BABCP

Accreditation is a big part of BABCP's activity. The organisation now Accredits CBP Practitioners, CBT Supervisors and Trainers, PWP Practitioners and CBP Training Courses, including IAPT.

Accreditation Team

The Accreditation team is headed up by Charlie McConnochie, Senior Accreditation Liaison Officer, who has a helicopter view of and management responsibility for all Accreditation activities and consults across the various committees with an involvement in Accreditation and Registration. During the last 18 months, Tamera Bateman-Wright and Christine Richardson have been employed as Accreditation Liaison Officers, and an additional PWP Accreditation Liaison Officer will soon be required. In 2009 Helen Macdonald was appointed as the Course Accreditation Registrar.

The office administrative team for Accreditation continues to provide excellent support; comprising Anne Gorse, Accreditation Administration Officer, Julie McIntosh, Accreditation Assistant Administration Officer, and Phil McDougall, Course Accreditation Administrator.

Statistics

Accreditation Liaison Officers (ALOs) handle queries by e-mail and phone, relating to training and Accreditation; in 2007, 350 queries received a response; in 2009 this had risen to 3243. Applications for Practitioner Accreditation increased from 178 in 2008 to 268 in 2009, and this rate of increase is continuing, as well as a 24% increase in applications for Supervisor and Trainer Accreditation, and a 14% increase in Re-accreditations.

Of applications received for Practitioner Provisional Accreditation during the last 12 months, 22 were rejected as insufficient for processing; this ranges from forms being incorrectly, sometimes barely completed, or no supporting documents such as evidence or suitable references included. During the same period 12 applications were withdrawn by mutual agreement, because the applicant had not yet met the criteria and standards required for Accreditation. Of all applications received across Practitioner, Supervisor and Trainer, and Re-accreditations, 27% required varying degrees of facilitation by the ALOs before they could be processed to completion, for example, where further information was required.

Work in Hand

These are exciting and busy times. There is a major expansion of Accreditation functions ongoing, in line with the expansion of CBT generally, and the IAPT programme in particular; CBT is at the core of IAPT, which has led to an exponential rise in training courses at both High Intensity (HI) for training additional Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapists, and Low Intensity for training Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners. As a result, there has already been a significant surge in applications for Provisional Accreditation for IAPT HI trainers and Supervisors, and it is expected that during the coming year there will be a huge increase in applications for CBP Practitioner Accreditation from IAPT HI graduates. In addition, BABCP is launching PWP Accreditation on 1 February.

Organisationally BABCP's role in setting and maintaining standards has extended to close working with IAPT. BABCP leads the IAPT Course Accreditation process setting standards to ensure that the training provided meets both the demands of the IAPT core curriculum, whilst also meeting BABCP minimum requirements for training as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist.

Currently the first of those Accredited under the new Provisional Accreditation process are beginning to make their applications for Full Accreditation. Also, the first of Accredited Supervisors and/or Trainers will be applying for Re-accreditation imminently.

In September last year the guidelines and application forms for Provisional and Re-accreditation were re-launched after a successful trial period, and Full Accreditation was launched. The guidelines are comprehensive and have been significantly improved; providing section by section explanation of the application forms and useful examples. The new application forms and logbooks are all re-designed to be completed electronically in Word, and are improved both aesthetically and for ease of use. New Supervisor's Report and Professional Reference, including samples are also available, which should be completed in Word. Currently Supervisor and Trainer documents are being updated and will be available soon.

So far applications received using the new guidelines and forms have been of a consistently better quality, and require less additional intervention by the Accreditors during the process.

There is a new process for Re-instatement of Accreditation for members whose Accredited status has lapsed.

All Accredited members, and those who are interested in considering Accreditation, are advised to look at the Accreditation section of the website and familiarise themselves with the new forms and improved guidelines. It is the responsibility of the individual to ensure they are referring to the most up to date information relating to their Accreditation. Old application forms are no longer accepted, and new Logbooks should be used from 2010.

In the Future

A number of projects that affect Accreditation are planned for 2010. In an effort to improve efficiency, manage costs, and in consideration of the environment, Accreditation processes are moving towards paper-free systems. To advance the ambition to have electronic submission of Accreditation applications, all forms are now completed electronically in Word, but must continue to be printed and posted because of the large amount of additional supporting documentation applicants include with their applications. However, application packs are now scanned on receipt at the office, and therefore only one copy of documentation is required from applicants (except KSA). A successful trial to move Accreditation application packs between Accreditors electronically has just been completed, and this will be extended to include all Accreditation Panel members.

Accreditors have been reviewing requirements for Re-accreditation in the latter half of 2009, with the intention of moving away from the current quantitative system, to a more ‘grown-up' approach to supporting and encouraging personal and professional development. The emphasis will include a planning and reflective approach, which encourages a CPD programme and Supervision arrangements that have a true relationship to actual development needs.

BABCP continues to work closely with the Health Professions Council (HPC) regarding statutory regulation of Psychotherapists, so that Accredited members will be well placed to achieve registered status. Once regulated by the HPC, registrants will be required to demonstrate how they meet the HPC CPD requirements. Accreditors will be working with the HPC as they develop the new Re-accreditation process so that duplication of effort is not required. It is planned that, in line with HPC processes, Re-accreditation will move to a two-year cycle. Applicants will make a declaration that criteria for Re-accreditation have been met, and a system of spot-checking samples of the membership will be implemented. To support Accredited members still further, it is proposed that each will have their own personal development web portal where they would record CPD and Supervision activity, amongst other things, allowing for Accreditors to make sample spot-checks with no extra work for the member.

Finally a significant project is being undertaken to develop a Core Curriculum for Cognitive Behavioural training, which specifies the broad and basic requirements, whilst allowing for a variety of additional curriculum elements to accommodate speciality roles or client populations, for example psychosis, children and adolescents, forensic, ACT, DBT etc. This work will include the core competencies required for the profession of Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapists.

Further updates about these and other relevant projects will continue to be reported in CBT Today, and on the BABCP website.

The Accreditation team wishes the membership a happy new year, and looks forward to continuing to provide support and adding value to the CBT profession.