CPCAB is a specialist awarding organisation for courses – also known as an awarding body or examination board which awards qualifications – whereas BACP is a professional membership body which represents the interests of counselling. NCPS is also a professional membership body, similar to BACP.
CPCAB is statutorily regulated by Ofqual in England, Qualifications Wales in Wales and CCEA Regulation in Northern Ireland. CPCAB core practitioner qualifications are on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). CPCAB is the only awarding body in Europe to specialise in counselling.
BACP is a professional organisation which represents the interests of the counselling profession. It is made up of individual members and member organisations. As such, it has a role in setting standards and registering counsellors/supervisors, etc, protecting the public, hearing complaints and interacting with society at large. BACP also approves course content (hence BACP-accredited courses), but they cannot award qualifications, and they are not externally regulated. In practice, therefore, BACP-accredited courses may be linked to national qualifications or they may not.
NCPS (National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society) operates similarly to BACP as a professional membership body. NCPS has recently launched a Recognised Qualifications Scheme, officially awarding CPCAB Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 qualifications with Recognised Qualification status. This demonstrates the strong partnership between these organisations in maintaining professional standards.
Working together for quality
What’s important to understand is that these organisations work collaboratively rather than competitively. CPCAB qualifications are recognised by both BACP and NCPS, ensuring that students receive training that meets the standards required by professional bodies. This partnership approach means that when you train with a CPCAB-accredited centre, such as Adept Central, you receive qualifications that are respected across the counselling profession and provide pathways to membership with the major professional bodies.
The key distinction remains: CPCAB creates and awards the qualifications, whilst BACP and NCPS provide professional membership, ethical frameworks, and ongoing professional development for qualified counsellors.