RCHM New Practitioner Scheme

The New Practitioner Scheme is designed to accompany graduates through their first years of practice, offering structure, support, and a sense of belonging within the RCHM community. While graduates may opt out if they choose, almost all continue with the scheme as they establish themselves in independent practice.

Communications Strategy

Purpose of the NPS
The New Practitioner Scheme (NPS) is designed to support graduates as they transition into independent practice, ensuring they feel welcomed, resourced, and connected within the RCHM community. The scheme provides structure without assessment, guidance without hierarchy, and continuity that affirms each practitioner as a valued colleague.

The intention is to:

  • Offer a warm and collegiate welcome into full RCHM membership.

  • Provide ongoing contact during the early years of practice, when confidence is still forming.

  • Support practitioners with supervision, safety, CPD, and community.

  • Ensure a seamless transition from graduation into full membership, with no abrupt thresholds.

While graduates may opt out of the NPS, in practice almost all choose to participate as they establish themselves in the profession.

Structure of the Scheme

The NPS runs across three phases:

Phase One – Onboarding
From graduation notification through to confirmed membership, onboarding ensures no graduate falls through the cracks. Invitations, follow-ups, and a formal welcome email activate membership, introduce the NPS, and provide initial orientation. Airtable and Mailchimp workflows ensure every step is logged and consistent.

Phase Two – Welcome Sequence
The first twelve months are supported through a steady rhythm of monthly emails. Each message is short, collegial, and points to a specific resource: profile visibility, supervision, safety briefs, CPD, practice resources, and community groups. The intention is to normalise contact without overwhelming, creating a sense of belonging and ongoing support.

Phase Three – Transition
As practitioners complete two years in the scheme, Phase Three gently closes their NPS record and affirms their place as continuing full members of the RCHM. The sequence includes a practical invitation to submit supervision documentation and two collegial touchpoints that highlight ongoing resources and CPD. The emphasis is on continuity, not graduation.

Tone and Intention

The NPS avoids any sense of hierarchy between practitioner and institution. Every communication is written adult-to-adult, collegial, and supportive, affirming graduates as qualified practitioners already contributing to the profession.

The communications are:

  • Warm: welcoming, encouraging, human.

  • Professional: clear, reliable, and consistent.

  • Collegial: written peer-to-peer, not top-down.

  • Invitational: offering resources and connection, leaving agency with the practitioner.

The tone is designed to build confidence, not dependency, and to reinforce the practitioner’s sense of belonging in the RCHM community.

Operational Framework

  • Systems: Mailchimp automations deliver phased email sequences. Airtable tracks status, timelines, and completion.

  • Responsibilities: The Office Manager oversees daily operation; Council/CEO provide updated content and strategic oversight.

  • Review Cycle: All content (SOPs, emails, resources) is reviewed annually in July, ahead of main graduation intake.

  • Reporting: Mailchimp open/click rates reviewed quarterly; Airtable data used to confirm uptake and completion.

Outcomes and Measures of Success

  • Graduates feel welcomed and recognised as professional colleagues.

  • Practitioners remain engaged and connected in their first two years.

  • Supervision records are consistently submitted, and membership transitions are seamless.

  • The RCHM community grows in cohesion, with new practitioners integrated smoothly into the wider professional body.

New Practitioners - Onboarding

Invitation email

Follow up

Response to enquiries from Graduates regarding the scheme prior to signing up

Welcome to signed up graduates

New Practitioner Entry Checklist

Trigger: Graduation notification received from approved college

Step 1 – Initial Invitation

  • Confirm graduate no longer listed as Student Member in database.

  • Send Graduate Invitation to Join Email (template).

  • Log invitation in membership database.

  • Save copy of email in communications folder.

Step 2 – Follow-Up (if no response in 2–3 weeks)

  • Check graduate status: confirm no Direct Debit has been set up.

  • Send Graduate Follow-Up Email (template).

  • Log follow-up in membership database.

  • Save copy of email in communications folder.

Step 3 – Membership Activation

  • Confirm Direct Debit set up via GoCardless.

  • Activate membership in database.

  • Update Airtable:

    • Status = New Practitioner – NPS Year 1

    • Date of activation

    • Expected fee schedule (Y1 = £30/q, Y2 = £60/q, Y3+ full fees)

Step 4 – Welcome Email

  • Send Welcome to RCHM & NPS Email (template).

  • Ensure Canva NPS presentation link is current in email.

  • Save copy of email in communications folder.

  • Tick “Welcome Email Sent” in Airtable.

End State: Graduate is now activated as a New Practitioner member, recorded in Airtable, and has received their formal welcome into the RCHM and the NPS.

Ongoing Engagement (First 12 Months)

Engagement Plan

Phase Two Checklist – Monthly Engagement Sequence

Trigger: Welcome Email (Phase One) has been sent and membership is activated.

Step 1 – Activate Sequence

  • Add new practitioner to Mailchimp automation: “NPS Year 1 – Monthly Engagement.”

  • Confirm automation is set to send 12 monthly emails.

  • Check all links in the automation are current (profile, supervisor directory, CPD library, etc.).

Step 2 – Airtable Record

  • Update Airtable status: Phase Two active.

  • Record date of automation activation.

  • Note “12-month drip sequence running” in comments field.

Step 3 – Ongoing Monitoring

  • Review Mailchimp reports quarterly: check open rates, click rates, and bounce rates.

  • If multiple practitioners aren’t engaging, flag to Council/CEO for content review.

  • Update links/content annually in July, or sooner if guidance/resources change.

Step 4 – Completion

  • At the end of 12 months, update Airtable status to Phase Two complete.

  • Practitioner automatically rolls into Phase Three (Year 2 guidance).

End State: New practitioner is subscribed to the full 12-month email sequence, Airtable shows Phase Two active, and engagement is monitored regularly.

Transition

Transition Plan

Phase Three Checklist

Trigger: Practitioner reaches end of NPS Year 2

Step 1 – Confirm Eligibility

  • Check Airtable: NPS Year 2 completion date reached.

  • Ensure practitioner is due to submit supervision record.

Step 2 – Email Sequence

  • Send Email 1: Invitation to submit NPS document.

  • Record in Airtable that invitation was sent.

  • Send Email 2: Collegial message (resources hub).

  • Send Email 3: Collegial message (CPD/events).

Step 3 – Record-Keeping

  • Confirm receipt of NPS document.

  • Update Airtable: status = Full Practitioner Member.

  • Mark “Phase Three complete.”

This way, Phase Three feels seamless, supportive, and collegial — no “graduation moment,” just a gentle continuation of professional membership.