Nvq 5

Chapter 2

Promote

Professional
development

This chapter will help you to develop greater self-awareness in relation to your professional role
and responsibilities. It will help you to understand the principles and importance of professional
development and reflective practice in identifying and prioritising development goals and how to
plan to meet these in order to improve your performance.
As a leader and manager, you are responsible for ensuring that workplace practices are up to
date and meet current regulations, standards and frameworks for best practice. Using processes
to manage both your own development and those of others is an effective means of promoting
professional practice and leading by example.

By the end of this chapter you will:

1 Understand the principles of professional development
2 Be able to prioritise goals and targets for your own professional development
3 Be able to prepare a professional development plan
4 Be able to improve performance through reflective practice

17

Understand the principles of
professional development
2.1.1 Explain the importance
of continually improving
knowledge and practice
In the past thirty years globalisation,
innovation and technology have all been
major influences on the pace of change in
society. The health and social care sector
has experienced significant changes during
this time to the extent that change is now
regarded as a part of everyday life. Significant
social change has also taken place. For health
and social care the impact of this change
has meant that individuals have higher
expectations of the quality of care and support.
They also expect a greater level of involvement
with a shift towards personalisation and
partnership working. New models of care
service delivery are also emerging to compete
in the increasingly diverse social care
market, e.g. personal assistants supporting
individuals with personal budgets. These
changes have resulted in...