This page is designed to answer the following questions:
- 2.2i Explain why continuing professional development is important (Care Certificate, Standard 2: Your personal development)
- 4.3 Explain the importance of continuing professional development (Level 2 Diploma in Care, Personal development in care settings)
- 5.3 Explain why continuing professional development is important (Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care, Promote personal development in care settings)
NOTE: This page has been quality assured for 2023 as per our Quality Assurance policy.
There are several reasons that Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is important, including:
- Keeping up-to-date with industry changes
- Improving knowledge and understanding
- Improving skills
- Improving practice
- Improving outcomes for the individuals you support
- Developing confidence
- Creating career opportunities
- Modelling good practice
Continuing professional development is an essential part of your role as a health and social care worker because legislation, standards and best practices change regularly, so you need to remain up to date.
In addition, there are always ways that you can improve your own practice, and you should be reviewing and reflecting on your work regularly – even the best care workers acknowledge that there are things they could do better.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) means keeping a record of your learning and achievements – your organisation will have a copy of this record, and it is recommended that you also keep your own personal record as well as copies of any qualifications and certificates you have achieved in case you change employer. Your Personal Development Plan (PDP) will also be part of your CPD.
By keeping track of your learning, you will have a clear record of your development and progress towards your long-term goals. You should also regularly reflect on your practice and your development to gain insights into the progress you have made.
For those carers wishing to advance their careers in the care sector, it is important to align their learning and skills with the future needs of the company or care industry as a whole – career success can often be attributed to being in the right place, with the right skill set, at the right time. Learning skills that are likely to be in demand will create opportunities for career progression.