CPCAB's Level 3 Certificate in Life Coaching Studies (LCS-L3)

As you may know, CPCAB has recently developed a new qualification, the Level 3 Certificate in Life Coaching Studies (LCS-L3).

Like our suite of counselling qualifications, LCS-L3 introduces CPCAB’s unique “seven processes” life coaching model which incorporates seven learning outcomes/goals. It draws on the latest research into contemporary learning science which underpins our approach to delivery and achievement. It is easy to deliver and highly cost effective.

The qualification has 90 GLH and is internally assessed via portfolio and has an external assessment whereby candidates watch a DVD of a client's story and answer a related exam paper. It is intended for candidates wishing to apply life coaching knowledge and skills in a variety of settings and roles to support people they work with to:

• Cope better with life's difficulties and challenges;
• Develop their self confidence, self esteem and self awareness;
• Form, develop and maintain loving relationships;
• Meet the challenges and opportunities of their life stage;
• Make healthy life style changes.

The qualification will be of benefit to a broad range of people working in health, social care and education. It will also help support personal relationships with children, friends and colleagues. It is currently in its pilot phase and interested centres are invited to join the pilot which runs until January 2013. During the pilot phase, centre approval is free and centres can register one group of candidates free of charge. We are in the process of applying to Ofqual to include the qualification on the Qualifications & Credit Framework (QCF) and hope that it will be available on the Register of Qualifications by January.

For further information, please contact Jackie Rice or Traci Postings.

CPCAB and the Open University - joint Foundation Degree

A quick reminder that the deadline for registering an interest in the Foundation Degree in order to be eligible for transitional fees expired on 30th September.

Another important piece of information is that from now on all new foundation degree candidates will be required to finish their CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling BEFORE they start to work on their Open University modules, which should commence with module D240 - Counselling: exploring fear and sadness. This is due to a policy change at the OU which now requires students to register for a particular qualification and to complete one level of study before moving on to the next. Candidates already working towards this, or other OU qualifications, will be able to continue their study in the usual way.

Details of the standard pathway for the Foundation Degree in Counselling can be found on the Open University‘s website.

Link with BACP

Our Head of Qualifications Fiona Ballantine Dykes, in her private capacity as a senior accredited member of BACP, has stood and been elected as a member of the BACP Board of Governors. This will be ratified at the AGM on 17th November. Fiona has applied to join the board with the stated intention of trying to raise the profile of vocational training.

Standardisation training 2012-13

The last CPCAB standardisation training days will be in Northern Ireland on 09/11/12 and in Bristol on 10/11/12. If you have not already attended a standardisation training day this academic year please ensure that at least one experienced tutor and all new tutors attend one of the remaining training days. This is to ensure that they are assessing to a common standard.

CPCAB would like to draw your attention to the following:

• Tutors delivering only ICSK-L2 do not have to attend standardisation UNLESS they are delivering the course for the FIRST time and have not been standardised. CPCAB will verify the tutor assessments of candidate portfolios during the routine EV visits. (Please note … tutors only delivering ELSK, LSK or USM do not need to attend a standardisation training day).
• Any tutors not attending this academic year must receive ‘cascade’ training from the attending tutor(s).
• Levels 5 and 6 had their own standardisation day in Birmingham. They will also be covered briefly in Northern Ireland only.

There is no charge for standardisation training and the day will run from 10-4pm. A light lunch will be provided.

Please follow this link to the Northern Ireland booking form: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGVFY3BndlZ3TmVwc2dlVGZBb0dSdVE6MQ#gid=0

Please follow this link to the Bristol booking form: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFVwdjVCOXpOTHhsMjJ6OXdwZnZTYWc6MQ#gid=0

A charge of £50 will be made to centres for the non-attendance of a tutor who has booked a place and has not cancelled (a week before the training) or who has failed to attend on the day. If you have any queries regarding the above please contact Jackie Rice at jackie@cpcab.co.uk or telephone 01458 850350.

Personal Learning Records (PLRs) and funding

As part of the government's drive to streamline pathways of learning, the Learning Records Service has been tasked with introducing Personal Learning Records - linked to Unique Learner Numbers or ULNs - for learners of all ages.

Becoming part of the PLR system is optional for awarding organisations. However, participation in the PLR has now become a mandatory condition for eligibility for public funding – both grant funding and the new 24+ student loans. CPCAB has therefore taken the decision to sign up.

Many of you in our larger centres will already be used to dealing with PLRs and ULNs. For our smaller centres we are happy to offer support if you would like to become a PLR provider.

Centre eligibility for funding

We have prepared a single-page guide for centres – concerning the four steps that each centre needs to take (or have already taken) if they wish to be eligible to potentially access public funding under the new funding system operated by the Skills Funding Agency. This applies regardless of which awarding organisation and qualifications are involved, and includes potential eligibility for both grant-funding (fee remission) and loan funding. This guide forms part of our updated full guide to funding for centres.

Data collection and handling

You may notice one or two changes in our online registration system and paper documents as we bring our data collection systems in line with the fields required by the Learning Records Service. We'll send out further updates from time to time.

Please note, too, that as part of the Personal Learning Records system ALL registered centres are now required to ensure that candidates are given sight of a Privacy Notice (PN) – also known as a “Fair Processing Notice”. CPCAB has created a single page guide-sheet on this, including “template text” for an actual Privacy Notice that your centre might use.

Fiona Ballantine Dykes has been asked to join the SFA awarding body forum to represent the interests of small awarding bodies. This will continue to give CPCAB a voice in this important arena.

CPCAB annual conference

A reminder that CPCAB will be presenting its 2013 conference, “Celebrating Counselling”, on 26th and 27th April 2013. With Professor Mick Cooper and Camila Batmanghelidjh of ‘Kids Company’ plus other prestigious speakers, this is an event not to be missed - make a note in your diary!

Further details, including venue, to be announced very soon on our conference website.

TC-L4 - Completing client hours

Just a reminder for TC-L4 tutors with students who are taking up the extension time to complete their client hours.

If it appears that they will not finish within the one year extension time after their course has finished, then the tutor must request and negotiate a further extension with us. Students are not automatically entitled to an extra extension and this is only granted in exceptional circumstances after consultation with CPCAB. CPCAB reserves the right to refuse the issue of a Diploma a request comes in after the end of the one year extension period.

Your co-operation is much appreciated.

BIS funds for mature learners

You may be interested to read the following article which was helpfully circulated by the Federation of Awarding Bodies in a newsletter during the summer.

“This week BIS announced a new £50 million bursary scheme to support mature students with learning difficulties or disabilities, parents who need help with childcare and ex-military personnel in further education to help meet costs such as childcare, travel, books and equipment. This is linked to the 24+ Advanced Learning Loans from next year. More details are on the BIS website.”

Guidance to tutors - RPL

On form CR2, we suggest that you might find it helpful to go to the QCDA website for further guidance on RPL via a document called ‘Claiming credit - Guidance on the recognition of prior learning within the Qualifications and Credit Framework’.

An eagle-eyed tutor has informed us that the QCDA website has now been closed and its documents archived. We have been able to track down the document though, and if you would like to read it click this link: Claiming credit - Guidance on the recognition of prior learning within the Qualifications and Credit Framework

As always, of course, we are here for support if you need extra guidance on RPL decisions.

Humour

Counsellor: ‘So ... when did you first realise that you had these awful problems?’

Client: ‘Just now, when you told me!’

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Woman to friend ... “Marriage counselling? No need: we're a perfect couple. He did communications at university and I did theatre studies, so he talks and I act like I'm listening.“