The Counter Fraud
Professional Awards Board (CFPAB) was created in 2001 (formerly known as The
Counter Fraud Professional Accreditation Board) from the merger of the National
Counter Fraud Accreditation Board and the NHS National Professional Accreditation
Board. In 2022, the CFPAB was set up as a registered charity for advancing
education in counter-fraud, promoting and ensuring high professional standards
in counter-fraud practice for public benefit. Northumbria University has since
2019 managed the secretariat service for the CFPAB.
The work of the Board is supported by Northumbria University’s Financial Crime and Compliance Research Interest Group.
The CFPAB members include:
- Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)
- Cifas
- Department for Work and Pensions
- HM Revenue and Customs
- Larus Consulting Ltd (Associate Member)
- PDA Training (Associate Member)
- RNA Training (Associate Member)
The CFPAB covers the whole of the United Kingdom, and its key charitable objectives are:
- Establishing and maintaining professional standards in the delivery of a portfolio of approved professional training programmes in the field of counter-fraud practice, to those engaged in (or training to be engaged in) such work and in line with the core learning aims and syllabi agreed by the CFPAB
- Overseeing the delivery of approved training programmes by CFPAB Authorised Training Providers (ATPs), considering their quality and effectiveness,in accordance with the rules and requirements stipulated by the CFPAB
- Ensuring, where appropriate, that approved training programmes are structured so that higher education learning credits can be awarded to successful programme participants and that in particular a recommended credit rating is communicated to the CFPAB by a relevant higher education institution
- Formally recognising, by way of professional certification, an individual’s successful completion of an approved training programme with the bestowal of the appropriate award
- Encouraging and fostering the continued professional development (CPD) of CFPAB award holders through the giving of advice, guidance and recognition of CPD activity
- Promoting professional training programmes for counter-fraud practitioners (or those training to be such practitioners) and working with organisations with an interest in supporting economic security and sound financial management through adopting counter-fraud practices
From the income it generates, the CPFAB gives grants and provides sponsorship to organisations involved in counter fraud.
Awards
In 2016 the CFPAB began to align its awards with HM Government’s professional standards for counter fraud and latterly with the Counter Fraud Investigator Apprenticeship. The most popular CFPAB awards are:
- Accredited Counter Fraud Technician (ACFTech)
- Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist (ACFS)
- Accredited Counter Fraud Intelligence Technician (ACFITech)
- Accredited Counter Fraud Intelligence Specialist (ACFIS)
-
Accredited Counter Fraud Manager (ACFM)
The CFPAB also offer the following awards:
- Accredited Counter Fraud Trainer (ACFT)
- Graduate Counter Fraud Specialist (GCFS)
Approved Training Providers
Only licensed Approved Training Providers are authorised to deliver CFPAB awards. Organisations wishing to become an Approved Training Provider are invited to apply by completing and submitting the below form to the Secretariat, who will forward it to the Executive Board for consideration. Please return completed forms to businessenquiry@northumbria.ac.uk.
Approved Training Providers form
The Accredited Counter Fraud Technician (ACFTech) is designed to develop counter fraud support personnel, such as technicians or analysts, and for anyone whose role it is to conduct non-complex investigations or provide support to larger, more serious case investigations.
The Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist (ACFS) is specifically designed for practitioners whose work roles are concerned with counter fraud and anti-corruption activities, including investigators, investigator managers and supervisors and internal audit staff.
The Accredited Counter Fraud Intelligence Technician (ACFITech) is specifically designed for new intelligence practitioners and intelligence support staff i.e. those whose roles require desk-based intelligence gathering activity in support to the provision of less complex intelligence cases or to provide support to larger, more serious intelligence case development.
The Accredited Counter Fraud Intelligence Specialist (ACFIS) is specifically designed for new operational/field intelligence practitioners, that is, those whose roles involve the use of RIPA and intelligence gathering methodologies for the exploitation of information and development of intelligence material and cases regarding counter fraud activities.
In the UK, CFPAB awards are commonly recognised as a benchmark for the attainment of professional skills and knowledge in the field of counter fraud. Nowadays, employers in both the public and private sectors frequently cite CFPAB awards as a mandatory requirement when advertising counter fraud roles.
In 2020 the University of Northumbria scrutinised the content of awards and recognised the Specialist awards are worth at least 40 credits at Level 4 of the Regulated Qualifications Framework within England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 40 credits at Level 7 of the Scottish Credit and Qualification), that is, one-third of the first year (or second year within Scotland) of a university degree and that the Technician awards are worth at least 10 credits at this level. So, for example, the answer to the question: how does the ACFS compare to an NVQ Level 4 in Investigation, is they are both the same level.
The National Qualifications framework dictates how many hours of study are expected for each unit of credit. For example, it is because the Specialist awards are said to be worth 40 credits of study at Level 4 that means we must suggest students need to study for 400 hours.
In practice, the hours undertaken differs according to the student’s existing knowledge and understanding of the topic and their familiarity with study skills. For example, someone new to the field may need all the time to read and familiarise themselves with the range of new topics covered by each award.
The CFPAB licenses and approves a range of providers to teach and deliver accredited syllabi in line with the Board's rules, regulations and quality assurance framework, while remaining faithful to the core syllabus of each award.
The learning materials of each provider are subject to scrutiny by the Northumbria University and the CFPAB has built in other quality assurance provisions, for example, each trainer must meet certain criteria.
ACFS Professional Register and CPD
Please be aware the CFPAB is currently reviewing its CPD processes and as such all CPD reviews are suspended pending the outcome of this review. Further information regarding the new process will appear once the review is complete and its findings reported to the CFPAB Executive Board.
