Regional groups

Regional groups are an important part of ADSHE membership. As well as networking opportunities, regional groups organise events and visiting speakers. Any ADSHE member is welcome to get involved in their regional group. Contact the link people mentioned in your local regional groups page. If you are not sure if there is a regional group in your area, or would like to start a group in an area where there isn’t one already, contact our two regional group coordinators,  Regional representative for the north: Sandra Falshaw or Regional representative for the south : Julia Tait

We are also exploring opportunities to hold national meetings in the regions.  We have held meetings in Cardiff and Leeds.  Offers to host such meetings would be welcomed by the Executive committee (you don’t have to organise the whole meeting, just help us use your venue!).

Regional groups can claim up to £300 per year from ADSHE funds to be used for guest speakers, training days etc. Regional group leaders can claim this by downloading an expenses claim form filling it in and returning to adshedyslexia@yahoo.co.uk .

REGIONAL GROUP GUIDELINES

Objectives:

  • to provide a facility for networking outside of national meetings
  • to have local contacts with whom to share, advise, discuss and exchange views
  • to organise and run workshops/training if agreed by members
  • to disseminate national and local practice
  • to report the views of members via the Regional Organiser to the ADSHE Executive committee

    • Powers:

  • to hold meetings in different venues
  • to arrange and deliver training
  • to conduct research
  • to work collaboratively on papers/presentations

    • Membership:

  • membership is open to all institutional and individual members of ADSHE who have an interest in assisting the group to achieve its aims.
  • members may attend a convenient group venue regardless of the suggested regional boundaries

    • Regional Coordinator

  • a Regional Coordinator  should be appointed whose role is to coordinate, arrange and facilitate regular meetings and with responsibility to ensure that another member does this if absent.
  • the position of Regional Coordinator should be reviewed every year. It is suggested that 3 years is the maximum time for this role.
  • the Regional Coordinator should notify the ADSHE Web Coordinator of forthcoming meetings to be publicised on jiscmail and send a copy of meeting notes to the Regional Representative of the Executive Committee for publication on the website.

    • Meetings:

  • the regularity and location of meetings are left to the discretion of the group membership
  • notice of meetings should be given to group and national members at least a month in advance via jiscmail
  • meeting notes should be taken by a member of the group. It is suggested that this task is taken in turn by members (possibly by the host institution) who are then responsible for forwarding the notes to the Regional Coordinator
  • certificates of attendance can be given and any presentations or trainings noted on them

    • Funding

  • in principle the burden and cost of hosting meetings should be shared between the institutions involved
  • regional groups can apply for an annual sum of money to help fund costs associated with workshops/speakers/training.  Currently this is £300 per annum but this amount is reviewed annually.

    • Notes from Regional Organisers’ Meeting Saturday 14.1.12.

    Attendees: Sandra Falshaw (chair and Exec), Julia Tait (Exec), Bob Burwell – regional co-ordinator North East, Rebecca Parkin – joint regional co-ordinator, London and South-East, Margaret Ellis – joint regional co-ordinator, North West , Kassandra Clemens – regional co-ordinator Cornwall and Devon, Gail Alexander – regional co-ordinator, South

    Apologies: Sue Lawrence – Regional Co-ordinator, Thames Valley, Carol Thomas – joint regional coordinator North West, Madeleine Edwards –joint regional co-ordinator London and South East.

    Sandra introduced the meeting; she welcomed everyone and thanked them for giving up a Saturday morning. She explained that the ADSHE Exec were very keen that the regional groups should expand as a way of expanding membership and there was general agreement that regional groups were an effective way of helping dyslexia specialists to exchange good practice and feel less isolated.

    1. Checking guidelines
    The following points were made about the guidelines:

    • In ‘objectives’ delete ‘if agreed by members’
    • Participants at regional group meetings initially do not have to be a member of ADSHE but they need to join if they attend more than one or two meetings.
    • Regional group funds are £300 per year to be spent on workshops/training and the amount is reviewed annually.
    • It is to be welcomed if HEs can provide lunch but this may not be possible in these lean times.
    • It was agreed that ‘Regional Coordinator’ was the preferred term for the person who arranges regional meetings
    • SF to clarify whether ADSHE members who deliver training at regional group meetings could be paid.

    2. What works in your region?

    Time was given for organisers to reflect on what had gone well and what had gone less well in their regional meetings. A snapshot of comments below.

    • Benefits: chance to network, share concerns and good practice, sense of occasion, day with a difference, speakers from other areas of expertise, sharing research, a good lunch, focusing on members’ needs, training & reviews of another’s experiences, informative, exchanging ideas, supportive, good for freelance tutors, collaboration opportunities, the ‘buzz’ of the like minded, reassurance, cheap CPD opportunities, responsive attitude, friendly, good mix of members and interests.
    • Negatives: organisation often falls to one person, people not turning up, difficulty in finding mutually convenient dates and times, general passivity, taking notes, recruiting new members, late administration, time to organise events, some travel a long way with implications for time and cost.

    3. Compiling useful information for use in regional workshop
    Julia and Sandra would like to compile a list of good speakers who have provided training/workshops either at previous ADSHE meetings or any training/conferences/meetings which can be put on website for reference when planning regional meetings. Regional Organisers and members to be asked to inform them of good speakers, topics, workshops etc.
    Some suggestions so far:

    • Pat Francis – workshop on inspiring writing with Art students
    • Optometrist – Owen Lergh
    • Distance Learning
    • Quality Assurance – Janet Skinner
    • ADHD
    • Davis Method

    4. Research –identifying in your areas
    There is a lot of valuable research going on at various institutions and parts of the country and it would useful to know about this to be able to put people in touch with each other etc if there is overlap. It was felt that the regional meetings were a good forum for discussing ongoing research projects and feeding back to ADSHE Exec and members. Potential research workshops/talks could also be identified for future ADSHE events.

    5. Expanding membership in region
    It would be helpful if members in a regional group could identify potential institutions in their area who are not currently members and use contacts to increase the regional group sizes and ADSHE membership overall. It would also help the Marketing and Publicity Officer on the Exec to have personal links in this way in their bid to increase membership overall.

    6. Boundaries – or not?
    There are no geographical boundaries; members may attend whichever group is most convenient

    7. Quality Assurance Update
    Sandra fed back from the Professional Peer Review Day on Monday 9th Jan.

    8. Staffing Ratios
    Bob opened a discussion on this topic. It would be useful to take the views of regional organisers as to whether ADSHE could be a vehicle to review staffing ratios and contracted staff and urge resistance to agency organisation.