07 · CPD and Supervision
Why: A coach who isn't growing is a coach who is drifting. CPD and supervision are how we keep the bench safe, current, and honest about what they don't know.
Minimums (per active coach, per year)
| Item | Associate | Coach | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 supervision hours | 6 | 6 | 4 (+ 4 hrs supervising others) |
| Group supervision sessions | 4 (quarterly) | 4 | 4 (often facilitating) |
| CPD reading / courses | 30 hrs | 30 hrs | 30 hrs + 1 taught session for peers |
| Observed sessions (file 08) | 2 in first 6 months, then annual | 1 annual | 1 annual + observing peers |
| Reflective journal entries | 12 (monthly) | 6 (bi-monthly) | 6 |
| Mandatory refreshers (safeguarding, FCA boundary, DEI) | annual | annual | annual |
Failing to hit minimums = automatic pause (file 09) until caught up. Not punitive; protective.
1:1 supervision
- Held with an external accredited supervisor (we maintain a panel of 3).
- Coach chooses from the panel; can switch once per year without giving a reason.
- MEM pays for required hours; coach pays for anything above.
- Notes stay between coach and supervisor. Only attendance is reported to MEM (date, duration, confirmed by supervisor's signed log).
Group supervision
- Quarterly, 2-hour, mixed-level groups of 6–8.
- Facilitated by a Senior Coach or external supervisor on rotation.
- Format: 10-min check-in → 2 case presentations (40 min each) → 20-min systemic round → close.
- One case per coach per year minimum; can be a "win" or a "stuck."
- Confidentiality contract re-stated at the start of every group.
CPD — what counts and how much
| Activity | Hours credited | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Reading peer-reviewed paper, summarised in journal | 1 per paper | Journal entry, 1-paragraph summary |
| Accredited course (ICF / EMCC / professional body) | as certificated | Certificate |
| Attending an MEM internal CPD session | as scheduled | Auto-logged |
| Running an MEM internal CPD session | 4x the delivery time | Session plan + feedback |
| Conference attendance | as certificated | Certificate |
| Podcast / webinar | max 5 hrs per year | Journal entry |
| Writing a paper, blog, or talk on coaching | as time spent, capped at 10 hrs | Draft / publication |
"Reading articles you'd have read anyway" doesn't count. CPD is about deliberate practice.
Mandatory refreshers (annual)
All three required every 12 months. Missing one = pause.
- Safeguarding update — 90 min, covers any changes to the four-signal model (Sprint 1 / 04), menopause red flags (Sprint 2), DA / modern slavery / suicide updates.
- FCA boundary refresher — 60 min, walks through Sprint 4 / 01 with new case examples from the last 12 months.
- DEI in coaching — 90 min, external facilitator, rotates focus area (race, disability, faith, class, etc.) so over 4 years a coach covers the major axes.
Reflective journal
- Private to the coach. MEM never reads it.
- Entry templates provided in the coach handbook (file 10).
- Once per year, coach summarises themes (without case detail) in a 1-page note for their supervisor and Head of Coaching.
What we don't do
- "Mandatory wellbeing days" we secretly track.
- Performance management dressed up as supervision.
- CPD spend caps so low the requirement is unmeetable. (Current budget: £600 per active coach per year, in addition to the supervision hours MEM pays for.)