Make this your place
Principles and guidelines aside, there are a few things that we hope you will do. They are:
- don’t be afraid to ask questions, someone else will learn from every question that you ask
- be positive and constructive
- share your challenges and wins
- share your mistakes and subsequent learning
- share your plans, strategies and goals
- tell us about BACP events that you are planning to attend or would like to see in the future
- offer your feedback on the Communities of Practice or learning you would like to see - this community belongs to all members
The three principles to a positive experience
There are three guidelines to note:
- be kind
- be professional
- anonymise client information if discussing cases
Your participation counts
The Communities of Practice are all about reciprocity. We'll help you with your plans and goals, and we'll celebrate your wins. In return we ask that you help influence the future of this community by choosing to start, and engage in, discussions that make this forum an interesting place to be.
The website provides tools that empower you to collectively identify the type of content that you want to see. Please use those tools. Here are some examples of ways that you can do that:
If you see a problem, flag it
Flags on the website behave a little differently from flags on more traditional websites. If a post is flagged as inappropriate by more than one person (of Administrator level or above), the post is automatically hidden and:
- the post author sees: 'Your post was flagged by the community. Please see your private messages'
- the community sees: 'This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden'
- staff see the actual post 'View hidden content', as posted, in a dimmed state to indicate it has been hidden from others
A friendly private message is sent to the author of the post or, if preferred, a call to discuss the post with the Communities of Practice Lead can be arranged, describing what happened and letting them know that a considered edit of any kind is enough to un-hide the post. Should the post be defamatory (damaging the good reputation of someone, slanderous or libellous) it will be removed completely.
Copyright
BACP's Communities of Practice Lead will appropriately respond to all flags raised by removing the infringing material or disabling links to the infringing material. Communities of Practice may consider terminating a user’s access if, under appropriate circumstances, the member is determined to be a repeat infringer of the copyrights or other intellectual property rights of BACP Communities of Practice or others. Members' comments are private and should not be shared outside of the website without permission of the author.
Use the like button
Use the like button if you like the post. By liking the post, it can lift the post to be more searchable by other members.
Reply as a linked post
Rather than taking an existing topic in a different direction or off the topic completely, use the ‘Reply as a linked topic’ (it's on the right of the ‘post’ body). Keep in mind the Ethical Framework when you're posting. If you're unsure what this means the videos in the help are there to support you or you could ask your Communities of Practice Champion to show you.
Terms of service
We have a terms of service describing your (and our) behaviour and rights related to content, privacy, and laws. To use this service, you must agree to abide by our terms of service.
BACP Communities of Practice will not allow the display of advertisements or endorse any such income generating activities on the Communities of Practice website. Any such advertisements will be removed once identified or reported.
This website uses cookies - see our cookies policy. By continuing to use the site, you indicate your agreement to the terms of service and the use of cookies.
BACP don't recommend or endorse the material included in this group and it shouldn't be viewed as legal or other professional advice. Please refer to our terms of service.
Please don’t post any information that may lead to the identification of a client. Statements about client work should be kept general and not refer to specific clients.
If you want to talk through the principles and guidelines with the Communities of Practice Lead, please email communities@bacp.co.uk
Welcome to BACP members Communities of Practice!
Principles and guidelines
It's our responsibility to set and uphold the highest standards of professionalism and to promote ethical behaviour, attitudes and judgement on the part of our members. This is covered in our Ethical Framework.
It's crucial to recognise that the same ethical obligations of professional conduct apply in an online environment. As such, you should always apply the principles and values of the Ethical Framework and use your ethical and professional judgement when posting content online.
Your profile and privacy
Check your own profile
Your profile represents you and you shouldn't put anything on it that you don't want to be associated with. Check your profile, ensuring your information is accurate. It can also be a good idea to review your post before you post it live to the website. Members will view this, and self-disclosures need to reflect what you wish members to see.
Manage your preference settings
Consider the kinds of information that you want to be available to you. Regularly check your preference settings to make sure you're happy with them. This will enhance your experience and stop the feeling of being spammed, as well as ensuring you've captured all the posts you're interested in. You can set your settings to show per post, per hour, for example.
Your words
Be mindful of the impact of your comments on others
Avoid using language that other people might consider inappropriate or offensive. Think about how others will feel to read your message, especially if it's obviously directed at them and they are identified in it. We would encourage you to be polite, respectful and kind. Keep in mind the instant nature of posting and avoid making comments in the heat of the moment at times of frustration or anger. It's ok to disagree with what other people say, just be aware of how you express this and the language you use.
Be part of a healthy debate
A discussion where people have differing opinions can be handled respectfully. It's possible to have a passionate debate while still being considerate of other people’s views. Keep in mind the impact of your interactions online on your reputation, your profession and others. Consider whether your post is in keeping with the values and principles of the Ethical Framework.
It is your choice if you want to respond
You don't have to engage if you don't want to – even tagged posts can be ignored. Don't let people put you under pressure to reply. Sometimes it's not appropriate to respond and to do so doesn't always resolve the situation. Sometimes people post comments or responses to provoke a certain reaction out of someone else. You may not wish to respond if you feel they're doing this.
Negative situations
Bullying
There are a variety of ways in which bullying can take place and they can all have a harmful impact on someone’s mental health and wellbeing. These can include:
- spreading malicious and abusive rumours
- harassing someone repeatedly
- intimidation and blackmail
- online stalking
- posting someone’s private details
- setting up false profiles
- trolling
If someone is bullying, you may wish to block them. If possible, take a screen shot of the message as you may need this as proof and remember to red flag the post. If this bullying takes place within a closed group, alert communities@bacp.co.uk who can act according.
Discrimination, prejudice and abuse
Sadly, sometimes people can face discrimination and prejudice from other users. It can be a shocking and upsetting experience to go through. People can be targeted for several reasons, if you're attacked in this way, take a record of the offensive posts and report them to the Communities of Practice Lead.
Posts may be considered a crime under UK law, if they stir up hatred on the grounds of race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity, age, pregnancy, maternity, gender, marriage and civil partnerships.
Trolling
A troll is a someone who deliberately makes offensive, irrelevant or annoying posts that aim to provoke, upset or offend. If you feel someone is trolling you, it's always best to report them to the Communities of Practice Lead.
Pile-on
This is a form of harassment where many accounts fill the comments of a post with criticisms or insults and target a single person. Sometimes this can be coordinated and can include sending private messages. It can be carried out by people in support of a particular cause or person. Please report them to the Communities of Practice Lead.
Further steps to take
Keep a record of what has happened and when
It's a good idea to keep screenshots of any concerning or abusive posts and a log of when they've happened in case you need to produce this for evidence during any further action. The screen shots should be given to the Communities of Practice Lead and aren't for sharing outside of reporting the issues.
Reporting
Report to the Communities of Practice Lead using the link on the home page of the platform or email directly to communities@bacp.co.uk.
Our conduct processes
Under serious circumstances we may refer issues to the professional conduct process which focuses primarily on serious concerns where there's a public risk or where public confidence in the professions could be undermined by one of our member’s actions. Please read article 12.6 of the conduct process for further information and clarity.
Welcome to the Communities of Practice member only platform!