Last night, 31st December 2019, the BACB announced that, from 1st January 2023, initial BACB certification applications would no longer be accepted from individuals living outside the U.S. and Canada.
This means that Behaviour Analysis organisations in countries outside North America, including the United Kingdom, will need to develop their own credentialing processes.
Like you, the UK-SBA Board did not have any prior warning of these changes. We have organised an urgent meeting to discuss implications and next steps, particularly for those who are currently working to meet BACB certification requirements. We will be contacting the BACB for further clarification to ensure everyone in the UK has clear information. Following that meeting, we will issue a statement describing the actions we will take to ensure behaviour analysts in the UK have access to a robust credentialing process.
Please note that the BACB have already confirmed that all existing certificants, and those that meet certification requirements prior to 1 January 2023, will not lose their certification status, but will remain certified in perpetuity (provided they continue to meet current BACB certification standards).
While the timing of the BACB’s decision is unexpected, working towards a UK-based certification process has been our aim for the past five years, and we would therefore like to take this opportunity assure you that the UK-SBA is in the advantageous position of having already laid the groundwork for the development of such a process. We have launched the UK-SBA Register, developed clearly defined membership categories, and produced a code of ethical and professional conduct specific to the UK. We have high quality University courses and continuing education providers, and we have the expertise and experience to create a robust, UK-based process that will be more understandable to UK consumers and other stakeholders.
But we will still need your help.
The first step is for the UK-SBA Register to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, a nationally recognised regulator accountable to Parliament. For this to happen, we urgently need more people to join the Register. If you are working in the field of ABA, sign up here. If you are already a member, please ensure you are visible on the Register and that you publicise your UK-SBA membership. Click here to view your profile. And please spread the word with colleagues. Having a critical mass of registered behaviour analysts is crucial in our efforts to gain professional recognition and establish a UK-based credentialing process.
We are confident we have the structures in place to see the ABA community through this transition. While the change to a nationally-focused credentialing process is happening sooner than we expected, we see this as a very positive step forward for ABA in the United Kingdom.