REIKI REGULATORY WORKING GROUP (RRWG) - POLL

[Jules]

Following the initial meeting of the above group (of which the UKRA is now a member of the board) in April, a precis of the second meeting held June are as follows.

There was an introduction from Organisations regarding their individual standards. Terry Cullen from the BCMA stated that the BCMA does not set regulatory standards, nor do they set tests; they come from the standpoint of 15 years experience with multi disciplines & their role is that of support, to share experiences & advise. Also to encourage individual practitioners to join the BCMA to work towards voluntary self-regulation & the dissemination of good practice, as well as to advise in the case of any disciplinary action. Roosja from the Reiki Alliance felt that there was now a need to know about standards for students worldwide, as well as a code of ethics (The Reiki Alliance's code has been refined over the last 10 years).

There should be an independent board to deal with complaints/arbitration with an independent mediator. The challenges of the voluntary standard regulations are to find common ground amongst the Reiki disciplines without causing confusion, allowing input from other countries as well. Roosja felt that professional organisation are very diverse & it is important to define Reiki, as it is an 'oral', not a 'paper' tradition.

Liz Lyden from The Reiki Association stated that the Reiki Association is not a professional organisation; in 1997 they set up a practitioner referral scheme, & now have a mentor scheme in place. To become a member, the requirements are 5 years of Reiki practise in place, defined by standard of client care, the results of the treatments given & practical demonstrations. If necessary, seminars are held for members to promote "good practice". Also a commitment to giving self-healing each day. They felt there is a concern that the voluntary standards regulations is from a medical model & not just Reiki, & that therefore, a concern with clients' understanding of what happens in a treatment & what to expect, as well as an understanding of the different types of Reiki.

The Reiki Association sends guideline sheets to clients & has a complaints system in place. Lineage is also considered important, & should be traceable back to Dr Usui through reputable sources/teaches. Their members are from all areas, & provided that they read the standard required after their initiation, & they have then undergone a learning period, they are put on the referral list. Rosemary Pharo from The Reiki Healers & Teachers Society stated that they are open for any who wish to join; this can be as a Trainee after they have done Level I, but will only be accepted as Full Members after 2 years. To join even as a trainee, they must provide checkable character references, plus 4 checkable testimonials.

The Society check all applicants symbols to ensure that they are correct & that the
Applicants know & understand they purpose & effect of each symbol (best practice). All members must be insured. The best practice is an overview of both East & West Reiki, & is Skills based. Kay Zega from the United Kingdom Reiki Federation then spoke. Membership of the UKRF can start a Friends Level (people who have an interest in Reiki, but are not at Reiki I Level). All members of the followin

Membership levels must sign the code of ethics & receive the support of the UKRF:- At Associate Level, they must have Reiki I as a minimum. At Practitioner Level, they must have a minimum of 12 months experience at this level,& have insurance. Those at Master Membership Level must hold a Master Certificate & have insurance also. Their final Level is the Teacher Level - for which members must have a certificate which states that they are able to attune students. The UKRF will now accept any style, they have their own accreditation, but not nationally recognised standards. The UKRA was also given the opportunity to put our own vies across, together with our criteria for membership.

General information from the meeting was that as several of the Reiki organisations receive complaints about some "practitioners", it was requested that these complaints be passed on to the organisation concerned to be dealt with by them. It was also requested that all member organisations date their Code of Conduct, to be sure of how up to date the one being used is. As there was very little funding available, it was suggested that each organisation contributes £5-£10 per meeting in future.

It was also requested for each organisation to work on the following prior to the next meeting, due to be held in September 2003:- The definition of Reiki, the system & the healing practice of it, so as to project the right image to the public. Also that we define what Reiki practitioners are, what is our image? Suggestions also of how to promote, that the Reiki Regulatory Working Group is up & running, to other individuals & organisations. It has also been Requested that information be contributed as to who are professional Reiki Practitioners/Teachers, where they are practicing (ie/ home, clinic etc..), how many members each organisation has, & how many of them are teachers.

NB/ An interesting note made by Terry Cullen of the BCMA was that one has to be very careful how leaflets etc on Reiki are written, as it appears that 99% of them are illegal, this is according to the Advertising Standards do's & don'ts. It seems that the word 'healing' when put in writing is not factual; as it cannot be guaranteed to heal, so one is then open to fines & prosecution.

We will keep you informed of the outcome of the next meeting in our November issue. Meanwhile, as we pride ourselves on the UKRA being run by our members/for our members/in our members interests, if any of you would like to represent the UKRA at a future meeting, please contact us asap. The meetings are held in London, & we will cover all reasonable travel expenses.

[Jules]

Some Answers from the RRWG

1) Contributions in relation to questions, queries, approval are welcome from the Reiki community at large - but our meeting room will only hold so many.

2) The Regulatory Body will be responsible for minimum standards, not styles of Reiki.

3) The RRWG has no authority to deal with all complaints. The Reiki Organisations may have their own complaints procedures relating to their members. Part of the remit of a Regulatory Body will relate to complaints and disciplinary measures for those who belong to it- remembering it is VSR not Statutory Self-Regulation.

4) The Reiki community at large will decide what goes onto the regulatory process.

5) FIH and MPs accept Reiki is part of Healing mentiones in Group 2 of the report. There are no government regualtion. Each Therapy woks on its own regulation- most VSR, Herbal medicine and Acupuncture Statutory SR.

[Kim Thomas]

Dear Jules

What is the latest news following the September meeting?

being love

Kim xx

[Jules]

HI Kim.

We are waiting for the minutes to be typed up, then they will be posted on the ukra website and also on this forum. A new website is being set up as well... www.rrwg.co.uk. So tell everyone interested in theis matter that if they want more info to get in touch or keep checking our website... or sign up for the mailing list.

Jules

[Jules]

LIAISON MEETING FOR REIKI ORGANISATIONS
Thursday 25 September 2003 John Adams Hall, 21 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H ODH

1 APOLOGIES
No formal apologies had been received, although Terry Cullen would not able to attend until 3.30 pm. New attendees were welcomed and all representatives introduced themselves to the meeting.

2 MINUTES OF MEETING 25 JUNE 2003
Mari Stevenson made notes of changes which were requested for the minutes, after which it was agreed that they were a true record. It was requested that a separate Action List be produced in addition to the Minutes. Action: Mari Stevenson
Having spoken to other working groups, Mari suggested that organisations may like to have two representatives on the working group, although it would remain as one vote per organisation. This was agreed.

3 MATTERS ARISING FROM MINUTES
a) Michael Endacott thanked the Chair for inclusion of the ICM information. He advised that the British General Council (BGC) had a council of organisations, which was looking to see what it could do to co-operate with the RRWG. He commented that the ICM had not been invited to attend previous meetings at the POWFIH and that information on their courses was not mentioned in the recent publication on palliative care. Hazel Russo clarified the point that it is the organisations themselves who decide who to send to regulatory meetings, different groups set different criteria.
b) The point was made that when the RRWG makes decisions about Reiki standards, then it should be Reiki people involved, but when talking about the professional and business aspects then contributions from other parties may be appropriate. Michael Endacott wished to question the fact why people were not permitted to observe these discussions, but it was acknowledged that sometimes space is limited at meetings. It was mentioned that some regulatory working groups had held road shows to take the information out to the public. Mari Stevenson explained that this was also the reason that the minutes were put on the website, so that anyone could have access and be informed.
c) Item 3c The figures quoted were queried but they were confirmed by Roosje Rendering to be a true record.

4 UPDATE ON REGULATION
Report was given about the progress of the Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Therapies who are working towards Statutory Regulation. The working groups had produced reports with proposals for Statutory Regulation. These reports were available to the public on the relevant websites. Minutes were also available on the website, for these two therapies but not all therapy groups did this. The Department of Health would produce its own consultation paper and would co-ordinate public consultations for Statutory Regulation for the two disciplines. The Prince of Wales’ Foundation for Integrated Health issues a monthly bulletin giving relevant information on Statutory and Voluntary Self Regulation.

5 EXPERIENCE OF REGULATORY WORKING GROUP
One of the RRWG members shared her experiences from the Herbalism Working Group. There was a huge amount of work and it was not an easy process. Success was due to the strong and skilled chair, and good lay representation. The chair had no bias to any group and was totally independent. They went for Regulation of Title of “Registered Herbalist”. A lot of preparatory work had been done by one of organisations represented in the working group. There were 5 people on the group who had specific expertise, appointed by the Department of Health (DOH); including two from Primary Care Groups, one from the Pharmaceutical Society, one representing Disability Groups. There were three basic traditions within herbalism and all were represented. It quickly became apparent that they had a lot of things in common, a lot of core practice. They devised a core curriculum about general things, which were common with all traditions. They set up working party groups of about 15 people, each taking a small section. Topics were debated as a main group and smaller groups went away and worked on it, ie Continuing Professional Development (CPD), Grand parenting. All had different aspects to look at. When each was agreed it was placed in the main body of the report, which was continuously reviewed. There was contact with different organisations between meetings, including political interests, due to the fact that it was Statutory Regulation. Contributions from the DOH, which was a stakeholder, were extremely useful. National Occupational Standards (NOS) were produced, which were useful for Grand parenting. It had also been agreed initially to have a General Herbal Council with sub groups rather than separate professional bodies.
A general discussion and question session ensued and a number of points were clarified: There were approximately 1200 currently on the register. People must speak English to be able to practise within the UK, although there may possibly be exemptions for those only working within their own ethnic communities. Some difficulty in checking previous training qualifications. Clearly defined terms of reference, timetable and protocols were important and it was suggested the RRWG begin to think about this. Other things to think about: A business plan, does the RRWG want an independent chair?, Action point
The curriculum and accreditation process was discussed and how the education board would work, which had to have meticulous details because it is about public safety. There were business plans etc to help with support. Members had to help fund the process by payment of additional sums of money, and it is a commitment for members. Organisations lost members because of this. Possible costs to therapists were discussed but no definite figures were yet available. It was mentioned during the discussion that some thought had also been given to one council/body for all therapies rather than one council/body for each therapy. There had been thoughts about sharing of resources etc for provision of registers and if this was to happen costs would be somewhere in the region of £600 a year for an organisation with 1200 members, but 8,000 members shared between the different bodies would bring the cost down to £80. These figures were only speculation and different therapies would have different business plans and costings.
It was suggested that something like 50% be lay representation on the council, two representatives from each tradition and an independent chair. The funding also covered such things as £150 per day to attendees plus travel expenses. Disciplinary issues were also costed. Not everything in the report, however, might happen and there could be disagreement when it comes to public consultation, or with the DOH. Whatever form of regulation takes place each discipline has to have its own form of regulation, including minimum standards, the Herbal Medicine Regulatory Working Group has recommended an over all CAM Council to regulate all disciplines. Whatever form the councils then take has not been decided.

TO BE CONTINUED

[Jules]

6 PATIENT LAY MEMBERS/RCN MEMBER
The topic of whether lay members should be included was discussed. POWFIH had discussed guidelines for lay representation, and it was possible that up to 33% of the working group could be made up of lay persons. It was felt that lay members were important, and they would look at non-reiki areas. Possible inclusion of a representative from the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) who did Reiki was also discussed. It was felt that lay people could be brought in at a later stage. The qualities and types of lay representatives were discussed. It was suggested that if anyone had suggestions for names then these should be put forward. There was felt to be a need to identify skills that would be needed from lay representatives ie finance, also their roles as lay members. POWFIH would circulate information about lay members and lay chair. Action POWFIH
If there was to be an independent chair then funding issues would need to be discussed, POWFIH would match fund up to a maximum of £2,500 (does not cover travel expenses). There was a need to look at sustainability, and for the RRWG to raise funds itself. There would also be the need to formulate a business plan, including funding. POWFIH could make suggestions for an independent chair, but the RRWG members could also make recommendations. Organisations need to come back with ideas of what funding they were willing to contribute to this process. Action point.
Action point all organisations – what skills are needed for lay representatives; recommendations for independent chair and what qualities they should have.
Other areas which needed attention would be having a Constitution, bank account, apply for funding from other organisations. Next meeting could look at standards and decide a core. Action point

7 FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS
It was explained that current funding arrangements had changed. To date the UK Reiki Federation had been billed for hire of meeting room and had recouped part of this charge from the POWFIH (room hire and coffees only). Funding would now be paid to an organisation in instalments of £100 Following on from discussions at previous meetings, it was agreed that £10 per meeting would be paid by organisations, and a contract for all parties would be set up for the next meeting. UK Reiki Federation would raise invoices to cover the £10. It was agreed that the UK Reiki Federation would receive monies on behalf of the RRWG for the fund and would account separately for RRWG monies. The need to build up the account was stressed. Action: Doreen Sawyer complete POWFIH form, organise account and raise invoices

8 UPDATE ON COLLATION OF “COMMON” STANDARDS
Terry Cullen had collated and summarised information received from member organisations at an earlier meeting. He presented a summary of pointers for agreed Code of Ethics & Standards for the RRWG to consider at a future meeting. The area of ethics he had broken down into general, client and personal ethics for practitioner. In addition he had listed possible Standards for the code. This document was for discussion and to be used as a tool from which to start. There would also be a need to look at different subject groups, such as membership criteria, education, administration, regulation, the question of multi disciplines etc; the RRWG would need to decide which topics to consider. The list would be circulated to all RRWG members. Thanks were extended to Terry Cullen for collating the information. Action: Mari Stevenson to circulate list

9 RESPONSES TO QUESTIONNAIRE ON WORKING PRACTICES
Organisations reported back on responses from their members, which had resulted from requests at the previous RRWG meeting:
The Reiki Association They had over 450 Masters. To date a response of 175 received from the 1045 questionnaires sent out. From responses received 6% treated themselves only, 30% treated themselves, family and friends, 2% did voluntary work, 27% treated 1-5 per week, 24% treated 6-10 per week, 11% treated more than 10 per week. The remainder “dabbled”. 68 were Masters, 1 not teaching at all. 24 had 1-5 classes. Their Council wanted to know if it was worth putting money into VSR.
The Reiki Alliance Their website gives information on teachers and practitioners. They had not been able to collate specific information for the meeting.
British Complementary Medicine Association Report was being given by the UK Reiki Alliance on their behalf.
Institute for Complementary Medicine They had 25 Reiki teachers working with them to develop standards and the syllabuses. People can join them or any other organisation which they feel is appropriate. They are hoping to have their own standards, which may be different to NOS which the RRWG may recommend.
It was explained by the Chair that some members of the Reiki community who are reticent about becoming involved with VSR should be aware that regulation does not necessarily apply to those who work only on themselves and not with members of the public. People will be able to carry on doing Reiki but would not be able to call themselves a “Registered Reiki Practitioner”.
UK Reiki Alliance Apologies were received from the new representatives as full information was not currently available. The organisation has 75 Masters, 37 Multi, 60 Level II and 65 Level I. All the Masters teach. They would provide information for the next meeting. Action UKRA
The Chair explained that the purpose of the questionnaire was to obtain information about the number of practitioners. It was suggested that organisations could put something on their websites in order to obtain the information.
Reiki Healers & Teachers Society From replies received and by looking at the rest of the membership the following information was available: about 40 are definitely teaching, 71 of them definitely practising on the public, 2 doing voluntary work.
UK Reiki Federation From its current 1200+ members, 876 are on the practitioner listing, with approximately a further 350 choosing not to be included on the public listing as not working on the public. At least 680 of members are Masters. In excess of 500 replies had been received and the following figures were available: 490 practising, 267 at Practitioner or Master level, 223 of them at Teacher level. Replies indicated that practitioners are operating in the UK and internationally in a wide variety of traditional care settings, as well as innovative settings. There was representation in a wide range of NHS–type settings. The majority of practitioners were paid, as well as offering their services on a voluntary basis. Responses indicated a high level of support for VSR and for maintaining standards of excellence in the practice of Reiki.

[Jules]

10 REGULATION OF TITLE OR PRACTICE
There was discussion about the consequences of both approaches. It was felt that a definition of Reiki was needed, as previously discussed. Other therapies had gone for Regulation of Title, but it was up to the RRWG to decide on its route. Following a query, the reason why there was a need for registration and regulation was explained, including the need for protection of the public and to give them a greater faith in what is being presented to them. Practitioner needed to be able to see the advantages of being a member of the regulatory body. You would not necessarily need to be a member of a professional body in order to be registered. Action Point: Think about what is appropriate under Regulation of Title and bring comments back to next meeting.

11 CHAIRING OF RRWG MEETINGS
Some discussion about an independent chair had taken place earlier in the meeting. The possibility of using a “Rotating Chair” was considered, also having an “Independent Chair or Lay Chair”. It was generally agreed that a “Rotating Chair” would not best serve the RRWG. It was agreed that Mari Stevenson, as the UK Reiki Federation’s Liaison Officer for VSR and within that maintaining an impartial stance, should remain as “Chair” until such time as the decision was made about an “Independent Chair”, or other arrangements were made. The merits and qualities of an “Independent Chair” were discussed.

12 ANY OTHER BUSINESS
a) National Occupational Standards It was explained that Skills for Health had previously bid for funding for development of Reiki NOS. Bid went in at a time when QCA were re-organising. They have now requested bids from all Sector Skills Councils and Tom Lane has asked for Sector support for the bid. There was a very tight deadline and would need a letter signed by the end of September. The UK Reiki Federation had drafted a letter for the RRWG and if members were in agreement then it was asked that they sign and send the letter off immediately. The letter was signed by those in agreement and representative from the Reiki Association took the letter for signature, once approval had been given by their board. The letter would then be posted to Tom Lane in time for the deadline. Action Liz Lyden
Professional organisations could set their own standards, the RRWG was about setting minimum standards for professionalism. It was also suggested that members might like to think about standards for the next meeting. Action point
b) The Chair had received information about a questionnaire about CAM Therapies in Scotland. Anyone who had members in Scotland who might be interested in receiving the information should contact her.
c) Website There had been some discussion about a website for the RRWG but it was felt that it was inappropriate to establish a website until there was more specific information available for inclusion. However, members were encouraged to think about appropriate information to be included, if they wished.
d) Hospital article about Reiki Treatment An article which had appeared in a hospital was circulated for interest of members. There was some concern about the content of the article but it was felt that it would be inappropriate to take any action at this early stage of the RRWG.
e) Research It was requested that if any members of organisations were involved with research projects with Reiki it would be useful to have information on that held centrally by forwarding to the Chair.
f) Definition of Reiki Some members circulated their definition of Reiki as requested at a previous meeting. Other organisations were asked to bring along their suggestions to the next meeting. Action point

[Teresa Bulfordcooper]

I would like to get the Reiki courses that I teach accredited. Are we anywhere near a National Standard yet? Until we get this we cannot in my view move forward.

As well as human Reiki I also teach Equine Reiki. I am being drawn to give an extra attunmet for this, ...what do you think? Also how will equine Reiki become part of a National standard? I am a FE and adult teacher and would be pleased to give any advice on cirriculums, lesson plans etc. You can check me out at The European School of Reiki on: theeuropeanschoolofreiki.com

My phone number is: 01363 777285

Teresa

P.S. I do not agree with waiting to give Reiki students their level one Certificate as reward should be immediate for learners other wise they do not feel they have achived. Also they may wish to chose a different Master to do level 2 and would end up with no certificate at all.