CPC CPD (Continued Professional Development) Policy
1. Definition(s): Child Psychotherapists are specifically trained to work with the clients age 0-18. Child Psychotherapy Council takes into account neuroscience and contemporary theories of development and recognises that young people aged 18 -25 are still not adults and should be regarded as Young People or Young Adults and could be part of Child Psychotherapist’s clinical practice.
2. Background:
i) Members of CPC have a responsibility to continue learning and developing their practice throughout their professional career.
ii) This document must be read in conjunction with the CPC Code of Ethics.
3. Purpose:
The CPD policy outlines the minimum requirements of all professional activities that CPC accredited members must undertake to evidence their commitment to continued professional development.
4. Guidelines:
i. CPC requires members to undertake a minimum of 150 CPD hours over 3 years with a minimum of 25 hours in each year.
ii. The record of CPD must be submitted on the relevant CPD Report form (see Appendix), at annual re-registration.
iii. CPC considers CPD to be any learning experience that deepens understanding, teaches new skills, or broadens insight into child psychotherapeutic practice.
iv. Members are expected to consider areas inwhich they wish to deepen their understanding and practice within the field of Child Psychotherapy, and find courses, lectures, conferences or other materials to meet these needs.
v. Personal development is a central tenet of being a Child Psychotherapist and is encouraged. Attendance of ongoing individual therapy, however, is not considered CPD.
vi. Clinical Supervision can not be counted as CPD.
Additional expectations
i. CPC accredited members are expected to be in regular clinical practice, except in the circumstances when members have taken career breaks or sabbatical (see the CPC Sabbatical policy).
ii. CPC accredited members must be working with an average of four clients a week or more, with a minimum of three under the age of 18.
iii. Client contact hours may include individual sessional work with children, reflective parenting work with parents or carers (either individually or in groups) and group work with children.
Triennial Review
i. After three years of practice, accredited members must meet with another Child Psychotherapist (Triennial Reviewer) to consider the following:
a) Accredited member’s professional development needs.
b) The plan to meet these needs.
c) Consideration of therapist’s wellbeing and resilience, with particular thought given to the impact of compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma and self-care.
ii. A Triennial Reviewer Report must be completed, signed by the Trennial Reviewer, and submitted along with the Annual Review Report form (see Appendix).
Sexennial Review
i. After six years of practice, accredited members must meet and present their CPD records to a peer group, with a minimum of two other qualified Child Psychotherapists, at least one of whom is not known to the presenting member.
ii. In the meeting, members must discuss their clinical practice and CPD activites over the previous six years and their future professional plans. Members are expected to share how they have developed and integrated their practice.
iii. Where members are struggling in their professional development, the group will offer support to help the individual to address the issues.
iv. The Sexennial Reviewer will produce the Sexennial Peer Reviewer Report which will be shared with the member and forwarded to the CPC Accrediting Committee for approval. CPC will either approve the report or make recommendations for further CPD, should any concerns have been highlighted in the process. It is hoped that the the group will be a lively, supportive forum for members to share their achievements and challenges; a place they can learn from each other and enrich their professional development.
v. It is possible for more than one member to be reviewed as part of the sexennial group.
Appendixes:
· CPC Annual Accreditation Report
· CPC Triennial Report
· CPC Triennial Peer Reviewer Report
· CPC Sexennial Report
· CPC Sexennial Peer Reviewer Report
