Consumer Friend Academy

This transformative training programme, supported by CTSI is designed to help individuals and organisations lead the way in supporting consumer vulnerability, enhancing communication, and delivering inclusive services.

Our organisations are passionate about empowering professionals to create lasting, positive change for consumers. Through Consumer friend training, they help individuals identify vulnerabilities, improve service delivery, and drive inclusive practices across the UK.

Consumer Friend simplifies consumer rights and helps businesses embed vulnerability awareness and inclusive service. Their mission is to train professionals to become Consumer Vulnerability Champions through practical, engaging, and impactful learning.

About Consumer Friend Academy?

The Consumer Friend Academy is a comprehensive training program that certifies individuals as Consumer Vulnerability Champions. This certification ensures that your team is not only aware of consumer vulnerability issues but also actively equipped to support and advocate for vulnerable individuals within your organisation.

Become a Consumer Vulnerability Champion!

The Consumer Friend Academy’s 12-week training programme equips professionals to become certified Consumer Vulnerability Champions.

You’ll learn how to identify vulnerability, communicate inclusively, and transform how your organisation serves consumers—especially those most at risk.

Created by consumer rights experts Louise Baxter MBE and Adam Carter, this training is ideal for anyone working in customer-facing, compliance, or service-design roles across public and private sectors.

Book Your Interest for this Course

Course Outline

Session #1: Consumer Vulnerability

Meet the trainers. Explore vulnerability in the UK context and start identifying how it affects your consumers.

Session #2: Effective Communication

Learn how language, tone, and format affect understanding. Master the art of plain English and inclusive communication.

Session #3: Providing Inclusive Services

Explore how to meet diverse needs, manage expectations, and deliver effective redress. Spot blind spots in your service delivery.

Session #4: What’s Next and Graduation

Review learnings, share success stories, and identify actions for long-term improvement.

Who is this training suitable for?

This programme is designed for those working in:

Trading Standards
Local Authorities
Financial Services
Housing and Social Care
Utilities and Telecoms
Retail and Customer Support
Health and Public Services

Whether you work on the front line or lead service delivery, this course helps you embed vulnerability awareness at every level of your organisation.

What's included:

- 12 Weeks of Support and Learning: Structures over four online sessions delivered via Microsoft Teams, with engaging content and hands-on activity.
- 9 Hours of Interactive Training: Including group discussions, practical exercises, creative tasks, case study reflections and real-world scenario analysis.
- Weekly Homework and Reflection: Activities between sessions to help embed learning including personality assessments, policy reviews and case study reflections.
- Continuous Peer Support and Accountability: Your cohort will become your network, with opportunity to share insights and challenges in a safe, supportive space.
- Aftercare and Continued Learning: Receive regular email insights and check-ins, and engage in 1-2-1 or group support if needed.
- Organisational Implementation Tools: Apply learning directly in your workplace by using the tools to review and redesign internal policies and procedures.
- Certification: On completion, you will become a certified Consumer Vulnerability Champion, recognised for your commitment to inclusive, person-centred service.

Meet the Trainers

Louise Baxter MBE

Louise graduated with a law degree in 2001. In 2002, she started work for East Sussex Trading Standards. From there, she was promoted through the ranks and in 2009, she was appointed as a Senior Manager.

In 2011, frustrated by scammers and red tape, Louise Baxter set up the National Trading Standards Scams Team. She’s now the Chartered Trading Standards Institute's (CTSI) Lead Officer for Consumer Advice, Education, and Vulnerability, a Non-Executive Director for Property Ombudsman and TrustMark, and Chair of the Consumer Protection Panel.

As a former CTSI Chair (2021), she sits on various government boards. By day, she battles fraud—by night, she’s Chief Executive Officer of Consumer Friend.

Adam Carter

Adam turned his passion for consumer rights into a mission to fight fraud.

Since 2018, he’s been investigating scams, disrupting phone fraud, and protecting vulnerable consumers with the National Trading Standards Scams Team.

As Chief Operations Officer of Consumer Friend, he co-hosts the Consumer Friend Podcast with Louise Baxter. As a champion of media literacy, he’s on a crusade against smartphones, social media… and bad consumer practices!

Course Details :

COST: £795 +vat per person (payable via Consumer Friend Academy)
LOCATION: Online via MS Teams
DURATION: 12 week training course, structured over four 2-3 hour online sessions
CPPD: Allocated by Consumer Friend Academy
UPCOMING DATES:
- Session 1: 28 July 10-12am
- Session 2: 1 September 10-12.30am
- Session 3: 29 September 10-12am
- Session 4: 3 November 10-12am
HOW TO REGISTER: To reserve your place, complete the form on the link below and a member of the Consumer Friend Academy will confirm your booking.