The audit process is an opportunity for you to showcase how you're working professionally and how you've developed your knowledge and skills. The documents we’ll ask you to submit relate to records that you're already asked to maintain. 

We also use information from audits to collect data. We may pass data that has been anonymised to other BACP departments. This may be used in the development of CPD events and guidance documents. 

Audit selection process

Anyone who has been on the Register for more than a year can be audited when their membership is due for renewal. Every month we audit 2% of eligible members who are renewing.

If you're selected for audit, we'll contact you by email and give you up to six weeks to submit the requested information.

Do I have to take part?

If selected for audit, you do have to take part. You agreed to be audited when you signed the Register terms and conditions. The selection process is totally random, so although it's unusual to be selected more than once it does happen. You’ll still need to complete the audit even if you've been selected before. 

Can I renew my membership and continue to practice while I’m being audited?

You can continue to practice while you're going through the audit process, and you can renew your membership as normal. The audit process is not linked to your membership renewal.

Preparing your submission

If you're selected for audit, you'll need to provide your records for the previous 12 months relating to:

Supervision

You're asked to submit an up-to-date record of your supervision sessions.  

See Register requirements for supervision for full details including how to record your supervision.  

CPD

You can log and submit records of the CPD you've undertaken during the year in the CPD Hub or using the Registered member record of CPD, supervision and indemnity insurance form provided. We don't need to see CPD certificates. 

See Register requirements for CPD for full details, including how to record your CPD.  

If you're unable to use the Registered member record of CPD, supervision and indemnity insurance form, then please email us at audit@bacp.co.uk  and we can discuss alternative options and work with you to ensure the process is accessible.  

Indemnity insurance

You're asked to provide a copy of your current professional indemnity insurance certificate.   

If you're covered by your employer’s indemnity insurance, you'll need to provide a letter from your employer. The letter should confirm your employment dates and state that you're covered by the organisation's indemnity insurance. The letter will need to be on the organisation's letterhead and signed by your line manager or an appropriate member of staff. 

Please remember to respect client confidentiality. Don't include personal, confidential or identifiable material in your records, unless this information is requested for audit purposes.  

It's important that the information you provide is honest and accurate. If you give false or misleading information, you may be referred to the Professional Conduct team of the Register. 

What if I'm not currently in practice?

Registered members must be in practice or have practiced within the last three years. Therefore, you could be selected for audit even if you've not been in practice during the last 12 months. If this is the case, you'll only need to provide a record of your CPD as the Register requires you to continue with CPD when not in practice. You must also provide a statement confirming the amount of time that you've not been in practice.

Can I ask for an extension?

As a Registered member, you have a professional responsibility to manage and record your CPD and supervision throughout the year. We give you around six weeks to send in your audit documents. This allows for any personal circumstances, holidays or sickness. 

We may give extra time in exceptional circumstances. If you need to ask for more time, please get in touch with us by email at audit@bacp.co.uk. We'll review your situation, and we may be able to offer you an extension. Extensions are granted in two-week periods. If there are any personal circumstances such as maternity leave, long term illness or bereavement, then we may be able to defer your audit for twelve months.

What will happen if I don't submit by the deadline?

You'll be sent an email reminder. You'll then have 16 days to submit your audit.  

If you still fail to respond, you'll be sent a second email reminder asking you to contact the Audit team within seven days.  We'll also try to contact you by phone. If you still don’t respond, a letter will be posted to you by recorded delivery, asking for your audit submission within 14 days. 

How do I submit my audit information?

If you have recorded your CPD in the CPD Hub, please submit your record for review. 

Please email your Registered member record and evidence of insurance to audit@bacp.co.uk

If you need to send hard copies by post, please contact us at: BACP Register Audit Team, BACP House, 15 St John's Business Park, Lutterworth, LE17 4HB. We recommend that you use a secure mail delivery service to make sure your documents arrive safely. 

Assessment

We'll assess your information against the standards of the Register. We review, assess and moderate audits to ensure they've been fairly assessed before we send the result to you. The assessment process takes around six weeks. We process the information in the order we receive it, so the sooner you get your records to us, the sooner you'll receive your decision. If we need to ask you for further information or clarification, the process will take longer. 

If the information you provide doesn't meet Register standards, we request further information and explain why.   

We'll contact you by email with the outcome of your audit, which could be: 

  • your information meets the Register standards
  • there has been a potential breach to the Register standards. You remain on the Register and you're issued with a letter of advice
  • your information has failed to meet Register standards. You're sent a decision letter with information on the consequences of not meeting the requirements

What happens to my information?

The information you provide is kept confidential and is only seen by Register staff who are responsible for the audit. We only hold your personal information for as long as is needed for the audit and any follow up process.  

We won't pass your personal information on to any third parties. For information about how we protect your data, please see section C in our privacy notice.

Further information and help

If you have any queries about the Register or the audit process, please contact us at audit@bacp.co.uk  or call on 01455 883300.