Update on Statutory Regulation of Psychologists

Update September 2021

CORU is currently preparing to regulate the psychology profession. Psychologists provide care and support to vulnerable people and, to protect the public, were designated health and social care professionals to be regulated by CORU under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended).

The vast majority of Ireland’s psychologists are outstanding professionals. However, being a regulated profession means that if there is a failure in the delivery of care from a registered professional, service users can make a complaint to CORU and we will investigate through our fitness to practise process.

Regulation has been a positive development for each of the professions CORU has regulated. Statutory regulation sends a powerful message about each psychologists’ commitment to consistently deliver to the highest standards. Most importantly, regulation provides greater protection for the public. Members of the public can have confidence in knowing that a professional's standing and qualifications have been independently verified.

Developing the Regulatory Framework

The Psychologists Registration Board (PSRB) was established in 2017 and has been working on developing a regulatory framework for the profession. This work is being conducted in accordance with our legislation, which prescribes much of how the profession is to be regulated. In addition, the Board has undertaken in-depth research and analysis of the systems of regulation in other countries to identify how best to protect the public.

In November 2020, the Registration Board opened a public consultation on the education and training standards and all stakeholders were encouraged to participate. The response to the consultation was vast with over 700 submissions received. The Registration Board is now taking the opportunity to reflect on the feedback received from the Consultation before the next steps are taken in preparing for registration. Updates on the work of the Registration Board and its progress towards the regulation of psychologists will be updated on this website page and through the CORU newsletter.