Excerpts from the HPC doc. I include it here because I am surprised by the rather grand way it states its right to intervene in other people's practise in the name of public safety without saying what that means nor why they (the HPC) are less of a threat than any one else. There are many questions begged by this document which I hope to gradually unpack.
Introduction
We are seeking the views of stakeholders on the potential statutory regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors.
About us:
We are the Health Professions Council (HPC). We are a regulator and our job is to protect the health and wellbeing of people who use the services of the health professionals registered with us. To protect the public, we set standards that health professionals must meet. Our standards cover health professionals’ education and training, behaviour, professional skills, and their health. We publish a Register of health professionals who meet our standards.
Health professionals on our Register are called ‘registrants’. If registrants do not meet our standards, we can take action against them which may include removing them from the Register so that they can no longer practise.
About statutory regulation
• Statutory regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors
In February 2007, the government published a White Paper on the future of regulation, ‘Trust, Assurance and Safety – The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century’.
The White Paper said: ‘The government is planning to introduce statutory regulation
for…psychotherapists and counsellors…’ (page 81) ‘…psychotherapists and counsellors will be regulated by the Health Professions Council, following that Council’s rigorous process of assessing their regulatory needs and ensuring that its system is capable of accommodating them. This will be the first priority for future regulation.’ (page 85)
Subject to the necessary legislative approval, the White Paper indicated that psychotherapists and counsellors would be regulated by the HPC in the future.
We are therefore undertaking this project in anticipation of that legislative approval. [emphasis added] However, please note that the outcome will be subject to any final decisions made by the UK and Scottish Parliaments.
Sunday, 27 July 2008
HPC call for ideas for regulating psychotherapy and counselling
If you go into the web-link in this blog's title, you will download a document about the proceedings to include counselling and psychotherapy in the HPC register.
I suppose it is because the HPC is already set up on the basis of a legal statute that they must proceed as if it is ipso facto a good idea to regulate this practice. The questions are already set up on the contentious assumption that the HPC is the right way to register professionals. The call for ideas, then, is a highly particular call, and precludes the possibility that anyone should have a different idea. This is extremely worrying, especially given the field of work that is in question here.
Summary of questions
The following is a summary of the questions we have asked in this document:
1. What are your views about how the Register should be structured for
psychotherapists and counsellors?
2. Which titles should be protected and why?
3. What criteria might be used in considering which voluntary registers should transfer and which should not?
4. We invite voluntary membership organisations to provide us with details about:
o The number of members and the extent to which this number is likely to overlap with membership of other organisations.
o Information about arrangements for determining entry to membership.
o Information about arrangements for considering complaints about members.
5. How long should the grandparenting period be open for and why?
6. Are there are any other matters which the group should consider in recommending appropriate grandparenting arrangements?
7. We would welcome any information about:
o The number and names of existing qualifications leading to the practice of psychotherapy and counselling.
o Types of qualifications including the academic level or academic awards of those qualifications.
o The structure of qualifications including theoretical content and practical experience.
o Quality assurance of qualifications including existing internal and external quality assurance mechanisms.
8. What issues should the PLG consider in determining the threshold level of qualification for entry to the Register?
9. What existing standards or other work should the PLG take into account in putting together draft standards of proficiency?
10. Do you have any further comments?
http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/1000234Fcouncil_20080703_enclosure08.pdf
I suppose it is because the HPC is already set up on the basis of a legal statute that they must proceed as if it is ipso facto a good idea to regulate this practice. The questions are already set up on the contentious assumption that the HPC is the right way to register professionals. The call for ideas, then, is a highly particular call, and precludes the possibility that anyone should have a different idea. This is extremely worrying, especially given the field of work that is in question here.
Summary of questions
The following is a summary of the questions we have asked in this document:
1. What are your views about how the Register should be structured for
psychotherapists and counsellors?
2. Which titles should be protected and why?
3. What criteria might be used in considering which voluntary registers should transfer and which should not?
4. We invite voluntary membership organisations to provide us with details about:
o The number of members and the extent to which this number is likely to overlap with membership of other organisations.
o Information about arrangements for determining entry to membership.
o Information about arrangements for considering complaints about members.
5. How long should the grandparenting period be open for and why?
6. Are there are any other matters which the group should consider in recommending appropriate grandparenting arrangements?
7. We would welcome any information about:
o The number and names of existing qualifications leading to the practice of psychotherapy and counselling.
o Types of qualifications including the academic level or academic awards of those qualifications.
o The structure of qualifications including theoretical content and practical experience.
o Quality assurance of qualifications including existing internal and external quality assurance mechanisms.
8. What issues should the PLG consider in determining the threshold level of qualification for entry to the Register?
9. What existing standards or other work should the PLG take into account in putting together draft standards of proficiency?
10. Do you have any further comments?
http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/1000234Fcouncil_20080703_enclosure08.pdf
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