BICA policies & practice guidance

BICA Policies

BICA publishes a detailed description of the key aspects of practice in infertility counselliing which form the basis for our monitoring of professional practice in this specialism: "BICA Guidelines for Good Practice in Infertility Counselling". This may be downloaded here:

All new members are provided with a printed copy. In these Guidelines most significant policies of BICA are incorporated as Annexes. They are also provided here as attachments. There are also important practice guidance policy papers listed here to be downloaded.

The Guidelines are amended as required; but the version on this website will be the up-to-date one.

Audit & Evaluation Guidance

Audit as a way of reviewing and improving the quality of care to patients and clients
has become established practice within the NHS. It is a subject that is of increasing interest and importance in the wider health professions field, including counselling. BACP emphasise the importance of audit…

‘Audit and evaluation are considered crucial for developing counselling services and may be used both as ways of increasing counsellor efficacy and as methods of meeting the quality demands of purchasers’(users and regulators). [Guidance for Best Practice: Employment of Counsellors and Psychotherapists in the NHS].

…and as quality standards are now the norm for licensed treatment services their application to counselling services is as essential as to any other form of provision.

The BICA Exec has consistently promoted the importance of maintaining data on counselling provision and in 2006 published specific guidance on the detail that is expected in an annual audit of practice. This guidance was updated in early 2012 and the relevant updated guidance can be downloaded from the members area of the website