South West of England Branch

A Note from the Chair, Iain MacLeod

Best wishes for 2019 to all our readers

I have been co-opted by the SW Branch Committee for another year as the South West Branch Chair having already finished a formal three year stint. This I have accepted as we now have a volunteer Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary to ease the load. A new chair must be found, and preferably as early as possible, to mirror the role prior to taking over at the end of 2019.

2019 SW Gathering

It is intended to run another one day SW Psychologists ‘Gathering’ sometime in 2019 as a follow up on the successful event in 2018.  The gathering will retain the overarching interdisciplinary theme of ‘Stronger Together’ though the specific focus of the meeting has still to be decided.  However, Training as a topic has been suggested by several.  The initial organisation meeting held in Exeter on the 30 January and more information from that meeting will be available in the SW Summer Review.

2018 AGM

Held at the Albemarle Centre, Taunton over the PM of the 23 November 2018. The meeting followed the issued agenda and also resulted in the election of new members to the Committee.  Immediately after the AGM, three talks were given by members of the committee and these are reported in this issue of the review.

PiPs

Guernsey, Jersey, Bristol and Bath Psychology in the Pub (PiP) events continue and are publicised locally and through the BPS SW Branch pages.  It is possible that the Exeter PiP may restart sometime in 2019.

South West Psychology Undergraduate Student Conference

This year to be held at MARJON, Plymouth on the 16 March 2019 from 0930 to 1500. 

• Further details on the conference

This  conference is an annual event offering final year students from across the region an opportunity to present their dissertation findings to other students. This is a friendly open environment in which to talk to like-minded individuals, practice presentation skills and maybe even get some new ideas to discuss in your thesis. The event is free and open to all.  

Workshop on Qualitative Methods

Exeter students to run a workshop on qualitative methods in May.  

BPS Structural Review

Structural review information on the BPS continued consideration on Branches has been sporadic since the Senate meeting in September 2019.  It was stated at that meeting that the Minutes of BPS Trustees Meetings would be published but are not currently available on the BPS Site (if so cannot find them!) or through the associated Members Online Resources (MOR).  

The Society has strongly progressed in its liaison and co-operation with other societies (e.g. BPS and others questioning on HCPC intention to increase fees).  However, the only information available to the SW Branch Chair on the review’s progression related to Branch issues, post a December email inquiry to BPS Leicester, was a direction to read the CEO statement in the December 2018 psychologist – Part extract given below:

At the heart of this change is the determination to make the Society truly membership-led. That means giving you a much stronger voice in determining our focus as an organisation. Our inaugural Senate is a concrete example of this, with chairs of networks, divisions and groups meeting to decide on our campaigning priorities for 2019. This is an important first step as it puts our members at the heart of the decision-making process. 

Next month, I will be taking an initial transformation plan to the Society’s Board of Trustees, outlining the steps we need to take and the further investment we need to make in order to radically improve the Society. This is an important milestone in our transformation journey.

I know from members that there is a sense that the Society has promised change before that hasn’t always been delivered. A long-term plan is vital, but it’s also important to make rapid improvements along the way. That’s why your Board of Trustees has already agreed to release significant new funding to support members and strengthen our external influence. This means we will be able to increase capacity in key areas such as communications, policy and our finance infrastructure

We know that change can be difficult, that it’s constant and that it requires partnership. I know my challenge over the next year is to deliver for members so that together, we can relaunch the Society as a powerful professional body and an influential learned society.

Sarb Bajwa. BPS CEO

As Chair of the Branch, I would encourage you all to get as actively involved with your branch as you can. If you have any comments, queries, or would like to help out, please email us.

In particular, we are looking for:

• Contributions for our newsletter - articles, photographs, event reviews, book reviews etc
• Event updates - what’s going on in your local area? Do you have any suggestions?
• Website updates - please let us know if you would like to share information with others 

We will update this website regularly to keep you notified of the branch’s activities so please check back regularly!

Psychology in the Pub (PiPs) are informal events, free and open to all.  Evening meetings involve a talk by Psychology professionals and practitioners followed by questions.  It is felt that the PiPs can be considered as giving CPD value to attending Psychologists. They are fully supported by the British Psychological Society.

The PiP venue is not always in a pub depending on the geographic area and venue availability. The PiP venues, dates and topics are publicised by the BPS, on the SW Branch Web site, and locally through posters, word of mouth, and adverts in local news bulletins and publications as well as our social media channels.

Attendees include Psychology professionals but also include the general public from students to other professionals and the plain curious.  The underlying idea behind the PiPs is to promote interchanges between the various and diverse Psychology professions whilst at the same time informing the general public on the broad remit and usefulness of Psychology to society.  In addition, the presenters and volunteers running the PiPs can give guidance to interested attendees on how to approach a career in Psychology.

It is still hoped to restart a PiP in Cornwall and this possibility is currently being investigated.  The wish to restart a PiP in the Channel Isles, particularly Jersey, is still alive and will be pursued through 2015/2016. 

However, the effective running of a PiP requires volunteers.  The volunteer tasks varying between arranging speakers, hosting speakers, the running of the PiP on the night, arranging a write-up on the presentation (usually included in the following SW Branch Review), and greeting those attending. Please consider volunteering to assist your local PiP. If you wish to volunteer, contact Member Network Services, stating what PiP you might be interested in joining and he will pass on you interest to the appropriate PiP lead.