Governance / Legal

Terms and Conditions

1. General terms

IFPA Membership requires the applicant to be qualified to the standards set by the IFPA. IFPA holds the right to reject applications at its sole discretion. False declarations, once identified, will result in the person being removed from the membership, without prior notice.

Applicants must notify IFPA if any of the following apply:

  • The applicant is subject to disciplinary proceedings, or had civil proceedings brought against them in relation to their practice.
  •  The applicant has a criminal record, or conviction that is unspent.
  • The applicant has been refused membership to any organisation or had any memberships terminated.
  • The applicant is subject to an insurance claim relating to their work as a therapist.
  • Within the last 5 years the applicant has undergone any dispute or been involved in any claim legal or otherwise with any membership organisations or governing bodies.
  • The applicant currently has any health concerns which may affect their performance
  • The applicant has been declared bankrupt or subject to bankruptcy proceedings or voluntary or involuntary insolvency winding up procedures.
  • The company (Corporate Members) ceases to exist.

Members must provide copies of their qualifications within 14 days of joining. Failure to provide these documents will result in the cancellation of membership without a refund.

It is a condition of membership that all Full and Associate members must hold professional indemnity insurance cover to practise in the UK or any such policy consistent with the rules of their country of residence. These members must provide a copy of their current insurance certificate within 14 days of joining. Failure to provide these documents will result in the cancellation of membership without refund.

Applicants must ensure that all information provided is, to the best of their knowledge, complete and accurate at the date of application. If any information is missing, or the information supplied is false or misleading, then IFPA reserves the right to terminate membership without refund.

All members are bound by the IFPA’s Code of Conduct & Ethics.

Members must adhere to the highest standards of professional practise and complete 12 continuing professional development (CPD) points per year (excludes Student and Nonpractising members). IFPA has a right to ask for proof of CPD points attained upon renewal of membership.

Membership certificates and enamel badges remain the property of IFPA and should be returned if membership is cancelled or not renewed.

Members must not gather the contact information of other IFPA members for the compilation of unauthorised mailing lists for commercial purposes.

Use of the IFPA logo must adhere to the terms and conditions of use as defined in the IFPA’s Branding Guidelines.

Access to the members’ area of the IFPA website is strictly for individual members and must not be shared.

Membership is a 12-month subscription. Membership fees are non-refundable or transferable.

2. Changes to your information

It is important to notify us of any changes to your personal details or any changes to declarations you have made.

Members are responsible for informing IFPA of any changes to contact details. To update personal details, members must inform the office in writing without delay. This may be done by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or they may log into the members’ area of the IFPA website and update the details themselves.

Members must notify IFPA if there are any changes in the circumstances relating to their disclosure made as part of their application and renewal submission.

3. Renewing membership

Members will receive written notification at the beginning of the month before the month in which they are due to renew. The e-mail invitation will contain full renewal instructions.

Members must check their inbox for IFPA renewal reminders. To avoid e-mails going into junk or spam folders, members are advised to add [email protected] to their contact list

Members who do not wish to renew their membership, must notify the IFPA office in writing (e-mail is fine) to confirm membership cancellation.

If members are no longer practising and wish to change their category of membership to Non-Practising membership, they will need to confirm this in writing by e-mail.

All Full and Associate members are required to send updated insurance documents at each renewal and must confirm that they have completed 12 CPD points during the 12-month period leading up to their renewal date. Failure to provide these documents and information will result in the cancellation of membership without refund.

4. Membership termination

Membership of IFPA will terminate and membership benefits withdrawn if:

  • A member gives notice in writing prior to their annual renewal date.
  • Their membership remains unpaid for 90 days after its due date.
  • A member’s conduct brings the organisation into disrepute and the IFPA Board of Trustees decides to remove them from the membership by a resolution made by the directors. Membership fees will not be refunded.
  • Any information supplied is false or misleading. The IFPA reserves the right to terminate membership without refund.
  • A member behaves in an unacceptable and unreasonable manner, which includes:
    • Threats of physical violence.
    • Verbal or written abuse.
    • Harassment.
    • Using insulting or degrading language.
    • Personal grudges towards a certain member of staff or trustee.

IFPA will not accept any form of unacceptable behaviour or persistent unreasonable demands towards IFPA staff, trustees, or other IFPA members. Failure to change behaviour will result in the termination of membership and denial of future re-applications.

Once membership is terminated, all references to IFPA including the IFPA logo must be removed from all promotional material including websites and all social media platforms.

5. Privacy and Personal Data

IFPA is committed to protecting and respecting the personal data that we hold. Our privacy statement describes why and how we collect and use personal data and provides information about individuals’ rights. Please read our Privacy Policy for further information.

The IFPA will not sell or distribute personal information to third parties unless members have given their express permission for us to do so or the IFPA is required to do so by law.

IFPA treats all personal information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018

6. Confidentiality

Members agree to:

  • Treat all documents and other communications issued to them from IFPA as strictly private and confidential.
  • Ensure that their employees, clients, and other third parties working under their direction treat information from the IFPA in the same way.
  • Agree that no information from IFPA will be made available to anyone outside the membership of IFPA or be published in any journal without the prior permission of the IFPA being obtained.
  • Ensure that all e-mails and methods of communication are directed to the IFPA office and not directly to trustees’/directors’ personal e-mail addresses.
open and download as pdf