BACP Universities and Colleges promotes ethical, effective and professional counselling provision across the further and higher education sectors.

We aim to create a supportive, generative and informative forum for dialogue, networking, belonging, developing best practice and enhancing the provision of effective counselling for students and staff within further education, sixth form and universities.

Specifically, the division aims to be:

  • transparent and consultative
  • generative and innovative - constructively contributing to the development of good practice for the sector
  • inclusive and collaborative
  • responsive and supportive to members and institutes
  • good value for money and financially viable
  • pro-active in developing networking and conference events

We'd expect applicants to be practising counsellors, accredited by BACP and members of the University and Colleges division. We would consider exceptions to this if you have a particular skill or experience that would contribute to the value of the division.

Term of office

Executive members are appointed for up to three years. This may be extended for a further three years.

What you'll be doing

You'll attend up to four meetings a year. Many of these will be remote meetings but membership will involve attendance at physical meetings and events.

You'll be involved in ongoing tasks, which may include planning divisional events, writing for the journal, working on guidance material or attending events to network and build the profile of the division.

General responsibilities

You'll have the opportunity to:

  • implement the divisional strategy and ensure it aligns with our organisational strategy, so promoting counselling changes lives
  • engage with our members to better understand their views and what they want from the division
  • work collaboratively with BACP staff
  • promote the division's area of expertise and bring best practice into the work of the division and BACP
  • network and represent us and our members to wider stakeholder groups, addressing issues and concerns
  • act as an ambassador and advocate for BACP and for counselling provision within the FE and HE sector

Carrying out the role

As a divisional executive, you'll:

  • attend divisional executive meetings and read through papers and documentation. Where possible, we set meeting dates 12 months in advance
  • adhere to our volunteer policies, procedures and code of conduct
  • adhere to and support the governance framework
  • maintain absolute confidentiality for any sensitive or confidential information you receive while carrying out the role
  • work within the principles of the BACP Ethical Framework
  • be committed to addressing needs across the four nations of the UK

Skills and abilities

You should:

  • be practising as a counsellor within the sector with a demonstrable understanding of the needs of students and staff
  • understand the diversity of therapeutic models and work constructively with these
  • have good, independent judgement
  • be able to think creatively and strategically
  • understand the responsibilities of the position
  • be IT literate: willing and able to use technology on BACP business
  • have sound communication skills

The following skills are desirable but not essential:

  • experience in social media - Twitter, blogs, Facebook etc
  • experience in PR
  • an understanding of organising events or CPD workshops
  • interest in promoting good practice and research
  • awareness of diversity and the importance of taking this into account in practice

If you have other skills that are not listed but you feel we could benefit from, we'd be happy to hear from you.

Remuneration

There is no remuneration for this role, however, reasonable expenses incurred in carrying out the volunteering role will be reimbursed in line with our volunteers expenses policy.

To apply

For more information or to apply for this volunteering role, please send your cv and an application letter stating your relevant skills, knowledge and experience to governance@bacp.co.uk. 

BACP has made it our responsibility when attracting and meeting with new talent to be inclusive and accessible, we welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented communities. BACP is Disability Confident Committed and we'll make reasonable adjustments wherever possible to support you in your application and candidate journey throughout the recruitment process.

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