What CPD evidence to keep, and for how long
Keep your CPD documentation for as long as you are on the register. Keep supporting evidence such as certificates, notes and attendance emails, but do not send it with an audit: the audit guidelines say the record is the only document required, and originals are not returned. Note where each piece of evidence is kept, next to the activity it supports.
What to keep
- The record itself: every activity with its date, credits and reflective fields, your yearly review of learning needs and your plans.
- Certificates of attendance or completion, where a provider gives one.
- Your own notes from reading, supervision or a case review, with names removed.
- Emails or programmes that show a date and a topic for less formal learning.
The guidelines say registrants are not required to submit supporting documents such as certificates, case studies or minutes, and should not send originals. They also say registrants should maintain supporting documentation as evidence of engagement in CPD. The CPD FAQ says documentation should be kept for as long as you are on the register.
How to keep it safely
Reflectora stores the record in your browser only. It does not store files: the evidence field is a note of where the certificate or notes are kept. Export a backup file regularly and keep it with your evidence, because clearing your browser data deletes the log and nobody can recover it. A CSV export is there for spreadsheets, and a CSV import brings a spreadsheet log in.
Evidence for less formal learning
Courses come with certificates; much good CPD does not. For reading, supervision, peer discussion or learning on the job, the evidence is usually your own dated note of what you did and what you took from it. A short note written on the day, kept with the reference or the agenda, is better evidence than a long account written a year later.
Anything you keep should follow the same rule as the record: no names or details that could identify a service user, a family or a colleague. If a case prompted the learning, describe the kind of situation, not the person.
Store evidence where you will still find it in five or ten years: a dated folder per audit period works well. Email attachments get lost when you change employer, so save certificates somewhere of your own.
Moving between devices
Because the log lives in one browser, moving to a new phone or computer means moving a file. Export a backup file on the old device, open the log on the new one, and restore from the file. The backup holds your activities, plans and settings. A CSV export does the same for a spreadsheet, and re-importing a CSV skips any row already in the log, so a second import never doubles your credits.
Worked example
A registrant exports the log as CSV, adds two new rows in a spreadsheet, and imports the file back: 12 rows in all. The import adds 2 and reports 10 as already in the log, so nothing is doubled.
One new title starts with an equals sign, "=Audit of case notes". On export the log writes it with a leading apostrophe so a spreadsheet shows it as text instead of running it as a formula, and on import the apostrophe is removed again.
Common mistakes
- Sending certificates or originals with an audit submission.
- Keeping evidence that names a service user or a colleague.
- Deleting records when a period ends. Keep them while you are registered.
- Keeping the only copy of a log in one browser with no backup file.
- Assuming a certificate alone is enough without a written reflection.
Keep your own CPD log
Reflectora logs each activity with its credits and the four reflective fields, counts your credits in every 12-month period, shows the date you would fall under 30 if you logged nothing new, and prints an audit pack in your own layout. Everything stays in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I keep CPD records?
The CPD FAQ says your CPD documentation should be kept for as long as you are on the register.
Do I send certificates if I am audited?
No. The audit guidelines say supporting documents are not required with the record, and that originals should not be submitted because they are not returned.
Can I attach certificate files in Reflectora?
Not at present. The evidence field records where each certificate or note is kept. Nothing is uploaded, and your record stays in your browser.
Sources
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 against:
- CPD General Questions (FAQ), CORU, page undated, read 28 September 2026. Used for: one hour of new or enhanced learning equals one credit, any fraction of an hour may be attributed, the registrant decides the credits, no carry forward, the same requirement on leave, part-time or a career break, and keeping records while on the register
- Continuing Professional Development Audit: Guidelines for Registrants, CORU, document undated, read 28 September 2026. Used for: audit periods of 12 or 24 months, 30 credits in every 12-month period linked to the registration renewal date, what a submitted record contains, no service user or colleague identifiers, supporting documents kept but not submitted, and the two outcomes
This guide is our own summary of the published documents, not legal advice and not a finding about your application; the regulator's assessors decide. If it disagrees with the current documents, the documents win. Reflectora is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to CORU, the Health and Social Care Professionals Council, any registration board or any professional body.