We are delighted to announce that in January 2017, the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) formally approved the AHPI as a National Accreditation Organisation (NAO) within the IUHPE Global Health Promotion Accreditation System. The goal of the Accreditation System is to promote quality assurance, competence and mobility in health promotion practice and education through a global system, which is designed to be inclusive, flexible and sensitive to different contexts while maintaining robust and validated criteria.
As an NAO, the AHPI will be able to offer professional registration to Irish practitioners which is validated and globally recognised and which will entitle them to use the professional title ‘IUHPE Registered Health Promotion Practitioner.’ After several years of work by the AHPI, this is a significant milestone for the Association which also celebrates its' 20th anniversary this year.
In becoming a NAO, the AHPI will join other countries (UK, Australia and Estonia) as leaders in adopting the internationally recognised IUHPE accreditation system, which facilitates the registration of 'Health Promotion Practitioners' based on internationally recognised core HP competencies. Registration is voluntary and for a three-year period. An Accreditation Board for Ireland has been established which includes a Chairperson and seven members from academia, statutory and voluntary sectors. Their role is to oversee the registration system. A panel of Assessors have been trained and a Sub-Group on Continuing Professional Development has also been formed. There is new section on Professional Registration within this website which contains more information on the eligibility criteria and application process. It is expected that the system will be formally launched in mid October 2017
What are the benefits for you, as an Irish practitioner, being an ‘IUHPE Registered Health Promotion Practitioner?’ Some benefits include: