APSCA Newsletter October 2020

October 30, 2020

During October examination rates sustained momentum with total exams now exceeding 5,600 at an overall pass rate of 75%. As Member Auditors advance through the examination program, the number of CSCA’s continues to grow; now representing some 2% of enrolled auditors.

Targeting continued expansion of the program and improved language accessibility, activities during October have also included translation of APSCA’s key resources into an additional six languages; versions currently available include English, Italian, Spanish and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional).

Further updates regarding the release of other new language translations will be provided in the coming months.

In this this issue:

Member Firm Announcements
Disciplinary Board Results
APSCA’s AGM and Stakeholder Online Event Registration
CSCA Examination Progress
Member Auditors – 2020 Membership Fees
Auditor Enrollments
Reminder: Revised Due Dates for CSCA Exams
Resource Library
FAQs
APSCA Out and About

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Member Firm Announcements

We are pleased to congratulate full APSCA Member Firm, ALGI, along with our newest provisional Member Firm Sustainable Assurance Solutions (SAS) 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”.

Full Members:

Provisional Members:

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

Disciplinary Board Results – Allegations and Sanctions

APSCA Member Auditors
APSCA’s Disciplinary Board for Member Auditors (DBMA) met in October to review four cases representing three different Code violations including: False Audit Reporting, Bribery, and Conflict of Interest.

The Disciplinary Board substantiated the allegations in two cases, and the resulting sanctions included a Written Warning for the False Audit Reporting allegation and a Revocation of APSCA Membership for the Bribery allegation. The other two cases required additional information, and have been held over to the next DBMA meeting in November.

For the first time, the DBMA meeting included auditors subject to allegations, who exercised their right to appear before the Disciplinary Board. Each auditor presented a brief overview of their case, and then responded to Board Member questions

Facing the future – Together

APSCA’s Annual General Meeting and Stakeholder Online Event
Register and Join Us!
This year APSCA will be hosting its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Stakeholder Event online in early December. To accommodate our global membership, these separate events will be repeated at different times as detailed on our website.

AGM Registration
Please note the repeated sessions for the AGM will present the same content and registration for one session only is recommended.

Stakeholder Event Registration
Please note the repeated sessions for the Stakeholder Event will present the same content and registration for one session only is recommended.

We hope you can join us!

Additional event details and information to follow in the weeks leading up to the AGM and Stakeholder Events. Any questions, please contact: director@theapsca.org

CSCA Exam Webinars

During October, examination rates remained strong with the total number of completed exams now exceeding 5,600 with an overall pass rate of 75%. A summary of cumulative exam results can be downloaded below.

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; failure to follow the guidance, may see the exam disallowed and being unable to sit for a period up to 12 months.

CSCA Exams Part I and II are available in four Languages (English, Spanish, Simplified & Traditional Chinese).

CSCA Exam Part III interviews commenced in August. The Part III Exam is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese. The scheduling process has been finalized and we are contacting Firms / Auditors directly. The Part III enrolment process is very different; each eligible Auditor MUST follow the process or risk having their exam cancelled and being disallowed from scheduling for up to 12 months.

Please see our website, Resource Library for more information

Auditor Enrollments

As at 29 October 2020, total enrolled Auditors exceeded 4,200 with a summary by Auditor level provided below:

Reminder: Revised Due Dates for CSCA Exams

Due to COVID-19 and the enduring challenges faced by our auditing community, APSCA has reviewed and revised exam due dates for auditors sitting Part II and III exams.

The dates (below) are applicable to any Auditor who successfully passed Part I 90+ days prior to the Part II deadline or successfully completed Part II 90+ days prior to the Part III deadline.

If an Auditor is unsure whether this applies to them please contact APSCA via director@theapsca.org.

2020 – 2021
Part II

30 September 2020
- Chinese (Traditional/ Simplified)
30 March 2021
- English / Spanish (amended from September 2020)

Part III

30 June 2021
- Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese amended from December 2020)
30 October 2021
- English / Spanish (amended from June 2021)

REMINDER: For Auditors who have recently obtained RA level status, you have 6 months from the date you obtained your RA status to sit Part I exam if you are advanced in a language the exam is offered.

Upon passing Part I, Auditors have 3 months from the date notified of passing Part I to sit Part II, IF advanced in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

See also our Resource Library under “Key Dates” for other due dates.

Member Auditors – 2020 Membership Fees Due by December

Due to COVID, APSCA provided an option to delay payment of Member Auditor fees for 2020 to support our Members during this difficult time. Many Members have been able to pay this throughout the year and we thank you. For those that have not yet paid these fees, a reminder that membership fees for the 2020 calendar year are due and payable no later than the end of December. Members who fail to issue payment will see their account status moved to ‘lapsed’ ahead of 2021 and will remain there until both 2020 and 2021 fees have been paid in full. During this period, Members are not eligible to to use their APSCA Member Number or claim active membership with APSCA until their account is brought back to good standing.

If you are unsure about outstanding invoices, please check your APSCA account (see ‘Invoices’ tab) or contact APSCA team at Director@theapsca.org.

In Case You Missed It – APSCA’s 5 Year Anniversary

September marked five years since APSCA’s inception, we invite you to download a brief review of our achievements to date via the link below.

Resource Library

To better serve our Membership and interested parties, we have established a Resource Library on the APSCA website. The library provides a comprehensive directory of member documents, key dates, exam guides and webinars for ease of access.

Document Translations
Further to our existing member documents, available in English, Spanish, and Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), APSCA is in the process of translating member documents in additional languages to better serve our global membership and community. Additional updates will be provided in due course though we encourage you to regularly review the Resource Page to see the latest documents and translations as they are released.

Visit our website to access the resources.

FAQs

Check out APSCA’s FAQ page – it has been recently updated.

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

APSCA Out and About

Please note that due to the global impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, APSCA have postponed or cancelled all travel. Updates on any future travel will be provided as soon as practicable. Please visit our Out and About page for updates from some of our Member Firms on what they are doing to support the industry during this time.

In seeking to further support our Members, we also welcome you to tell us how your organization and auditors are navigating today’s dynamic work environment. It is our intention to share these insights across our media channels to foster industry collaboration and unite our community during this difficult period. Please send responses to director@theapsca.org.

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