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.

It is defined as a set of learning activities undertaken to enhance knowledge, skills and behaviours in your professional life, which demonstrate your commitment and dedication to the sector and to CIH’s mission and values.

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 and the wider sector.

Good for you
  • You can map your own career path and invest in yourself
  • You will learn and develop new skills, knowledge and behaviours
  • You will improve performance in your current role and prepare for your future career aspirations
Good for your organisation
  • You significantly contribute to the professionalism of your organisation
  • Your customers can be confident that they are supported by a professional, ethical and trustworthy professional
Good for CIH
  • 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

How can I record my CPD?

Log in to your CIH profile to record and view your CPD. To log your CPD, follow these steps

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.

CIH exemplar career development framework

Find out how you can develop and progress in your career based on your current role and aspirations.

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

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.

CIH housing qualifications

Training

Our are designed to equip you and your organisation to overcome daily challenges.

Training

Apprenticeship

Build on and improve your current knowledge, skills and behaviour to progress in your career with professionalism at its core.

Find out more

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.

CIH professional standards

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.

Professional standards eLearning modules

Code of conduct and code of ethics

Integrate these principles into every aspect of your professional behaviour and professional decision making.

Code of conduct and code of ethics

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 policy work

Events

Participate in our events that cover various topics, ranging from practical housing management, high-level policy.

Events

Mentoring platform

Provides both mentors and mentees the tools to make impactful connections for professional growth.

Mentoring platform

News

Discover our blogs, articles, publications, podcasts and recordings for a comprehensive series of housing topics.

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.

Knowledge hub

Progress in my membership grade
Executive route to chartered membership

Aimed at housing practitioners operating at director or senior management level.

Executive route

Experienced professional route to chartered membership

Aimed at experienced housing professionals with the knowledge required to lead people and manage change.

Experienced professional route

Fellowship

An honoured class of membership recognising highly experienced professionals who have made a significant contribution to the housing profession.

Fellowship

Find out more about the professional standards

The importance & benefits
The professional standards bring a wealth of benefits to you as an individual but also to your organisation. They set the benchmark for housing professionals and for organisations in the sector.
Using the standards
CIH professional standards can be flexed to fit in with your own organisational values – you can use what works for you and you can apply the standards to your own professional development.
Case studies
See why and how different organisations like yours have embedded our professional standards in their organisational values, objectives, competency frameworks and development routes.
Take the self-assessment
Take some time to reflect honestly on your professional journey and think about your development needs by completing the professional standards self-assessment tool.
eLearning modules
Our short eLearning modules are here to support you in addressing gaps in your development, with an exclusive module for each of the standards and an additional introductory module on professionalism.