This page explains what happens to your CPD obligations if you take parental leave or another form of extended leave.
You can learn about parental leave in the Equality Rules of the BSB Handbook. The Bar Council also has an Advice Pack on Family Career Breaks.
If you take parental or another form of extended leave, you can suspend your practising certificate.
The New Practitioner Programme (NPP)
Read our CPD Guidance to learn about the requirements of the NPP.
If you are on the NPP and keep your practising certificate whilst on parental or other extended leave, then you can apply for an extension to or waiver from some or all the requirements of the NPP. We still encourage you to complete a proportionate amount of CPD to keep your professional knowledge, skills and attributes up to date and help ensure a smooth return to practice. You can find out how to apply for an NPP extension or waiver on our website's CPD Extensions and Waivers area.
If you are on the NPP and suspend your practising certificate whilst on parental or other extended leave, the three-year period of the NPP will pause for the time that you are away from practice. For instance, if you had one year left on the NPP when you went on extended leave and suspended your practising certificate, you will still have one year left on the NPP when you start to practise again. However, if you suspend your practising certificate and intend to return to practice, we encourage you to take proportionate steps to keep your professional knowledge, skills and attributes up to date and help ensure a smooth return to practice.
If you suspend your practising certificate, you must not hold yourself out as a barrister in connection with the supply of legal services (rC19 and gC60 of the BSB Handbook).
The Established Practitioners Programme (EPP)
Read our CPD Guidance to learn about the requirements of the EPP.
We do not operate a formal extension, waiver, or exemption process from the requirements of the EPP.
If you are on the EPP and keep your practising certificate whilst on parental or other extended leave, your CPD record needs to explain that you are completing a reduced amount of CPD or no CPD because you are on extended leave. We encourage you to complete a proportionate amount of CPD to keep your professional knowledge, skills and attributes up to date and help ensure a smooth return to practice.
If you are on the EPP and suspend your practising certificate whilst on parental or other extended leave, you do not need to complete CPD until you return to practice. However, we encourage you to take proportionate steps to keep your professional knowledge, skills and attributes up to date and help ensure a smooth return to practice.
If you return to practice part-way through a calendar year, the amount of CPD you complete in that calendar year to meet the requirements of the EPP needs to be proportionate to the amount of time you are in practice, and you need to explain this in your CPD record.
If you suspend your practising certificate, you must not hold yourself out as a barrister in connection with the supply of legal services (rC19 and gC60 of the BSB Handbook).
