“There is little regulation of the services that are funded by the state – no mandatory counselling qualifications are required of the groups who provide services, and there is no independent complaints procedure in respect of these groups or the groups who are not funded and advertise services.”

This IS the real problem – not just ALL crisis pregnancy counselling agencies are fundamentally unregulated, but that ALL counselling agencies are fundamentally unregulated.
I was horrified last year to be handed a “business card” from a transgendered lady who was describing herself as a “Consultant on Gender Identity issues” despite having no qualification aside from a brief course in group facilitation. I would say that this individual is every bit as dangerous to vulnerable people as a rogue counselling agency is to a pregnant woman who isn’t sure what she is going to do. But the problem right now remains that “life coaches”, “counsellors”, even many kinds of holistic counsellors, can print a business card, slap a plaque on their door and operate as “experts” without any regulation.

Some countries such as Luxembourg demand minimum qualifications, experience and membership of a professional organisation for anybody to provide any kind of counselling or advice. I think this badly needs not only adoption here, but to be extended to groups that freely dole out advice. Nobody should be allowed to act as an “expert” on anything just on their own ego, beliefs and life experience without serious scrutiny.

I agree, the puppet on a string campaign is crazy. Frankly, it’s looks to me like Rothco have CPA on a string!