Thank you to members across Wales and Scotland who supported our recent election campaign by writing to candidates standing in the Senedd and Holyrood Elections.

Over the past month, more than 1,500 letters were sent to share our manifesto asks for both new Governments and to ask them to place counselling at the top of their political priorities.

Meeting politicians

With your vital support, we were able to reach 54% of newly elected members of the Scottish Parliament, and 64% of new Senedd members in Wales.

This has helped us secure early meetings with 19 politicians across both nations.

The campaign has been hugely valuable in helping us to identify political allies to ensure counselling and psychotherapy remains on the political agenda.

Our members' expertise

It's also important that policy commitments, made by the new Governments in both nations, draw on the capacity and expertise of our members.

In Scotland, the new SNP Government has made several important commitments which we believe could provide opportunities for the profession and additionally align closely with BACP’s Scotland manifesto. These include the expansion of NHS mental health and community provision, a pledge to expand counselling in schools and their commitment to legislate for a ban on conversion practices.

The new Welsh Government, Plaid Cymru, have also echoed several key BACP policy asks in their manifesto. These include our call to increase the number of counsellors and mental health professionals in primary care, to expand mental health support in schools and to prioritise a ban on conversion practices.

Establish relationships

 Steve Mulligan, our Four Nations, Lead said

“Given changes to the political make-up of an expanded Senedd and the record numbers of MSPs retiring in Holyrood, it’s more important than ever that we rapidly establish relationships and build recognition of the vital work our members are doing in Scotland and Wales with a larger cohort of new elected members.

“Every email sent by our members has helped us to build political allies across both nations who we hope will play a key role to help us champion the profession in through the course of this parliament.”