Professional Learning

What is a CLDSC Buddy?

A CLD Standards Council Buddy is someone a member can chat to about …

• their CLD practice and help them think through things
• where they are now in their career and where they would like to be
• an area of CLD work or project which is new to them
• daft questions they don’t want to ask anyone else

A CLD Standards Council Buddy is NOT someone 

• to offload their problems to
• who will replace their line manager 
• who will give them direction and advice

This is an informal mechanism for experienced members to provide support to newer members or members who are in new roles or taking on new areas of work.  These are informal chats either in person, by phone or on social media.

Although this is member-led and very informal, it is important to set some ground rules.  The Competent Practitioner Framework describes a competent and critically reflective practitioner, the attributes, the values and principles of CLD, the 7 competences and the Code of Ethics under which CLD Standards Council members operate.  These bring both rights and responsibilities.  In the context of a buddying relationship these would include the right to a safe space to share practice and the responsibility to challenge practice.

What do I need to do to get matched with a CLD Standards Council Buddy?

If you'd like a Buddy, please complete a short survey which asks you a little bit about who you are and the areas/topics you want to chat about.  When we receive your information, we will match you with one of our volunteer Buddies.

Request a Buddy here.

What do I need to do to become a CLD Standards Council Buddy?

If you'd like to be a Buddy, please complete a short survey which asks you a little bit about who you are and the areas/topics you have experience, knowledge and skills to chat about.  When we receive your information, we will match you with one of our volunteer Buddies.

Register as a Buddy here.

When we receive a request for a Buddy, we will match it with one of our volunteer Buddies who has experience in similar areas.

The CLD Standards Council Buddy process

We want the process as informal as possible,  but we do have to put certain safeguards in place:

1 Buddy Agreement

At your first Buddy meeting, you will agree your preferred medium for communication, when and how frequently you will meet, the focus of your meetings etc.  This will be added to the agreement pro forma.

Download: Buddy Agreement (Word Doc)

This agreement sets the parameters of the Buddy relationship from the outset and can be reviewed and amended as your partnership progresses.

2 Confidentiality

Once a member has been matched to a Buddy, CLD Standards Council will keep a record of the number of members requesting a Buddy only.  As a Buddy you will keep only anonymised records of your discussions with the member you are supporting, detailing the frequency and duration of contact  as well as the topic(s) addressed.

3 Feedback and review

Depending on the duration of the Buddying relationship, either at the end or at an agreed point, you are asked to provide anonymised feedback to CLD Standards Council drawing on these records to share your reflections on your experience to inform the future development of this initiative.  This will be done anonymously.

We would welcome any ideas about how to promote and develop this concept.  Please get in touch through contact@cldstandardscouncil.org.uk