From their website:
Westminster Explained is the division of Dods Training which delivers the core skills for dealing with Parliament, Government and policy making. The practical nature of our innovative workshops is blended with discussion and reflection on theory. This combination will help you implement or influence policy and legislation in the UK or on an international stage.
Our courses are aimed at anyone in any sector with an interest in how decisions are taken – and implemented – in government.
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Working for an MP is an exciting and rewarding job, but at some point you may face exactly the same difficulties as you would in any other workplace – a dispute over your job description, a grievance against your employer or simply the need to put a collective case for improvements in working conditions.
The Unite Parliamentary Staff Branch represents staff of MPs, both in Parliament and in the constituency, and has many trained shop stewards who will be more than willing to help, however small your problem may seem. Our members’ well-being in the workplace is of the utmost importance to the branch.
MPs’ staff find themselves in a difficult position in terms of claiming their basic working rights. Whilst, legally, our MP is usually considered our employer, it is IPSA and the House Authorities who are our de facto employers, setting our pay levels, contractual terms and conditions, and working environment. Staff pay and employment conditions suffered a significant blow when the IPSA MPs’ Business Costs Scheme was introduced in 2010. Now, more than ever, it is important for MPs’ staff to speak with one voice on all of these issues, and the union is fighting to improve the terms for MPs’ staff under IPSA. The more staff who join, the stronger a case they can put for improvements in pay and conditions.
Unite has been representing the staff of Members of Parliament for over 35 years.
The Unite Parliamentary Staff Branch is part of the largest trade union in the UK, Unite and is regularly consulted by the Houses of Parliament authorities on issues affecting staff. We hope that if you have not already done so, you will join.
Where we fit in…
The Unite Parliamentary Staff Branch is based in Region 1 of the Union (London and the South East) but includes staff from all over England, Scotland and Wales. It has members who work for MPs and MEPs of all the major political parties and most of the smaller ones.
Follow the Unite Parliamentary Staff Branch on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/unitepsbranch
Training
The main resource for training for Members’ Staff is The Members’ Services Team.
Courses take place online, on the Parliamentary Estate and regionally, and if a course of interest is not available at a convenient location or date, they will endeavour to accommodate specific requirements, subject to sufficient demand (12 delegates and above).
Courses are free of charge to all Members’ staff who are paid through IPSA’s staffing allowance and travel costs to training events can be met from the expenses scheme administered by IPSA.
The full course catalogue is available via Act – the Parliamentary learning management system. Some courses are advertised as being for House staff, but MPs’ staff can still sign up for some of them, such as some of the courses from Parliamentary Digital. If in doubt, please do contact L&D for advice.
If you see a course you’d like to do, but there isn’t a session advertised yet, please do put yourself on the waiting list so that the MST knows that people are interested. This will also ensure that you get a notification of when a session is available.
email: MST@parliament.uk
House of Commons Library
The House of Commons Library arranges inductions, training and events for MPs and MPs’ staff. Visit the Library’s website to find out more.
To receive information on all upcoming Commons Library training courses and events, sign up for email updates for MPs’ staff and bookmark the Library’s ACT page.
Latest Training Courses
The government has asked all two-tier local government areas in England to produce unitary reorganisation plans. This talk will assess the initial proposals and indications of the Government’s thinking. Time: 10:30 – 11:30Date: Thursday 12 June 2025Location: Online via TeamsRegistration: On Act
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…
House of Commons Library Talk Session outline The government is expected to set out its defence and foreign policy priorities before the NATO summit. This talk will highlight the key points and lookahead to the main topics of discussion for NATO at its summit on 24-26 June. Time: 10:30 – 11:30Date: 19 June 2025Location: OnlineRegistration:…
Posted in Event, News, Training
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Tagged briefings, Commons Library, Defence, Foreign Policy, learning, library, NATO, research, training
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Presented by the National Audit Office and the House of Commons Library. Time: 10:30-11:30Date: Thursday 5 June 2025Location: Online via Teams Over one in four women are estimated to be victims of sexual assault or attempted assault in their lifetime, and one in 12 women are victims of VAWG each year, although the actual number…
Time: 14:30-15:30Date: 4 June 2025Location: Teams With Donal Galligan (Chief Executive of the Ombudsman Association) and Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) staff, as well as Library specialists covering different ombudsman schemesAlso: Digital Services staff will give a quick update on the Register of Interests for Members Staff service To register, please visit https://parliament.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=1953
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is hosting free thirty-minute webinars on bystander training. Here’s what they say: “There has been unprecedented demand for bystander training from both the business world and the general public after the tragic case of Sarah Everard. People and organisations want to take steps to address the prevalence of unwanted and aggressive…
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? If you’re working in a constituency, this session can help you engage with communities about their health…
Time: 14:30 – 15:30Date: 8 May 2025Location: 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…
A free seminar from the Pensions Policy Institute, kindly sponsored by Phoenix Group. Time: 12:00 – 13:00Date: Tuesday 13 May 2025Location: Central Hall Westminster, Dinsdale Young Room, Storey’s Gate, London, SW1H 9NH Pensions are important, but can be very confusing. We can help with this The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) would like to invite you…
House of Commons Library Talk Session outline People who move to the UK can often make it their permanent home after a while by applying for indefinite leave to remain and then British citizenship. We’ll discuss how this works, how long it normally takes and recent announcements in this area from both the Labour government…
