Activity provision is a profession and professions require dialogue, reflection, leadership and evidence. NAPA’s Networks and Forums exclusive to Association members, are structured, facilitated professional spaces where practice is examined, challenged and advanced.
NAPA defines reflective practice as thinking about what we do in activity provision, how we make it happen, and what we might improve to develop our practice. It is a conscious effort to examine work-based practice and develop insight.
We define peer support as people sharing their own experiences to help each other.
Our Networks and Forums bring together professionals with shared roles and responsibilities in safe, facilitated environments where:
Participation in all Networks and Forums is an exclusive benefit of Association membership. These spaces form part of the professional infrastructure that supports quality, compliance and sector influence.
Join to access APAG, LEAP, RIAG, RAIN and Forum Consultancy support.
Our structured, evidence-informed monthly forum for Activity Providers and colleagues working in Association member settings. It is a professionally facilitated learning and networking event designed to support ongoing development, reflection and peer connection.
Held monthly throughout the year, the NAPA Member Activity Forum focuses on topics relevant to activity provision, meaningful engagement, wellbeing and contemporary practice across care and support services.
Each session:
Is free to all staff working in Association member settings
We provide accessible, high-quality learning and networking opportunities at no additional cost. The forum reflects NAPA’s commitment to strengthening competence, confidence and professional identity across the sector.
Participants consistently value the opportunity to explore current evidence, share ideas, learn from practice and connect with colleagues facing similar opportunities and challenges. The forum helps ensure Activity Providers remain informed, supported and connected as part of a growing professional community.
APAG is central to how NAPA works. The Activity Providers Advisory Group is made up entirely of practising Activity Providers from Association member settings. It is a co-production group.
APAG participants:
Through APAG, Activity Providers co-produce NAPA’s work and priorities. The group ensures that everything we develop reflects real-world experience and current practice challenges.
APAG members also contribute to wider sector conversations, helping to raise the profile of activity provision and ensure it is recognised as a skilled and essential component of care.
The group is often the first place new and emerging ideas, services and products are discussed – ensuring members remain informed and influential. This is where the voice of the Activity Provider shapes the direction of the Association and the profession of activity provision.
LEAP brings together senior leaders across the care and support sector who hold responsibility for activity, lifestyle or wellbeing within their organisations.
LEAP is a strategic forum focused on leadership, governance and culture. It explores:
Members receive quarterly briefings on developments affecting best practice in activity provision and meet twice a year to share insight, discuss priorities and strengthen sector leadership.
LEAP ensures that activity provision is represented at decision-making level.
The Research & Impact Advisory Group (RIAG) strengthens the evidence base for activity provision. Activity provision must be evidence-informed, measurable and credible.
RIAG supports this by:
RIAG reinforces the position of activity provision as a legitimate, evidence-informed professional discipline within regulated care.
Head of Centre for Applied and Inclusive Health Research
University of Wolverhampton
I am delighted to be part of the NAPA Expert Research Panel and very much look forward to working with you.
Independent Dementia Nurse Consultant
Joining the NAPA Research Expert Panel was an easy decision as I am a strong advocate for research done with, for and by those delivering and receiving social care. Activity providers play a vital role in enabling people living with dementia to engage in meaningful occupation which enhances dignity and quality of life. It is critical that we continue to build the evidence base that demonstrates the importance of activity.
Senior Research Fellow, University of Sheffield
Adjunct Research Fellow, Western Sydney University
By working together through research and collaboration, we can make the arts, especially music, a richer and more accessible part of care and support. Activity providers’ expertise and experience is essential. Together, we can better understand and enhance activities that improve quality of life and strengthen relationships and communities.
National ENRICH Coordinator and Assistant Research Delivery Manager
West Midlands Regional Research Delivery Network
I am passionate about ensuring equitable access to research for everyone, regardless of where they live, their mental capacity or their health conditions. I was excited to join the NAPA Research Expert Panel and look forward to sharing insights, encouraging participation and inspiring others to support research. Together, we can increase knowledge and understanding for the benefit of those you care for.
Director of Research, School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia
As a researcher interested in older people, active ageing and sustainable care, I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the RIAG Expert Panel. I recently had the privilege of working with activity providers in research projects, and their knowledge, commitment and enthusiasm was inspiring. As an occupational therapist, I appreciate the enormous role that meaningful activity plays in health and wellbeing.
Dr Isabelle Latham has over 30 years of experience in social care and research, with a particular focus on dementia care and improving quality of life through evidence-based practice.
Dr Isabelle Latham has 30 years’ experience in social care, having started her career as a care worker in care homes for older poeple. In the last decade she has specialised in in research within care homes, advanced dementia and education and training for frontline staff. She is currently Researcher-in-Residence for Hallmark Care Homes and honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Association for Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester. She is the UK’s first researcher-in-residence within a care home organisation and supports Hallmark’s care homes to undertake research of importance to them in ways that include all members of their communities. She ensures research evidence is translated into practice change that positively impacts people’s day to day lives.
NAPA also provides consultancy support for organisations wishing to establish their own local or organisational forums. We can help you design and facilitate reflective spaces or present on professional themes relevant to your service.
They are part of what it means to belong to a professional association committed to advancing activity provision as a recognised discipline within care and support.
