throughout Europe of anchoring family therapy within the provision of health services and social care. During May and June we focused on the day-to-day running of
AFT. Despite a well-thought-out transition plan, we still had a lot to learn. It has been and is a really busy time for the offi ce. At the end of June Paul Kennedy, as pre-arranged, also retired.
A big thank you to Paul for all the years of managing AFT‘s fi nancial aff airs so well. I am sure you will join me in wishing both Paul and Sue a long and happy retirement. The July board meeting and the AGM are being prepared whilst
writing this. In the July meeting we plan to discuss, in addition to the normal agenda items, membership categories including feedback on the work done so far on reviewing the systemic practitioner membership. We also will be looking at the legal requirements we have as a member organisation in relation to our branches. Throughout these past months there has been a lot of
input in earlier-mentioned projects. The training review, a huge undertaking, is progressing well. All stakeholders are being encouraged to become involved. The work is ongoing and a full report will follow in due course. Creating opportunities is also ongoing, and similar to the training review a report will follow. Work on the new website is in the early stages but you will see
regular updates on the development from now on. Having given you an overview of our activities these past
months, no chair’s report can be complete without mentioning all those involved with keeping the cogs and wheels of the organisation and the profession going. I would like to start with Reenee Singh. She has given AFT a voice and visibility, so badly needed. We have worked together very closely, but could not do our jobs without all the all help and support we have been given. From both Reenee and myself our thanks and gratitude goes to everyone, and you know who you are, who gives their time and expertise so freely in their work with committees, in branches organising workshops and study groups, contributing to google groups, the AFT list, writing for Context and the Journal and promoting family therapy in your work settings. All members of the board, thank you for going that extra mile,
especially Shan, whose support and advice as post chair has been invaluable. Thanks to Brian Cade, Louise Norris and Ged Smith for ensuring
Context arrives through your letterbox regularly every two months. A special thank you to Louise for all her hard work on keeping our advertising income substantial. Thanks to Philip Messent, editor of the Journal of Family Therapy,
and the editorial board for all that is involved with publishing an academic journal which is also responsive to practitioners’ needs. As I am writing this we have just heard that the Journal has improved its placement in the ranking of similar publications. This is a great acknowledgement of the good guardianship of our editors. Thanks to John Hills for his tireless, good-humoured attention to
our AFT list as mediator. Thanks to Laura Sanger for her invaluable work with the NICE
Guidelines. I would like to end my report by giving a virtual bouquet of
fl owers to Suzanne, Melanie, Kathi and Janice in the Warrington offi ce for doing a tremendous job during this transition period.
Erica Widdowson Context 164, August 2019
My strategic plan and vision for AFT was threefold. First was to raise the visibility of AFT through networking
with major stakeholders. T ese include UKCP, the government, policy makers, commissioners and the media. Second was to network within AFT and third was to increase our international connections and collaborations.
Networking with major stakeholders
A. Visibility within UKCP: We have achieved a signifi cant amount in the last year in raising AFT’s profi le within UKCP. None of this would have been possible without the collaboration between Rory Worthington, chair of CFCST, Jacqui Sayer, AFT board representative and myself, as well as regular meetings with Sarah Niblock and Martin Pollecoff . We have: 1. Contributed a systemic perspective to three articles in New Psychotherapist: two at ht ps://
www.psychotherapy.org.uk/ ukcp-news/new-psychotherapist/new-psychotherapist-issue- 70-spring-2019/ and one in the latest summer issue, no. 71.
2. Revised the text about CFCST on the UKCP website ht ps://
www.psychotherapy.org.uk/about-ukcp/how-we- are-structured/ukcp-colleges/college-for-family-couple- and-systemic-therapy/
3. Enhanced the profi le of systemic research within UKCP. I have joined the UKCP Research Faculty, and am in the process of put ing in a bid for ESRC funding for a research project on Transitions to Parenting in Intercultural Couples, in conjunction with UKCP and with the T omas Coram Research Unit. I am also speaking at the Research Event organised by UKCP on 20 July 2019. Professor Sarah Niblock will be at ending our annual AFT conference and speaking at the Research Tapestry on the 19th of September 2019.
4. Contributed to calls from NICE guidelines and NICE select commit ees, in conjunction with UKCP and other organisations. Laura Sanger continues to do a brilliant job in distributing calls from NICE and collating the responses.
5. By raising AFT members’ concerns about the SCOPE-ed project, and clarifying the diff erences between systemic and other therapeutic modalities and trainings. Rory Worthington (chair of college), Sarah Eldred (representing education within the college) and I met with Martin Pollecoff in March to ensure that systemic competencies will be recognised in the framework.
6. Revising the UKCP Standards of Education and Training for family and systemic psychotherapy.
7. I have contributed to the new UKCP academic partnership programme with Imperial College, speaking on the history, impact and benefi ts of psychotherapy.
8. We are in the process of developing a short training fi lm on ‘What is Family and Systemic Psychotherapy’, in conjunction with UKCP.
9. Sarah Niblock and I engaged in a refl ecting conversation at CFCST day. We have at ended to members’ questions about
59
CEO report
CEO report
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
