British Academy of Childhood Disability

What British Academy of Childhood Disability does

The British Academy of Childhood Disability (BACD) is a UK-registered charitable incorporated organisation (CIO, charity number 1177868) functioning as the multi-disciplinary professional body for clinicians and researchers working in childhood disability. Originally founded in 1993 as the Childhood Disability Development Group (CDDG), it adopted the BACD name in 2004 and re-registered as a CIO in April 2018. The organisation serves approximately 750 members spanning paediatric neurology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, orthopaedics, neuropsychology, and other allied disciplines, and operates with a deliberately lean structure of two part-time staff. Its strategic reach is amplified through formal affiliations with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) as a specialty group, the British Association for Community Child Health (BACCH), the European Academy of Childhood Disability (EACD), Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, and the Castang Foundation.

BACD delivers value through a portfolio of member-facing products and programmes: tiered individual and team memberships, CPD-accredited short courses (including the NF1 Short Course), webinars, an annual multi-disciplinary conference, awards, the co-funded BACD-Castang research fellowship programme, e-learning resources, and advocacy campaigns such as 'Weigh to Go!' (launched November 2022). Content is published in partnership with Mac Keith Press via the journal Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (DMCN), and the organisation collaborates with the Disabled Children's Partnership and the James Lind Alliance on priority-setting work.

Revenue is generated primarily through individual memberships (£25–£60/year), team memberships (£140/year), event and conference registration fees (£25–£150), short-course fees, and co-funded fellowship arrangements with the Castang Foundation. The business model is a classic low-overhead membership-and-events charity: pricing is intentionally accessible to maximise clinical participation, and the organisation depends on volunteer governance (Education Group, Strategic Research Group, and committee chairs) to scale programme output well beyond its two-staff core.

Name

British Academy of Childhood Disability

Legal name

British Academy of Childhood Disability

Website

https://bacdis.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The British Academy of Childhood Disability (BACD) is a UK-registered charity serving approximately 750 multi-disciplinary clinicians and researchers in childhood disability through memberships, CPD courses, an annual conference, research fellowships, and advocacy campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Healthcare Association

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism Teacher Training & Professional Development (EDAKAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Autism Behavioral Support (School-Based ABA/PBIS) (EDAKAKAE)

Keywords

• Professional medical association
• Paediatric neurodisability training
• Childhood disability research
• Clinical education events
• Healthcare professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees from professionals across the multi-disciplinary team including paediatricians, nurses, therapists, psychologists, and other allied health professionals. Fees range from free for foundation doctors and students to £60/year for ordinary members.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from educational events, short courses, regional meetings, and the Annual Scientific Meeting. Event fees vary by membership status and professional category, typically ranging from £25-£150 per person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The British Academy of Childhood Disability (BACD) is the UK's only multi-disciplinary membership organisation for professionals working in childhood disability. It sells annual individual and team memberships, paid educational events (Annual Scientific Meeting, regional meetings, short courses such as the Best Practice in Neurofibromatosis Type 1 course), CPD e-learning resources, and supports research through fellowships and priority-setting partnerships.

Product overview

The British Academy of Childhood Disability (BACD) operates as a membership organization offering professional membership, educational events, and research support programmes. The core product is BACD Membership, which provides access to resources, networking, and professional development for approximately 750 members. The portfolio includes training courses (Best Practice in NF1 Short Course), research programmes (BACD-Castang Fellowship Programme, Strategic Research Group), awards (Paul Polani Research Award, Castang Award), online education (The Neurodisability Community webinars, E-Learning Resources), campaigns (Weigh to Go!), and events (Annual Scientific Meeting, Regional Meetings). These offerings work together to promote the highest possible standard of clinical care for disabled children and young people through education, research facilitation, and professional networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Weigh to Go!: A BACD initiative raising awareness of the need to weigh and measure all children and young people regularly, including those who are vulnerable, physically disabled, and neurodevelopmentally diverse.
• The Neurodisability Community (TNC)
• BACD-Castang Fellowship Programme

Products and services

• BACD Membership Annual membership open to professionals working in childhood disability including paediatricians, therapists, nurses, psychologists, education and social care professionals. Provides access to CPD resources, member-only regional meetings, monthly e-news bulletins, quarterly newsletters, reduced journal subscriptions, discounted event fees, and the ability to join working groups and stand for the Executive Committee. Tiered pricing from free (foundation doctors and undergraduate students) up to £140/year for team membership.
• Best Practice in Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) Short Course A practical one-day course on Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) blending expert-led teaching with interactive workshops. Covers diagnosis, genetics, surveillance, red flags, specialist referrals, and management of complications including vision problems, neurofibromas, scoliosis, pain, and neurodivergence. Designed for senior doctors and trainees in general paediatrics, community paediatrics, paediatric neurodisability or paediatric neurology, and specialist nurses supporting NF1 clinics.
• E-Learning Resources Interactive online learning courses including Child Development and Disability Essentials, Clinical Practice of Child Neurology in Infancy Course, and Principles of Child Neurology in Infancy Course, delivered in partnership with Mac Keith Press to support continuing professional development for clinicians working in childhood disability.
• BACD Events and Regional Meetings National and regional paid educational events including the Annual Scientific Meeting, the Annual Trainees' Meeting, and quarterly regional meetings (e.g. North West, East of England, Mersey, Scotland, South West). Fees typically range from £15-£150 per person depending on role and membership status, providing clinical education and networking opportunities.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• British Association of Community Child Health (BACCH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBACD operates as an affiliate group of BACCH, collaborating on joint regional meetings and events. This relationship provides cross-referral opportunities and strengthens the community child health professional network.
• Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBACD is a specialty group of RCPCH. BACD events are held at RCPCH premises in London. The relationship provides institutional support, venue access, and professional credibility within the paediatric community.
• European Academy of Childhood Disability (EACD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBACD serves as the UK branch of EACD, connecting UK professionals with the broader European childhood disability community and international best practices.
• Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBACD partners with Sheffield Children's Hospital to develop the Paediatric Disability Distance Learning courses. BACD members receive discounts on all PDDL course fees. The trust provides educational content expertise and course delivery infrastructure.
• Mac Keith PressminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBACD members receive discounts on all Mac Keith Press books, e-books, and education courses. The Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology journal is the official journal of BACD.
• Disabled Children's PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBACD is a member of the Disabled Children's Partnership, a coalition of over 60 organizations campaigning for improved health and social care for disabled children. Collaborates on campaigns including #CountDisabledChildrenIn.
• The Neurodisability Community (TNC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTNC is an online platform for paediatric neurodisability and community child health GRID trainees, hosted and administered by BACD but trainee-led. Provides free webinars covering RCPCH sub-specialty curriculums.
• James Lind AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBACD Strategic Research Group ran the Childhood Disability Research Priority Setting Partnership with the James Lind Alliance in 2012, identifying the top 10 unanswered research questions in neurodisability.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Association for Paediatric Palliative Medicine (APPM): APPM is the UK membership body for doctors working in paediatric palliative medicine — listed among BACD's overlapping paediatric sub-specialty members. Runs CPD, clinical guidelines and an annual conference in a closely adjacent paediatric subspecialty.
• Together for Short Lives: UK charity for children's palliative care professionals and families, operating a membership body, CPD courses and research advocacy. Comparable charity/membership model to BACD but focused on life-limiting conditions rather than neurodisability.

Direct peers

• Council for Disabled Children: Council for Disabled Children is the umbrella body for the disabled children's sector in England, advocating for policy, practice and workforce development. Shares BACD's mission of improving outcomes for disabled children and overlaps on Disabled Children's Partnership campaigns.</
• European Academy of Childhood Disability (EACD): BACD serves as the UK branch of EACD, which is the pan-European society for childhood disability professionals. EACD runs international congresses and publications that mirror BACD's UK-focused education and research mission.</
• Contact (charity for families with disabled children): Contact supports families with disabled children across the UK through advice, peer support and campaigning. While family-facing rather than clinician-facing, Contact operates in the same disabled-children ecosystem as BACD and is a co-member of the Disabled Children's Partnership.</
• British Association of Community Child Health (BACCH): BACD operates as an affiliate group of BACCH, the UK association for community paediatricians. Both target overlapping NHS paediatric workforces in community child health and disability, with shared regional meetings and a mutual referral model.</
• British Paediatric Neurology Association (BPNA): BPNA is the UK membership body for paediatric neurologists — a closely adjacent specialty to BACD's paediatric neurodisability remit. Both deliver CPD courses, annual meetings and research grants for paediatric clinicians working with children with neurological conditions.</

Others

• Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT): RCSLT is the UK professional body for speech and language therapists, who form a key AHP group within BACD's membership. Similar UK membership, CPD and clinical excellence resource structure.
• British Association of Occupational Therapists and Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT): RCOT is the UK professional body for occupational therapists, a core constituency within BACD's allied health professional membership. Comparable UK professional-membership model with CPD and special interest sections.

Broad incumbents

• Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH): BACD is a specialty group of RCPCH, the UK paediatric professional body. RCPCH sets training and standards across all paediatric sub-specialties including neurodisability, of which BACD is the dedicated disability-focused member society.</

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/BACD_tweets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about British Academy of Childhood Disability