APSCA Newsletter December 2022

31/12/2022 - No Comments

To enhance the professionalism and credibility of the individuals and organizations performing independent social compliance audits
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APSCA Newsletter – December 2022

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

We are still buzzing from our 2022 Annual Meeting, held from December 6-9 at TUV Rheinland in Germany. ‘Transforming the future of Social Auditing’ was the meeting’s theme and we have an exciting time ahead as we work for a better future for our profession and advance workplace conditions globally.

We open this issue with a special article from APSCA Chairman of the Executive Board, Avedis Seferian, who reminds us that together, we can transform the future of social auditing.

Please read through his thoughts in ‘A view from the Chair’ (below).

 

 


Dear Reader,
Welcome to this edition of the APSCA newsletter.

Rona and her team have been flat out recently pulling together a range of policies and strategies for the Board to support the growth of the organization and the auditor community. The demand for social audits is growing, and with that growth in demand, is the ask from the clients we serve that those auditors be APSCA certified. This is great news for the social compliance audit profession!

As a Board we were pleased to unanimously support the new APSCA Strategy. We recommend to all of you to familiarize yourself with it. For a copy please contact director@theapsca.org. Its realization is in all our hands!!

Recently I have attended several events in person, a real pleasure after around two years of Covid-19 restrictions This has enabled conversations face to face and such engagements bring a wealth of information from shared experiences.

We are seeing real opportunities and challenges on the horizon for us, both as social audit firms and auditors. Clients are now turning their minds to incorporate our work into the new environmental and human rights due diligence (EHRDD) requirements emerging in countries such as Japan, France, Germany, the Netherlands and within the wider EU with its pending directive. New restrictions on imports of goods made from child or forced labor are growing in not only the US, but also in countries such as Australia.

This regulatory trend will only continue, and we are well placed to assist companies in this emerging space. We will need new skills and innovative solutions to help companies reach the very bottom of their supply chains. That innovation lies within APSCA.

Our new strategy will help us all pivot to these new realities. It is an exciting time for us all, so let’s grab the issues we need to address and continue our quest to be the trusted partner for our clients.

Finally, this will be our last email for the year, so on behalf of myself and the entire Board, I wish you all the best for the festive season and the new year.

 

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AMM and Annual Updates
 

As 2022 drew to a close, APSCA held two distinctly separate year-end events.
 
 A Different Approachv
 
Given the global challenges of the last two years, we applied a different approach this year, using new technologies where possible, applied in a thoughtful manner, to try and reach and engage as many people as we could in ways which were helpful to them.
 
Registration and communications for both events were handled through our new event registration portal, Swoogo. Audience interactions such as Questions and Answers and polling were handled through Slido.



vThe First Eventv 


 
The 2022 Annual Updates with Live Q&A were a series of online only, live question and answer sessions held on November 29 and 30, 2022. Registrants were provided in advance with five recorded presentations from APSCA subject matter experts across topics including Exams, Ethics, Membership, Governance & IT, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) & Training.
 
Participants were able to watch the videos in their own time and then join the live Q&A sessions convenient for them, on topics where they had further questions. The Q&A sessions ranged from 30 to 60 minutes and were offered across multiple days to allow our global audience to engage in their own time zone.
 
An impressive total of
489 people registered across six sessions, with over 240 questions submitted during the live sessions. Over 53% of participants watched the pre-recorded sessions in advance of the live sessions.

 



Main topics discussed
during Live Q&A sessions







Participants heard from key members of the APSCA team, including Certification Manager, Barbara Youngman, whose presentation on Exams had the most views (#viralBarbara!), Data Administrator, Josh Morris who presented on Governance and IT improvements, and Alex Nasr, Director of Code and Compliance on the process and activities of our disciplinary boards.
 
APSCA received a lot of positive feedback regarding these sessions.  We are working on an FAQ document for the benefit of members, as well as a follow-up survey for participants.
 
Data & Compliance Coordinator, Emma Youngman, Communications Projects Coordinator Georgia Sexton, Director of Membership, Andrea Gilders and Annette Deal from Ginger Blue Graphics were instrumental in the success and facilitation of this project. Well done ladies!
 

The pre-recorded presentations can be accessed here
 



 Annual Meeting of Members and Stakeholders (AMM)
 
APSCA held our Annual Meeting for Members and Stakeholders, entitled “Transforming the Future of Social Auditing” from December 6-9 in Cologne, Germany,  graciously hosted by TUV Rheinland.

The 2022 AMM was our first hybrid session and the first time we were able to meet in person since 2019. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet and reconnect with in-person attendees.

Importantly, the three-day event offered up to 10 CPD hours for our Member Auditors over four sessions.
On Thursday, December 8 we were welcomed by Frank Dorssers, Senior Vice President, Global Field manager System, Customized Services and APSCA Executive Board Member B Representative, followed by Dr Michael Fubi, Executive Chair of TUV Rheinland who offered inspiring words connecting the APSCA mission to the TUV’s own work in this space.

A special thanks to Martine Croxall, BBC News presenter, for her keynote on public trust and how this impacts on the BBC. Her speech challenged us and our thinking around social auditing.
 
Martine then moderated our first panel of the day on freely chosen employment, which had representatives from our member auditor community comprising Melisa Cerizza, Laura Greene (ILO), Philip Hunter (IOM), Carolyn Kitto (Be Slavery Free) and Mike McDonnell from Intel, who graciously stayed up very late to provide a brand perspective.

APSCA chair Avedis Seferian moderated a panel on pending legislation with panelist Therese Randazzo, who is the director of forced labor with US CBP, together with Reinhard Bier of TUV Rheinland and Luis Rodrigo from IOE. We encourage you to listen to this panel as well as a panel from December 6, also moderated by Avedis Seferian, on the evolving landscape to hear what is in the pipeline and what is about to be implemented regarding legislation.

The December 8 program finished with a panel representing the APSCA Executive Board presenting the ‘2023 and Beyond Strategy’. The new strategy is focussed on three pillars, comprising Professionalism, Future Proofing and Identity, with a number of goals and objectives. We would like to give special thanks to Avedis Seferian, Frank Dorssers and Greg Gardner for supporting this panel.
 

Session within a Session – Auditor Training
 
On the last day of the event, December 9, we were fortunate to facilitate a four-hour session focused upon introducing APSCA auditors to a complimentary area of audit to support the expansion of due diligence in the minerals sector. 

The training session, Auditor Training – OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals, was introduced by Hannah  Koep-Andrieu, Head of Due Diligence, OECD Centre for Responsible Conduct and Nicole Hanson, Responsible Sourcing Manager  at the London Metal Exchange (LME). It was aimed at allowing auditors to learn best practice auditing for standards that incorporate OECD Due Diligence Guidance for the minerals sector. The purpose was to start increasing the quantity and quality of auditors for this sector and learn from industry experts with extensive OECD Guidance auditing experience.

The training, conducted by TDI Sustainability’s Julija Menise (Senior VP) and Jeannette Greven, Sustainability Consultant, was suitable for auditors with little or no minerals experience.
 
Demand for OECD Guidance audits will be high in coming years, especially since 53% of LME listed brands are planning to be audited across different minerals standards. The training was not tailored to one specific standard but aimed to be cross-cutting across multiple standards, with the common thread being the OECD Guidance. 
 
The training, which was an APSCA Continuous Professional Development Recognized Course for 4 Elective Topic CPD hours, was sponsored by the LME. The event was overwhelmingly well received with over 990 registrants.

 

 
 

During the session, participants were encouraged to learn about next steps to become more qualified in this sector, including participation in the 16th OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains (April 2023)                




Which Country are you
joining us from?






APSCA received a tremendous number of questions across all days of the AMM and all panels.  We are working on an FAQ document, as well as a follow-up survey for participants.

A big thanks to the more than 1,400 people who registered to participate across the week (December 6-9)
Recordings for the sessions are available to registered users through Swoogo.  Please follow the Session Links email or log in to view your registration
here
 
For Auditors who did not register or attend but would like to earn CPD, please click 
here to gain access to the recording and have your attendance recorded for CPD purposes.

Thanks to everyone including our panelists for the success of the events, including those who were able to join in person and those who joined remotely, as well as the amazing TUV logistics team that kept everything running smoothly.

Thanks to the APSCA team, which through the guidance of Andrea Gilders with support from Emma Youngman and Georgia Sexton helped ensure a successful event.

 

APSCA looks forward to transforming the future of social auditing with your support and assistance!
#APSCA #strategy #compliance #socialauditors

 

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TOGETHER, WE CAN TRANSFORM THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL AUDITING.

Achievements for 2022:

  • 500+ new Membership Numbers issued to our newly enrolled auditors
  • Introduction of “Expired” status
  • Completed an extensive review of all documentation, focused on streamlining and simplifying information for our Members
  • Introduction of documents with “right click translate” ability, allowing them to be used by readers of all languages
  • Creation of the How to Book a Part I & II Exam and the How to Book a Part III Exam documents
  • Introduction for all exam parts of How to Understand your Results
  • Launched online practice exams for Part I & II

When we talk about governance, we focus on listening to our members, both auditors and firms. We work to continuously improve our systems, processes and documentation, which ultimately benefits our Members and the Social Compliance profession as a whole.
 
On the IT/data system side, we continually work to ensure that our data systems can manage the growth in membership, as well as ensuring that the information remains secure and adheres to privacy requirements.

 
In our recent presentation (View here ) we discussed our extensive review of Member documentation and policies. We value all feedback from our Members and want to encourage everyone to continue sending their feedback moving into 2023.

Together, we can transform the future of social auditing.

 

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NEWS FROM THE EXAM TEAM FOR 2022

We have had such a busy year in 2022, as we now have 1750+ CSCA members across 59 countries!!
4500 + exams were sat and the Part I and Part II exam pass rate was up by 20+%, achieving 65% since this time last year. We made a Part I and a Part II practice exam and moved through two deadlines for Auditors to demonstrate their competence.
 
We have listened to your feedback and produced new documents and enhanced others:

  • Produced a Part I and Part II practice exam.   
  • What To Expect for Part III exam podcast is also now live.
  • Updated the Auditors Handbook, which is now available in a right-click translate version
  • All links to our documentation available via right-click translate
  • A one page “How to Book” with all the steps to sitting a successful exam, including links needed to prepare
  • Launched the Part III Alternate Language exam with translators and identified another organization to support these efforts
  • Moved the Part III exams to using Teams instead of GoToMeeting
  • Held multiple Calibration workshops for Interviewers so they are aligned in their marking
  • Produced podcasts and updated the webinars
  • Enhanced the Resource library.

As we look toward and plan for 2023 we anticipate another very busy year ahead.
 
The English, Spanish and Chinese Part III exam deadline has passed and Auditors personal deadlines are 90 days from passing their previous exam. For all others who are eligible to sit the Part III exam, the Deadline is
30 May 2023.
 
Unlike Part I and II exams, there is limited capacity for the Part III exams with limited Interviewers so please get in early with your bookings. Work with your Member Firm and if not associated with a Member Firm, contact the APSCA Exam team to start the process to schedule your Part III exam.
 
From June 2023 the RA level status will be phased out. For all Pathway 4 Members, there is no deadline, and you will remain at ASCA until you pass the Part III exam, where you will be accredited as a CSCA.
 

   Looking to 2023 


2023 will see the addition of in-house testing centres in 115 countries, with over 1,500 testing centres. When scheduling your exam, you will be able to choose to sit the exam online or in a testing centre.
 
You will be able to use PU’s computers and their internet bandwidth will be sufficient to prevent any connection issues. This will be at a different price point than the online proctored exams. We are in the final stages of discussing this with ProctorU and will share this pricing as soon as possible.

In early 2023, we will release the Part III practice exam and video. The practice exam will have a mock interview which you will be able to practice with colleagues or family members. The practice exam will have suggestions and tips for sitting a successful exam.
 
 
 Barbara’s Tips for the Part III exam 

Ensure you book your exam early, since we are working with limited Interviewers that will be working to capacity. We encourage you to not wait until the last minute in case there are any IT issues hindering your ability to sit the exam.
 
The What To Expect video has a step by step demonstration on what to expect at the time of the exam:

  • Explanation of the exam setting and screen layout.
  • The scenario (background, topics to be covered, laws/relevant information).
  • Notes taking is an important part of the process. It helps to guide the interview flow and further supports the answering of questions at the end of some of the scenarios. Notes can be taken in your preferred language.
  • Use of Timer & recommended time allocation per activity.
  • How to use the Highlighter.

 
Tips on answering the Part III questions.

  • The three scenarios are independent, with no correlation, and are fictitious.  So, read the background info carefully for each scenario.
  • Take time to write your notes. Feel free to take a pause to finish your notes then come back to the interview.
  • Listen attentively.
  • Don’t assume.
  • Ask for clarification or rephrase to ensure understanding.
  • Do not switch topics before finishing all elements.
  • Investigate thoroughly: answer questions and utilize the interrogative questions (what, why, where, when how).
  • Additional resources are available within the Resource Library on the APSCA website.

 
Please ensure when scheduling your Part III exam if you need a translator to choose the Alternate Language exam.


Remember, when scheduling your Part III exam in Calendly if you need a translator to choose the Alternate Language exam.
 
If you choose to sit the English Part III exam when booking in Calendly you WILL NOT be given a translator on the day.
 

Happy holidays
The Exam team would like to wish you and your families a safe and happy festive season.
Please note there will be no ProctorU exams from December 24 through to January 3, 2023, as the exam team takes a well-earned break.
 
However, if you have an urgent issue, please email exam@theapsca.org/ cc director@theapsca.org. The team will be checking emails intermittently. 

 

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The Ethics Team has been hard at work, improving our case processing times, enhancing our policies and frameworks, and building new guidance documents to better assist our Members, throughout 2022.

We have also participated in initiatives to improve data information sharing with collaborative programs to allow more visibility within the industry and get us closer to achieving our mission to professionalize the industry.

We have also enhanced our communication output to keep our Members and Stakeholders informed of trends, updates, and outcomes of the disciplinary process.

In 2023, we will continue to improve the Compliance Program, with new updates to the Code and Standards of Professional Conduct, continuous efforts to streamline case processing times, ongoing data and risk triangulation, and initiate a Member Firm Standards and Quality Program.

2022 Disciplinary Board for Member Auditor Statistics

 

















 

  
 



















For more information on APSCA’s year in Ethics – please see the 2022 Annual Update recorded presentation on this topic here

 

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As most readers are aware, the APSCA Continuous Professional Development process kicked off in 2021. This introduced Member Auditors to an annual requirement for CSCA and RA level auditors to complete training and on-site audit days to maintain and expand the knowledge base and stay up to date on emerging issues, as well as enhancing basic knowledge and understanding of topics within the Competency Framework and beyond.

APSCA CPD requirements are intended to foster integration of continuous learning and professional development opportunities into the profession of Social Compliance Auditing.

The work of the profession is relatively young when compared to other professions, so APSCA’s CPD work is intended to be helpful, and encourage auditors to stay in step with evolving terms, emerging issues and expanding requirements.

APSCA requires auditors to stay current in their field after they have passed through the exam certification phase.

The purpose of this requirement is to foster a lifelong learning approach to the profession which encourages auditors to continuously improve themselves and seek understanding of new topics. 

CPD is not intended to be punitive or restricting. At APSCA we encourage Auditors to creatively meet these requirements by self-identifying knowledge gaps and skill sets they would like to address in the learning opportunities they select for themselves.

APSCA plays a supporting role for Auditors in CPD by validating and recognizing training opportunities as being relevant to the skills of social compliance auditing. The recognized courses are included in the APSCA data system for easier reporting by Auditors. We also have a public list of training programs offered by designated Training Providers, including provision of a “CPD Badge” for web use and promotional purposes.

This year APSCA has also started facilitating the development and presentation of training opportunities for auditors at low or no cost to auditors.



Auditors’ ongoing commitment to their own professional development, learning and training has been inspiring to watch. Through independent submissions from Auditors, APSCA has learned about training opportunities in dozens of countries and even more languages which are relevant to Social Compliance knowledge areas.
In our first year of Mandatory CPD (2022), as at the end of October, there were more than 13,250 approved Auditor CPD records.
These include:




 

APSCA Member auditors have risen to the APSCA requirements of reporting their own continuous learning and ongoing professional development.

The approvals in the APSCA data system are updated weekly – please check your profile for current approval status on any CPD that has been submitted.

We will be auditing a percentage of all submissions during 2023 and we may be asking for validation of the courses where certificates have not been uploaded and are applicable.

APSCA continues to review questions from Auditors, trainers, collaborative programs and stakeholders about how to recognize and deliver value through promotion of existing training, enhanced guidance on day-to-day learning opportunities and the facilitation and creation of new training opportunities for Auditors.
For more information on APSCA’s year, please see the
Annual Update

 

 

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APSCA Member Firm Job Postings

Starting this year, APSCA has been helping APSCA Member Firms by sharing and connecting their job openings to our social media networks. If your organization is hiring and could use a boost to a community member who might be a match, please let us know by tagging us in your Linkedin Post #APSCA and emailing director@theapsca.org
Remember if you post within a group, APSCA may not have access to that group and will not be able to see your post.


We look forward to helping Member Firms get the best talent available!

 

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RREPORTING AN INTEGRITY ISSUE  
 

If you wish to report an action by one of our Members (Firms or Auditors) which may be considered a violation of APSCA’s Code and Standards of Professional Conduct, email our Ethics Manager at Ethics@theapsca.org

 

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To better serve our Membership and interested parties, we established a Resource Library on APSCA’s website. The library provides a comprehensive directory of member documents, key dates, exam guides, webinars for exam preparation and more! 

COMING SOON:  Enhancement to The APSCA resource library
Watch this newsletter and our website for more details and changes.

We would welcome your feedback – please forward your suggestions to:  director@theapsca.org

 

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Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 4,000 subscribers each month! We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date with APSCA Happenings by clicking here. Further, if you have a friend or colleague that may be interested in APSCA, please share this newsletter with them via the link below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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APSCA Newsletter November 2022

24/11/2022 - No Comments

To enhance the professionalism and credibility of the individuals and organizations performing
independent social compliance audits

 

APSCA Newsletter – November 2022

COMING UP!
 


Please join us!
We are happy to announce that
the registration for APSCA’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Members and
Stakeholders (AMM)
is now open.

The AMM will be our first hybrid event ever, and our first in
person Annual Meeting since 2019.
This year’s meeting will take place during the week of December 6-9th
at TUV-Rheinland in their offices in Cologne Germany.


Please CLICK HERE 
for Agenda and Registration details.

 

 

 

 

Exciting Announcements in this issue! 
 

APSCA
was pleased to announce that as of the end of October 2022, there
were more than 1700 Auditors who had completed their 3-part exams
and met their requirements to be a Certified Social Compliance
Auditor (CSCA).
 
This means that more than 35% of Social Compliance Auditors who
are APSCA Members have reached this important milestone in their
professional development. Congratulations to all our CSCAs for
your hard work and diligence in the APSCA certification process!

 

 
 

Earlier
this year, APSCA launched Practice Exams for Part I
and Part II to support Auditors as they go through the exam
process. The Practice Exams are online and scored immediately for
all multiple-choice questions and expected answer for the Part II
short answers.  This allows auditors to familiarize
themselves with the question formats. APSCA has identified an
increase of 20% in the exam pass rate for Part I and
Part II since
the introduction of the Practice Exams in Q1 2022.

 
Try them out today!
 

CLICK HERE
for
the APSCA practice exams 
 


APSCA is also pleased to announce the APSCA Part
III Exam is now available with live translations in 240 different
languages.

More
information below

 
The Part III deadline for Registered Level Auditors is May 2023 –
If you are an RA, book your Part III exam soon! Do
not wait until the last minute as, unlike Part I and
II,
seats are limited, and they will fill up quick!

 

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Auditor Bulletin

To ensure information impacting Member Auditors is
reaching them efficiently and effectively, APSCA launched The Auditor Bulletin (AB) earlier
in 2022.  At APSCA we recognize that the world is a
complicated place with ever changing landscapes, the Auditor
Bulletin provides Member Auditors with specific news straight to
their inbox. Topics include exam deadlines, updated information
about exam languages, booking instructions, emerging issues,
events, opportunities to connect with our Podcast and focused
information on Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and more.

The third quarterly issue of the Auditor Bulletin, to be released
in November 2022 will provide Members with year end reminders and
key dates for the first half of 2023.

As part of APSCA’s continuous improvement process, we would love to
hear your feedback on the Auditor Bulletin. If you would like to
see a topic included in an upcoming issue, or if you have questions
about the Auditor Bulletin, please contact us at director@theapsca.org



 

All APSCA Exams (Parts I, II & III) are
available in more than 100 languages through either technology or
live translations.

 

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LOOKING FORWARD

Our industry is at a
pivotal point. As we embrace our role as being the Professions
Standards Body for Social Compliance Auditing, we are
experiencing a shift in business and social expectations as to
how workers are being treated within the complexity of
environmental and human rights challenges across operations and
supply chains, a shift that will only continue to accelerate.
This includes addressing the repeated perception that audits are
somehow not fit for purpose, and all that is now needed to
address these complex challenges is simply Human Rights Due
Diligence (HRDD). In truth a social compliance audit is just
that, a check on legal compliance. As such, it is a strong
contributor to any business seeking to do HRDD. No, it is not
HRDD itself, but nor is HRDD complete without it. It is, after
all, the only process yet developed which puts “boots on the
ground” on a cadence that can track compliance progress over
time.
 
APSCA Members, be they auditors or firms, are well placed to
facilitate the development of “social compliance auditing” into
the broader concept of “social measurement.” By partnering with
clients and others involved in HRDD processes APSCA can help
weave together the different elements such as worker voice and AI
into a consistent HRDD framework tailored to the needs of its
clients, help in their understanding of what findings mean and to
help them in their remediation.

 

Through the work that APSCA and its Members have
completed over the last 6 years, we are well placed to continue
to augment our examination process to capture these new demands
in the competencies we require of our auditors and use our
representative legitimacy as the Professional Standards Body for
our industry, to positively engage in shaping that future.

 

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For more
information on the Ethics Corner click here

 

ETHICS ACTIVITIES
 

APSCA’s Disciplinary Board
for Member Auditors (DBMA) has met on six occasions since February
2022 and reviewed 22 allegations of misconduct, with another
hearing scheduled in December. By the end of the year, we
expect to have brought to the DBMA twice as many cases in 2022
as were heard in 2021.
 
Alongside an increase in reports of misconduct to the APSCA
Ethics Team, we are seeing concerted efforts across many firms
to increase the efficacy of their misconduct detection and
reporting systems. We see strong indications that the two are
linked and believe that the increase in reports – and by extension,
APSCA sanctions – represents a positive step forward for the
social compliance profession.
 
Based on our current data, we believe that the volume of Code
violation reports received by APSCA will continue to rise in
the foreseeable future, but that this increase will be driven
by an improvement in detection mechanisms – not only by Member
Firms, but also collaborative programs, brands and APSCA’s own
efforts to continuously improve our capacity to detect and
address Code violations. Thus, we see a sustained increase in
reports (still representing a very small percentage of overall
audits) as a positive, as long as certain criteria are
fulfilled, including, among other factors, the
following:

  • These
    cases are being reported to APSCA via Member Firms
    (indicating that their detection mechanisms are
    functioning well);
  • These
    cases are being followed up internally by Member Firms
    with appropriate corrective action. For example, whether
    that constitutes additional training for staff; the
    enhancement of a control; the review of a policy; in
    addition to any disciplinary action taken against the
    offending Auditor by the Firm.

 

New Policies
and Guidance Documents!


1. Evidence Submission Guidance Document – Providing the requirements for Member Firm
submission of reports and supporting evidence to the APSCA
Ethics Team regarding possible misconduct of Member Auditors.


2. Auditor Disciplinary Records Policy – Defining our policy on sharing with Member
Firms information relating to Member Auditors and any
disciplinary actions / allegations which may be known to
APSCA.


Disciplinary Framework and Procedures Update – Updated to better reflect our processes and
changes, since welcoming our Director of Code and Compliance,
Alex Nasr.


4. Podcast – The Ethics Team have released a new podcast,
‘The Substantiation Gap’. This short podcast sit’s down with
Emma Youngman and Alex Nasr, who discuss APSCA’s disciplinary
process, and the degree of substantiating evidence needed for
the Disciplinary Board to suspend or revoke an APSCA
Membership.

 

 

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Our
Member Auditors conducted over 160,000 Social Compliance
Audits
during 2021 and continue to enjoy the
support of the largest brands and retailers in the world and the
partnership of the social compliance collaborative programs
(schemes) who require professional credential for performance
under their programs.

 


 
MEETING
EXPECTATIONS

APSCA
Members are accountable for meeting the expectations noted within
the Code. This requirement ensures Members can be trusted by
clients and other Partners to adhere to these same high
standards.
Between 2020-2021, over 268,000 Social Compliance
Audits were conducted by our Member Firms, of which 97%
(259,960) were aligned with the Code’s requirements.

Whilst the majority of APSCA Member Firms are meeting
expectations, there have been a surprisingly high number of
non-compliant audits taking place in key markets, such as China,
India, Italy, Mexico, and the USA.
The future of the profession is dependent on the execution of
credible and high-quality Social Compliance Audits. As the
Profession’s Standards Body committed to enhancing the
professionalism, consistency and credibility of Auditors and
their associated organizations, it is vital that we increase the
number of audits which meet APSCA’s Code expectations to 100%.

Through a process of analysis and due consideration of various
options, APSCA will address the issues via a phased approach with
APSCA Member firms.

Interested in learning more?
Supporting Processes and Guidance for this article:
APSCA Code and
Standards of Professional Conduct

APSCA Glossary of
Terms

Use of APSCA Member
Auditor Number Guide

 

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POLICY UPDATED –
AUDITOR MEMBERSHIP STATUS POLICY

It’s not too late
to get your status back on track!


 ENFORCEMENT
OF THE UPDATED POLICY BEGAN 1 OCTOBER 2022 

 ONLY THOSE AUDITORS WHO WERE LAPSED FOR 24+
MONTHS WERE MOVED TO EXPIRED. 


EXPIRED
Effective 1 July
2022, with enforcement beginning 1 October 2022, APSCA has updated
the Auditor Membership Status Policy to include a new status
EXPIRED.

APSCA now
has 6 status types of Membership for Member Auditors which are
outlined in the Auditor Membership Status Policy

  • In Good Standing (
    Active)
  • Lapsed
  • Expired (Effective
    1 October, 2022)
  • Inactive

Sanctioned Levels

  • Suspended
  • Not in Good
    Standing


EXPIRED
An APSCA Member
Auditor whose status has moved to ‘Lapsed’, Expired, ‘Suspended’ or
‘Not in Good Standing’ is unable to: 

  • Use their APSCA
    Member Number on a Social Compliance Audit
  • Actively
    participate in any capacity within a Social Compliance Audit
  • Present themselves
    as an APSCA Member Auditor at any time.

 

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Are you
interested in booking an APSCA Exam?

Please use our
quick “How to Book” guides to get started today!

How to Book – Part I or Part II
How to Book – Part III



 
Please check out How to Book – Part III
For more tips and tricks on the APSCA Part III Exam – please listen
to our newest podcast,
the Part III Podcast

 



 QUESTIONS?
Contact: exams@theapsca.org



If you or your team members
are preparing to sit the
Part I or Part II exam and looking for some extra resources, please

take a look at the Practice Exam
 

EXAM Study Tools

If you or your
team members are preparing to sit the Part I or Part II exam and
looking for some extra resources, please take a look at the Practice Exams.

  • APSCA Part I &
    Part
    II
    Exam pass rates have substantially improved
    since the launch of the Practice Exams in early 2022.
  • Practice exams
    allow test takers to familiarize themselves with the format of
    the questions and answers for the first two exams. They also
    enable test takers to practice using right-click translate/
    technology-based translation tools which are supported for
    Part I & Part II exams. Instructions are available here.
  • Review the APSCA
    Exam Guides for the Exam you are taking
  • The practice exams
    are also a great opportunity to plan out note taking for the
    exam, which is particularly important for Part II.
    Being proactive in note taking during the exam will make it
    easier to identify potential questions and investigations to
    raise in relation to each topic outlined in the scenario.
    Practice taking organized, clear, and detailed notes to
    maximize success!
  • Role play practice
    will assist you in feeling more confident during the exam. You
    may have been involved in and/ or experienced role play as a
    part of your initial training to become a social compliance
    auditor – the live online role plays simulate what you may
    have experienced while auditing.

 



EXAM Languages by
Exam Part

Parts I & II Exams are
available in 10 languages (English, Spanish, Simplified &
Traditional Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Bangla, Thai,
and Vietnamese). APSCA can accommodate exams in languages
supported by right click translate technology
(92 additional
languages
).
Part III is
available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese.

APSCA also offers the part III exam in 240 languages, with the
aid of a live translation partner. For those using this
translation service, we have a few tips to make the experience as
smooth as possible, as advised by our exam interviewers.





Use
short sentences and practice breaking down thoughts into smaller
pieces. Make sure sentences have a clear start and end- avoid run
on sentences! Lastly, try not to use abbreviations which may be
confusing for the translator. If in doubt, try spelling out the
word!  For more information about our translation partner,
please click here.

 

If you have questions about exams – please contact: exams@theapsca,org

 

 

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The Governance and IT team have been hard at work
over the last few months, focusing upon updates to APSCA Core
documents. All the updated documents including the updated
Competency Framework are ready to use with right click translate so
users may, via their browser level translation, read the document
in their language of choice.
 
Please be
aware of these updates AND the removal of translated copies of
earlier versions from our website. All new documents are being
shared in right click translatable formats.


APSCA Auditor
Handbook – v13

APSCA’s Competency
Framework – v7

APSCA Glossary of
Terms – v4

 

 

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APSCA Attended
Engaging Business Forum


In October, APSCA’s Director of Membership,
Andrea
Gilders
, attended the 14th Annual
Engaging Business Forum in Atlanta, GA.
 
The Event, which focused on the expectations of business in a
changing world of increasing human rights regulations and
geo-political challenges, was a 2 day hybrid event hosted by The
Coca-Cola Compnay, sponsored by the International Organization of
Employers (IOE), United State Council for International Business
(USCIB), and the US Chamber of Commerce. Event attendees were
fortunate to hear and engage with  multiple forward thinking
panels focused on topics such as the next frontier of human rights
due diligence, the role of driving social equity beyond the
workplace and the imperative of considering climate risk through a
human rights lens.
 
Are you or
your organization planning an event, conference or podcast
regarding Social Audit, Human Rights Due Diligience, ESG, or other
APSCA relevant topic? Would you like to have APSCA participate?
Please get in touch with us at Media@theapsca.org

 

 

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We are pleased to
congratulate a new full APSCA Member Firm
GlobalSTD on
their
commitment to the realization of APSCA’s mission 

 
“To enhance the Professionalism and Credibility of
individuals and

organizations performing
independent social compliance audits”
.

 

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Earlier this year, APSCA
launched The APSCA Podcast to expand the delivery of updates and
share conversations with APSCA Members and Stakeholders. The
APSCA Podcast is hosted on Podbean.



Please listen to
our Newest Podcast Episode here


The APSCA Podcast is
available on the following podcast distribution apps. 

          
 

 

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Is your organization interested in voicing your
support of APSCA?

The Organizations providing
support via the APSCA Support Statement continues to
grow.  These organizations have provided their permission to
use their name / logo which you can view on our website here.

If you would like to offer your support and have your
organization’s name/ logo placed on our website, please let us
know by contacting 
director@theapsca.org.

 

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DID YOU KNOW?
 

2022 Continuous Professional Development is
mandatory for all RA and CSCA level Auditors per the 
CPD Policy .

If you
are an Auditor, please review the APSCA
CPD policy and ensure your CPD relevant training and onsite
Audit Days meet the requirements.

As you
complete your training, ensure you record it in the APSCA Data
system per the
instructions.

 



 

In July, APSCA provided enhanced guidance to Member
about additional methods to achieve CPD requirements.

Per the CPD policy, Auditors
must complete 32 hours of training (mandatory and elective
topics). We would like to remind you that CPD hours can be earned
when a CSCA develops and delivers training for their peers.
We would like to provide thoughts on alternative ways which you
can obtain CPD hours in addition to training courses.

CPD
Hours for training ASCAs at onsite Audits

Auditors may claim 2 hours of CPD per Audit day to a maximum of 8
hours per year for supporting and actively developing an ASCA
Auditor gaining experience during an onsite audit. The APSCA
number of the ASCA and the facility information must be provided
in the submission to validate the audit with the Member Firm.

The
3:1 Rule for Developing Training Material

APSCA recognizes that preparing training materials takes longer
than it does to “stand and deliver” the training. We
are happy to announce that starting in 2022, APSCA CSCA auditors
who develop training materials which they deliver to other APSCA
Auditors can claim 3 hours of CPD for each hour of training
material they develop to a maximum of 3 hours of training. (Max 9
hours CPD for development, 3 hours for presenting the training
for the 1st time to a total of 12 hours.)

 



Are You a
Training Provider?

 
We welcome Member Firms, Collaborative Programs
Training providers, partners, and affiliates to participate in
this initiative by submitting
an expression of
interest

form to have their social compliance auditing-related learning
recognized as part of APSCA’s CPD program.
 
Recognized courses are assigned a specific quantity of CPD hours
that Member Auditors can note on their APSCA profile as going
towards meeting the annual requirement. Courseware can range from
online training to webinars, conferences, workshops and more. You
can submit your learning materials for consideration by
completing our
expression of interest
form
.
This quarter, we will issue further Guidance on CPD to help
Member Auditors and Member Firms meet this requirement effectively
in 2022.


For questions, please contact
cpd@theapsca.org.

 

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APSCA Member Firm
Job Postings

Starting 2022, APSCA has been
helping APSCA Member Firms and Supporter Firms win the war for
talent by sharing and connecting their job openings to our social
media. If your organization is hiring and could use a little bit of
a boost to a community who might be a match, please let us know,
and we may be able to help director@theapsca.org

 

 

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 REPORTING AN INTEGRITY
ISSUE 

 

If you wish to report
an action by one of our Members (Firms or Auditors) which may be
considered a violation of APSCA’s Code and Standards of
Professional Conduct, email our Ethics Manager at 
Ethics@theapsca.org 

 

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To better serve our
Membership and interested parties, we established a Resource Library
on APSCA’s website. The library provides a comprehensive directory
of member documents, key dates, exam guides, webinars for exam
preparation and more! 


COMING
SOON: 

Enhancement to The APSCA resource library

Watch this
newsletter and our website for more details and changes.

We would welcome your
feedback – please forward your suggestions to:  director@theapsca.org

 

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Our monthly
newsletter now reaches over 4,000 subscribers each month!
We encourage our Member Firms to have their
auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date
with APSCA Happenings by clicking 
here. Further, if you have a friend or colleague that
may be interested in APSCA, please share this newsletter with them
via the link below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Copyright ©
2022 Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors, All
rights reserved.

You are receiving this Newsletter as you subscribed via our
website.

Our
mailing address is:

Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors
1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 1000,
Washington DC 20006

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list
.

 

APSCA Newsletter April 2022

01/04/2022 - No Comments
To enhance the professionalism and credibility of the individuals and organizations performing independent social compliance audits
View this email in your browser
APSCA Newsletter – April 2022

During April, APSCA saw the number of Certified Social Compliance Auditors (CSCA) pass 1,500. Congratulations to all our CSCAs for your hard work and diligence in the APSCA certification process.
 
For those working through the exams, remember the online Practice Exams are available. APSCA has identified an increase of 20% in the exam pass rate for Part I & Part II since the introduction of the Practice Exams in early Q1.
 
APSCA is also pleased to announce the APSCA Part III Exam is now available with live translations in 240 different languages. More information below.
 
In this issue:
  • UN Day of Observance – World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
  • APSCA Competency Framework moves to V6
  • The APSCA Podcast launch on Podbean
  • Auditor Bulletin launches to improve direct APSCA communications with our Member Auditors
  • Newsletter frequency change
 
Further highlights are provided below.
 
Also in this this issue:

>> Share with a friend!
>> Contact Us
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UN Days of Observance

Earlier this year, APSCA began posting about APSCA Comptency Framework relevant UN Days of Observance on our social media accounts. When asked why we mark International Days we point to the UN’s explanation of this: 

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and celebrate and reinforce humanity’s achievements. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. 
1.
 
1 https://www.un.org/en/observances/earth-day



April 28 marks World Day for Safety and Health at Work. This day is intended to focus global attention on the need to create a safety culture in all workplaces focused upon preventing occupational accidents and diseases. APSCA can do its part by encouraging social dialogue on this important topic and by supporting our auditors in their work. Section 9.10 of APSCA Competency Framework.
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We are excited to announce the soft launch of APSCA’s official podcast “The APSCA Podacst”. In an effort to bring you into the conversations we are having here at APSCA and discuss all things social compliance,  we are releasing episodes that will be valuable to all involved in the industry. Find below the first three episodes hosted on Podbean. We welcome your feedback as we prepare to release them to distribution services (such as Spotify or Apple Music) early May.
 
Ep 1: Introduction/ Trailer  Find out what you can expect to hear in our podcasts when they will be posted, and the reason for this new feature!

Ep 2: Debunking the Myth – the Phase out of the Registered Auditor Level  Are you wondering why APSCA is phasing out the Registered Auditor Level? Our CEO, Rona Starr, explains everything you need to know in under 4 minutes.

Ep 3: In Conversation with Ian Spaulding and Alex Nasr  Earlier this year, APSCA’s  Director of Code and Compliance Alex Nasr sat down in Hong Kong with Ian Spaulding the founder and CEO of Elevate to discuss compliance in the context of a company’s maturity.  This will be the first of many ethics focused conversations as we speak to industry experts regarding systemic issues, challenges and milestones throughout our journey to professionalise the industry.


Please send feedback to media@theapsca.org

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In March, APSCA’s Rona Starr spoke with Kathleen Sobieralski Accounting Professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus, at the US Nation’s Capital Chapter of The Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business webinar on the topic Social Compliance: Planning and Auditing. The IMA attendees were fascinated to hear how industry challenges lead to the birth of the social compliance auditing profession. They also engaged on a forward facing discussion about the complex skill sets required by social compliance auditors and how APSCA will help the industry answer the need to attract new professionals to this space.



Are you or your organization planning an event, conference or podcast regarding Social Audit, Human Rights Due Diligience, ESG, or other APSCA  relevant topic?
Would you like to have APSCA participate? Please get in touch with us at Media@theapsca.org
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APSCA Auditor Social Media Guidance

In March, The APSCA Code and Compliance team published APSCA guidance to Member Auditors regarding social media. The Guidance reminds members of their confidentiality and professional considerations when using social media relative to their site work in social compliance audits.
The Guidance should be read in conjunction with the following documents which can be found on 
APSCAs website.


ASCA Social Media Guidance

Code and Standards of Professional Conduct

APSCA Competency Framework

Use of APSCA Member Auditor Number Guide

APSCA Glossary of Terms

APSCA Disciplinary Framework and Procedures

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APSCA Study Tools
  • As noted in the introduction to this newsletter, APSCA Part I & Part II Exam pass rates have substantially improved since the launch of the Practice Exams in early 2022.
  • If you or your team members are preparing to sit the Part I or Part II exam and looking for some extra resources, please take a look at the Practice Exam
  • The practice exams allow test takers to familiarize themselves with the format of the questions and answers for the first two exams. They also enable test takers to practice using right-click translate/ technology-based translation tools which are supported for Part I & Part II exams. Instructions are available here.
 


CSCA Exams and Languages:
Preferred Exam Languages for Auditors?

In January 2022 Member Auditors provided their annual consent to APSCA thru the Auditor’s APSCA online account (My Account). At that time, Member Auditors were also asked to confirm the language they wanted to sit their exams in. There are many APSCA Member Auditors who are advanced in multiple languages. The information was requested to support projections with our translation partner and also used to inform the deadline of the individual auditor in sitting their exams.  If you or a member of your team have a question about your APSCA Exam languages, please contact Data.administrator@theapsca.org
 


 
Exam Languages by Exam Part
Parts I & II Exams are available in 10 languages (English, Spanish, Simplified & Traditional Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Bangla, Thai, and Vietnamese). APSCA can accommodate exams in languages supported by right click translate technology (92 additional languages).

We piloted the use of right click translate technology in the exam process for an extended period of time and would like to remind Member Firms and Member Auditors that this capability is available. Instructions are available here.




Part III is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese.
APSCA, in partnership with a live translation partner we offer the APSCA Part III Exam in 240 languages.  We are excited to work together with them to improve the process for our Member Auditors sitting the Part III exam. For more information about our translation partner, please click here. For more information on how to book an APSCA Part III Exam, please contact: exams@theapsca,org

 QUESTIONS?
Contact: exams@theapsca.org



Exam Eligibility
For all CSCA Exams (Parts I – III) Auditors must consult with their Member Firm to confirm eligibility to sit each exam and obtain information on the 2022 exam fees. Please follow the Guidance in the updated Auditor Handbook V12 and work with your Member Firm or APSCA prior to scheduling/sitting any exam.
 
Exam Costs
APSCA Exams prices are listed on our Schedule of Fees

Should you have any questions or require clarification on the exam eligibility process, contact us at Director@theapsca.org 
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    APSCA Registered Auditor Exam Deadlines   



 
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2022 CPD IS mandatory and WILL impact Auditor status for 2023.

If you are an Auditor, please review the APSCA CPD policy and start planning your CPD relevant training.
When you have completed your training, please submit the training to APSCA through the Auditor’s APSCA online account (My Account) using the Detailed instructions.



   Are You a Training Provider?   

We welcome Member Firms, Collaborative Programs Training providers, partners, and affiliates to participate in this initiative by submitting an expression of interest form to have their social compliance auditing-related learning recognized as part of APSCA’s CPD program.

Recognized courses are assigned a specific quantity of CPD hours that Member Auditors can note on their APSCA profile as going towards meeting the annual requirement. Courseware can range from online training to webinars, conferences, workshops and more. You can submit your learning materials for consideration by completing our expression of interest form. This quarter, we will issue further Guidance on CPD to help Member Auditors and Member Firms meet this requirement effectively in 2022.

For questions, please contact cpd@theapsca.org.
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In April, APSCA released the updated APSCA Competency Framework.
Now at Version 6, the revised Competency Framework reflects updates relating to the Jan 2022 phasing out of the Registered Auditor (RA) Level. The document went through a general clean up and formatting update. In several instances, static text was replaced by links to other documents (example the APSCA Code of Standards and Professional Conduct). Section 3 of the Competency Framework was also cleaned up, pointing to a more streamlined single pathway to exam eligibility and certification.



The updated Competency Framework is also ready to use with right click translate so that users may use their browser level translation to read the document in languages other than English.
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Announcing APSCA’s newest communication stream



In an effort to ensure that information impacting Auditors is being communicated to them efficiently and effectively,  APSCA is launching The Auditor Bulletin . The world is a complicated place with ever changing landscapes, Member Auditor specific news will now come straight to their inbox. Topics will include exam due dates, updated information about exam languages, booking instructions, emerging issues, events, opportunities to connect with our Podcast and focused information on Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and more. Starting in late April APSCA Member Auditors will begin receiving the new direct to Member Auditor communications from the APSCA team.

   APSCA Support Statement   

Is your organization interested in voicing your support of APSCA?

The Organizations providing support via the APSCA Support Statement  continues to grow.  These organizations have provided their permission to use their name / logo which you can view on our website:

https://www.theapsca.org/support-apsca/

If you would like to offer your support and have your organization’s name/ logo placed on our website, please let us know by contacting director@theapsca.org.



  
Newsletter Frequency Change   

Effective April 2022, the frequency of the APSCA Newsletter will be changing.  The APSCA newsletter will now be issued every 6-8 weeks instead of monthly. We value your time and attention and would like to ensure that our communications are useful to our subscribers. Sometimes, less is more.
If you have feedback about this change or any other part of the newsletter, please let us know at director@theapsca.org.

 

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 REPORTING AN INTEGRITY ISSUE 
 

If you wish to report an action by one of our Members (Firms or Auditors) which may be considered a violation of APSCA’s Code and Standards of Professional Conduct, email our Ethics Manager at Ethics@theapsca.org 

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To better serve our Membership and interested parties, we established a Resource Library on APSCA’s website. The library provides a comprehensive directory of member documents, key dates, exam guides, webinars for exam preparation and more! 

The APSCA resource library layout will be changing in the coming months.  
Watch this newsletter and our website for more details and changes.
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Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 4,000 subscribers each month! 
We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date with APSCA Happenings by clicking 
here. Further, if you have a friend or colleague that may be interested in APSCA, please share this newsletter with them via the link below.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
Share with my colleagues!
Questions? Send them here.
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APSCA Newsletter February 2022

28/02/2022 - No Comments

To enhance the professionalism and credibility of the individuals and organizations performing independent social compliance audits
View this email in your browser

 

APSCA Newsletter – Februrary 2022

Greetings, and Happy New Year. We hope you were able to enjoy some refreshing downtime during the holidays with those who mean the most to you.

Just as exciting as the metaphorical new beginning that a new year brings is that we are also celebrating the Year of the Tiger! As APSCA kicks off our 7th year of working with our members and stakeholders around the globe. All indicators point to a robust business environment in which WE all can thrive. The pandemic shows signs of coming under better control, with more people expressing enthusiasm about returning to safe workplaces. Companies are hiring in untold numbers during the “Great Reshuffle.” Social compliance standards will remain top of mind for the foreseeable future as talent remains scarce and companies pull out every stop to ensure that they can fuel their competitive growth engines with the all-important “people first” agenda
.

This issue covers what’s on tap for 2022: new education, key dates, events, a recap of Ethics Investigations from 2021, Practice Exams and more. Read on to learn more.

 

We welcome your feedback on how we can continually improve the value we deliver. If there is a new or better way we may be of service, a new resource you would like to see, or a question or concern, contact us any time.


Here’s to 2022. May the highly anticipated Year of The Tiger bring you health, wealth and happiness.


 

Note: If your firm is not yet an APSCA Member Firm, we would welcome the opportunity to help you explore the benefits of membership. To learn more (and schedule a brief discussion) contact us at membership@theapsca.org

 

Further highlights are provided below.
 

 

 

 




Are you preparing to sit your Part I or Part II exam and looking for some extra resources?
Because practice makes us feel more at ease and empowered to demonstrate our capabilities, we have added to the tools to assist you in putting your best foot forward during the certification exam journey. Part I  & Part II Practice Exams are available and can be used to practice the right click translate feature. We encourage you to access this new tool on the APSCA website to familiarize yourself with the style of the exams, along with the type of questions and exercises you’ll encounter. 
Please click here to take a look at the Practice Exam.

 

 

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In 2021 the Ethics Team completed their investigations of the 2020 Exam Misconduct which involved more than 80 Auditors. In addition, the Disciplinary Board for Member Auditors (DBMA) were presented cases throughout the year resulting in 7 Membership revocations and 11 Membership suspensions. In addition, the team opened another 48 cases, with some currently under investigation.


2022 Annual Ethics Report
Every year, Member Firms are required to submit to APSCA an annual report relating to their ethics and integrity programs. To better understand Members’ programs, we ask questions relating to Member Firms’ complaint-handling activities and integrity management as required by sections 5.2.4 and 2.3 of the APSCA Code and Standards of Professional Conduct. This assists APSCA’s Ethics Team in identifying areas of opportunity for both our team and our Members.

Systemic Issue Alerts for Member Firms
In addition to dealing with violations of the APSCA Code and Standards of Professional Conduct, this year the Ethics Team  will be increasing efforts to address systemic issues that we identify across the industry. One way we will be doing this is to issue Systemic Issue Alerts to Member Firms. Systemic Issue Alerts will serve as both guidance and as an educational tool for Member Firms to identify issues and enhance the training for their Member Auditors in adhering to the APSCA Code and Standards of Professional Conduct.
 

 

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In the spirit of continuous improvement, APSCA has been actively working to optimize our business processes and related documentation.
Thus far in 2022, APSCA has released updated consolidated instructions on how to book exams, and separated our exam request process (documents) to better support the expanded language offerings. Please reference our resource library here.

As part of our work supporting the APSCA Governance pillar, we are working through a comprehensive review of all of our documents and process’ in 2022.




Exam Eligibility
For all CSCA Exams (Parts I – III) Auditors must consult with their Member Firm to confirm eligibility to sit each exam and obtain information on the 2022 exam fees.  Please follow the guidance in the Auditor Handbook and work with your Member Firm or APSCA prior to scheduling/sitting any exam.
 
Should you have any questions or require clarification on the exam eligibility process, contact us at Director@theapsca.org 


CSCA Exams and Languages:
Parts I & II are available in 10 languages (English, Spanish, Simplified & Traditional Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Bangla, Thai, and Vietnamese).
With the assistance of technology, APSCA has expanded these exams to cover another 92 languages. See below to learn more about this feature!


Part III is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese.
We are in the final stages of testing to provide Part III in all languages with the support of translators.
Please see the Resource Library
 on our website for more information.


APSCA has partnered with an organization which offers 240 different languages. They have the experience, team and technology to convert the complexities of our language requirements into a powerful asset for APSCA and our Members.  We are excited to work together with them to improve the process for our Member Auditors sitting the Part III exam. For more information about our translation partner, please click here.


 

 

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APSCA, can accommodate exams in languages supported by right click translate technology (92 additional languages).

We have been piloting the use of right click translate technology in the exam process for an extended period of time and would like to remind Member Firms and Member Auditors that this capability is available.
Instructions are available here.





 

 

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During the 2021 Annual General Meeting, APSCA presented updates on Continuous Professional Development (CPD). We have received a number of questions and would like to take this opportunity to clarify some of the initial information.

Mandatory and non-mandatory CPD
2021 CPD WAS NOT mandatory and will not affect Auditor level certification for 2022.
2022 CPD IS mandatory and may impact Auditor Membership (level and/or status) for 2023. (See the CPD Policy below for more information).


Updated CPD Policy
APSCA updated the CPD policy in December to simplify the process and clarify terminology.
Examples of revised terminology are:
1) better distinguishing mandatory vs. elective topics; and
2) recognized courses vs. independent submissions.

If you are an Auditor, we encourage you to read and become familiar with the updated policy.


Reporting your CPD
We have provided detailed instructions for submitting CPD in Auditor’s APSCA online account (My Account).
Note: APSCA has been working through an issue with the workflow approval of CPD requests in our online system with our IT provider. We are happy to report that the system issue has been resolved and we are working thru the back log, anticipating to have all 2021 requests processed by the end of February. We thank you for your patience.

For more information on the CPD changes and enhancements, visit the CPD section of our website




Be sure to browse the updated list of recognized trainings. Participation in recognized training can be easily reported by Auditors within the APSCA Online system.


Are You a Training Provider?
We welcome Member Firms, Collaborative Programs Training providers, partners, and affiliates to participate in this initiative by submitting an expression of interest form to have their social compliance auditing-related learning recognized as part of APSCA’s CPD program.

Recognized courses are assigned a specific quantity of CPD hours that Member Auditors can note on their APSCA profile as meeting the annual requirement. Courseware can range from online training to webinars, conferences, workshops and more. You can submit your learning materials for consideration by completing our expression of interest form. This quarter, we will issue further guidance on CPD to help Member Auditors and Member Firms meet this requirement effectively in 2022.

For questions, please contact cpd@theapsca.org.

 

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APSCA has recently launched Digital Membership Cards. The new digital credential improves upon the previously issued CSCA cards by creating a digital identification for Member Auditors of all levels and statuses.

Updated every 24 hours, the digital solution will make it easier for facilities to verify Auditors and for Member Auditors to monitor their level and status.

The Digital Membership Card offers a clear visual indicator of an auditor’s level and includes a QR code linking to our portal to obtain additional information and, if needed, further verification of an APSCA Member Auditor’s status and level.
 
APSCA is requesting our Member Auditors’ assistance in testing the digital format, and we further ask that all APSCA Member Auditors check your beta test card within your Auditor’s APSCA online account.
 
We encourage all stakeholders and facility management to request the Digital Membership Card when a Member Auditor(s) arrives on-site to conduct a Social Compliance Audit. This tool should be used to verify the Auditor’s identity, Membership Status and Level by using the QR code and confirming their details in our verification portal.

If at any point you are concerned over the authenticity of the Auditor, please contact the Member Firm directly, or contact APSCA for assistance.

Learn more about the Digital Membership Card today. We welcome your questions and feedback.

 

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To better serve our Membership and interested parties, we established a Resource Library on APSCA’s website. The library provides a comprehensive directory of member documents, key dates, exam guides, webinars for exam preparation and more! 

The APSCA resource library layout will be changing in the coming months.  
Watch this newsletter and our website for more details and changes.


Policies
APSCA’s latest policies and Guidance Documents are available. 

Visit our website to access the resources.

 

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Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 4,000 subscribers each month!
We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date with APSCA Happenings by clicking here. Further, if you have a friend or colleague that may be interested in APSCA, please share this newsletter with them via the link below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Copyright © 2021 Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this Newsletter as you subscribed via our website.

Our mailing address is:
Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors
1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 1000,
Washington DC 20006

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APSCA Newsletter December 2021

23/12/2021 - No Comments

To enhance the professionalism and credibility of the individuals and organizations performing independent social compliance audits
View this email in your browser

 

 

APSCA Newsletter December 2021

Happy holidays from all of us at APSCA! 

We hope that you and yours have a safe and healthy Happy New Year.
2021 was a complex and busy year for our team and we are grateful for your engagement and partnership with us on the continued journey towards achieving our mission to cultivate industry credibility and position our Members and Certified Social Compliance Auditors (CSCA) as the trusted professionals of Social Compliance Auditing.

 

APSCA staff are taking a pause for the holidays. Our team will be working at limited capacity between December 24th and January 3rd.  We look forward to working with you, refreshed from our break, in 2022.
If you have an urgent issue, please email the director@theapsca.org this email box will be casually monitored during this time.
 
Reminder: Our study resources for your exams are available in our Resource Library.
 
Also in this issue:

  • Reminder to update consent in January for 2022, which will include your preferred exam languages (written and spoken).
  • AGM Recording and Q&A available on our website
  • Digital Membership Cards
  • Exam Deadlines and Language Availability 

Information regarding Phasing out of RA (Registered level Auditor)

Further highlights are provided below.
 

 

 

                         
                   Limited Staffing throughout the Holiday Period




 

 

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APSCA conducted our 6th Annual General Meeting over two virtual sessions on November 10th and 11th 2021.
Presentations during the sessions included Governance, Ethics, Continuous Professional Development, Exams and a panel discussion on Emerging Issues -Legislation and Liability.
Click here to view the sessions on our website, or visit Our YouTube Channel

Questions and Answers from the sessions are also available here
 

 

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APSCA has recently launched the Digital Membership Cards.
The new card replaces the previously issued CSCA cards by creating a digital identification for Member Auditors of all levels and statuses.

Updated daily, this easy-to-use solution will make it easier for facilities to verify auditors and for Member Auditors to monitor their level and status.

The Digital Membership Card offers a clear visual indicator of an auditor’s level and includes a QR code linking to our portal to obtain additional information and, if needed, further verification of an APSCA Member Auditors status and level.   APSCA is requesting our Member Auditors assistance in testing this new development and would appreciate all APSCA Member Auditors to check your beta test card within your Auditor’s APSCA online account (My Account) under the My Profile tab at 
www.theapsca.org.
 
APSCA would like to encourage interested Stakeholders and Facility Management to request the Digital Membership Cards when a Member Auditor arrives on-site to conduct a Social Compliance Audit. This tool should be used to verify the Auditors identity, Membership Status and Level by using the QR code and confirming their details in our verification portal. 

Questions and Feedback are welcome – 
data.administrator@theapsca.org.

 

 

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APSCA’s CSCA Exams
 



For all CSCA Exams (Parts I – III) Auditors must consult with their Member Firm to confirm eligibility to sit each exam and obtain information on the change in exam fees for 2022. Ensure you follow the guidance in the Auditor Handbook and notify APSCA prior to enrolling for any exam.
 
Should you have any questions or need clarification on the exam eligibility process, please contact us at
Director@theapsca.org 

CSCA Exams & Languages:

  • Part I & II are available in ten languages (English, Spanish, Simplified & Traditional Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Bangla, Thai, and Vietnamese).
    With the assistance of technology, APSCA has expanded these exams to cover all languages. See below, to find out more about this new feature!  

Part III is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese.  
We are working with a third party translation provider to finalize expanding our languages – more about this will be available in the new year
Please see our website, 
Resource Library for more information

 

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Alternate Language Feature
 



 

 

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Don’t see a question/ answer you’re looking for? Contact us at Director@theapsca.org 

 

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To better serve our Membership and interested parties, we established a Resource Library on APSCA’s website. The library provides a comprehensive directory of member documents, key dates, exam guides, webinars for exam preparation and more! 

To further enhance this page, we have added:

‘Announcements’
Key messages will be posted to the new ‘announcements’ section for both general and exam related topics and they will be updated on an ongoing basis. 

Policies
APSCA’s latest policies and Guidance Documents are available. 

Visit our website to access the resources.

 

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Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 4,000 subscribers each month!
We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date with APSCA Happenings by clicking here. Further, if you have a friend or colleague that may be interested in APSCA please share this newsletter with them via the link below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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APSCA Newsletter November 2021

30/11/2021 - No Comments

To enhance the professionalism and credibility of the individuals and organizations performing independent social compliance audits
View this email in your browser

 

APSCA Newsletter November 2021

November was an exciting month for APSCA. We were proud to launch our Annual Report on November 4th, celebrating the success of more than 1200 Certified Social Compliance Auditors (CSCAs) at that time and capturing APSCA activities over the last year. The APSCA Annual General Meeting, which ran virtually across two sessions on November 10th and 11th, was attended by more than 500 participants.

November also saw the launch of NEW Digital Membership Cards for all APSCA Member Auditors as part of our continued efforts to maintain the ongoing knowledge base required of social compliance auditors Continuous Professional Development continues to move forward. 

APSCA would also like to take this time to remind Member Auditors and Member Firms about the important announcement regarding the phasing out of the Registered level Auditor (RA) status.


Further highlights are provided below.
 

 



   
APSCA conducted our 6th Annual General Meeting (AGM) over two virtual sessions on November 10th and 11th, 2021. These sessions were the second time a Meeting of Members had been conducted virtually. Registration and attendance levels were the highest ever with over 1000 registrants. The two sessions were attended by over 540 unique attendees from 56 different countries representing a strong mix of Members and Stakeholders. Presentations during the sessions included Governance, Ethics, Continuous Professional Development, Exams and a unique panel discussion (one per session) around Emerging Issues- Legislation & Liability. APSCA would like to thank our panellists for participating, Matthias Thorns, Rachelle Jackson, Collen Theron, Laura Rubbo and David Rutherford -with a special thanks to Jon Drimmer for mediating both panels.

Attendees remained engaged, with more than 75% remaining connected for the full three-hours, responding to polls during the panel sessions and providing more than 160 questions and statements to APSCA. APSCA staff is consolidating these questions which will be circulated to registrants, attendees and posted on our website. Recordings of the sessions will be posted on the APSCA website. APSCA looks forward to a potential in person / hybrid AGM for 2022.

 

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APSCA is happy to welcome Kathy Vestering to our US based team. Based in Kansas, Kathy is responsible for general administrative support including, managing the director inbox and responding to general queries. Kathy’s background in office management and bookkeeping supports her work with our Exam team, managing emails and Part I and II exam bookings. Kathy also works with our Data Team to contribute to ongoing enhancements, supports our continued work with our translators to ensure timely updates to documentation and provides assistance on special projects as requested to support APSCA in achieving our strategic goals.
 

 

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Continous Professional Development  (CPD) UPDATE
 

 

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Digital Membership Cards – Now in BETA testing – Feedback Welcome
APSCA is pleased to announce the Beta testing phase of Digital Membership Cards.
The new cards replace current CSCA cards by creating digital identification for Member Auditors of all levels and statuses.


Updated daily, this easy-to-use solution will make it easier for facilities to verify auditors and for Member Auditors to monitor their level and status.
Membership numbers are issued to an auditor when they initially join APSCA. As soon as a membership number is issued to an auditor, the digital card will automatically generate.
The Digital Membership Cards eliminate the manual labor involved in production and avoid shipping delays experienced with the CSCA card. Anti-fraud measures are in place to prevent the fraudulent production of cards.

The new APSCA Digital Membership Cards offer a clear visual indicator of an auditor’s level and also include a QR code linking to a portal for additional information and, if needed, further verification. 
APSCA is requesting our Member Auditors assistance in testing this new development and would appreciate all APSCA Member Auditors to check out your beta test cards in your Auditor’s APSCA online account (My Account) under the My Profile tab at www.theapsca.org.

Questions and Feedback are welcome –
data.administrator@theapsca.org.
Full rollout is planned for early 2022. APSCA appreciates your engagement and continued support.

 

 

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Building upon the success of the over 1,150 Certified Social Compliance Auditors, the next phase in the journey towards achieving APSCA’s vision and mission is the phasing out of the interim qualification, Registered level Auditor (RA).

Originally, APSCA created the RA Level as a temporary designation to recognize the experience of existing auditors. As the exam program enters its fourth year, APSCA has codified the method of recognizing experience and evaluating proficiency, making the RA level redundant.

During the August Member calls, Executive Board representatives discussed the potential phasing out of the RA level before meeting last week to discuss the transition.

Effective January 1, 2022, there will be no new RA level Auditors.

The last day to submit an audit log to obtain RA level is December 31st, 2021.
All newly enrolled auditors will go through pathway 4 to obtain certification.


 

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APSCA Number Guide, Auditor Handbook and more, 
now available in more languages!



 


For all CSCA Exams (Parts I – III) Auditors must consult with their Member Firm to confirm eligibility to sit each exam. Please ensure you follow the guidance in the Auditor Handbook and notify APSCA prior to enrolling for any exam.
 
Should you have any questions or need clarification on the exam eligibility process, please contact us at
Director@theapsca.org 

CSCA Exams & Languages:

Part I & II are available in ten languages (English, Spanish, Simplified & Traditional Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Bangla, Thai, and Vietnamese). With the assistance of technology, APSCA will soon expand our exams to cover all languages. More information to come shortly.

Part III is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese.  


Please see our website, Resource Library for more information

 

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 REMINDERS – EXAMS 


 

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