Project updates

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October – Lighting the career paths!

Much focus has been directed towards developing the Career Framework across the professions, a Working Group met to discuss the draft proposal and feedback is being reviewed for next steps. The outcome will be a comprehensive document to showcase the skills and competencies attributed to Art, Drama, and Music Therapy professionals at different stages of their career. This document will enable professionals to review their own development and help them to consider future trainings or direction, in context to the wider professional landscape.

Joining back up with with the programme course leads, a very positive and constructive meeting took place to consider the clinical and simulation hours required for professional registration and how a consensus may look across Art, Drama and Music Therapy programmes. This consensus will enable important funding opportunities for students and placement employers alike, ensuring those who want to train, can! We look forward to meeting again for next steps.

Pre-production is now officially underway! Our films to showcase the different stages of career are being thoughtfully considered in line with our career framework development. These films will offer important insights from experienced ‘Role Models’ across our professions, and showcase a breadth of directions and perspectives – bringing the career pathways to life.

 

September – Spotlighting Service Users & compiling our reports!

The month began with a Course Leads focus group. It was great to have so many involved across Art, Drama, and Music Therapy programmes. More specifically, discussions centered on inclusivity and admissions processes. The forum offered a place to discuss best practice across the professions and to reflect together on those applying to train and what support may be required. We look forward to more discussions with them next month!

The largest piece of work that has been underway, has been the compiling of our reports across Art, Drama, and Music Therapy. Each professional body has elected a representative to review and create a synthesis of the data captured, from: service users, public polling, employers, the memberships and trainees. This important report underpins our Project A aims towards raising public awareness of the professions as well as informing both our important curricula and career conversations, of Project B and C. Planning is underway for Practice Placement educators, as well as lecturers and workshop facilitators to contribute further to this work.

Lastly, our most exciting launch has been our call-out to service users to contribute to our films directly! It has been important to us to hear from those who have experienced the therapeutic benefits of the professions first hand. We want to hear their voices, aiming to hear from those across the UK, and across demographic boundaries.

August – A dialogue with you!

A huge amount of work has been underway this summer month. Primarily, the work has centred on finalising our data collection tasks of Project A and B. This has included recieving and reviewing the results of our public polls, with a secondary analysis now underway for the benefit of the commission’s aims.

More practically, we have run a number of focus groups. We have been really pleased and grateful for the turn out and willingness to contribute by so many. It has been important to us to reach out to those across the UK and across different sectors to ensure we are getting as clear an image as possible of the current experience, perspectives, and key take aways of the professions. We have held forums with Service Users across art, drama, and music therapy, and with Employers of therapists across the professions. All of which have garnered essential feedback.

Trainee reps have been signed up, taking part in a researcher-led training day, which gave them, and the commission, the opportunity for trainee-led focus groups to take place. We have heard great feedback from these, all appreciating the forum to not only discuss the commission’s recent trainee survey but mainly, to enable collaboration and discussion with peers across courses. We have also been contacting our winners from the Trainee Survey prize draw! We thank all trainees again for taking part in submitting their surveys, your experience offers a valuable perspective to this commission.

In Project C, attention has been drawn to the career framework of the professions, with a working group being set up to thoughtfully consider all aspects of this endeavour. Consultants across the professions have been engaged with to bring further value to the project.

As part of Project A, BAAT held a ‘Cultivating creativity!’ competition for members to submit proposals for an online, self-directed resource, which could be used to support a) children and b) young people/adults, to go on their own creative adventures. Submissions are currently being read!