Inspire CPD For Therapists

Pre Trial Therapy Guidance ***FINALLY PUBLISHED***

The new guidance has finally been published (on 26th May) and can be found on the CPS website.

There has already been quite a bit of criticism in the press - on the basis that the wording of this protocol is in fact looser than the original draft and that this will increase the number of requests to therapists. You may also have heard recent news reports stemming from the Information Commissioner's concerns.

There are significant changes from the original 2020 draft - in fact it is even more complicated!
For example:

  • there is an expectation that you will have a good working knowledge of GDPR principles so that you are able to identify a clear legal basis upon which you will disclose therapy notes, including understanding 'special category data' and 'criminal offence data'.
  • There will be an expectation that you discuss in detail with your client the potential parties to whom their data could be disclosed
  • There is an expectation that therapists will liaise directly with the police to assist in the identification of relevant material
  • Therapists will be expected to be aware of the 'data minimisation principle' which means editing of material not relevant to the police is not disclosed.

    We will be running a full day zoom workshop 'Pre Trial Therapy In Depth' on 4th July 2022. Cost £80. We will take you step by step through the new provisions and what you need to know going forwards.

    If anyone has already booked on this workshop for the autumn (10th October) and would prefer to bring your booking forward please let us know and we can transfer your booking.


    • Pre Trial Therapy Protocol

    As many of you will be aware there have been considerable issues regarding the contents and publication of the new Pre Trial Therapy guidance. (For anyone who is not aware this is the guidance that therapists need to work to if you have a client who has reported sexual abuse to the police or who is currently going through the criminal justice process).

    The original protocol was published in 2001 and has been under review for a long time (5 years or more!). The biggest issue with this old protocol being the total prohibition on discussing the actual circumstances of the sexual abuse with the client.

    To briefly summarise; the ‘new’ protocol was published in 2020 and was put out for public consultation which ended in October 2020. It was published on the CPS website, then withdrawn. We were advised this was due to concerns expressed by the Information Commissioners’ Office relating to the nature of the consent that needed to be obtained from clients before therapists released notes to the police. It is our understanding that these issues were resolved, but that the CPS then decided to further delay publication because the Attorney General’s office was conducting a review of their recently revised (December 2020) disclosure guidelines.

    Effectively this has left therapists in an unacceptable limbo – we know that the new protocol has significantly revised the position concerning therapy and what can be discussed but whilst it remains as a draft most therapists have felt obligated to follow the old protocol often to the detriment of their clients.

    Sally has persistently lobbied the CPS for information and to try and highlight the difficulties therapists and clients are experiencing. We do now have some information to share with you, albeit it is incomplete because the CPS have still not confirmed the timescales.

  • the finalised guidance will be clear in its messaging that the wellbeing of the victim is paramount, and that it is for the victim to make decisions about therapy with their therapist, including what type of therapy is obtained and when that therapy is obtained.
  • There is no prohibition on any type of therapy, including trauma-focused therapy which involves discussion of the incident giving rise to criminal allegations. [This is confirmation that the old prohibition will be removed]
  • The current delays are caused by a review that is currently being undertaken by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) which is relevant to what the guidance will say about reasonable lines of enquiry for third party material. (Which is the basis for obtaining therapy notes.)
  • With regards to the timetable for publication, it is understood that the AGO have completed their evidence gathering and that any changes that need to be made to the AG Guidelines on Disclosure will be confirmed by the Spring.
  • CPS intends to publish their finalised guidance as soon as possible following the AGO publication.
  • Having persistently asked for interim 'fundamental principles' guidance I am also pleased to tell you that ahead of publication of the revised guidance, CPS have confirmed that they are working through options for a ‘fundamental principles’ document reflecting key points around the pre-trial therapy process not impacted by the AGO disclosure review. They hope to be able to do this so that it will assist in challenging myths around and build victim confidence in obtaining therapy in advance of a criminal trial. This is now available on the @06.

    We will be holding training events as soon as the guidance is published. Having already had a lot of enquiries about this we know there will be a big demand for this training. We are therefore planning to put on 3 different types of CPD (no dates as yet because we don't know the date of the publication):

  • Disclosure, Safeguarding and Pre Trial Therapy (full day) – this training is really effective for students, private practitioners, or anyone who would like to gain more confidence around the whole issue of a client disclosing abuse, what safeguarding is required and what happens thereafter at court.
  • Pre Trial Therapy Protocol – an in-depth exploration (full day) – this training is suitable for those who are already confident around safeguarding but would like the opportunity to have a more in-depth exploration of the provisions of the new protocol.
  • Pre Trial Therapy Update (half day) – this training will only be available to those who have done our previous pre trial training within the past 18 months, so already have a good understanding of the amended protocol but want to ensure that they are fully aware of the finalised changes.

    If you would like to register your own or an organisational interest in any of this training (without any obligation) that would be helpful. Simply email us back to say which training you would be interested in, and include numbers or whether you want an individual organisational training. Once the protocol is finalised we will then come back to you as a priority booking.


    • Training - back "in the room"

    We've now done 2 trainings "in the room" - both for supervisors. And it was brilliant!

    We're still delivering the majority of our workshops on zoom, mainly because most people seem to prefer it. However, we recognise there will be some who don't. So if you want in the room training, email us and let us know! We'll then be able to see how much appetite there is for it.


    Zoom delivery of our courses

    Who knew that we'd find delivering courses on Zoom as rewarding as it has been!

    We've had great feedback - see below. From what delegates have said our courses have been just as informative, interactive and engaging as they are in the room!

    All courses for the time-being (other than the supervisors course) are being run on Zoom.

    We made this decision due to the continuing uncertainty around Covid restrictions and because we have had such a positive response to our Zoom training. The benefits we see & hear from delegates are

  • no travel time or costs
  • can attend no matter where you are in the country
  • it's just as interactive as being in the room (unlike some trainers, we know how to make it interesting!)


    • Fab feedback from our "Working with Trauma: what about us?" workshop - delivered to an organisation - April 2022

    “It was helpful to learn what signs to look out for with compassion fatigue and what chronic signs to look out for further on down the line if burnout is suspected and the ways in which it can adversely affect how we interact with and support our clients."

    "I loved sharing my experience with and listening to other therapists/caseworker’s experiences as it was supportive and validating."

    "It was helpful to check in with self through doing the Professional Quality of Life Scale (PROQOL) which helped me score my compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress. I learnt it would be valuable for me to do the PROQOL at regular points in the year to monitor my wellbeing.”

    “Useful to talk with others in similar roles about ways to manage the impact of working with trauma survivors. The material on visualisation was also helpful.”

    From the manager: "Staff were buzzing about it the day after when I saw them at the centre"


    Fabulous feedback from our Zoom courses

    "Thank you for putting together a concise and well delivered training session on a complex topic."
    "Thank you, it's been so impactful and given me areas I know I now need to go and work on."
    "This has been the best training I've been on, got such a lot from it, and you made it so engaging."
    From Mother Wound course, Jul 2021

    "Sally & Lynsey work so well together and the CPD workshop was brilliant, thank you!" "I learnt a lot and now know how to move forward in my career." "Professional, well organised." "Everything covered was vital information broken down into really accessible sections."


    I felt my fear of the new Pre-trial guidelines calm so much with the new knowledge I gained. I learnt so much, I raved about it!


    I find breakout exercises often make me uncomfortable but this pushed my comfort and made the day swim by. The best course I’ve been on. Often zoom course can leave you feeling bored and tired but I was buzzing when I finished!


    "Zoom was ace with the way breakout rooms are used and also the time is managed as we counsellors love a good old chat! The day was slick with timings and kept the focus.

    The information was great also, I came away feeling well informed and confident about my practice."



    From "How to set up a successful Private Practice" course

    "Thoroughly enjoy the real, down to earth approach to training." "A good balance of exercise types" "I now understand the considerations I need to be aware of." "Interaction & discussions. I appreciated the trainers sharing own experiences and providing sample contracts, etc." "Money & legal side particularly helpful."


    Fabulous feedback from our course on Working with Adult Survivors: Dissociation & Boundaries

    “I like the relaxed style of learning. I have been engrossed in the content & this is down to Sally & Lynsey. Thank you!”

    “Lots of gems & ‘aha’ moments in understanding & joining some dots.”

    “Knowledgeable & natural trainers”

    “Practical, thoughtful & informative”

    “The freedom of the style of facilitation & challenging pre-conceived ideas.”

    “Brilliant course – loved the variety”

    “Thoroughly enjoyed it – great content & pace!”

    “right/left brain stuff, window of tolerance, fragmented selves – all of it!!”


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