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Dear ,
We are in the second week of lockdown, and will all have been suspending work with patients or moving to remote working.
These are very challenging times, and at the ACP we have been working very hard to put in place measures to support members both working in the NHS and other services, and also those in independent practice.
We are very pleased to publish today the new Independent Practice Guidelines, which our members in the Independent Practice Group have re-written. Huge thanks to the members of this group, which is ably led by Leslie Ironside, and especially Ryan Lowe and the two main authors Lucy Mills, and Judith Goldberg for a fantastic piece of work. We hope this document will be helpful to all members working independently.
In addition, the ACP’s COVID-19 Response Team have produced Guidance for Working Remotely with Children, Young People and Families (many thanks to the main authors Isobel Pick and Kate Robertson with contributions from the IPG). This includes general guidelines to follow for remote working specific to children, young people and families and additional advice relevant to the especially challenging circumstances presented by the current pandemic. They include a link to detailed advice on the use of zoom and links to further resources that may be helpful to members at this time.
The national Psychological Professions Workforce Group and professional bodies have jointly published Guidance for Psychological Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This statement sets out the principles we are all working to during the pandemic and makes important points that are especially relevant to those working in public services, regarding redeployment, maintenance of mental health services especially for the most vulnerable and at risk, and protection of staff required to continue face-to-face working. It also states that psychological professionals are key workers for the purposes of receiving services such as schooling for their children. There are also important statements about training and remote working. We encourage all members in the NHS to use this document and to liaise as necessary with their trust’s lead for psychological professions.
Lastly, together with a wide range of psychotherapy organisations, the ACP is supporting a campaign which asks the government to maximise the role of psychotherapy and counselling in and beyond public services in responding to the mental health impact of COVID-19. They have written a letter to the Health Secretary.
It makes three requests:
- Work with us to ensure there is a workforce to deliver a comprehensive mental health response to the crisis.
- Tackle labour market barriers, our counsellors and psychotherapists can only work to support others if they themselves are supported.
- Signpost the public to the very best mental health support.
If you have views about any of these announcements please do get in touch with us at admin@childpsychotherapy.org.uk. Feedback is welcome and we will do our best to respond to further requests for help.
From the ACP’s COVID-19 Response Team |
