New competence certification launched for forensics experts

Published On Wed 19 Mar 2014 by Roddy Isles

The Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) is pleased to announce that the first structured framework for certification of competence to practise in the UK courts has now been agreed and launched.

Setting a professional standard for a forensic discipline has been both a challenge and an honour for the RAI. The standard has now been established in collaboration with the British Association for Forensic Anthropology and the Forensic Science Regulator.

'We see this standard as being an important step that will serve the interests of justice and the wider public interest,' said Professor Sue Black, Chair of the RAI forensic anthropology committee.

'Investigative authorities and the criminal justice system can now be sure they are engaging with forensic anthropologists who have been independently certified to an appropriate level of expertise via a rigorous quality assurance process,' added Gaille MacKinnon, Chair of the British Association for Forensic Anthropology.

This robust framework will permit investigating authorities, lawyers, the judiciary and other relevant professional bodies to gauge the level of practitioner expertise that is required for their purposes and identify the most suitable Forensic Anthropologist to engage.

There are three levels of certification relating to professional experience and expertise; all relevant documentation can be found here: www.therai.org.uk/forensic-anthropology.

The highest level of certification (FA-I) confirms that the holder is a highly experienced forensic anthropologist who has demonstrated independent credibility both within their profession and in respect of the UK criminal justice system. The second level (FA-II) represents a forensic anthropologist who is competent to practise though with limited or no experience of high profile/complex casework or court room skills. An FA-III forensic anthropologist is competent in basic skills but may not have had experience of active casework responsibility.

A current list of certified forensic anthropology practitioners is maintained on the RAI site and can be accessed here www.therai.org.uk/forensic-anthropology/forensic-anthropologist-i/certified-fa-i.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI) is the world's longest-established scholarly association dedicated to the furtherance of anthropology (the study of humankind) in its broadest and most inclusive sense. The Royal Anthropological Institute seeks to combine a distinguished tradition of scholarship stretching back over more than 150 years with the active provision of services to contemporary anthropology and anthropologists (including students of anthropology). It has a particular commitment to promoting the public understanding of anthropology, and the contribution of anthropology to public affairs.

The career structure embedded within this new quality assurance framework is one of collegiate mentoring and support, designed to raise the standards of this scientific discipline for the UK courts and facilitate competent succession training. The first FA-I and FA-III examinations have been undertaken and the first set of FA-II examinations will occur in June of 2014. Therefore, by the summer it is anticipated that, for the first time, the UK will have a fully operational professional certification structure of forensic anthropology expert practitioners, all of whom will be listed on the RAI website.

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Roddy Isles
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