Chartered Scientist Revalidation

The information on this webpage is provided to support the Chartered Scientist revalidation process in 2013. 

Summary of the 2012 revalidation process

Of the 178 Chartered Scientists entering the 2012 revalidation process; 167 (94%) successfully revalidated, including 6 who were exempt from the process due to career breaks and/or extenuating circumstances. Of the 25 who were audited, 23 fully satisfied the Science Council CPD standards with their initial submission; the remaining 2 progressed from partially satisfying the standards to fully satisfying the standards by re-submitting additional information. We consider this to be a very positive outcome and thank those involved for their co-operation with the process last year.

Preparation for the 2013 CSci revalidation process

The revalidation process for 2013 will be similar to that used in 2012. We will again be basing the process on the CPD Policy of the Society and will be considering the 12-month period from October 2012 to September 2013 inclusive. We strongly advocate that you keep an up-to-date record of your CPD activities over this period. Although you are free to use any system to record your CPD activities, we would draw your attention to the RSS online CPD system as a recommended system that provides suitable summary reports for revalidation purposes.
The following support materials are provided:

• Click here to see a report based on the review of CPD profiles submitted as part of the 2011 CSci revalidation process. This report provides some additional guidance on following the Society’s CPD Policy and on preparing CPD 12-month summaries. 
• Click here to access the webpage that provides exemplars of audit submissions made as part of the 2011 and 2012 CSci revalidation processes. 

Outline of the 2013 CSci revalidation process

1.   In September we will ask all Chartered Scientists to sign a declaration (by mid-October) affirming that they engage in continuing professional development in accordance with the Society's CPD Policy and that they also comply with the Society’s Code of Conduct. This deadline must be met in order to revalidate and continue CSci status into 2014. (Chartered Scientists on a designated career break or facing extenuating circumstances should contact the Director of Professional and Public Affairs (via pac@rss.org.uk ) as they may gain exemption from the revalidation process.)
 
2.   By mid-October an audit sample will be selected, identifying those Chartered Scientists who need to submit information for audit. Once again the information required for audit will consist of a CPD summary and a completed Revalidation Form. Click here to download a copy of the Revalidation Form to be used in 2013. This information enables the panel of assessors to make their assessment against the Science Council CPD standards. The 5 standards are described as follows:

• Maintain a continuous, up-to-date and accurate record of CPD activities;
• Demonstrate that CPD activities are a mixture of learning activities relevant to current or future practice;
• Seek to ensure that CPD has benefited the quality of practice;
• Seek to ensure that CPD has benefited the users of the work;
• Maintain a portfolio containing evidence of CPD that could be provided on request.

3.   The assessment panel will meet in late November/early December and communicate the outcome of the audit by mid-December. The audited Chartered Scientists will need to fully meet the Science Council CPD standards in order to revalidate and continue CSci status into 2014.
 
All Chartered Scientists are eligible for inclusion in the audit sample except for (i) those who were awarded CSci status after September 2012 and (ii) those who were audited in 2012 and fully met the CPD standards with their initial submission.
 
More details may be provided on this webpage as we progress through the year.

If any of the information is unclear please email your questions to pac@rss.org.uk .