NEW Continuous Professional Development system to support you

NEW for 2020, British Canoeing Awarding Body is pleased to introduce the NEW supportive points based CPD process. Aligned with our Educational Philosophy, CPD is individualised, allowing the Instructor, Coach and Leader to consider what areas they may need to develop.

The new process is simple, easy to upload and gives you the opportunity to recognise all of your learning and development, regardless of the source. During the recent period of restrictions, we recognise that many paddlers have engaged in many different ways for their learning and development online and these can now be recognised.

What is Continuous Professional Development?

Continuous Professional Development, CPD, is the process of maintaining and enhancing your knowledge, skills and ability after your initial training, so you can keep up to date and current with best practice.

Why is it important to keep your CPD up to date?

When instructing, coaching or leading, you are likely to look at your paddlers’ strengths and weaknesses, consider their aims and objectives and look at ways you can support their development. So why would we, as Instructors, Coaches, Leaders or Guides, not want to do the same for ourselves?

As part of your membership cover as an Instructor, Coach and Leader you have professional indemnity. To be entitled to have this extended cover, you need to ensure you engage in CPD, keeping you current and updated.

What counts as CPD?

British Canoeing Awarding Body’s formal qualifications and awards will count towards your CPD. When you take part in these formal courses your record will be updated automatically. Outside of these programmes, there are lots of informal opportunities that many of us will engage in without even realising it. Have you ever read an article, attended a webinar or observed someone coaching? Any these could be classed as CPD.

The great thing about CPD is that your development opportunities are directed and controlled by you. This means that you can pick the CPD that’s relevant and interesting to you, that’s delivered in a way that you find engaging and meaningful.

The NEW CPD process makes it really easy to recognise these informal CPD opportunities, as well as making it easy to submit this information on your membership record.

What’s changing?

Currently, we calculate CPD by time and certain formal development opportunities are recognised for 18 months’ or 3 years’ CPD.

From the 30th September 2020, we will calculate CPD by points. There will still be a requirement to update your CPD by a certain date and the formal and informal development opportunities that you choose will have a points value associated to them. In order for CPD to be updated, you need to have gained 20 points prior to your expiry date.

How do I get CPD points?

British Canoeing Awarding Body training courses and awards will automatically update your record with CPD points.

It will now be easier, simpler and more straightforward to use your learning and development towards your points, no matter where you undertake it.  You can now upload any informal learning, simply, through your membership record and we are recognising that there are lots of learning opportunities that can have an impact on your instructing, coaching or leading. You can gain points through informal development opportunities, such as being a mentor/having a mentor, work based annual practice/refresher training or being observed by a line manager/coach developer.

This new system supports you to choose the learning that is right and relevant to your development. We recognise that many coaches and leaders have spent time during lockdown participating in online webinars or community of practice events, reading books or listening to podcasts. These can all count towards your CPD points!

The following tables show the range of CPD and their point value.

Course Title

CPD Points

Personal Skills Development Courses

 

PPA Explore and Discipline Specific Award

10 points

Leadership Development Courses

 

Paddlesport Leader Award training or assessment

20 points

Leadership training or assessment (any discipline)

20 points

Advanced Leadership training or assessment (any discipline)

20 points

Raft Guide course (training)

20 points

Raft Guide (assessment)

10 points

Bell Boat Helm course (training or assessment)

10 points

Coach Education Courses and Endorsements

 

Paddlesport Instructor course (training and assessment)

20 points

Coach Award course (training or assessment)

20 points

Performance Coach (training or assessment)

20 points

Safety Training Courses

 

Paddlesport Safety and Rescue

10 points

Stadium Safety and Rescue training

5 points – submitted through application

White Water Safety and Rescue training

20 points

Advanced White Water Safety and Rescue training

20 points

Advance Surf Safety and Rescue training

20 points

Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning training

10 points

Open Water Navigation and Tidal Planning training

10 points

CPD courses

 

Foundation Module

5 points – submitted through application

Intermediate Module

10 points

Guide Module

10 points

British Canoeing Awarding Body Provider Training

 

Any Provider training or moderation

20 points

For the activities in the following table, you will need to upload the information on your membership record.

CPD Activity CPD Points Examples of evidence
Structured learning – face to face 15 points Certificate of completion, notes, learning outcomes
Structured learning – distance learning 15 points Certificate of completion, notes, learning outcomes
Accredited college / university level of education or training 15 points Certificate of completion, notes, learning outcomes
Mandatory training orientations / moderations / staff training 15 points Letter of completion, training records, certificate of completion
Learning events, workshops, conferences, etc. 15 points Certificate of attendance, notes, learning outcomes
Reading and reviewing publications 10 points Copies of reading and reflection notes linked to practice-based outcomes
Enquiry based research 10 points Copies of reading and reflection notes linked to practice-based outcomes
Peer review activities   10 points Evidence of peer review including notes, observations and outcomes
Coaching and mentoring (role in ether delivery or being a recipient) 10 points Evidence based coaching/mentoring undertaken including letters, notes, observations and practice related outcomes
Structured professional observation Shadowing 10 points Evidence of observation, reflective practice and practice related outcomes
Supervised practice   10 points Evidence of participation, observations and outcomes
Group work or meetings outside of everyday coaching practice 10 points Evidence of participation, role within the session, notes, observations and outcomes
Coaching observations to different environments 10 points Evidence of participation, reflective notes and practice outcomes
Paddle UK eLearning   5 points Attendance certificate, reflective notes and practice outcomes

Why do Leaders now have to keep their CPD up to date?

We know that Leaders already recognise the importance of keeping up to date with best practice, supporting their own learning and development, in order to support those that they lead. We are pleased to formalise this process, enabling Leaders to get recognition for taking the time to undertake development opportunities.

How does this fit into the Update Scheme?

The Update Scheme follows similar principles. You will meet the Update Scheme requirements if the following are up to date:

  • Full National Association membership
  • First Aid
  • Safeguarding (from the 30th September 2020, there is a requirement for you have appropriate safeguarding on record that is dated within the last 3 years, with a commitment to update this every 3 years)
  • CPD
  • Follow the Code of Conduct

Watch the CPD explanation and demonstration video here

Over the next few months we will be providing you with further guidance on how you can consider your individualised development, as well as how to check your current points and how to upload new learning and development episodes.