how UKCP and AFT can work more closely together, and outlined our respective visions, going forward.
B. Links with all party parliamentary groups (APPGs) and representation at national conferences: I have at ended three APPGs in the last year – one on ‘Storing up trouble – a postcode lot ery of children’s social care’ (October 2018), one on ‘Mental health in schools’ (April 2019) and one on ‘Parent infant mental health’ (June 2019). At ending the last APPG led to networking with the Parent Infant Mental Health team at UKCP. At each of the APPGs, I spoke up about the importance of a joined up, systemic approach and the provision of funding for systemic family psychotherapy posts. I have also at ended a number of national conferences such as the Psychological T erapies 2019 National Assembly on ‘Brexit, what Brexit?’ Westminster Health Forum event. In November 2018, I spoke at the 70th Anniversary of Tavistock Relationships and in June 2019, I also presented the scientifi c lecture on ‘T e contemporary landscape of systemic thinking: Developments in the fi eld’ at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
C. Links with the media: AFT has been in the news nine times since September 2018. T ese include: three times in T e Guardian, in the Daily Mail, on a parenting blog, on Channel 5, once in Huffi ngton Post (forthcoming), in the Telegraph, in Psychologies magazine: ht ps://
www.psychologies.co.uk/ long-read-how-deal-uncertainty. However, the most popular and signifi cant AFT media presence in the last year has been Hannah Sherbersky’s ‘I Blame my Parents’ on the BBC. Her programme has at racted much discussion on social media platforms such as Youtube and Facebook, and is a wonderful illustration of systemic ideas that we can all be very proud of. Together with Suzanne O’Connor we are put ing together
a list of those of you interested in speaking to the media. If you would like to be added to the list please do email Suzanne on mail@aſt
.org.uk
D. Links with commissioners: Mat hew Adams, Commissioner of Children’s Services, has joined our AFT ‘Creating Opportunities’ group and at ended the April AFT board meeting. Mat hew will help us to fi nd ways to approach and speak to commissioners about the need for family therapy posts in CAMHS, but also in adult services and in social care.
Networking and developments within AFT T e goal of networking within AFT is to create a vibrant
membership community. In addition to at ending numerous meetings of the diff erent commit ees within AFT, I have been trying to the raise the profi le of research within AFT. We have
regular meetings with the Tavistock Family T erapy and Systemic Research Centre, and are organising a ‘Research tapestry’ at our AFT annual conference. One of the items at the ‘Research tapestry’ will be a poster presentation, which will provide an opportunity for students and early-career researchers to present innovative research and service-development ideas. During the conference, Laura Sanger will hold a workshop on
how to contribute to NICE guidelines. We are hoping to capture this in a podcast to put on the new website that we are in the process of developing. T e use of social media is a good way to network within
AFT and stay connected. Since I started in my new role as CEO in September 2018, the number of AFT twit er followers has increased from 275 to 505. Although a recent social media survey showed that many of our AFT members prefer more old fashioned ways of communicating, such as emails, I am still hoping to at ract members to follow AFT on twit er! T e twit er handle is AFT_UK @AFTorg_UK
International connections T is year, the IFTA conference (March 2019) was well
at ended by a number of AFT members. Shan Tate is on the board of IFTA and will continue to develop links. I will be at ending the Asian Academy Family T erapy
conference in July 2019 and the American Association of Marital and Family T erapy conference in August 2019. A number of us will be at ending the European Family T erapy Association conference in Naples in September 2019. AFT members can now link to both the Journal of Marital
and Family T erapy and the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family T erapy. Philip Messent, editor of the Journal of Family T erapy is co-editing a virtual issue with Family Process, based on the archives of both journals.
Future plans T e most pressing future plan for AFT is to develop and
launch our new website in 2020. T e website will allow members a number of facilities as well as access to podcasts that we plan to develop and opportunities to link up through webinars and electronic forums. I will, of course, continue to give AFT a voice and raise its
visibility within UKCP and to the lay public, and to strengthen existing links as well as develop new links with national and international bodies. T ank you,
Reenee Singh
60
Context 164, August 2019
CEO report
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