How ChildWize Vets Its Specialists

Why Vetting Matters

Choosing someone to work with your child is one of the most important decisions you can make as a parent. Whether your child needs a speech and language therapist, an educational psychologist, an occupational therapist, or any other specialist, you want to know that the person you are trusting with your child's care is properly qualified, experienced, and safe.

At ChildWize, we understand this responsibility deeply. Our platform exists to connect families with high-quality children's specialists, and we take the vetting of those specialists seriously. Every professional listed on ChildWize has been through a verification process before they can accept bookings from families.

We believe that transparency about our vetting process is important. Parents deserve to know what checks have been carried out, what standards we require, and how we maintain those standards over time. This page sets out the key elements of our approach.

It is worth noting that while ChildWize carries out these verification checks, we are a platform that connects families with independent professionals. The specialists on ChildWize are not employed by us — they are self-employed practitioners who use our platform to offer their services. Our vetting process is designed to provide families with an additional layer of assurance, but it does not replace parents' own judgement or the specialist's own professional responsibilities.

Professional Registration Verification

Professional registration is the cornerstone of our verification process. In the UK, many health and care professions are regulated by law, which means practitioners must be registered with the appropriate body in order to use a protected title and practise their profession.

For the types of specialists most commonly found on ChildWize, the key regulatory and professional bodies include:

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) — This is the statutory regulator for speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, practitioner psychologists (including educational psychologists and clinical psychologists), and art therapists, among others. HCPC registration means the practitioner has met the approved educational standards, demonstrates the required standards of proficiency, and is subject to fitness to practise procedures.

The British Psychological Society (BPS) — The professional body for psychologists in the UK. Chartered membership of the BPS (indicated by the letters CPsychol after a practitioner's name) is a mark of professional competence and commitment to continuing professional development.

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) — The professional body for speech and language therapists. RCSLT membership indicates adherence to clinical guidelines and ethical standards specific to the profession.

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) — Professional bodies for counsellors, psychotherapists, and family therapists. Registration with these bodies indicates that the practitioner has met the required training and ethical standards.

When a specialist applies to join ChildWize, we verify their registration with the relevant body by checking the appropriate public register. This is done before the specialist is listed on the platform, and we carry out periodic re-checks to ensure that registration remains current.

DBS Checks and Safeguarding

All specialists on ChildWize who work directly with children are required to hold a current Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with a barred list check for working with children. The DBS check is one of the most important safeguarding measures available in England and Wales.

An Enhanced DBS check provides information about a person's criminal record, including spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and warnings. It also includes any relevant information held by local police forces. The barred list check confirms that the individual has not been barred from working with children.

We ask specialists to provide evidence of their DBS check as part of the onboarding process. We also encourage specialists to subscribe to the DBS Update Service, which allows us to carry out online status checks to confirm that the certificate remains current and that no new information has been added since it was issued.

Beyond DBS checks, ChildWize expects all specialists on the platform to understand and follow safeguarding best practice. Professionals working with children have a duty of care to recognise and respond to signs of abuse or neglect, and to follow the relevant reporting procedures. All regulated health and care professionals are required by their regulatory bodies to maintain competence in safeguarding as part of their continuing professional development.

If we receive a safeguarding concern about a specialist on the platform, we have clear procedures in place to respond, which may include suspending the specialist's profile while the matter is investigated.

Qualifications and Experience Requirements

Beyond professional registration, ChildWize looks at the qualifications and experience of each specialist who applies to join the platform. We want to ensure that the professionals available to families are not only properly qualified but also have meaningful experience working with children.

As a minimum, specialists must hold the qualifications required for registration with their professional body. For example, a speech and language therapist must hold an approved degree in speech and language therapy; an educational psychologist must hold a doctorate in educational psychology; and a clinical psychologist must hold a doctorate in clinical psychology.

We also consider the specialist's experience working specifically with children. While the exact requirements depend on the profession and area of practice, we look for evidence of substantial clinical experience in paediatric or child-focused settings. This might include experience working in NHS children's services, schools, early years settings, or specialist paediatric practices.

Specialists are asked to provide details of their areas of expertise, the age groups they work with, and any additional training or qualifications they hold that are relevant to their work with children. This information is displayed on their profile, so parents can make informed decisions about which specialist is the best fit for their child.

We also value continuing professional development (CPD). Regulated professionals are required to maintain their skills and knowledge throughout their career, and ChildWize expects specialists on the platform to be actively engaged in ongoing learning and development.

Ongoing Review and Parent Feedback

Vetting is not a one-time event. ChildWize has processes in place to maintain the standards of specialists on the platform on an ongoing basis.

We carry out periodic checks to confirm that specialists' professional registrations remain current and in good standing. If a specialist's registration lapses or if they become subject to fitness to practise proceedings, their profile may be suspended until the matter is resolved.

Parent feedback is also an important part of our quality assurance process. After sessions, parents have the opportunity to leave reviews and ratings. We monitor this feedback to identify any patterns or concerns. If a specialist consistently receives poor feedback, or if a specific complaint is raised, we will investigate and take appropriate action, which may include additional checks, a conversation with the specialist, or removal from the platform.

We also have a complaints procedure for families who wish to raise concerns about a specialist. Complaints are taken seriously and handled in accordance with our published complaints policy. Where appropriate, we will also signpost families to the specialist's regulatory body, which has its own complaints and fitness to practise procedures.

Specialists on ChildWize are expected to hold appropriate professional indemnity insurance, which provides protection for both the specialist and the families they work with in the event that something goes wrong.

We are committed to being transparent about our processes and welcome feedback from families about how we can continue to improve. If you have questions about the vetting of a particular specialist or about our processes in general, our team is happy to help.

What This Means for You as a Parent

When you browse specialists on ChildWize, you can be confident that each one has been through a verification process that checks their professional registration, DBS status, qualifications, and experience. This does not replace your own judgement — you know your child best, and choosing the right specialist is ultimately a personal decision — but it provides a foundation of trust.

Here is a summary of what ChildWize verifies for each specialist:

Professional registration with the relevant regulatory body (such as HCPC, BPS, BACP, UKCP, or RCSLT) is confirmed before listing and periodically re-checked. An Enhanced DBS check with a children's barred list check is required for all specialists working with children. Qualifications and experience in working with children are reviewed as part of the onboarding process. Professional indemnity insurance is expected to be in place. Ongoing monitoring through parent feedback, periodic registration checks, and a clear complaints procedure helps maintain standards over time.

We know that the decision to seek support for your child can feel like a significant step, and that trusting someone new with your child's care requires confidence. ChildWize is designed to make that step easier by providing you with access to vetted, qualified professionals in one place.

If you would like more information about any aspect of our vetting process, or if you have concerns about a specialist listed on the platform, please do not hesitate to contact our team. We are here to help you find the right support for your child with confidence.