be clear on the period, end date and also the reason for the acting up. For instance, if it is to cover an absence, it should be clear that it is until xx date or until the return of the substantive postholder whichever is earlier.

Acting up arrangements should be for a limited duration, normally not exceeding one year. The arrangement should be reviewed prior to the end of the first year to consider if it is required to continue. Regardless of any extension, for SNCT posts, the acting up arrangement should last no more than 23 months and should be reviewed after 18 months. Only in exceptional circumstances should longer arrangements be considered, following consultation with HR. Such arrangements should be kept under regular review. When the acting arrangements stops, the employee will return to their substantive post on the terms and conditions including salary of the substantive post. Managers are responsible for ensuring that HR forms are completed to confirm the start and end of any secondment arrangements, including extensions.

In cases where the need for the position, which currently has acting arrangements in place, becomes a permanent requirement, HR should be contacted, and the post should be advertised in line with Falkirk Council's Recruitment and Selection Policy.