NRPSI Newsletter January 2009

NRPSI Newsletter January 2009 1. Chairman s Introduction Dear Registered Interpreter Welcome to the January 2009 NRPSI Newsletter. As the Annual Report that follows indicates, the Register has continued to grow since the last newsletter this time last year, having passed the 2000 registrants mark in July 2008. The number of full registrations has also grown and I m pleased to be able to report the final closure of the Limited Assessment category. All the above indicate an increase in the number of professionals on the register, offering more languages at higher levels of qualification. NRPSI Ltd is performing well as a company. A combination of new subscribers, new registrations and cost saving measures in the office have helped NRPSI Ltd to operate within budget this year and achieve an operating surplus. This is now being reinvested in a major NRPSI database upgrade due for early 2009. To facilitate this, a Users Consultative Group has been set up on the recommendation of the NRPSI Committee to gather input from end users of the NRPSI. In the interim, changes in the listing of Security Clearances have also been made to the existing database in response to input from NRPSI registrants. These changes are detailed later in this newsletter. While on the subject of finances, let me address what appears to be a misconception about the treatment of any surplus of income over expenditure made by NRPSI Ltd. The company, although a wholly owned subsidiary of the Institute of Linguists (IOL), makes no distribution of any surplus to its shareholder, the IOL. Any NRPSI Ltd surplus is ringfenced and is used by and for the NRPSI, i.e. any such surplus is reinvested in the NRPSI and nowhere else. I reported in the last newsletter on the formation of NRPSI Committee. The Committee s function is to bring together different stakeholders in the NRPSI to discuss and formulate policy and to advise CIOL Council on the same. For me, this has been one of the most significant developments of the last year. From the first meeting, it was evident that the Committee members working collectively could lend a vital new perspective to strategic planning for the Register. The input of Committee members external to the CIOL and the NRPSI has been a key element in this. Their contribution gives us a new outlook on the challenges the NRPSI faces. Many of the initiatives outlined in more detail in this newsletter are the product of the Committee s work and I am optimistic about its future work. Like its professional registrants, the NRPSI continues to be challenged by the rapid pace of change in the Public Service Interpreting field, in particular the growth of outsourcing of interpreting provision by public services. This phenomenon continues to cause turbulence as we work to define our position in this changing environment. The choices that the NRPSI has had to make are sometimes controversial. However, we take the decisions in good faith that need to be taken to protect and develop the Register in line

with its core mission statement. I believe that the continuing rise in the number of registrants, subscribers, full status registrations and income suggests that these decisions have been on the whole well received. To the many people who have contributed so positively to confronting the challenges of the past year, committee members, staff and professional registrants, I extend my heartfelt thanks. I wish you a successful New Year. Brooke Townsley 2. Annual Report The National Register continues to grow. There are now 2,005 interpreters registered with a total 2,367 language listings (compared to 1,885 interpreters with 2,314 language listings at this time last year). The listings are categorised as follows: Full Status listings: 1,761 Interim Status listings: 473 Rare Language listings: 94 There are currently some 100 languages listed on the register, including Mandinka a rare language added this year. Subhead: Limited Assessment and Rare Language Categories Applications under the Limited Assessment category have not been accepted since December 2007. All those interpreters listed under this category who wished to remain registered had to upgrade to Full Status by December 2008. The Limited Assessment Category no longer exists. The Rare Language category is for those languages where there is no DPSI or other acceptable interpreting qualification available. Interpreters applying under the Rare Language category must provide proof of English language skills in order to be listed. A condition of registration in the Rare Language Category is that if a DPSI or other acceptable interpreting qualification becomes available, the Registrant must sit for that qualification at the earliest available opportunity. The Rare Language category is for those languages where there are no qualifications available. The Register is available by subscription to public services and to their chosen intermediaries. The main site licence for a public service costs 500 a year. In 2006, in order to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act, registered interpreters were asked to indicate whether they consented to their registration details being made available to public service intermediaries. As of December 2008, of the 2,005 interpreters currently listed, 1,313 have given their consent for

intermediaries to access their details. 692 interpreters withheld their consent. 250 interpreters have not indicated any preference and are, therefore, listed as not consenting. Any registered interpreter can change his or her preference at any time by notifying the NRPSI office. Please do ensure that you have indicated your preference so this can be reflected in your listing in the Register. There are currently 71 Public Services and 5 public service intermediaries subscribing to the Register. Thames Valley Police and Language Line Services You may be aware that, in September 2008, Thames Valley Police (TVP) entered into a contract with Language Line Services (LLS) for the provision of interpreting services. LLS subsequently has been granted a license to access the NRPSI Register. If you have withheld your consent for intermediaries to access your registration details, but you wish to work with LLS in respect of TVP, please contact LLS or this office for advice. 3. Changes to Search Page As part of our continuing efforts to provide an efficient service to our subscribers, on 31 October 2008 the search page of the online register was simplified. We hope that these changes will make the register clearer and easier to use. The changes are as follows: 1. the search page has been divided into two: Simple Search and Advanced Search 2. the map has been removed 3. the Mother Tongue search field has been removed (on the advice of the Equality and Human Rights Commission). The Search page now appears like this

In order to assist subscribers further we have also produced an information poster to help them use the Register correctly. Any Subscribing organizations wishing further copies of this poster should contact the office on 020 7940 3115. A major redesign and upgrade of the online register is planned for 2009 and work on this project is underway. In order to ensure that the views and preferences of end users of the Register are reflected in the upgrade, a Users Consultative Group has been formed. Their advice will help us to ensure that the new register provides our end users with the best possible service. 4. NRPSI Committee In our December 2007 Newsletter (available on our web site www.nrpsi.co.uk under Latest News) the Chairman announced the formation of the NRPSI Committee. The function of this Committee is to debate issues of policy and matters of common concern to the stakeholders and to advise Council and the NRPSI Board of Directors as appropriate..

The ten member committee consists of the three members of the NRPSI executive board, two representatives of IOL Council, two NRPSI professional registrants and three representatives of Public Services or appropriate charities with an interest in the work of the Register. The current NRPSI Committee members are: Mr. Brooke Townsley Chairman of NRPSI Limited Mr. John Hammond Director of NRPSI Limited Mr Alan Peacock Director of NRPSI Limited Mrs Jan Cambridge Representative of the IoL Council Mrs Ann Corselis - Representative of the IoL Council Ms Madeline Lee Registered Interpreter (Law) Mr Jaimen Patel Local Government representative Ms Magali Provensal Legal sector representative Mr Paul Smith Registered Interpreter (Health) Vacancy The Committee has met three times in 2008. The minutes of committee meetings can be found on the NRPSI website at www.nrpsi.co.uk (select NRPSI Committee). 5. Interpreters room We are pleased to announce that registered interpreters are now able to view their abstract listing via the NRPSI website in order to check their registered details and inform us of any inaccuracies. Please note that this facility will only be available for those who have consented to their details being made available through the online register facility on the NRPSI website. You will only be given access to your own listing. To access the Interpreters Room go to the homepage of the NRPSI website www.nrpsi.co.uk and then select Interpreters Room. Here you will be able to log in via a User ID and a password. 6. Security Clearances The National Register currently lists the following security clearances CRB Standard Disclosure CRB Enhanced Disclosure CRB Scotland Standard CRB Scotland Enhanced Police Clearance *

Home office Counter Terrorist Check Counter Terrorist Check *Currently we accept the following Police Clearances Metropolitan Police Clearance, Greater Manchester Police Clearance and Kent Police Clearance A number of interpreters, who have more than one security clearance, asked if their registration details could list more than one. In response, NRPSI has invested in upgrading the database to accommodate these requests. Some Security Clearances can be listed under two headings for example The Metropolitan Police clearance can be listed under Police Clearance and Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) if the interpreter so wishes as it is both a Police Clearance and a CTC. Other clearances which can be listed twice are 1) Home Office Counter Terrorist Check can also be listed as a CTC 2) Greater Manchester Police Clearance can be listed as a Police Clearance and a CTC 3) Kent Police Clearance can be listed as a Police Clearance and a CTC Our recommendation to subscribers is that they should search by language, geographical area and, if necessary, gender, to ensure that they have as many interpreters as possible to choose from. As with all databases, the more criteria a user applies to a search then the fewer options they will be given. 7. Current Subscribers NB: Please note that this is not a complete list as some subscribers have not given consent for their details to be disclosed. Organisations marked with an * can only access the details of interpreters who have indicated consent for agencies or intermediaries to view their listing. NB: Please note that this is not a complete list as some subscribers have not given consent for their details to be disclosed. Please note that this facility will only be available for those who have consented to their details being made available through the online register facility on the NRPSI website. Organisations marked with an * have can only access to details of interpreters who have indicated their consent for agencies or intermediaries to view their listing. Birmingham City Council Bournemouth Borough Council

Braintree District Council Cambridgeshire Constabulary HQ Cheshire Constabulary HQ Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform East Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust Essex Police HQ Everyday Language Solutions * Gangmasters Licensing Authority Greater Manchester Police Heddlu Dyfed Powys Police HM Courts Service - Court Business Division + HMCS Magistrates Courts HMCS Avon and Somerset Bristol Bath North Somerset Taunton Yeovil Yate HMCS Devon & Cornwall East Cornwall West Cornwall Plymouth District Central Devon South Devon North Devon HMCS Hampshire and Isle of Wight AD office, Havant HMCS Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Bouremouth Weymouth Area office, Southgate House Chippenham Swindon Magistrates' courts office Salisbury HMCS Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire Bedford Luton Centralised Magistrates Business Office- Osprey House Watford Bayley House HMCS Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk Cambridge Peterborough Norwich King's Lynn

Great Yarmouth Ipswich Bury St Edmunds Lowestoft HMCS Kent East Kent North Kent Mid Kent HMCS Surrey and Sussex Guildford Staines Redhill Woking Magistrates Courts Brighton Hastings Worthing Hayward's Heath HMCS Thames Valley Central Bucks Slough Milton Keynes Northern Oxon Oxford Reading Wycombe HMCS Cheshire and Merseyside Vale Royal Chester Warrington South Cheshire Liverpool Wirral Bootle St Helens HMCS Cumbria and Lancashire Chorley HMCS Greater Manchester Bolton Bury Manchester Oldham Rochdale Salford Stockport Tameside Trafford

Wigan HMCS Greater London - Central and South Bexley Bromley Camberwell Green Croydon Greenwich Sutton Horseferry Road (City of Westminster) Court of Appeal Wells Street City of London HMCS Greater London - North and West Enfield Haringey Harrow Hendon Highbury Corner Uxbridge Ealing Feltham Richmond South Western West London Kingston Havering Brent Wimbledon HMCS Humber and South Yorkshire Hull Beverley Grimsby Scunthorpe Barnsley Doncaster Rotherham Sheffield HMCS Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria Teesside Hartlepool Bedlington Newcastle Gateshead HMCS North and West Yorkshire Harrogate Northallerton

Scarborough Skipton York Bradford Keighley Calderdale Leeds Dewsbury Huddersfield Pontefract Wakefield Collection & Enforcement Centre HMCS Leicestershire, Lincoln and Northamptonshire Loughborough Leicester Hinckley Lincoln Skegness Grantham Northampton HMCS Nottingham and Derbyshire Nottingham Mansfield Worksop Derby North East Derbyshire Dales High Peak HMCS Black Country, Staffs and West Mercia Stoke on Trent Staffordshire and Stafford Worcester Hereford Kidderminster Redditch Shrewsbury Telford HMCS Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Birmingham Sutton Coldfield Walsall Warley Wolverhampton Solihull Coventry Dudley HMCS South East Wales

Cardiff AD office, Gwent House HMCS North Wales Wrexham Llandudno Caernarfon HMCS Mid and West Wales AD's office (The Old Vicarage) HMCS Crown Courts HMCS Avon and Somerset Bristol Taunton HMCS Devon and Cornwall Exeter Plymouth Truro HMCS Hampshire Newport (IOW) Portsmouth Southampton Winchester HMCS Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Bournemouth Dorchester Gloucester Swindon Salisbury HMCS Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire Luton St Albans Basildon Chelmsford HMCS Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk Cambridge Peterborough Norwich Ipswich HMCS Kent Canterbury Maidstone HMCS Surrey and Sussex Guildford Chichester Lewes HMCS Thames Valley

Oxford Reading Aylesbury HMCS Cheshire and Merseyside Chester Warrington Liverpool HMCS Cumbria and Lancashire Carlisle Burnley Preston HMCS Greater Manchester Bolton Crown Square Minshull Street HMCS Greater London - Central and South Croydon Inner London Woolwich Blackfriars Central Criminal Court Southwark HMCS Greater London - North and West Snaresbrook Harrow Wood Green Isleworth Kingston HMCS Humber and South Yorkshire Grimsby Hull Doncaster Sheffield HMCS Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria Teesside Durham Newcastle HMCS North and West Yorkshire York Bradford Leeds HMCS Leicestershire, Lincoln and Northamptonshire Leicester Lincoln Northampton HMCS Nottingham and Derbyshire

Nottingham Derby HMCS Black Country, Staffs and West Mercia Stafford Stoke on Trent Shrewsbury Worcester HMCS Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Warwick Birmingham Coventry Wolverhampton HMCS South East Wales Cardiff Merthyr Tydfil Newport HMCS North Wales Mold HMCS Mid and West Wales Swansea Humberside Police Headquarters Kent Police Headquarters Language Line * North Wales Police North Yorkshire Police HQ Praxis Community Projects * Reliance Secure Task Management * Suffolk Constabulary Surrey Police HQ Warwickshire County Council Wessex Translations Ltd * West Mercia Constabulary Headquarters