Earlier this year, almost 6,000 members took part in our annual membership survey. You told us your experiences of membership, your views on the support and services we provide and what challenges you face.
We’ve listened to what you told us and used your feedback to make sure our work and priorities over the next three year represent your views and expectations.
Our CEO Hadyn Williams said: “It’s really pleasing that so many of BACP’s committed members engaged with the membership survey this year. The outcome from this engagement gives us a focus that is explicitly driven by members’ feedback. This is hugely exciting. It empowers us to drive the Association in a way that we can be confident is representative of the members, is in service of the profession and highlights our contribution to society.”
The launch of the strategy coincides with the appointment of our new Chair, Natalie Bailey, who we welcomed at the 2019 Annual General Meeting in November.
Natalie welcomes the strategy’s distinct member focus: “I’m really pleased that we can now start to share our new strategy with you. This is something that is very close to my heart. I believe it will really strengthen how we work with and for our members. It has been inspired by what you have told us you want from our organisation. This strategy sets a clear direction and as Chair, I am pleased to be driving it forward.”
Looking ahead
Our new strategy makes a firm commitment to listen to our members and puts you at the heart of everything we do.
In our membership survey, only 37% of survey respondents felt we listened well. We’re working together internally to improve how we listen to you and ensure that it’s your views that help to shape the Association.
57% of respondents said that getting paid enough, or at all, was your biggest challenge. We’re committed to equipping you to work in a fast-changing world. We’re working with members and partners to build links with employers and employer representatives across all sectors, widening access to paid employment opportunities and developing the capacity and skills of our members for the changing employment landscape. We’ll also continue to develop confidence and credibility in the profession with our work with Government and key stakeholders.
53% of respondents felt we were not providing value for money. We’re continually looking at the products and services we offer to make sure we can support you better. We’ve recently secured free access for all members to the EBSCO research database and a Therapy Today podcast. We’re also developing a toolkit for members working in private practice. Delivering value for money and ensuring we remain relevant in your day-to-day practice are our key goals and we’ll work with you to make sure we meet them.
You told us that setting standards, protecting clients and providing you with ethical and professional resources were important and is something we do well. We’ll continue to do this through our Good Practice in Action resources and the Ethical Framework.
These are some of the first steps we’re taking to implement our new strategy. You told us there are areas where we need to improve, and we know there are challenges to overcome to get your Association to where you want it to be. We need to do better, which is why we’ve developed key areas in our new strategy to support you on all aspects on your professional journey.
