Under the December 2025 Guidelines, managing secondary supervisors is entirely the principal supervisor's responsibility. The Board no longer handles changes or approvals.
This is operationally simpler in one sense — less bureaucracy, fewer forms routed through PsyBA. But it means another layer of coordination landing on supervisors who are already managing this work alongside a full caseload.
What changed with secondary supervisor management?
Previously, PsyBA managed secondary supervisor changes. The Board was in the loop for appointments and transitions.
Under the December 2025 Guidelines, Table 3, Step 3 states: “The principal supervisor may assist the provisional psychologist to identify an appropriate secondary supervisor and must agree to the appointment of the secondary supervisor(s).” Section 6.2.3 adds: “There is no requirement to advise Ahpra of this change.”
However, this sits alongside a requirement in INPP-76 Sections B and H for the provisional psychologist to “submit any changes to a supervisory relationship for the Board’s approval.”
Based on our reading of these provisions together, this creates a dual-gated system: the principal supervisor approves the appointment operationally, and the Board must be notified via a revised INPP-76 for the broader supervisory arrangement. The Guidelines do not reconcile these provisions explicitly.
[Source: December 2025 Guidelines, Table 3, Step 3 and Section 6.2.3; INPP-76 Sections B and H. The reconciliation of these provisions is our inference from the primary sources.]
How do you verify Board-Approved Supervisor status?
Secondary supervisors must hold BAS (Board-Approved Supervisor) status. This is not optional and not waivable — hours supervised by someone without BAS status cannot be counted toward the 80-hour supervision requirement.
You can verify BAS status using AHPRA’s Find a Supervisor search tool. Best practice is to verify at the point of appointment and document the date you verified.
BAS status can lapse or be revoked — a supervisor who held it at the start of an arrangement may not hold it six months later. If you discover after the fact that a secondary supervisor’s BAS status had lapsed during a period when they were providing supervision, those hours are at risk of not being recognised.
[Source: December 2025 Guidelines, Section 5.4.5; AHPRA Find a Supervisor tool]
What happens when signatures go cold?
This is the operational challenge that catches supervisors most often, and the December 2025 framework made it harder to recover from.
When a secondary supervisor becomes unreachable — moves interstate, retires, becomes ill, or simply stops responding — supervision hours from their sessions may be left permanently unsigned.
The logbook (LBPP-76) requires supervisor initials for each supervision session. Unsigned sessions mean unverifiable hours. And unverifiable hours cannot be counted toward the 80-hour requirement with confidence.
Under the previous framework, the Board’s involvement provided an institutional record. Under the current framework, the only record is the one the principal supervisor and provisional psychologist maintain.
The practical concern is most acute in two scenarios: when a secondary supervisor provides a substantial proportion of the total supervision hours, and when the secondary is a sole practitioner or contractor without an organisational backstop.
[Source: LBPP-76 Section C; December 2025 Guidelines, Section 5.4.5]
What should you document when appointing a secondary supervisor?
There is no prescribed form for documenting a secondary supervisor appointment. The Guidelines establish the requirement but not the format. Based on the obligations scattered across the Guidelines, INPP-76, and LBPP-76, a defensible record at the point of appointment would include:
The basics: name, AHPRA registration number, BAS status verification date, and the method you used to verify.
Scope of the secondary supervision: which competency domains the secondary supervisor will focus on, which work role or practice setting their supervision covers, and how their supervision complements yours as principal.
Communication protocol: how the principal and secondary supervisors will communicate about the provisional psychologist’s progress, how frequently, and in what format.
Logbook and documentation approach: how the secondary supervisor will initial logbook sessions, whether they will contribute to progress reviews, and what records they will maintain independently.
Exit protocol: what happens if the arrangement ends. The CHPS-76 must be submitted within 28 days of ceasing a supervisory arrangement. The outgoing supervisor must provide details within 14 days.
[Source: December 2025 Guidelines, Section 6.2; CHPS-76 form; INFERENCE for documentation framework]
What happens when a secondary supervisor arrangement ends?
The Change of Principal Supervisor form (CHPS-76) is required when any supervisory arrangement ceases — not just the principal supervisor. It must be submitted within 28 days.
The outgoing supervisor has 14 days to provide details covering hours completed, direct observations conducted, and progress against the professional competencies.
If the CHPS-76 is not completed and submitted, AHPRA may not recognise the supervised practice from the period covered by that arrangement. The Guidelines state this clearly — “unless exceptional circumstances apply.” Relying on exceptional circumstances is not a documentation strategy.
The implication for secondary supervisor management: if you anticipate that a secondary supervisor arrangement may end, get the CHPS-76 process moving early. Don’t wait for the 28-day clock to start ticking before gathering the information you need.
[Source: December 2025 Guidelines, Section 6.2; CHPS-76 form]
Bridgyr tracks secondary supervisor arrangements alongside the primary relationship — so sessions get initialled while they’re fresh, and nothing slips through the cracks when you’re coordinating across multiple supervisors on top of your own caseload. Get early access →
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See also: PACF-76: A Practical Guide for Supervisors · What AHPRA Can Request From Your Supervision Records