Aromatherapy Council
This is what is get (in reverse order as it is a copy of my e mail)... what do you think? I think this is very dangerous... just like I said on my Blog a few days ago... ' AT can be toxic if left unchecked'...So much for being and aromatherapist let alone teacherof it!
I replied:
I do need the minutes for the meeting.
All businesses have to keep their records for 6 or more years….err taxman etc.
Please recover and send asap.
Please beware of not using 'voluntary' more in the new AC website. As a member I trust I would not be accountable for this oversight.
Thank you for the power point presentation.
Regards
Gillian Avart
[hr]
Dear Gill
The Consortium no longer exists and therefore the minutes of the Consortium are no longer on the old Consortium website, now deleted. The information in the minutes is now obsolete as is my powerpoint presentation from the information day. Things have now moved on from July 2006 and the information is out of date. However, I am quite happy to attach it for your personal information. The best thing if people you know have questions about regulation is to deirect them to our website or ask them to call the AC office.
The Council is now in existence as from the 1st December 2006 as the official voluntary self-regulatory body for the UK aromatherapy profession. It clearly states this on the "About the AC” page. Established in December 2006, the Aromatherapy Council (AC) is the Voluntary Self-Regulatory body for the Aromatherapy profession within the UK. This makes it perfectly clear and we also make this clear in all press releases. The Constitution also makes this distinction, so there would be no "legal issues” as you say and certainly no false impressions and we make this clear to all callers to the office that the register is voluntary but essential to the furtherance of the profession.
If you remember we gave everyone free extended membership of the Consortium to November 2006 as we were unable to get everything ready for the register for 1st October as hoped. In effect you have received 12 months registration.
Kind regards
[hr]
[/align]I sent:[/align]
Hi,
[font=arial][size=2]Sometime ago I asked where the minutes of the AC's meeting dated 14/07/06 were on the website. You said that the site w
Answers:
Hi Gill
Sorry if I sound obtuse but I am unsure as to what the point is that you are trying to make! Carole Preen is a highly respected Aromatherapy teacher and has been a huge advocate of voluntary self-regulation for the profession.
From my understanding of the emails Carole did say that she could still send you the presentation etc, but that it was no longer widely available as the website had been deleted.
Please could you clarify the point that you are trying to make - as I feel slightly confused at the moment about what you are trying to say?
Laura
Answers:
Hello
I was very surprised to find this slur on my good name on this forum. I hope you will be gracious enough to retract these nasty comments. I have responded to your email favourably before reading thisto explain in detail that of course you can have these obselete minutes from the old Consortium if you really want them, but I will have to retrieve them from the archives and send you a photocopy by post (which you will not be charged for).
For information the Aromatherapy Consortium was set up as a working party to develop voluntary self-regulation for the UK aromatherapy profession. Members were invited from all part of the profession to contribute to these developments and wide consultation was given to all documents produced. All documentation was placed on the Consortium's website for complete openess and transparency. The Consortium was part of the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health's Regulation Programme and received funding and support.
After years of hard work, the Consortium announced that it had completed its work and the official new voluntary self-regulatory body was ready to be launched on the 1st December 2006. The Consortium officially dissolved in November 2006. This followed Government mandate to put in place a robust system of voluntary self-regulation for complementary therapies and there are 10 other complementary therapy professions currently on the Foundation's regulation programme working away to develop VSR for their therapy. Aromatherapy is the first of the "Group 2" complementary therapies to have achieved voluntary self-regulation and we were congratulated by David Tredinninck MP, Lord Colwin and the Prince's Foundation for being the first to have VSR in place at our official launch party at the House of Commons on the 19th December 2006. We are now working with the Foundation to discuss the possibility of creating a voluntary system of VSR from complementary therapies. The first meeting takes place next week and we do not yet know what these discussions will bring butas always,we will work in the best interests of the whole profession.
The Council's website is and like the Consortium before it, all agreed minutes will go on the website for openess and transparency. We are working for the good of the whole profession. Voluntary self-regulation is a pivotal and crucial development for our profession, it shows that we are a mature, serious profession ready to stand alongside orthodox healthcare and to work as integrated healthcare. This is the profession's chance to demonstrate that it is mature enough to be taken seriously and although it is voluntary, every aromatherapist should support it so that we can progress. If we do not embrace this development within the profession there is a danger that policy could be dictated to us rather than having professionally-led regulation as it is now. Being AC registered is giving the public and the NHS quality assurance of your professional status. It is everything we have wanted for many years and a lot of people have given their time freely to reach this goalpost. Nothing is gained from being negative about this process, whichwill only prove that we are nota mature profession in the eyes of onlookers. Insteadwe all need to get behind our profession and support it.
I hope this has inspired readers of the Forum to register, because this is all being done for you and your profession. You can find out lots of information on the AC website and download the application form. If you need any information, please call me at the AC office and I will be more than happy to help or advise you. There does seem to be a lot of misunderstanding amongst therapists, so please ring in or write in and get the facts direct.
Carole Preen
Answers:
Please do not believe every thing you hear. There are many good Practitioners/Associations out there that do not and have no wish to belong to the Aromatherapy Council, but benchmark their courses well above the NOS.Belonging to an association or Register does not, or ever has, guaranteed that the standards are the best there is.
I have been a Teacher and Practitionerof many therapies since 1974 and was a member of the first association to require Compulsory Codes of Conduct. I have met many so called professional therapists who are members of some of the so called voluntary self-regulatory body groups who's standards to say the least were poor.
I have also met many voluntary Aromatherapists in the care profession who were not members of some of the voluntary self-regulatory body groups, who's quality and standards could not be surpassed. Also they are already on the NHS Register.
As I said before how many registers do we need???? If we are all Honest they do not mean a thing, no one can be naive enough to believe that they do.
Short one for now. Will reply to all.
Voluntary SELF Regulation means what it says, I have been doing it naturally for many years.
If we all do it naturally wewill not need a big brother that has no experience of any of our therapies.
PS
Federal approach is totally wrong.
Answers:
I was very disappointed to read the negative feedback on voluntary self-regulation of the aromatherapy profession. It does highlight ignorance of what has been happening over the past 10 years. Regulation is happening because of a drive by the government and the Department of Health for public protection and that is very important. Regulation of Complementary Therapies was highlighted by the House of Lords Report in the year 2000 and subsequent Government Response. Each therapy was given the opportunity to develop regulation for itself, co-ordinated by the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health. Needless to say regulation is very real and is happening right now yet it is professionally-led regulation in that the Council members are aromatherapists, so this is not being delivered by people who don't know anything about the profession, so you have got that wrong. The danger is that if therapists don't support regulation of the profession, we very well might end up having policy dictated to us from outside of the profession that may not be right for us. Supporting regulation is the way you can safeguard your profession for the future. You can become a Council member yourself if you want to, you will have to be registered but everyone on the register is welcome to be nominated for a Council position (nominations will take place October time) and all meetings are open and transparent with agreed minutes being placed on the website. The first minutes will go on once they have been agreed at the next AC meeting on the 13th March 2007.
Also, associations cannot join the Council. As a regulatory Council it is run by elected aromatherapists and lay members only. The role of the regulator is quite different from the associations and yet the associations still have a very valuable function as representing bodies. They look after your needs as a professional, offering support for disciplinary matters, offering insurance, CPD, magazines etc. The role of the regulator is to protect the public and maintain the integrity of the profession. You see the same distinction in other healthcare professions, such as in nursing, with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC)as the regulating body and the RCN as the representing body. Complementary Therapies are being asked to become responsible mature professions, just like the rest of healthcare and if we want respect then we have to support regulation of our profession.
There is no "NHS register" for complementary therapies. The register you refer to is run by a private company that is not part of the NHS but uses the NHS name. Everyone I know who has registered with them has never received any referrals and it does not give you official recognition of your status. It is not run by the NHS and does not give the NHS or the patient any quality assurrance, only a regulatory body can do that. For years the NHS has not been able to refer patients to aromatherapists because of the plethora of qualifications. On registering with the AC you are checked against the nationally agreed standards (and by the way ALL the professional associations contributed and agreed to these). The National Occupational Standards, which is the responsibility of the Aromatherapy Council, represent "Good Practice" and this means that all the aromatherapists who are AC Registered are safe, competent and current practitioners who have signed up to the single register, the Disciplinary Policy, the Code of Professional Conduct and CPD Policy, all of which were developed and agreed by the professional associations working together in unison. All aromatherapists aspire to best practice through ongoing learning and professional development and this is to be commended and encouraged, which regulation does. It will helpedraise all aromatherapists's skills and that will enhance the whole profession. Any snobbery anyone has about their qualification being better than someone else's, you just c
I replied:
I do need the minutes for the meeting.
All businesses have to keep their records for 6 or more years….err taxman etc.
Please recover and send asap.
Please beware of not using 'voluntary' more in the new AC website. As a member I trust I would not be accountable for this oversight.
Thank you for the power point presentation.
Regards
Gillian Avart
[hr]
Dear Gill
The Consortium no longer exists and therefore the minutes of the Consortium are no longer on the old Consortium website, now deleted. The information in the minutes is now obsolete as is my powerpoint presentation from the information day. Things have now moved on from July 2006 and the information is out of date. However, I am quite happy to attach it for your personal information. The best thing if people you know have questions about regulation is to deirect them to our website or ask them to call the AC office.
The Council is now in existence as from the 1st December 2006 as the official voluntary self-regulatory body for the UK aromatherapy profession. It clearly states this on the "About the AC” page. Established in December 2006, the Aromatherapy Council (AC) is the Voluntary Self-Regulatory body for the Aromatherapy profession within the UK. This makes it perfectly clear and we also make this clear in all press releases. The Constitution also makes this distinction, so there would be no "legal issues” as you say and certainly no false impressions and we make this clear to all callers to the office that the register is voluntary but essential to the furtherance of the profession.
If you remember we gave everyone free extended membership of the Consortium to November 2006 as we were unable to get everything ready for the register for 1st October as hoped. In effect you have received 12 months registration.
Kind regards
[hr]
[/align]I sent:[/align]
Hi,
[font=arial][size=2]Sometime ago I asked where the minutes of the AC's meeting dated 14/07/06 were on the website. You said that the site w
Answers:
Hi Gill
Sorry if I sound obtuse but I am unsure as to what the point is that you are trying to make! Carole Preen is a highly respected Aromatherapy teacher and has been a huge advocate of voluntary self-regulation for the profession.
From my understanding of the emails Carole did say that she could still send you the presentation etc, but that it was no longer widely available as the website had been deleted.
Please could you clarify the point that you are trying to make - as I feel slightly confused at the moment about what you are trying to say?
Laura
Answers:
Hello
I was very surprised to find this slur on my good name on this forum. I hope you will be gracious enough to retract these nasty comments. I have responded to your email favourably before reading thisto explain in detail that of course you can have these obselete minutes from the old Consortium if you really want them, but I will have to retrieve them from the archives and send you a photocopy by post (which you will not be charged for).
For information the Aromatherapy Consortium was set up as a working party to develop voluntary self-regulation for the UK aromatherapy profession. Members were invited from all part of the profession to contribute to these developments and wide consultation was given to all documents produced. All documentation was placed on the Consortium's website for complete openess and transparency. The Consortium was part of the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health's Regulation Programme and received funding and support.
After years of hard work, the Consortium announced that it had completed its work and the official new voluntary self-regulatory body was ready to be launched on the 1st December 2006. The Consortium officially dissolved in November 2006. This followed Government mandate to put in place a robust system of voluntary self-regulation for complementary therapies and there are 10 other complementary therapy professions currently on the Foundation's regulation programme working away to develop VSR for their therapy. Aromatherapy is the first of the "Group 2" complementary therapies to have achieved voluntary self-regulation and we were congratulated by David Tredinninck MP, Lord Colwin and the Prince's Foundation for being the first to have VSR in place at our official launch party at the House of Commons on the 19th December 2006. We are now working with the Foundation to discuss the possibility of creating a voluntary system of VSR from complementary therapies. The first meeting takes place next week and we do not yet know what these discussions will bring butas always,we will work in the best interests of the whole profession.
The Council's website is and like the Consortium before it, all agreed minutes will go on the website for openess and transparency. We are working for the good of the whole profession. Voluntary self-regulation is a pivotal and crucial development for our profession, it shows that we are a mature, serious profession ready to stand alongside orthodox healthcare and to work as integrated healthcare. This is the profession's chance to demonstrate that it is mature enough to be taken seriously and although it is voluntary, every aromatherapist should support it so that we can progress. If we do not embrace this development within the profession there is a danger that policy could be dictated to us rather than having professionally-led regulation as it is now. Being AC registered is giving the public and the NHS quality assurance of your professional status. It is everything we have wanted for many years and a lot of people have given their time freely to reach this goalpost. Nothing is gained from being negative about this process, whichwill only prove that we are nota mature profession in the eyes of onlookers. Insteadwe all need to get behind our profession and support it.
I hope this has inspired readers of the Forum to register, because this is all being done for you and your profession. You can find out lots of information on the AC website and download the application form. If you need any information, please call me at the AC office and I will be more than happy to help or advise you. There does seem to be a lot of misunderstanding amongst therapists, so please ring in or write in and get the facts direct.
Carole Preen
Answers:
Please do not believe every thing you hear. There are many good Practitioners/Associations out there that do not and have no wish to belong to the Aromatherapy Council, but benchmark their courses well above the NOS.Belonging to an association or Register does not, or ever has, guaranteed that the standards are the best there is.
I have been a Teacher and Practitionerof many therapies since 1974 and was a member of the first association to require Compulsory Codes of Conduct. I have met many so called professional therapists who are members of some of the so called voluntary self-regulatory body groups who's standards to say the least were poor.
I have also met many voluntary Aromatherapists in the care profession who were not members of some of the voluntary self-regulatory body groups, who's quality and standards could not be surpassed. Also they are already on the NHS Register.
As I said before how many registers do we need???? If we are all Honest they do not mean a thing, no one can be naive enough to believe that they do.
Short one for now. Will reply to all.
Voluntary SELF Regulation means what it says, I have been doing it naturally for many years.
If we all do it naturally wewill not need a big brother that has no experience of any of our therapies.
PS
Federal approach is totally wrong.
Answers:
I was very disappointed to read the negative feedback on voluntary self-regulation of the aromatherapy profession. It does highlight ignorance of what has been happening over the past 10 years. Regulation is happening because of a drive by the government and the Department of Health for public protection and that is very important. Regulation of Complementary Therapies was highlighted by the House of Lords Report in the year 2000 and subsequent Government Response. Each therapy was given the opportunity to develop regulation for itself, co-ordinated by the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health. Needless to say regulation is very real and is happening right now yet it is professionally-led regulation in that the Council members are aromatherapists, so this is not being delivered by people who don't know anything about the profession, so you have got that wrong. The danger is that if therapists don't support regulation of the profession, we very well might end up having policy dictated to us from outside of the profession that may not be right for us. Supporting regulation is the way you can safeguard your profession for the future. You can become a Council member yourself if you want to, you will have to be registered but everyone on the register is welcome to be nominated for a Council position (nominations will take place October time) and all meetings are open and transparent with agreed minutes being placed on the website. The first minutes will go on once they have been agreed at the next AC meeting on the 13th March 2007.
Also, associations cannot join the Council. As a regulatory Council it is run by elected aromatherapists and lay members only. The role of the regulator is quite different from the associations and yet the associations still have a very valuable function as representing bodies. They look after your needs as a professional, offering support for disciplinary matters, offering insurance, CPD, magazines etc. The role of the regulator is to protect the public and maintain the integrity of the profession. You see the same distinction in other healthcare professions, such as in nursing, with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC)as the regulating body and the RCN as the representing body. Complementary Therapies are being asked to become responsible mature professions, just like the rest of healthcare and if we want respect then we have to support regulation of our profession.
There is no "NHS register" for complementary therapies. The register you refer to is run by a private company that is not part of the NHS but uses the NHS name. Everyone I know who has registered with them has never received any referrals and it does not give you official recognition of your status. It is not run by the NHS and does not give the NHS or the patient any quality assurrance, only a regulatory body can do that. For years the NHS has not been able to refer patients to aromatherapists because of the plethora of qualifications. On registering with the AC you are checked against the nationally agreed standards (and by the way ALL the professional associations contributed and agreed to these). The National Occupational Standards, which is the responsibility of the Aromatherapy Council, represent "Good Practice" and this means that all the aromatherapists who are AC Registered are safe, competent and current practitioners who have signed up to the single register, the Disciplinary Policy, the Code of Professional Conduct and CPD Policy, all of which were developed and agreed by the professional associations working together in unison. All aromatherapists aspire to best practice through ongoing learning and professional development and this is to be commended and encouraged, which regulation does. It will helpedraise all aromatherapists's skills and that will enhance the whole profession. Any snobbery anyone has about their qualification being better than someone else's, you just c