SCoPEd Adoption Announcement
Update from the SCoPEd Oversight Committee, Independent Chair, Paul Buckley:
As independent chair of the SCoPEd Oversight Committee, I’m pleased to confirm that all partners have formally decided to adopt the SCoPEd framework. This has been decided individually by each of the partners.
This means that the six SCoPEd partners have each agreed:
+ to align their membership categories to reflect the SCoPEd framework
+ to develop a shared agreement on pathways and routes between SCoPEd columns
The partners will continue to work collectively as they move towards adopting and implementing the framework. The partners will be in touch with their members and registrants with regards to what the next steps and timelines are for their own organisation.
The SCoPEd partner organisations are:
+ Association of Christians in Counselling and Linked Professions (ACC)
+ British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
+ British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC)
+ Human Givens Institute (HGI)
+ National Counselling Society (NCS)
+ UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
Collectively, the SCoPEd partners represent approximately 75,000 counsellors and psychotherapists from a diverse range of backgrounds, approaches, philosophies, and professional training.
If you have any questions, please contact your membership organisation via their usual channels.
Paul Buckley, Independent Chair SCoPEd Oversight Committee
BPC Response:
The aim of SCoPEd (Scope of Practice and Education) was to produce an agreed evidence-based framework, which represents the breadth of skills and experience of all our valued Registrants. We are pleased to have contributed to this process and to adopt the framework.
There is still work to do, but we have taken a significant step towards addressing the confusion around the current landscape with a framework that will inform the minimum training requirements, competencies and practice standards for therapists working with adults.
We look forward to working with our SCoPEd partners, but especially our Registrants, Member Institutions and Training Organisations in the next steps of SCoPEd.
What this means for our Registrants:
On a day-to-day basis, nothing will change for our Registrants. They can confidently assume they meet column C competencies. We believe that no Registrant will be disadvantaged by the adoption of the SCoPEd framework.
We believe that the framework provides patients with a transparency around Registrant competencies, and the depth and intensity of their training.
What this means for our Member Institutions and Training Organisations:
Member Institutions and Training Organisations are the backbone of the BPC. All BPC accredited courses will explicitly match column C competencies, so little will have to be done in the short term. In the future, some work will need to be achieved around equivalence, but we will work closely with and support our Member Institutions and Training Organisations. In future, equivalence provision might create a rich pool of potential trainees.
What this means for us as a professional body:
As a member of our regulatory body, you will not see any change in our day-to-day business.
As part of a collective that incorporates the main professional therapy associations, we are able to influence decisions and keep psychoanalytically informed therapy high on the agenda. Collaborating with our regulatory partners means we have more influence with major decisionmakers and government.
Importance of Collaboration:
The SCoPEd framework recognises, maps, and celebrates the diversity of trainings and therapeutic modalities within our community. We believe the framework will help establish a more standardised profession, but we are aware that it will not solve structural inequalities.
We greatly appreciate the cooperation, respect, and commitment of our SCoPEd partners. We would not be where we are without every organisation working hard. This has shown an unprecedented collaboration and we look forward to further developments and mutual working.
We hope you share our enthusiasm and support for SCoPEd and its opportunities for Registrants, Member Institutions, Training Organisations, patients, and other partners in the psychoanalytic profession.
Find out more about SCoPEd on our website or, if you have specific questions, please get in touch.
