ARCHIVE - frc 2011

February 2011 - Forge Magazine

 

Archive - Forge Magazine - February 2011
Report of the FRC Council Meeting

This summary reflects the main items considered and discussed by the FRC Council at its meeting on November 10, 2010. The full minutes of these meetings will be available on request and on the FRC website once they have been approved at the next meeting (23 March 2011).

Farriery Training Agency Management Board (FTAMB)
Mr Howard Cooper, Chairman of the Board, reported on the recent activities of FTAMB including its meeting on September 14. Following consideration of the private apprenticeship route, it was recommended by the Board that the Council form a working party to undertake a strategic review of the farriery apprenticeship. This was discussed further under the Finance Committee report. Mr Cooper reminded members that two new policies had been written, namely the ‘Apprentice Unsatisfactory Progress Policy’ and the ‘Training Review Policy’ and subject to gaining Council approval, they would be implemented next year. One member commented that a big improvement had been seen and the policies should be commended. The Council endorsed the policies. Members were informed that work was still in progress regarding the introduction of the new Apprenticeship Framework, and some members were extremely concerned with the Government's possible requirement to include functional skills within apprenticeships and the possible impact on well-qualified mature apprentices. The NFTA had been tasked with producing an academic plan to try to reduce the pressure on college resources, and a revised version had recently been agreed with the colleges and the WCF. The main change was that in future, Diploma examinations would be held in May and November. It was hoped this would allow the colleges to have a greater number of horses and ponies available for each college block. The NFTA would be liaising with ATFs and Apprentices regarding the changes, which would come into effect towards the end of 2011.
It was reported that the ATF Conference held at Myerscough College on October 24 had been a success, and the majority of ATFs who attended felt that it should be mandatory for ATFs to attend such events. Among other items reported, were The National Farrier Training Agency Operational and Financial plan for 2011, which was approved by the Council, and a meeting with Lantra to discuss the access course for farriery.
Investigating Committee
Professor Ron Jones, Chairman of the Investigating Committee, reported that six new complaint cases had been considered. Of the six complaints, two cases were held over for consideration at the next meeting, one was referred to the Disciplinary Committee and the remaining three cases were closed. There had been 28 new inquiries since the last meeting, which was fewer than those received during the same period in 2009. Reports were received on seven prosecutions that had taken place since May. The Chairman reported that he had been in correspondence with Defra, the Magistrates Association and the Justice Clerks' Association regarding the level of fines that could be handed down for illegal farriery, and would also be writing to the Sentencing Council. Others items reported included Notifiable Occupation reports, responses received regarding the review of ‘A Farriers’ Guide to Professional Conduct’, and a workshop held by the Council's solicitors to train members on the role and powers of the Investigating Committee.
Registration Committee
Brigadier Roache, Chairman of the Registration Committee, reported that there were no recommendations to Council arising out of the meeting. However, it was noted that Professor Jones and the Registrar had met with the Chief Veterinary Officer and officials from the Veterinary Professional Services unit of Defra in August. Feedback from the meeting was that officials had indicated that it might now be possible for them to work with their colleagues in the Scottish Office to undertake reform of the Farriers (Registration) Act by means of a legislative reform order, provided that a compelling case for change could be submitted and that resources permitted. The Registrar was asked to undertake an analysis of the Register of Farriers showing the anticipated projected changes for consideration at the next Registration Committee meeting.
Finance Committee
Mr Tony Fox, Chairman of the Remuneration Sub-Committee of the Finance Committee with responsibility for staffing issues, reported that during 2010 following a period of change, an ongoing appraisal of the staff structure had been undertaken, and a revised staffing structure was now established. He was pleased to confirm that Mr Neville Higgins had been appointed as the senior employee of the NFTA in the role of Operations Manager.
Mr Ron Gulliver, Chairman of the Finance Committee, reported on the meeting of the Finance Committee held on October 12. The FRC and NFTA Manuals of Financial Procedures had been reviewed and recombined with input from the auditors, and the Council approved revised procedures. Following the recommendation from the Board, there had been a discussion regarding the future arrangements for funding of farriery training, the training systems in place and the numbers of apprentices being trained in the future. It was concluded that the Chairman of Council should convene a small working group to put a strategy paper together regarding the future of farriery training for consideration by Council. The Council endorsed this.
Mr Gulliver reported that as agreed at the last meeting, the 2011 Retention Fee would be £148. He outlined the budgets for next year, explaining that overhead costs had been forecast based on figures from 2010. FRC Disciplinary Committee and associated legal and professional costs were high compared with estimated expenditure given the unpredictable level of disciplinary activity. It was anticipated that the NFTA would break even for 2010 and end 2011 with a small surplus. The FRC, NFTA and Central Services Budgets for 2011 were approved.
Continuous Professional Development Steering Group (CPDSG)
At the last meeting of the CPDSG it was noted that 179 Registered Farriers were recording points on the CPD website and discussion of the site, its user friendliness and the need to increase registrations and minimise the need for manual inputting of data were discussed. The possibility of greater use of ‘e-CPD’, for example, relevant academic and professional material online, was also discussed and would be explored further.
Following that meeting Mr Higgins and Mrs Cooper of the NFTA had met with the CPD website creator and were reviewing the use of the site to ensure it was utilised to its maximum potential.
Review of ‘A Farriers Guide to Professional Conduct’
The Registrar reported that one letter had been received in response to the features in the Farriers Bulletin and the Forge magazine concerning the review of the Guide. The letter concerned levels of competence and the relationship between DipWCF and AWCF qualified farriers and was carefully considered by the Investigating Committee at its meeting, but no change was proposed. A small number of additional suggestions for change were submitted by the Investigating Committee regarding farriers’ responsibilities to provide clear practice information linked with the Services Directive and the significance of failure to respond to the Council. These were subsequently circulated to all Council members for consideration.
A further letter received relating to the need for veterinary surgeons to communicate with primary farriers when cases were referred to other farriers was discussed at the Council meeting. This highlighted concerns that while relations between the two professions were improving, not all veterinary practices were involving the primary farrier and the Chairman would write to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons about this concern.
The proposed changes to the guide were agreed and the Council endorsed the view that failure to respond to the Council, as the professional regulatory body, should be viewed as a serious matter. The Registrar was tasked to provide all Council Members with a final draft so that the amendments could be finalised. The revised guide would be issued to all Registered Farriers during Spring 2011. It would become effective from the point of issue.
The NFTAMB and the Training Advisory Committee (TAC)
At the FRC Council meeting held on June 9, and at a tripartite meeting held on September 1, which representatives of the WCF, BFBA and FRC/NFTA attended, discussions took place regarding the relationship between the National Farrier Training Agency Management Board (NFTAMB) and the Training Advisory Committee (TAC) and the role of the TAC. It was noted that there was some support for the suggestion that the TAC be disbanded, provided that there were alternative means for communicating with other interested parties and, following consultation with the Board and TAC members themselves, it was agreed that the TAC should be disbanded. Council approved this proposal, and further details were distributed with the Farriers Bulletin issued in December 2010.

The next Council AGM meeting will be held on March 23, at the British Veterinary Association (BVA) London. Meetings are open to farriers and the general public. Attendance at a Council meeting provides a useful insight into how the FRC is managed and the Council would be pleased to see more farriers or apprentices attending.
Meetings usually start at 10.30am and finish about 3.30pm.
If you would to attend, please notify the FRC office (in writing, by email or by telephone) at least 3 days before the meeting.