TIME FOR ACTION TO SAVE COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY FROM THE HPC
This message invites you to become involved in two key steps in our campaign against the Health Professions Council.
(1) An autumn conference on Principled Non-Compliance: Saturday 11th October
(2) An e-mail campaign to enrol our MP’s to block the impending Order that will enslave counsellors and psychotherapists
As you know, the HPC is approaching the end of its « consultation » process and the Department of Health is standing by to start drafting the Section 60 order which could go up to Parliament later on this year. If this happens the work as we now know it will be forever compromised and client experience will be adversely affected.
We propose a two-pronged attack on this pernicious, ill-considered scheme
(1) THE ALLIANCE AUTUMN CONFERENCE ON PRINCIPLED NON-COMPLIANCE
A conference in London on Sunday October 11th 2009 to consider a principled response to state regulation: « Principled Non-Compliance with the Health Professions Council » (flyer attached). We hope you can come – please tell your colleagues.
(2) E-MAIL or WRITE TO YOUR MP
Please write to your MP – find them on:
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/
If the issue of state regulation really matters to you, then join our campaign against the Section 60 order and write over and over again until you are sure they have registered your concerns. There is already an awareness of our campaign in Parliament, so please join in and get your voice heard. The sooner you start the better.
Here is some inspiration:
We know that some MPs have already noticed their mailbag filling up on this issue. Members of the House of Lords mentioned the amount of correspondence they’d received – they were amazed at the level of concern.
One sympathetic MP has advised us to email every two weeks – or even weekly – until you think your MP appreciates your concerns. We really encourage you to do this – it is essential we stop the process NOW, before it is too late.
Try to write in an individual way, begin by telling them you are their constituent – just say why you, as a trained and experienced practitioner, are convinced that Parliament should not approve any Section 60 order which sets out to capture Counsellors and Psychotherapists onto the HPC register. We are not health professionals. The field is very diverse. The work is more of an art than a science. Standardisation and randomised spot checks are inappropriate. Conciliation and mediation is more appropriate than legal adversarial show trials. There is no evidence whatsoever that HPC will improve practise. On the contrary, Audit Culture actually destroys knowledge and undermines personal responsibility. The ‘consultation’ has been window dressing and difficult ideas have simply been ignored. HPC have said they will mount a smear campaign against those who dissent. The process creates fear – people are frightened of being excluded, afraid of losing their work. If we are to act with honesty and integrity we cannot sign up to HPC.
Attached is our Parliamentary Briefing, summarising the key points as we see them.
http://www.allianceforcandp.org/pages/AllianceResources.htm
We urge you to write from the heart direct to your MP – it matters.
Good luck and thank you very much for your support,
Best regards,
Janet
For The Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy against State Regulation
http://www.allianceforcandp.org/
