FAQs for CPD Submission and Form Completion

Continuing Professional Development Form Completion Guide

Please review the information in the CPD Form Completion FAQs for instruction on navigating your CPD form.

How do I enter my hours for CPD if I am currently enrolled in an MSW or other social work-related formalized education?

You should still document your learning goals and how your MSW activities relate to them. The CPD Manual allows degree-based coursework to count, but it must be properly recorded in your CPD log with the hours, categories, and a summary of how this learning ties into your practice as a Registered Social Worker. The requirement of a maximum of 15 hours per category of activity still applies. You also still need to ensure you meet the minimum hours for the required learning of ethical conduct and decision-making; cultural safety, cultural humility, and anti-discriminatory practice; and Indigenous-specific cultural and anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination learning.

*Disclaimer: Please ensure you read the CPD Information Guide and CPD Manual to help you in developing your goals and completing the CPD hours, and to ensure you meet the requirements of CPD for the Quality Assurance Program. These documents can be found on the website in the “For Registrants” section under “Continuing Professional Development.”*

Can the CPD form be updated throughout the CPD cycle? And can I submit my CPD form before the October 31st deadline?

Yes, you can update your CPD form at any time during the cycle and submit once you have completed your 40 hours anytime before the October 31st deadline. To save your CPD form without submitting, make sure you click the “Save for Later” button on the bottom right of the CPD form page and you can then come back to continue the form at another time.

I see there is a pop quiz included in Step 2 of the CPD submission. What does this entail?

There is now a pop quiz as part of the CPD submission that is included in the CPD form as part of “Step 2”. The pop quiz is a total of 5 questions that are based on the BCCSW Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice that all registrants must know, understand, and follow in their practice. The pop quiz will include a randomized set of 5 questions that each registrant must answer and score 100% on to submit their CPD form. It is an open-book pop quiz and may be taken as many times as you need to achieve the 100% pass rate needed to submit your CPD.

Where in the CPD form can I include the title and description of the activities I have engaged in?

Taking into account feedback from registrants, our technical support team has worked towards adding a text box in the Activity section in Step 1. This feature will be added shortly to allow registrants to enter the activity title and a brief description.

The goals and related activities you enter in Step 1 will automatically carry over to Step 2, where you will respond to additional questions about the learning gained and the impact of each activity.

What if I have a learning activity that does not fit into one of the outlined learning categories in the CPD Information Guide?

If you have or are planning on engaging in a learning activity that does not fit into one of the learning categories, you can classify this learning activity under the learning category ‘Other’. If you are unsure if a learning activity can be used, please reach out to the College at professional.practice@bccsw.ca

Am I able to submit hours for CPD if I take on a social work practicum student?

Yes, you can count the supervision of a social work practicum student under the ‘Work-Based’ learning category in your CPD form. Please keep in mind that you still can only count up to 15 hours maximum within each learning category. Refer to the CPD Information Guide for more details.

If I am Indigenous, do I still need to complete the 3 required hours for Indigenous-specific cultural learning and anti-Indigenous specific racism and discrimination learning?

Yes, every registrant will need to complete the hours for each of the continuing professional development required learning areas. The Indigenous-specific learning requirement can include learning activities from any of the categories of activity, and are determined by the Indigenous registrant for learning that is meaningful to them and their practice. For example, this could include activities such as participating in an Indigenous community of practice or council, attending an Indigenous-specific conference or workshop, supervising a social work practicum student, among others (see CPD Information Guide for more details). If you have any questions please reach out to Indigenousengagement@bccsw.ca

Myself and some SW colleagues attend a monthly Community of Practice Seminars where we workshop together, share resources, review ethics, etc. How might I enter a recurring activity? Or can I only list it once?

You can enter ‘Community of Practice’ under the “Professional Activity” CPD category. You can list this more than once but would need to add an additional activity (category, date, and hours) for each time the Community of Practice meets. Please keep in mind the maximum 15 hours per category limit when planning your CPD goals and related activity hours.

If we are audited, what kind of documentation is needed to prove that we completed a learning activity? For instance, sometimes I may only have a calendar event/invite and sometimes I do not actually have physical or digital documentation.

Acceptable documentation may include completion certificates, attendance records, formal record of the hours of learning completed from the employers learning portal, course materials, or detailed calendar entries. If you don’t have formal proof, keep a personal log with the date, title, description, and a reflection on what you learned. The Quality Assurance Committee may request specific information regarding your CPD submission if additional details are needed during the audit process.