Political Staffer Resource Centre

Research-driven recommendations, advice and support for political advisers, their managers, and advocates for reform

“Built from the ground up with real insights from those who've worked in and around political offices, the Political Staffer Resource Centre provides practical tools for staffers, those who manage them, and those supporting reform. We want our elected representatives to contribute, build, and lead healthier and stronger democracies. To do this, we need to ensure the teams supporting them are well-equipped. If you work with, manage, support, study, or advocate for political staffers, please explore the Centre.”

Jacob Masina, former Adviser to the Australian Prime Minister

The Political Staffer Resource Centre shares the recommendations generated by objective academic research by Professor Jennifer Lees-Marshment at The University of Dundee.

They were generated by asking political staffers and those working in close association with them what best practices they had experienced, observed and developed over time. They are therefore grounded in reality, or ‘doable’ within the constraints of politics and government.

They cover the role of political staffers, the challenges they face, best practices in recruiting and selecting, onboarding, training, building positive cultures, supporting wellbeing, manage morale workloads and giving feedback. There is also a section on improving HRM for political staffers.

The resources are designed for aspiring, new and experienced political staff, staffers managing other staffers, as well as politicians, civil/public servants overseeing staffers, journalists, and campaigners for reform.

The Political Staffer Resource Centre is free of charge: just complete a short sign up form and you will then receive an email with an access link.

Note: You may need to check your junk or spam folders after submitting the form. The email subject line is: "Thank you for signing up for the Political Staffers Resource Centre" or email [email protected] about any other access issues.

“Political staff need resources they can access anytime. This is the benefit of the Political Staffer Resource Centre - get tried and tested advice from top-tier political staff internationally.”

Sarah Maguire, former Deputy Director of Communications to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

“Whether you're new to political staffing or have years of experience supporting elected representatives, the Political Staffer Resource Centre offers practical guidance, resources and wellbeing support. It recognises the unique pressures of political office and helps staff build the skills, resilience and confidence to thrive in their roles.”

MPs Staff Wellness Working Group (WWG), UK