This procedure is effective from November 2002 until revised. Revised sections 1.1, 3.1, 3.2 added in November 2003. New section 1.5 added in March 2009.

To make a complaint:
Write to the General Secretary at the address shown in the UKAHPP Handbook. Please include the following:
· Full name of the UKAHPP Member you’re making a complaint against.
· Your relationship to the member, eg Client, Trainee, Supervisee, etc.
· Details and date(s) of the alleged incident(s) you’re making a complaint about.
· If possible, the reference numbers of the sections of the Code of Ethical Principles and /or of the Code of Practice you believe to have been breached. These Codes are contained within the Handbook. Alternatively, your UKAHPP Facilitator will help you with this. They will contact you soon after receiving your complaint.

Overview of the Complaints Procedure
· For an explanation of terms used see the Glossary following this overview.
· The fully detailed Complaints Procedure follows the Glossary.

Once a complaint is received the procedure follows the stages summarised below.
1. Appointment of Coordinator, Facilitators and Mediator - The Ethics Officer receives a copy of the complaint from the General Secretary. The Ethics Officer appoints a Complaint Coordinator (or acts as the Coordinator) to oversee the complaint and appoints Facilitators to assist the Parties involved.

2. Facilitation - The Complainant is offered a Facilitator to assist them clarify the nature of the complaint in terms of UKAHPP’s Codes of Ethics and of Practice. The Complainant is encouraged to use the mediation process to resolve the complaint. If the Complainant agrees, the Member complained against is then informed of the complaint, offered their own Facilitator to assist them and encouraged to participate in mediation. If either Party is not willing to proceed to mediation the Formal Complaint Procedure is implemented.

3. Mediation - If both Parties agree to mediation they and their Facilitators meet with an independent Mediator appointed by the Ethics Officer. If, as a result of mediation, a resolution acceptable to both Parties is agreed the case is closed. If resolution is not achieved the Formal Complaint Procedure is implemented.

4. Formal Complaint Procedure Stage 1 - Investigating Committee - An Investigating Committee is appointed by the Ethics Officer. The Committee seeks evidence from the Parties to determine if UKAHPP’s Codes of Practice and/or of Ethical Principles may have been breached, not if an actual breach has occurred. If the Investigating Committee determines that there is not a case to answer the Complaints Procedure is deemed complete. If it appears there is a case to answer the Adjudication Stage is implemented.

5. Formal Complaint Procedure - Stage 2 - Adjudication Meeting
An Adjudication Panel is appointed by the Ethics Officer. The panel draws upon the findings of the Investigating Committee and meets formally with the Parties at an Adjudication Meeting where it determines whether the Codes of Practice and/or of Ethical Principles have been breached. If there has been a breach such that the complaint is upheld, the panel recommends sanctions to be imposed on the Member complained against, or they may recommend termination of membership of UKAHPP. If there has not been a breach the Complaints Procedure is deemed completed, but subject to appeal.
6. Imposition of Termination or of Sanctions - If termination of membership, or if sanctions are imposed against the Member they are subject to approval by the Board of UKAHPP. The Member’s compliance in meeting any sanctions is subsequently monitored by the General Secretary and/or the Ethics Officer.

7. Appeal to the External Moderator - If either Party lodges an appeal against the decision reached in the Adjudication Meeting the case is sent for review to the External Moderator who confirms or revises the original decision. If an appeal is being made on procedural grounds, in regard to the conduct of the complaint, then this appeal is made to UKCP (if within their protocols) rather than to the External Moderator.

8. Appeal to UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy) - Subject to UKCP protocols, either Party can appeal to the UKCP on procedural grounds only.

Glossary to the Complaints Procedure

UKAHPP The United Kingdom Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners, abbreviated to UKAHPP.
The Board - The Board of Directors of UKAHPP.
Complainant - The person making the complaint. Usually a client or ex-client of the UKAHPP member being complained against, but may be a trainee or supervisee of the member, or may be another therapeutic practitioner.
Member Complained Against - Sometimes referred to as “Member” below. A member of UKAHPP who has provided a service to the Complainant via a formal or informal contract, paid or unpaid; against whom a complaint is now being raised.
Parties to the Complaint - Sometimes referred to as “Parties” or “Party” below. The Complainant and/or the Member Complained Against.
General Secretary of UKAHPP - The person with whom the Complainant officially lodges their complaint. The General Secretary is regarded as the official voice of the UKAHPP Board, communicates the final outcome of the complaint to the Complainant, and in conjunction with the Ethics Officer oversees the process of the complaint.
Ethics Officer - The Chair of the UKAHPP Ethics Committee who together with the General Secretary oversees the process of the complaint and appoints and supervises the Complaint Coordinator, the facilitators and members of investigation and adjudication panels. The Ethics Officer may act as the Complaint Coordinator.
Complaint Coordinator - A member of the Ethics Committee, who administers in detail the process of the complaint.
Complainant’s Facilitator - A member of UKAHPP, appointed by the Ethics Officer, who is made available to the Complainant to assist them through the process of the complaint. Such assistance would be clarifying the grounds of the complaint and the courses of action open to the Complainant. The facilitator cannot speak or act on behalf of the Complainant or represent them in anyway, but can assist them in formulating what they wish to say.
Member’s Facilitator - A member of UKAHPP, appointed by the Ethics Officer, who is made available to the Member complained against to assist them through the process of the complaint. Such assistance would be to help them clarify their response to the complaint and to consider the courses of action to them. The facilitator cannot speak on behalf of the Member or represent them in anyway, but can assist them in formulating what they wish to say.
Mediator - A member of UKAHPP, or of another organisation, appointed by the Ethics Officer, who assists the parties to settle the complaint by a mediation process.
Investigating Committee - Three members of UKAHPP, appointed by the Ethics Officer, who determine if there is a case to answer by examining evidence submitted by the Parties in writing and/or orally. If there is a case to answer they pass their findings onto the Adjudication Panel.
Adjudication Panel - Three members of UKAHPP (or two UKAHPP members and a third person), appointed by the Ethics Officer, but different from those forming the Investigating Committee, who meet formally with the Parties at the Adjudication Meeting.
Adjudication Meeting - A formal meeting of the Adjudication Panel and the Parties to the complaint. The Panel examine in detail evidence submitted by the Parties in person and in writing and from any witnesses. The Panel determine if the complaint should be upheld and if so any sanctions to be imposed on the member complained against.
Friend of the Complainant & Friend of the Member - For the Adjudication Meeting each Party my elect to be accompanied by a ‘friend’ to provide support and who may also speak on their behalf.
External Moderator - Should either Party appeal against the decision of the Adjudication Panel, details of the case are passed to an External Moderator to review the decision. The External Moderator is a member of the therapeutic profession but with no connection with UKAHPP. The Moderator is appointed by the Board of UKAHPP.
UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy) UKAHPP is an Organisational Member of UKCP. The UKCP can hear appeals against the conduct of the complaint, but not on the decision itself if this was properly reached. Some psychotherapy members of UKAHPP are individually registered with UKCP via UKAHPP.
UKRC (UK Register of Counsellors) Some counsellor members of UKAHPP are individually registered with UKRC via UKAHPP.

UKAHPP Formal Complaints Procedure
The complaints procedure is subject to the protocols listed in section 6

1 Introduction
1.1 The purpose of this procedure is to provide a means of examining a complaint against a Practitioner Member of the UK Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners (UKAHPP), to determine whether a violation of the UKAHPP Code of Ethical Principles and/or the UKAHPP Code of Practice has taken place, and to recommend further action. Such action may include sanctions against the UKAHPP Member, or termination of membership, if the complaint is upheld. A Statement of Complaint must meet the following criteria:
1.1.1 It must be in writing, signed by the complainant and sent to the General Secretary of UKAHPP.
1.1.2 It must give the full name of the complainant and the full of name of the UKAHPP member being complained about. The person complained about must have been a member of the UKAHPP at the time of the alleged violation(s) and must be a member at the time the complaint is received
If the person complained about is no longer a member of UKAHPP the matter cannot be handled by UKAHPP. After a Statement of Complaint has been received, the member complained about will not be permitted to resign while the complaint is in progress.
1.1.3 It must state what was the relationship between the complainant and the member being complained about; such as client and therapist, trainee and trainer, etc.
1.1.4 It must include brief details of the incident(s) complained about, and the date(s) on which they took place.
1.1.5 The alleged violation(s) must have taken place within the five years preceding the date on which this Statement of Complaint (as defined by 1.1.1-1.1.4 above) was first received by the UKAHPP General Secretary.
In the event that a complainant sends the Statement of Complaint more than five years after the incidents took place, s/he must request the UKAHPP Board of Directors to grant permission to initiate the Complaints Procedure by providing an explanation of the reasons for the delay. As part of its consideration of this request, the Board may conduct an informal exploration of the current circumstances and practices of the Member complained against.
1.1.6 The Statement of Complaint should preferably state which specific clauses of the UKAHPP Code of Ethical Principles and/or of the UKAHPP Code of Practice are alleged to have been breached. The Codes must have been current at the time of the alleged breach.
However, these specific clause(s) of the UKAHPP Codes can be identified later with the help of a UKAHPP Facilitator assigned to the Complainant. The Complaints Procedure can only proceed when these specific clause(s) of the UKAHPP Codes have been stated in writing.

1.2 A complaint can be brought:
1.2.1 By a member of the public using or seeking the services of the UKAHPP Member;
1.2.2 By a Member of UKAHPP in a third-party capacity;
1.2.3 By other third arties, but such complaints will only be accepted in extenuating circumstances, subject to the discretion of the Board.

1.3 The administration of the UKAHPP Complaints Procedure follows protocols laid down by the Ethics Committee and approved by the UKAHPP Board.

1.4 The Complaints Procedure must be adhered to under all circumstances. The current version of the Complaints Procedure is used in processing the complaint, not the version current at the time of the alleged offence. If a procedural irregularity is discovered immediate action must be taken to revert to the correct procedure.

1.5 Any abusive or harassing behaviour from a complainant towards any UKAHPP officers or staff (paid or voluntary) will not be tolerated and will be likely to result in the immediate dismissal of the complaint.

2 Facilitation and Mediation Stage (Before making a formal complaint)
Facilitation
2.1 The Complainant is contacted by a Facilitator (a member of UKAHPP who has no relationship with the Member complained against) to offer confidential help and support in making their complaint. Such support can be advice on the procedures involved and help in formulating what the Complainant may wish to say in the meetings that follow. Complainant and Facilitator explore the possibility of resolving the issue by mediation, prior to entering the lengthy Formal Complaints Procedure.

2.2 This facilitation process is confidential with the identity of the Complainant and Member complained against known only to the General Secretary, Ethics Officer, Complaint Coordinator and Facilitator at this stage. If it is necessary to discuss the complaint within UKAHPP the identities of the Parties involved are not revealed. As the object of this process is in part to determine whether a complaint would be appropriate, the Member complained against will not necessarily be informed of the complaint until mediation is sought or a formal complaint entered.

2.3 Should the Complainant choose to proceed, the Member complained against is informed of the complaint. The Member is allocated their own Facilitator to support them through Mediation or the Complaints Procedure. If both Parties agree to mediation, the Ethics Officer appoints a Mediator who may be a Member of UKAHPP but with no connection with the Member complained against. If mediation is rejected by either party, or is deemed inappropriate, the Formal Complaints procedure is implemented instead.
2.3.1 If the person complained against is no longer a member of UKAHPP (resignations are not permitted while a complaint is in progress) the matter cannot be handled by UKAHPP as an official complaint. However the ex?member will be encouraged to attend a mediation process. If they refuse UKAHPP cannot take the process any further. The Complainant can be advised alternative courses of action, such as a complaint to a professional body of which the person complained about is a member.

Mediation
2.4 The Complaints Coordinator arranges a mediation meeting, which the Parties and their Facilitators attend. This meeting is to take place within sixty (60) days of the appointment of the mediator. In the event that the Parties are unable to agree a date for this meeting within the time limit the mediation process is deemed to have lapsed and the Formal Complaints Procedure will be implemented (as long as the Member is a member of UKAHPP).

2.4.1 The Mediator receives from the Coordinator all the relevant information about the complaint. At the meeting the role of the Mediator is to help the Parties clarify their issues and reach a satisfactory outcome. The Mediator first hears from the Complainant, then from the Member, and allows comments of clarification from the Facilitators. This initial expression of views is heard without interruption or contradiction. Time is then given for responses to this initial round and then for the Complainant and the Member to put forward their wishes for a satisfactory outcome. If no agreement can be reached at this stage, then one future meeting will be arranged.
2.4.2 If agreement is reached after one or two meetings, the Mediator documents in writing the agreed resolution and any agreed future action for either or both parties, together with a time scale or date for completion. Both sign this document and a copy is sent to them. If future actions within a time scale have been agreed then the Complaint Coordinator is informed when they’re completed, or they are pursued if defaulted upon. The complaint is then deemed resolved.
2.4.3 Alternatively, if no agreement can be reached this is recorded in writing by the mediator and signed by both Parties and a copy sent to them. The Formal Complaints Procedure is then implemented, as long as the Member is a current member of UKAHPP, or unless the Complainant wishes to withdraw the complaint.

2.5 The Mediator’s report is filed by the Ethics Officer, but any other documents or other records used or created during the mediation stage are destroyed or returned to the relevant “owning” individuals, even if a Formal Complaint is to be pursued. If a Formal Complaint Procedure is to follow the Mediator cannot be involved, but the Complainant’s and the Member’s Facilitators may continue with these roles.

3 Making A Formal Complaint
3.1 Should mediation be deemed inappropriate, or be rejected by either party, or not reach a mutually satisfactory outcome, then the formal Complaints Procedure is invoked, as now described. Note: If mediation has been attempted then certain documents may have been returned to their originators as in section 2.5. Hence it may be necessary for these documents to be resubmitted for consideration in the formal complaints procedure.

3.2 The complainant sends to the General Secretary of the AHPP a copy of the complaint, as defined in section 1.1 and its sub-sections, together with any accompanying evidence or submissions by witnesses.

3.3 The UKAHPP General Secretary formally advises the UKAHPP Member complained against of the complaint against them and sends them by recorded delivery a copy of the complainant’s submissions detailing which Section(s) of the UKAHPP Code of Ethical Principles and/or UKAHPP Code of Practice are alleged to have been breached. The Ethics Officer appoints a Facilitator for the Member, unless this has already been done.

3.4 The Member complained against makes a written response within twenty-eight (28) days of receiving the complaint. Failure to do so without good reason is itself a breach of the UKAHPP Code of Ethical Principles and action may be taken by the UKAHPP as if the breach of the Code(s) alleged by the Complainant had indeed taken place. This written response is forwarded to the Complainant as soon as is practicable.

3.5 The Ethics Officer, with the aid of the UKAHPP Board, appoints an Investigating Committee of three members of UKAHPP to investigate the complaint, at least one of whom must be a past or present member of the UKAHPP Board. Members appointed to the committee have a duty to declare any interest that may threaten their impartiality. The Complainant and the Member complained against each have the right to request one committee member to be replaced by another member of UKAHPP. The Member complained against makes any such request first.

3.6 The Investigating Committee meets to determine the information needed to establish whether a breach of principles or practice may have occurred. If necessary it contacts or meets with the Complainant and/or the Member to gather further information.

3.7 Through the Ethics Officer, the Investigating Committee advises the Complainant and the Member complained against in writing of their final conclusions. These conclusions will be a formal report stating whether or not the Committee considers that there is a case to answer in that a breach of the UKAHPP Code of Ethical Principles and/or Code of Practice may have occurred. If the alleged breach is not confirmed, the procedure is terminated by a written statement to that effect.

3.8 If the Investigating Committee judges that there are sufficient grounds for the complaint to proceed to Adjudication the Committee states in writing what it considers specifically is the case to answer, not just the alleged code violation(s), and this is binding on the forthcoming Adjudication Meeting. The Investigating Committee is not permitted to adjudicate on the complaint itself, even if the Member complained against acknowledges the validity of the complaint. Adjudication and the imposition of sanctions can only take place as the result of an Adjudication Meeting.

4 Adjudication Procedure
4.1 The Adjudication Procedure examines the complaint in a formal manner, using the findings of the Investigating Committee. The Panel determines if the allegations are upheld and if so recommends appropriate sanctions to be imposed upon the Member complained against. Where there is more than one complaint against the same Member, they may be heard at the same adjudication meeting.

4.2 The Ethics Officer, with the approval of the UKAHPP Board, appoints an Adjudication Panel of three people, different from members of the Investigating Committee. One member of the Panel must be a current member of the Board of UKAHPP; the second Panel member must be a member of UKAHPP; the third member need not be a member of UKAHPP. Members appointed to the Adjudication Panel have a duty to declare any interest that may threaten their impartiality.

4.3 The Complainant and the Member complained against each have the right to request one Panel member to be replaced by another person. The Complainant makes any such request first.

4.4 A formal Adjudication Meeting is scheduled:
4.4.1 To take place within sixty (60) days of the appointment of the Adjudication Panel. The date of the Adjudication Meeting will, whenever possible, be agreed by all Parties by telephone before being conformed in writing. In the event that the Parties are unable to agree a date then the sixty (60) days will only be extended under extreme circumstances and at the discretion of the Adjudication Panel, and must in any case take place within eighty four (84) days of the appointment of the Panel. The Panel’s decision in this regard is binding on all parties.
4.4.2 The Adjudication Panel may invite witnesses to attend the Meeting to answer questions about their written submissions.
4.4.3 Failure of the Complainant to agree a date to attend the Adjudication Meeting, or to fail to attend, without good reason or due notice may result in the complaint being regarded as withdrawn.
4.4.4 Failure of the Member complained against to agree a date to attend the Adjudication Meeting, or to fail to attend, without good reason or due notice may result in the Adjudication Panel upholding the complaint and the possible application of sanctions.

4.5 All written evidence and submissions must be submitted to the Ethics Officer not less than twenty-five (25) days before the date of the Adjudication Meeting. Such papers are circulated to the Adjudication Panel members, the Complainant and the Member complained against not less than ten (10) days before the date of the Meeting.

4.6 Both Parties and any witnesses attend the Adjudication Meeting, usually at the same time, but in certain circumstances it may be considered desirable that the Parties have no direct communication with each other, at the discretion of the Chair. Each Party may be accompanied by a “Friend” who may represent them, as an alternative to their Facilitators.
4.6.1. The Adjudication Panel may, at its discretion, receive information privately from the Complainant, from the Member complained against, or from their Friend or from witnesses; with no other members of the Parties present in the room.

4.7 The admission of new evidence at the Adjudication Meeting is only accepted at the discretion of the Panel and may be in the form of short oral or written submissions.

4.8 During the following stages of the Adjudication Meeting both Parties and their Friends should be present; but in extenuating circumstances either Party may be represented by their Friend, at the discretion of the Chair.
4.8.1 A summary of the complainant’s case is put by themselves or by their Friend.
4.8.2 A summary of the case of the Member complained against is put by themselves or by their Friend.
4.8.3 The Complainant and/or their Friend put questions, through the Chair, to the Member complained against.
4.8.4 The Member complained against or their Friend, through the Chair, puts questions to the Complainant.
4.8.5 The Panel members then seek clarification through questions to the Complainant, the Member complained against, and any witnesses present.
4.8.6 When the Chair is satisfied that the Panel has gained sufficient information to adjudicate the complaint, all Parties but the Panel are asked to withdraw.
4.8.7 The full proceedings of the Hearing will be tape-recorded, including any discussions held where not all the Parties are present. The tape will be archived confidentially by UKAHPP unless an appeal is brought in which case the tape may be transcribed for the External Moderator. Neither the tape itself (nor a copy) nor a transcription will be made available to either party, only to the External Moderator.

4.9 The Panel then determines whether or not a breach of the designated Code(s) and Section(s) has occurred or whether it is probable that a breach has occurred. If necessary, a majority ruling (ie two to one) will stand as the Panel’s decision.

4.10 Where a breach is deemed to have occurred, or has probably occurred, the Adjudication Panel may recommend that sanctions to be imposed on the Member complained against. The Panel’s decision on the complaint and its recommendation on any sanctions is communicated in writing to the Ethics Officer; who in turn informs the General Secretary.

4.11 In recommending the application of sanctions care will be taken to consider the best interests of the UKAHPP Member. Sanctions such as the following may be applied:-
4.11.1 Warning to improve/change in a specific way or take certain measures (e.g. extra training in a particular area) by a certain date.
4.11.2 Monitoring by a supervisor, acceptable to UKAHPP and paid for by the Member complained against, for a set period or in certain circumstances, such as when working with particular clients.
4.11.3 Suspension of accreditation, recognised status or membership for a specific period until conditions specified by UKAHPP have been satisfied.
4.11.4 Termination of accreditation, recognised status and/or membership.

4.12 Within ten (10) days of the Adjudication Meeting, the General Secretary informs the Complainant and the Member complained against in writing of the Adjudication Panel’s conclusions as to any breach of the designated Code(s) and Sections(s). The General Secretary also passes the Panel’s decision on to the UKAHPP Board, together with its recommendation as to any sanctions that might be applied.

4.13 The UKAHPP Board ratifies, or may modify, any recommended sanctions. The General Secretary then communicates in writing to the Member complained against and to the Complainant the sanctions that are to be applied.

5 Appeals Procedure
5.1 The Complainant or Member complained against can appeal against the decision and/or sanctions of the Adjudication Panel, by writing to the UKAHPP General Secretary within fourteen (14) days of receiving notice of the findings.

5.2 The UKAHPP General Secretary directs the appellant to the External Moderator who reviews the case and reports back to the General Secretary and to both parties.
5.2.1 Until the appeal is concluded, any easing of any sanctions against the Member is at the discretion of the UKAHPP Board.

5.3 The External Moderator may:
5.3.1 Uphold the decision of the Adjudication Panel and of any application of sanctions on the Member complained against.
5.3.2 Modify the sanctions imposed on the Member complained against. The External Moderator may consult with the General Secretary and/or the Ethics Officer as to the practicality of the modifications.
5.3.3 Reverse the decision of the Adjudication Panel and make recommendations to the UKAHPP Board as to how they might proceed. The External Moderator may consult with the General Secretary and/or the Ethics Officer as to their practicality.

5.4 Subject to the protocols of UKCP an appeal may be made by either Party to the UKCP on procedural grounds only regarding the conduct of the complaint..
5.4.1 If an appeal is made to the UKCP then, until the appeal is concluded, any easing of any sanctions against the Member is at the discretion of the UKAHPP Board.

6 Protocols Governing the Complaints Procedure
6.1 As UKAHPP is a humanistic organisation, all participants are expected to act with honesty and integrity and treat others with respect.
6.1.1 Participants thoughts, feelings, bodily responses, spiritual outlook, etc. are regarded as having relevance during meetings and discussions.
6.1.2 All persons involved with the complaint have a duty to declare any interest or association with the Complainant or Member complained against which may threaten their impartiality. In which case substitutes may be made.
6.1.3 All persons involved with the complaint do not attempt to influence the outcome of the investigation except in the proper presentation of their views according to the procedure. Any such breaches or attempts may result in the procedure being halted or the complaint being dismissed at the discretion of the Ethics Officer in consultation with the General Secretary and/or UKAHPP Board.
6.1.4 All persons taking part in the Complaints Procedure should act in a manner that does not breach confidentiality.
6.1.5 The name of the UKAHPP Member complained against is kept confidential from everybody other than the General Secretary, UKAHPP Administrator, Ethics Officer, Complaint Coordinator and members of the committees investigating that complaint; and only revealed if and when the complaint is upheld.
6.2 Once a complaint has been made to the General Secretary, the resignation from UKAHPP by the Member complained against will not be accepted until the Complaints Procedure has been completed. If the Member complained against has already resigned from UKAHPP prior to the complaint being made, then the complaint cannot be handled by UKAHPP as an official complaint. However the Complainant and the ex-Member will be encouraged to attend a mediation process facilitated by UKAHPP.

6.3 At any point after the receipt of a formal complaint, the UKAHPP General Secretary, acting with the Chair of UKAHPP and the Ethics Officer can suspend some or all of the rights of UKAHPP membership of the Member complained against with immediate effect. Such suspension is considered when:
6.3.1 significant physical or emotional harm has allegedly been caused, and/or
6.3.2 the complaint could result in expulsion from membership if upheld.

6.4 A Complainant can withdraw their complaint at any time. A withdrawn complaint cannot be resubmitted at a later date.

6.5 Complaints made anonymously are rejected and all material related to them is destroyed. The facilitation phase of the complaints procedure makes provision for confidential discussion of the possibility of making a complaint and the issues involved in doing so.
6.6 In processing the complaint the current version of the Complaints Procedure is used.

6.7 In processing the complaint the versions of the Code of Ethical Principles and Code of Practice which were current at the time of the alleged offence are used, not those current at the time of making the complaint.

6.8 The date of proposed meetings will, whenever possible, be agreed by telephone or email before being conformed in writing.

6.9 All communications must pass through the General Secretary, Ethics Officer or Complaint Coordinator. Communications not so conducted are not authorised or recognised by UKAHPP.

6.10 All correspondence regarding the setting of schedules or which contains points of fact germane to the complaint must be sent by Recorded Delivery. Correspondence from the Parties that is claimed to be lost in transit will be assumed not to have been sent unless evidence of dispatch can be produced. “Lost” correspondence is not grounds for changing the timetable of the procedure or affecting its progress in any other way.

6.11 Any documents or tapes received or generated during the complaints procedure are archived by UKAHPP for seven years from the date of the completion of the complaint; and then destroyed.

6.12 All formal announcements from the UKAHPP to the Parties to the complaint must be approved by the Ethics Officer in conjunction with the General Secretary.

6.13 The Complainant and the Member complained against must act and appear in person at the Adjudication Meeting (but may have their Friend speak on their behalf). Powers of attorney will not be accepted except under extraordinary circumstances that must be approved by the UKAHPP Board.
6.13.1 Failure of the Complainant to agree a date to attend the Adjudication Panel meeting, or to fail to attend, without good reason or due notice may result in the complaint being regarded as withdrawn.
6.13.2 Failure of the Member complained against to agree a date to attend the Adjudication Meeting, or to fail to attend without good reason or due notice may result in the Adjudication Panel upholding the complaint and the possible application of sanctions.
6.13.3 Failure by either Party to attend Facilitation, Investigation or Mediation Meetings (where such attendance has been previously agreed) will result in the complaint proceeding directly to Adjudication, should the Investigating Committee consider there is a case to answer.

6.14 UKAHPP is not responsible for travel or any other expenses incurred by the Complainant, or the Member complained against, or by any witnesses, at any stage of the complaint. Costs borne by UKAHPP may be required from either Party to the complaint.

6.15 The findings of the Complaints Procedure are notified to the Complainant and the Member complained against by the General Secretary.
6.15.1 In the event of the complaint being upheld against a UKCP-registered psychotherapist, notification is made to the HIPS section of the UKCP and also to the Registration Board of the UKCP.
6.15.2 In the event of the complaint being upheld against a UKRC registered counsellor, notification is also made to the administrators of the UKRC.
6.15.3 In the event that the Member complained against has their membership terminated, this fact is published via an advertisement in “Self & Society” and in the leading circulation local newspaper in the (ex)member’s area.
6.15.4 Termination of UKAHPP membership is notified to the UKCP Registration Board if they are psychotherapist members via UKAHPP; and/or to the UKRC administrators if they are counsellor members via UKAHPP; and at the discretion of the UKAHPP Board to any other relevant professional bodies.

6.16 UKAHPP reports annually to the Registration Board of the UKCP regarding the number of complaints received, their nature and disposition.

END