Accreditation information for programme providers

Preparing for accreditation

The RCSLT’s approach to accreditation is collaborative and focused on ensuring quality pre-registration programmes.

During the preparation for accreditation, the RCSLT can support you as a ‘critical friend’. We encourage you to seek advice and guidance from the RCSLT, by contacting info@rcslt.org, as early as possible in the development or review stages to ensure you have a clear understanding of the requirements of accreditation.

A programme provider will apply for accreditation or reaccreditation if one of the following applies:

1. You are developing a new programme.
2. You are planning to make significant changes to a currently accredited programme that will impact on the programme’s alignment with the Curriculum Guidance. If you are unsure whether the changes you are planning would be classed as ‘significant’, please contact RCSLT for an informal discussion before applying for re-accreditation.
3. Your currently accredited programme is nearing the end of its five-year accreditation period.

Contact with the RCSLT

If 1. or 2. above applies, please contact the RCSLT at info@rcslt.org within the timescales below:

a) New programme provider

At least 18 months before the proposed start date if:

• You do not currently deliver an RCSLT-accredited pre-registration speech and language therapy programme
• You are planning to start up a new pre-registration speech and language therapy programme

b) Existing programme provider

At least 12 months before the proposed start date if:

• You currently deliver an RCSLT-accredited pre-registration SLT programme
• You are planning to start a new pre-registration programme
• You are planning significant changes to an existing RCSLT-accredited pre-registration speech and language therapy programme

The preparing for accreditation flowchart (PDF) provides quick-look guidance on how far in advance an education provider should contact the RCSLT.

If 3. above applies, the RCSLT will contact you 12 months before your current accreditation is due to expire.

Roles and responsibilities

The RCSLT

The RCSLT’s professional development team is responsible for the accreditation process, reporting to the director of professional development.

The RCSLT professional development team will:

1. Provide a named contact in the RCSLT to respond to queries and support the process.
2. Provide information, guidance, and support to the programme provider on how to interpret and meet the Curriculum Guidance.
3. Provide an education representative to the programme provider:
   1. Within six weeks of receiving notification of intention to develop a new programme or make a significant change to an existing programme;
   2. At the point of receiving documentary submission from the programme provider for reaccreditation at the end of the five-year period.
4. Provide information, guidance, and support to the education representative regarding the accreditation process and required documentation.
5. Review the report from the education representative and present a recommendation regarding (re-) accreditation of the programme to the director of professional development, who will decide the outcome.
6. Provide a formal letter to the programme provider to notify of the outcome of the accreditation review process (and copy to the education representative).
7. Present commendations, recommendations and conditions to the programme provider and agree a timescale for completion of conditions.
8. When conditions are attached, review submitted evidence and send a letter to the programme provider confirming sign-off of these conditions (and copy to the education representative).
9. Support the programme provider in their influencing activities in institutional contexts. This may include the provision of mediation services, tailored to the individual programme provider’s needs, such as influencing senior management to expand resources and support for the pre-registration programme and its staff, or making the case for programme-specific assessment regulations.

RCSLT education representative

The education representative will:

1. Work collaboratively with the RCSLT named contact, the programme provider, and other relevant stakeholders, demonstrating positive regard and maintaining confidentiality at all times.
2. Attend and represent the RCSLT at any relevant meetings or events.
3. Be familiar with the RCSLT accreditation documentation, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards of proficiency for SLTs and standards of education and training.
4. Assess and critically review programme documentation submitted by the programme provider.
5. Assess the programme’s alignment with the RCSLT Curriculum Guidance and highlight areas of good practice, areas of concern and possible solutions/developments.
6. Submit a report of commendations, recommendations and conditions (if any) to the RCSLT for further consideration within four working weeks of receiving the documentation or attending an event using the RCSLT Accreditation Education Representative Report Form.
7. When conditions are attached, review submitted evidence and confirm to RCSLT whether/when these have been met.

More detailed guidance for education representatives can be found in the Guidance for RCSLT Education Representatives.

Programme provider

The programme provider will:

1. Notify the RCSLT at info@rcslt.org as soon as possible in the new programme development or existing programme review process (if significant changes are planned) (see timescales for notifying).
2. Provide a named contact from the programme team who will lead on the (re-) accreditation process.
3. Involve the RCSLT at the earliest opportunity with the development of, or planned changes to, the programme.
4. Complete and submit the required documentation to the RCSLT within the agreed timescales.
5. Address any recommendations provided at the point of accreditation.
6. When conditions are stipulated, take necessary action, and submit evidence within the mutually agreed timescales.
7. Evidence that the programme aligns with, or that they are working towards alignment with, the Curriculum Guidelines throughout the accreditation period.
8. Work proactively and in partnership with RCSLT throughout the accreditation period.

Accreditation of a new programme

This is the process of accreditation of new pre-registration programme or re-accreditation when significant change to an existing programme is planned or required.

A significant change to an existing programme may be required if, for example, there is insufficient evidence of adaptation to changes to the Curriculum Guidance or professional landscape at the end of the five-year accreditation period.

12-18 months before start of new/changed programme

• Programme provider notifies RCSLT for informal discussion, providing brief details of the new programme (including the proposed start date) or of the planned changes to the existing programme, with rationale. See timescales for required notice period.

Within six weeks of receiving notification

• RCSLT gives programme provider:
  • Details of RCSLT named contact and the assigned education representative.
  • Relevant information and forms for completion including: application form; audit form; information on supporting documentation needed.

2-10 weeks following notification

• Programme provider works with RCSLT named contact to ensure that the new programme/planned changes align with the Curriculum Guidance. The RCSLT will also advise on document production and completion.
• RCSLT named contact provides support to programme team and education representative and agrees date for submission of documentation.

6+ months before start of new/changed programme

• Programme provider submits to RCSLT named contact:
  • Completed application form
  • Completed audit form
  • Supporting programme documentation

Within one week of receiving submission

• The RCSLT sends the submitted application and documentation to the education representative.

Within four weeks of receiving documents

• Education representative submits report to RCSLT on prepared template to include commendations, recommendations and conditions (if relevant), as well as a recommendation to RCSLT in respect of (re-) accreditation.

Within two weeks of receiving report

• The RCSLT reviews report and recommendation, decides provisional outcome and sends a letter to programme provider, copied to the education representative, including a date for the final outcome decision.

Re-accreditation at the end of the five-year period

12 months before accreditation expires

• The RCSLT sends a notification to programme provider with information about next steps, any relevant documentation and details of RCSLT named contact/
• If significant change is planned/required, follow the process for Re-accreditation when significant change to an existing programme is planned or required.
• If no significant change is planned/required, continue to next step.

Eight months before accreditation expires

• Programme provider submits to the RCSLT a completed self-declaration form, audit form and supporting documentation.
• The RCSLT assigns an education representative to review documentation and gives their contact details to the programme provider.

Within two weeks of receiving submission

• The RCSLT sends completed documentation to education representative.

Within four weeks of receiving documents

• Education representative reviews documentation and submits report to the RCSLT on prepared template, with commendations, recommendations and conditions (if relevant) as well as a recommendation to the RCSLT in respect of re-accreditation.

Within two weeks of receiving report

• RCSLT reviews report and recommendation, decides provisional outcome and sends a letter to programme provider, copied to the education representative, including a date for the final outcome decision.

Documentation required

The table provides an indication of documentation required under different accreditation scenarios.

Additional documentation or evidence may be requested by the RCSLT during the accreditation process. Your RCSLT named contact will be able to provide guidance regarding documentation to be submitted.

Outcomes of (re-)accreditation

There are three possible outcomes following accreditation/re-accreditation:

1. Accredited

Your programme is granted RCSLT accreditation for a five-year period. No conditions are set or the conditions which were set have now been met. There may be some recommendations which you are encouraged to implement.

2. Accredited subject to conditions

Your programme is granted RCSLT accreditation for a five-year period, subject to conditions being met.

You and the RCSLT named contact will agree on a date by which conditions must be met. We will support you to respond to the conditions within the agreed timescales.

You will need to submit evidence to demonstrate that the conditions have been met.

The RCSLT named contact and the education representative will review this evidence to consider whether the issues identified through the conditions have been addressed.

We will work with you if your first response does not sufficiently address the issues You will usually have two attempts to meet any conditions.

Once we are satisfied that all conditions have been met, the RCSLT named contact will send you a letter to confirm that your programme is now accredited for a five-year period (copied to the education representative).

3. Not accredited

RCSLT will not grant accreditation if the evidence you provide is deemed insufficient to demonstrate that the programme aligns with the RCSLT Curriculum Guidance.

You will be able to submit a new application following support and guidance from RCSLT. The RCSLT named contact will tell you what further information or evidence you need to provide to evidence alignment with the Curriculum Guidance.

You and the RCSLT named contact will agree on a timeline for this process.

Ongoing monitoring of accredited programmes

RCSLT will contact the programme provider annually to request an update on the programme.

In keeping with the least burden principle, you will complete a self-declaration form.

You will confirm that, within the previous year, there have been no changes to the programme that would impact on the programme’s alignment with the Curriculum Guidance.

You do not need to complete an audit form for ongoing annual monitoring if you have not made/are not planning to make any significant changes to the programme.

If you are planning to make any changes to your programme and are unsure about whether these would be classed as ‘significant’, please contact the RCSLT at info@rcslt.org for an informal discussion.

Accreditation meetings and visits

In most cases the RCSLT will not need to physically visit the programme provider as part of the accreditation process. Most contact between the RCSLT (including the education representative) and the programme provider will be via email or telephone.

A virtual or face-to-face meeting may be requested by either party at any time during the process. In this case, the requesting party will send out an agenda for the meeting and any relevant papers at least two weeks before the meeting takes place.

The RCSLT may request to meet with, or hear from, stakeholders such as learners, placement provider partners, the programme team, employers of apprentices and graduates from the programme. Meetings can be held virtually. We will give you sufficient notice if this is the case, as well as an indication of the topics to be discussed.

Multi-profession/internal re-validation events

The programme provider may request participation from RCSLT in an internal re-validation event, or a multi-professional accreditation event (either virtually or in person).

For this type of event, we ask you to:

• Ensure that arrangements include an appropriate balance between multi-professional and profession-specific discussion.
• Ensure that there is sufficient time for the education representative to raise and discuss the speech and language therapy programme specifically, as well as develop their understanding of the institution’s multi-professional ethos and approach to programme delivery.
• Send all paperwork related to the event to the RCSLT at least 4 weeks in advance of the event.
• Make (but not pay for) any accommodation arrangements for the education representative if necessary.

The education representative will:

• Observe, listen, and engage in discussion, demonstrating positive regard for the programme provider, its staff and students and respecting confidentiality at all times
• Help to identify any issues of concern and explore solutions
• Offer a thoughtful and analytical perspective on speech and language therapy education, including possible sources of evidence and/or expertise
• Submit a report to the RCSLT within four weeks of the event using the RCSLT Accreditation Education Representative Report Form.

The RCSLT will:

• Provide an appropriately qualified and experienced education representative to the event.
• Send all paperwork related to the event to the education representative at least four weeks in advance of the event.
• Pay travel, subsistence, and accommodation expenses for the education representative where necessary.
• Provide an appropriately qualified and experienced education representative to the event.
• Send all paperwork related to the event to the education representative at least four weeks in advance of the event.
• Pay travel, subsistence, and accommodation expenses for the education representative where necessary.

Accreditation documents

Download the documents and forms required for the accreditation process.

• Preparing for RCSLT (re-)accreditation flowchart (PDF)
• Application form (Word)
• Self declaration form
• Audit form
• Education representative report (Word)
• Supplemental information for pre-registration Eating, Drinking & Swallowing (EDS) competencies (2021)

If you have any questions or would like support with the process, please email anita.foksa@rcslt.org or info@rcslt.org.