Parliamentary Report: Mindful Nation

The Mindfulness Initiative is led by Jamie Bristow. It is a collaboration of Bangor, Oxford, and Exeter universities, Sussex Mindfulness Centre and the Mental Health Foundation . They've hosted meetings of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Mindfulness which met in Parliament in 2014 and which took testimony given by members of staff and service users (including from Sussex Partnership) and led to the publication of the Mindful Nation report. Sussex Mindfulness Centre helped to organise the health events for the All Party Parliamentary Group and contributed to the health chapter in the Mindful Nation report. A number of ex-participants in MBCT groups in Sussex Partnership, and also staff involved in delivering mindfulness interventions in Sussex, were asked to speak as witnesses in parliament. 

British Association for Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA) (formerly the UK Network)

As the availability of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) continues to expand, it becomes increasingly important to ensure that the training and delivery of these approaches adhere to recognised standards supporting safe and ethical practice. The British Association of  Mindfulness Based Approaches (BAMBA), of which Sussex Mindfulness Centre is a member, was established (as the UK Network) in 2006, and is the lead organisation overseeing the quality of mindfulness-based training in the UK. Its aim is to:

• To support and develop good practice and integrity in the delivery of Mindfulness-based approaches, in order to contribute to the wider ambition of making MBAs, offered by well-trained teachers, available to all who can benefit from them

The UK Network developed Good Practice Guidelines (GPGs) to provide clarity about acknowledged standards in the field of MBIs. These are intended to support the safe, effective and ethical provision of mindfulness approaches in the UK. It has additionally developed GPGs for those training people to teach MBIs.

As a member organisation of BAMBA, we strongly encourage all those teaching and training in MBIs to become familiar with these guidelines and to practice in accordance with these.

BAMBA Listing

Mindfulness-based teachers who have undergone sufficient training and are able to demonstrate adherence to the Good Practice Guidelines are eligible to be listed on the BAMBA national List.

The List provides assurance for those wishing to attend a mindfulness-based course that listed teachers have received adequate training, supervision and ongoing CPD, and adhere to the GPGs in their teaching.