Psychologists’ changing registrations - HPC Role

The Health Professions Council [HCPC] has, since July 2009, taken on the role of regulation of professional practice of Practitioner Psychologists. Commitment to CPD and oversight of Fitness to practice

Chartered psychologists formerly registered their Continuing Professional Development with and were issued practising certificates from the British Psychological Society [BPS]. The BPS no longer issues practising certificates. Practitioner Psychologists are now [since July 2009] registered under the HCPC scheme. This includes the following titles:

• Practitioner psychologist
• Registered psychologist
• Clinical psychologist
• Counselling psychologist
• Educational psychologist

It was always the intent and recommendation of the DfES Working Party that professionals supplying diagnostic assessments in support of DSAs should have their CPD and professional practice supported by a professional or regulatory body to assure commitment to standards, a code of practice and an avenue for clients to assure delivery of best practice. For Practitioner Psychologists that oversight role has now been taken over by the HPC [formerly chartered psychologists were covered by the BPS, and there were anomalies for a range of other psychologists]. The BPS no longer issues practising certificates.

For specialist teachers that role is undertaken by professional bodies approved by SASC [e.g. PATOSS, the Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties, Dyslexia Action (DA) and the British Dyslexia Association (BDA)]].

It is the recommendation of SASC, following the DfES Working Party Guidelines 2005, that all assessors submitting diagnostic assessments in support of DSA applications hold a certification of practice current at the time of producing the report.

Thus evidence of this professional oversight takes the form of either

• Registration with the HPC [from July 2009] or
• An Assessment Practising Certificate from the relevant SASC approved professional body.

You can find further details of the HCPC regulation on the HCPC website

http://www.hpc-uk.org/aboutregistration/theregister/

Student Finance England will continue to accept reports from Chartered Psychologists that were written before the HCPC Registration became mandatory 1 July 2012.