Human Services – Board Certified Practitioner
Maintaining Your Credential
All Human Services-Board Certified Practitioners (HS-BCPs) must complete the established recertification requirements, as stated below, every five years, in order to maintain the credential. Sixty (60) contact (clock) hours of relevant continuing education must be completed during each five year certification cycle, including a minimum of six (6) contact hours specific to ethics. These hours must be documented by certificates or letters of attendance or completion, transcripts, or grade reports, and must be completed during the five-year certification period. (Registration forms or cancelled checks are not acceptable proof of attendance or completion.) HS-BCPs must retain documents for five years following recertification. Documents should NOT be sent to CCE unless you are notified by mail that you have been selected for audit. If you are selected for audit, CCE will review your continuing education documentation for acceptability. In addition, HS-BCPs must follow the Code of Ethics and pay the $35 annual maintenance fee.
Human Services Competency Areas
- Ethics in Helping Relationships
- Interviewing and Intervention Skills
- Group Work
- Case Management
- Human Development
- Social and Cultural Issues
- Social Problems
- Assessment/Treatment Planning
- Intervention Models/Theories
- Human Behavior
- Social Welfare and Public Policy
- Research, Program Evaluation and Supervision
Determining if a Continuing Education Activity Meets HS-BCP Requirements
The following checklist will assist in determining if an activity meets HS-BCP continuing education guidelines and can be used for recertification. You should be able to answer yes to the following questions if you wish to use an activity for certification renewal credit.
- Does the content of the activity fall within a human services competency area?
- Is the activity geared toward professionals in the field of human services?
- Does the activity enhance your role as a human service professional?
- If it was a teleconference, was there an opportunity to interact with an instructor or facilitator?
- Was the activity completed during the current five-year certification period?
- Does the training provider have formal education or credentialing in the competency area addressed?
Additional Continuing Education Guidelines
- A contact hour is defined as one hour of actual participation in a continuing education activity, excluding breaks, lunch, etc.
- Teleconferences must feature an interactive format in order to qualify for recertification. Interactive teleconferences provide the opportunity for participants to communicate directly with the instructor or have a facilitator present at the conference site.
- Seminars, workshops or conferences - certificate, verification form, or letter verifying attendance required for documentation.
- College or university courses - transcript, grade report or verification form required for documentation.
- Credit for in-service training - Formalized in-service training provided by a qualified trainer may be verified by certificate, verification form, or completed CCE In-Service Participation form, signed by the trainer or supervisor and with information attached regarding training content.
- Home study programs - must meet all continuing education guidelines. A certificate from the organization providing the home study activity is required for documentation.
- Publication of an article directly related to human services in a referred journal can provide the six (6) contact hours of continuing education for the author.
- HS-BCPs without sixty (60) hours of qualifying, documented continuing education for recertification may re-take and pass the examination in lieu of the required hours of continuing education.
For Educators
An educator can earn a maximum of eighteen (18) contact hours of continuing education per five-year recertification cycle for teaching or developing a course. Educators can earn a maximum of six (6) contact hours per course; for instance, if educators teach several sections of the same course, they can earn a maximum of six (6) contact hours.
Leadership
Limit of 15 clock hour maximum. The following leadership positions are acceptable for recertification credit: Officers of regional or national human services organization; editor of professional human services journals; member of state human services certification board; member of a national human services certification board; member of a national ethics disciplinary review committee rendering certification or professional membership; active member of a human services committee producing a substantial written product; chair of a major human services conference or convention; other leadership positions with justifiable professional learning experiences. The leadership positions must take place for a minimum of one year after the date of first certification. Under leadership list the names of the organization. List the position held. A letter from the organization with the dates and type of service is the required documentation.
In addition to the leadership recertification credit, individuals who are trained by the Council for Standards in Human Services Education and serve as readers for Self-Studies will be able to count 15 clock hours toward recertification.
Failure to Maintain Certification
There are two aspects of credential maintenance, renewal and recertification. These are different, but related processes. An HS-BCP renews certification by submitting the annual fee. Recertification is required every five years and includes submitting proof of completion of continuing education activities. Failure to complete renewal or recertification processes will negatively impact the HS-BCP certification.
Annual Renewal: Each year, CCE will send each HS-BCP a statement of annual maintenance fees. Currently the fee is $35. HS-BCPs must remit the annual maintenance fee payment by the due date to maintain certification. If CCE does not receive payment by the due date, the certification becomes inactive. To reactivate, a reinstatement application must be completed, a reinstatement fee (currently $50) paid, and the past due balance must be paid in full.
Recertification: HS-BCPs must complete the required sixty (60) contact hours of relevant certification every five (5) years. If CCE does not receive the information requested for recertification, the certification will expire. When a certification expires, the following are required for reinstatement: a reinstatement application, a $50.00 reinstatement fee, documentation of sixty (60) continuing education hours, and full payment of the past due balance.