CPD during lockdown

CPD is likely to have been the last thing on your mind recently. Adjusting to doing everything from home and undertaking every aspect of your role remotely, potentially whilst also trying to juggle other responsibilities has been the priority. But as lockdown continues, and we settle into new routines, you may have some time to reflect on what you’ve achieved in a very short space of time.

First and foremost, we have embraced change on a much larger scale than ever before. This may not have been an easy process, but we’ve adjusted to unfamiliar situations and engaged with new ways of working. Working remotely whilst continuing to work together with colleagues has seen us quickly learning to use new programmes, technologies and online tools. We have engaged with the wider context by keeping up to date with sector news, learning from and sharing best practice from our professional networks.

We have been using online webinars, blogs and discussion forums to develop ourselves and others, by upskilling and learning as we go, supporting and coaching colleagues as we can. We are managing ourselves and personal skills by adapting our professional practice and are continually finding solutions, innovating and adapting to new challenges or limitations we come across when delivering our roles, and taking up new opportunities that have presented themselves.

We have reassessed and prioritised our workloads to ensure that we continue to achieve results and deliver excellent services. We may be carrying out additional responsibilities to support team members or reprioritising activities that are the best use of our time and efforts, using our resources effectively.

If you’ve been furloughed, you may think you’ve not been able to support your development, but it is likely that you have been filling your time with other activities, perhaps volunteering or teaching your children at home. Adapting to complete upheaval of routines and normality requires flexibility and resilience.

It may feel like an unnecessary indulgence right now to make time to step back and think about what you have achieved over the last two months, but we encourage you to do just that, to recognise how much you’ve developed.