Every March, the Health and Care Professions Council celebrates Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Week. This should be a helpful early reminder to log my own CPD but if I am honest, that isn't usually when I think most about my own learning and development.  

More often, it's a random afternoon when I'm halfway through a discussion with a colleague and I find myself thinking, ‘That would make a brilliant CPD reflection’. Or it's when I'm going home after a meeting, replaying a conversation in my head because somebody has challenged my thinking in such a way that it stays with me.

Despite recognising these valuable learning moments throughout the year, I used to leave much of my actual recording and documenting of CPD until autumn. Usually around Halloween, when the Social Work England re-registration deadline is fast approaching. 

I suspect I’m not alone. For many of us, CPD can sometimes feel like a task to evidence, rather than ongoing learning  that we are actively doing every day. However, over the last few years, I’ve made a conscious decision to change that. Instead of scrambling to remember my learning over the previous twelve months, I try to create space throughout the year to pause, reflect, and capture learning as it happens, while it is still fresh.

The principles of CPD and lifelong learning

Once you start looking for CPD opportunities, they are everywhere. The more I do it, the more convinced I become that CPD is one of the most important aspects of professional practice.

Victoria Harris, Head of Learning at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, highlighted this in her article, CPD is not just a ‘nice to have’, discussing the development of the principles for CPD and lifelong learning. These principles emphasise the importance of lifelong learning and professional development across the sector; a reminder that CPD is a fundamental to maintaining safe, effective and responsive professional practice. 

Similarly, Social Work England's CPD guidance encourages social workers to think broadly about professional development. I appreciate the recognition that CPD is more than attending training courses and conferences. Though they do have enormous value, they are only part of the bigger picture. Some of the most meaningful learning I've experienced has happened over a coffee with a colleague, during supervision, while facilitating training, or through a challenging discussion. 

CPD is about ongoing learning, reflection and understanding how that learning influences practice and benefits the people we support. That's important to remember because I sometimes think we can unintentionally narrow our understanding of what ‘counts’ as CPD.

Whether you are reading articles or practice guidance, listening to podcasts, reviewing research, facilitating workshops, participating in supervision, mentoring colleagues or having thoughtful conversations about practice. Taking time to reflect on all of these activities contributes to our growth as professionals.

I find that when recording CPD, asking yourself a set of questions helps with reflection. However, the question isn't always 'what training have I attended?' Perhaps the a more useful question is 'how has my thinking changed?'

And maybe the most important question: ‘what will I do differently because of what I've learned?’

We could also ask ourselves 'how will this learning improve my work with individuals, families and communities?' and 'what evidence will tell me that this learning has had a positive impact on people's experiences or outcomes?'

And perhaps the most reflective question of all: 'whose voice or perspective have I not yet considered?'

Finding CPD in everyday reflections

This summer provided a perfect example of how CPD can emerge from everyday professional activity. I was asked to review a draft anti-racism resource guide, during this I came across a Research in Practice briefing on working with Autistic parents. The timing could not have been better.

At the same time, I was involved in work supporting the development of an Autism strategy. Alongside this, I was participating in reflective discussions with a social worker and manager about how services could better support Autistic parents and their children. One conversation led to another and the resources made me think differently about how services are designed and delivered. The anti-racism guidance in the resource encouraged conversations about equity, inclusion and barriers that families may experience. 

During the sessions, we asked ourselves: