School for Change Agents
Date: 4 April 2019
The (virtual) School for Change Agents that starts on Thursday 16th May 2019.
The School for Change Agents is an online and global community across health and care, run by my team, NHS Horizons. It is free and highly interactive. It provides an opportunity for change agents and leaders in health and care to build their skills, confidence and networks for leading change. It is open to everyone and provides virtual learning sessions over six weeks in May and June (breaking for the half-term week).
You can sign up by submitting your email address on the webpage.
About the School for Change Agents
The School for Change Agents builds change agency which is the power, individually and collectively, to make a difference. It is about pushing the boundaries of what is possible, mobilising others and making change happen more quickly.
Often, being a change agent and challenging the status quo of the existing system can be a very lonely life. When you join the School for Change Agents, you become part of a community with like-minded people from across the globe. Many participants have described it as an extraordinarily empowering experience.
In addition, the School’s curriculum has been externally evaluated by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development, and shown to deliver significant impact for both individuals and their organisations in terms of:
- Knowledge and skills in leading change.
- Building a sense of purpose and motivation to improve practice.
- Ability to challenge the status quo and rock the boat without falling out.
- Connecting with others to build support for change.
The change skills that we teach in the School complement other methods and approaches such as quality improvement, Lean, programme management and culture change.
Who takes part in the School for Change Agents?
The School for Change Agents is relevant to everyone who wants to develop their knowledge and skills for making change happen. Many people from outside the usual definition of “health and care” join, including change agents from the police service, education, housing, local government and community activists. We are anticipating around 10,000 enrolments for the School for Change Agents 2019.
The School is online, which means that anyone who has an internet connection, a headset or a phone can take part from wherever they are. No previous experience of digital learning is required.
Key information about the School for Change Agents 2019
Each Thursday we’ll run a live webinar session from 15.00-16.00 (BST). The sessions will be led by Helen Bevan and Kathryn Perera. These are the topics we will cover:
- Change starts with me (Thursday 16th May, 15:00 BST)
- Resilience is an act of defiance (Thursday 23rd May, 15:00 BST)
- Purpose and power (Thursday 6th June, 15:00 BST)
- Moving to action (Thursday 13th June, 15:00 BST)
- Being a change agent in a complex world (Thursday 20th June, 15:00 BST)
We know that not everyone will be able to attend the live sessions, so each session will be available for catch-up viewing at a time that suits you.
In 2019, the live webinars will be supported by an e-learning platform, Futurelearn, delivered in partnership with the NHS Leadership Academy. The e-learning platform supports participants to connect with and learn from each other, as well as to deepen their understanding of the subjects covered in the live sessions.
Continuing Professional Development
The programme offers CPD points that can be claimed by a range of colleagues from doctors to finance specialists. We are also incorporating opportunities for nurses and other clinical professionals to use the School experience as part of their CPD reflective accounts for revalidation.
The School is completely free at the point of use. For those participants who want to receive CPD accreditation as certificated change agents, we offer an upgrade option for a fee of £32 (GBP) via Futurelearn.
Why not enrol as a group?
Most people report that they get value from the School for Change Agents whether they join individually or as part of a group. However, there are particular benefits for those who join as a team or larger group. It gives you more opportunity to discuss your learning with colleagues, and it’s often easier to put the learning into action as a result. Typically, groups of participants agree a time to watch the live sessions together (whether live or on catch-up).
We also offer additional benefits for groups of 50+ who want to upgrade their experience to claim CPD points through accreditation. Groups of 50+ participants can claim a discount on accreditation, making it the most cost-effective way to use the School for your continuing professional development needs.
The lead organiser of groups of 50+ participants can also be granted access to bespoke reports, showing participant activity across the cohort. This can help you to track your group’s progress and arrange your own additional learning opportunities on topics of interest.
Please join the School for Change Agents
We hope you will join more than 15,000 people from 44 countries across the world who have become certified Change Agents through the School for Change Agents to date. The curriculum has been co-produced with School alumni, making it truly focused on the needs of health and care staff (in the widest sense), as well as patient and citizen leaders/activists.
Registering is quick and easy – sign up via the website. If you know other people who might also be interested in the School, please do forward this email to them. Participants are connecting already via Twitter at @sch4change hashtag #s4ca, and through the School Facebook group.
We look forward to welcoming you to the School for Change Agents 2019. If you have any queries, please contact Rosie Redstone at rosalind.redstone@nhs.net or telephone 07730 374620.
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