Continuous Professional Development

The purpose of continuing professional development (CPD) is to assist registered disaster managers to maintain and acquire new and updated levels of knowledge, skills and ethical attitudes on an ongoing basis, thereby enhancing and promoting professional practice and integrity.

Continuous professional development is a globally accepted commitment by professionals in a multitude of sectors to continually improve knowledge and skills. Sections 15 and 20(20) of the Disaster Management Act specify the promotion of education and training, the encouragement of a broad-based culture of risk avoidance, and the promotion of research into all aspects of disaster risk management. Ongoing training to capacitate disaster risk management stakeholders, are encouraged by training interventions that may include:

• Modular courses
• Short courses
• Workshops
• Conferences
• Seminars
• Mentorships
• In-service training
• Learnerships
• Self-teaching, experiential training
• Mass communication
• Indigenous knowledge
• Drills, exercises and rehearsals

A technical committee, appointed by the DMISA EXCO, will review such interventions on an annual basis to approve, and allocate credits to relevant interventions for approval by EXCO. The technical committee will comprise of no less than 3 qualified DMISA assessors, and no more than 7 qualified DMISA assessors. The official credit allocation will be in line with the CPD policy guidelines. Credit allocations of specific ongoing training interventions will be published on the DMISA website. Approval and credit allocations for alternative ongoing training interventions must be sought from DMISA – these may include [but is not limited to] international conferences, courses, and/or project participation.

A registered person is required to accumulate 20 credits over each 2-year cycle. The first cycle starts on the date of registration approval, i.e. each person will have their own cycle. No more than 15 credits may be accumulated in any 1-year period within a 2-year cycle, and no less than 5 credits may be accumulated in any 1-year period within a 2-year cycle. Should a registered person accumulate more than the required 20 credits in a 2-year cycle, a maximum of 4 credits may be carried over to the next 2-year cycle.

The total credit accumulation must be communicated to DMISA at the end of each 2-year cycle in hard copy [Appendix A], or electronic format [available on the website].

5% of all registered professionals’ CPD credit allocations will be audited on an annual basis.

If drawn in the 5% audit, the registered person will be required to provide DMISA with a full portfolio of evidence, including authentic documents of participation. Therefore, it is important to keep such documents. Examples may be:
– Certificates of attendance / course results
– Receipt of payment
– Signed attendance register
– Letter of recommendation
– Official documentation / minutes of meetings / journal acceptance letter
– Formal invitation
– Course outlines or teaching material

Please note that it remains the responsibility of the registrant to enquire about the approval, and specific credit allocation of any ongoing training intervention. Also enquire about accepted, authentic documents of participation if unsure.

There are three CPD categories, being Developmental Activities, Work-based Activities and Individual Activities:

 

Category	Examples	Credits
Developmental activities [input activities, i.e. mostly activities you attend]	–   Conferences –   Congresses –   Workshops –   Lectures –   Seminars –   Short courses –   Meetings –   Post grad studies*	8 hours [1 full day] = 1 credit Post grad studies = 4 credits   Maximum: 8 credits per 2-year cycle
Work-based activities	Since continuous learning also happens in the workplace, disaster management related work counts towards CPD. This may also include long-term projects, part-time consultation, mentoring, post graduate study guidance, and own post graduate studies*.	300 hours = 1 credit Post grad studies = 4 credits   Maximum: 4 credits per 2-year cycle
Individual activities [output activities, i.e. mostly activities you present or complete on your own account like online training]	–   Membership of professional bodies –   Membership of voluntary association –   On-line training –   Presenting papers –   Write academic journal articles –   Present approved disaster management training [including presenting or participating in drills and exercises] –   Subscription to an international academic disaster management journal –   Subscription to a national academic disaster management journal –   Post grad studies*	1 membership = 1 credit 1 presentation = 2 credits 1 article = 2 credits Present training = 1 credit per 8 hour day 1 international journal = 2 credits 1 national journal = 1 credit 1 online course = 1/2 credits depending on course duration Post grad studies = 4 credits Maximum: 8 credits per 2-year cycle

*post grad studies automatically affords the registrant 12 credits during a 2 year cycle.

The following on-line modules are compulsory, once in every 4-year cycle:

• Disaster Management Legislation
• Disaster Management Ethics
• Financial Management for Disaster Managers

ONE of the following attendance courses is compulsory, once in every 2 year cycle:

• Leadership course [various themes available]
• Personal development course [various themes available]

In order to ensure that disaster management professionals remain knowledgeable in fields other than their own speciality, it is required that at least 4 credits in every 2-year cycle falls in a field outside of the registered person’s own speciality. The different specialities are:

• Disaster management legislation
• Disaster management policies
• Disaster risk assessment
• Disaster risk reduction
• Response
• Recovery
• Information management
• Communication
• Education
• Awareness
• Research

The technical committee will allocate credits to courses from approved providers in the above specialities. The list of courses will be updated annually, to ensure the latest developments pertaining to ongoing training interventions are included.