Continuing Professional Development in Social Care

CPD in social care > Glossary

Activism	The policy of decisive action.
Appraisal	Authoritive valuation; estimate of worth.
Audit document	Document to keep track of progress.
Audit visits	Visits for the purpose of checking.
Auditory	Perceived by hearing.

Career progression	Route taken during working life.
Certificates	Formal proof or recognition of training/qualifications.
Commission for Care Inspection	Care inspection service.
Competence	Level of ability; sufficiency.
Competent workforce	Workforce who can perform to the required standard.
CPD	Continuing Professional Development.
Critical incident analysis	The process of reflecting on real workplace incidents that provide opportunities for learning/development recording what took place and how it has informed your practice.
Current competence	Current ability and standard of work.
CV	Curriculum Vitae.

Employability	The ability to find and remain in employment.
Everyday events	Regular occurrences during the normal working day.
Evidence record	Records to demonstrate current ability.

Formal learning	Structured learning such as attending a college course, workplace learning programmes or instruction by a colleague.
Formal record	Recognised (legal).

Industry requirements	Standards and methods required by industry.
Informal learning	This is the unstructured learning that occurs during the working day and in our non-working hours.

Job shadowing	Learning by observing a different role.

Key characteristics	Main features.
Key roles	Main activities of job.
Kinaesthetic	Relating to movement, touch.

Learning styles	Preferred ways of learning.
Learning types	Prerferred learning method.
Legislative requirements	Legal requirements linked to the industry.

National Minimum Standards	Legal requirements of performance in the care sector.
National Occupational Standards	National agreed level for performing activities within the area of work.
NVQ	National Vocational Qualification.

PDP	Personal Development Plan.
Portfolio	File of evidence to prove competence.
Pragmatism	Practical consequences rather than theory.

Reflect	Review experience.
Reflection	The process of thinking about potential learning events. Reflection is required if a person is to learn from their experiences.
Reflective practice	By reflecting on feelings, analysing and evaluating experiences, and developing an action plan, a new understanding can be achieved.
RMA	Registered Manager’s Award.

Structured training	Logical and sequential order for development.
SWOT	Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Theorism	Models and theory supporting practice.
Timescales	Period of time for event.
Transferable skills	Skills that can be used in more than one role.

Working practices	Ways of working.