What do the OFSTED registration changes for therapists mean?

After years of lobbying from individual therapists, counsellors,  accrediting bodies and AUK, the law and guidance was recently changed in relation to working with ‘adoption related issues’ in therapy. There are still nuances to be understood or worked out, but this change has been welcomed and opens doors for many people seeking support, as Dan from our Psychology and Therapy Hub explains. 

Until December of last year Ofsted registration was required to provide therapy to adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents relating to adoption. The change means that people or organisations providing adult adoption-related therapy no longer need to be registered, which was previously a huge barrier for people accessing therapy. 

As we know, adoption can have a lifelong impact for people, and some of the challenge previously for therapists was not knowing if therapy would centre on adoption before it starts. Then if adoption ‘came up’ as a focus, there was difficulty in either ending therapy, referring on, or essentially shutting that conversation down, so then having a ‘no go’ area in therapy. 

It’s important to note this change does only apply to adults, so where therapy for children and young people (under 18) focuses on adoption, therapists do still need to be registered. This can mean when working with children, the same issues can arise about the dilemma of potentially ending therapy. Children and young people would need to be informed of their right to access adoption support services. If a therapist is working under a contract to a local authority or adoption agency, they don’t need the registration. 

It is important that therapists working with adoption as a focus have a good understanding of relating issues and have sufficient training and experience in the area. The BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) as an accrediting body intend to create an adoption competence framework along with other training and CPD resources. It is also important for individual therapists to take responsibility for their own training and understanding in this area, and not take on any work that is beyond their experience or competence levels. 

Individual therapists wishing to work with children and young people relating to adoption, must either be contracted by a local authority or adoption agency, or go through the process of registering as an adoption support agency themselves, which involves an application process and a fee which is a minimum of £968. 

The risk with the change in legislation is that there may be therapists who don’t have the adequate training or knowledge to work with adoption and related issues, who do then embark on therapy with adult adoptees, birth parents, or adoptive parents. We would recommend anybody seeking individual therapy does also seek information about the therapist they’re choosing, including their qualifications, experience, training, and accreditation. The risk is currently less so for children and young people, due to the continued requirement to be registered with Ofsted. 

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