Why choose CPCAB qualifications?

CPCAB is a UK awarding body that is managed by professional counselling practitioners, trainers and supervisors. Now in our 15th year of operation, we are the only awarding body in Europe to specialise in the field of counselling. We are one of the largest awarding bodies in this field, with about 130 Recognised Training Centres across the UK (we also have some Centres in other countries) and around 10,000 candidates registered with us annually.

QCA Recognised

We are recognised (approved) by the Qualifications & Curriculum Authority (QCA) as capable of offering qualifications at both Further Education level (i.e. levels 1 – 3) and Higher Education level (i.e. levels 4 – 8). This recognition means that:

• We have met a range of QCA criteria in relation to (for example) governance, expertise and quality assurance arrangements for developing and delivering qualifications.
• We can propose qualifications for accreditation into the QCA's National Qualification Framework (NQF).

Vocationally-Related Qualifications (VRQs)

We offer a range of VRQs in the field of counselling and human relations. These are:

• Accredited by the QCA into the NQF, which allows eligible courses to receive public funding from the Learning & Skills Council.
• Formally supported – in relation to relevant National Occupational Standards (where existing) – by the Employment National Training Organisation (ENTO).

The award of these qualifications is linked to our external verification and external assessment service.

Our modular, nationally-available range of qualifications enables trainees to stay with one coherent system for the whole of their training. All of our qualifications are based on a user-friendly model of practitioner development and proficiency.

Support for Tutors, Trainees, Administrators and Line Managers

We offer a great deal of support to Centres, including:

• Tutor support DVDs with video clips and associated exercises.
• Practice DVDs (and example papers) to help prepare candidates for external assessment.
• Telephone help-line and email support for both professional and administrative issues.
• A user-friendly Centre-recognition process.
• Professional verifiers (experienced counsellors and course tutors) who visit each Centre.
• Consultation and action planning during the first visit by the CPCAB external verifier.
• Standardisation training for tutor-assessors.
• Documentation, including: Tutor User Guides and Candidate User Guides (for each different qualification), External Assessment Preparation Pack, and other support materials.
• Centre consultancy on, for example, course design.
• In-house training on specific topics.

Our downloadable documents section of the website contains guides and proformas aimed at supporting Centres and tutors in relation to CPCAB qualifications.

Working with Difference and Diversity

We place an especial emphasis on Working with Difference and Diversity (WDD) and have a long-term commitment towards helping to create a diverse (multi-cultural) and community-based profession – fostering an approach through which practitioners return, post-training, to work in the community in which they are based. In this vein we seek to extend tutor (and trainee) awareness of issues relating to WDD, such as those concerning cultural and class backgrounds, age, colour, gender, sexual orientation and disabilities. Further information.

Downloads

Our information sheet about CPCAB VRQs contains information about how our VRQs fit with BACP counsellor accreditation, as well as a flow-chart illustrating our VRQs progression route.

An Information Leaflet (for Line Managers, Departmental Heads and Programme Coordinators) about CPCAB and our qualifications is also available.

Registering with us

• Information about registering your training Centre with us.
• Information about registering student groups with us - assuming that your Centre's application for CPCAB-recognition has already been accepted.