We're getting set for mandatory CPD

Four easy steps to CPD Step 1 Join the CPD scheme by completing a registration form, selecting your CPD year and level of participation Step 2 Maintain CPD documents throughout your CPD year Step 3 Confirm participation in the scheme at the end of your CPD year by completing a statement of declaration Step 4 If selected, share CPD documentation with a CPD assessor Documents - all forms are available to download from the website at www.cipfa.org.uk/cpd You may also complete the registration form and statement of declaration online at www.cipfa.org.uk/members

At the 2003 annual general meeting, CIPFA members voted in favour of mandatory participation in the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme.

The background to this decision includes the need for CIPFA to uphold the public interest and its own values and reputation, and the evolving environment of regulation.

All these pressures have been brought into sharper focus by the various corporate crises that have occurred over the past couple of years, in particular in the United States, and their impact on confidence in the accountancy profession.

CIPFA Council believes that the Institute and the public interest is best served by a CPD scheme that is mandatory for all working members.

This is one very practical way in which CIPFA members can show their commitment to providing the highest levels of service.

A new, improved CPD scheme was introduced in September 2003. It drew extensively on member feedback and national and international research concerning best practice.

Mandatory participation will be implemented over a three-year period and will be based upon the individual's date of election to the Institute. (The timetable is right.)

CPD scheme requirements

The improved CPD scheme has two levels of participation.

Level 1 is the minimum requirement and is based on recording development only while Level 2, the best practice level, focuses on planning, recording and reflecting on your development.

Both levels require a portfolio of evidence to verify, where possible, that activities have been undertaken. Members participating at Level 2 will be recognised in the Directory of Members, which is available to view on the CIPFA website via the secure membership area.

Participants will be required to undertake 120 hours of activities over a three-year period, with a minimum of 20 verifiable hours in any one year. Members can, in special circumstances, request a reduction in the number of hours.

The particular type of knowledge and skills you include in your CPD will be decided by you and will be relevant to the job you're doing now and/or hope to do in the future.

You might find it helpful to link your development to CIPFA's statement of expertise. This describes the areas of expertise a member should have developed a few years after qualification.

The activities you decide to undertake to enable you to develop the knowledge and skills you have identified will be a mixture of structured and unstructured activities.

Once you are registered in the scheme, you will be asked to confirm your participation on an annual basis by completing the statement of declaration.

In addition, a number of members will be randomly selected to share their documents with a CPD assessor. This would involve a meeting in the members' workplaces, with the aim of helping them to get real value from the scheme.

All working members are expected to participate in the scheme. Retired members who are working in a voluntary or paid capacity might also be asked to undertake a proportion of the CPD requirements. Individual guidance can be sought from the CPD Section.

Members on a career break may be exempt from participation; again, advice can be sought from the CPD Section.

Support services

CIPFA is keen to support its members in completing their CPD. The CPD Section already offers a range of help to enable you to participate in the scheme.

CIPFA is also committed to developing new support services.

Employer accreditation

An increasing number of employers, particularly those with Investors in People accreditation, have their own employee development schemes.

These are usually based on planning, recording and evaluating development. If you are participating in such a scheme it could be accredited for CPD purposes.

This means that if you are asked to provide your CPD paperwork, the documents from your employer's scheme will be accepted instead of CIPFA's.

In order to benefit from this arrangement, you still need to register your participation in the scheme and annually confirm your participation by completing your statement of declaration.

If you would like your employer's work-based scheme to be accredited, please send its details to the CPD Section for assessment.

CPD presentation

A CPD presentation has been identified as one of the most successful ways of helping members and students to register their participation in CIPFA's CPD scheme.

The presentations provides participants with the opportunity to:

• Register with the scheme
• Be brought up to date on the progress of CPD within CIPFA and beyond
• Ask questions about the scheme
• Find out more about the learning and development documents and portfolio of evidence.

If you would like us to arrange a presentation, please contact the CPD section, details below.

CIPFA Learning Centre

CIPFA is creating a dedicated web resource - the CIPFA Learning Centre (CLC). It will provide a range of technical, management and CPD resources that will enable you to plan your development and record your activities online:

• CPD Know-how
  Practical planning advice, diagnostic instruments, eg, 'Learning Style' tools - a mechanism to record and store CPD paperwork online, as well as examples of completed documents

• Management Know-how
  A range of management materials to support members in developing their personal skills, eg, communication, presentation, staff management, etc

• CIPFA Know-how
  Technical resources relevant to a range of sectors, eg, health, local government, central government, private sector, charities, self-employed.

A temporary site will be available from January 2005 until the CLC comes on stream in June.

We would like to know what your development priorities are so these can be included in the Centre, particularly how they link to the statement of expertise.

This statement outlines the areas that mark out CIPFA members as key and highly influential players. Of course, some CIPFA members occupy specialised positions that do not require all of the contributions listed. Eight areas of expertise are covered - one, strategic and operational financial management, is given in detail in the box on the right.

The statement of expertise is available online at www.cipfa.org.uk/members/expertise.cfm.

We would also like to understand how much you use the Internet and if we need to help you in its use. We are therefore asking members to complete an online survey, which you can find at www.cipfa.org.uk/cpd.

It should not take more than about ten minutes to complete.

If you do not have access to the website but would like to complete the survey, please contact the CPD Section, who will be happy to send you a paper version.

You are also invited to join other members in testing the CLC before it goes live in June by including your contact details when you complete the survey.

Contact details

For further information about any aspect of the scheme, please contact the CPD Section on 020 7543 5668/5706, or by e-mail at cpd@cipfa.org

Spreadsheet Home | Past Issues | Contribute | Contacts | Return to Membership