We will regularly carry out random audits of Advanced Members to ensure that they are meeting the requirements of advanced membership.
Anyone who has been an Advanced Member for more than a year is eligible for audit. If you are selected, we will send you notice by email, giving you up to six weeks to return all the relevant information.
You can continue to practise while preparing your submission and while we are assessing your information.
Preparing your submission
If you're selected for audit, you must provide your past year's records relating to:
- CPD You must submit records of the CPD you've undertaken during the year, using the CPD template. Please remember to respect client confidentiality and remove anything that may contain a client’s personal details.
- Please ensure that your CPD includes at least 5 activities and includes 2 addictions specific activities. This can include psychosocial interventions relevant to the addictions field including motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy approaches, as well as knowledge-based activities.
Here is an example of how to record 4 months of CPD. It's important that the information you provide is honest and accurate. If you give false or misleading information, you may be referred to the Complaints and disciplinary procedures. Please record your CPD on the audit template
Can I ask for an extension?
As an advanced member, you have a professional responsibility to manage your CPD throughout the year and you should have ongoing records. We may give additional time in exceptional cases, where circumstances beyond the normal difficulties of life have significantly interfered with your ability to submit information. If you want to request additional time, please contact us as soon as possible.
If you don't provide your information by the deadline, your name will be removed from the Practitioner Directory. You will then have 14 days to respond. We will reinstate your Practitioner Directory information as soon as we receive your audit submission.
If you still fail to respond, we will write to you again giving you a further seven days. If you do not respond, and we cannot contact you, you will be removed from membership.
Assessment
We'll assess your information against the Conduct of Code and Ethics, and the CPD audit guidelines. The assessment process takes up to six weeks. If we have to ask you for further information or clarification, the process may take longer
We'll contact you with the outcome of your audit, which could be:
- your information meets Advanced Membership standards
- your information does not meet Advanced Membership standards
If you do not meet any or all of the standards, we'll explain the reasons why and ask you to resubmit your information.
You will have two further attempts to meet the Advanced Membership Standards. If you still fail meet any of the standards after your third submission, you will be removed from membership.
What happens to my information?
The information you provide will be kept confidential and will only be seen by staff responsible for the audit. We will hold your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the audit and any follow-up process. We will delete electronic copies and destroy any hard copies once the audit has been completed.
We will not pass your personal information onto any third parties.
Appeals process
You can appeal against a decision to remove you from Advanced Membership on the grounds that:
- the audit procedure has not been followed correctly
You must make your appeal in writing within one calendar month of receiving our decision letter to admin@addictionprofessionals.org.uk