Practitioner toolkit
Build a safer, clearer independent practice
Practical, research-led guidance for independent and small UK behaviour analysis practices. Start with the job in front of you; each route gives you a simple next step and links to the detail behind it.
The goal: leave with a clearer decision, a practical check, and a trustworthy source to return to.
Start here
What are you trying to do?
Choose the closest task. You do not need to know the right legal or professional term before you begin.
I’m setting up a practice
Check your scope, standing, safeguards, records, privacy, contracts and continuity before taking your first case.
You’ll leave with: a launch-readiness checklist →
02Day-to-day deliveryI need better notes and case records
Make session work understandable, connected and usable for review, handover and the next practitioner.
You’ll leave with: a record-quality check →
03Privacy and governanceI need to get data protection right
Map what information you use, why you use it, who can access it and what happens when a request or incident arises.
You’ll leave with: a privacy-operations check →
04Working with clientsI’m preparing a client agreement
Clarify the people, service, money, consent, privacy, concerns and closure without treating one document as everything.
You’ll leave with: an agreement issue check →
05Retention and accessI need a defensible record-retention approach
Define the case record, set purposeful review points and manage access, holds, deletion and retrieval.
You’ll leave with: a retention-schedule checklist →
06Credentials and rolesI need to explain who can lead the service
Understand UKBA(cert), BCBA, BCBA-D and BCaBA roles, then make clinical responsibility and supervision clear to clients.
You’ll leave with: clear credential wording →
Trusted external resources
Selected for UK relevance, primary-source authority and practical usefulness. Last reviewed September 2026.
UK practice and safeguarding
Find and check a behaviour analyst
Search the UK Society for Behaviour Analysis register and understand the information to check before engaging a practitioner.
Visit UK-SBA ↗ Department for Education · EnglandSEND Code of Practice
Statutory guidance for organisations working within the special educational needs and disability system for children and young people.
Read the Code of Practice ↗Evidence, quality and ethics
Autism: support and management under 19
Evidence-based guidance on support, functional assessment and interventions for children and young people.
Read NICE recommendations ↗ BACB · Ethics codesEthics requirements for behaviour analysts
Current ethics codes and related resources for BACB certificants; useful alongside the practitioner’s applicable UK duties.
Read BACB ethics codes ↗Privacy and accountable records
UK GDPR guidance
Official information for organisations on lawful, transparent and secure handling of personal information.
Visit ICO guidance ↗ HapMetrix guide · UK practicePut privacy into everyday practice
Use our plain-language guide to turn the governance questions into practical decisions for your service and records.
Explore the privacy guide →External resources are independently published and may change. Inclusion is not an endorsement; check each source, its terms and its suitability for the person and context before relying on it.
From the practice that inspired HapMetrix
Useful plain-language information from ABA Consultant London.
ABA therapy in London
An overview of the support available for children, young people and families, including what an ABA service can involve.
Explore ABA Consultant London ↗ Getting startedWhat is ABA?
A clear introduction to applied behaviour analysis and how it can support meaningful everyday progress.
Read the introduction ↗