During August, APSCA continued to focus on the development of the final phase of the CSCA Examination process pending the Part III Pilot scheduled for October. The advancement of this process is expected to deliver the first Certified Social Compliance Auditors (CSCA) by year end. 

APSCA also welcomed two new provisional Member Firms during the month while Auditor enrollments posted a 40% year on year growth.

The Disciplinary Board held its first meeting for the revision of five cases comprising allegations of improper use of an APSCA number, improper payment and the falsification of audit reports. The outcomes of the meeting, including approved sanctions are provided below. 

Provisional Member Announcement
We are pleased to welcome two new provisional Member Firms; TUV NORD Certification and Omega Compliance Limited. Congratulations on your commitment to the realization of APSCA’s mission “To Enhance the Professionalism and Credibility of individuals and organisations performing independent social compliance audits.

​For information on Firm Membership definitions and how your Firm can commence the application process please visit our website.

Disciplinary Board – First Meeting Results
APSCA’s Disciplinary Board held its inaugural meeting on August 19.  The five-person Board includes representatives from the Executive and Stakeholder Boards, plus our Senior Advisor Ethics & Integrity who acts as the Chair, and an Independent Member.  The Board’s role is to adjudicate cases where an individual member of APSCA is alleged to have violated APSCA’s Code & Standards of Professional Conduct.  If it finds a violation, the Board may impose sanctions ranging from a written warning to suspension or revocation of APSCA membership.
 
At its first meeting, the Board reviewed five cases.  The allegations ranged from improper use of an APSCA number, to improper payments, to falsification of audit reports.  The Board substantiated the allegations in four of the five cases, revoking the auditor’s APSCA membership in two cases, and approving a written warning in the other two.  The member auditors subject to these sanctions have been notified of the Board’s actions and will have the opportunity to seek review before APSCA’s Appeals Board.

​​The Disciplinary Board generally relies on investigations conducted by Member Firms, though APSCA has the authority to conduct an independent investigation when necessary.  Auditors subject to allegations are notified and given 30 days to respond or submit evidence.  The Disciplinary Board is an important part of APSCA’s Ethics & Integrity Program.  Its effective functioning brings greater credibility to APSCA and its certification program.

Updated – Code & Standards of Professional Conduct
APSCA’s Code & Standards of Professional Conduct (English) were updated during August with the new version available on our website – click here to view.  The amendments succeed a series of updates executed during July to ensure consistency and integration with our broader policy framework.

Translated versions in Spanish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese are expected to be released during September. 

In response to the updates, we have received several queries with common questions now addressed on the FAQ page of our website and summarized below:

• The Code is applicable to ALL APSCA Member Firms and Member Auditors. The additional Standards are considered to apply to all Members whom executed the Code of Professional Conduct on joining APSCA. 
• The Code articulates the expectations of our Members and client requirements cannot lower these expectations.  As an APSCA Member you are held accountable to the Code.
• Registered Level Auditors (RA) have the rights, responsibilities and obligations of a CSCAs. This means that wherever you see CSCA written throughout the Code a RA can fulfil this role during the roll-out period.
• An ASCA auditor conducting an audit on their own without the support of a RA/ CSCA will face disciplinary action as this is a violation of the Code and Standards.
• “Signing off” on an audit report means the APSCA Member Auditor puts their APSCA Member Number on the audit report with their applicable “pre-fix” RA, CSCA – the review process and other steps are to be followed.

Still have questions? See our website for more FAQs or contact us at director@theapsca.org

Join Us! APSCA Webinars – September 4 & 5, 2019 
To help keep you informed on the latest updates regarding exams and APSCA’s Code & Standards, APSCA is hosting  informational webinars September 4/5. Topic and times below. For those interested in attending, please register using the link provided. We hope you can join us – all are welcome! 

Note: Topic covered is the same for each webinar, but offered across various time zones. 

• Topic: APSCA CSCA Exams Part I-III and Code & Standards Updates 
• When? September 4 / 5 across various time-zones (see below for specific details)
• Where? Online webinar via JoinMe – Dial-in details will be shared with enrolled attendees. 
• Cost? Free online webinar 
• Duration: 90 min. 

Available Times: 

• 13:00-14:30 (Pacific Time; Sept. 4) / 6:00-7:30 (Aussie Time; Sept. 5) – Country Region Covered USA/UK
• 20:00-21:30 (Pacific Time; Sept. 4) / 13:00-14:30 (Aussie Time; Sept. 5) – Country Region Covered Australia/NZ/Asia/India
• 1:00-2:30 (Pacific Time; Sept. 5) / 18:00-19:30 (Aussie Time; Sept. 5) – Country Region Covered UK/Europe/India/Asia

Click Here to Register

​CSCA Exam Part I
A total of 1,253 CSCA Part I exams have been completed to date with a pass rate of 80%. Of the four language offerings, English and Chinese (simplified) comprise the majority of completed exams.

Since examinations commenced, approximately 200 scheduled exams have not been completed. Of these 200 incomplete exams, some 31% were due to participant forfeiture (failure to present for exam) and 48% due to IT issues.

CSCA Exam Part II
As APSCA continues to advance the auditor certification program the focus shifted toward the soft launch of Part II CSCA exam in Spanish and Simplified Chinese in August.  A total of 98 CSCA Part II exams have been completed, with a pass rate of 67%. Since examinations commenced, 9 scheduled exams have not been completed with half being due to participant forfeiture (failure to present for exam).
  

Part II is now eligible for booking in English – Chinese / Spanish to come shortly!  As always, be sure to check with your Member Firm to confirm eligibility and exam payments before scheduling.

The Exam team are in the process of reviewing all questions to improve in preparation of a full launch in the coming months.

​CSCA Exam Part III Pilot 
As APSCA continues to advance toward Auditor certification we are excited to announce we will be piloting the third and final portion of the CSCA exam late October.  
Accordingly, our first CSCA’s will be presented at the AGM and Stakeholder Event in December. Member Firms with eligible auditors have been notified about the process.

APSCA Auditor Enrollments
During August, the total number of enrolled auditors reached over 3,827 reflecting 40% year on year growth.

Membership Application Process
APSCA’s Audit Firm Membership Application process was formally released last November. Details can be found on our website.  All applications should be sent to applications@theapsca.org

FAQs – Helpful Resources on the Website  
Be sure to check out APSCA’s newly updated FAQ page. Have a question? We’ve got answers here.  
Don’t see a question/ answer you’re looking for? Contact us at Director@theapsca.org ​

​Our monthly newsletter now reaches over 2,300 subscribers each month! We encourage our Member Firms to have their auditors subscribe to APSCA’s newsletter to stay up to date 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.