Independent Board of Standards

Age-Friendly Business® Board of Standards and Disciplinary Actions

We believe that professionals must earn the right through right action to serve our maturing population. That's why we have our CPCA Code of Professional Responsibility.

Any professional who wants to become a Certified Professional Consultant on Aging (CPCA)® must first agree to follow the CPCA Code of Professional Responsibility.

Age-Friendly Business (AFB)® wants only ethical, honest, principled professionals among its members. Those are the only kind of people who should be working with seniors and maturing boomers.

About the Code of Professional Responsibility

AFB issues the CPCA Code of Professional Responsibility to provide ethical principles and rules for all persons who are certified by AFB to use the CPCA designation. Implicit in a designee's acceptance of the certification is an obligation to comply with the mandates and requirements of all applicable laws and regulations, and to take the responsibility to perform all professional services and activities in an ethical manner. The CPCA Code of Professional Responsibility is based on the standards of honesty, trustworthiness, respect, fairness, and professionalism. An independent body, the non-profit AFB Board of Standards, enforces provisions of the Code.

Age-Friendly Business® may amend the Code from time to time. AFB will notify CPCAs of any Code changes that might affect them.

Click here to read the code.

Disclosure Policy

Age-Friendly Business® treats as confidential a CPCA's personal information. At its discretion, however, and in accordance with disclosure authority maintained by the AFB Board of Standards ('Board'), AFB may release to certain federal and provincial licensing and credentialing bodies and governmental regulatory agencies, or may publish on its website, details of a current or former CPCA's disciplinary history, if any, resulting from complaints heard by the Board. Similarly, AFB reserves the right to divulge to such bodies or agencies, or to publish on its website, information in connection with wrongful use or other actions taken by AFB, or on its behalf, against certain individuals or entities.

Disciplinary Procedures

The Age-Friendly Business® (AFB) Board of Standards ('Board') is an independent panel, of at least three Members, charged with the duty of investigating, reviewing and recommending appropriate action with respect to a CPCA designee's alleged violations of the Code. The Board has original jurisdiction over all such disciplinary matters and procedures. The Board is appointed by the AFB and is paid for time spent in the investigation, review and recommendation processes.

The Board is authorized to:

	Maintain the integrity of the CPCA designation by reviewing and investigating complaints against CPCA designees and, where appropriate, implementing penalties against those designees whose activities have been in contravention of the Code of Professional Responsibility.
	Periodically report to the AFB on the operations of the Board;
	Adopt amendments to the Disciplinary Procedures; and
	Adopt such other rules or procedures as may be necessary or appropriate to govern the internal operations of the Board.

Click here for a full review of the disciplinary procedures.

Disciplinary Actions

The AFB Board of Standards ('Board') publishes names of certain persons who have had their right to use the CPCA designation permanently revoked as a result of formal Board review.
To see this list, click here.

AFB Members of the Board of Standards

The AFB Board of Standards, ('BOS' or the 'Board') was established to review and resolve complaints lodged against Certified Professional Consultants on Aging (CPCAs) for alleged violations of the Code of Professional Responsibility ('Code') in the conduct of their business.

Currently the Board is made up of three directors. Collectively, the Board's professional expertise spans the health, social, financial and legal industries. To read the Board Members Bios, click here.

AFB Board Nominations - If you know of an individual whose professional qualifications and commitment to ethical conduct make them a viable candidate to serve on the AFB Board of Standards - or if you're that candidate - please contact AFB for a nomination form.

Please call 604-628-9471 if you have any questions about the AFB Board.

For Compliance Officers: Everything You Want To Know

If your company offers products that may be sold to older adults, it's important that your personnel be fully informed about the special challenges of working with aging clients. That way, they can help a senior make choices that are in the senior's best interests and take into account the health, financial and social issues that shape seniors' lives.

Although it's very likely that your personnel have a thorough understanding of your products, they probably have less understanding of the special needs of their older clients. It is this gap that can cause so many compliance problems. The CPCA education is geared toward eliminating that gap. To learn more about our designation, click here. If you have any questions, call us at 604-628-9471.

For Provincial/Federal Agencies: Information About The Designation

Age-Friendly Business® endorses, supports and assists provincial and federal regulators to ensure that all CPCAs conduct themselves truthfully, ethically and professionally. We work with regulators to ensure that CPCAs follow all regulations and live up to the CPCA Code of Professional Responsibility as well.

If you have a question about a specific CPCA or someone purporting to be a CPCA, please call. You'll have our full cooperation.

We have important information about Age-Friendly Business®, its curriculum and faculty, its designation and its CPCA designees in this website. If we have missed a question you have, please call us at 604-628-9471. We invite regulators to audit our class, which is the culmination of the CPCA designation training. Call for more information.