Albion Awards

Responsible Officer Statement

Last updated: 23 June 2026

1. Introduction

Albion Awards is being developed as a specialist awarding organisation focused on professional qualifications in governance, risk, assurance, cyber governance, board practice and organisational resilience.

This Responsible Officer Statement explains the purpose of the Responsible Officer role within Albion Awards and how the role supports accountability, regulatory readiness, learner protection, qualification standards, quality assurance and effective governance.

Albion Awards is currently preparing for Ofqual recognition. Albion Awards is not yet recognised by Ofqual and does not currently offer Ofqual-regulated qualifications.

2. Purpose of the Responsible Officer Role

The Responsible Officer is the senior accountable role for ensuring that Albion Awards understands, manages and monitors its regulatory responsibilities.

The role exists to ensure that Albion Awards has appropriate systems, controls, policies, records, evidence and governance arrangements to operate as a credible awarding organisation.

The Responsible Officer provides a clear point of accountability for regulatory matters and ensures that significant issues are reported, escalated and addressed appropriately.

3. Accountability

The Responsible Officer reports to the Albion Awards Governing Body and is responsible for providing assurance that the organisation is maintaining suitable arrangements for:

  • regulatory readiness;
  • qualification development and review;
  • assessment governance;
  • centre approval and monitoring;
  • external quality assurance;
  • certification control;
  • complaints and appeals;
  • malpractice and maladministration;
  • reasonable adjustments and special considerations;
  • risk management;
  • conflict of interest management;
  • data protection and records retention;
  • platform security and audit trails;
  • learner protection;
  • continuous improvement.

The Responsible Officer is expected to act with independence, integrity, professional judgement and transparency.

4. Key Responsibilities

The Responsible Officer will oversee and support:

Regulatory readiness

Ensuring Albion Awards maintains evidence, policies, governance records and operational controls to support its application for recognition and future regulated activity.

Governance reporting

Providing reports to the Governing Body on regulatory risks, quality assurance findings, centre performance, complaints, appeals, malpractice, certification, policy review and continuous improvement.

Policy oversight

Ensuring that key policies are developed, reviewed, approved, implemented and maintained.

Risk and issue escalation

Ensuring that significant risks, incidents, conflicts, quality concerns or learner protection matters are escalated and acted upon.

Qualification standards

Supporting the protection of qualification standards through controlled qualification design, assessment approval, quality assurance, standardisation and review.

Centre oversight

Ensuring that centre approval, centre monitoring, EQA activity, centre sanctions and centre withdrawal arrangements are appropriately managed and evidenced.

Certification control

Ensuring certification decisions are based on valid assessment evidence, appropriate checks, documented approvals and controlled certificate issue processes.

Learner protection

Ensuring learners have access to clear processes for complaints, appeals, reasonable adjustments, special considerations and certificate verification.

5. Independence and Objectivity

The Responsible Officer must act objectively and must not allow commercial, operational, personal or centre-related interests to compromise standards, fairness or regulatory responsibilities.

Where an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest arises, it must be declared, recorded and managed in accordance with the Albion Awards Conflict of Interest Policy and Procedure.

The Responsible Officer may escalate matters to the Governing Body where independence, fairness, standards or regulatory compliance could be affected.

6. Evidence and Records

The Responsible Officer will ensure that Albion Awards maintains suitable evidence of key decisions and controls.

This may include:

  • Responsible Officer reports;
  • governance meeting records;
  • policy approval records;
  • risk registers;
  • conflict declarations;
  • qualification approval records;
  • assessment approval records;
  • centre approval records;
  • EQA reports;
  • certification records;
  • complaints and appeals records;
  • malpractice records;
  • reasonable adjustment and special consideration records;
  • platform audit trails;
  • regulatory evidence mapping;
  • continuous improvement records.

These records support accountability, traceability and organisational learning.

7. Reporting to the Governing Body

The Responsible Officer will provide regular reports to the Governing Body. These reports may cover:

  • progress against recognition-readiness plans;
  • changes to regulatory requirements;
  • quality assurance findings;
  • centre approval and monitoring activity;
  • assessment and certification controls;
  • learner-related issues;
  • complaints, appeals and malpractice cases;
  • reasonable adjustments and special considerations;
  • risk and conflict management;
  • platform and systems assurance;
  • policy review status;
  • improvement actions.

The Governing Body will use this information to provide oversight, challenge and assurance.

8. Regulatory Communications

The Responsible Officer will act as the main point of accountability for regulatory communication and regulatory evidence management.

This includes ensuring that Albion Awards can respond appropriately to requests for information, notifications, incidents, risks or evidence connected with its awarding-body activity.

Where Albion Awards becomes recognised, the Responsible Officer will support the organisation in meeting its ongoing regulatory obligations.

9. Learner and Public Interest

The Responsible Officer has a duty to ensure that Albion Awards gives proper consideration to learners, centres, employers and the wider public interest.

This includes ensuring that:

  • published information is accurate and not misleading;
  • recognition status is described correctly;
  • learners are treated fairly;
  • complaints and appeals are handled properly;
  • qualification standards are protected;
  • certificates are issued only where requirements have been met;
  • risks to learners are identified and managed;
  • centres are monitored effectively.

10. Continuous Improvement

The Responsible Officer will ensure that Albion Awards uses evidence from governance, centre monitoring, EQA, assessment review, complaints, appeals, risk management, learner feedback and platform records to support continuous improvement.

Where weaknesses are identified, the Responsible Officer will ensure that corrective actions are recorded, monitored and reviewed.

11. Current Recognition Status

Albion Awards is preparing an application for recognition as an awarding organisation.

The Responsible Officer function described in this statement is part of Albion Awards’ recognition-readiness framework. The role, responsibilities and reporting arrangements will be reviewed and finalised as Albion Awards moves towards formal recognition and operational delivery.

Albion Awards will not describe qualifications as Ofqual-regulated unless and until recognition and qualification regulation have been confirmed.

12. Contact

For questions about Albion Awards’ Responsible Officer arrangements, please contact:

Albion Awards
United Kingdom
Email: info@AlbionAwards.org.uk