Information for Employers and Supervisors of Statement of Equivalence Candidates - Salomons Centre for Social and Psychological Development

Clinical Psychology

The Statement of Equivalence in Clinical Psychology

Information for Employers and Supervisors of Statement of Equivalence Candidates

Employers
Salomons SoE Programme was set up to provide a structure for candidates to complete the BPS Statement of Equivalence in Clinical Psychology. This structure involves an Agreement between the employing Trust, Salomons SoE Programme and the SoE candidate. Within this Agreement the roles and responsibilities of each of the parties to the Agreement are clearly stated. It is hoped that within this framework a mutually satisfactory route through the SoE process can be accomplished.

There is no fee to the employer or the candidate for the use of the Programme, although candidates have to pay some fees to the BPS. The Programme aims to reimburse fees in full, subject to certain conditions. Salomons SoE Programme provides a range of supports for candidates in terms of tutorial support, reading drafts of written work, and access to a limited amount of pre-qualification training sessions. Peer support and acclimatisation to NHS practice is facilitated on the five SoE Study Days held at Salomons each year. In addition Salomons staff conduct mid placement reviews to ensure that the BPS requirements for the placement are being met, and meet regularly with candidates individually to review progress and timescales.

It is advisable for managers to consider the following before employing an SoE candidate:

Consult the Trust’s policy or guidelines on appointment of SoE candidates if the Trust has one.
Consult SoE staff at Salomons prior to interview to discuss issues relating to particular candidates.
It is important that candidates have a letter from the BPS prior to interview giving details of the academic and placement requirements that are necessary for the candidate to successfully complete prior to the BPS issuing a Statement of Equivalence.
We expect SoE candidates to complete the SoE within two years. An exception to this is if you have a special reason to support the candidate for example because they have specialist language or other skills.
Fixed term contracts or extended probationary periods may be advisable since renewal can be made dependent on the candidate successfully completing the SoE. It is also advisable, if possible, to build in a clear process for re-grading on successful completion of the SoE.
SoE candidates will usually require at least two days per week on placement. Prior to appointment it is important to consider the implications of this and to make other staff in the service aware of it prior to the arrival of the employee. It is also important to check the availability of placements with the appropriate person or people within the Trust. This may be a Trust Training Co-ordinator, Head of Psychology or the relevant Heads of Specialty.

Supervisors

Supervising an SoE candidate is different in some ways from supervising for pre-qualification Doctorate trainees. SoE candidates are qualified Psychologists and many have extensive clinical experience, although this experience is usually limited in the specialty areas where they are expected to complete placements. It is therefore important to recognise their experience while also recognising that there may be significant learning needs. It can be helpful to have frank discussions about candidates’ experience, competence and learning needs at the start of and during placement. The most common difficulties arise as a result of a mismatch of expectations between supervisor and candidate about their level of autonomy and methods of evaluation. The supervision requirements of the BPS are for a minimum of one hour of supervision per three days on placement.

The SoE candidate’s employer will be involved in setting up the placement and their Co-ordinator of Training (a member of staff from Salomons) will carry out a mid placement review to facilitate feedback between supervisor and supervisee and to ensure that the BPS requirements for SoE candidates are being met. It is important to agree a Placement Contract with the candidate within two weeks of the placement starting and send a copy of this to the Co-ordinator of Training. Supervision needs to meet the standards set out in the Committee on Training in Clinical Psychology’s Guidelines on Clinical Supervision. Please refer to the BPS regulations for the Statement of Equivalence in Clinical Psychology. The Co-ordinator of Training is available for supervisors to consult on any issues regarding supervision or the BPS requirements for SoE candidates.

Download the Supervisors’ information booklet for supervising Statement of Equivalence candidates:

Supervisors’ information booklet for supervising Statement of Equivalence candidates
Appendix Ia Placement Contract
Appendix Ib Honorary Contract
Appendix Ic BPS Placement Criteria
Appendix Id Learning Outcomes
Appendix Ie Log Book
Appendix If ECC Form
Appendix Ig Evaluation of Candidates’ Learning Needs
Appendix Ih Practice Learning Feedback Form