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CPD Meeting at National Office in Melbourne on 16/17 July

Branch CPD committees are supported in the running of their events by staff based at National Office – Sharon Crane, Senior Advisor, Professional Education & Certification (also a SPA member) and Anita Rodricks, Professional Education Administration – and CPD Coordinators in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia (who are also SPA members): All these paid CPD staff were involved in a very productive and worthwhile CPD meeting was held in the new National Office. Discussion included future planning, CPD survey results, reviewing policy and procedures, reviewing CPD flyer formats, and the Events database.

From left: Shirani Gomes (NSW CPD Coordinator), Erin Masson (WA CPD Coordinator), Sharon Crane (Senior Advisor Professional Education & Certification, National Office), Catherine Quin (SA CPD Coordinator), Tricia Chardon (QLD CPD Coordinator), and Anita Rodricks, Professional Education Administration, National Office.

Let’s hear from those involved:

Shirani: I have been the NSW CPD Coordinator for over 11 years. I continue to enjoy working alongside NSW's dedicated CPD committee and all the CPD Coordinators in each state across Australia. After the numerous teleconferences and emails the CPD Coordinators from each state exchange throughout the year, I really appreciate having the opportunity to meet with my colleagues face-to-face annually. Meeting face- to-face is a great way to have active discussions, bounce ideas, evolve policies and planning and to be able to collaborate at a national level. This way we can strive to provide the best quality continuing professional development events specifically catered to our SPA members year after year. Erin: I’ve been the WA CPD Coordinator for the past five years and the annual CPD Coordinators’ meeting is always very productive and worthwhile. It’s a great opportunity for the various states to share their event planning as well as look at ways that we can continue to ensure members have access to quality professional learning. It’s of great benefit to hear how other states operate and gather ideas to improve. On a personal level, I also look forward to connecting with the other CPD Coordinators as they are a great support network in a relatively isolated role. Sharon: My role involves Branch and National CPD activities, and this meeting is very important to me for a number of reasons: to have the opportunity to discuss CPD planning, policy and processes in depth; to meet face-to-face with the Branch CPD Coordinators who work remotely; to provide an opportunity for the Coordinators to meet with National Office staff who they deal with regularly; to continue to evolve an overall national PD framework whilst acknowledging and respecting individual Branches. Catherine: The annual CPD Coordinators’ meeting is always a great opportunity to share ideas across states and to gain

a national perspective on issues related to CPD. It is also enables us to continue to develop our relationship with the excellent staff working in SPA’s National Office. Tricia: The annual two-day face-to-face meeting of CPD Coordinators at National Office is an integral part of my year as Qld CPD Coordinator. The fellowship and support of my colleagues from other states is uppermost. Planning for Qld’s Calendar for the next year is greatly enhanced by their input. There is opportunity for robust prolonged discussion of procedural issues as required, resulting in outcomes comfortable for all, a resolution not always possible in our regular teleconferences. We are able to meet and receive updates from other National Office staff who provide valuable assistance to our work. And this year we had the added bonus of inspecting SPA’s new premises and the honour of being the first meeting in the new Board Room. Anita: In my role, I provide support to Sharon and the Branch CPD Coordinators, so the face-to-face meeting was invaluable in terms of discussing issues that affect us and working together to find solutions. It is not always possible to cover these topics over the phone or via email in depth, so the meeting was extremely beneficial. Another big plus was meeting all the Coordinators and spending time with them. *** After nearly five years in the role, Catherine Quin has decided to step down from the position of South Australian Branch CPD Coordinator. Catherine has been a valued member of the CPD teams at both Branch and National levels. We have appreciated her knowledge, experience, wisdom, calmness and collaborative approach in the role. We acknowledge and thank Catherine for her contribution to CPD. Barbara Lyndon SA Branch Professional Learning Working Group Leader Sharon Crane Senior Advisor Professional Education and Certification

Speak Out October 2015

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