Page 18 - FSANZ AUTUMN -2023

Advancing the professional status and
Over the past year the Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors’ Association (ANZICA) has progressed significantly in its quest for professional recognition and in its advocacy work.
Key developments are outlined below.
Membership
ANZICA Chair, Rebecca Kerner, said: “We have continued to refine membership requirements within Australia and New Zealand and at a wider international level.
“The aim is to make our membership renewal process much smoother.
“I remind members of their individual responsibility to provide evidence of required professional development hours. Certificates will not be issued until evidence of this has been received.”
The renewal cut-off date is 31 March 2023. Applications received after this date will not be processed.
Meanwhile, a new ANZICA Membership Zone has been created on the FSANZ website. All documents relating to ANZICA practice – including updated guidelines, practitioner forms, webinar recordings etc – will now be featured in this zone and they will only be accessible to members.
The following new items have been added to this zone:
Updated Surrogacy Guidelines
The guidelines are continually subject to review, and these particular updates aim to ensure consistency in policy across both donor and surrogacy programs.
“A particular focus is to make sure our language is reflective of the desire to support and include all individuals and couples undertaking treatment,” Rebecca said.
“I urge members to familiarise themselves with these updated guidelines to maintain best practice in their workplaces. Thank you to Antonia Clissa and Iolanda Rodino for their work on this update.”
New Surrogacy Resources
A huge thank you to Miranda Montrone for her generosity in sharing new practitioner resources for those working in the area of surrogacy. These resources will be valuable for practitioners and their clients.
Thank you also to Helen Nicholson and Caren August who have adapted the Surrogacy Hospital Plan (with Miranda’s permission) to create a New Zealand specific version of this form.
Rebecca Kerner
History of ANZICA
An additional thank you to Miranda Montrone for undertaking the huge and important task of documenting the history of ANZICA. A link to our history will also be sent out to all new members.
Private practitioner and ANZICA supervisor lists
An update of our private practitioner list is currently underway along with a new list of suitable ANZICA supervisors.
This reflects ANZICA’s commitment to maintain professional standards of practice and care, and to help those who are new to this specialist area of counselling to be appropriately supported and guided before taking on more senior roles.
Additional Patient Resource
Home insemination guidelines have been written to support individuals and couples who are considering
this procedure through online donor practice. The aim is to ensure they are fully informed about the implications before they undertake this pathway.
This information is featured in the resources section of the FSANZ website under Patient Centred Care.
See https://www.fertilitysociety.com.au/home inseminationusing-donor-sperm/
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