PMVA Certified Training Courses

BILD Association of Certified Training has been set up to certify training services that include a restrictive intervention. BILD Association of Certified Training are licenced by the Restraint Reduction Network to certify services as complying with the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards.

By being certified by Bild Association of Certified Training, organisations have demonstrated their training services comply with the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards.

IRMA Training is one of four organisations who train under the auspices of PMVA Associates, a Bild Act Certified training model – PMVA Associates is made up of a group of four independent companies that offer training and/or consulting services within the health care, social care, and education sectors. The organisations practice under one umbrella for the purposes of using the same training model delivered under uniform standards and expectations. It will also provide a governance structure and processes for all trainers who are certified to use the PMVA Associates training model. The model aims not just to be a training provider but a specialist service provider. We want our service to be geared towards changing mindsets, particularly about the role of restraint in any violence reduction approach.

What do you need to know about certification?

Use of Force Act statutory guidance (2021) states 'Training providers must be certified as complying with the RRN Training Standards'

The NHS Standard contract requires that all training in Restrictive Practices must be Certified (by a UKAS accredited Certification Body) as meeting the Restraint Reduction Network Standards for all providers of Mental Health, Learning Disability and Secure services.

CQC inspectors require specialist commissioned services, and Mental Health units more broadly to use training that is certified. They expect all other services they inspect to have certified training, and may in certain circumstances treat its absence as a breach of Reg 18 (staff training).

Certification of training against the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards must also be accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) as complying with the ISO certification standards to ensure impartiality, credibility and integrity.

The Standards aim to facilitate culture change, not just technical competence.

They are designed to:

• Protect people's fundamental human rights and promote person centred best interest and therapeutic approaches to supporting people when they are distressed
• Improve the quality of life of those being restrained and those supporting them
• Reduce reliance on restrictive practices by promoting positive culture and practice that focuses on prevention, de-escalation and reflective practice
• Increase understanding of the root causes of behaviour and recognition that many behaviours are the result of distress due to unmet needs
• Where required, focus on the safest and most dignified use of restrictive interventions including physical restraint. The scheme includes training needs analysis to ensure training is proportional to the needs of the population and setting. There is also increased scrutiny and surveillance of curricula, senior trainers and affiliated organisations.

Agency Framework

The impact of the Mental Health Units Use of Force Act is now becoming evident within the Temporary staffing agency space. Staff are now required to have completed certified training that meets the RRN Standards, and must be able to prove their certificate of competence is current.

This means training provided by organisations currently ‘working towards’ certification are no longer valid. The requirements laid out in the ‘Use of Force Act’ makes it explicit i.e., training must be certified.