News and updates

Scam alert

26 August 2010

There has been a recent email scam targeting psychologists where someone from overseas approaches a psychologist to make an appointment for their child because they can't access the necessary treatment in their own country. After making detailed enquiries about the proposed fees, the fraudsters then pay the psychologist with a bouncing cheque or traveller's cheque. Before the cheques can be cleared by the bank, they then contact the psychologist requesting them to urgently refund the payment leaving the unsuspecting psychologist out of pocket. If you are suspicious of an email or any other unsolicited communication refer to the following websites: www.419scam.org OR www.scamwatch.gov.au.

Yellow Pages application updates   

July 2010

It has come to our attention that at least one member has entered erroneously into an agreement for advertising with a company that the member believed to be the Yellow Pages. The APS sent out a glossy Sensis brochure to APS members in metropolitan Sydney and Melbourne, an application form and reply paid envelope with a letter from APS in March, and an email reminder in May 2010. The APS has not sent any other information to members regarding Yellow Pages advertising.

If any members are concerned about requests for advertising or inclusion in directories, please check the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Scamwatch website at http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/ or contact your state or territory Office of Fair Trading or Consumer Affairs.

Please note that if members in Sydney and Melbourne have submitted their Yellow Pages application form to be included in the 2011 APS Yellow Pages listings, these applications are currently being collated by Sensis Yellow Pages, with payments being processed by APS National Office over the coming weeks. If you missed out on submitting your application form for the 2011 Melbourne or Sydney Yellow Pages directories, you can still do so by submitting your form by Friday 6 August 2010.

• Melbourne Yellow Pages 2011 application form  (711kb)
• Sydney Yellow Pages 2011 application form  (711kb)

Changes to the Generic Rules for Colleges passed at the General Meeting of Members on 20 May 2010  

21 May 2010

Thanks to the attendance of 51 dedicated Members at the General Meeting of Members held on 20 May 2010, a quorum of Members was reached and the Members were able to vote on the proposed amendments to the Generic Rules for Colleges.

There were 768 votes (including proxies) in favour of the proposed amendment and five votes (including proxies) against, resulting in the following changes to the Generic Rules:

International Affiliates With the introduction of International Affiliate College membership in Rule 6.4, the APS Colleges now have the opportunity to encourage greater involvement and participation of psychologists from other countries. College National Committee elections The changes to Rules 12 and 13 mean that APS Colleges can now use an electronic voting process for APS College National Committee elections, enabling all eligible voters, no matter where they are located and regardless of whether they are able to attend the College AGM, to easily participate in the elections. APS College National Committee elections will also now be held annually with only half of the Office Bearers retiring each year; providing Colleges with some continuity in their National Committees. These changes mean that the procedures for APS College National Committee elections are now similar to those used for elections to the APS Board of Directors.

 

To view the Constitution and Generic Rules and Generic Rules for Colleges, see Governance.

Services provided by social workers and occupational therapists to be removed from the Better Access initiative

18 May 2010

Last week's Federal Budget announced that, from 1 July 2010, social workers and occupational therapists will no longer be eligible to provide Medicare-rebated services under the Better Access initiative. Access to these allied health practitioners will transfer to a new government program under the Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) initiative to deliver new packages of care to people with severe mental illness living in the community. The Budget papers state that "the transfer of social worker and occupational therapy services to this new funding arrangement will make better use of the workforce in supporting individuals with severe mental illness, who often receive inadequate or fragmented care".

The APS does not support these cuts to the Better Access initiative and believes that mental health care is far too critical to be shifting funds between programs when new investments are desperately required to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in the our community.

Medicare-rebated services provided by psychologists will remain available under the Better Access initiative. The 2010 Budget papers state that "access to early intervention mental health care will be maintained for people with common mental disorders (like anxiety and depression) by continuing Medicare funding for clinical and registered psychologist services on referral by a GP under the Better Access initiative". The APS will continue its work in advocating for ongoing funding for this highly successful government initiative.

STOP PRESS 20 May 2010
The government has just announced that it will defer the plans to remove social workers and occupational therapists from the Better Access program. The government is currently evaluating the provision of mental health services through the Medicare Benefits Schedule under the Better Access program. To ensure that the Better Access reforms are informed by the evaluation, and the detailed design of new care packages can be developed in consultation with professional groups, the government will defer the introduction of the care packages and any associated changes to fee-for-service Medicare arrangements until 1 April 2011. Until then, current arrangements will remain in place.

Australian Centre for Child Protection’s Professionals Protecting Children Report

6 June 2010 

The Australian Centre for Child Protection's Professionals Protecting Children Report is now available to download.

• Download report

Alert regarding email from new association

6 May 2010

Many psychologists have received an email this week from the Australian Association of Psychologists, a new association formed in March 2010 claiming to be a peak professional organisation representing the interests of all registered Australian psychologists. It is important that APS members are aware that this email is not from the APS, nor is the APS associated in any way with this organisation. Members should also be assured that their email addresses have not been provided by the APS for distribution of the email. The Society has a strict privacy policy and does not release its members' email addresses.

Psychology education and training in the spotlight

February – April 2010

Controversy about education and training standards for psychology practitioners has recently been aired in the media and has involved criticism of the APS. There have been accusations that the APS has presided over lower standards for psychology practitioners, particularly those in the specialisation of clinical psychology. The following information sheets have been prepared to ensure accurate details of the APS' position and actions are available.

The APS position on education and training for psychologists

• View document  (73kb)

The APS position on specialist registration

• View document  (71kb)

Assessment of eligibility for membership of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists since 2006

• View document  (32kb)

Scam warning 

28 January 2010

The APS has become aware that the new National Registration Scheme is providing opportunistic individuals with the chance to try and fool people into spending money on effectively worthless services.

There are two scams that we are currently aware of, one involving emails being sent to APS members chasing up outstanding membership payments and the other being an application for inclusion in a national register, with no undertaking as to the privacy of that information or the value of being included in its register.

The email purporting to be from APS Membership seeking membership renewal payment was sent from the address callitris2@bigpond.com under the name Merle Thompson.
Do not respond to the email. It is spam and has no link to the APS at all.

APS members are reminded to be cautious about unsolicited emails they receive. Official emails from the APS National office will have an address which ends ...@psychology.org.au.

Any emails identified as being from the APS but sent from an email address not ending ...@psychology.org.au should be treated as spam.

Warning signs You receive an invoice from a company you have not previously dealt with You receive an official looking application form from a company that you have not previously heard about, but it sounds legitimate You receive an official sounding call or enquiry chasing payment of an outstanding invoice or application for a product or service that you have not requested What you can do Don't give out any information or pay any money without checking the validity of the company requesting it and what it is for Check the ACCC Scan Watch service at http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/ Check the ASIC scam site www.fido.gov.au Check the Consumer Affairs/ Fair Trading sites in your State or Territory for information regarding current scams