A focus on networks

This is only a small part of our transformation and member journey work, however, and this month I want to set out the early principles for an upcoming review of our member networks.

Our networks are fundamental to everything that we do, and the diversity of work that happens across the society is one of our core strengths as an organisation.

We need to make sure that our networks continue to flourish. This means that they must be representative of the make-up of our profession and meet the varied needs of our members.

One of the things that you told us loud and clear during our member journey project was that there is a real appetite for change in this area, particularly as previous attempts, such as the structural review of the last few years, have tended to stall.

We've been out to tender for an organisation to lead on this work, and have now commissioned Korn Ferry to take on a root and branch review of the purpose of our networks, with the ultimate aim of ensuring that they meet your needs as part of an interdisciplinary organisation which breaks down barriers at all times.

It's still very early days and this is a process that is likely to be ongoing through much of 2021. I will have more details for you later in the year, particularly once the member network representatives have met Senate in December.

Rest assured that we'll be consulting members every step of the way, and will have more information available in the November member update.

In the meantime, we are working on other areas that will enhance every area of BPS membership, including development of a new database that should make your interactions with us a great deal smoother.

We also recently launched BPS Learn, our new online learning platform – if you haven't had a look yet, there are already a couple of free webinars available for members to try.

Our first two bespoke products designed for the platform, on supervision training and ethics, will be going live in early November.

The platform will also host our Stage 2 qualifications, with candidates having a single log-on and being able to access all of their learning materials and upload assessments in one place. We'll be notifying existing candidates as their qualifications go live in the coming months.

Finally, I want to pass on some good news about our membership numbers, which are stable at around 62,000 despite the impact that Covid-19 has had on everyone.  Thanks to all of you for continuing to be a part of our psychology community.