To be launched in the summer 2006…

Three partner organisations, the British Dietetic Association (BDA), the Nutrition Society and BASES, are launching the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register (SENr) in the summer 2006.

Work has been underway on the register for some time and the three partner organisations along with funding agency UK Sport are pleased to announce that the register will go live with a view to bring more clarity to current sport nutrition practices.

The SENr is a voluntary register designed to accredit suitably qualified and experienced individuals who are competent to work autonomously in Sport and Exercise Nutrition with performance oriented athletes, as well as those participating in physical activity, sport and exercise for health.

Jeanette Crosland, project team member and BDA member, said, "This is a new and exciting initiative in the development of the world of sport nutrition in the UK. Importantly it identifies competencies required to successfully practice and will help guide the careers of individuals who wish to combine their interests in sport and nutrition. Support of the three partner organisations will for the first time allow flexible pathways towards this increasingly valued profession."

The new register will focus on four key elements:
1. Public protection, namely the sport and performance focused exercising community
2. Setting, protection and promotion of standards of services and education
3. Professional development of individuals
4. Developing the profession and its knowledge base.

It is hoped that the identified list of registrant competencies will enable Higher Education Institutions to consider their current programmes and be able, in the future, to direct their programmes to meet the needs of those who are looking to become practitioners in sport and exercise nutrition.

The register will encompass practitioners in three areas:
1. Sport and Performance
2. Physical Activity for Health
3. Education and Research.

In the first instance, the registration process is focused specifically on the Sport and Performance scope of practice. It is intended that the Physical Activity for Health and Education and Research areas will be introduced as secondary phases to the establishment of the SENr.

To join the register:

• Applicants will be invited to complete a Self Assessment of Competency, to enable each individual to check whether they have the appropriate qualifications and experience to apply for the register
• Those with appropriate qualifications and experience will then submit a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate how they meet the criteria for each of the competencies described in the Self Assessment of Competency document.
• Portfolios will be assessed and applicants will be informed whether they meet the criteria or whether there are any areas which require further development. Those meeting the requirements will then be entered onto the register.

Those who are interested in the register can find out more, including downloading the application procedures and the self assessment documentation, by visiting: http://www.senr.org.uk