Choosing Appropriate CPD

Choosing Appropriate CPD 

As an Instructor, Coach, Leader or Guide you will recognise the importance of keeping up to date. This can involve maintaining or updating your knowledge and skills to reflect current best practice in paddlesport. It can also involve ensuring you have the personal skills and fitness levels to be able to coach, lead, guide or instruct in your chosen discipline/ environment.

Our update scheme supports, recognises and makes it easy for you to provide evidence that you are keeping yourself up to date, which is great for:

• For your own peace of mind
• To provide evidence to an employer or deployer
• Meet our requirements when you run British Canoeing Training, awards and qualifications.

Keeping your records up to date gives you the following benefits:

• Validity of qualifications maintained
• Recognition of your currency to demonstrate to deployer
• Liability insurance for your coaching / leading
• Ability to deliver British Canoeing Awards and Qualifications. (subject to meeting other relevant criteria)
• Allows you to apply to become a coach and/ or leader developer. (other criteria apply)
• Allows you to confidently support and mentor other coaches and leaders.

If your up to date you will be able to evidence the following 5 key areas

1.Work to the British Canoeing code of conduct for coaching workforce

We acknowledge and appreciate the contribution made by coaches throughout our sport and the crucial role they play in the continued development of paddlesport and in the lives of the individuals they coach.

Good coaches ensure participants in paddlesport have positive experiences and are therefore more likely to continue in the sport and achieve their potential.

Coaches should therefore ensure they demonstrate a high degree of honesty, integrity and competence at all levels. We want our coaches to understand their responsibilities whilst maintaining the key concept that participation is for fun and enjoyment as well as achievement.

See the full code of conduct here

2.Maintain National Association Membership at the appropriate level

Maintaining ‘On the Water’ membership is a core aspect of the Update Scheme. Holding such membership provides civil liability insurance as well as a range of other benefits.

Check your membership status here:

3.Safeguarding Training

Undertaking appropriate training to ensure you are up to date with best practice and to undertake additional training if your normal working environment changes.

If you would like support in choosing appropriate Safeguarding Training you can read our article here:

Check your Safeguarding Expiry date here

4.First Aid Training

British Canoeing believes that First Aid is an essential skill for all.

If you would like support in choosing appropriate First Aid Training you can read our article here:

Check your First Aid Expiry date here

5.Continuous Professional Development

British Canoeing considers it best practice for coaches to pursue regular development of their knowledge, skills and understanding.

From the date of gaining a coaching or leadership qualification you commit to ensure appropriate CPD is undertaken to suit your development needs and to provide evidence of that completion, holding 20 valid CPD points at any time.

Check your CPD Expiry date here (you will need your membership number and email address)

Meeting your commitment to Professional Development

We recommend that you plan your development and that you may want to consider seeking support from a more experienced Instructor, Coach, Leader or Guide to help you formulate your development plan.

You might want to consider having a more formal relationship with a Mentor or a Coach Developer to support your development

For you to meet your commitment to the Update scheme you are asked to provide evidence of development totalling at least 20 CPD points within each 3-year period.

However you are likely to achieve many more and we would encourage you to see this as a minimum requirement and not a target.

Meeting your commitment to Professional Development

For you to meet your commitment to the Update scheme you are asked to provide evidence of development totalling at least 20 CPD points within each 3-year period, however you may achieve many more and we would encourage you to see this as a minimum requirement and not a target.

CPD points can be gained through a variety of mechanisms

For example:

• Structured learning – face to face = 15 points
• Structured learning – distance learning = 15 points
• Enquiry based research = 10 points
• eLearning = 5 points

Formal British Canoeing Courses

You may choose to use a formal British Canoeing programmes, qualifications or awards, All programmes, are automatically uploaded onto your record and the points added to your record for 3 years.

For example:

• Personal Skills Development Courses = 5 – 10 points
• Leadership Development Courses = 10 – 20 points
• Coaching Courses = 20 points
• Safety Courses = 5 – 20 points
• Provider Moderation and Orientation = 20 points

Providing Evidence

To provide evidence and show your active involvement with CPD we recommend you keep records of your CPD, this might include; evidence of attendance, log of participation, reflective logs, completion reports, certification etc. You are required on a 3 yearly basis to submit a CPD declaration (not required if you have gained 20 points of CPD through formal programs).

Based on a random sample plan we may select your CPD declaration for verification and in such cases may request further information or evidence of CPD.

You can read more about British Canoeing’s CPD policy here: