Difference between HCPC, BPS, BACP

Hi
I'm interested in studying in the UK. I currently have an honours in Psychology and PGCE, I'm currently working as a teacher's assistant in a special Educational needs school (mostly autistic learners). My goal is to work in schools and work with kids.

I’m still trying to understand about all the relevant bodies here in the UK. I’ve googled but I’m still a bit confused about the different bodies and what they do and what it is I’m supposed to know about them.

Can someone please explain about the difference between BPS, BACP and HCPC please.
Thank u

I am not a psychology specialist, but I can give you a brief outline of what they are for (don't worry, we Brits have a similar issue with the professional bodies, especially in healthcare).

BPS - the professional body for psychology related professions. I would make sure your undergrad is accredited by this body to do anything related to psychology.

BACP - this is the regulatory body for therapists.

HCPC - this is the regulatory body for general health professions.

BPS, BACP, and HCPC should all coincide and give you similar information on anything related to the psychology professions. In terms of bodies to look at first, I would prioritise BPS, HCPC, then BACP.

If you have a PGCE that has QTS, then I can't understand why you're not a teacher (the country is facing a massive shortage of teachers at the moment).

I also am not entirely sure what specific role you intend to go into when you say "my goal is to work in schools and work with kids". This could mean anything from being a teacher (which you should be able to do with your qualifications), become a child psychologist, therapist associated with children of some description, or a nursery worker.
If you want information on the roles avaialble, see the following:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-categories/teaching-and-education
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-categories/healthcare
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/childcare/job-profiles
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/education/job-profiles
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/therapy/job-profiles

If you can be more specific, then I should be able to help narrow things down.

The goal you mention is quite broad - do you mean working as a teacher? You don't need any additional qualifications for teaching in a special school beyond the normal ones (but it will depend if they want to take you)

Hi, thank you so much for the above. It’s very informative. To clarify, I want to work as a psychologist in schools. I’m still uncertain whether as a counsellor in schools/ children’s psychologist or specialise in special needs. I still need to figure it out exactly but I want to work as a psychologist in schools. The plan was to work as a teacher while i further my studies in Psychology, so I did my PGCE back home in South Africa. COVID hit and everything was shut down for a couple of months, schools were not hiring teachers and there was a delay in getting proof that my PGCE certificate . By the time everything went back to normal my husband and I moved to England as he was offered a job here, so I didn’t get a chance to get 9months worth of experience as a teacher after my PGCE was complete.
Therefore, because I didn’t get 9 months of experience in the country I got the PGCE qualification, im not able to be awarded QTS. I have to take a longer route for QTS which I’m currently still trying to save up for.

Hi, thank you so much for the above. It’s very informative. To clarify, I want to work as a psychologist in schools. I’m still uncertain whether as a counsellor in schools/ children’s psychologist or specialise in special needs. I still need to figure it out exactly but I want to work as a psychologist in schools. The plan was to work as a teacher while i further my studies in Psychology, so I did my PGCE back home in South Africa. COVID hit and everything was shut down for a couple of months, schools were not hiring teachers and there was a delay in getting proof that my PGCE certificate . By the time everything went back to normal my husband and I moved to England as he was offered a job here, so I didn’t get a chance to get 9months worth of experience as a teacher after my PGCE was complete.
Therefore, because I didn’t get 9 months of experience in the country I got the PGCE qualification, im not able to be awarded QTS. I have to take a longer route for QTS which I’m currently still trying to save up for.