Annual General Meeting 2009 - APS Member Groups

COURSE ACCREDITATION
Members: Professor Vicki Anderson (Chair), Dr Lina Forlano, Professor Glynda Kinsella, Ms
Elizabeth Mullaly, Dr Alan Tucker
Course Guidelines
At the 2007 CCN annual conference, the revised course guidelines for course approvals were
approved. As noted in our previous report, in early 2008 these were submitted to the APS for
processing to be available on the website of the Australian Psychological Accreditation Council
(APAC). Following that, a long delay ensued, in the context of the further development of APAC. In
mid-October, 2009, the CCN National Exec received a directive for the CAC to further redraft the
guidelines to be consistent with the newly approved APAC Rules for Accreditation and
Accreditation Standards for Psychology Courses. This redraft will involve consultation with
universities and review of neuropsychology-specific competencies and will be a major focus over
the next three months.
Course Accreditations and Approvals
The CAC no longer plays a major role in course approvals for individual university professional
neuropsychology courses, except in consulting with the CCN National Exec regarding designation
of representatives to participate in site visits and report on neuropsychology courses in the context
of current (out of date) course guidelines. During 2009 the University of Melbourne course was
reviewed and remains under consideration.
In late 2008 the APS invited colleges to nominate individuals to participate in their Professional
Development and Accreditation Committee. The CCN National Exec determined that the CAC
convenor should take this role. After some negotiation around the scope of the role with respect
to the College, this invitation was accepted, with the understanding that the role would be one of
representation, and would facilitate communication between PDAC and the CCN.
Practice Certificate in Psychology/Dual College membership
Changes to the APS Generic Rules were approved at the recent APS AGM. The implications of
these changes for college membership remain unclear at present, particularly given the lack of up
to date course guidelines, and limited consultation with colleges to date. The redrafted guidelines
will need to take these changes into consideration in order to ensure that clinical neuropsychology
standards are clearly delineated.
Vicki Anderson
Chair, CCN course approvals sub-committee, 21 October 2009
8