Accreditation Team

 

 

The team is comprise of the Committee and the Officers who carry out work on behalf of the Committee.

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The Committee

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The Accreditation Committee (AC) conducts, on behalf of the Board, the ongoing monitoring and administration of all accreditation activities. Its members are drawn from a wide spectrum of the acupuncture profession, together with others from either health or educational backgrounds who have experience of the accreditation process.

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The AC keeps the Board informed on all matters related to the accreditation of institutions in a formal relationship with the Board. It reports to the Board with recommendations about such matters, as well as about its own membership, its processes, and other relevant issues. Reports from the AC to the Board during the academic year include an annual schedule of proposed visits to institutions, an account of all such visits with detailed recommendations to the Board, and a commentary on any emerging issues arising from the annual reports provided by all institutions in a formal relationship with the Board. Decisions and recommendations of the AC are subject to Board debate, approval, and ratification.

 

In addition to regular reports produced three times a year for Board meetings, the AC provides the Board with an annual report which critically evaluates its own performance over the previous year, sets itself an action plan for the coming year and reports on the status of all institutions in a formal relationship with the Board.

 

The AC has equal membership of acupuncturists and non-acupuncturists with the addition of a non-acupuncturist chair.

 

Board members

 

Members may serve for 3 years and may be appointed for one further period of office:

 

• 4 acupuncturists are appointed through advertisement in the BAcC professional journal and within the teaching institutions.

• 1 representative of the public interest

• 4 educationalists from professional healthcare education.

 

Committee members may neither vote on nor review their own institution, nor any other institution in which they have an interest or where there is a potential conflict of interest.

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Accreditation Officers and support staff

 

Accreditation Officers (AOs) undertake the operational work associated with the accreditation of institutions and programmes by the Board and contribute to strategic development.

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They are accountable to the Chair of Accreditation Committee (AC) and manage their work independently, whilst maintaining strong relationships with each other, members of the AC, the Board, accreditation visitors, staff, and students of teaching institutions in a formal relationship with the Board, and other partner organisations.

 

AO’s support their named institutions in their ongoing development, particularly with respect to developing and maintaining critically reflective course and institutional management, made clear in documentation submitted to the Board. They arrange visits, report on issues to the AC, and co-ordinate the AC responses.

 

As general issues arise from institutional reports, the AO’s may undertake specific work and produce papers for discussion at the AC or Board. They also contribute to acupuncture programme internal validation events, to the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) Committees or Advisory Groups and to the ongoing work and strategic development of the Board.

 

AOs are expected to maintain their professional development through participation in conferences and developing scholarly papers, and by reflecting on and reviewing their personal performance.

 

The Lead AO co-ordinates the work of the AOs, the executive secretaries, and the AC, working closely with the AC Chair. In addition to the AO work detailed above, the Lead also  ensures issues raised by the AC and Board are followed through and drafts the AC/Board’s annual reviews, strategic plan, and annual action plan. The Lead deals with queries from potential new teaching institutions, maintains relations with partner organisations, manages any complaints to BAAB from organisations, individuals, students or staff, and responds to issues raised by external government and other agencies.