A new online course has become available for Members’ staff – an introduction to British Sign Language. If you would be interested in joining the waiting list for this course, please follow this link: https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=2366

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…

The topic for March’s forum meeting will be the Police complaints system (England & Wales). We’ll be joined by William Downs from the Library’s Home Affairs Section for an overview of the police complaints and conduct system, including recent changes to the conduct system, common misunderstandings of police complaints and a Q&A. Time: 14:30 –…

The Members and Members’ Staff Services Team (MMSST) invites you to attend the first ever Members’ Staff Annual Conference. The event will take place on Wednesday 19 March 2025, and will be a hybrid event with spaces available to attend in-person (Portcullis House) and online via Teams. The conference will spotlight the crucial role that Members’ staff…

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) produces a wide range of reliable and impartial scientific research for Parliament. Recent articles include: To see the full range of research topics, please visit https://post.parliament.uk/

In May 2024, the House of Commons Commission endorsed a number of changes to vetting policies, including that all Members’ staff funded by IPSA must be security cleared and this will come into force on 1 April 2025. Please see this news article for further information: https://parlinet.parliament.uk/information-resources/news-newsletters-notices/news/2025/february/changes-to-members-staff-security-vetting/ and also this w4mp guide to security clearance…

Are you preparing for selection or candidacy to be an MS? Elect Her is running two  “How Can I Become an MS in Wales?” workshops in February.  Date – Thursday 20th February  Time – 12-1.30pm and/ or 7pm – 8.15 pm   Join us, hear current MS’s explain what it is like to stand, win and be…

Elect Her wants to give you the personal space and time you need, to ask us anything about your journey to elected office so we can signpost you directly to resources and opportunities that we and our partners have in place. Do you have questions you’d like to ask about how to get started, what…

Time: 14:30 – 16:30Date: Monday 24 February 2025Location: Attlee Suite, Portcullis House The Members and Members’ staff Services Team (MMSST) invites all Members’ staff to attend the first All Members’ Staff Networking Event of 2025. The event is an opportunity for you to connect with fellow Members’ staff and meet colleagues from the services that…

The guest speakers at the February Caseworker Discussion Forum will be from the House of Commons Library, covering FAQ pages, online resources, requesting information and more. Time: 14:30 – 15:30Date: Thursday 13 February 2025Location: Online via MS TeamsBooking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1953

The Wellness Working Group is excited to once again share with you the now Annual WWG Survey of Staff working for Members of Parliament You may remember that the Wellness Working Group undertakes this important anonymous survey of MPs staff to better understand the pressures and effects that our jobs have on our wellbeing. We…

Elect Her is inviting any women preparing for selection to come to a drop in space, where we can get to know you and support you. We are offering this as an opportunity so we can understand what you need help and support with. Whatever it is you need come and join us and our…

Elect Her is running two “How Can I Become an MSP?” workshops in February.  Times: 12:00 – 13:30 and 19:00 – 20:15Date: Thursday 5 February  Join us, hear current MSP’s explain what it is like to stand, win and be in office and find out more! 

The Bank of England would like to invite MPs’ staff based in and around Leeds and the surrounding regions to attend a briefing session on the work of the Bank on Monday 10 March from 10.00-12.00. For those who would like to attend in person, the session will be held at the Bank’s offices on Greek Street in…

From 23 January schools can apply online for a free school visit to UK Parliament From 10am on Thursday 23 January, schools in each constituency will be able to request a free school visit to UK Parliament this Summer Term (April to July).  Eligible schools visiting from outside London and the South East of England…

Join the Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff network in an online Q&A with the Rt. Hon. Lucy Powell M.P. on Tuesday 4 February 2025. For further information and to learn more about the LWPSN, please see here: https://w4mp.org/w4mp-guides/groups-which-staff-can-join/representation/labour-womens-parliamentary-staff-network/lwpsn-whats-on/

Time: 11:30 – 14:00Date: Tuesday 14 January 2025Location: Portcullis House Hub Members and Members’ staff are invited to join us for the first session of our new monthly ‘Meet the Director’ drop-ins in the Portcullis House Hub. Directors from key House Administration teams that provide services to Members will be available to answer your questions,…

Interest in and use of AI tools like Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, ChatGPT and Policy Mogul‘s AI Assistant continues to grow, and more and more staff members will have access to these services on their computers, tablets and phones. So far everything you read on w4mp is ‘generated by real people’ but who knows what’s coming…

The guest speakers at the January Caseworker Discussion Forum will be from Full Fact, the fact checkers and campaigners who find, expose and counter the harm done by bad information. Time: 10:30 – 11:30Date: Thursday 16 January 2024Location: Online via MS TeamsBooking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1953 Read more about Full Fact here: https://fullfact.org/about/

Join the Parliamentary Registrar for a training session on how to register Members’ financial interests.   Time: 11:30 – 13:00Date: Tuesday 10 December 2024Location: In-Person and OnlineBooking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=2309

Meta are hosting a virtual training for MPs and their staffers to showcase the tools they can use to stay safe and secure across Meta technologies next week Friday 6th Dec at 10h00.  As part of this training, they will also cover Meta Support Pros, a dedicated support service to address operational and technical issues…

The last recommended posting dates this Christmas are: 1st Class mail: Friday 20 December 2nd Class mail: Wednesday 18 December. Overseas dates may be considerably earlier – see https://www.royalmail.com/christmas/last-posting-dates for details.

This training is essential for all MPs staff, and it is booked up many weeks in advance. Please do book on to the first available course here: Course: Behaviour Code – Why it matters for all new Members’ Staff. The Behaviour Code outlines clear guidelines on how you should be treated, and how you should…

A training session provided by the House of Commons, aimed at Member’s staff caseworkers. Time: 15:00 – 16:30Date: Tuesday 10 December 2024Location: OnlineBooking essential – https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1918 Casework and correspondence to MPs from resettled refugees in constituencies across the UK has grown in recent years as the number of resettled refugees arriving in the UK has…

10:30 – 15:30 on Tuesday 26 November 2024 To mark Men’s Health Awareness Month, the Parliamentary Health and Wellbeing Service (PHWS) and Parligender have partnered together with Andy’s Man Club and Prostate Cancer UK. Andy’s Man Club are a charity who raise awareness for men’s mental health by facilitating groups all across the UK and Prostate Cancer…

Next Wednesday (27 Nov) The House magazine will publish the first edition of a new bi-weekly newsletter, The Staff Room, written by and for MPs’ staff. It will meet the increasing professionalisation needs of its audience; you’ll learn how to support MPs with parliamentary duties, get training and career development tips, manage offices, use parliamentary facilities and much…

Time: 12:00Date: Wednesday 27 November 2024 This online webinar is your chance to learn about the value that PolicyMogul provides for MPs, peers and parliamentary staff. As well as an overview of the platform’s features, we will highlight some best practices related to getting the most out of the platform. Session includes Q&A. PolicyMogul is…

IPSA has launched a new consultation: ‘Supporting trust in democracy in the new Parliament’. IPSA is consulting on proposed changes to how it regulates and publish MPs’ funding, including changes to the Scheme of MPs’ Staffing and Business Costs. It’s really important that as many MPs and staff as possible respond to the consultation, and…

All councillors in the Elect Her community are invited to Join Us Bring a coffee☕/ tea 🍵/ drink🥛🍸of your choice! Choose a time that best matches your schedule… Thursday 21st November, at 1-2pm and also 7-8pm If you haven’t already told us that you’re a councillor tell us here… https://www.elect-her.org.uk/events-workshops/councillors-coffee-nov21 and we’ll email you zoom…

An Online Workshop with Elect Her On Wednesday 27th November Join our workshop to help you prepare to stand in 2026. You’ll also hear from current politicians – on what it is like to stand, win and be an MSP! We are grateful to have Roz McCall MSP, Scottish Conservative, and Gillian MacKay MSP, Scottish Greens, and…

An Online Workshop with Elect Her On Wednesday 20th November We are running the event at both – 12pm and 7pm – so choose the time that works for you! At 12pm – 13.30pm – we’ll be joined by Natasha Asghar MS, and Sioned Williams MS.At 7pm – 8.30pm – we’ll be joined by Jane…

The Wellness Working Group is excited to share the below in-person session that The House is hosting during the New Parliament Fair https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=2294 Please do take a look at what we feel will be a really helpful session Title:  Finding balance: Mastering the Art of Work-Life Harmony – 14:00 – 14.30pm (Boothroyd Room), 20th November…

The Right to Remain Toolkit is a step-by-step guide to the UK immigration and asylum system. It’s free to use, and it’s for people who want to learn more about the legal process, or a particular part of the legal process. It’s written in simple terms by legal experts and by people who have lived…

The Bank or England invites parliamentary staffers into the Bank of England for a briefing session, covering the Bank’s main policy areas. The event will take place in the Bank’s offices on Threadneedle Street, and will consist of talks and Q&A sessions with Bank staff on their areas of expertise. Time: 09:00 – 12:00Date: Friday…

Invitation for Parliamentary Staff The Open University Westminster Showcase Thursday 14 November, 1.15-3pm (drop in at any time)Attlee Suite, Portcullis House Dear all, We would like to invite you to The Open University Westminster Showcase, an event dedicated to Parliamentary staff members. The event will be held on Thursday 14th November, 1.15-3pm in the Attlee…

User researchers in PDS are currently planning research on several topics in the coming months to better understand the needs of Members and their staff. This research will ultimately inform new digital services and improvements to existing services, including how amendments to bills are tabled and supported, how Hansard is used, and how interests are…

The Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network is hosting an online book talk and Q&A with Jess Phillips MP. Time: 12:30 – 13:30Date: Thursday 21 November 2024 To receive an invitation to this online event, please email [email protected] For further information about the LWPSN, please see here: https://w4mp.org/w4mp-guides/groups-which-staff-can-join/representation/labour-womens-parliamentary-staff-network/

In the November Benefits Newscast, David, Will and Kate discussed: To listen to this episode, please visit their website https://www.benefitstraining.co.uk/benefits-newscast/

RBL will be in Portcullis House Atrium between 8am and 6pm, we invite you to come over and find us for a chat about our new Caseworker guide and how we can work together. The Poppyride challenge for MPs and Peers is happening at the same time, so why not pop along and while you…

Virtual meeting from the Wellness Working Group Speaker: Sue HampsonTime: 11:00 – 12:00Date: Thursday 7th November 2024 Sue has been a practising counsellor, supervisor and trainer for over 20 years. She was the Beyond Trauma National Training Officer at Health in Mind from 2004 – 2006. Group Supervision will enable staff to safely and confidently…

The Civil Service Football Club (CSFC) is recruiting players for the 2024/25 season from across Government. CSFC run eleven teams competing in games across London, with the home ground being in Chiswick. This includes eight eleven-a-side men’s teams, two women’s teams and one veteran’s team (40+). If you fancy finding out more, please see this…

Have you heard of the Civil Service Sports Council? It’s a fantastic organisation which supports its members with physical, financial and mental wellbeing, as well as providing hundreds of other benefits. Staff of MPs and Peers are eligible to join. See our page here for further information: https://w4mp.org/w4mp/w4mp-guides/groups-which-staff-can-join/cssc/

Time: 14:30 – 15:30Date: Thursday 7 November 2024Location: Virtual via Microsoft Teams The November 2024 forum will focus on finding data about your constituency. Get an introduction to the constituency statistics provided by the Library, and how we can help you find data about postcodes and locations of services in your constituency. We will be joined…

Are you a runner? How do you fancy having a go at the Three Bridges Race in your lunchtime? The monthly Three Bridges Race from Westminster Bridge to Vauxhall Bridge, via Lambeth Bridge (the Three Bridges) has been going for nearly fifty years. It’s 2.3 miles, starting at 12.30pm on a Wednesday (ok, not great…

What: Talk Money Week parliamentary-drop in for MPs and staffWhen: Tuesday, 5 November, any time between 11am and 1pmWhere: Room R, Portcullis HouseWho: Meet representatives from the Money and Pensions Services’ debt advice, pensions, and national partnerships teams Why attend? MaPS is an arms length body, sponsored by the DWP, responsible for the delivery of free and…

There are two “How to be a Select Committee Member” events taking place this week. If your Member has recently been elected to a Select Committee, they are strongly encouraged to attend.  Wednesday 23 October 2024, 10am – 10.50am (Macmillan Room, Portcullis House).  Tuesday 29 October 2024, 10 – 10.50am (Macmillan Room, Portcullis House). The…

If you would like to order a wreath for Armistice Day or Remembrance Sunday, you can do so by contacting the Royal British Legion directly: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/ways-to-give/shop/wreaths They are able to provide a portcullis badge for the centre of the wreath, but you will need to request this at the time you order the wreath, and…

One question we are asked frequently is where can people download lists of contact details for MPs and Peers. There is a publicly-available list of MPs and their basic contact details on the UK Parliament website here: https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/freedom-of-information/information-we-already-publish/house-of-commons-publication-scheme/members-and-members-staff/parliamentary-contact-details-for-mps/ This list is updated every three months. It is also possible to view and download up-to-date comprehensive…

Are you going to be supporting a Member serving on a select committee? Or, do you simply want to understand more about how select committees work? The Select Committee Team is offering training for Members’ staff on ‘how to support your Member with select committee work’. This is a virtual event, which will be held…

This training session will be delivered by Protect, a UK independent whistleblowing charity and legal advice centre. Members of Parliament are designated in the law as people to whom whistleblowers can disclose information about wrongdoing, risks and malpractice. This training aims to help MPs and their staff who may receive concerns understand their role in…