Membership and Active Accountability
Membership of IPN is based on a sustained commitment to active accountability, the belief that only through direct sustained experience of a practitioner can we know whether they are competant for the work they do. Within IPN, the term Membership relates to groups, rather than individuals, so there is not individual membership. Groups are either Forming or Member groups, usually of between four and eight practitioners. Practitioners seeking to form or join a group are welcomed as IPN Participants. If required, participants in Member Groups may declare that they are ‘accredited through the IPN process’.
Active accountability is pursued via a commitment to several stages of interpersonal engagement. A Forming Group is charged with the task of developing an ethical statement which they will distribute to the whole network (see examples). Each group participant is strongly encouraged to attend at least one national IPN Gathering a year; and every group is strongly encouraged to send at least one participant to each Gathering. This ensures that groups are adequately present and represented in the Network.
A further level of accountability is pursued via the requirement that to be recognised as a Member Group, a Forming Group develops reciprocal links with two other IPN groups charged with maintaining the integrity of each other’s group process. On any particular day IPN can be seen as a mix of Participants seeking to join or form a group; Forming Groups consolidating their accountability and seeking and developing links with other groups; and Full Member Groups.
Qualification
