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Accreditation process

This is the order things happen in when you qualify as an accredited police station representative in England and Wales, with the deadlines that catch people out. Each step links to the rule it comes from.

Last reviewed: 31 October 2026.

The scheme in brief

The Police Station Representative Accreditation Scheme (PSRAS) is the accreditation framework for individuals who provide legally aided police station advice. The SRA describes it as a compulsory qualification for solicitors and non-solicitors who provide legal advice at the police station on a legally aided basis.

Two bodies are involved. The SRA runs the assessments through its authorised assessment organisations. The Legal Aid Agency keeps the register: “The Agency will maintain a register of Probationary and Accredited Representatives” (Register Arrangements, para 1.1), and the SRA confirms that the register “is regulated by the Legal Aid Agency” (SRA PSRAS page).

There are three assessments: a written examination, a portfolio and the Critical Incidents Test (SRA guidelines, 3.1; Register Arrangements). For what each one involves, see What is PSRAS?

Step by step

  1. 1

    Find a supervising solicitor

    You need one before you can register. The Register Arrangements say that before applying to be registered as a probationary representative you “must find a suitable Supervising Solicitor that is either an existing Duty Solicitor or meets the Crime Contract Supervisor Standards” (Police Station Register Arrangements 2025). The supervisor also plays a part in the assessment itself: in Part A, Stage 2 you advise clients “while being observed by the supervising solicitor” (SRA assessment guidelines, 5.2). In my experience that means working for, or alongside, a criminal defence firm.

  2. 2

    Apply to an assessment organisation

    The SRA authorises two assessment organisations: Cardiff Centre for Professional Legal Studies and Datalaw (Register Arrangements 2025; SRA PSRAS page). The process “is commenced by the candidate applying to one of the AOs to take the written test (unless exempt) and to submit Part A of the portfolio” (SRA guidelines, 3.3). Training is optional: it is “not mandatory to complete the training with the two Assessment Organisations, but they are the only organisations who can provide the assessments and award accreditation” (Register Arrangements).

  3. 3

    Pass the written examination, or show you are exempt

    The written exam “must be passed before the applicant can register with the DSCC as a Probationary Representative” (Register Arrangements; SRA guidelines, 3.3). Solicitors, barristers, people who have completed the LPC or BVC/BPTC, and CILEx members or fellows with the level 6 Higher Diploma including criminal law and litigation are exempt (SRA guidelines, 3.6; Register Arrangements). Passing the SQE does not exempt you: “There is no exemption for individuals who have passed the Solicitors Qualifying Examination” (SRA guidelines, 3.6; the Register Arrangements say the same). There is no exemption from the portfolio or the Critical Incidents Test.

  4. 4

    Complete Part A of the portfolio

    Part A has two stages, done in order. Stage 1 is “two cases in which the representative observes a solicitor advising a client in a police station”. Stage 2 is “two cases in which the representative gives advice to a client in a police station while being observed by the supervising solicitor”, and must include written feedback from the supervisor (SRA guidelines, 5.2; see also the Datalaw portfolio guide). Indictable-only and duty cases may be used in Stage 1 but not in Stage 2 (SRA guidelines, 5.2 and 5.8).

  5. 5

    Register as a probationary representative

    Once the assessment organisation certifies that Part A has been submitted successfully and the written exam is passed (or exempt), you apply to the Legal Aid Agency “within three months of the certification by the Assessment Organisation” (Register Arrangements, para 2.1). The SRA guidelines set the same limit: “Registration must be carried out within three months of the date of certification by the AO” (3.3).

  6. 6

    Finish Part B and the CIT within the probationary period

    After registration you take the remaining two assessments “in any order” (SRA guidelines, 3.4). Part B is “five cases in which you have provided advice to a client in a police station unsupervised” (Datalaw; SRA guidelines, 5.2). The Critical Incidents Test is a role-play and “may only be taken after a candidate has registered with the LAA as a probationary representative” (SRA guidelines, 7.4). Cardiff’s booking guide says the same: you cannot book the CIT until you have “received your PIN from the Legal Aid Agency” (Cardiff University).

  7. 7

    Become an accredited representative

    The Agency certifies you as accredited “when it has been notified by an Assessment Organisation that the Probationary Representative has passed the remaining Relevant Tests within 12 months of registration” (Register Arrangements, para 2.2; see also SRA guidelines, 3.4).

The deadlines

WhenWhat you must have doneSource
Within 3 months of Part A and written exam certificationApply to the Legal Aid Agency for probationary registration.Register Arrangements 2.1; SRA guidelines 3.3
Within 6 months of registrationPass one of the two remaining assessments (Part B or the CIT), or be suspended from the register until you do.Register Arrangements (6 month deadline); SRA guidelines 3.4
Within the 12-month probationary periodPass all the remaining assessments, or be suspended from the register.Register Arrangements 2.2 and 12 month deadline; SRA guidelines 3.4

The Register Arrangements put the six-month rule this way: if you do not pass one of the remaining tests within 6 months, you “will be suspended from the Police Station Register until such time as one of the Relevant Tests is passed” (Register Arrangements 2025). The SRA guidelines add that suspension means “the LAA will not pay for police station advice and assistance provided by the candidate” (3.4). Plan your Part B cases and CIT date as soon as you are registered.

What you can do while probationary

Probationary representatives “must not take on duty cases or indictable only cases” and must only work on cases “assigned to the provider which their Supervising Solicitor is based at” (Register Arrangements 2025). The contract says the same in paras 9.24, 9.29 and 9.30 (Standard Crime Contract Specification, Version 3).

After accreditation

Accreditation is not the end of supervision. “A Police Station Representative must be supervised by a Supervising Solicitor whilst on the Police Station Register” (Register Arrangements, para 5.1), and before attending a police station the representative “must have the telephone number of his or her supervising Solicitor” (Spec v3, para 9.27).

There are also yearly conditions for staying on the register, including a minimum number of police station attendances and training hours. Read them in the current Register Arrangements and check with your supervising solicitor, because the published documents are not consistent on the attendance figure.

Sources

Sources checked: 31 October 2026.

Disclaimer: This page is for general information only. It does not constitute advice on your eligibility or how to apply. For the official accreditation process, requirements, and application, consult the Legal Aid Agency and the authorised assessment providers. This platform does not grant accreditation.

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