Qualifications update

The consultation will give members, trainees, and wider stakeholders the opportunity to provide evidence and share their experience of our qualifications, and whether the BPS is best placed to provide qualifications into the future.  

I want to make sure that we keep you fully updated throughout this process, so I wanted to let you know where we are right now, and how the consultation process is set to develop.

We've divided the process into three distinct phases – co-producing the scope of the consultation, carrying out the consultation itself, and finally the evaluation phase, when we'll be analysing the results and presenting to the Board of Trustees for a decision on the future.

We are about to open the process of recruiting to a steering group and expert reference group, which will work together to develop the scope of the consultation, and finalise an exhaustive list of the groups we need to reach.

If you are interested in applying to join either of these groups, please keep an eye on our dedicated webpage for when applications open.

The scoping will take place throughout August and September, before being presented and finalised at the next board meeting at the beginning of October.

We anticipate that the consultation phase will take place during October and November, which will be your opportunity to get involved and have your say.

We know that there are many different groups and stakeholders that we need to speak to, both within and outside of the society. 

This includes those directly affected, such as the divisions which currently have qualifications, our Qualifications Committee, our Education and Training Board, and those people currently taking a BPS qualification.

But it also encompasses a much wider range of stakeholders, from the NHS in each of the four nations, to the Health and Care Professions Council, to the Association of Heads of Psychology Departments.

We intend to involve all of these groups, through a written consultation, round table discussions, and a survey of our members. Please keep an eye on our communications channels for opportunities to get involved.

This will all lead to a final report which we hope will be completed in January 2025, and will be an important part of informing our final decision, along with all of the work we're doing to better understand our qualifications. We will keep you updated throughout the process.