Quick links
- How do BAPM Working Groups operate?
- Project timelines
- What support can the BAPM Office provide?
- Design support
- What templates and guidance are available?
- How do we ensure parent engagement?
- How does the consultation process work?
Introduction
Thank you for volunteering to chair a BAPM working group. As chair you will act as project manager to develop this piece of work. You will lead group meetings, retain overall editorial control of the document and act as the main point of contact for the BAPM office.
You will be expected to ensure that the project continues in a timely manner and that all group members get a chance to contribute and be heard.
Groups generally divide and conquer the work with individuals or small groups writing a section each. It will then be your responsibility to edit these sections into a coherent single document.
How do BAPM working groups operate?
BAPM working groups are set up to deliver a project on behalf of BAPM. Most often these are to create or revise a framework for practice or a toolkit on a specific topic. The working group will be made up of volunteers from the BAPM membership as well as representatives from relevant organisations. Some group members may be personally invited because of their specific expertise but most group members should apply through the open application process.
The BAPM office will help you to develop a terms of reference which will include the members needed on the group.
Working groups usually conduct all their meetings online as this is more cost and time effective and more accessible for group members. If a face-to-face meeting is needed for a specific reason then this can be considered.
Project timelines
It is expected that frameworks and toolkits will take 6-12 months to develop. Our standard timeline includes 6 virtual meetings although more can be added if needed. We want to keep up the momentum of the projects while being mindful that the documents are being written by unpaid volunteers that are contributing on top of their clinical work.
What support can the BAPM Office provide?
The BAPM Office can provide administrative and logistical support for meetings. At the start of the project you will agree the dates for the group meetings. The BAPM Office can set these meetings up in Teams and maintain a group email list.
The office will set up a Microsoft Teams space for the group to allow you to share documents. Where possible, someone from the office staff will attend meetings and they will record key points and actions. If a meeting is arranged for a time that no one in the office is available then we will let you know. We may be able to record the meeting and create notes from the recording if needed.
Design support
You do not need to do design work on the document, providing the text in a plain word document is fine. The BAPM office will then create a version to be circulated for consultation. Please read the BAPM language guide before you edit the document. Please only send the documents to the BAPM Office to be designed up when they are ready to go for consultation. Any changes received after this point will not be incorporated until after the consultation.
You will need to liaise with the team to provide guidance on suitable pictures and graphics to use. We can download pictures from photo libraries but if you want a picture included of something very specific then the working group will need to provide this along with permission for us to reproduce the photo or diagram.
If you wish to reproduce content from an external source, please ensure this is flagged to the BAPM Office team so we can seek the necessary permissions.
What templates and guidance are available?
The BAPM Office can provide you with the following templates:
Terms of reference template
Framework for practice template
BAPM language guide
Parent review template
How do we ensure parent engagement?
It is important that the documents are developed with input from parents and carers. The BAPM Office will help with finding a suitable representative to join the group. We will ask the parent / carer representative to feed in their thoughts at the start of the process. They may choose to attend the group meetings, or request a separate call or meeting with the chair. We will also ask them to review the document before it goes out for consultation.
How does the consultation process work?
BAPM frameworks are shared for six weeks for public consultation. The document is added to the BAPM website with a response form then publicised to our member list and on social media. We also have a stakeholder list of perinatal organisations that we contact about every consultation. You are welcome to review this list and suggest additional organisations to add to this.
Following the consultation deadline, the comments will be compiled and sent to you as chair to review. You will then need to respond to these and make any appropriate changes to the document. Each response does not need to be long, however if a comment is not going to be taken on board in the final version of the document a brief explanation as to why is helpful. If the consultation has raised any issues that need further discussion then a final working group meeting can be set up to discuss these and agree a final version of the document.
If you are working on a document other than a framework for practice then please discuss any consultation needed with the BAPM Office to agree a suitable process.
Thank you so much for considering volunteering to support BAPM’s work programme. Please contact the BAPM Office at any time if you have any more questions.