Integrated Service for Sensitive Claims Provider
Criteria and Qualifications
Criteria applicable for all treatment providers:
Standard qualifications:
or Particular circumstances qualifications:
A qualification which meets at least level 7 of an
NZQA recognised course of study or its
equivalent, with a focus on:
 basic assessment skills, and
 therapeutic intervention skills, and
 abnormal psychology, and
 skills in two or more therapy models, and
 human development, and
 family dynamics
Providers with a level 6 qualification otherwise meeting
the standard qualifications will be accepted where the
following additional criteria must also be met:
Full experience:
 A minimum of two years fulltime post-graduate
experience working in mental
health (not including clinical
placements and internships),
and
 Able to demonstrate
experience in working with
survivors of sexual abuse with
this experience having been
obtained or maintained in the
last five years
 Five or more years of experience in counselling
survivors of sexual abuse as an ACC provider; and
 Evidence of ongoing professional development with
specific relevance to working with survivors of sexual
abuse.
or Provisional requirements where full experience
requirements are not able to be met:
 Must be able to demonstrate qualification requirements (either
standard or particular circumstances); and
 Have at least the equivalent of 12 months full-time post-graduate
experience working in mental health (not including clinical
placements and internships); and
 Renew professional development with specific relevance to working
with survivors of sexual abuse, where this is not sufficient.
Specific supervision requirements for provisional
providers:
 Have arrangements in place for ongoing supervision with an
appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor who has at least
five years experience treating and assessing survivors of sexual
abuse and sexual assault, and
 The therapist’s supervisor provides a letter of support from their
supervisor indicating that in the opinion of their supervisor the
applicant (therapist’s supervisor) has sufficient skills and
competencies to work with provisional providers, and
 Discuss all therapy sessions and review session notes with
supervisor, and
 Complete therapeutic work with at least 15 clients over a minimum
12-month period, and
 Have all ACC reports read and signed by the supervisor while under
provisional status, and
 Engage in fortnightly one-on-one supervision with the supervisor,
and
 Maintain a supervision log which outlines the cases discussed and
provides a summary of issues and recommendations for each case,
and
 A final supervision report from the supervisor will be required by
ACC once the full requirements to be accredited on the contract
have been met.
Registered under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003
(if appropriate)
Criteria applicable for providers who also carry out assessment
services (ie the Supported Mental Injury Assessment):
Standard qualifications:
A qualification which meets at least level 8 (post-graduate)
of an NZQA recognised course of study or its equivalent
which includes in its content::

assessment, classification and formulation

abnormal psychology

skills in two or more models of therapeutic intervention

human development

knowledge and skills in the use of psychometric tools
(if using psychometrics)
Full experience:
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A minimum of two years full-time
post-graduate experience working in
mental health (not including clinical
placements and internships), and
Able to demonstrate experience in
working with survivors of sexual
abuse with this experience having
been obtained or maintained in the
last five years, and
Participation in relevant workshops,
seminars and conferences, and
Where applicable, be able to
demonstrate knowledge of, and
competency in using at least one of
the following classification systems:
o Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders –
Fourth Edition – Text Revision
(DSM-IV-TR) or DSM 5
o International Classification of
Diseases – 10th Revision (ICD10)
o Psychodynamic Diagnostic
Manual (PDM)
o Diagnostic Classification of
Mental Health and
Developmental Disorders of
Infancy and Early Childhood –
Revised (DC:0-3R)
Such classification systems may be used
in isolation or in combination with
multivariate statistical and psychometric
approaches
or Specified equivalent
qualification:
Providers with a level 7 qualification
otherwise meeting the standard
qualifications will be accepted where the
following additional criteria must also be
met:
 The therapist has achieved the New
Zealand Association of Psychotherapists
(Inc) Advance Clinical Practice
qualification.
or Provisional requirements where full
experience requirements are not able to be
met:
 Must be able to demonstrate qualification requirements
(either standard or specified equivalency), and
 Have at least the equivalent of 12 months full-time postgraduate experience working in mental health (not including
clinical placements and internships), and
 Obtaining on the job training to gain or to update your
experience working directly with survivors of sexual abuse
or sexual assault.
Specific supervision requirements for
provisional providers:
 Have arrangements in place for ongoing supervision with
an appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor who
has experience treating and assessing survivors of sexual
abuse and sexual assault, and
 The therapist’s supervisor provides a letter of support from
their supervisor indicating that in the opinion of their
supervisor the applicant (therapist’s supervisor) has
sufficient skills and competencies to work with provisional
providers, and
 Discuss all cases with the supervisor prior to and following
the assessment, and
 Engage in fortnightly one on one supervision with the
supervisor, and
 Maintain a supervision log which outlines the cases
discussed and provides a summary of issues and
recommendations for each case, and
 Have each assessment report read and signed by the
supervisor, and
 Complete 20 assessments/reports over a minimum 12month period, and
 A final supervision report from the supervisor will be
required by ACC once the full requirements to be
accredited on the contract have been met.
Registered under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003
(if appropriate)
Discipline Specific Criteria (pricing is discipline specific):
Holds current APC with one of the following:
Counsellors
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New Zealand Association of Counsellors
New Zealand Christian Counsellors Association
Addiction Practitioners Association of Aotearoa New Zealand
Social Workers Registration Board of Aotearoa/New Zealand
Australian and New Zealand Arts Therapy Association
Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers Incorporated
New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists
Psychotherapists Holds current APC with the:
 The Psychotherapist Board of Aotearoa New Zealand
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
and have a current financial membership with the (as appropriate):

New Zealand Association of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists
(Incorporated), and/or

New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists
Holds current APC with:

New Zealand Psychologists Board
and have a current financial membership with the (as appropriate):

New Zealand Psychology Society, and/or

The New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists Incorporated,
and/or

Equivalent
and have one of the following Scope of Practice:

Psychologist

Counselling Psychologist

Clinical Psychologist

Educational Psychologist
Holds a current APC with:

Medical Council of New Zealand
and holds Fellowship with:

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists

or a qualification deemed equivalent by the Medical Council of New
Zealand
and holds registration in the vocational scope of psychiatry by the
Medical Council of New Zealand
Service delivery standards applicable to all service providers:
Massey Guidelines
Adherence and practical application of the 12 principles and practice guidelines
outlined in ‘Sexual Abuse and Mental Injury: Practice Guidelines for
Aotearoa New Zealand’ used when organising your work, report writing,
interactions with client and whanau and in supervision. It will be expected that
these principles are incorporated into your work with survivors of sexual abuse or
sexual assault.
Areas of
competency
Where a Provider of treatment and/or assessment services has one or more
areas of competency, they will be asked to demonstrate the relevant training and
experience. Providers with specific cultural areas of competency will be expected
to reflect those, for example relevant cultural models of health, where this is
applicable. Examples of areas of competency may include:

Adolescents
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Alcohol and other drug
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Asian
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Children
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Christianity
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Therapists
providing services
for children and
adolescents
Family
Female
Inappropriate sexualised behaviour
Intellectual Disability
Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex
Male survivors
Māori
Older adults - Positive Ageing
Pacific Islanders
Prisoners
Other__________
Must demonstrate:
 Experience working directly with children and/or adolescents and their family
or whanau in the mental health setting, and
 Ongoing professional development and training in the area of children and/or
adolescents, and
 Experience working with children and/or adolescents who are survivors of
sexual abuse or sexual assault, and their whanau, within the last five years
Adverse findings
Recording and ongoing reporting of any adverse finding(s) (whether upheld or
not) and complaints not yet investigated, from any of the following bodies:

Health and Disability Commission

Medical Council of New Zealand

Relevant registration boards or associations

Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal
Qualifications
gained outside
New Zealand
If you gained your qualification overseas, you must have it assessed by the New
Zealand Qualifications Authority to establish what the New Zealand equivalent is
and give this evidence to ACC along with appropriate registration board or
association membership as per your discipline as noted above.
Cultural
responsiveness
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Supervision
A thorough grounding in the theory and application of ‘Culture’ as
described in the Massey Guidelines, includes the provider recognising the
limits of their competence, and options on how to proceed.
Adherence to ACC’s Guidelines for Māori Cultural Competencies for
Providers (refer to ACC’s website: http://www.acc.co.nz/searchresults/index.htm?ssUserText=cultural+competency)
Adherence to relevant professional body standards.
Treatment and Assessment providers must receive supervision from a supervisor
who meets the following criteria:

Holds full and current membership and meets the supervision requirements
of the professional body to which they belong and provide ACC with the
name and qualifications of their supervisor.

Has at least five years clinical experience and at least three years
experience working with survivors of sexual abuse or sexual assault.

Supervision may take place using Skype due to geographical location
however you must meet at least once every 3 months for a face to face
meeting.

For the first two years post awarding of the assessment component of the
ISSC contract, new assessors must obtain supervision from a supervisor
who is an experienced ACC assessor in the area of mental injury arising
from sexual abuse. The supervisor needs to be approved by ACC.

For the first two years post awarding the treatment component of the ISSC
contract, new treatment providers must obtain supervision from a
supervisor who is an experienced ACC treatment provider in the area of
sensitive claims. The supervisor needs to be approved by ACC.
Support Staff Specific Criteria (where they are part of the team but do not provide
treatment or assessment services):
Role in the provision of ISSC services:
Social Workers

Cultural Advice
Provides consultation to the supplier team regarding the social
resource needs required by the client to support the client’s
recovery plan. Initiates, monitors and evaluates social work
interventions.

Coordination of resources from the client’s wider social and
community networks
Must hold current APC with:

Social Workers Registration Board of Aotearoa/New Zealand
Role in the provision of ISSC services:

The objective is to support engagement and protect the client.
Cultural Advice may be sought where cultural differences
between the provider and the client may be a barrier to
therapeutic engagement.

This may be delivered to the therapist outside of therapy sessions
and may also include involvement during therapy sessions, but is
not a therapeutic service itself.

Suppliers will be responsible for ensuring the quality of Cultural
Advice against of the particular needs of each client. It is
expected that this will include a demonstration of understanding
of the Client’s culture, values and beliefs including cultural models
of health. Suitability criteria may include age and gender. This
does not require a clinical background.
Understanding NZQA Qualification Levels
We appreciate that many of you will have diverse educational backgrounds
and have put together the following information to help you understand what
ACC’s requirements mean and where you fit.
Qualification types & levels
There are a number of different qualifications available. These generally
include: certificates, diplomas, and degrees. These qualifications will also
have levels (refer to the NZQA website for further details) ranging from 1 up to
10. So, a qualification is comprised of a level and a qualification (degree,
certificate or diploma).
Qualification levels & credits
Qualifications are based on entry pre-requisites (usually lower level
qualifications) and successful course work to complete the qualification. The
course work will usually include course work at a lower level and at the level
of the final qualification being worked towards. For example, the Diploma
level 6 requires a minimum of 120 credits from level 5 or above, with at least
72 of those credits being at level 6 or above. The credit requirements for
qualification levels 6 through 8 are described below. Refer to ‘The New
Zealand Qualifications Framework’ available at:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/studying-in-new-zealand/nzqf/quick-links-to-nzqfdocuments/.
ACC requirements
Attending a course or courses at a particular level does not mean a provider
has achieved qualification at that level. ACC has specific requirements in
terms of the content or focus that a qualification must cover, but don’t want to
be prescriptive about how those are met. We also understand that
educational institutions regularly change their courses, qualifications and
levels and that some providers will have trained overseas. All of this means
that we are not able to provide you with a list you can check your
qualification(s) against.
Overseas qualifications
Some providers with overseas qualification may have already had these
assessed as part of their immigration process. Others will not have required
this assessment as the qualification was on the list not requiring assessment.
Further information about this is available on:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/internationalqualifications/get-international-qualifications-recognised-for-immigration/.
For qualifications that don’t have an equivalency as they aren’t on the list and
haven’t been assessed, ACC will accept a Pre-assessment Report
(information is on the webpage referenced above) instead of a full
International Qualification Assessment.
Course Content and Focus
Please note that all applicants will need to be able to demonstrate (at RFT)
that their qualification included the required content and/or focus described for
providers at the start of this document. This particularly applies to overseas
qualifications as the assessment or equivalency processes carried out by
NZQA only apply to the type of qualification (degree, diploma or certificate)
and the level, it does not assess content. For all applicants, a copy of their
transcript, showing course titles would usually suffice.
Course of study
The term ‘course’ can be broadly interpreted in the educational context.
NZQA uses credit values to indicate the ‘amount of learning’ required for
different qualifications. As course can refer to a single, short educational
experience (workshop, seminar, etc), a somewhat longer experience (a
university paper of a specific topic), or a more substantial educational
experience, where a range of topics are explored with specific amounts of
learning (credits) and a pre-defined qualification may be achieved (ie Masters
degree in psychology), ACC has chosen to use the term course of study to
refer to a longer, integrated educational experience without prescribing set
qualifications.
ACC appreciates that some therapists will not have completed a specified
qualification and that the various professional bodies have already have
processes for determining equivalencies in these circumstances. It is our
intention that where the level of the qualification and the content of the course
of study meet our criteria (as described above) we will follow the lead of the
various professional bodies in terms of the different qualifications and
equivalencies that they accept.