SIA Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment (PRIA)

The SIA have published a PRIA on their website. However any regulation & training is still under a consultation phase and this PRIA sets out the main aims and general understanding behind any such regulation.

Of course licencing will apply to all areas of investigation under the proposed guidelines.

However, it is the competency issue which poses the biggest question. The proposed entry level qualification is being discussed at the moment with several organisations which includes ICCI with the awarding bodies who are working with the SIA.

You may be aware that the same type of licencing has taken place in other industries and the SIA have taken examples from such industries when looking at the criteria for investigators.

The financial services industry have an entry level qualification which is supplemented by further training and qualifications in specific products and tasks and the same will apply in this industry.

We have already consulted with work providers, who have stated that if an investigator approaches them who has just merely the entry level qualification it may not be enough to satisfy their criteria to provide work and the investigator may have to demonstrate further competency through specific qualifications in certain areas of their requirement.

The SIA will accredit centres throughout the UK to deliver the entry level qualification and those centres will have to be able to meet the criteria for delivering National Qualifications.

The basic level qualification will be developed around National occupational Standards ratified by QCA and available on the National Qualifications Framework. The ICCI have a meeting in September with the awarding body and other organisations to develop these units.

A further communicae will be posted on this website for Association members after that meeting has taken place.

In summary, the regulation of Investigators is a welcome move, the word investigator covers many disciplines and National Occupational Standards should be developed for all aspects of investigation so that investigators can show that they have met core competencies and thus promote confidence with work providers and the continuation of personal development through CPD and further training.

Dean Hyde Dip Sc FAPII

President ICCI