Information about the Institute's Chartered status
What is a Royal Charter?
A Royal Charter is awarded by the Privy Council. Charters are only
granted to professional bodies or organisations that have a solid record
of achievement, that represent a field of activity which is unique and
not covered by other professional bodies, that can demonstrate they work
in the public interest, and that demonstrate pre-eminence, stability and
permanence in their particular field.
There are around 400 chartered bodies. A Royal Charter is a way of incorporating a body (i.e. turning it from a collection of individuals into a single legal entity). The grant of new Charters is comparatively rare.
Why does the PR industry
need a Chartered body?
The Privy Council has granted a Royal Charter to the Institute because
it recognises that it is in the public interest to have a Chartered
Institute responsible for leading the PR industry. PR plays an important
and influential role in business and in society. Having a Chartered body
for the industry will help employers, clients and the general public to
distinguish between those practitioners who are accountable and willing
to abide by a code of conduct and those who are not.
Public relations is a serious profession and PR practitioners are professionals with specialist skills and knowledge. The PR industry in the UK is a multi-billion pound industry. Public relations is a strategic management function that adds value to an organisation by helping it to manage its reputation. Reputation is extremely valuable to an organisation and PR practitioners help organisations manage their reputations by communicating with all the different groups who are connected to the organisation.
Why the IPR?
The award of a Royal Charter to the Institute is recognition of the role
the IPR plays in the PR industry. The Institute serves the public
interest by providing leadership and developing policies for the PR
industry, by raising standards through education and training, and by
making its members accountable through the Code of Conduct. It
represents and serves the interests of people working in public
relations, offering access to information, advice and support.
All CIPR members must sign a code of conduct committing them to
maintaining the highest standards of professional endeavour, integrity,
confidentiality, financial propriety and personal conduct. The full code
of conduct can be found in the CIPR website –
www.cipr.co.uk
What are the aims of the
CIPR?
The objectives of the CIPR are outlined in full in the Charter document
available on the website –
www.cipr.co.uk.
They include:
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To work in the public interest to raise standards and promote high levels of skills, knowledge and competence within the PR profession
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To promote public understanding of the contribution effective public relations makes in business and society
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To act as an authoritative body for the purpose of consultation in matters of public and professional interest concerning PR
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To represent and serve the professional interests of our members
Has the IPR applied for a
Royal Charter before?
The Institute has made informal approaches to the Privy Council a number of
times in the past. The first time was in 1951 but this is the first time
a formal approach has been made.
What was different this
time?
The CIPR has grown considerably over the past decade. The Institute now
has over 8000 members working in all sectors of public relations and at
different levels of their careers. Two thirds of our members are based
outside London and the CIPR is represented throughout the UK by 13
regional groups and has 16 special interest groups. It is the largest
organisation of its kind in Europe and second in the world only to the
USA.
Over the past 5 years the CIPR has worked in the public interest to raise standards in the industry and make our members accountable. All our members sign our Code of Conduct and we have strengthened our education and training provision – the Institute now provides professional qualifications, approves PR degrees, and provides a CPD (continuous professional development) scheme for the industry.
What will this mean for
members of the Institute?
For members of the CIPR, the grant of Charter acknowledges their work as
being valuable to business and society. It's also recognition that
members are professionals, with specialist knowledge and skills.
Membership of the CIPR is all about standards. Clients and employers
will look for CIPR membership when they are looking for a PR advisor.
Ultimately we expect all those interested in the serious practice of public relations to be members of the Chartered Institute.
How can I tell if someone
is a member of the CIPR?
There are 6 grades of membership (Fellow, Member, Associate, Affiliate,
Student and Global Affiliate) spanning the different levels of
experience and qualifications in PR. Membership assessment is rigorous
and is based on qualifications, skills and experience.
Those in the professional grades of membership - Fellows, Members and Associates of the CIPR - can use letters after their name and can use the CIPR logo on their business cards and stationery:
‘MCIPR' for members
‘FCIPR' for Fellows and ‘Hon FCIPR' for Honorary Fellows'
‘ACIPR' for Associates
