We鈥檙e thrilled to have been shortlisted as a finalist in three categories of the Association Excellence Awards.

We鈥檝e been nominated for best lobbying campaign, best awareness campaign or advancement of a cause, and for best development of an existing association event.

The awards recognise the vital work that associations, trade bodies, professional organisations and chartered institutes do for and on behalf of their members to ensure their voices are heard and their causes are championed.

Best lobbying campaign nomination

Our Best Lobbying Campaign nomination is for our work to reverse the removal of funding for the pioneering Healthy Happy Minds primary school counselling programme, in Northern Ireland.

This involved establishing a coalition of representatives from a range of therapeutic
professional bodies and providers, and publishing a report in November 2023.

The report featured the voices of children, families, school staff and our members. It included impact data and return on investment evidence.

The campaign received cross-party support and we remain positive that we鈥檒l secure a commitment to re-establish funding for this vital programme.

Best development of an existing association event

We were shortlisted in the best new event category for March鈥檚 CYPF conference, which aimed to help our members recognise the challenges and opportunities of working with neurodiversity when supporting children and their families.

More than 300 attendees came along to the in-person conference and there were over 1,100 bookings for the online event. The conference was organised in partnership with our CYPF division.

The theme and content was chosen and shaped by members鈥� feedback and expertise. Post-event surveys showed attendees felt the conference had improved their knowledge on the subject.

Best awareness campaign nomination

We were also nominated in the category of best awareness campaign for our R.A.I.S.E. campaign, developed in partnership with our PR agency 23red.

R.A.I.S.E. aimed to help people spot the symptoms of depression in men and to encourage them to access professional support. The campaign used the apronym R.A.I.S.E. 鈥� which stands for risk-taking, anger, isolation, substance abuse and exhaustion.

It resulted in national media coverage and member Anthony Davis was invited to appear before the Health and Social Care Select Committee to talk about the campaign and mental health support for men.

Congratulations

Phil James, 香港六合彩精准资料 CEO, said: 鈥淢y huge congratulations go to everyone who worked on these projects.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a tremendous amount of passion, skill and hard work that goes into developing these impactful campaigns and events and this recognition is well-deserved for all these teams.

鈥淎ll three of these projects are a testament to how hard our staff work on behalf of our members 鈥� whether that鈥檚 offering events and learning opportunities on relevant and topical issues, championing our members鈥� expertise to the public, or campaigning for investment in counselling and psychotherapy and for paid work for our members.鈥�

The award winners will be announced at an event in London on 8 November.