The first step in obtaining a licence to award CEnv, REnvP and/or REnvTech registration is to join the Society for the Environment as a Member Body.
Although there are not currently any Members without a licence to award at least one registration, it is possible for an organisation to remain solely a Member Body indefinitely, provided they continue to fulfil their obligations.
To become a Member Body, an organisation must:
- Be an independent institute, institution, society or similar body with individual members and the purpose of developing and advancing a profession or body of knowledge
- Be financially viable, maintain financial accounts in accordance with standard accounting practice and have been in existence for at least five years
- Promote the profession in the interest of the public as well as that of its individual members
- Be committed to demonstrating continuous improvement in the environmental performance of the organisation.
To become a Licensed Member, a Member Body must also:
- Be able to assess the competence, knowledge and commitment of candidates for registration Be able to monitor the continued professional development of registrants
- Regulate and monitor the professional conduct of its individual membership in accordance with the Society for the Environment Code of Professional Conduct, applying disciplinary procedures in the event of complaints of unprofessional conduct
- Have an acceptable cohort of registrable members, meeting the requirements of CEnv, REnvP and/or REnvTech
- Have a minimum of 5 years’ experience administering membership standards, with a review mechanism in place before a candidate is given the assessment decision
- Have a process in place for marketing the CEnv, REnvP and/or REnvTech qualifications
- Ensure that its individual members are bound by the professional body’s code of conduct
- Provide opportunities for continuing professional development.
There are several obligations that must be met to remain either a Member Body or a Licensed Member.
Member Bodies must agree to:
- be bound by the Charter, the Object, the Bye Laws, the Regulations and the Practice Directions of the Society
- promote the Society and its work programmes
- pay such fees and subscriptions as may be determined by the Board
- inform the Society of any proposed changes to its constitution or individual membership requirements.
Licensed Members must also agree to:
- be reviewed by the Society’s Registration Authority
- comply with the Society’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) policy
- pay registration fees to the Society
- complete an Annual Licence Member Report, providing information relating to their Licence during the previous calendar year.
To become a Member Body, an organisation must complete the application form (pg 14 of the Licensed Member (LM) Practice Direction), supplying evidence demonstrating that it meets the criteria described above. A review will then be undertaken to determine whether the professional body can become a Member Body.
Reviews are carried out following ISO standard quality assurance procedures, by two reviewers appointed by the Society. The review includes the examination of documents provided in the application, as well as an interview of relevant Member Body staff. A report will be made to the Society’s Board for a decision on whether to grant permission for the professional body to become a Member Body.
Member Bodies that wish to obtain a licence and become a Licensed Member attend a similar review. The reviewers will then report to the Society’s Registration Authority (RA) which will decide on whether to approve the licence application, either with or without specified conditions being met.
The RA will only reject a licence application if major non-conformances with the criteria outlined above are found during the review that cannot be eliminated from the system by the next RA meeting. In this case, the prospective Licensed Member will be encouraged to re-apply once the issues have been resolved.
For more information on becoming a Member Body or Licensed Member, please contact Head of Licensing, Registration and Standards, Geoff Atkins, at [email protected]
For details of the criteria and competences that have to be met by aspiring CEnv, REnvP or REnvTech registrants, and the assessment process requirements, please see our Practice Direction documents below. These documents will help to determine if your members will be suitable for environmental registrations before gaining your licence.
Licensed Member (LM) Practice Direction
Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) Practice Direction
Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP) Practice Direction
Registered Environmental Technician (REnvTech) Practice Direction
