ACC Board Meeting Monday 14thMarch2016
Venue: via Skype
(Meeting commenced at 9.30 am)
In attendance:
Peter Barraclough, David Crabb, David Depledge, Sue Monkton-Rickett, Tony Ruddle, Phil Weare, Chris Williams
Apologies:Teresa Onions, Amanda Georgiou
The meeting opened with prayer time togetherby Tony with a reading fromJohn 12 when Lazarus rests in the presence of Jesus.
Minutes of Board meeting of 13th January 2016Minutes accepted.
Amendment: note that the meeting was moved to 14th March for a number of reasons.
Matters arising: no amendments received to the documents mentioned at the end of previous minutes.
Amended Scottish Widows wording from 18 November 2015 minutes was sent by SMR to Scottish Widows.
Conflict of interest
Circulated by SMR accepted as accurate. CW is now BACP accredited – this was decided that it was not a conflict of interest.
RAP – PSA report / Risk (& Matrix update)
RAP minutes were received by the Board.
Discussion about ‘near misses’ rather than actual complaints. A letter to be sent to all members asking them to flag up ‘near misses’ which would be noted anonymously and to be treated as a learning exercise.
Regional websites: checking the content and the consistency with which ACC is presented. Websites should say clearly that they are, e.g. ACC in Wales, ACC in the North East, saying ‘we are a network within the ACC organisation’ and include a link to the ACC main website. Networks can use the combined ACC-PSA logo provided ACC has approved the website. We should insist that a regional chair is responsible for the website. PW to draft a policy. Anything that needs to be run past PSA to be carried out by TR.
Retrospective work and a quarterly audit of the Network websites.
Risk – no documents. To be checked for next time.
Operations and Communications
Under the Business Plan, there have been some green shoots of growth (eg: donations from appeal to members reached £4,761 – Gift Aid to be pursued on this, healthy sales of EPC, five new PCUK affiliates and one ACC affiliate). However the statistics show a fall in counsellor members, despite the above-target numbers joining the register.
Publicity for the 2017 conference to include an eight-page pull-out in Accord magazine – the feedback from the previous conference was that delegates would like more information about the speaker sessions. The campaign to include web, eNews, one-off emailings (particularly two weeks before early bird and super early bird offers run out).
To ensure that Head Office know when reprints of booklets such as EPC and DQR are required, a stock checking process is being introduced. Please note that the minimum number of these booklets would be 150 – to bear in mind if larger volumes are required at short notice.
Because of Heather’s specific skills in business & information technology and human resources management, plus her valued contribution to the work of Head Office, her fixed term contract has been extended for a further six months to 23 October 2016.
To set the foundations for growth and improved member satisfaction, the Exec and Head Office team have been introduced to the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) quality assurance cycle. This should assist when new projects are being put into effect and in gaining feedback on how successfully they are being implemented and whether any process improvements are necessary. The PDCA cycle can also be effective when changes are made to existing processes.
This is complemented by a generic project checklist that enables the sharing among the team of key stages and deadlines. The Exec decided that in future all out-of-the-ordinary projects would be channelled, using PDCA and checklists through Phil.
Sometimes staff deal with members of the public who are distressed, which can be upsetting for staff. SMR offered to provide a 45-minute training course for staff at the next Exec meeting. DD offered to discuss with the Light House what could be provided to ACC staff.
PCUK report
Two teams of network champions have been created. Board approved the idea of adopting a team approach while staying within the financial remit that was previously set.
Agreed: TR and SMR are happy to sign PDF documents emailed to them. If this is not possible, DD is empowered to sign documents as he is based in Coventry.
SMR and TO will be at Spring Harvest to promote to a potential audience of 8,000. There will be speaking opportunities, a stand, and information available to attendees of Spring Harvest.
Work with Chelmsford Diocese could generate an additional £1,500 a year.
SMR to provide briefing materials so Board members can set up a meeting with their local Bishop. The meeting could be with the Board member, or with a representative.
Finance Report
Budget proposal approved.
Financial report to end of February 2016. Need to be more proactive in chasing up memberships, with help of HB. SMR is working with Image Plus to clarify our reporting requirements, including reducing the time spent in manipulating the figures produced.
SMR and HB have been working to claim any Gift Aid that is due (including declarations from members who do not pay income tax) and to monitor our position. Gift Aid on donations to ACC appeal will add another £1,000.
KPIs to become part of Operations Director reporting. Extract data at month end. SMR to show PW where to populate the data.
In database, if someone’s renewal date has expired, they are not counted. This may lead to some under-reporting of membership numbers. Similarly, it takes a time for finances for DQR courses to be shown in the finance system.
TR gave a note of thanks on behalf of the Board to SMR for the helpful charts that she has provided.
To achieve these targets, there will have to be significant effort and work.
Biggest issues: growth in counsellor members, and donations not being as great as hoped.
Friends of ACC: suggestion to compile a letter to all retired members. SMR agrees that this is important, and to be prioritised after the work on Gift Aid. In future, invitation to become a Friend to be made to members when they retire. Board members to be pro-active in speaking to their church and friends. PW to design an A5 poster to put up on church noticeboards. SMR to add a graph for Friends.
Director visits to affiliates – contact and some visits made.
PW and SMR to list affiliates where we have had contact. SMR to produce a list and PW to complete where we have had contact.
TR to sound out the new Chief Exec of NCS with a view to a joint letter to universities and colleges to suggest that they should be up to date and recommend lecturers should suggest that students should join one of the ….6… counselling organisations that hold a register. Following the outcome, PW to ask PSA’s communication team if PSA could send a letter.
Board to come back to SMR on her draft letters to affiliates and students.
Executive Chair Report
Conference programme was discussed and fine-tuning carried out.
PSA annual summary and review. AG working on these points, and TR will be meeting with Fiona Sherburn on Tuesday evening to discuss some of these points.
When approving entries on the Find a Counsellor facility, EA to be alerted to claims that cannot be substantiated. Examples might be:
‘We guarantee you will feel better’
‘Believe in Jesus and throw away the pills’
‘We cure 99% of issues’.
CW to represent ACC as a guest at the Acupuncture Research Symposium on March 19th at Kings College in London. However, CW would not go to Children & Young People's Mental Health Creating a Comprehensive Approach The Policy-UK Forum. Instead, ACC would ask for a synopsis on this occasion.
TR to continue to be in contact with Aviva with a view to Aviva listing ACC as a counselling organisation. This would allow Aviva policyholders to claim money they paid for counselling with ACC. Also in contact with the Counselling Directory for listing. This is the type of work the Board would like ACC to mention to members the work it is doing on their behalf, along the lines of ‘this is what we have done for you’.
An annual review of ‘Useful links’ on the ACC website to check that the link works and that the organisation has a link to ACC. If there is no link on the ‘partner’ website, then ACC to write to them and request a link. To take place later this year. Board members to notify TR what is not working and then PW and HB to look at how we go forward with this. The option exists for these links to only be available to members (as for BACP).
CW noted the appreciation for the amount of work being done by TR and everyone else within ACC.
Director of Counselling report
ACC Accredited Register
The decision was taken to mount communications campaign to encourage members to join the ACC register.
In consideration of the workload of the Registrar, it was agreed that PW would ask DS that if she is getting to a point that she is overloaded, she should flag it up to PW. We would then divert some of HB’s time, though care would be taken that this assistance does not breach the firewall.
Further general advertising is needed to increase the numbers on the Accreditation Committee. The board suggested the personal approach from Amanda to suitable individuals to become assessors would work best. In parallel, a letter would be sent to our training agencies asking for help.
Agreed to allow certain members of staff access to the Register Expression of Interest Forms (e.g. Eileen Askew (for new members), Network Champions (for distribution to Network Committees) and Network Committees (for distribution to members and non-members at Regional/National Training events).
Agreed to repeat the distribution and collection of ‘Expression of Interest’ forms at the last Conference. To have a stand manned by ACC personnel (Board members attending to help on this).
Develop a methodology of email/phone call so that, from June 2017, ACC could contact those who have not yet transferred onto the Register to have a ‘transfer conversation’.
Rick Borges, the Accreditation Manager of the Professional Standards Authority, will be invited to speak on the Friday afternoon of Conference.
The option of requesting an extension to the ‘Transition Period’ was considered. However, concerns were raised that PSA would charge for this.
Request to Change the Register Annual Renewal of Accreditation/ date
AG to request that the deadline is moved at least a month later to avoid Christmas and 2017 Conference as this is best for ACC. If all else fails to keep the status quo.
New members joining the Register via the Qualification Route:
Exec agreed the invitation (requirement) of new members to join the Register as accepted at application, and this was supplied by AG.
A further letter needs to be drafted to be sent out with an ‘Expression of Interest’ form to new counsellor members immediately upon joining ACC. A procedure for this will be agreed with EA and DS.
Experience Route to the register
AG’s letter was agreed.
Accompanying the application form would be a signed statement from supervisor(s) to endorse the experience of the applicant. If this is not possible, the applicant would ask the current supervisor to sign that they have seen the previous logs.
There was comment that the amendment to the form could be as simple as an additional box on the end of the existing form.
Board is requiring this form to be up and running by the end of April and to be usable by the end of the first week in May.
Any additional fields need to be communicated to TR for the database process for DS to use.
Affiliate Route to the Register (for counsellors working under Affiliates
Once the experience and affiliate routes to the register are open, Board agreed that ACC will not be able to support an affiliate organisation in any complaint against a non-registered counsellor. ACC will only support the affiliate if it is a complaint against them.
SMR will amend the letter to go to affiliates.
SMR agreed to send the letter that went to eight affiliate organisations for off-line discussion by Board members.
Letter to affiliates to be reviewed by Board and AG.
Experience route is only open to people who were members prior to 8 April 2015. Will be open also to people working at the affiliate prior to this date.
Student Route to the Register
Agreed that this requires a slightly modified complaints procedure with the following stages:
- Cllr
- Agency/college
- ACC
There is a need to expand this team. This was accepted, and until new members join the team, the Board asked that if the accreditation team is under pressure, could they obtain some support from members of the Training and Development Group?
Board is open to consideration of a supervision training course that is aimed predominantly at trainee counsellors rather than trainee supervisors. However, the Board would like to see how it works with an individual case study in future from the Accreditation Committee.
Equivalence of NCS Accreditation
NCS have considerably updated the information available online setting out their criteria for accreditation. There are two levels: ordinary and senior accreditation. It is fairly easy now to discern whether and what levels of NCS accreditation are equivalent to ACC accreditation, for those wishing to use it for the ACC Joint Transfer route to accreditation.
PB to review the NCS website and considering how their two-level accreditation relates to ACC and is equivalent. PB to contact AG.
Ethical issues
When reference needs to be made on ethical issues, in the absence of TR or AG, reference can be made to DD.
MOU update
ACC are not opposed to signing up to MOU2, because the memorandum makes the situation clearer for counsellors. The launch of new MOU is expected on 19 April at Department of Health. However, agreement has not been achieved on amendments to the wording. Royal College of Psychiatrists is against the inclusion of transgender and asexual. While CW can make an MOU meeting if it is on 6 April. However, if meeting is on 30 or 31 March, a replacement for CW would be required.
PB to attend a training session on transgender issues on 6 April, as a representative of the Board and hopefully to write an article for Accord magazine.
ACC Europe
ACC UK’s paper was well accepted. Definition of Christian counselling was considered very helpful by the Board.
An ACC is being set up in Serbia.
DD to speak to TO about setting up a wider pastoral care umbrella organisation in Europe.
Thanks to DD and John Nightingale for representing ACC UK.
Structure discussion
Finances: SMR to specify authority to spend and who has this. SMR to draft a paper to be discussed at the next Board meeting. This would probably need to be reviewed annually.
Clarification about what contractors can and cannot do.
For example, OK to sign for:
- The recruitment of network champions
PW, SMR, TR to discuss before the next Exec and provide that on paper.
Discussion about recruiting Board members – think about really good people by personal approach. Christian Vocations advert – PW to place – TR to provide wording. Counsellors, Education, Marketing skills, Pastoral Carer (a lay person to represent the public), 3 vacancies.
AGM
SMR to approach Willows affiliate for a date in weeks beginning 4 and 11 July to combine the AGM with a training event or retreat. To work with PW on the stages of this project.
Articles of Memorandum and Association
SMR is checking whether Committee of Management can be technologically assisted, e.g. via Skype. If need be, how should the articles be amended.
Date of next meeting
20 April 2016 via Skype
8 June 2016 (to approve accounts) at HQ