Register of Expert Witnesses

Coming soon

The register is not currently available to search, we will be opening it for searches in the coming weeks.

The register is open for applications, please see the join the register section for details.

For courts and legal professionals

This register can help you to quickly locate a suitable psychologist who is both knowledgeable and experienced in expert witness work across a range of legal contexts, including:

• Civil, Family, or Criminal proceedings
• Magistrates' or District courts
• Tribunals and panel hearings

What is an expert witness?

Although there is no legal definition of an expert or expert witness, the society's definition is:

 "An expert is a person who, through specialist training, study, or experience, is able to provide a court, tribunal, or hearing with relevant scientific, technical, or professional information or opinion, based on skills, expertise, or knowledge, that is likely to be beyond the experience and knowledge of the representing lawyers, judge, jury or panel." 

- Psychologists as Expert Witnesses: Best practice guidelines for psychologists (2021)

What is a psychologist in this context?

Here, "psychologist" refers to:

• Practitioner psychologists: Psychologists who are registered with the HCPC. HCPC registration authorises the use of a protected title (including "Practitioner Psychologist") and provides governance regarding the professional practice of registered individuals (see Why your registration matters | The HCPC). For this register, HCPC regulation gives assurance that a psychologist is accountable for their practice in offering clinical assessments.
• Academic psychologists: Chartered by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and recognised for their research expertise, though not regulated or recommended for the assessment of individuals for the courts.

When choosing an expert witness, note that HCPC-registered psychologists bring clinical expertise essential for clinical assessments of individuals and the oversight of the statutory regulator, while chartered academic psychologists offer specialised research insights in broad areas for generalised phenomena.  

This register allows only HCPC-registered psychologists to offer clinical assessments in their biographies to ensure that people have recourse to the regulator (HCPC) where there are concerns about the fitness to practise of members listed on the register.

This distinction between research expertise and psychological services is in keeping with the Re C judgment (EWHC 345 (Fam) 2023) and in line with the Family Procedure Rule Committee proposals (currently in consultation) to require the courts to engage regulated psychologists as experts.

All experts are responsible for the accuracy of their profiles on the Register. 

Application Requirements

To join the Register of Expert Witnesses, you must:

• Be a Chartered member of the British Psychological Society
• Demonstrate the specialist knowledge and competences required of expert witnesses as defined by the society's Expert Witness Advisory Group
• Hold current HCPC registration if you wish to offer clinical assessment of individuals for the courts

Ready to gain recognition for your expertise?

To complete the application form you will need to:  

• Provide your personal and professional details
• Include a brief profile detailing your domain-specific expertise as a psychologist, your expert witness qualifications and experience, and the legal contexts and services that are within your scope of competence
• Submit the documents required to evidence your competence either through Route A - Industry standard recognition, or Route B - Validated competence – see below for details
• Submit evidence of your CPD activities from the last three years (or since qualification if that is less than three years ago) that is relevant to expert witness work, using the CPD record template

You will also need to declare that you:  

• Hold current indemnity insurance covering your expert witness work
• Have no adverse findings or unresolved complaints of relevance from an employer, HCPC, the courts or other competent authorities
• Commit to maintaining the standards required by the register

If you wish to offer the services of clinical assessment, formulation and diagnosis of individuals to the courts:

• Enter your HCPC registration number

Upload either:

• Certificate of successful completion of the BPS Psychologists as Expert Witnesses workshop

Or

• A reference from a Chartered Psychologist endorsing your understanding of the difference between clinical and expert witness work, you must use the services reference template

Fees

• Application Fee Route A: £50 - reduced to £37.50 until 31 August 2025
• Application Fee Route B: £100 - reduced to £75 until 31 August 2025

The application fee is a one-off fee payable at the time of application and is non-refundable. 

For a limited period ending on 31 August 2025, application fees are discounted by 25% from the standard fees.

• Annual Fee: £72 -The annual fee is payable after your application is approved and before you are added to the register. Renewal fees align with your main membership grade.  

Apply to join the register

Complete the application form to apply to join the register.

Join the Register of Expert Witnesses

Enhance your professional identity  

Joining the Register of Expert Witnesses offers you significant professional benefits:  

• Enhanced Professional Recognition: Your expertise is formally acknowledged, aligning with recent court guidance and revised BPS training.
• Adherence to High Standards: Evidence that your practice aligns with the industry standards, reflecting specialised knowledge of court expectations.  
• Credibility & Trust: Being a registered member shows that you work within an ethically and empirically sound framework.  
• Ongoing Professional Development: The register supports your continuous learning and development through clear CPD guidelines and close liaison with the Society's Expert Witness Advisory Group.  
• Visibility and Promotion: Your profile is promoted to courts and potential service commissioners as a trusted, high-quality source. 

Develop your skills

If you are at the early stages of developing your expertise in this area, and you want to learn more about the skills of being an expert witness, the Society has a full programme of online learning for you:

Essential knowledge for the expert witness: Full programme

For those with expert witness knowledge who are looking to be assured of the difference between acting as a witness giving evidence on clinical assessments of individuals for the courts and carrying out a therapeutic role for individuals, then our online workshop will consolidate your learning and address this crucial distinction:

Psychologists as Expert Witnesses workshop

Depending on your other expertise, completion of this workshop may contribute to an application to join the register. 

Maintaining your registration

The requirements to maintain registration are in place to ensure that registrants continue to meet the eligibility criteria, and are up to date with developments relevant to expert witness work. 

Registrants must:

• Hold current indemnity insurance covering your expert witness work;
• Have no adverse findings or unresolved complaints of relevance from an employer, HCPC, the courts or other competent authorities;
• Maintain HCPC registration (for those offering the services of assessment formulation and diagnosis);
• Engage in CPD relevant to your expert witness activities

You'll receive a reminder one month before your registration is due for renewal. If we don't receive your renewal payment your registration will lapse and you'll no longer appear on the register. We operate a no refund policy. Once registration is paid for the period of one year it's non-refundable.  

By paying your registration fee and when renewing your registration each year you confirm that you continue to meet the eligibility requirements to be registered on the Register of Expert Witnesses.

If at any point you cease to meet these requirements, you should notify the Membership team by emailing [email protected] for advice. In the case of receiving a complaint you should contact the complaints team by emailing [email protected] for advice. We will assess the situation and if you no longer meet the requirements for registration, you may be removed from the register.

These requirements not only keep your skills current but also strengthen the overall value and trust in the register.

Continuing professional development (CPD) requirements

Acceptable CPD includes conferences, workshops, supervision, research, service development, and court advisory roles.

The society offers a range of learning opportunities to support your expert witness work. Our online modules include:

• Essential knowledge for the expert witness: Full programme
• Psychologists as Expert Witnesses workshop

The Expert Witness Advisory Group runs an annual conference with speakers from psychology and from the legal profession to address current developments in the field. 

All activities should demonstrate learning outcomes and practical implementation of learning. Registrants should pay particular attention to changes in court procedures or the issuing of judgements that may impact on how an expert witness is expected to make their contribution to the courts.

As members of the society, you can access the BPS MyCPD platform to record your CPD. The MyCPD platform supports you to plan your development and record activities, including the upload of evidence e.g. certificates and reflect on your learning. You can also generate reports on all of the content

Annual declarations and audits

At renewal of their annual subscription, registrants must declare that they still meet the requirements to maintain their registration.

• On an annual basis, 20% of randomly selected registrants will be asked to provide evidence of their indemnity insurance
• On an annual basis, 20% of randomly selected registrants will be asked to provide evidence of CPD activities and reflection on those activities for review by peers from the register

Making a complaint

We encourage an informal approach to resolving any concerns as the quickest route in the first instance, where it is appropriate. If you have any concerns about a registrant's conduct, we recommend speaking directly with the individual where possible. However, if the matter requires further action:

• Immediate Danger - Please call the police.
• Professional Conduct Concerns - If you suspect unprofessional behaviour please raise the matter with the registrant's employer, if applicable.
• Quality of Expert Reports - Concerns regarding the quality of an expert report should be addressed through your legal representative and brought to the attention of the court.
• Clinical Practice - Any concerns related to the clinical practice and services of assessment, formulation and diagnosis should be reported directly to the HCPC.

Complaints submitted to the Society will be reviewed by our Complaints Team, who will determine whether the matter should be handled by the HCPC, the courts, or under our Member Conduct Rules. You can raise your concerns through our complaints process. 

Upholding excellence through robust governance

Our register is maintained with strong oversight to ensure that expert witness practice remains of the highest standard. 

Key governance features include:

• Standards and Competencies - The required areas of expertise (from understanding court procedures to producing compliant reports) have been approved by the Practice Board and are regularly reviewed by the Expert Witness Advisory Group.
• Continuous Improvement - Annual audits and renewal declarations ensure that registrants meet the required standards. Any shortfall in CPD, indemnity insurance, or supervision may result in removal from the register.
• Transparent Reporting - The annual renewal process is reviewed by the Member Board, informing any necessary adjustments to admission criteria, CPD expectations, and audit processes.
• Collaboration and Accountability - Oversight is provided by the Member Board, Practice Board, and EWAG. This collaborative approach guarantees that the register stays current, inclusive, and aligned with both legal expectations and best practices in psychology.

For more details on our governance bodies, please visit the Member Board, Practice Board, and the Expert Witness Advisory Group.