Supervision & quality of service

Supervision/Peer Review

The Codes of Conduct for both the BPS and HCPC state that it is best practice for Psychologists to engage in regular supervision and/or peer review in relation to all aspects of professional activities. It is the responsibility of the Psychologist to arrange this

Quality of Service

• The Court’s expectations from a Psychologist as expert witness are set out below (many are very similar to the above)
• A Psychologist acting as an Expert in the Family Courts must adhere to all Family Procedure Rules and Practice Directions
• A Psychologist may only provide an opinion to the court when it is requested and the evidence is necessary
• The expert witness’s overriding duty is to the court and impartiality is essential. Any interest or partiality must be declared
• Any Psychologist offering Expert Witness evidence must be subject to regulation with HCPC or chartered with the BPS and will only use the appropriate protected title in all communications to provide immediate clarification of regulatory status
• The Psychologist’s CV must clearly state which Code of Conduct they are governed by, and professional memberships including number or website so that registration can easily be checked, relevant qualifications, experience, academic publications and any post qualification specialisations in which they are competent
• The Psychologist must be prepared to respond to questions on all aspects of their CV to ensure clarification with regard to regulation and professional competence
• The Psychologist will take part in or initiate dialogue with the Court when necessary to ensure the best quality and most relevant questions are asked and that any apparent superfluous aspects of the instruction are challenged
• The Psychologist must work within the relevant Codes of Conduct, PD and FPR, including potentially raising ethical concerns when the hours are too low to complete the necessary assessment work. The Psychologist must continue to act on his/her Duty of Care alongside of communicating concerns to the Court
• The Psychologist must have regular supervision and peer review
• The Psychologist must have appropriate enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check and Professional Indemnity Insurance
• All Psychologists must be registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office regarding information security and comply with Data Protection Legislation
• The Psychologist will clearly set out fees, hours of work and time frame and will communicate any variation without delay
• The Psychologist will present their evidence as directed by the Court and comply with all Court orders and directions