Glossary of key terms used in the Centre for Advancing Practice ePortfolio (supported) Route – March 2025
This glossary explains key terms used within the Centre’s ePortfolio (supported) Route. The Centre recognises that terms may have different uses and meanings within other organisations’ processes and in other contexts.
Accreditation
The formal process of reviewing evidence to verify and recognize an individual’s or programme’s knowledge, skills, and capability at the advanced practice level.
Accurate
Correct, exact, without mistakes, and conforming exactly to truth.
Authentic
Produced by the participant.
Capability
Refers to being ‘competent, and beyond this, to work effectively in situations which may be complex and require flexibility and creativity’ (Skills for Health, 2020 p9).
Capability Evidence Matrix
The matrix created by the Portal which shows how the practitioner has mapped their supporting evidence against each capability.
Competence
Is used to refer to a consistent performance in accordance with defined standards (Skills for Health, 2020 p9).
Current
Sufficiently recent for assessors to be confident that the learner still has the same level of skills or knowledge or capability.
Education Provider
One of a number of professional bodies, higher education institution or similar organisations, contracted by the Centre for advancing practice for the ePortfolio (supported) Route.
Educational Supervisor
Appointed by education provider to fulfil either or both functions for a number of applicants – portfolio advisor and portfolio reviewer.
Portal
The Centre for Advancing Practice online platform used to deliver the ePortfolio (Supported) Route process.
Practitioner
A health and care professional who is currently practising in their profession (HCPC 2016).
Recognition
Acknowledging that an individual has demonstrated complete fulfilment of the capabilities for advanced practitioners set out in the Multi-professional framework for advanced practice in England leading to recognition of educational and experiential equivalence with its four pillars.
Peer Reviewer
A healthcare professional who meets the Peer Reviewer Criteria outlined above and in applicant guidance document.
Scope of Practice
The areas in which a registrant has the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to practice safely and effectively (HCPC, 2016).
Triangulation
In triangulating evidence, the educational supervisor will use more than one piece or type of evidence to support what is being said in the critical narrative and in doing so strengthen the validity of the claim/statement made.
Valid
Relevant to the capabilities for which recognition is claimed.
Verification
The process by which an educational supervisor confirms that the portfolio submitted meets the criteria required and demonstrates that the applicant meets the capabilities (HEE 2017).
Step by step portal guidance
The NHS Learning Hub hosts the Centre for Advancing Practice Portal guidance.
You will need an account at access. If you do not have an account, you can create one. When creating an account you will need to enter basic information on your role and place of work.
Centre for Advancing Practice Portal
The Centre for Advancing Practice Portal is a web-based tool that enables practitioners to record evidence of their experience, training and continuing professional development (CPD) for their entire career.