Legal, insurance and other assessments

Where a third party engages a psychologist to assess someone who is not their client, for an insurance, legal or other purpose, the usual psychologist and client relationship is absent. Effective practice then means the psychologist: (a) makes clear their role and how they stand in relation to the third party; (b) applies this code's standards to the assessment, being respectful and alert to the person's concerns; (c) explains to the person their role, what the assessment is for, what it involves and how far it goes and their reporting duties; (d) anticipates and corrects any misunderstanding about the assessment and report; (e) explains what refusing consent could mean and states plainly that the third party will be told of any refusal; (f) gets the person's explicit consent to the assessment and report, or records their reasons if they decline; (g) writes an impartial report (section 8.9); and (h) recognises a duty of care to tell the person or their treating practitioner about any serious, previously unrecognised health problem found during the assessment.

• Engagement letter from the third party defining the psychologist's role and the report's purpose
• Signed explicit consent from the person assessed, or a record of reasons for refusal
• File note of the explanation given about role, purpose, reporting and the consequence of refusal
• Record of any serious health issue found and to whom it was communicated

• Examinee believed the assessor was their treating psychologist
• No record that refusal consequences were explained
• Report wording that reflects the instructing party's position rather than the findings