Continuing professional development (CPD)

When you register with us, you agree to comply with the Codes of Professional Practice, which includes maintaining and developing your knowledge and skills.

You should keep a record of your CPD and discuss it regularly with your manager to ensure it helps improve your delivery of care and support. You don't need to send it to us unless you're chosen as part of a sample to check. We'll give you plenty of time to send us what we need.

Your CPD should:

• improve your ability to provide high quality services
• benefit your personal or career development needs
• be relevant to your current job
• help you keep up-to-date with changes in legislation, policy, research and practice
• include any mandatory training or continuing professional education and learning
• make the most of the learning opportunities available to you to form part of your wider professional development.

Here are some examples:

• completing a relevant qualification or accredited course
• newly-qualified social workers can use the hours from completing their consolidation programme
• attending in-house training, workshops, seminars or conferences, and summarising how this has contributed to your professional development
• completing an e-learning module relevant to your practice
• attending a professional forum or networking group and summarising how this has contributed to your professional development
• shadowing a colleague in a related team, service or profession
• carrying out research or structured reading that’s related to your practice and summarising how this has contributed to your professional development
• giving a presentation or leading a discussion on a new topic you have researched and summarising how this has contributed to your professional development
• completing a secondment in a relevant area of new or related work
• volunteering to work in a new service
• taking on new or different responsibilities and summarising how this has contributed to your professional development.

You should aim for a range and balance of different learning activities.

We may ask to sample your CPD records.

If we ask for this information, we’ll give you plenty of time to send us what we need.

You’re responsible for maintaining your CPD, and your employer has to make sure you’re supported to do that.

This is the same whether you work full-time or part-time, or if you work for an agency.

Your employer has to:

• give you opportunities to access, discuss, reflect on and share best practice in the workplace
• make sure you have induction, training and learning opportunities that support you
• make time for you to be supervised and appraised
• give you helpful feedback about your performance and development.

Your CPD should be in line with the Codes of Professional Practice, relevant to your registered role, and the aims and objectives of your employer and service.

It’s important you discuss and plan with your employer how you’ll ensure your CPD helps improve your delivery of care and support.

You need to complete and keep a record of your CPD if you’re self-employed.

If you’re not sure who can verify your CPD, take a look at the verifying guidance.

Do I still need to complete Continuing Professional Development (CPD)?

Yes. If you're on the Register, you must still keep your training and learning up to date. Registered people (except social work students) must keep records of your CPD and regularly discuss it with your manager to ensure it helps improve your delivery of care and support. We may check a sample of records.

How do Social Care Wales know whether I’ve done my CPD?

When you renew your registration, you must confirm that you’ve completed CPD and that your training and learning is up to date and in line with the standards set out in the Codes of Professional Practice. If your renewal application is endorsed, we’ll ask your employer to confirm that your training and learning is up to date, and meets the standards set by the Code of Professional Practice. We may check a sample of records.

Why have you removed the hours target for CPD?

The previous CPD process had been in place and remained broadly the same since the Register opened in 2001. In 2019, we undertook a comprehensive consultation which included proposals to move to an ‘outcomes approach’ to CPD. The proposals were strongly supported in the responses. We paused the work to implement these changes during Covid, but we’re now continuing following an external review. This approach is also consistent with other UK health and social care regulators in the UK.

What is a sample?

While most people won't need to send us any evidence of their training and learning, we may ask some registered people to send us their CPD training record. If we ask you for this information, we’ll give you plenty of time to send us what we need.

What does this mean for employers?

Employers are still expected to support their workers to maintain their training and learning in line with the Codes of Professional Practice. Employers will need to confirm this has been done at endorsement.

Can I still use SCWonline to keep a record of my CPD?

Yes. You can still use your SCWonline account to log your training and learning, but you won’t need to do it as part of your renewal application.

We’ll only check or request further information about your training and learning if you’re selected as part of a sample.