New Forums for Members’ Staff

The MMSST is pleased to announce the launch of two new forums for Members’ Staff, one for Parliamentary Assistants and Researchers and one for staff in Communication and Administration roles.

There are now four dedicated Forums for Members’ staff, each tailored to specific job roles. The forums serve as a space for you to connect with colleagues, ask questions, share best practices, and stay informed about services, training opportunities, and upcoming events.

Join the Casework Discussion Forumfor staff who handle casework.
Join the Office Management Forum for staff with office management responsibilities (e.g., Office Manager, Chief of Staff).
*NEW* Join the Parliamentary Assistants and Researchers Forum
*NEW* Join the Communications and Administration Forum(e.g., communications manager, communications officer, administration officer).

Avoid health misinformation: Improving constituents’ health literacy

Good Information Toolkit Talk from the House of Commons Library

How does health literacy impact constituents and the NHS? Join us for an essential session focused on improving health literacy, where we will ask:

What is health literacy?

Understand the fundamentals and why it’s important for effective communication in our communities.
Why does it matter to the NHS and your constituents?
Discover how improved health literacy can lead to better patient outcomes, reduce health inequalities, and help you support your constituents.
How can we empower constituents to understand information about their health
Explore how we can improve understanding in written and verbal information. We’ll also step into the shoes of patients who don’t understand what they’re being told about their health, and think about how we can communicate with empathy.

If you’re working in a constituency, this session can help you engage with communities about their health and support informed decision-making.

Time: 14:00
Date: 20 May 2025
Location: Online
Further information and registration: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=7476

Casework Discussion Forum: Local transport Q&A

Time: 14:30 – 15:30
Date: 8 May 2025
Location: Online via MS Teams

The Casework Discussion Forum takes place each month via MS Teams.

The topic for May’s forum meeting will be a Local transport Q&A (UK wide). We’ll be joined by Roger Tyers and Mike Benson from the Library’s Business and Transport team, and Iona Stewart from the Library’s Social and General Statistics team.

Book your place on Act.

The forum is complemented by a dedicated Teams chat which enables you to share ideas and best practice, with support being on hand from the Library should specialist knowledge be required.

You do not have to be a caseworker to attend these sessions – they are open to any Members’ staff who handle casework.

MP Office Manual

Between June 2023 to June 2024 a cross-party group of civic technologists worked together to create the MP Office Manual. They are all keen to see MPs with well run offices contributing to a flourishing democracy in the UK.

You can read it at mpofficemanual.uk

The proposals in the manual come from in-depth interviews with current and former MPs office staff and expert advice from 30+ practitioners, allied with a survey of staff members and a review of current literature including all past guides and examples found on w4mp, Hansard Society, and Parliament.

We hope you find it useful – and if you have any suggestions for improving it please get in touch.

Casework Discussion Forum: Home Office MP account management team

Time: 10:30 – 11:30
Date: 8 April 2025
Location: Online via MS Teams

The Casework Discussion Forum takes place each month via MS Teams.

For the April 2025 forum we will be joined by staff from the Home Office MP account management team. The session will provide an overview of the Home Office MPAM team and a chance for the team to hear feedback from caseworkers.

Book your place on Act.

Invitation for MPs: Bank of England Briefing

The Bank of England wishes to invite Members of Parliament to a briefing in Portcullis House on Thursday 27^th March from 9.30-11.00:

How the Work of the Bank of England Affects Your Constituents

The Bank’s wide-ranging work – on interest rates, the safety of the financial system, managing the UK’s high-value payment system, and supplying genuine, difficult-to-counterfeit banknotes, among other areas – directly affects people and businesses up and down the country.

With an interest rate decision on 20th March, this will be an ideal opportunity to ask your questions and learn more about the work of the Bank of England.

Please book a place via the Member Training Learning Portal here or by emailing trainingmpandmpstaff@parliament.uk

Members’ Staff Annual Conference 2025

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 play in supporting constituencies and parliamentary work.

The day will feature a series of workshops led by both internal and external guest speakers, all centred around the theme of housing.

To find out more and to sign up to the event please visit ParliNet: ParliNet | Members’ Staff Annual Conference 2025.

If you have any questions, please contact MMSST@parliament.uk.

How the Library can help you with casework – Caseworker Discussion Forum

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 – 15:30
Date: Thursday 13 February 2025
Location: Online via MS Teams
Booking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1953

Bank of England Briefing Session in Leeds for MPs’ Staff

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 Leeds. However, this will be a hybrid session, so MPs’ staff based around the country are welcome to get in touch and attend online. Depending on demand, we will offer further sessions at our offices around the country, including in Glasgow, Belfast, and Cardiff.

Senior Bank staff will deliver a briefing on the Bank’s three main policy areas – monetary policy, financial stability, and prudential regulation – and an introduction to our Leeds office and plans for expansion. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion of how the Bank’s decisions affect constituents up and down the country. With an interest rate decision on 20 March, this will be an ideal opportunity to ask your questions and learn more about the work of the Bank of England.

If you would like to attend, please email ParliamentaryAffairs@bankofengland.co.uk to book a place in person or request a link to attend online.

Please note this session is for MPs’ staff only. However, we hold regular briefing sessions for MPs to keep them up to date on the Bank’s policymaking. The next session for MPs will be held in Portcullis House on 27 March and Members are welcome to get in touch to book a place.

Full Fact: January Caseworker Discussion Forum

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 – 11:30
Date: Thursday 16 January 2024
Location: Online via MS Teams
Booking: https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1953

Read more about Full Fact here: https://fullfact.org/about/