The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) is a trade association for the public relations sector in the United Kingdom. The association lobbies on behalf of its member companies and also provides a forum for sharing information.
History
It was founded in 1969 (as the Public Relations Consultants Association), and was originally an organisation for PR agencies; its membership includes 300 agency members, including most of the top 100 UK consultancies; 100 in-house communications teams from multinationals, UK charities and public sector organisations. The PRCA launched in-house membership in February 2009 and individual membership in October 2011.
In 2001, the PRCA sought a meeting with the Financial Services Authority to develop a code of practice for financial PR consultants.
The PRCA was one of three organisations which founded the UK lobbying self-regulation body, the UK Public Affairs Council, in 2010 - alongside the Association of Professional Political Consultants and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. However, the PRCA resigned from the UKPAC the following year, in December 2011.
It changed its name to the Public Relations and Communications Association in August 2016.