The Council's purpose



The Council has been established to protect the public's interest in the use of play, creative arts and related therapies when used with children, specifically when delivered by Registrants who are entered on the PTUK Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists.

Our main activities are:
  • (i) to ensure that the public interest is protected in the advancement of the safe and effective use of therapeutic play, play therapy, creative arts therapies, child counselling, filial coaching, child psychotherapy and related therapies throughout the UK, in general, and in particular where children's and infants' development is impaired by social, emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties;
  • (ii) to monitor and advise upon the standards and activities of the United Kingdom Society of Play and Creative Arts Therapies, known as Play Therapy UK (hereinafter referred to as PTUK), to ensure that professional practitioners' interests are balanced by the public interest;
  • (iii) to hear any complaints against PTUK and to address any unresolved complaints made by members of the public subject to the PTUK complaints process;
  • (iv) to regularly audit the Accredited Register, accredited by the UK Professional Standards Authority (hereinafter referred to as the PSA), to ensure that the data is accurate, transparent, current, unbiased and provides the public with the information needed to choose a safe and effective practitioner to work therapeutically with children or infants;
  • (v) to review the public interest element of the competencies required for the titles: ‘Practitioners in Therapeutic Play', ‘Play Therapist', ‘Counsellor of Children Using Play and Creative Arts Therapies', ‘Filial Play Coach', ‘Clinical Supervisor of Play and Creative Arts Therapies' and any others proposed by PTUK. The competencies include those required for the functions of marketing, finance and practice management as well as those of a therapeutic nature.
  • (v) to make recommendations to PTUK about all of the above issues and any new, or amended existing standards that PTUK proposes, including its ethical system;
  • (iv) to report to the PSA any unreasonable refusal by PTUK to implement the Council's recommendations.

Minutes of Meetings and Reports - PDF Downloads

Minutes - 2 - 14-02-13
Minutes - 3 - 10-10-13
Minutes - 4 - 10-04-14
Minutes - 5 - 23-10-14
Minutes - 6 - 26-03-15
Minutes - 7 - 15-10-15
Minutes - 8 - 17-03-16
Minutes - 9 - 03-11-16
Minutes - 10 - 16-03-17
Minutes - 11 - 28-09-17
Minutes - 12 - 22-03-18
Annual Report - 1 - Oct 2014 - Feb 2016
A Summary of the Annual Audit of PTUK by the Chair of BCTIWC October 2017