The RCM’s First Five Years Forum (FFYF) is a Scottish national network of 25 early career midwives from Health Boards across Scotland established in 2018. Members are between one and five years post qualification and eager to be conduits for change.
The aims of the forum are:
1. To provide an informal leadership development opportunity for early career midwives in Scotland, enabling them to build a peer support network and have exposure to national midwifery leaders and initiatives.
2. To provide the RCM Scotland team with a reference group for testing out new resources and planning member engagement approaches.
The forum provides an opportunity for midwives to join for a fixed two year period, with a commitment to attend for three one day meetings each year.
First Five Years Forum: Developing a preceptorship programme for newly qualified midwives in Scotland (2020)
Early discussions within the FFYF identified that forum members had experienced differing levels of support as newly qualified midwives and varying expectations of skills and abilities between Health Boards. The forum spent 2018 and 2019 meeting key stakeholders, surveying NQMs, conducting literature reviews and discussing experiences all with the aim of strengthening current support available and enabling all NQMs to work confidently amidst a background of significant change within maternity services, that includes Best Start and the new supervision model. You can read their research and recommended guidelines for preceptorship programmes here
2021 Meeting dates
Friday 25th June 2021
Friday 1st October 2021
Meetings are currently being held virtually in order to adhere to COVID-19 social restrictions
How to join
If you are between one and three years qualified, interested in leadership and development and current full member of the Royal College of Midwives who would like to join the FFYF please complete the application form before submitting via email to louise.leiper@rcm.org.uk