Continuing professional development (CPD)
At the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), professionalism is at the heart of everything we do. We exist to support housing professionals to create a future in which everyone has a place to call home.
Professionalism in a housing context goes beyond the need for a qualification and includes the commitment to continuing professional development (CPD), the need to display the right behaviours, attitudes and empathy, and to operate within an ethical framework.
If you’re a member of CIH, commitment to professionalism is a fundamental part of your membership. This is why you not only sign up to a robust code of conduct and code of ethics when you join CIH, but also have access to our well-regarded professional standards, plus a wealth of key benefits to help you enhance your knowledge and skills.
What is continuing professional development (CPD)?
CPD is an ongoing, purposeful and planned learning and development process that helps you further develop as a modern housing professional. At CIH it is defined as a set of learning activities undertaken to maintain and enhance your competence and conduct meeting professional standards: the knowledge, skills and behaviours in your professional life to support your personal and professional growth for a positive societal impact.
Our commitment is to provide you with a dynamic offer of resources, tools and opportunities for you to manage your learning, embed CPD in your professional practice, keep up to date with the ever-changing, political, economic, social and technological landscape and invest in yourself.
What are the benefits of CPD?
CPD will not only help you develop yourself in your professional journey but will contribute to the professionalism of your organisation, the wider sector and the community:
- You can map your own career path and invest in yourself
- Your CPD activities will assist you in recognising all the work you do in your current role as part of your professional development and address any gaps in your skills, knowledge, or behaviours
- You will improve performance in your current role and prepare for your future career aspirations
- You can foster your career progression to stay competitive and relevant in the sector
- Your CPD activities help you develop as a successful and adaptive learner
- Your CPD activities assist you in learning about yourself by self-reflecting on you, your practice and your profession.
- You significantly contribute to the professionalism of your organisation
- Your customers can be confident that they are supported by an ethical and trustworthy professional
- The CPD activities you undertake will be effective, relevant, and impactful within your organisation.
- Professionalism is at the core of CIH’s mission, and you demonstrate your commitment to our membership and values, driving positive outcomes for everyone you work with, from colleagues to customers and the wider sector
- You are an essential part of a community of members who continuously update their skills, knowledge and behaviours and display ethical behaviour to proudly display our professional designations
- CPD provides you with the tools to make a positive impact in the community by ensuring the public’s care as a priority.
How do I get started?
Your CPD journey starts by reflecting on where you are now, identifying gaps in your knowledge, skills and professional behaviours to help you develop your practice.
Take some time to reflect honestly on your professional journey and think about your development needs.
Complete our self-assessment to identify what areas you need to improve and get a personalised report on your own professional profile.
Once you have completed the self-assessment and have identified the gaps in your development, you can get started in addressing those gaps and continue in your CPD journey.
After identifying the gaps in your knowledge, skills and professional behaviours, you are ready to embark on the CIH CPD learning cycle.
Step one: Plan
Your first step is to set your yearly professional development goal to address and improve any gaps in your knowledge, skills and professional behaviours. You will then be ready to design your own CPD plan and complete the CPD activities of your choice. The CIH exemplar career development framework below can help you choose from CIH’s dynamic offer of qualifications, training, professional standards, eLearning modules, events, membership upgrade and more. Remember, your professional development plan should be SMART:
S - Specific (CPD type and activity type)
M – Measurable (how I know I have achieved it)
A – Achievable (consider the time available and other pressures)
R – Relevant (to your role, area of work and seniority level)
T - Time-Bound (specific dates)
Step two: Action
Complete your chosen activities that with help you reach your yearly professional development goal. Record your activities as you completed in your CIH profile, and provide a reflection for each. For each of these, you are provided with boxes to record your reflection in your CPD log (What did you learn from this? How will you use this learning? Any further actions?). As a reflective practitioner, you are provided with the opportunity to reflect on your learning and how it has helped you become a better professional, tracking these.
Step three: Reflection
At the end of your CDP year, take time to self-reflect on your yearly plan, activities, achievements, and professional journey. Did you manage to achieve what you set out to do? Your reflective work will allow you to adjust the course of your professional journey, assess its efficiency and redesign a new yearly CPD goal to keep growing and excelling in your professional career.
How can I record my CPD, CPD plan and reflections on activities?
Log in to your CIH profile to record, view and reflect on your CPD, following these steps.
CIH exemplar career development framework
Find out how you can develop and progress in your career based on your current role and aspirations.
Develop and demonstrate knowledge and skills
Develop and demonstrate behaviours
- CIH professional standards self-assessment tool
- CIH professional standards e-learning modules: Integrity, Inclusive, Ethical, Knowledgeable, Skilled, Advocate, Leadership
- CIH code of conduct
- CIH code of ethics
Maintain and develop sector knowledge, expertise and develop network
- Events - ideas labs, consultation events, summits, housing festivals, conferences and exhibitions, annual dinners
- Knowledge hub; Policy news, updates reports, blogs and articles
- Mentoring platform - find a mentor/mentee
- Sector news, reporting and insight
Progress in CIH membership grade
Develop and demonstrate knowledge and skills
- Level 3 qualification
- Open access and bespoke training – new and developing areas
- Level 3 apprenticeship
Develop and demonstrate behaviours
- CIH professional standards self-assessment tool
- CIH professional standards e-learning modules: Integrity, Inclusive, Ethical, Knowledgeable, Skilled, Advocate, Leadership
- CIH code of conduct
- CIH code of ethics
Maintain and develop sector knowledge, expertise and develop network
- Events - ideas labs, consultation events, summits, housing festivals, conferences and exhibitions, annual dinners
- Knowledge hub; Policy news, updates reports, blogs and articles
- Mentoring platform - find a mentor/mentee
- Sector news, reporting and insight
Progress in CIH membership grade
Develop and demonstrate knowledge and skills
- Level 4 qualification
- Open access and bespoke training – new and developing areas
- Level 4 apprenticeship
Develop and demonstrate behaviours
- CIH professional standards self-assessment tool
- CIH professional standards e-learning modules: Integrity, Inclusive, Ethical, Knowledgeable, Skilled, Advocate, Leadership
- CIH code of conduct
- CIH code of ethics
Maintain and develop sector knowledge, expertise and develop network
- Events - ideas labs, consultation events, summits, housing festivals, conferences and exhibitions, annual dinners
- Knowledge hub; Policy news, updates reports, blogs and articles
- Mentoring platform - find a mentor/mentee
- Sector news, reporting and insight
Progress in CIH membership grade
Develop and demonstrate knowledge and skills
- Level 5 qualification
- Experienced routes to charter
- Open access and bespoke training – new and developing areas
Develop and demonstrate behaviours
- CIH professional standards self-assessment tool
- CIH professional standards e-learning modules: Integrity, Inclusive, Ethical, Knowledgeable, Skilled, Advocate, Leadership
- CIH code of conduct
- CIH code of ethics
Maintain and develop sector knowledge, expertise and develop network
- Events - ideas labs, consultation events, summits, housing festivals, conferences and exhibitions, annual dinners
- Knowledge hub; Policy news, updates reports, blogs and articles
- Mentoring platform - find a mentor/mentee
- Sector news, reporting and insight
Progress in CIH membership grade
Develop and demonstrate knowledge and skills
Develop and demonstrate behaviours
- CIH professional standards self-assessment tool
- CIH professional standards e-learning modules: Integrity, Inclusive, Ethical, Knowledgeable, Skilled, Advocate, Leadership
- CIH code of conduct
- CIH code of ethics
Maintain and develop sector knowledge, expertise and develop network
- Events - ideas labs, consultation events, summits, housing festivals, conferences and exhibitions, annual dinners
- Knowledge hub; Policy news, updates reports, blogs and articles
- Mentoring platform - find a mentor/mentee
- Sector news, reporting and insight
Progress in CIH membership grade
Start your CPD journey
Ensure you have the theoretical knowledge, essential skills, and learning to perform at the highest level in your day job.
Build on and improve your current knowledge, skills and behaviour to progress in your career with professionalism at its core.
Reflect on your professional development needs and how you can contribute to the professionalism of your organisation and the wider sector.
Developed to support and explore each of the professional standards, with a wide variety of scenarios, case studies and interactive activities.
Integrate these principles into every aspect of your professional behaviour and professional decision making.
Find support with policy knowledge and influence key decision-makers on policy implementation.
Participate in our events that cover various topics, ranging from practical housing management, high-level policy.
Provides both mentors and mentees the tools to make impactful connections for professional growth.
Discover our blogs, articles, publications, podcasts and recordings for a comprehensive series of housing topics.
Information on the latest housing issues, in-depth case studies and insights into what you need to know to deliver excellent housing services.
Aimed at housing practitioners operating at director or senior management level.
Aimed at experienced housing professionals with the knowledge required to lead people and manage change.
An honoured class of membership recognising highly experienced professionals who have made a significant contribution to the housing profession.
Find out more about the professional standards
