Each year, we offer a range of virtual and face-to-face events to strengthen links between DsPH and improve practice, including:
- Annual Conference
- DPH Workshop
- Associate Workshop
- New DsPH Workshop
- ADPH/LGA Conference
If you know any potential sponsors who might be interested in supporting any of our events, please contact us.
What
Our mentoring scheme is an excellent development opportunity for both mentors and mentees and matches members with more experienced colleagues.
Mentees
“It has been a crucial part of my professional development over the past 12 months.”
Currently Full Members with less than two years’ experience as a DPH and Associate Members are eligible to become mentees. They will be matched with experienced DsPH who will provide structured but informal support over the course of a year. Mentors offer a range of support to mentees, including:
- Impartial advice and encouragement.
- Help with solving short to medium term challenges.
- Support with self-reflection on practice.
- Honing problem solving, leadership and communication skills.
Mentors
“It’s nice to see someone leaving the room taller.”
Full members with over 18 months’ experience provide support to Associate Members, whilst those with over three years’ experience guide DsPH who are new to the role. Mentors are given full training and receive support from our Mentor Facilitator through peer-to-peer sessions, providing ongoing learning and reflection with fellow mentors. Mentoring is mutually beneficial, allowing Mentors to:
- Reflect on their own practice.
- Build on their leadership skills.
- Gain new perspectives and compare challenges.
- Develop the next generation of DsPH.
Expanding the scheme
This year we are working to expand our current mentoring scheme to support other member groups, targeting periods of transitions in their career. This means more members with different levels of experience will be eligible to participate.
The planned expansion will support the following three mentoring relationships:
- Associate Members mentored by New DsPH.
- New DsPH mentored by Experienced DsPH.
- Experienced DsPH mentored by Alumni.
We are currently looking for New DsPH and Alumni Members to become ADPH Mentors.
Please contact us for more information.
We now offer DsPH who are either new or returning to the role in the past two years, the opportunity to be involved in a peer group. Each group is supported by a dedicated group chat on our members’ platform, WeDPH, which can be used to ask questions, share information, papers, or engage in general discussions and debate about the role, and the challenges and rewards that come with being a DPH.
Each group is also invited to quarterly meetings for the first year after the New DsPH Workshop, which provides the opportunity to gather and discuss key concerns while being supported by experienced DsPH. The aim of these regular meetings is also to provide a platform for this support network to form and strengthen – an invaluable resource throughout a DPH’s career.
Please contact us for more information.
Shadowing someone from another organisation is an opportunity for experienced DsPH to observe the work of partners across the public health system.
Later this year, we will be organising shadowing opportunities for experienced DsPH in order for them to:
- Develop a deeper understanding of the day-to-day work of colleagues across the system.
- Hear first-hand about the context and challenges of the roles of key stakeholders.
- Develop an understanding of the opportunities after life as a DPH.
Please contact us for more information.
Action Learning Sets (ALS) foster continuing learning and reflection among peers, addressing real-work challenges, and encouraging action in everyday practice. Based on the very successful model used at the Aspiring Directors Programme, this ALS group will discuss each participant’s concern in turn, with others reflecting and providing recommendations. The scheme aims to:
- Create a platform for DsPH to develop their roles through action learning.
- Help members improve their work practices while dealing with operational pressures through reflection and peer discussion.
A pilot ALS scheme has been launched earlier this year for DsPH. We are hoping to expand this offer in 2025.
Please contact us for more information.
In addition to our Policy Advisory Groups, we facilitate thematic network groups through our private members’ platform, WeDPH. These currently include:
- Core cities.
- S114/Intervention.
- Islands approaches to public health.
- Two-tier councils.
- A refugee and asylum seeker task and finish group.
Members can initiate new groups by contacting us.
DsPH in England have a statutory duty to write a Public Health Annual Report (PHAR), aimed at lay audiences, to demonstrate the state of health within their communities. Many DsPH in Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the dependant territories also write PHARs.
The PHARs are an opportunity to communicate key messages about the health of their communities and showcase their work to a wider audience. They also help support fellow professionals by sharing lessons learned and good practice.
Each year, we invite our members across all four countries and dependant territories to submit their PHAR to our Annual Report Celebration. After reviewing the reports, our Chief Executive, Nicola Close, then selects the best few publications based on:
- Innovation.
- Relevant and challenging content.
- Readability and accessibility.
- Examples of good practice that stand out.
The submission window for the next ARC will open towards the end of the year. Read previous shortlists.
Our weekly newsletter, BriePH, keeps members updated with ADPH activity, highlights from our private members’ platform WeDPH, and news, including the impact of our work, resources we’ve produced, and opportunities to get involved with ADPH and other organisations’ work. BriePH also features publications, resources and updates from key external public health organisations.
Additionally, BriePH contains a vacancies section for roles that might be relevant to our membership. Please contact us for more information about placing an advert.
