Training

NEW Workshops with Professor Jennifer Lees-Marshment

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Professor Jennifer Lees-Marshment from the University of Dundee will be delivering a series of workshops for Members’ staff this autumn.

These interactive sessions are designed to encourage peer learning through discussion and breakout groups. The workshops will provide participants with the opportunity to share experiences, explore key topics and issues, and learn from colleagues across Parliament. All sessions will take place virtually via Microsoft Teams.

Further details about each workshop can be found on the ACT sign-up pages.

2 September, 2 – 3.30 pm
The pathway to success: understanding the capabilities developed as a Members’ staffer
For all Members’ staff.

14 October, 2 – 3.30 pm
Practical approaches to managing workloads in Members’ offices
Recommended for those with management responsibilities.

4 November, , 2 – 3.30 pm
Giving impactful feedback in Members’ offices
Recommended for those with management responsibilities.

Jennifer has also developed a Political Staffer Resource Centre: see https://www.dundee.ac.uk/political-staffer-resource-centre. This online resource shares guidance on a wide range of topics related to managing political staff including managing workloads, giving impactful feedback, wellbeing strategies for Members’ offices, maintaining morale and motivation and recruiting and orientating new staff. 

Caseworker Discussion Forum: Housing Ombudsman

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Time: 14:00 – 15:00
Date: Wednesday 19 August 2026
Location: Online via Teams
Booking: book via ACT

We’ll be joined by staff from the Housing Ombudsman and Library subject specialists
Online booking closes 90 minutes before the forum meeting. To request a place after online booking has closed please email LibraryTraining@parliament.uk

WWG Talk – Cultivating Psychological Safety

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Time: 14:00 – 15:00
Date: Tuesday 11 August 2026
Location: Online via MS Teams
Booking: Please email mpsstaff-wwg@parliament.uk from your parliamentary email address

Work Well Being

In this 60-minute introductory talk we explore what we mean by the term psychological safety and why it matters. We share a neurobiological model to understand and master our own internal sense of safety and explain the benefits collectively on how we work together, understand each other, and align. The talk explains how this contributes to creating an equitable and fair working environment.

It provides individuals with tools to help them gain and maintain a sense of agency and self-awareness in situations that can be challenging to navigate.

Relevant for all staff, participants will leave the session with a greater understanding of the concept of psychological safety and the actions they can take to create a safe working environment for themselves and those around them.

Outcomes

  • Explore what a psychologically safe working environment is like and why it matters
  • Learn tools to master your own internal sense of safety regardless of the external environment
  • Find out about the neurobiology of safety and how to apply that in your day to day working life
  • Learn an easily applicable model to navigate challenging situations with a greater sense of ease.
  • Find out about safe boundaries for yourself and what is expected of you at work

Dr. B. is a medical doctor, author and thought leader in the fields of mental health, workplace wellbeing and the science that brings these together. She is an Associate at Work Well Being, helping organisations strengthen wellbeing, leadership and team performance through practical, evidence based training. Since 2014, Work Well Being has supported hundreds of organisations across the UK.

Welcome to Parliament (Members’ Staff Induction)

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Welcome to Parliament.

The new joiner induction sessions are available to book via the ACT portal. If you have a new joiner in your office, please share with them.

This session will welcome you to being part of the Parliamentary community and cover essential information from key House services that will help you to settle in and get off to a good start in your new role.

If you have not yet obtained your parliamentary network access and would like to book, please contact MMSST@parliament.uk

Time: 10:00 – 12:00
Date: Thursday 3 September 2026
Location: Online via MS Teams
Booking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1341

Library talk – Local government reorganisation: Vantage point summer 2026

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Time: 10:30 – 11:30
Date: 9 July 2026
Location: Online via Teams
Booking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=9728

This talk will analyse the decisions made on local government reorganisation in March 2026, and the implications of any developments since. It will then reiterate the timetable for the implementation of the policy. It will also trace the implications for Government decisions on the remainder of two-tier areas in England.

Bank of England: Setting interest rates and the Monetary Policy Committee

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Training session with the Bank of England

Time: 13:00 – 15:00
Date: Tuesday 7 July 2026
Location: Parliament
Further information and booking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=2339

Inflation, Setting Interest Rates & the MPC

Join Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Megan Greene, for a Lunch & Learn followed by Q&A on how the Bank of England sets interest rates to meet the 2% inflation target.

Library/NAO talk: Unlocking land for housing

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Time: 10:30 – 11:30
Date: 2 July 2026
Location: Online via Teams
Booking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=9857

The government has set a milestone to deliver 1.5 million new homes over this Parliament to July 2029. This will require building more than 300,000 homes per annum on average, a level of housebuilding that was last achieved in the 1960s. The government says a chronic undersupply of land underpins the housing crisis. It believes there is suitable land in England for housebuilding that is not being developed by the market as it is not profitable or attractive enough for developers to build on in its current form. This can be due to factors such as the need for remediation work, a lack of infrastructure such as roads, or pieces of land making up a site being owned by different people or companies.

Join the National Audit Office as they discuss the key findings from their report on Unlocking land for housing. They assess whether MHCLG’s programmes to increase the supply of suitable land for housing development are effectively supporting the government’s ambitions to build the right homes in the right places. 

The National Audit Office (NAO) is the UK’s independent public spending watchdog. It supports Parliament in holding government to account and helps improve public services through its audits.

Library/NAO talk: Access to Work scheme

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Time: 10:30 – 11:30
Date: 25 June 2026
Location: Online via Teams
Booking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=9875

Access to Work is a demand-led grant scheme to help people get, or stay in, work if they have a physical or mental health condition or disability. Funding may pay for things like specialist equipment, support workers such as a British Sign Language interpreter, the costs of travelling to work and physical adaptations to the workplace.  The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) typically approves support for individuals for three years, up to a maximum annual total, which was £69,260 in 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Join the National Audit Office as they discuss key findings from their report on The Access to Work scheme, which covers:

  • the purpose of the Access to Work scheme
  • take-up of the scheme
  • how DWP is managing the increased take-up of the scheme

The National Audit Office (NAO) is the UK’s independent public spending watchdog. It supports Parliament in holding government to account and helps improve public services through its audits.

Library talk: The NATO Summit 2026

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The NATO summit will take place in Ankara on 7 and 8 July. Join Library experts from our International Affairs and Defence team to find out more about the key topics for discussion and what we might expect from the Summit.

Time: 10:30 – 11:30
Date: 18 June 2026
Location: Online via Teams
Booking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=10108