APS has increased its sector-wide engagement to better support members in developing and maintaining professional competence. Each week, we’ll share an update from APS HQ so you can see the breadth of work being carried out for your benefit.

What’s happened last week?

• Sofie Hooper, DCEO APS, attended the first CIC Competence Working Group meeting, a sub group of the CIC Competence Task Force. This working group’s objective is to formulate specific recommendations around what is expected of professional bodies when driving up competence standards. The ultimate goal is the articulation of a CIC “Charter of Standards”—a collective commitment to excellence in governance, competence, and public service, to which all CIC professional body members are due to be held. The broader context for this work is the Government’s intention to regulate built environment professionals. The CIC’s work aims to articulate the professional bodies’ role within a regulatory oversight system.

• ICC Setting Expectations - Group 2 Clients meeting. APS CEO Andrew Leslie has been attending this ICC group who are formulating guidance on Client duties under the Building Regulations 2010 (England) initially for informed Clients. The group is currently formulating an engagement plan that will lead to a consultation to relevant stakeholder groups.

• On Thursday 19th March, Sofie Hooper attended the CIC Liability Panel. This group produces risk management briefings through its panel- the next publication due is on reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

• Friday was the deadline for submitting a response to the Single Construction Regulator Prospectus. The consultation asked questions in relation to how to strengthen the English post-Grenfell building safety regulatory landscape, so that it achieves its stated outcomes. APS submitted its response to this initial consultation, which is due to be followed by a dedicated consultation on the regulation of professionals in a few months’ time.

Recent updates members should know about

Building Safety Regulator Publishes Culture Change Framework

The Building Safety Regulator (England) has released a new Culture Change Framework designed to shift post Grenfell behaviours across the built environment and strengthen accountability, competence, and safety. The tool outlines what “good culture” looks like and supports industry professionals in driving lasting improvement, complementing forthcoming cross sector guidance that APS has been instrumental in developing. Read more here: https://www.aps.org.uk/news-post/building-safety-regulator-england-publishes-tool-drive-post-grenfell-culture-change

Welsh Building Regulations webinar

The Building Regulations team at Welsh Government will be hosting two webinars in April to discuss changes to the Building Regulations 2010 and the Building (Higher-Risk Building Procedures) (Wales) Regulations 2025 which come into force on 1 July 2026.

The webinar on 21 April 2026 will cover changes that will apply to all building work, while the webinar on 28 April 2026 will focus on the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (Wales) Regulations 2026.

Aiming to ensure that building control professionals are aware of the changes that have been introduced in Wales, there will be an opportunity to ask questions during each webinar. Participants can also submit questions in advance by contacting them before 10 April 2026.

If interested in attending, please register by emailing enquiries.brconstruction@gov.wales to confirm, whilst also stating your language preference (English or Welsh).

Supporting Calls for a Cabinet Level Construction Minister in Scotland

Project Scotland reported wide ranging industry backing for the creation of a cabinet level minister for construction and infrastructure in Scotland. The proposal, put forward in the Scottish Construction Qualifications & Skills Council’s new skills manifesto, aims to bring stronger strategic oversight, clearer leadership, and more coherent policy alignment across the construction landscape.

APS Deputy CEO, Sofie Hooper, contributed to this important conversation within the article, reinforcing our commitment to championing holistic policy solutions, skills development, and tackling structural issues to support a safer, productive and more resilient built environment.

Read the full article here: https://projectscot.com/2026/03/strong-support-for-cabinet-level-construction-minister-in-scotland/

What’s coming up this week? (23-29 March)

Meetings APS is involved in this week include:

• APS attending CIC 2050 group meeting

• APS Academy: Building Regulations (England) course taking place

• Sofie Hooper, presentation in the BSR webinar on managing competence

• Andrew Leslie, SBCC Committee and Board Meeting

• APS attending CIC Communications group meeting

We’ll continue to keep members updated on key developments and engagement across the industry as plans for 2026 take shape.

If you would like to contribute or share expertise on issues that matter to you, please contact APS HQ at info@aps.org.uk.