The ACP is an Accredited Register of the Professional Standards Authority. The PSA accredits registers so that the public can be confident when choosing health and care practitioners.
The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care promotes the health, safety and wellbeing of patients, service users and the public by raising standards of regulation and registration of people working in health and care. It is an independent body, accountable to the UK Parliament. The PSA accredits registers so that the public can be confident when choosing health and care practitioners. The PSA makes sure that the public is protected when choosing and using health and care services by independently assessing organisations who register practitioners, who are not regulated by law, working both within and outside the NHS. The Accredtied Registers scheme covers the counselling and psychotherapy professions including Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists.
The Association of Child Psychotherapists was first accredited in 2014 to hold a Register of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists practising within the UK. We are then assessed annually to ensure we are continuing to meet the PSA's Standards and are able to be awarded the Quality Mark. The Accredited Registers Quality Mark shows that an organisation is committed to protecting the public and is working to good practice.
Organisations must meet ALL of our standards to be able to demonstrate that they uphold these principles and meet the quality mark requirements.
The PSA Standards are central to every health and social care organisation they accredit.
They are:
- Hold a voluntary register of health and care practitioners
- Be committed to protecting the public
- Understand, monitor and control risks
- Be financially sound
- Inspire public confidence
- Develop your knowledge
- Provide strong and effective governance
- Set good standards for practitioners on your register
- Ensure appropriate education and training for practitioners
- Run your register well
- Manage complaints fairly and effectively.
Holding the Quality Mark means that our Register meets the PSA’s high standards of governance, setting standards, education and training, managing the register, providing information and complaints handling.
The most recent annual review and decision to re-accredit the ACP can be found here.