Reference Ratings for Endorsement®

Reference ratings for Endorsement® are critically important. They are our primary source for documenting an applicant's skills in the domains of Reflection, Working with Others and Thinking. Reference rating forms are filled out electronically via EASy. An Endorsement® applicant enters the name and email address of the rater and then the EASy system emails the rater a secure link for completing the form.

Reviewing the questions from the reference rating form is recommended both for applicants and raters. The questions can be used in a supervision session to mutually assess the applicant's professional progress.

Tips for Applicants:

• If the reference is your supervisor (program and/or reflective), consider looking over the questions together in supervision and requesting feedback
• Ask your reference provider if they would be willing to complete a form (electronically) for you
• Be sure each reference is familiar enough with your work, knowledge, and skills to provide ratings (if rater scores "I do not have enough information to rate/comment" 6 or more times, the reference cannot be counted)
• You must decide whether or not to sign a waiver for each reference. If you sign it, you waive your right to access the content of the form. Some raters will not complete a reference unless the waiver is signed to ensure the rater's scores and remarks will remain confidential

Tips for Raters:

• Have you known the applicant for at least a year?
• If applicant is part of a reflective supervision/consultation (RSC) group that you facilitate, have you heard enough from this applicant to feel that you know his/her skills well enough to rate them? (We cannot count ratings with 6 or more "I do not have enough information to rate/comment" scores)
• Is the applicant providing direct service to families of infants/toddlers (0-36 months)?
• If it is a IMHM-Clinical applicant, are you familiar with his/her skills as a provider of RSC (and not only as a practitioner)?
• Consider reviewing the reference rating questions (see above) with the applicant periodically to help track your assessment of his or her progress over time
• If you have reservations, have you shared them directly with the applicant?
• Are you aware of whether or not the applicant has signed the waiver? If not signed, the applicant has the right to know the content of your rating
• If you have reservations, consider either declining the request to provide a reference or indicating that you do not recommend. We occasionally see very low scores, but with an overall recommendation to endorse, which can be confusing for reviewers and applicants