Directory Listing Policy

1. Purpose and scope of this Policy

1.1. The CPD Register Ltd ("The CPD Register", "we", "us") publishes a public Directory of CPD Accreditation Organisations operating in the UK market at https://thecpdregister.com/cpd-accreditation-organisation-ranking (the "Directory").

1.2. This Directory Listing Policy ("Policy") sets out:

• •The purpose of the Directory
• •How listings are compiled, what they record, and how they are sourced
• •The criteria that determine which organisations are included
• •The rights of listed organisations, including correction and right of reply
• •Our approach to removal requests
• •The legal basis on which the Directory is published

1.3. This Policy is published in the public interest, and its purpose is to make our methodology and our obligations transparent to listed organisations, to consumers, and to CPD Training Providers.

2. What this Policy does NOT cover

2.1. This Policy governs only the public Directory of CPD Accreditation Organisations (the "Directory"). It does not govern:

• •The Registration scheme, under which organisations apply to become Registered with The CPD Register. Registration is governed by the Conditions of Registration and the Badge Licence Agreement, not by this Policy.
• •The Certification scheme, under which organisations apply to become Certified. Certification is governed by the Conditions of Recognition, the Conditions of Certification, and the Certification Agreement.
• •Data submitted by Certified CPD Accreditation Organisations through our API, including records of their accredited training providers and CPD activities. This data is submitted under the Certification Agreement and is governed by the terms of that Agreement.
• •Submissions to our Investigation Service (https://thecpdregister.com/report), which are governed by the Investigation Service Terms.
• •General use of the Website, which is governed by the Website Terms of Use.

2.2. The layers of information on our Website operate under different governance:

2.3. This Policy is limited to the Directory. It does not apply to the Registered, Certified, or Training Provider layers, each of which is governed by its own documents as set out above.

3. Purpose of the Directory

3.1. The Directory is published to promote transparency, professional standards, and informed choice in the CPD Accreditation Sector, consistent with the stated mission of The CPD Register.

3.2. The Directory serves the following public-interest functions:

• •It enables CPD Training Providers to access structured, sourced information about organisations offering CPD accreditation services, as part of their due diligence before entering into a commercial relationship with an accreditor
• •It enables CPD consumers to check the standing of an organisation whose accreditation appears on a course, certificate, or marketing material they have encountered
• •It provides a publicly accessible record of operating CPD Accreditation Organisations in the UK, including organisations that have ceased to operate, so that historical accreditations can be contextualised
• •It makes visible the existence and standing of CPD Accreditation Organisations in what is currently an unregulated sector

3.3. The Directory is not an endorsement of the organisations listed on it. Inclusion in the Directory is not a finding of quality, fitness, or approval. Non-inclusion is not a finding of wrongdoing. The Directory records factual observations from public sources; consumers and CPD Training Providers draw their own conclusions from those observations.

3.4. Registration and Certification are separate. An organisation in the Directory may apply to become Registered or Certified with The CPD Register. Those are assessed statuses, achieved by application under their own conditions, and are distinct from inclusion in the Directory. The absence of Registration or Certification is not a finding about an organisation's service; many organisations in the Directory have simply not applied.

4. How listings are compiled

4.1. Listings in the Directory are compiled by The CPD Register from research conducted by our staff. Organisations do not apply to be included in the Directory; they are included, or not, on the basis of the criteria set out in this Policy. Inclusion in the Directory is not contingent on the organisation's consent and is not something an organisation opts into or out of. (Organisations may separately apply for the assessed statuses of Registered or Certified; those schemes are voluntary and are governed by their own conditions, not by this Policy.)

4.2. Research supporting listings is conducted through the following methods:

• •Desk research using publicly available information, including organisations' own websites, marketing material, social media presence, and published certificates
• •Searches of UK statutory registers, including Companies House and the Information Commissioner's Office register
• •Review of publicly available regulatory records, including the Advertising Standards Authority's rulings database, Trading Standards public records, and published court judgments
• •Review of publicly available professional, sectoral, and trade publications

4.3. Research may also be initiated in response to a specific enquiry from a CPD consumer, CPD Training Provider, or other third party asking us to verify an organisation they have encountered. Where such an enquiry is received:

• •We conduct research to establish the organisation's standing against the inclusion criteria set out in this Policy
• •If the organisation meets the inclusion criteria, it is added to the Directory or an existing listing is updated accordingly
• •If the organisation does not meet the inclusion criteria, we may respond privately to the enquirer without adding a public listing
• •Decisions in either direction are made against the published inclusion criteria in Section 5

4.4. We do not use information submitted by Certified CPD Accreditation Organisations through our API as a source for Directory listings. API submissions are governed by the Certification Agreement and are separate from the Directory.

4.5. We do not use information obtained through the Investigation Service as the sole basis for adding or updating a listing in the Directory unless that information:

• •Consists of or references verifiable public records, or
• •Has been independently verified against public sources

5. Inclusion criteria

5.1. An organisation is included in the Directory where it meets all of the following criteria:

5.2. Inclusion of an organisation that has ceased to operate. An organisation that formerly met the inclusion criteria but has subsequently ceased to operate (for example, by dissolution, voluntary strike-off, or cessation of website activity) may remain in the Directory. This is because:

• •Training providers and consumers may hold accreditations, certificates, or trustmarks issued by the organisation that remain in use
• •The historical standing of the organisation may be material to current decisions
• •Removing listings for organisations that have ceased to operate would create an incomplete sector record

5.3. Where an organisation does not meet the inclusion criteria, we may decline to list it. Where the organisation is one we have researched in response to a consumer enquiry, we may respond privately to the consumer with our findings without adding a public listing.

5.4. The inclusion criteria are applied consistently to every organisation researched. We do not include or exclude organisations on the basis of the views they hold about The CPD Register.

6. What listings record

6.1. Each listing in the Directory records factual observations about the organisation drawn from the sources described in Section 4.

6.2. The specific criteria assessed, the evidence required for each, and the reasoning behind each criterion are set out in detail on our Methodology page at https://thecpdregister.com/methodology. The Methodology page is incorporated into this Policy by reference.

6.3. Each finding on a listing is supported by a source, which is made visible to the reader, typically in the form of:

• •A direct link to the Companies House record or other statutory register
• •A direct link to the regulator's published ruling
• •A direct URL on the organisation's own website, with the date on which we accessed it
• •A direct link to a published court or tribunal judgment

6.4. We record the date on which each listing was most recently reviewed.

7. What listings do not record

7.1. Listings in the Directory do not record:

• •Subjective judgements about the quality, integrity, or fitness for purpose of an organisation
• •Third-party complaints that have not been formalised through a regulatory or legal route
• •Allegations of wrongdoing that have not been made, investigated, and upheld by a recognised regulatory body
• •Speculation about conduct, motivation, or intention
• •Editorial statements of position from The CPD Register about an organisation beyond what is necessary to describe a factual finding
• •Editorial statements of position from listed organisations about The CPD Register or its methodology

7.2. Listings report what is verifiable from primary public sources, including what organisations themselves publish about their own identity, scope, and operations. Where an organisation describes itself in particular terms — for example, as an international body, a leading provider, or a specialist in a particular field — we may record that the organisation publishes this self-description, with a link to the source.

7.3. We do not, however, assert such self-descriptions as objective fact on the listing. Objective claims of the kind described in 7.2 are the type of claim the UK Advertising Standards Authority's CAP Code requires to be supported by documentary evidence where they are published as fact. The CPD Register does not hold, and is not in a position to verify, that kind of substantiating evidence for the organisations it lists.

7.4. This distinction applies consistently across every listing.

8. Rights of listed organisations

8.1 Right to be informed

8.1.1. Organisations listed in the Directory are not separately notified when their listing is first published or updated, because listings are compiled from public sources and inclusion is not contingent on consent.

8.1.2. An organisation that becomes aware of its listing and wishes to engage with us in respect of that listing may do so through the routes set out below.

8.2 Right to request correction

8.2.1. Any organisation that believes a finding on its listing is inaccurate or out of date may submit a correction request to the email address in Section 13.

8.2.2. A correction request should include:

• •The specific finding believed to be inaccurate
• •The correction being requested
• •Supporting evidence — typically a URL showing the current position on the organisation's website, a Companies House record, a regulatory ruling, or another primary source

8.2.3. We commit to reviewing evidenced correction requests and responding within five working days of receipt.

8.2.4. Where a correction request is accepted, we update the listing to reflect the corrected position, and we date the update.

8.2.5. Where a correction request is not accepted, we explain the reasons in writing.

8.2.6. A correction request that is not accompanied by supporting evidence may be returned to the sender with a request for evidence, without prejudice to the right to resubmit.

8.3 Right of reply

8.3.1. Where an organisation disputes a finding that we are unwilling to remove or amend on the basis of the evidence available, the organisation may submit a short statement of its position in reply to the finding.

8.3.2. We will consider whether to publish the statement as a "right of reply" notation on the listing, subject to the following:

• •The statement must be specific to a finding on the listing, not a general statement about The CPD Register or its methodology
• •The statement must be factually accurate and not itself defamatory of The CPD Register or any third party
• •The statement must be of reasonable length (typically no more than 150 words)

8.3.3. Publication of a right-of-reply statement is at our editorial discretion. Where published, it is clearly attributed to the organisation and dated. We do not otherwise carry editorial statements of position from listed organisations in the Directory.

8.4 Right to complain

8.4.1. Where an organisation is dissatisfied with the outcome of a correction request or the handling of its listing, a formal complaint may be made under our Complaints Procedure.

9. Removal of listings

9.1. The Directory is published on the basis that the organisations it records are of legitimate public interest in the UK CPD accreditation sector. Listings are not removed on request.

9.2. Listings may be updated, and the findings on them may be superseded, as circumstances change — for example, where an organisation is dissolved, where a regulatory ruling is issued, or where a correction request is accepted.

9.3. Listings may be removed by us in the following limited circumstances:

9.4. Outside these circumstances, removal requests are not granted. An organisation that has ceased to operate, has been dissolved, or that objects to being in the Directory does not become eligible for removal by virtue of that objection alone.

9.5. The reasoning for this position is that the Directory is a public-interest record of organisations operating, or having operated, in the UK CPD accreditation sector. A right to remove on request would:

• •Allow organisations with poor records to opt out of public visibility, defeating the consumer-information purpose of the Directory
• •Create inconsistency between organisations that request removal and those that do not
• •Undermine the completeness of the sector record

9.6. Where an organisation believes it has a legitimate claim for removal that is not covered by clause 9.3, it may make representations to us via the Complaints Procedure.

9.7. Removal from the Registered or Certified layers. Where an organisation has been Registered or Certified and that status is later suspended, lapsed, or removed for cause, the change of status is governed by the Conditions of Registration or the Certification documents, not by this Policy. On loss of an assessed status, the organisation reverts to a Directory listing, which continues to be governed by this Policy.

10. Our approach to defamation and related risk

10.1. The CPD Register compiles and publishes the Directory on the understanding that factual accuracy is our primary protection against claims of defamation, malicious falsehood, or similar. Accordingly:

10.2. Every finding in the Directory is compiled from, and sourced to, a primary public record — Companies House, the Information Commissioner's Office register, a regulator's published ruling, a court judgment, or an organisation's own published material.

10.3. Where we publish a finding that is based on an organisation's own published material, we link directly to the source and record the date we accessed it.

10.4. Where we publish a finding that is based on a statutory register, we link directly to the register entry.

10.5. Where we publish comment or opinion rather than fact, we distinguish it clearly. Generic guidance and sector-level observations appear on the Methodology page, not on individual listings.

10.6. We operate a published correction process (Section 8.2) with a five working day response commitment. Where a correction request is evidenced, we update promptly.

10.7. We maintain a right-of-reply mechanism (Section 8.3) for organisations that dispute a finding.

10.8. Where we publish findings based on regulatory rulings, we do so only where the ruling has been finalised and published on the regulator's official record.

10.9. Where we publish findings about the status of a UK registered company, we do so directly by reference to the Companies House record, which is a public statutory register.

11. Legal basis for processing personal data

11.1. Listings in the Directory may include limited personal data, typically:

• •The names of directors, Persons with Significant Control, and other officers of listed companies, as published on Companies House
• •The names of individuals publicly associated with an organisation through its own published material (for example, where the organisation's website names its CEO or principal)

11.2. The CPD Register processes this personal data on the lawful basis of legitimate interests under Article 6(1)(f) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

11.3. The legitimate interests being pursued are:

• •The provision of transparent, sourced information about organisations operating in an otherwise unregulated sector, in the interests of CPD consumers and CPD Training Providers
• •The protection of those consumers and providers from the risk of misleading or fraudulent accreditation practices

11.4. We have conducted a Legitimate Interests Assessment which is maintained on file and may be made available to the Information Commissioner's Office on request.

11.5. Individuals whose personal data appears in the Directory have the rights set out in the UK GDPR, including (where applicable) the right of access, the right to rectification, the right to object to processing, the right to restriction of processing, and the right to erasure. The exercise of these rights is subject to the limitations set out in the UK GDPR and in our Privacy Policy, including the limitation that the right to erasure does not apply where processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.

11.6. Further information about how we handle personal data, and how to exercise rights under the UK GDPR, is available in our Privacy Policy.

12. Review and amendment of this Policy

12.1. This Policy is reviewed at least annually and may be amended in response to operational, legal, or regulatory developments.

12.2. Where we make material changes to this Policy, the date of the change and a brief description of what has changed are recorded at the foot of this page.

12.3. Amendments to this Policy apply to the Directory from the date of publication of the amended Policy. They do not apply retrospectively to findings already published in the Directory, unless we separately indicate that a particular finding is being reviewed against the amended Policy.

13. Contact

For all matters relating to listings in the Directory, including corrections, right of reply, and removal representations: