The Association of Certified Forensic Investigators of Canada requires its members to, at the very least, maintain their knowledge and expertise with the goal of being able to keep pace with today’s issue and technology. At best, members should continually strive to increase their knowledge base in an effort to constantly improve the quality of their work product, and ensure that they are keeping pace with advancing technology and current and future business complexities as well as society’s demand for quality and professionalism.
Members are required to acquire CPD credits, (at minimum, 20 per annum) for the previous 12 months.
At least 10 of these 20 hours of CPD (See CPD types) must consist of fraud related subjects, which are germane to the CFI’s jurisdiction.
Compliance can be achieved by either a formal programme of education or by any other means through which a member might reasonably be expected to maintain professional competency in the member’s area of practice or employment. Though members are not required to routinely report their CPD hours, members shall keep appropriate records and submit copies of such on a request made by the Association.
Each 50 minute contact unit is worth 1 CPD credit.
Therefore consider that a conference which begins at 8:30 am and ends at 5:00 pm would yield the following:
| Minutes | |
| 8:30 to 5:00 pm = 8.5 hours (510 minutes) | 510 |
| Luncheon = 1 hours or 60 minutes | (60) |
| 2 refreshment breaks of 20 minutes each | (40) |
| Contact Minutes (daily) | 410 |
| 410 divided by 50 = | 8 CPDs |
CPD credits may include verifiable and/or non-verifiable credits.
Verifiable CPD credits are those, which are easily proven such as a receipt to a fraud conference, which clearly displays the name of the organization, which sponsored the conference, the conference type, topics or subjects attended, and the date of the conference.
Non-verifiable CPD credits would be those where a member developed a seminar and then subsequently presented it. The time to develop the seminar would not be verifiable whereas the duration of the seminar would most likely be determinable.
Qualifying Programmes
Formal programmes which contribute to the member’s professional competence. Examples of qualifying programmes are in-house training courses, university or college credit courses or other such programmes, law enforcement training sessions, seminars or conferences or fraud-related sessions (See Exclusions) as they relate to auditing, accounting, investigation, fraud prevention and detection, fraud theory, ethics and law.
An unlimited number of these credits may be claimed during a 12-month period.
Exclusions
Continuing professional development credits must be germane to the jurisdiction of the member.
Any subjects, such as investigation and law, which are not relevant within the area of the member’s practice, will not be accepted.
Instructors/speakers are entitled to claim the amount of time expended in the preparation for the first class or session to a maximum of 15 hours. They are also entitled to claim the amount of time expended in presenting their materials.
| Example | Hours |
| Time expended to prepare material for the first class [say] 62 hours. Maximum time allowable = | 15 |
| Presenting material = 2 hours per evening class x [say] three (3) classes = | 6 |
| Total claimable hours: | 21 |
| For subsequent sessions: | Hours |
| Time expended to prepare material for the first class [say] 62 hours. Maximum hours allowable = | 0 |
| Presenting material = 2 hours per evening class x [say] three (3) classes = | 6 |
| Total claimable hours: | 6 |
These credits are granted for original works produced by a member. Credits for the development of a programme (seminar, conference, etc.), a fraud-related article or authoring a section of the ACFI Manual or a book can fall within this category.
CPD hours are granted for the time taken to develop the material and, in the event that the member presents his/her work within a classroom setting then credit hours are granted for the presentation of same to a maximum of 10 (ten) hours per annum.
| Example | Hours |
| Time expended to develop the course | 189 |
| Presenting the material during the year = 36 hours Maximum hours allowable = | 10 |
| Total claimable hours: | 199 |
| For subsequent years: | Hours |
| Time expended to develop the course 189 hours. Maximum hours allowable = | 0 |
| Presenting material during the year = 56 hours. Allowable = | 10 |
| Total claimable hours: | 10 |
Members may request an exemption from CPD requirements if the member through retirement, unemployment or other reason has temporarily or permanently left the workplace.
Requests may be submitted using;