Continuous Professional Development

One of the main objectives of PTUK is to ensure the protection of the public and the children in particular, from unsafe and ineffective practice. One of the ways of achieving this is through CPD. A main principle of PTUK is to encourage and support Life Long learning.

PTUK Constitution Standing Orders para12.6 requires that Registrants will have attained a standard of training, competence and experience in the therapies as defined by the Board of Directors. They are required to maintain their ability to perform competently by undertaking further continuous professional development (CPD) activities.

The PTUK Ethical Framework, requires under the Beneficence principle that practitioners “…. commit to updating practice by continuing professional development.”

Continuous Professional Development is regarded as essential for good quality practice by certified and accredited PTUK Practitioner Members. The requirement is to undertake at least 30 hours of allowable activities each year to retain membership. Planning for CPD and play therapy training should be based upon PTUK’s competency framework.

Gaining a professional qualification is not the final aim but rather just one stage in the process of lifelong learning. PTUK Members need to consolidate, change and develop in order to remain competent to practice, perhaps in a number of roles, in an evolving profession. Qualifications awarded for life, can soon become outdated, witness the impact of advances in neurobiology on therapeutic play.

CPD must be more than just passive learning activities or attendance at events – just to fulfill the membership requirement. It should occur in various contexts and through a wide-range of activities; it can be achieved through creating knowledge and disseminating it as well as receiving it and does not have to be done through structured or formal training.

Registrants need to be able to take full responsibility for the effectiveness and development of their own practice. PTUK’s CPD policies need to be comprehensive and flexible to reflect the diversity of practice and environments in which they work.

CPD needs to be based on active analysis and reflection upon practice in a way that allows the individual to specify what needs to be done to effect improvements. An individual’s CPD plan should be informed by their own clinical audit. CPD is about moving from passive experience to active attempts to learn and go forward from that experience.

CPD must be something that is capable of being accounted for and in some way verified, in order to demonstrate that it has taken place with some impact on future practice. Registrants need to be able to describe what happened and specify at least some of what has been learned in a way that another informed individual can understand. For CPD to be effective a balance of work based, self directed study and community activities are needed.

CPD must occur within a learning cycle where the individual is in charge of their learning and can set development objectives relevant to their own needs, based on their current situation and identified goals, through a think, plan, do, review process. Only when this has been done can they identify the training courses or other activities that they need.

If you would like further details about a programme please call us on 01825 761143 or email us at contact@apac.org.uk

Each CPD course will give different CPD points – please check the course you are interested in for further information

Each CPD course will have its own fee associated to the course – please check the course you are interested in to find more information