F.3 Ongoing supervision

What the outline says

Task F.3 in content area F, Ethics (11 of the 75 scored questions): "Provide services only under ongoing supervision from supervisors who meet BACB requirements."

Why supervision is required

RBTs are paraprofessionals. They practice under the direction and close supervision of an RBT Supervisor and/or RBT Requirements Coordinator, who are responsible for all the work the RBT performs (Standard 1.03). Supervision aims to improve and maintain the RBT's behavior-analytic, professional and ethical skills and to support high-quality services. Because of this, an RBT without a supervisor on record may not practice at all.

How much supervision, and in what form

• Amount: at least 5% of the hours you spend providing behavior-analytic services in each calendar month. Multiply your service hours by 0.05. For 120 hours in a month, the minimum is 6 hours; for 90 hours, it is 4.5 hours.

• Contacts: at least two face-to-face, real-time contacts each month. Phone calls and email do not count. Web camera or video conference is allowed (in-person observation is preferred), but video monitoring on its own, without real-time interaction or feedback, may not count.

• Observation: in at least one of the monthly contacts, the supervisor observes you providing services. The BACB encourages more observation than this minimum.

• Individual and group: at least one contact must be individual (no other RBTs or trainees present). The other may be a small-group meeting: interactive, with 2 to 10 RBTs who share similar experiences. The 10-RBT limit applies however many supervisors attend.

• Each organization separately: if you work for two organizations, you must meet all requirements at each one. With 70 service hours at Agency A and 30 at Agency B, you need at least 3.5 hours at A and 1.5 hours at B; you cannot meet the 5% total at only one of them.

• Not professional development: ongoing supervision is client focused and cannot count toward your professional development units. One event cannot count as both.

Who may supervise

• RBT Supervisor: a BCBA or BCaBA, responsible for the services the RBT provides under their supervision.

• RBT Requirements Coordinator: a BCBA who makes sure all of an RBT's supervisors are qualified and that requirements are met each month. An organization can have several coordinators, but each RBT has only one per organization. The coordinator may also supervise.

• Training: before supervising, both roles must complete training based on the Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0) and upload it to their BACB account.

• Relationships: the RBT may not be related to, superior to, an employer of, or in a multiple relationship with their supervisor or coordinator. Standard 1.04 adds that RBTs are never employers of their supervisor. An RBT who pays for supervision services is not considered the supervisor's employer.

• Client-specific knowledge: the supervisor must know enough about each client to direct your work, so they must work for the same organization or have a contract with the client. You need a supervisor for every client you serve. Having one for three clients and none for a fourth is not allowed.

Being on record

After you pass the exam, your certification is inactive. It becomes active only when your RBT Supervisor or RBT Requirements Coordinator adds you as a supervisee in their BACB portal account. Without a coordinator, every RBT Supervisor must list you while they supervise you; with a coordinator, only the coordinator must list you. The BACB Certificant Registry shows your supervisor and status, and shows in red text when you may not practice.

If your only supervisor leaves and no one else is on record, stop practicing as an RBT until a qualified supervisor adds you. If you learn your certification status has changed (for example to inactive, expired, suspended or revoked), tell your supervisor within 24 hours and follow the BACB's rules on practice, billing and use of the RBT title (Standard 3.07).

If you are not providing services, for example during a semester off, monthly supervision is not required, but the other maintenance requirements still apply. For a long break, consider voluntary inactive status.

Documentation and noncompliance

You and your supervisor must both keep supervision records for at least 7 years, even after the supervisory relationship ends. Records include the days and times you provided services, dates and duration of supervision, its format (individual or group), dates of direct observations, the names of supervisors and proof of the supervisor's relationship to the client. The BACB may audit current and former RBTs and supervisors at any time.

If you find you are not meeting the requirements, for example only one contact last month, report it to the BACB. Then, depending on the situation, work with your supervisor to meet requirements going forward, find another supervisor or apply for voluntary inactive status. Never fix records after the fact; recording a contact that did not happen is falsification. An RBT found substantially noncompliant faces termination of certification (or of eligibility to recertify) and cannot reapply for six months.

Common mistakes

• Calculating 5% per year instead of per calendar month, or using 10%. The minimum is 5% of each month's service hours.
• Counting phone calls, emails or recorded video without real-time interaction as supervision contacts.
• Forgetting that at least one contact must be individual and one must include observation with a client.
• Splitting the 5% across employers. Each organization must meet the requirements on its own.
• Starting work right after passing the exam. Certification is inactive until a supervisor adds you in the BACB portal.

How it's tested

Expect numbers (5%, two contacts, 2 to 10 RBTs in a group, 7 years, 24 hours) and short calculations of minimum supervision hours. Scenario items test whether you know when an RBT may not practice: no supervisor on record, a supervisor for only some clients, or an inactive status. When requirements were missed, the right answer is honest reporting and fixing the plan going forward, never changing the records.

Related ethics code standards

• 1.03 Working in a defined role under supervision: RBTs provide services under their RBT certification only within a clearly defined role and only while receiving close, ongoing supervision. An RBT is not an independent practitioner; a qualified supervisor directs the work and is responsible for it.
• 1.04 Never the employer of your supervisor: An RBT can never be the employer of their own supervisor. The code makes one allowance: an RBT who is also a trainee, earning supervised fieldwork toward BCBA or BCaBA certification, may separately contract for that fieldwork supervision.
• 2.02 Following direction, accurate implementation and documentation: RBTs follow their supervisor's direction, carry out services accurately, and complete all required documentation accurately, including client data and billing records. In short, they do what the plan says, do it the way it was designed, and make sure every record matches what really happened.
• 3.01 Meeting BACB and supervision requirements: RBTs comply with all of the requirements of the BACB and their supervisor. That includes the supervision requirements, documentation of supervision, and audits.
• 3.04 Self-reporting to the BACB: RBTs know which events they must self-report to the BACB and to other required parties such as their employer or supervisor. They report to the BACB within 30 days of the event, or within 30 days of becoming aware of it.
• 3.06 Responding to BACB notices and required actions: If an RBT is named in a Notice of Alleged Violation or receives a required action from the BACB, they share the document with their supervisor immediately. They then work with the supervisor to respond to any correspondence and meet all BACB requirements.
• 3.07 BACB account and certification status: RBTs check their BACB account regularly, for example monthly, to make sure their personal information is accurate. Within 24 hours of learning that their certification status has changed, for example to inactive, expired, suspended or revoked, they tell their supervisor and then follow BACB requirements on practice, billing and use of the RBT title.