Protecting the public and maintaining standards
Speech-language therapists are experts in communication and feeding/swallowing disorders with a unique body of knowledge and skills.
As a self-regulating profession, NZSTA protects the public interest by setting standards of competency, conduct, and discipline for members. It has the right and responsibility to license and discipline members.
The New Zealand Speech-language Therapists’ Association takes the responsibility of regulating the profession in the following ways:
Accountability
The NZSTA provides a clear statement of the profession's scope of practice, including what is not within the scope.
The NZSTA provides quality assurance of speech and language programmes in New Zealand.
The NZSTA provides quality assurance for overseas-trained speech-language therapists requesting membership.
The NZSTA provides a framework ensuring a structured and supervised first year of practice for newly qualified speech-language therapists.
The NZSTA provides continuous quality assurance of its registered professionals.
The NZSTA provides a framework ensuring a structured and supervised first year of practice for speech-language therapists with fewer than 1000 hours of practice in the past five years.
The NZSTA can restrict a professional’s activities to protect the public and, in some cases, withdraw an individual's membership.
How we do this
- Scope of Practice Policy
- Policy documents in specialist areas of practice
- Programme Accreditation Framework
- Qualification Approval Process
- Mutual Recognition Agreement
- New Graduate Framework
- Ethical Complaints Procedure
- Annual declaration of abiding by Code of Ethics & statement of good standing
- Annual declaration of recency of practice (hours of practice)
- Continuing professional development log and auditing
- Return to Practice Framework
- Ethical Complaints Procedure
- Annual declaration of abiding by Code of Ethics & statement of good standing
- Annual practice certificates, including conditions.
Further Resources
Registration under Self-Regulatory Process – background journey
The paper describes the self-regulatory processes of the NZSTA and the assurances that membership of the NZSTA provides the public.
Health Practitioner’s Competency Assurance Act 2003
The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 provides a framework for the regulation of health practitioners in order to protect the public where there is a risk of harm from professional practice.
Thinking about employing a new graduate speech-language therapist?
This document answers your questions about the essential requirements and expectations for the New Graduate Framework - a process where new graduates are supported in their first professional year.
