Our approved qualification scheme is designed for awarding organisations who design, assess and award qualifications delivered through different training centres. 

We'll work in partnership with you to assess your qualifications against our standards and competence frameworks, looking at course design, delivery and assessment.

We currently have several approved qualification schemes available, which will continue to expand as new competency frameworks and curricula are developed:

Counselling skills

Since launching the counselling skills competence framework in June 2020, we’ve set up an approval scheme for counselling skills training which embeds the BACP framework. Please contact our Professional Standards team if you're interested in this scheme.

Core practitioner qualifications

After successfully piloting an approved core practitioner qualification, which includes our Certificate of Proficiency as part of the course, with the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) and the  Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), we've now opened out the scheme to other awarding bodies. Please contact our Professional Standards team if you're interested in this scheme.

Counselling children and young people (CYP)

The Counselling children and young people (four to 18 years) training curriculum is underpinned by the competences within the CYP competency framework. It can be used by training providers who wish to deliver courses in a variety of contexts, to a diverse student audience. Training providers can use the curriculum to inform training for work with children and young people (four to 18 years), children (four to 10 years) or young people (11 to 18 years).

If you're an awarding body who's interested in delivering such training and becoming an approved qualification, please contact our Professional Standards team for further information.

Supervision

The Supervision training curriculum offers training providers a framework for delivering counselling and psychotherapy supervision training. The training curriculum is underpinned by BACP’s evidence-based Supervision competence framework (2021) which identifies the additional knowledge and skills needed to work ethically and effectively as a supervisor.

If you're an awarding body who's interested in delivering such training and becoming an approved qualification, please contact our Professional Standards team for further information.

Benefits

The approved qualification scheme offers awarding organisations:

  • external verification that your qualification meets stringent training, practice and quality assurance criteria
  • BACP approved logos for joint certification, advertising, publicity and information materials
  • ongoing collaboration with BACP and other stakeholders
  • improved student recruitment
  • a partnership with BACP while maintaining your own autonomy and brand

Requirements

An approved qualification must: 

  • meet BACP requirements for the content, curriculum, delivery and assessment of the qualification, including practice requirements where appropriate
  • be mapped to the relevant professional standards or competences (as specified by BACP and agreed with the partner organisation)
  • align with the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions
  • have robust quality assurance arrangements that ensure a consistent standard across all training centres offering the same qualification

Process

The application process has five key stages:

  • Stage 1: initial discussions between awarding organisation and BACP to establish eligibility and partnership
  • Stage 2: application form completed and assessed against set criteria
  • Stage 3: BACP decision report issued and terms and conditions agreed
  • Stage 4: approved qualification launches with eligible centres
  • Stage 5: ongoing relationship confirmed with annual review meetings

Costs

For all approved qualifications, fees are based on the number of students enrolled to take the qualification and include the costs of annual review meetings. The fee and payment structure varies for each qualification so please contact our Professional Standards team if you want more information.

Responsibilities and commitments

Working in partnership, we will:

  • ensure the qualification (and possible developments) meets BACP requirements, including practice and supervision, and maps to the Ethical Framework. This may include requesting changes to the qualification, its design, delivery or assessment.
  • arrange an annual review meeting with associated action plans as required

and the awarding organisation will:

  • develop the qualification and associated assessment strategy
  • ensure the qualification embeds the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions
  • take control of, and be responsible for, approving centres to deliver the qualification (this model allows for flexibility in course design and curriculum providing the requirements are met)
  • quality assure delivery and assessment of the qualification to a national standard
  • develop and use their joint branding for the qualification
  • participate in an annual review of the qualification

Find out more...