Requirements
To be eligible for Âé¶¹Ô´´ progression course accreditation, the course must: Ìý
- be an organisational member of Âé¶¹Ô´´ and subject to the current Âé¶¹Ô´´ Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions  Ìý
- deliver an in-depth course offering post-qualifying professional practitioner training over one year for courses aligned to the SCoPEd framework column C competences. Courses aligned to column C must be Level 7Ìý
- meet our minimum hours requirement for direct teaching or instruction time 
- have teaching delivery that is a mix of face-to-face (in the same room) and online - only synchronous ‘live’ online teaching can be counted towards the minimum hours of direct teaching or instruction time 
- meet our minimum hours requirement for supervised practice (exclusive of missed sessions)
- have at least two core members of staff who have substantive involvement in admission, assessment, course management and decision making, in addition to teaching 
- ensure all course staff are members of an appropriate professional body with a complaints procedure to which they are subject 
- ensure the majority of the course staff are registered or accredited and qualified to the appropriate level to teach on the course.
Please refer to the application documents for further detail on the eligibility requirements. â¶Ä¯â€¯Ìý
Accreditation is awarded to the specific counselling or psychotherapy training course, not to the training provider or organisation. Ìý
Process
To apply, you need to complete a detailed written application showing how your course meets a range of criteria, together with supporting evidence. The criteria cover: ÌýÌý â¶Ä¯Ìý
- Admissions
- Teaching and learning 
- Client work
- Supervision
- Student assessment
- Course content
- SCoPEd competences from column C
- Course completion
- Course evaluation
The application form is in two parts: 
- Part A – Eligibility
- Part B – Course delivery criteria and assessor ±¹¾±²õ¾±³Ù 
You need to pass the eligibility application stage (Part A) first before progressing to Part B.  ​
The course visit enables our assessors to meet your staff and students, build a relationship with you while also helping us understand any issues you may be facing. We can also discuss any questions you may have about the criteria or recommendations that we give. Ìý
Before submitting Part B, you’ll be able to arrange a telesurgery with an accreditation assessor (up to 60 minutes). We ask you to submit your questions in advance so the assessor can prepare, and you get the most out of their time. Ìý
Once your course is awarded accreditation, there will be a rolling annual review process over a five-year cycle. Ìý
We’re always happy to help with any questions you may have by email to accred.course@bacp.co.ukÌýAlternatively, we can arrange a telephone or online video call if you email us with a few convenient dates and times. Ìý Ìý
How to apply
You must submit your application on the forms provided below. Please read the terms and conditions before submitting any paperwork.Ìý
You'll also need to provide information to evidence how the course meets our criteria:
Âé¶¹Ô´´ Accredited Progression Course Mapping Document SCoPEd Framework Column C (Word 0.1MB)
Âé¶¹Ô´´ Accredited Progression Course Scheme Eligibility Guide SCoPEd Framework Column C (PDF 0.3MB)
Submitting your application
Contact us at accred.course@bacp.co.uk when you're ready to submit Part A. We'll then send you a link to our secure accreditation portal. This uses Microsoft OneDrive and sits in the cloud.
This is our preferred way of sharing information as access is limited and there is no need for password protection on any documents, ensuring that we are GDPR compliant.
You can easily upload documents individually, or as complete folders, into your portal. Just send us an email to let us know when your submission is complete.
All material used for your application will be held within this portal for reference, including all submissions, assessment reports, certificates, accredited logo and key email correspondence that directly relates to your accreditation. This material will be retained on a rolling five-year basis before being deleted in line with our accreditation retention policy.
If your accreditation is withdrawn, lapsed or cancelled then all material will be deleted within three months from the end date, which we will confirm by email.
Telesurgery
You can request a telesurgery with your allocated assessor. This is included in the application fee. This may help you better understand the accreditation criteria and how they may be evidenced. For further details see: 
Assessment process
We'll confirm by email that we've received your application and submission fee at each stage. Our accreditation officers will check your application to ensure it's complete, in date and clearly referenced. If we have any minor queries regarding the supporting evidence, ·É±ð’l±ô ask you for more information. Poor quality or obviously incomplete submissions cannot be assessed and will be returned for revision. We cannot pre-assess your application.Ìý
Part A will be allocated to an accreditation assessor for assessment. They'll provide you with an assessment report and once all criteria are met in full, give you a deadline of six months to submit your completed Part B application. This deadline helps to ensure your Part A eligibility criteria doesn't become out of date.Ìý
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Part B will then be assessed by the same assessor where possible, along with a supporting assessor. They'll have a copy of your Part A application and Part A assessment report. Once all Part B criteria have been met, an accreditation officer will contact you to arrange a date for your assessor visit.Ìý
If your assessors have any questions or queries about your application, ·É±ð’l±ô email you on their behalf. Please respond promptly so your assessment is not delayed.Ìý
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The entire application process (Part A and B) can take between six to twelve months to complete, but this is dependent on the quality of an application and how soon we can arrange the visit. We also send 10% of applications for external moderation to ensure the standard of assessment is consistent.Ìý
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When completed, ·É±ð’l±ô upload your assessment report into your secure accreditation portal and email you to let you know the outcome of the assessment and that ¾±³Ù’s ready for you to access.Ìý
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Assessment outcomes
Your application may be:Ìý
Successful and accreditedÌý
If you successfully demonstrate that the course meets all the criteria, you'll be awarded accredited status for five years, unless indicated otherwise. We will specify your accreditation start date and confirm your annual review date. You must abide by all the scheme terms and conditions to become and remain accredited. You must also continue to meet all criteria.
Accreditation with recommendationsÌý
We may award accredited status but make recommendations for you to consider. Your accreditation does not depend upon complying with these recommendations, but you must respond to them within your first annual review submission as stated in your assessment report.
Deferred accreditation with set conditionsÌý
We may ask you to meet certain conditions before you're awarded the accredited status. The conditions will be specified in your assessment report and ·É±ð’l±ô provide you with a template to address all outstanding criteria. You must make a resubmission which meets these requirements by the deadline set by the accreditation assessor, or we'll need to withdraw your conditional accreditation. Ìý
UnsuccessfulÌý
We'll always try to support you through the application process so that you can be successful. However, if you don't meet the set conditions, we'll consider your application to be unsuccessful. You can always re-apply with a new application when you feel you can meet all the criteria.Ìý
Appeals
If your application is unsuccessful, you can appeal if there is clear evidence that either:Ìý
- the assessment was not conducted according to the published procedure
or
- your application was not fairly and properly assessed against the published criteria for the schemeÌý
Disagreeing with the assessors' professional judgement is not grounds for an appeal.
You must make your appeal to us officially in writing, preferably by attachment to an email, within three months of the issue date of your final report. Your appeal will be considered by an independent appeals panel. Their decision will be final.
If you wish to make an appeal please notify us by email to accred.course@bacp.co.uk and we will confirm the process details. Ìý
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CostsÌý
The application and ongoing costs are to be confirmed. Ìý 
Commitments
Course accreditation is awarded for five years. To retain your accreditation for the full term you must:  Ìý
- maintain your Âé¶¹Ô´´ organisational membership
- pay the annual accreditation fee 
- comply with the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions
- continue to meet all criteria for the accreditation scheme
- submit a rolling annual review form for assessment
- inform us of any proposed changes to the course or the overall organisation, before they are implemented
- abide by the accreditation terms and conditions Ìý
If you don't meet these requirements, or if we uphold a professional conduct complaint against you, we may withdraw, suspend or impose conditions upon your course accreditation. Ìý