The once and future PIElink

With the retirement as editor of the PIElink's founder and original curator/editor, Robin Johnson, at the close of 2022, the future of the PIElink and its role in the central co-ordination of the PIEs community of practice development is now passed into the hands of the next generation.

Over the past 18 months we have been bringing together a group of enthusiasts from across the complex needs world, and from all corners of these islands and beyond (HERE) to advise on where we need to go with all these issues in the future.

Within this group there is now a small core group committing their own time to maintaining many of our core activities over 2023-4, and to plan and co-ordinate future activities and expansion, as we head into 2025.

 

New activity and content on the site itself

With the creation in 2023 of PIEPR, a Community Interest Company (HERE) formed to continue and develop this work, we can now say with confidence that the development of the site itself will be able to continue, and to keep bringing people together to discuss, share and learn from each other, as new issues and opportunities arise.

One of the most rewarding innovations of the past two years - 'the Zoom era' - has been the lunchtime forums (HERE). During the transition stage in 2022 we ceased scheduling any further forum discussions - they did not get going again until early 2023. But we are now managaing a rfeduced programme, and planning future forum series; and it is open to any PIElink member to suggest a topic, and/or even to plan your own, which we can then advertise and facilitate (HERE).

The Special Interest Groups - on-line working parties to explore key emerging practice issues in depth (HERE) - are also being developed, with some groupings already working in the background.

We have already undertaken an extensive re-design of the site, to make access to key issues much easier.  For example, the 'START HERE! page (HERE) is designed for people new to PIEs and the PIElink, to help them find their way around initially. Further modernisation with a more contemporary interface and Home page is being planned.

Note that there is also a 'Hot topics' link (on the 'START HERE' page : HERE).  This is where we can advertise any new initiatives, and it may be worth checking in every now and then, to see what is happening. (In any case, registered members will receive emails with news and invitations.)

Finally, the website design now interfaces with two newly released books (HERE) that Robin himself has written.

• The first, 'Psychologically Informed Environments from the ground up: service design for complex needs', is his overall summary of where development of the PIEs approaxch has reached.
• The second, 'Unfinished Business', is a collection of essays each exploring the background of ideas, but with immediate practical application for PIEs practuce.

 

Future prospects

Before his retirement, Robin had created a company (HERE) to formally hold the intellectual property of the site - including the Pizazz and the PIE Abacus, and any income that the Abacus may bring, to re-invest in maintaining the site, and its work as the home and community of practice resource for PIEs.

We have a quite credible (and reasonably well developed) business model for both short term maintenance (HERE) and even modest development of the current levels of activity. There is a much more imaginative and ambitious proposal for longer term expansion (HERE),

Over the coming months we will continue to seek an 'incubator partner' (HERE) to help build the team and get any future expansion on a more sound and sustainable footing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now a word for our sponsors :  HERE

PIEPR : HERE

An advisory group (or 'editorial board') for the PIElink : HERE 

Fresh directions : HERE

The role of an incubator agency : HERE

...............

A quick summary of one possible future:

 

Income via the PIE Abacus

PIRAN Co Ltd: HERE

FAQs - Costs and sustainability: HERE

 

Income via the vocational training model

Is this the future of vocational training? :  HERE

Is this the future of academic publishing : HERE

How audio-visuals can add value to academic publishing :   HERE

The homelessness sector as beneficiaries   :  HERE

Company structures, partnerships, and an editorial advisory board :  HERE