Recognised Professional Union

Belgian society of osteopathy : A Recognised Professional Union

Preliminaries

The SBO-BVO « Société Belge d'Ostéopathie - Union Professionnelle des Ostéopathes de Belgique » (Belgian society of osteopaths - Professional Union of Belgian osteopaths), recognised by the Highest Administrative Court of Justice in Belgium (Conseil d'Etat) in the Belgian Official Journal (Moniteur Belge) on 2 February 1994, is representative of osteopathy in Belgium.

The SBO-BVO only recognises the schools which meet the educational criteria established by the Belgian academy of osteopathy (Académie d'Ostéopathie de Belgique).

Only the osteopaths who have graduated in these schools (or their equivalent) are accepted.

They have the right to the title of "ostéopathe, DO" (Osteopath, DO).

The title is protected by legal registration.

Moreover, the osteopaths DO, members of the SBO-BVO, commit themselves to respect its Code of Ethics. They are protected by a collective policy covering Civil Liability, Legal Defence and by a Therapeutic Contingency cover.

These conditions offer the public the guarantee of an adequate practice; they also enable osteopaths DO members of the SBO-BVO to ensure security and cares of high quality to their patients.

All osteopaths DO, members of the SBO-BVO are listed in the different volumes of the Yellow Pages, under the heading "Ostéopathes", in the insert GNRPO.

An on-call service is organised during the week-ends and public holidays, under a call number mentioned in the Yellow Pages of Truvo informing on on-duty osteopaths located in the closest area of the caller (see on-call service).

In April 2004, the decree of the Minister of Education Françoise Dupuis about the re-organisation of Higher Education was adopted according to the Bologna process.

Osteopathy is now taught in a Complementary Master (course of specific studies). The curriculum of osteopathy will thus be taught on a six-year period. The cooperation of the Faculty of Medicine has been asked, for it is the only possible intermediary for first-rate professionals to receive a training of high level.

The course is currently organised at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) (university of the French Community of Brussels).

Objectives

The aim of the Union is to study, defend and develop the professional interests of its members, and more particularly:

	To defend the common interests of osteopaths in the practice of their profession, to ensure their representation and the respect of the profession. To observe the criteria of competence gained through valid training and to make sure that these criteria are respected as defined by the Académie d'Ostéopathie de Belgique asbl. To promote the study and the official recognition of osteopathy and to establish a status for osteopaths. To represent its members with the political, administrative or university authorities in the fields relevant to the interests of the profession. To act as the legal defense of its full members and aspirant members provided they complied with the professional ethics and deontology. To contribute to the development of an effective solidarity and professional ethics among the members of the Union and with the other Professional Unions, grouped in the GNRPO. Generally speaking, to be involved in everything concerning osteopathy.

Information and Advice

Since its foundation in 1975, the SBO-BVO has done everything possible to give osteopathy the place it deserves in our society and in so doing to offer professionals the necessary serenity to practice their profession.

The unique purpose of SBO-BVO is the defense, the recognition and the promotion of osteopathy, a profession in its own right with a high degree of responsibility and with specific competences.

This is why SBO-BVO promotes the schools which comply with the educational criteria given by the Belgian academy of osteopathy. These criteria are controlled every year by a specific Commission to guarantee that the different requirements are met.

Member

The SBO-BVO gathers different categories of members.
Full Members DO, members of the SBO-BVO: fully-qualified osteopaths in their own right in their professional approach.
Graduated Aspirant Members: they obtained the DO but are still in a period of transition between their former profession and the practice of osteopathy.
Trainee Aspirant Members: students of a recognised school; they lose this title once they receive the DO.
Supporting Members: the honorary members and members of honour.