Bild Association of
Certified Training
Who are we?
Bild Association of Certified Training has been set up to certify training services that include a restrictive physical intervention. We are licenced by the Restraint Reduction Network to certify services as complying with the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards.
Chair of Bild ACT Trustees - Teresa Sargent
Certification Director - Paul Keedwell
What do you need to know about certification?
- The Statutory Guidance that supports the implementation of the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018, states "Training providers must be certified as complying with the RRN Training Standards" and “Certification bodies must be accredited by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) as complying with the ISO standards for certification”
- ACT are accredited by UKAS [10766]
Who should apply for certification?
There are over 130 organisations already certified against the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards. Training providers should apply where their training:
- has a restrictive intervention component,
- is delivered either in-house (e.g. within an NHS Trust) and/or delivered commercially, to healthcare, social care or education settings in the UK.
How long does the process take?
The certification process takes approximately one year to complete and lasts for three years. During this time, 20% of training curricula, senior trainers and affiliate organisations will be observed. Visit the Certification Process page here.
FAQ
Common questions from customers (end users of training):
The CQC and NHSE have indicated that they expect services to be receiving training from, or delivering certificated training themselves from April 2021.
In the event that an organisation is not in receipt of certificated training the CQC are likely to consider taking appropriate action.
If an organisation is receiving training from an organisation that is working towards certification, or they are in the process themselves the CQC may take this into account when consider the most appropriate course of action.
The same is likely to hold true for NHSE, although this requirement relates specifically to organisations commissioned and funded to provide specialist services by NHSE.
All of the Certificated Training Services, along with information about the range and scope of training that they are certificated to provided can be found on the BILD ACT website under the tab 'CERTIFICATED ORGANISATIONS'
Common questions from certified training services
An overview of the certification process is available on the BILD ACT website [CERTIFICATION PROCESS]
An overview of all of the fees is available on p.10 of the scheme handbook which available on the BILD ACT website [SCHEME HANDBOOK]
All trainers are expected to have their competence assessed annually (Standard 4.3.3) and All senior trainers must successfully complete a minimum of two days' refresher training annually (Standard 4.3.4)
In exceptional circumstances trainers may inadvertently miss refreshers or updates. The disruption caused by covid is one such example. In response to Covid, the RRN have stated: “There may be some option for some elements of preventative training that could be facilitated virtually, and we have heard that some providers are thinking creatively”
Furthermore, they have stated “Face to face training events and particularly training that involves practising physical techniques carries elevated risk. We advise following NHS advice if training is going ahead as some commissioners will have made the decision that it is a necessary activity for safety reasons and adhering to the necessary safety precautions is paramount”
Over and above this certificated training services are asked to make any reasonable adjustments required to the prevailing circumstances on the basis of risk assessment. For example, trainers delivering into lower risk environments (fewer, less complex physical skills included in the syllabus), or where the training is facilitated by more experienced trainers, may be allowed a slightly longer refresher windows. Those deemed higher risk by contrast should be prioritised for an earlier refresher.
It should be noted that reasonable adjustments made under covid are likely to end at some point, and the onus would always be on certified training services to provide evidence when requesting additional time in exceptional circumstances.
When you become a certificated Training service your details will appear on the BILD ACT website.
This means that prospective customers and r3gulators such as the CQC can check your certificated status.
Your certificate will indicate what settings, populations, and countries your training is certificated for. These will have been check during the application process.
Settings:
- Healthcare
- Social care
- Education
Populations:
- Services supporting adults
- Services supporting children
- People with mental health conditions
- People with learning disabilities
- Autistic people
- People acquired brain injury
- People living with dementia
Countries:
- England
- Scotland
- Wales
- Northern Ireland
As a example if your training has been certified for health and social care, and for people with dementia in England your training would be suitable for staff working in:
- Nursing homes
- Dementia homecare services
- Delirium and dementia wards
- Care of the elderly wards
- Memory cafes
- Meals on wheels
- Transport services for older adults etc
Bild ACT have published a special assessment guidance note which is available HERE
The RRN have developed a Training Audit Tool designed to be used to review existing training against the new standards. see HERE
At the end of each year Bild ACT will arrange a review to ensure that you are still compliant with the RRN Training Standards. See HERE
If you are operating an Affiliate model and licensing your training out to satellite service providers Bild ACT will undertake random quality assurance visits. See HERE
Certification lasts for three years. At the end of this period an organisation will be expected to recertify. This involves completing that year’s Annual review and attending a Recertification panel. See HERE
When meeting std 1.5.1 video resources may be used. It is important that these are properly sourced and used. See HERE
Common questions from affiliate training organisations
These are service provider organisations that deliver certified training services within their own organisations on behalf of a certificated training service. Sometimes described satellite training organisations, or training centres that are authorised or approved to deliver a defined system or model.
As the name suggests such organisations are affiliated to one of the Certificated Training Services [see the list of certificated training services under the CERTIFICATED ORGANISATIONS tab]
The Certificated Training Service to which the organisation is affiliated have a responsibility to maintain the quality and integrity of the training delivery.
This includes ensuring that approved curricula are maintained, and that ‘Associate Trainers’ operating within them maintain their RRN competence.
In the event that non-conformities [i.e., deviations from the requirements laid out in the RRN Training Standards] are identified by the Certificated Training Service or a BILD ACT assessor a Non-Conformity Action Plan will be required.
In the event a Non-Conformity Action Plan is not discharged fully, within a reasonable timeframe, the Affiliates approved status may be suspended. This means they would not be permitted to deliver certificated training
ALL Trainers must be RRN competent. The requirements are outlined in section four of the Training Standards [Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards]
In the RRN Training Standards it states: “Associate trainers are authorised by the training provider to deliver approved programme(s) only within their own service or organisation, they are not authorised to deliver any approved ‘Train the Trainer’ programmes. Associate trainers are likely to be employed by affiliated service provider organisations (e.g. NHS trusts, schools or care homes who deliver training services on behalf of the training provider and will be expected to meet the requirements as laid out within the ‘Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards’. This status is non transferrable across organisations, employers or other training organisations. Direct quality assurance for these trainers is the responsibility of the training provider who will be expected to provide evidence of quality assurance monitoring processes as part of the certification of their training services, which will be sampled in the continuous assessment process for certification”
There is an annual fee payable to the assessment body. An overview of all of the fees is available on p.10 of the scheme handbook which available on the BILD ACT website [SCHEME HANDBOOK]. This fee covers the registration of the service, and all assessment activity undertaken by the BILD ACT assessment team. The Certificated Training Service will be invoiced for this. It expected that this will be form part of any licensing and training fees charged to an Affiliate by the Certificated Training Service.
Other common questions
These organisations have close working relationships but are separate and distinct entities.
- BILD is a charity launched in 1971 that focuses on helping those supporting people with complex needs – including our members, universities, government departments, local authorities, NHS trusts, service providers and mainstream organisations - to champion rights, ensure excellent support and continually improve practice [BILD WEBSITE]
- BILD ACT was formed in 2018 and is a separate and distinct business entity. None of the staff, or trustees work for BILD or the RRN [BILD ACT WEBSITE]
- RRN Currently chaired by Professor Joy Duxbury, and has a National Steering Group with representation from the CQC, NHSE, HEE, ADASS, Department for Health and Social Care, The Department of Education, RCN, NAPICU, Ofsted, MIND, BILD, British Institute of Human Rights and as well as various Universities, Academics, individuals with lived experience as well as representation form certificated training services. The Restraint Reduction Network licences certification bodies to use the Standards and requires certification bodies to be accredited by UKAS (national accreditation body) as complying with the ISO standards for service certification (ISO/IEC 17065). [RRN WEBSITE]
- UKAS The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the national accreditation body for the United Kingdom, appointed by government, to assess organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. [UKAS WEBSITE]
The RRN Training Standards set a brand new baseline standard for those training programmes that cover the use of restrictive interventions. For the latest copy of the RRN Training Standards see HERE
In order to determine whether training is required in your work setting, or in those the settings in which your loved ones are being treated or supported see HERE
For a quick summary of the RRN Certification scheme see HERE
Since 2020 here has been a contractual requirement for those staff working within specialist commissioned NHS services1, who use restrictive interventions, to have undertaken ‘RRN Certified Training’.
[1‘Mental Health’, ‘Learning Disability’, ‘Autism’ and ‘Dementia’ services, including low, medium and high secure services]
In addition to this, the Mental Health Unit [Use of Force] Act requires mental health service providers operating a mental health unit to use ‘RRN Certified Training’ where staff need to be trained in the ‘Use of Force2
[2This includes physical, mechanical, or chemical restraint of a patient, or the isolation of a patient (which includes seclusion and segregation)]
Furthermore, the CQC have stated they expect those service providers they inspect will use ‘RRN Certified Training’.
RRN Certified Training is approved training delivered by what are referred to as a ‘Certified Training Services’.
The ‘Certified’ status is only conferred upon training providers, who have been assessed and approved by a Certification Body that is licensed by the Restraint Reduction Network and are also accredited by UKAS. At present, the only certification body is Bild ACT, but this may change in the future.
If you are seeking to establish whether a training organisation is certified just visit the Bild ACT website, and click on the ‘Certified Organisations’ tab.
If you know the name of the provider, it is easy enough to check that they are certified.
From 2016 trusts in scope of the NHS ‘Agency Rules’ are required to procure all agency staff via the framework agreements or arrangements approved by NHS Improvement. Staff working within agencies operating under the auspices of such framework agreements need to be mindful that some trusts/private service providers may insist that incoming staff complete their own unique, in-house certificated training course.
Any certificate must be current. Certificates that are more than a year old are likely to be invalid.
The ‘Certified Training Services’ name will usually be on any certificate issued by a training provider. Visit the ‘Certified Organisations’, to check if they are indeed certified.
Once you have confirmed that they are a ‘Certified Training Service’ you can check the names of the curricula that they are delivering and ensure these are on the certificate. This check is important as some ‘Certified Training Services’ also deliver non-certified curricula. The names of the curricula are listed under the individual entry for the organisation.
The RRN Training Standards state: “Refresher training must take place as a minimum annually”. This is in order that knowledge remains up to date, and importantly that individuals are deemed to be competent in the use of any physical skills.
There are sometimes exceptional circumstances where a member of staff might not be able to complete refresher training within the twelve-month period. Circumstances which may be considered valid include:
- Sick leave
- Injured or unfit to train
- Pregnant/maternity/paternity leave.
A period of up to 12 weeks may be permitted to deal with such absences. In no circumstances should it be used to extend the period between training sessions.
If a staff member doesn’t complete their refresher within 12 weeks, best practice is to retrain and complete the full RRN Certified course, typically 3–5 days in length.
This means that the organisation has applied to become certified but have not yet completed the process. As such certified status cannot be guaranteed.
It is also worth pointing out that the requirements, such as they are, are for formally ‘certified’ training rather than as yet uncertified training:
- The Mental Health Units Use of Force Act statutory guidance states “Certified training that complies with the RRN Training Standards became a requirement of NHS commissioned services for people with learning disabilities, autism or mental health conditions in April 2020” (p.43) [source]
- The NHS Standard contract requires certified training to be in place for all NHS commissioned Mental Health, Learning Disability and Secure Services.
- The “Care Quality Commission will expect services across health and social care to have certified training that complies with the RRN Training Standards from April 2021” (p.43) [source]
You are advised to check the local requirement.
Bild ACT are a certification body and do not deliver any training.
As the certification body Bild ACT do not endorse any particular organisation. We recommend that if you are either searching for a ‘Certified Training Service’, or seeking to establish whether a known training organisation is certified, you visit the Bild ACT website, and click on the ‘Certified Organisations’ tab. You can use the search bar to refine your search.
If you want any information about the training delivery of any ‘Certified Training Service’, e.g., prices, the location of training, and the length or content of specific you need to contact the ‘Certified Training Service’ directly. The contact details for each certified training service are listed in their individual entry on the website.
In short, the answer is NO.
PMVA is a very general term used to describe a broad type of training, i.e., one that involves teaching staff how to apply restraint techniques.
There are various other general descriptive terms that are used to refer to this type of training: ‘Restraint Training’, ‘Restrictive Intervention Training’, ‘Restrictive Physical Intervention’ or ‘RPI Training’, ‘Physical Intervention Training’, ‘Positive Handling Training’ ‘Clinical Holding Training’, ‘Therapeutic Holding Training’, and ‘Safe Holding Training’ amongst many others.
In other instances, a convention has developed where organisation, or company name can be used as a shorthand for the training.
There may also be reference made to training programmes that are ‘accredited’, ‘approved’, ‘authorised’, ‘licensed’ or ‘recognised by..’ some or other body, or alternatively a statement to the effect that curricula or training is ‘Aligned to…’, ‘In line with..’ ‘Mapped against..’, or ‘Following’ the RRN Training Standards.
To avoid any confusion, when you have determined that you need RRN Certified Training, then you should use the Bild ACT website to locate a ‘Certified Training Service’. When you scan through the individual entries of the different organisations, you will see that each use their own unique course titles. The thing to remember is that the courses or curricula listed under each ‘Certified Training Service’ are all RRN Certified.
RRN_Training_Standards_Certification_Scheme_HandbookOct2019v2
Bild ACT are licensed by the RRN to operate as a Certification body. This is their scheme handbook. Organisations applying for Certification should refer to the Bild ACT Customer handbook.
