FPID Career Awards 2025

We know there's a huge amount of inspiring work undertaken by our colleagues working in intellectual disability service contexts across the four nations. It's very much the aim of the Faculty to share best practice and innovative work through our annual Advancing Practice Conference, the Faculty Bulletin and our online forums and communities. 

We're keen to acknowledge individuals at different stages of their career who are actively engaged in this inspiring work. With this in mind, we're launching the annual FPID Career Awards, with the aim of recognising and sharing with a wider audience some of this great work. 

We would like to invite Faculty members to nominate themselves or colleagues for one of our two awards outlined below, the first focusing on practitioners at the early stages of their career and the second for those more established working in the field. We hope that this will provide an exciting opportunity both to recognise the great work being undertaken and to facilitate its wider dissemination amongst colleagues. 

How to apply 

Please complete this form to make your nomination for either:

FPID Aspiring Psychologist Award 

FPID Innovation / Significant Contribution Award

The closing date is 16 March 2025

Please contact FPID Faculty Chair Jason Crabtree if you have any questions. 

Good luck to all the nominees! 

FPID Aspiring Psychologist Award 

We're looking to identify and highlight dedicated practitioners who are in the early stages of their careers. This may be an assistant psychologist, trainee or qualified clinical or other practitioner psychologist (up to three years post qualification), who has made a significant contribution to working with people with intellectual disabilities. 

Please use the guidance below and write a short statement (500 words maximum, plus three - four easy-to-read summary bullet points) as to why you think your nominated person should be considered for this award. 

To nominate someone, you must be an FPID member (full membership, affiliate membership or associate membership). Nominees for the FPID Aspiring Psychologist Award do not need to be current FPID members, but should be an active member of an FPID regional Special Interest Group. 

Nominations will be reviewed by a panel including FPID Committee members and/or FPID members and experts by experience. 

The prize (a certificate and book tokens for £100) will be presented at the FPID Annual Advancing Practice Conference in May 2025. 

The successful nominee will be invited to present a paper or poster at the annual conference or other event, to be agreed with the Chair of the FPID Committee and/or to write an article for The FPID Bulletin, demonstrating an innovative piece of work with people with Intellectual Disabilities. 

Criteria / guidance 

Early stage career 

• An assistant, trainee or qualified clinical or other practitioner psychologist up to three years post qualification 

Working with people with Intellectual Disabilities 

• Holding a post in intellectual disabilities services (inpatient, community, intensive support team, forensic etc) or during their training is undertaking clinical placements or research with this client group.
• Working clinically with clients with Intellectual Disabilities using a range of psychological assessment and intervention methodologies to address clinical issues, presentations or complexity that are common amongst people with Intellectual Disabilities.

An active member of an FPID regional special interest group 

• Regular attendee, contributor or committee member in a local group 

Demonstrating commitment and enthusiasm in their role 

• An enthusiastic proponent of working with people with Intellectual Disabilities, demonstrating passion and professionalism. 

Commitment to the needs of people with intellectual disabilities

• Shows an outstanding commitment to or creativity for working with people with Intellectual Disabilities and has successfully implemented innovative work as a result of this. 
• This work can be at an individual, group, service, consultative or community level. It will be assessed with reference to whether the person is an assistant, trainee or qualified practitioner.

An advocate of Intellectual Disability psychology - Sharing and encouraging others to share their enthusiasm for work with people with Intellectual Disabilities, for example by:

• Contribution to innovation in their service with plans to develop this beyond their team
• Supporting the culture of inclusion and accessibility across services
• Actively seeking the input of people with Intellectual Disabilities and their families into wider service issues
• Encouraging the local community to be more Intellectual Disability inclusive and accessible

FPID Innovation / Significant Contribution Award 

We're looking to identify and highlight dedicated qualified clinical or other practitioner psychologists in regional areas who have worked for several years in Intellectual Disabilities services, focussing on the needs of people with Intellectual Disabilities, the role of psychology and the work of FPID in delivering good care, and demonstrate innovation in their work. 

 Consider achievements in: 

• Service / quality improvement / transformation within service 
• Creative and innovative practice 
• Outstanding contribution to teamwork 
• Leadership from within i.e. not necessarily in a formal lead role 
• Supporting wellbeing of colleagues 
• Work specifically impacting on or promoting equality/diversity and inclusion
• Innovations using digital formats in promoting care delivery 

Please use the guidance below and write a short statement (500 words maximum, plus three – four easy to read summary bullet points) as to why you think your nominated person should be considered for this award. 

Both nominee and person providing the nomination must be FPID members (full membership, affiliate membership or associate membership). 

Nominations will be reviewed by a panel including FPID Committee members and/or FPID members, and experts by experience. 

The prize (Certificate and gift vouchers of £200) will be presented at the FPID Annual conference in May 2025. 

The successful nominee will be invited to present a paper or poster at the annual conference or other event, to be agreed with the Chair of the FPID Committee and/or to write an article for The FPID Bulletin, demonstrating an innovative piece of work with people with Intellectual Disabilities. 

Criteria / Guidance 

Career stage 

• More than five years after qualification as a clinical or other practitioner psychologist 

Working with people with intellectual disabilities 

• Holding a post within an Intellectual Disabilities service (inpatient, community, intensive support team, forensic etc) 

An active member of an FPID regional special interest group 

• Regular attendee, contributor or committee member in a local group 

Demonstrating commitment and enthusiasm in their role 

• Significant evidence of mentoring and supervising others working in intellectual disabilities 
• Developing new ideas within services which show innovation in improving the lives of people with intellectual disabilities 
• Instigating, following up and evaluating projects in intellectual disabilities

Commitment to the needs of people with Intellectual Disabilities 

• Shows an outstanding commitment for working with people with Intellectual Disabilities, and has successfully implemented innovative work as a result of this
• This work can be at an individual, group, service, consultative, community or training level
• Going above and beyond the work through links with agencies supporting people with Intellectual Disabilities, voluntary roles or personal links 

A known advocate of Intellectual Disability psychology - Sharing and encouraging others to share their enthusiasm for working with people with intellectual disabilities, for example by:

• Offering talks to team members, teaching on the DClinPsy or other practitioner psychologist training courses
• Being engaged in FPID work at a regional or national level, presenting work through conferences, and / or publication of service development, research or other work related to people with intellectual disabilities
• Actively seeking the input of people with intellectual disabilities and their families into wider service issues and innovation projects
• Implementing projects that encouraging the local community and other services to be more Intellectual Disability inclusive and accessible 
• Engaging sectors of the public in discussion about people with intellectual disabilities.
• Developing the culture of inclusion and accessibility across services

A team player

• Demonstrating good working relationships within services, wider agencies working with people with intellectual disabilities, and FPID regional