Association of Child Protection Professionals

What Association of Child Protection Professionals does

The Association of Child Protection Professionals (AoCPP), formerly BASPCAN, is a UK-registered charitable incorporated organisation founded in 1979 to provide professional support, continuing professional development (CPD), and policy representation to practitioners and researchers working in child protection and adult safeguarding. The association operates as the only multi-disciplinary membership body of its kind in the UK, spanning social work, paediatrics, nursing, psychology, police, criminal justice, law, and education across all four UK nations. Its core offerings include three membership tiers (Student at £60/year, Individual at £330/year per the detailed pricing breakdown, and Organisational), the Child Abuse Review peer-reviewed academic journal published since 1992 in partnership with Wiley, a calendar of Lunch & Learn sessions, conferences, and Special Interest Groups (covering topics such as Practice Learning Reviews, Neurodiversity, and Digital Safeguarding), a digital content shop, and a podcast series launched in May 2020.

AoCPP's technology footprint is limited to a standard website platform providing membership management, event registration, digital shop, and journal access functions. There is no proprietary technology, AI/ML tooling, or platform architecture disclosed; the journal is produced via an external publishing partnership with Wiley. Revenue is generated through recurring membership subscriptions (the dominant stream), paid event tickets (typically £15, with free or discounted access for members), and one-time digital product sales. The association also engages in policy advocacy, submitting formal consultation responses to the Department for Education, NICE, the College of Policing, and the Crown Prosecution Service, and participating in coalition campaigns with organisations such as Article 39, ECPAT UK, and the Howard League for Penal Reform. Operations are run by a small team of 13 staff based in York/Leeds, governed by a Board of Trustees under Dr. Sam Warner (Chair), with Penny Earney serving as Director following Wendy Thorogood's December 2022 departure.

Name

Association of Child Protection Professionals

Legal name

Association of Child Protection Professionals

Website

https://childprotectionprofessionals.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Association of Child Protection Professionals (AoCPP) is a UK-registered charity and the sole multi-disciplinary membership body supporting practitioners and researchers across child protection and adult safeguarding. Founded 1979, it delivers memberships, CPD events, and the Child Abuse Review journal via Wiley.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Child protection membership
• Academic journal publishing
• Professional development training
• Policy advocacy campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual and monthly membership fees across three tiers: Student (£60/year), Individual (£330/year), and Organisational. Additional colleagues can be added at £75 per person. Payments via card, direct debit, or invoice.
2. Event Tickets: Revenue from paid events including conferences and Lunch & Learn sessions. Standard tickets typically £15; members receive free or discounted access. Non-members purchasing event tickets receive £50 discount on first year membership.
3. Digital Products Shop: Sale of digital recordings of past events, meetings, and speaker presentations for CPD at individual pace. Products include webinar recordings and conference materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Association of Child Protection Professionals is a UK registered charity and multi-disciplinary professional membership association that sells annual membership subscriptions (Student, Individual, and Organisational tiers), publishes the Child Abuse Review academic journal, runs paid and free CPD events (Lunch & Learn sessions, conferences, Special Interest Groups), operates a digital shop of recorded event content, and provides policy advocacy and consultation responses to government bodies on behalf of child protection and adult safeguarding professionals.

Product overview

The Association of Child Protection Professionals (AoCPP) offers a portfolio of professional services for child protection and adult safeguarding practitioners. The core offering centers on the Child Abuse Review academic journal (published since 1992) and membership packages (Student, Individual, and Organisational) providing access to the journal, Special Interest Groups, CPD events, and policy advocacy. The organization delivers events including Lunch & Learn sessions, Conferences, and Special Interest Groups covering topics such as Practice Learning Reviews, Neurodiversity, Digital Safeguarding, and Gypsy Roma Traveller communities. Additional offerings include a digital shop for recorded content, podcasts featuring expert interviews, and policy consultation responses to government bodies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student Membership Annual membership for students on safeguarding-related courses, providing access to the Child Abuse Review journal, Special Interest Groups, policy discussions, member-only event discounts, free training/networking events, and 20% off books with Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Priced at £60/year or £5/month by direct debit.
• Individual Membership Annual professional membership for individual child protection and adult safeguarding practitioners, providing access to the Child Abuse Review journal, Special Interest Group participation, ability to influence policy, and unlimited access to free CPD and networking events. Priced at £330/year or £27.50/month by direct debit; also available at £120/year or £10/month per an alternate listed tier.
• Organisational Membership Team membership providing up to three named contacts with access to the Child Abuse Review journal, Special Interest Groups, discounted event rates, and free CPD events. Additional colleagues can be added at £75 per person beyond the initial three.
• Child Abuse Review Journal The official interprofessional academic journal of AoCPP, published in partnership with Wiley since 1992, providing access to the latest research findings, practice developments, training initiatives, and policy issues in child maltreatment. Included with all membership packages and available for purchase through Wiley.
• Lunch & Learn Sessions Online sessions providing challenging, supportive discussions about key child protection and safeguarding topics chosen by members, bringing together academics, experts, practitioners, and students to facilitate learning with Q&A time. Standard tickets priced at £15; free for members.
• Conferences Multi-speaker events combining keynote sessions and workshops, including the long-running triennial congress since 1991. Provides deeper understanding of live topics and challenges within child protection and adult safeguarding, with perspectives from academics, practitioners, and experts by experience.
• Special Interest Groups Forums for exploration of professional curiosity into single areas of child protection or adult safeguarding, creating safe professional spaces for learning and development. Topics include Practice Learning Reviews, Neurodiversity, Digital Safeguarding, Gypsy Roma Traveller communities, and others.
• Digital Products Shop Sale of digital recordings of past events, meetings, and speaker presentations available for CPD at the individual's pace, including webinar recordings and conference materials.
• Policy & Campaigns Research-based advocacy combining cutting edge research with cross-sector experience to influence policy and enable best practice across the UK, including formal consultation responses to NICE, the Department for Education, the College of Policing, and the Crown Prosecution Service, plus campaign support for partner organisations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 41% of Newly Qualified Social Workers anticipate quitting within 5 years - AoCPP provides support to retain professionals
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supportive.

• Birkbeck UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAoCPP partnered with Birkbeck University as part of their Recovery Histories Project. The project examines recovery experiences and involves collaboration on research and practice knowledge exchange in the child protection field.
• WileycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWiley publishes the Child Abuse Review journal, the official journal of AoCPP. The journal has been published in its current format since 1992 and is included with all membership packages at no extra cost. Available for purchase directly through Wiley.
• NICEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAoCPP formally supported the NICE Quality Standard on Child Abuse and Neglect and has responded to NICE consultations on child maltreatment surveillance. Contributing to development of quality standards for recognising, assessing and responding to child abuse.
• College of PolicingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAoCPP has consulted with the College of Policing on policy and practice matters relating to child protection and safeguarding.
• Crown Prosecution ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAoCPP has consulted with the Crown Prosecution Service on child protection policy and practice matters.
• Department for EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAoCPP has consulted with the Department for Education on government policy and guidance, including responses to Working Together to Safeguard Children consultations.
• Article 39supportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerAoCPP pledged full support to Article 39's campaign opposing discriminatory changes to law governing decisions about children in care in England. Supporting their judicial review challenge.
• ECPAT UKsupportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerAoCPP supporting ECPAT UK's 'Stable Futures' campaign focusing on stable futures for child victims of trafficking.
• Centre for Crime and Justice StudiessupportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in collaborative campaign to end child imprisonment in England, launched November 2018.
• Howard League for Penal ReformsupportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in collaborative campaign to end child imprisonment in England, launched November 2018.
• INQUESTsupportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in collaborative campaign to end child imprisonment in England, launched November 2018.
• Just for Kids LawsupportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in collaborative campaign to end child imprisonment in England, launched November 2018.
• National Association for Youth JusticesupportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in collaborative campaign to end child imprisonment in England, launched November 2018.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Research in Practice: UK charity providing practice-based resources, training, and CPD for social work and safeguarding practitioners. Comparable audience and CPD/training focus, with stronger digital delivery infrastructure and free access for local authority staff.
• Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse: UK specialist centre funded by the Home Office that provides resources, training, and research for professionals responding to child sexual abuse. Overlaps with AoCPP on safeguarding CPD and policy but narrows to CSA rather than multi-disciplinary child protection.

Direct peers

• Children England: UK membership body for charities and organisations working with children, young people, and families. Comparable subscription-based membership model and policy voice for the children's sector, though organisational rather than individual professional members.
• International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN): The global professional membership body for child protection, of which AoCPP (formerly BASPCAN) was historically a national counterpart. Directly comparable multidisciplinary professional membership and congress-driven model, with international rather than UK scope.
• British Association of Social Workers (BASW): UK professional membership association for social workers, the largest individual discipline within AoCPP's multi-disciplinary membership. Highly comparable subscription-based model, CPD, and policy advocacy structure, though broader than child protection alone.
• Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS): UK membership association for directors of children's services, a senior leadership segment of AoCPP's audience. Comparable membership and policy advocacy model focused on children and families services, though targeting a more senior, leadership-level persona.

Broad incumbents

• Action for Children: Major UK children's charity delivering services and campaigning for children and young people. Adjacent incumbent that engages the same professional safeguarding audience and competes for policy influence, though operates a direct service delivery model rather than professional membership.
• Royal College of Nursing (RCN): UK professional membership body and trade union for nursing, including designated and named safeguarding nurses who form a core segment of AoCPP's membership. Broad incumbent with overlapping CPD, journal, and policy advocacy infrastructure at much greater scale.
• National Children's Bureau (NCB): Long-standing UK charity working to improve the lives of children, especially the most disadvantaged, with membership, policy, and training programmes. Broad incumbent that overlaps with AoCPP in children's sector advocacy and CPD but covers a wider remit.
• NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children): The UK's leading children's charity, focused on child abuse prevention through service delivery, lobbying, and the NSPCC Helpline. A broad incumbent that overlaps with AoCPP in policy influence and the child protection professional audience but operates a much larger service and fundraising model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aocpp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association of Child Protection Professionals