Blog: Mid-Year Reflections and Next Steps
Sarah Rennie, UK NPM Research and Engagement Officer, joined the UK NPM Central Team in March 2025. This month she reflects on the UK NPM Central Team’s recent Team Day and her role so far.
As we pass the halfway mark in our 2025-26 Business Plan, the UK NPM Central Team’s recent Team Day in Liverpool provided a timely opportunity to reflect on progress, share learning and look ahead to the next phase of our work. This also marked just over seven months since I started my role, and a useful point in time to reflect on my own progress since joining the team.
We began the day by revisiting the business plan itself, reviewing what we set out to do, what we’ve delivered so far and where we still need to focus. Key achievements to date include the launch of the Reporting Dashboard in August, the success of the revised Annual Report approach, several important research outputs and continued collaboration with NPM bodies.
Jane led a session looking at the NPM team’s research, its role in the NPM and options to develop the team’s capacity. Feedback from the workshop will support the delivery of part 1.2 of the 2025-26 Business Plan, and an operational model to be launched in December. Jane also presented key findings and recommendations from the NPM Training Needs Analysis she led in March this year, reflecting on the recommendations which were incorporated into this Business Plan, and options for ongoing work.
Looking at the Reporting Dashboard, I coordinated a session focusing on how we are beginning to use this tool for analytical output. We are looking forward to producing a quarterly analysis of the data and monthly thematic summaries of good practice, and are already considering improvements we can make on the Dashboard. It has been so rewarding to see how can support more targeted and evidence-based work.
Chelsea delivered a progress update on the UK NPM’s Communications Strategy and associated workplan, highlighting the launch and continued success of the NPM’s monthly bulletin and blog series, and overall progress in raising awareness of the UK NPM and strengthening organisational credibility. She then led a discussion on the future of NPM communications, the feedback from which will inform a new communications workplan which will build on the strides made over the past two years.
Looking ahead, UK NPM Chair, Sherry Ralph, started a discussion about the 2026-2027 Business Plan and potential new workstreams. Before we get there, however, we still have a lot of work to do. In the second half of this Business Plan, we are excited to share more research outputs, our Annual Report for 2024/25 and host our first ever all-mandate holder conference (more on that below)!
For me, the Team Day provided a valuable opportunity to take stock of the work delivered so far and view it in a wider context. As someone who is (or at least still feels!) relatively new to the team, it helped me better understand how our different workstreams fit together. It was also an opportunity to reflect on the scale and quality of what the team has delivered so far, and to appreciate what we have achieved collectively.
The National Detention Monitoring and Inspection Conference will bring together all UK NPM mandate holders for a norming of discussion, reflection and shared learning. The event will explore the role of monitoring and inspection in preventing ill-treatment in places of deprivation of liberty, and provide space to discuss challenges and successes with peers from across the UK.
We are pleased to welcome a strong line-up of speakers, including international experts from the United Nations and the Association for the Prevention of Torture, as well as senior leaders from across the sector. The conference will also include a session with operational staff from within the NPM network, and contributions from staff working inside the establishments we monitor, offering valuable perspectives on how scrutiny can be more collaborative and effective.
The conference is for everyone, including inspectors, monitors, public appointees, custody visitors, researchers, support staff teams, and anyone who works or volunteers within the 21 bodies which make up the UK NPM.
We hope to see you there!