CPD & Professional Supervision
FCVic is responsible for ensuring the ongoing maintenance of the professional standards of its members, the Victorian financial counselling sector. These professional standards are outlined in the Financial Counselling National Standards for Membership & Accreditation (“the National Standards”), which all Victorian financial counsellors are required to comply with to remain eligible as members of FCVic.
By maintaining the professional standards of the sector, FCVic aims to ensure a consistent and high-quality level of financial counselling service delivery. Strong professional standards foster confidence and trust from the people seeking financial counselling assistance, and supports financial counsellors to practice safely.
Continuous Professional Development
Continuous professional development is the reinforcement or acquisition of skills or knowledge relevant to the workplace.
All financial counsellors are required to participate in CPD activities in order to remain eligible for membership with their state or territory association, and to ensure that their employer is compliant with the conditions of the relevant regulations.
Eligible CPD activities may include training, research, reflection or innovation that develops or improves the financial counsellor’s expertise and competence.
FCVic delivers a CPD program in the form of a rolling, six-monthly training calendar that covers a broad variety of topics to help members maintain their skills and uphold professional standards. The CPD program aligns to the National Standards.
Training topics are influenced by changes in law, needs expressed by financial counsellors, economic trends and emerging issues identified in the financial counselling sector.
There are three categories of CPD:
Technical – e.g. content knowledge relevant to legal issues, banking, fines, EDR/IDR, superannuation, hardship, insurance, completion of Statements of Financial Position
Skills – e.g. counselling, mental health, communication (written, verbal), interviewing, cultural awareness, suicide prevention/training and negotiation
Ethics – e.g. conflict of interest, boundaries, counselling relationships, cultural awareness, options- client choices; appropriate referral to other services
CPD requirements for financial counsellors
Accredited and Associate members are required each year to complete:
- a minimum of 20 CPD points, and
- a minimum of one session from each CPD category of technical, skills and ethics.
FCVic allocates CPD points to every session in the training calendar, and allocates one or more to each session, i.e. technical, skills or ethics.
CPD points can be claimed for a variety of learning activities, including live webinars, e-learning, face-to-face sessions, preparation of education sessions, research and so on. Allocation of points is explained in the National Standards. The CPD program provides various ways of meeting professional requirements, all of which are articulated in the FCVic calendar.
CPD requirements are the same for all financial counsellors, regardless of working hours. There is no pro-rata application.
Members need to maintain a record of their CPD points for membership renewal each year. Members are able to manage their attendance records and CPD points via the FCVic Member’s Portal.
CAV funded financial counsellors
Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) provides funding to FCVic to support the delivery of the CPD program. It is available to all financial counsellors regardless of their funding stream.
Each CAV funded financial counsellor working full-time or part-time is required to undertake a minimum of four professional development sessions per year, of which two must be from the CPD categories listed below. Beyond this, financial counsellors are expected to undertake other professional development activities that meet their needs and membership requirements under the National Standards.
Core topics funded by CAV for the CPD program:
- Australian Consumer Law
- Consumer Credit Law
- Debt collection and enforcement
- Bankruptcy and insolvency
- Superannuation and insurance
- New legislation and case law updates
- Ombudsman schemes
- Infringements and penalties
- Hardship systems
- Social Security Law
- Tenancy
- Family Law
- Injury compensation
- Family violence
- Telephone financial counselling
Professional Supervision
Professional supervision for financial counsellors is a formal relationship between supervisor and supervisee designed to promote wellbeing, facilitate reflective practice, explore ethical issues, develop skills and foster best practice.
Professional supervision is an educative and supportive function. The professional supervision relationship is not a line management relationship. The supervisee has a key role in seeking professional supervision from an approved professional supervisor, and drives the professional supervision relationship.
Professional supervision is an annual requirement for financial counsellors undertaking casework. Sessions should occur on a regular basis throughout the year, and can be undertaken in various modes: face-to-face (minimum of two sessions per year), video conference, or telephone meetings between the supervisee and supervisor.
Professional supervision should provide a safe and exclusive environment for both supervisee and supervisor. This will enable the supervisee to ask questions and have discussions around any issue that is affecting their practice. Professional supervision may involve casework, emotional, personal and psychological support with a view to the supervisee seeking what is needed and the supervisor assisting with resourcing and support.
Professional supervision is a mechanism that supports workforce retention and development and manages risk for the individual financial counsellors and the employing agencies.
Professional supervision can be provided by an FCVic accredited financial counselling professional supervisor, or a registered psychologist or counsellor qualified to provide professional supervision to their own profession.
Professional supervision requirements for financial counsellors
Accredited, Associate and Student (Intern) members are required each year to undertake:
- a minimum of 10 hours of professional supervision (if employed 0.5 FTE or more), or
- a minimum of 6 hours of professional supervision (if employed less than 0.5 FTE).
At least 50% of the minimum hours of professional supervision must be provided by an FCVic accredited professional supervisor.
Financial counsellors must receive no less than two face-to-face supervision sessions each year. ‘Face-to-face’ can include video technology, such as Zoom, Skype and Facetime. The remainder may be conducted by telephone.
A single supervision session should be no more than 2 hours long.
More details around mandatory, best practice and acceptable standards for professional supervision are specified in the National Professional Supervision Policy and the FCVic Professional Supervision Policy.