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Practice planner · BACP Ethical Framework 2026

Confident Therapist Hub × Reflect Together · 4 November 2026

BACP Ethical Framework 2026: your practice planner

The framework came into effect on 3 November 2026. Work through each area at your own pace, mark where you are, and leave with three dated actions.

Prefer paper? Download the printable PDF

From “The BACP Ethical Framework 2026: what it means in practice”, hosted by Tony Georgiadis (Reflect Together) and facilitated by Joel Bild, MBACP (Accred), Confident Therapist Hub.

Please note: this planner is an independent resource, not produced or endorsed by BACP. It’s a practitioner’s reading of the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions 2026, not legal or compliance advice. Clause references were checked against the published 2026 framework on 4 November 2026. Check anything specific with your supervisor, your insurer, BACP, and a data protection adviser where needed.

A planner, not a compliance test

The BACP Ethical Framework 2026 places ethical thinking and professional judgement at the heart of our work. It sets responsibilities, but doesn’t prescribe a single way for every therapist to fulfil them.

This planner helps you see what needs attention, understand which responsibilities apply to your practice, and decide how best to address them.

It’s not about ticking every box today. It’s about knowing where you stand, being able to explain your decisions, and taking your next steps with confidence.

It’s selective: it covers the main practical and administrative areas, not every responsibility in the framework.

Mark each itemNot yet, In progress, Done, or N/A if it doesn’t apply to your practice. Done means it’s addressed for your practice as it is now, not that it never needs reviewing.
Add a note where it helpsSome items have space for how you meet them, or why you’ve chosen your approach. Choosing N/A opens a note too.
Keep a copyAt the bottom, “Copy my action plan” gives your three actions, what’s still to do and your notes. “Copy full checklist” gives everything.
Where your answers are saved

1 · Legal vs BACP vs good practice

Understanding your responsibilities

The framework has three sections, which BACP asks members to use together: A · Working ethically, how we collaborate and explain our decisions, including the six questions a rationale answers; B · Ethical principles, the values behind our decisions; and C · Core responsibilities, the numbered “we must” standards most items below refer to.

Each item is tagged with the layer it sits in

LEGALApplicable legal dutiesSuch as UK GDPR, the ICO fee where it applies, HMRC, safeguarding law and the Equality Act. Some vary with where and how you practise.
BACPBACP membersThe framework itself. Breaches may affect complaints and registration.
GOOD PRACTICERecommended approachesWays that may help you meet your responsibilities. Not mandatory.

Tags apply to the underlying obligation, and an item can sit in more than one layer. Where an item suggests a method (separate accounts, a written agreement), that is one practical way of meeting it, not the only one. Not a BACP member? Work to your own professional body’s framework. The legal items apply to you either way.

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Before you close this page

My three actions

Prioritise by legal obligation, client risk and practical urgency. Stuck? Start with your privacy notice and complaints process, your AI position and consent, and your clinical will.

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Where to find the framework and further guidance

Official guidance

Optional practical resources from Confident Therapist Hub