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Continuing professional development (CPD)

At the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), professionalism means more than qualifications. It involves a commitment to ongoing development, ethical practice, and embodying the right behaviours and attitudes in housing. By committing to CPD, you are demonstrating professionalism that benefits both the housing sector and the communities you serve.

As a CIH member, professionalism is at the core of your commitment. Along with signing up to our robust code of conduct and ethics, you gain access to our professional standards and a wide range of resources designed to enhance your knowledge and skills. View our member benefits.

What is continuing professional development (CPD)?

CPD is a continuous, purposeful learning journey that enhances your competence, skills, and conduct to meet high professional standards. At CIH, we define CPD 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 goal is to support your learning with dynamic resources, tools, and opportunities, helping you stay informed and effective in a rapidly changing environment.

The benefits of CPD
For you
  • Shape your career: Map your career path, set goals, and invest in your growth.
  • Advance professionally: Enhance your performance in your current role and prepare for future opportunities.
  • Develop adaptive skills: Become a reflective, adaptive learner who stays relevant in the sector.
  • Boost self-awareness: Reflect on your strengths and identify areas for improvement.
For your organisation
  • Contribute to professionalism: Your commitment to CPD builds credibility and trust within your organisation.
  • Improve customer confidence: Show customers that they’re supported by ethical, knowledgeable professionals.
  • Create impactful change: Apply skills and knowledge that positively influence your workplace.
For CIH and for the community
  • Strengthen the profession: You help advance CIH’s mission by upholding ethical standards and professional growth.
  • Build community impact: CPD empowers you to make a positive difference in the lives of residents and in your local community.

Getting started with your CPD journey

Reflect on where you are in your career, identify areas for growth, and plan your next steps.

  1. Self-assess: Begin by completing our self-assessment to receive a personalised report on your professional profile.
  2. Set development goals: Use the assessment to identify knowledge, skills, or behaviour gaps to address.
  3. Take action: With your goals in hand, engage in learning activities that support your ongoing professional journey.
Take the self-assessment
Recording your CPD

How can I record my CPD, CPD plan and reflections on activities?

To record, plan and reflect on your CPD activities, you can log in to your my.CIH profile and record the information here.

CPD learning cycle
Step one: Plan

Begin by setting a clear professional development goal for the year. Identify areas where you need to improve your knowledge, skills, or behaviours, and design a tailored CPD plan. Choose activities from CIH’s dynamic range of qualifications, training, professional standards, eLearning modules, events, and membership upgrades. Make sure your plan is SMART:

  • S - Specific (define your CPD type and activity)
  • M – Measurable (set criteria for achievement)
  • A – Achievable (consider your time and capacity)
  • R – Relevant (align with your role and career level)
  • T - Time-Bound (set clear deadlines)
Step two: Action

Engage in your chosen CPD activities and track your progress in your CIH profile. For each activity, record your reflections: What did you learn? How will you apply this? What actions will you take next? This reflective practice helps you deepen your learning and apply it to your work, supporting continuous improvement.

Step three: Reflection

At the end of the year, take time to reflect on your progress. Assess whether you achieved your goals and review your overall development. This reflection will inform your next steps and help you set new goals for continued professional growth. Use this process to refine your approach and keep advancing in your career.

Start your CPD journey
Develop and demonstrate my knowledge and skills
  • CIH housing qualifications - Ensure you have the theoretical knowledge, essential skills, and learning to perform at the highest level in your day job.
  • Training courses - Our training courses are designed to equip you and your organisation to overcome daily challenges.
  • Apprenticeships - Build on and improve your current knowledge, skills and behaviour to progress in your career with professionalism at its core.
Develop and demonstrate my professional behaviours
  • CIH professional standards - Reflect on your professional development needs and how you can contribute to the professionalism of your organisation and the wider sector.
  • Professional standards eLearning modules - Developed to support and explore each of the professional standards, with a wide variety of scenarios, case studies and interactive activities.
  • Code of conduct and ethics - Integrate these principles into every aspect of your professional behaviour and professional decision making.

 

Maintain and develop my sector knowledge and expertise and develop my network
  • Our policy work -Find support with policy knowledge and influence key decision-makers on policy implementation.
  • Our events - Participate in our events that cover various topics, ranging from practical housing management, high-level policy.
  • Our mentoring platform - rovides both mentors and mentees the tools to make impactful connections for professional growth.
  • Our knowledge hub - Information on the latest housing issues, in-depth case studies and insights into what you need to know to deliver excellent housing services.
  • You can also discover our blogs, articles, publications, podcasts and recordings for a comprehensive series of housing topics.

Career development framework

Discover how to progress in your career by aligning your development activities with your current role and future aspirations. Our framework helps you identify key areas for growth and plan your professional journey effectively.

New to housing sector or new area of work within housing

Develop and demonstrate knowledge and skills

Develop and demonstrate behaviours

Maintain and develop sector knowledge, expertise and develop network

Progress in CIH membership grade

Increasing supervisory responsibility

Develop and demonstrate knowledge and skills

Develop and demonstrate behaviours

Maintain and develop sector knowledge, expertise and develop network

Progress in CIH membership grade

Increasing management responsibility

Develop and demonstrate knowledge and skills

Develop and demonstrate behaviours

Maintain and develop sector knowledge, expertise and develop network

Progress in CIH membership grade

Senior leadership role

Develop and demonstrate knowledge and skills

Develop and demonstrate behaviours

Maintain and develop sector knowledge, expertise and develop network

Progress in CIH membership grade

Highly experienced professional

Develop and demonstrate knowledge and skills

Develop and demonstrate behaviours

Maintain and develop sector knowledge, expertise and develop network

Progress in CIH membership grade

Download a PDF version of the framework

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