The UKCP requires that all therapists who are registered with the UKCP must be re-accredited every 5 years through MIP or through direct membership.

Introduction:

In October 2015 MIP was accepted as an organisational member of the UKCP within the Humanistic & Integrative College (HIPC).

HIPC is the biggest college in the UKCP and includes many humanistic disciplines such as Gestalt and Existential Psychotherapy. 

UKCP holds a national register of Psychotherapists and Psychotherapeutic Counsellors.  The main purpose of the register is to “provide assurance to the standards of registers of unregulated health and care occupations”.  It exists to advance, promote and maintain high standards of practice of psychotherapy for the benefit of all. 

UKCP’s position on reaccreditation is that all full clinical members must be able to provide documentation which demonstrates and supports the way they are practicing as a psychotherapist.  This process must be undertaken at a minimum of once every 5 years.

Purposes of Re-accreditation:

*         To underpin and promote reflective and informed practice and continuing professional development.

*         To underpin and support best practice in a way that is beneficial to both practitioners and service users.

Pathways for Re-accreditation

There are 2 pathways to re-accreditation:

*         Through the organisational member, MIP.

*         Directly through the UKCP (HIPC)

If the second route is taken, MIP must be informed.

Members of MIP will follow the re-accreditation process as indicated below. Please note there is a £25 administration charge. 

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Direct Members will follow the HIPC college procedures which are outlined on the HIPC college website once they have registered.

Re-accreditation Procedure and Requirements

MIP Requirements are:

*         Demonstrate that therapists are still working in a professional capacity.

*         Provide a Supervision log – documentation to verify their supervision provision over the last five years.  This should also include a statement from their present supervisor verifying the amount of contracted supervision.

*         Copy of professional indemnity insurance cover.

*         An outline of organisational work, such as teaching, training, seminars, lectures etc.

*         Continuing Professional Development record. Members must provide details of their CPD over the last five years in keeping with UKCP and MIP’s CPD requirements.

          The minimum requirement is 250 CPD hours over a five year period, normally with a minimum of 20 hours in any one year.  This will be discussed in your Peer Review meeting with an understanding of how the work undertaken has contributed to your specific development as a therapist.  (This will include certificates of attendance and documentary evidence).  In this context, MIP will require a short evaluation of your future needs and indication on how those will be met.

*         Each applicant needs to show that their CPD reflects the diversity and equalities policy of the UKCP.  This includes things such as an understanding of power dynamics, prejudice, importance of oppression, and the needs of the diverse group of clients that they work with on a clinical level.

*         Each member will write a brief reflective document (1000 words) outlining the development of their clinical practice over the last five years.  This should also include their future aspirations with regards to their clinical journey and enhancement of professional effectiveness.

*         Details of any complaints made with regards to yourself in the last five years.

*         Details of your clinical practice.

*         Life-work balance: details of non-professional interests including any significant family or personal events over the last 5 years.

Professional Will Arrangements

The HIPC guidelines state “We recognise it as our professional responsibility to ensure that arrangements are in place for sudden long-term or permanent absence from work so that the clients’ needs can be provided for”.  Therefore, in this submission please describe your present professional will.

Re-accreditation Procedure/Criteria

*         MIP, via the Re-accreditation Committee, will inform MIP graduates when they are due for reaccreditation.  This will be done four to six months before the due date. 

*         Members will choose a professional peer review group which should have a have a minimum of three members in addition to the member being re-accredited (UKCP or equivalent, eg BACP, BPC).  The suggested make-up of this peer review group is that it contains at least one member who is not familiar with the individual member’s work and this member should sign the summary of the meeting. 

          It is strongly recommended that all individual members meet on an ongoing basis with peers for supervision/professional development/peer consultation, in addition to their own individual supervision.  It is suggested that the make-up of the peer review group is that it contains at least one member of their regular peer group.

*         The peer review group will meet and the individual needs to take with them the necessary requirements outlined above – where they will discuss and provide written evidence to each other, and evaluate how they meet the requirements above.

*         The chair of the group, after the necessary discussion and evaluation, collects the individual’s written evaluation, with a short report of the peer review group’s processes, and sends it to the MIP Re-accreditation Committee.

*         It is recommended that this peer review group will last three to four hours in totality for completion purposes.

*         If there is a lack of agreement within the peer review group concerning one of the members with regards to their evaluation or documentation, the chair of the peer review group will inform the chair of the Re-accreditation Committee as soon as it is possible to do so.

Final Outcome of the Above Procedure

The Re-accreditation Committee looks at the documentation and report from the peer group and discusses whether to

            *         Re-accredit

          *         Re-accredit with conditions and time schedule

          *         Not to re-accredit

Re-accreditation Committee

The Re-accreditation Committee is made up of three representatives and meets once a year in July and if needed it may meet for a further date in January.  All documentation from the peer review meeting is be forwarded to the Re-accreditation Committee for consideration with regards to registration with the UKCP. 

The three representatives will be made up of members of the Quality & Procedures Committee.

After completion of this stage the Director of Training will inform the UKCP of the candidate’s name for formal registration.

APPEALS PROCEDURE

If your submission for re-accreditation was unsuccessful, you have the right to appeal against our decision.

There are 2 grounds on which you can appeal:

*         If the assessment procedure has not been followed correctly, or

*         If your submission has not been fairly and properly assessed against the published criteria.

How to Appeal:

Appeals should be made in writing to the Chair of the Re-accreditation Committee within 14 days of receiving the decision.

An “Appeals Panel” will be formed which includes the Chair of Re-accreditation Committee and at least two senior trainers/tutors/supervisors from MIP.  The applicant may be invited to a face-to-face meeting.  This process will be completed within one month of receiving the appeal letter.  The Chair of the Appeals Panel holds authority and will make the final decision on any appeal.

Members not meeting requirement

Where there is evidence that a member is not meeting requirements for re-accreditationthe person concerned will be provided with the reasons and given time to comment.   Where appropriate, members will be offered advice intended to improve the chances of successful re-accreditation after subsequent application.

If an individual refuses to submit the required information, or if it is determined that an individual has not met the requirements for reaccreditation, the organisational member (or the HIPC assessment board in the case of direct members) will provide a written report to the College Chair stating the basis on which the decision was made.  The College Chair (or delegated responsible officer) will consider the report and make a decision. This decision will be final.

Where it has been established the requirements for reaccreditation have not been met, or if an application for reaccreditation is not received, despite requests, the member (either from an organisational member or direct member) will be referred to the UKCP registrar who will authorise an immediate and full audit of the member concerned by the UKCP membership team.  Failure to meet audit requirements or to complete with UKCP audit constitute grounds for the member to be removed from the UKCP register.

This policy will be reviewed every 18 months and updated a minimum of every 36 months.

                                                  Reviewed & Revised September 2023