How does the Professional Support Service work?
By drawing on the combined expertise of the volunteers who sit on our practice area and topic specific panels, the Professional Support Service (PSS) aims to offer members the benefit of a balanced and exerienced practitioners' views of the issues in question.
How does it work?
If you require assistance on the interpretation of professional or technical guidance you should normally seek advice from a senior actuary first and, if that does not resolve the matter, you are invited to submit your query using the query input form.
Queries submitted to the PSS are first considered by the Profession’s staff, anonymised and then referred to the relevant topic or practice area specific panel of experts for consideration. Panel members exchange their views on the query by e-mail before a final response is drafted by the Profession’s staff. The draft response is then considered and agreed by the panel members and the final response is sent to the enquiring member.
How long does the process take?
The PSS will acknowledge your query within two working days of receipt and will try to respond in full within 15 working days.
The PSS tries to respond to queries as soon as possible; however the speed of response will ultimately depend on the nature and complexity of your query.
In a small number of cases, the PSS may be unable to provide a full response within 15 working days. In those cases, the Profession’s staff will contact the member and explain the reason for the delay.
Will my query always remain confidential?
The only circumstances in which an enquiring member’s confidence cannot be assured by the Profession is where it has a legal obligation to report information or where the query submitted to the PSS discloses details of an illegal act.
Depending on the situation, the Profession’s staff may first encourage the enquiring member to make the disclosure him or herself. If that advice is not taken, the Profession may be required to breach the member’s confidence and make the report itself. A decision to take such a step would be made by the Profession’s senior legal advisor, the General Counsel to the Profession.
If you have further queries on the process which are not addressed in the PSS User guide, please email Karen Cross or call 0131 240 1317.
Disclaimer
Whilst the volunteers involved with this service are experienced in their areas of expertise, all information and replies given by the Professional Support Service are intended for guidance only and do not constitute legal advice or any form of recommendation or opinion of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. You should obtain independent legal advice where necessary or where you are in doubt as to anything provided. You can complete the Query Form for the Professional Support Service here.