Registered Charity No: 299306
Address for all correspondence:
Association of Systematic Kinesiology 19 Westfield Lane, St. Leonards on Sea, East Sussex TN37 7NE.Telephone/Fax 01424 753375
Code of Ethics & Practice
for Association Members of the Association of Systematic Kinesiology
Secretary/Administrator: Marie E. Cheshire R.G.N. Dip ASK
Technical Adviser: Dr Sheldon Deal, D.C.,N.D.
Medical Adviser: Dr John English, M.B.,Ch.B.,F.R.C.G.P.,M.F.Hom
TRUSTEES:
Alan Lam Dip ASK
Allison Prebble Dip ASK
Sally Prestwich PhD., Dip ASK
Liz Sippy Dip ASK
Elaine Mills Dip. ASK
THE AIMS OF THE ASSOCIATION
1. To bring to the notice of the public the great value of Systematic Kinesiology, hereinafter referred to as SK.
2. To provide professionally trained people in all branches of both orthodox and complementary health care, with the support of a professional organisation, which promotes high standards of ethics, training, and practice among those who use SK.
3. To maintain at the registered office a national register of professional practitioners so that members of the public may be assisted to find qualified help from reputable qualified Systematic Kinesiologists.
DEFINITION
SK uses the manual muscle test as a bio feed back system to evaluate the motor response of the central nervous system to a sensory challenge.
ASSOCIATION OF SYSTEMATIC KINESIOLOGY
FORMATION & STRUCTURE & RULES
The Association of Systematic Kinesiology, hereinafter referred to as ASK, was founded in 1986 and accepted as a registered charity in 1988. It is incorporated as a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital.
THE TRUSTEES
The Trustees of the Association are invested with the responsibility to uphold the spirit and letter of the Code of Ethics and Code of Practice in relation to all policy discussions and decisions made concerning the organisation and running of the Association.
ACCOUNTS
The Trustees shall provide all the association members with relevant details of their stewardship and of the finances of the Association. In each year the Trustees shall provide all association members with an abstract of the audited financial statements of the Association.
THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
The Trustees have exercised their power of delegation as set out in the Articles of Association by appointing an Executive Council (hereinafter called the Council) to assist in the management of the affairs of the Association. Council appointments are made at the discretion of the Trustees for the period of one year. Co-opted members shall serve for the period from the date of their appointment to the date when non co-opted member’s term of office expires. Members of the Council need not be members of the Association. The Council in exercise of the powers delegated to it, shall at all times conform to any policy or regulations that may be imposed upon it by the Trustees.
THE EXAMINING BODY
The Council appoints an Examining Body consisting of such numbers as from time to time they may determine.
Association members shall be professional members and suitably qualified persons as the Council shall approve. The Examining Body shall be responsible for examining newly qualified professional members and will satisfy themselves as to the student’s competence in the theory and practice of Systematic Kinesiology, Anatomy and Physiology and that the student has an approach to SK which is consistent with that recognised as being approved by the Association.
MEMBERSHIP
In furtherance of the promotion of the aims of the Association as set out, the Trustees have approved the granting of professional member status to those persons who have gained their Certificate and/or Diploma in SK. The awarding of the ASK accredited SK Certificate is conditional upon the student having at Certificate level:
- Upgraded to professional membership of the Association
- An ASK accredited qualification in Anatomy and Physiology
- Current First Aid Certificate.
- Relevant current insurance.
In addition, for the ASK Diploma the following is required:
- An ASK approved qualification in Nutrition
- Copies of these documents to be sent to the registered office
Professional members are listed on the Practitioner Register.
Association membership shall be open to all people who wish to support and promote the aims of the Association.
Association members will be admitted into the different classes of membership of the Association as and when the Trustees approve the application. The Trustees reserve the right not to grant membership and are not obliged to give any reason.
There shall be four classes of association membership:
i) Professional
ii) Associate
iii) Student Associate
iv) Friends of the Association
i) Professional Members.
Those who those who have successfully completed the Certificate and/or the Diploma Course as taught by ASK approved schools, and who have also satisfied the Examining Board as to the quality of their personal skills and competence to practice Systematic Kinesiology professionally.
The awarding of the ASK approved SK Certificate is conditional upon the student upgrading to professional membership of the Association
ii) Associate Members
Open to all who have completed one of the SK Foundation Courses as are approved by the Council. Provided associate members are insured and are only using SK techniques as taught within the approved SK Foundation Course, these members may see clients and charge a fee.
iii) Student Associate Members
Open to all who are training in one of the SK Foundation Courses as are approved by the Council. Provided student associate members are insured and are only using SK techniques as taught by their ASK accredited tutor they may see clients and charge legitimate expenses. The tutor needs to be notified that the student is seeing clients and charging legitimate expenses.
iv) Friends of the Association
Open to all people who wish to support the Association.
PRACTICING CERTIFICATES
Upon admission to student associate, associate or professional membership, an Association membership and Annual Certificates of Registration will be issued and may be withdrawn or with-held by the Trustees, if they are satisfied that professional misconduct has taken place, where subscriptions have not been paid, or where requirements of post graduate training have not been fulfilled, or where evidence of adequate current insurance has not been provided.
Practicing Certificates will need to be returned to the registered office when an Association member resigns from the Association.
It is a requirement that the association membership Certificate and the Annual Certificate of Registration are prominently displayed in the consulting room of the Association member.
TUTORS AND COURSES
- Only ASK accredited tutors having completed an ASK accredited tutor training course may teach ASK accredited courses.
- For ASK accredited tutors wanting to teach the ASK accredited Foundation course the minimum requirement is a qualification to Certificate level plus 6 months experience as a practitioner.
The teaching ability of the tutor is left to the discretion of the Trustees.
- For ASK accredited tutors wanting to teach the ASK accredited advanced courses, a minimum requirement is that they need to have obtained a Diploma level qualification and had one year’s experience as a practitioner.
The teaching ability of the tutor is left to the discretion of the Trustees.
- All students requiring a course certificate from ASK are required to enrol with the Association at the appropriate level of Association membership.
- ASK Certificates are issued to each individual student at the discretion of the Trustees.
- Before the ASK diploma is issued the student is required to have completed and provided evidence to the ASK registered office:-
- ASK accredited Anatomy and Physiology course
- ASK accredited Nutrition course
- A current First Aid Certificate
- Membership and Annual Certificates to be prominently displayed in the member’s consulting room.
ASK accredited training courses:
- Foundation Courses teaching syllabus for Systematic Kinesiology
- Certificate courses teaching syllabus for Systematic Kinesiology
- Diploma courses teaching syllabus for Systematic Kinesiology
POST-GRADUATE TRAINING
(Continuing Professional Development – CPD)
- All professional members running a practice or who are teaching
SK are required to fulfil the minimum number of post-graduate
training hours, currently sixteen and a half hours annually, (3 days seminar attendance of actual study) or 11 hours (2 days seminar attendance of actual study), plus one case study, as set by the Trustees.
- The Trustees will accept all courses that improve the ability of the
professional member to become a better health practitioner.
- ASK is not accrediting the CPD syllabus.
MEMBERSHIP DESIGNATION
Only professional members who are insured and follow the Code of Ethics and Practice as set out, are designated “Registered Kinesiologists” and may then promote themselves to the public as such.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF PRACTICING MEMBERS
Since 1987, the Association has published and maintained a full Register of practicing members. The Register is available to the public to ensure they have access to registered professional kinesiologists.
MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Trustees of the Association will from time to time, determine fees
for each category of membership and members are required to pay dues
on a bi-annual or annual basis. Failure to pay subscriptions within the times appointed will lead to membership of the Association being withdrawn. Payment of any arrears to be made at the discretion of the Trustees.
MALPRACTICE INSURANCE
It is the responsibility of all members in public practice, or who hold themselves out to the public as practitioners of Systematic Kinesiology, to ensure they are adequately insured, sufficient to meet any claims from the public arising from their practice of Kinesiology, whether or not they are charging for their services as a Systematic Kinesiologist, at whatever level of training.
The Trustees retain the right to call for evidence of a member’s insurance cover at their discretion. Failure to provide for adequate insurance cover will result in loss of membership of the Association. The Association cannot be held responsible for any claims against members arising from their public practice.
MEMBERSHIP CESSATION
The Trustees shall have the right for good and sufficient reason to terminate a membership, subject to the association member having the right to be heard by the Trustees or their appointees before a final decision is made. Association members may resign in writing from the Association. Re-admittance is at the discretion of the Trustees.
ASSOCIATION OF SYSTEMATIC KINESIOLOGY
THE CODE OF ETHICS & PRACTICE
For the purpose of regulating the practice of SK, the Trustees have further approved the following rules as set out below. The compliance with both the letter and the spirit of these rules is a condition of membership of the Association.
A written Code of Ethics & Practice is an essential foundational document for any responsible professional body. The purpose of the Rules and the Code of Ethics & Practice of ASK is to provide a framework to regulate the conduct of all members in their use of SK and to protect the public from inappropriate, or improper uses of SK.
This Code is designed to protect ASK Members and assist them to avoid procedures that may bring themselves, SK, or the ASK into disrepute.
This Code aims to protect the good name of SK and to help to avoid members of the public from forming incorrect impressions about SK and what it is to be used for.
PRACTITIONER CODE OF ETHICS & PRACTICE
i. Association members will always act in the best interests of their clients at all times recognising a duty to act with due diligence and integrity.
ii. Association members’ moral conduct and relations with clients will be proper in every way, courteous and tactful, fully respecting the trust placed in the member by the client. Areas of misconduct include:
a. Any act of indecency, whether sexual or otherwise.
b. Any act of dishonesty.
c. Any behaviour, which could be construed as bringing SK, the Association, or its members into disrepute, or which might undermine public confidence in SK.
d. Making any statement concerning, or alluding to, the possibility of a person having a pathological condition, or any statement about any disease condition of a person which cannot be substantiated.
e. Any breach of confidentiality.
iii. New clients must be asked what medical advice they have sought and received, and if they have not recently consulted a doctor about the condition of their health, they should be recommended to do so. It is legal for anyone to refuse medical treatment, so no one can be forced to consult a doctor, but such advice, if given and refused, should be recorded on the notes for a member’s protection. Association members will avoid being judgemental or critical of the client in any way and will never undermine their confidence in any actions they may decide are in their client’s best interest.
iv. Association members are to conduct themselves as being complementary to orthodox approaches to health care, although also recognising the client may want to use SK as an alternative choice.
v) Association members will make it clear they are not doctors (unless they are so qualified). Association members will refer clients to a qualified medical practitioner, or another suitably qualified practitioner in all cases where a client’s problem is recognised to be outside the scope of the professional knowledge and experience of the association member.
vi. Association members will ensure that they are medically and mentally fit to practice. If there is any possibility that they are contagious or unwell, they will cease practice until fit.
vii. In cases where a medical practitioner delegates a client to an association member, it is recognised that the doctor remains clinically accountable for the client and for the case offered to the association member.
viii. Association members must maintain records of clients’ details that shall include details of medical history together with details and dates of treatment and advice given. These records shall be kept confidential and shall not be available to a third party without the consent of the client except when required by due process of law.
ix: The association member shall not in any way countermand instructions or prescriptions given by a medical practitioner to a client. The client should always be referred back to their doctor for advice.
x. Association members must not professionally attend women in childbirth, nor for ten days thereafter, unless they hold an accepted qualification in midwifery.
xi. It is a criminal offence to fail to provide proper medical care for a child under the age of sixteen, or deny access to medical facilities, or suggest or coerce anyone to cause a child not to receive medical care.
It is imperative to obtain the permission of the parent or guardian of any child under the age of sixteen 16 years before commencing consultation for SK.
xii. Association members do not treat any disease, specifically, venereal disease as defined in the 1917 Act, also diabetes and cancer. However, you may consult clients who have these conditions.
xiii. Association members need to know which diseases are reportable:
http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/N-D.htm
xiv. Association members must not use manipulation or vigorous deep tissue massage unless they are appropriately qualified so to do.
xv. Association members shall explain fully all procedures likely to be involved in the session, including the likely length and content of consultation, number of visits, and fees.
xvi. No third party may be present during the course of any form of consultation without the consent of the client.
xvii. SK Muscle Testing Procedures
1) SK muscle testing procedures accredited by the Association are of the type of Kinesiological Muscle Response Testing procedures as defined and commended by members of the International College of Applied Kinesiology (I.C.A.K.)
2) SK muscle testing is only to be used on those subjects who give explicit permission for the procedure without any duress or persuasion whatsoever. Permission to test is not necessarily an unlimited licence to utilise Kinesiological or other practices on an individual, so permission must also be sought. Full explanations will be given to ensure the comfort of the client.
3) The careful, tactful use of SK Muscle testing is recommended to facilitate a non-invasive interactive assessment of the functional status of an individual, as taught by ASK accredited Tutors teaching ASK accredited courses in SK:
a. To determine muscle function.
b. To check a person’s response to nutritional substances.
c. To assist the client with relaxation techniques.
4) The use of SK Muscle Testing is not suitable
a. To diagnose pathology.
b. To attempt to determine answers to verbal question of a Yes/No nature. Example – Does this person need to be balanced? Or- Is this the right goal for this person? Such questions contain many subsidiary questions and are amorphous in intent and therefore it is not possible to make any reliable accurate conclusions from muscle testing responses. This is not to state that responses may not be forthcoming, merely that any such response could have many interpretations and is unreliable, not reproducible and non-scientific.
c. To attempt to access information from any individual concerning previous generations or “past lives.”
d. As a means to attempt to access information about any subject which is not within the experience or knowledge of the tester, or the subject, or their memory banks.
Examples: Attempting to determine the sex of unborn children, the outcome of any future event, etc.
e. To “dowse” or “divine” for information, or use pendulum dowsing unless the client has specifically sought a qualified dowser who dowses and also practices Kinesiology.
f. To attempt to “read” muscle response to written questions or statements placed on the body.
Guidelines with regard to nutritional supplementation may be given based on the muscle testing responses of the body.
xviii Members may not offer to cure any condition.
xix. Hygiene and cleanliness:
Practitioners will maintain a high standard of personal hygiene.
Eating, drinking, (except for water) and smoking are not to be permitted in the working or other areas used by clients.
Clothes worn when working with clients will be clean.
Hand washing before and after each client is mandatory.
Fingernails will be kept clean and of an appropriate length.
Any cuts or wounds will be properly covered.
xx. Administration.
Appointments will be kept in a diary for that purpose alone.
Clients wherever possible will be given written confirmation of initial appointments and the fees involved. Receipts shall be given on request.
xxi. Advertising.
Advertisements shall be confined to notices that draw attention to the practice of SK, the qualifications of the practitioner and offer a general service and shall not claim a cure, or mention a disease.
xxii. Premises.
Premises are to be kept clean and tidy.
All passages and doorways will be unobstructed.
Toilet and washing facilities are to be available for clients.
Premises are to be well lit, to office regulation standards.
All electrical items will be safe and used in accordance with manufacturers’ recommendations.
All practicing association members to be insured for Public Liability.
A First Aid Kit is to be maintained in operational condition.
Health and safety: If you are a self-employed person you have a duty to make sure that your business premises and working environment meet health and safety requirements. Further information about health and safety requirements is available from the local health and safety executive or environmental health department of the local authority. In Scotland, local authority refers to the District and Islands Council.
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND MISCONDUCT
All members of the Association undertake to comply with both the letter and the spirit of this Code of Ethics & Practice.
The Association or its officers cannot be held accountable for the level of competence of its association members. Every effort is made to ensure that only those who are professionally competent are accepted into membership and included on the Association’s list of practitioners.
It is a requirement of all practising association members that they engage in a minimum number of hours of post-graduate training annually. It is However, impossible to legislate for, or continuously control the level of competence, or assess the wisdom of individuals.
Any complaints regarding professional misconduct (or unethical behaviour or unprofessional conduct) brought to the attention of the Trustees will be carefully examined by the Professional Conduct Committee (P.C.C.) of the Council whose jurisdiction is complete. The only appeal against a disciplinary decision made by the P.C.C. will be to obtain the Chairperson’s approval to lay the matter before the Board of Trustees.
The trustees must be informed of:
i. Any criminal or civil conviction received by association members within 21 days of sentence being passed.
ii. If an association member has been disciplined by another health or social care organization
iii. If an association member has been suspended by an employer due to concerns about conduct or competence
Any information will be passed in confidence to the P.C.C. who may make a decision to suspend or delete membership depending on circumstances, and how the situation affects ASK.
In cases of deletion of membership, applications for consideration for restoration of membership may be made not less than ten months after
membership was suspended.
Correspondence on any matters regarding ASK or the conduct of its association members should be sent to the administrator.
Address for all correspondence:
Association of Systematic Kinesiology
Unit 1B Theaklen House Theaklen Drive St. Leonards on Sea East Sussex TN38 9AZ E-mail: admin@systematic-kinesiology.co.uk Website: www.systematic-kinesiology.co.uk Telephone: 0845 020 0383