A Complete Guide · CPDSO Provider ref 23047
CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development — the structured process of tracking and evidencing the skills, knowledge and experience you gain throughout your career, both formally and informally, beyond your initial qualifications. Here is what it means in practice for the cohorts we support.
CPD is the lifelong learning that keeps professionals current, safe and credible in their field — and, when it is independently accredited, it carries recognised weight with regulators, employers and professional bodies. Our units are accredited by the CPD Standards Office, so the hours you earn with us count.
CPD Points
CPD points — also called CPD hours or CPD credits — are the unit used to measure structured learning. One CPD point typically equals one hour of structured learning. Most professional bodies require members to earn a minimum number each year to maintain registration or chartered status.
| Profession | Annual CPD requirement |
|---|---|
| UK Solicitors (SRA) | No fixed hours — continuous CPD requirement |
| UK Nurses (NMC) | 35 hours over 3 years |
| UK Pharmacists (GPhC) | 9 CPD records per year |
| HR Professionals (CIPD) | Annual CPD log |
| Accountants (ICAEW) | 120 units over 3 years |
| UK Dentists (GDC) | 100 verifiable hours over 5 years |
| Engineers (IET) | 30 hours per year |
| Architects (RIBA) | 35 hours per year |
Each of our five CPD-accredited units awards 4 CPD hours — recognised by the CPD Standards Office and submissible to your professional body.
Why It Matters
Neurodiversity, brain health, gut-brain science, trauma-informed practice and menopause research move quickly. CPD keeps the people supporting your pupils, patients, clients, teams and families working from the most current evidence — not what was true five years ago.
Science and regulation evolve — accredited CPD ensures you're teaching, treating and supporting from up-to-date evidence.
Many regulators require CPD to maintain licence, chartered status or professional body membership.
A logged CPD portfolio evidences your commitment at appraisal, promotion and job applications.
To employers, clients, regulators and inspectorates — CPD is the audit trail of your practice.
An accredited certificate signals that your training met independently reviewed quality standards.
A workforce that keeps learning delivers safer, kinder, more effective service to the people who rely on it.
What Counts
CPD is not only formal courses. It can be formal (structured, assessed) or informal (self-directed). Any of the following, undertaken with us, count toward your CPD record:
The CPD Cycle
Formalised by the CIPD and adopted by UK professional bodies including the CPD Standards Office, the CPD cycle is a continuous four-stage process. This is how we structure every unit we deliver.
Reflect on the neurodiversity, brain health, regulation or gut-brain knowledge you already hold — and where the gaps are. For a SENCO this might be sensory processing; for a HR lead, menopause and late diagnosis; for a parent, understanding their child's nervous system.
Set clear learning objectives and choose the right units. Our five CPD-accredited units are designed so learners can pick the ones most relevant to their role — in-person or online — and build a coherent development plan rather than random training.
Undertake the learning: attend the in-person unit, complete the online modules, apply the tools with your pupils, team, clients or family. Learning only becomes CPD when it is done, not just watched.
Document what you learned, how it changed your practice, and what you'll do differently. Your CPDSO-branded certificate — plus your own reflective notes — become the evidence you submit to your professional body, appraisal or employer.
CPD vs CPD Accreditation
No. CPD is the learning process itself. CPD accreditation is independent, third-party certification that a specific training programme has been reviewed and meets recognised quality standards. Accreditation is what gives learners — and their regulators — confidence that the hours will be recognised.
Find Your Inner Peace Ltd. is accredited by the CPD Standards Office (Provider ref 23047). Every certificate we issue carries the CPDSO accreditation mark.
Recording CPD
Most professional bodies require a CPD log or portfolio. Whether you use a dedicated app, a supervision log, or a simple spreadsheet, each entry for a unit completed with Find Your Inner Peace Ltd. should include:
Who Needs CPD
CPD is mandatory across most UK regulated professions and strongly expected in almost every other. Here is how it maps to the sectors we serve.
Teachers, SENCOs, pastoral leads, university staff and researchers — CPD evidences your commitment to safeguarding, inclusion and neuro-informed practice at inspection and appraisal.
Nurses (NMC 35 hrs / 3 yrs), doctors, pharmacists, social workers, key workers and justice professionals rely on verifiable CPD to maintain registration and demonstrate root-cause understanding of neurodiversity and trauma.
CIPD members log CPD annually. Our units give HR and L&D leads recognised evidence of specialist knowledge in neuro-inclusion, menopause & late diagnosis, and workplace brain health.
Independent practitioners increasingly need accredited hours to maintain professional body membership, insurance and client trust — our units count toward those requirements.
Learning Types
Happens naturally through your work — mentoring a colleague on regulation strategies, coaching a parent through a diagnosis, networking at a neurodiversity conference. It counts, and we help you evidence it.
Structured, assessed and quality-assured — our CPD-accredited units, delivered in-person or online, are formal CPD. Each awards CPDSO-branded certification you can submit anywhere.
Everything in between — reading our research, joining a webinar panel, reflective practice after applying a tool with a pupil or client. Still valid, still evidenceable in a CPD log.
CPD Plan
A CPD plan is a simple tool that helps you focus on your development goals and track your progress. You reflect on your current skills, identify where you need to grow (e.g. sensory regulation, gut-brain science, menopause neuroscience, suicide-prevention practice), set goals, and choose the units that get you there.
FAQ
Explore our five independently CPD-accredited units — available in-person and online — or verify our provider status on the CPD Standards Office directory.