1.1 The regulation of Educational Psychologists has paramount importance in the profession for promoting transparency, accountability and professionalism for the services rendered. The Register of Educational Psychologists is an official register of professional Educational Psychologists implemented and managed by the Hong Kong Association of Educational Psychologists Limited (HKAEP).
1.2 The purposes of the Register of Educational Psychologists are:
1.2.1 To safeguard the public by ensuring the service quality of registered Educational Psychologists;
1.2.2 To protect the welfare of the users of psychological services by making sure that only practitioners who have the competencies and qualifications to provide safe care and psychological services are registered as Educational Psychologists;
1.2.3 To increase public confidence in Educational Psychologists; and
1.2.4 To maintain and advance the professional standards of Educational Psychologists.
1.3 The register is available online at the HKAEP website https://hkaep.org so that the public can identify Educational Psychologists registered with HKAEP. Printed copies are available upon request to the HKAEP office and are distributed to schools via Educational Psychology Service Section (Education Bureau), School Sponsoring Bodies, as well as to NGOs which provide educational psychology services. Practitioners who are registered must meet the registration standards set by the HKAEP and are permitted to use the title “Member of Register of Educational Psychologists accredited by Department of Health” (“衞生署認可教育心理學家名冊會員”). The public can be confident that a registered Educational Psychologist meets the relevant requirements for practice in the profession, is regulated by its code of professional practice, has professional indemnity insurance, and pursues continuing professional development. The public register will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis.
[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title=”2. Maintenance of the Register”]2.1 Applicants for registration should submit a completed application form with the requested documents for proof of compliance with all of the registration requirements for an initial application or a renewal application.
2.1.1 Verification of supporting documents is conducted at the time of application.
2.1.2 Successful applicants are issued a Registration Certificate which is valid for one year.
2.2 Annual renewal is essential to maintain registration and be listed on the register. After renewal, a new registration certificate will be sent to the registrant.
2.3 Registrants are at liberty to apply for renewal of registration or not to do so. However, to remain registered, registrants need to renew their registration every year by the due date. If registrants want to keep their names on the Register, they need to:
2.3.1 Submit a renewal application form and complete a professional declaration on the form; and
2.3.2 Meet the minimum of 45 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) over the preceding 3-year period with a minimum of 5 CEUs during each year within that 3-year period; and
2.3.3 Provide a copy of their certificate of professional indemnity insurance; and
2.3.4 Send a cheque payment of HK$1500 for the annual registration fee.
2.4 Two months before a registrant’s registration is due for renewal, a renewal notice will be mailed, unless the registrant has an overseas address. As long as a registrant submits a complete application for renewal of registration with the requested documents no later than two month past its due date, the registrant will be considered registered under this grace period. The HKAEP will send a confirmation letter as evidence of renewal of registration to registrants upon approval of the renewal application.
2.5 If a registrant fails to renew the registration successfully within the grace period, the registrant’s name will be removed from the Register and he/she must make a new application for registration and meet all registration requirements listed at the time of the new application. Proof of identity and qualifications, as well as a current Certificate of No Criminal Conviction must be provided at that time as well.
2.6 Applicants who fail to meet all of the registration requirements or fail to declare their fitness for practice will not be accepted for registration.
2.7 The online register only shows the full name (both English and Chinese) and registration numbers.
2.8 For the HKAEP’s record, the personal information of registrants will be recorded electronically based on information provided by them on their application forms. Registrants can update their personal profile online by using their online accounts or filling out a request form to change their personal information.
2.9 Registrants who are found unfit to practice or engaging in malpractice may be struck off the register immediately upon disciplinary investigation and a decision made by the HKAEP Board of Professional Council (“the Council”). If a registrant is struck off the Register, he/she may make a new application for registration when re-registration is permitted after a specified period has elapsed and meet all registration requirements listed at the time of the new application.
2.10 The HKAEP office updates the Register and registrant details regularly and when admission/removal of registrants is endorsed by the Council. The Register is reviewed by the Registration Committee at least every 3 months to ensure that it is accurate and up-to-date.
2.11 Annual audits of randomly selected individual registrants will be undertaken to maintain the integrity of the Register and regulation standards.
2.11.1 Every year five per cent of registrants will be randomly selected for auditing of their compliance with all registration requirements for the past year(s) including continuing education (CE) logs and documents and certificates of professional indemnity insurance.
2.11.2 Auditees will be required to submit the supporting documentation within a specified period of time. Registrants will not be selected to participate in 2 consecutive audits. Failure to meet the HKAEP registration requirements or present acceptable supporting evidence may result in removal from the register.
[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title=”3. Conditions that may lead to disapproval of an application for registration or removal from the Register*”]3.1 Applicants who fail to comply with any of the registration requirements
3.2 Applicants who:
3.2.1 do not renew application within the grace period
3.2.2 do not meet the continuing professional development requirement
3.2.3 are unable to declare no criminal conviction
3.2.4 are unable to declare physical and mental fitness for practice
3.3 Applicants or registrants who fail to comply with the Code of Professional Practice
3.4 Applicants or registrants who submit fraudulent documentation, or make false or fraudulent statements at any stage in the application, renewal process, or audit review.
3.5 Applicants who during their application, or registrants who during their registration, declare affiliation with another register of a healthcare profession with which there has been an issue of concern
- in particular if there has been a history of rejection of their application for admission to or renewal of admission to, or of being struck off, another register due to improprieties or disciplinary considerations
*Special consideration will be given by the Registration Committee on a case-by-case basis.
[/accordion-item] [accordion-item title=”4. Continuous Quality Improvement”]4.1 Feedback on concerns about fitness to practise and accessibility to information needed to make informed decisions about service providers will be received from service users and the public through various communication channels including email. A regular review of the register will be made in order to implement any necessary changes in response to the above feedback.
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