Keela Shackell-Smith describes how she helped break the Environment Agency’s glass ceiling and increase the percentage of women in senior roles 

An adult social worker discusses how budget cuts and legislative changes mean those in his profession now spend more time on paperwork than looking after people in need

By taking an agile approach and turning to the public for help with a new property app, the Land Registry scooped last year’s Civil Service Award for Innovation. Colin Marrs finds out more

As the DfE vows to accelerate its flagship school reform programme, Mark Rowe asks whether government has the capacity to deliver

Modern government pulls ministers in every direction at once, which makes the officials in charge of their diaries indispensable. But as former civil servant Dunstan Hadley explains, fitting it all in can be tough

Colin Marrs speaks to Tom Woodroffe – former adviser to William Hague – about the Foreign Office’s mission to put tackling sexual violence in conflict at the top of the international agenda

Four former members of the Number 10 staff recall the highs and lows of their time at the centre of government

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory scooped last year’s prize for skills at the Civil Service Awards. Colin Marrs finds out how the team’s use of emotional intelligence training made a difference with staff

Civil Service World's regular guide to the very best in Whitehallese

A connoisseur of the Whitehall machine and an expert on the British prime ministers he has known, William Waldegrave has had a remarkable political career. Peter Hennessy meets him

Ordnance Survey is learning to navigate a new digital landscape. But that doesn’t mean paper maps are folding for good, new CEO Nigel Clifford tells Colin Marrs

The development of Universal Credit has been dogged by missteps. So can it still deliver a new system of “dynamic benefits”? Colin Marrs asks the experts

Jess Bowie breaks bread with the outspoken chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Environment secretary Liz Truss has hailed Defra’s new Open Data Initiative as the biggest ever "data give-away" by government. But what will it mean in practice? Mark Rowe reports

As director general of the powerful Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat, it’s the job of Antonia Romeo to make sure Cabinet decisions don’t get lost in the Whitehall machine. Matt Foster meets her

The countryside and climate change were strangely absent from the election campaign and the Queen’s Speech. Why – and what does this mean for DECC, Defra and the governance of the environment? Mark Rowe reports

 Key traits to look out for in the interview process that can help predict whether someone is going to eventuate as a toxic employee

As first Civil Service Commissioner, Sir David Normington regularly interviews officials and outside candidates hoping to make the leap to the Senior Civil Service. At an "Unlocking the Senior Civil Service" event in Westminster – co-hosted by CSW's parent company Dods and the FDA union – he offered some words of advice for those looking to make the leap

Fretting about tomorrow’s front pages, dealing with Downing Street, and letting the policy team down gently – former press officer Dunstan Hadley reveals what it’s really like working in government comms

Between advising the foreign secretary on crucial policy matters and overseeing a network of 13,600 staff – 9,000 of whom are overseas – arch-diplomat Sir Simon Fraser has been busy championing the diversity agenda across Whitehall. As he prepares to retire from the civil service, he sat down with Jess Bowie for a final interview

Civil Service World's regular guide to the very best in Whitehallese

Does the government’s National Cyber Security Programme have what it takes to face up to a threat that keeps on evolving? Tim Gibson examines this ambitious major project

Stereotyped as masters of the dark arts, what role do special advisers really play? As a new crop arrives in Whitehall, Sarah Aston asked some veteran spads to share their war stories

As the debate about the benefits – or not – of HS2 rages on, Colin Marrs asks if there’s enough firm evidence to make an informed judgement on this controversial major project