CPD and Revalidation
CPD
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a key element to achieving and maintaining chartered status. Chartered Scientists must demonstrate two years’ CPD activity prior to application. Having gained the award, Chartered Scientists must engage in ongoing CPD in order to remain on the register
The Science Council has agreed the following definition of CPD:
‘CPD is the means by which professionals maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and skills and develop the personal qualities required in their working lives’It is likely that all professional scientists are already undertaking CPD in their daily working lives. The CPD requirements for CSci are intended to encourage good CPD practice among Registrants, ensuring that they both plan their activity and reflect on the learning outcomes, and at the same time assuring their employers, the users of their service and the wider public of their current competence.
Revalidation
Revalidation is the process which all Chartered Scientists undergo in order to retain their CSci status. All Chartered Scientists must confirm that they remain professionally active and competent to perform their role, and be able to support this attestation with evidence of CPD activity.
In 2009, following consultation with Licensed Bodies and external organisations, the Science Council set out the future direction for Registrant Revalidation and published the full CSci CPD standards to be met from 2011.
For existing Registrants, interim arrangements will apply in 2009 and 2010 - click here for further information.
CSci CPD Standards
The full CPD standards set out the requirements that Registrants must meet to revalidate their award annually. The standards have been designed to reflect the breadth of disciplines and sectors in which Chartered Scientists practice.
Registrants must:
- Maintain a continuous, up-to-date and accurate record of their CPD activities;
- Demonstrate that their CPD activities are a mixture of learning activities relevant to current or future practice (see learning activities below);
- Seek to ensure that their CPD has benefited the quality of their practice;
- Seek to ensure that their CPD has benefited the users of their work (employee, customer, student etc);
- Present a written profile containing evidence of their CPD on request.
Learning activities
Registrants’ CPD should be a mixture of learning activities relevant to current or future practice and should include activities in at least three (exceptionally two) of the following categories:
- Work based learning (e.g. supervising staff / students, reflective practice)
- Professional activity (e.g. involvement in a professional body, mentoring)
- Formal / Educational (e.g. writing articles / papers, further education)
- Self-directed learning (e.g. reading journals, reviewing books / articles)
- Other (e.g. voluntary work, public service)
Please refer to the categories of learning activities document for descriptions of the five categories and examples of the types of learning activity that may constitute CPD.
CPD returns from Registrants will be monitored annually by Licensed Bodies and a sample population will be chosen at random for audit. More detailed instructions on the process will be issued directly by Licensed Bodies.
About the standards
The CSci CPD standards are based strongly on the Health Professions Council standards, but have been interpreted to reflect the wider landscape across which Chartered Scientists practice. The Science Council acknowledges the support and advice from the HPC in the development of these standards.
