How it works

Registration is about expressing professional standards ; it has become the definitive mark of forensic competency.

We have been able to develop registration schemes to suit different specialties by agreeing defined professional standards group by group. We call them the 'essential elements' of the specialty. They describe the right way to practise forensic work in that field. And they reflect each group's own approach to the forensic process.

We base registration primarily on an assessment of recent case work, although we also ask to see qualifications and references. Our assessors are trained to consider the casework against the essential elements we have defined. No matter what the specialty, a practitioner's case work should demonstrate a well-structured and well-documented approach based around established principles and practice.

We do not test general knowledge of the subject area, such as chemical formulae or medical terminology. Neither do we test proficiency, for example, at comparing fingerprints. We consider these to be artificial ways of testing a practitioner's fitness to provide forensic testimony.

We grant registration for periods of four years at a time. Registrants must prove to us their continued competence in order to remain on the register for a further four-years. This process is called revalidation.