Background
Misleading Advertising: The CPD Regulatory Office breaks UK advertising rules for making misleading claims about being affiliated with government bodies, having accreditation providers that meet government-approved standards, and misleadingly using organisations’ names and logos to suggest an affiliation on the www.cpdregulatoryoffice.org.uk website.
In the absence of evidence to show that the CPD Regulatory Office did work with government bodies; the CPD training industry was regulated through standards set by government; or the CPD Regulatory Office provided government approved authorisation to companies providing CPD training, the ASA concluded that the claims were misleading and had not been substantiated.
The ASA also concluded that in the absence of evidence to show that those organisations listed on the CPD Regulatory Office’s website were associated with and had been assessed by the CPD Regulatory Office, the use of these organisations’ logos in the ad was likely to mislead.
The CPD Regulatory Office did not respond to the ASA’s enquiries.
The CAP Compliance team contacted the CPD Regulatory Office but, in the absence of an assurance to amend their website to comply with the ruling, took the decision on 17 September 2024 to place their company details on this section of the ASA website. These details shall remain in place until such time as the CPD Regulatory Office has appropriately amended www.cpdregulatoryoffice.org.uk to comply with the CAP Code.
