Organisations often approach BILD ACT and the RRN Training Standards as labels to obtain rather than responsibilities to embed. That leads to a familiar pattern: training is undertaken, certificates are filed and policies are updated.
But when situations escalate, the real test isn’t what’s written down but how staff respond in the moment. Do they recognise early signs of distress? Do they feel confident using de-escalation strategies? Do they understand behaviour as communication?
These frameworks are not measuring whether training has been delivered, but whether it has been understood, applied and embedded into everyday practice.
BILD ACT and RRN, The Difference
There is sometimes confusion in care around these two terms, which are often used interchangeably. BILD ACT certification is a formal, audited process for training providers delivering restrictive intervention training. It confirms that a provider’s training meets the Restraint Reduction Network (RRN) Training Standards. RRN organisational membership, by contrast, is a commitment-based scheme reflecting an organisation’s intention to reduce restrictive practices through an action plan.
The question these frameworks are really asking is not “Have staff been trained?” It is “Can the organisation show that its training, decision-making and day-to-day practices are genuinely designed to reduce restrictive practices?”
What BILD ACT and RRN Standards Require
When stripped back, BILD ACT certification against the RRN Training Standards is asking a service to prove that restrictive intervention training is controlled, evidenced and rooted in restraint reduction rather than force delivery; that crisis response sits within a broader culture of safer practice.
It requires service providers to evidence that training is:
• Built on a clear training needs analysis
• Focused on prevention and de-escalation, not just intervention
• Delivered by competent, authorised trainers
• Supported by evaluation and refresher processes
• Aligned with legal, ethical and human rights frameworks
In short, both frameworks are not about teaching restraint but ensuring that staff are equipped to reduce the need for it.
What This Means in Practice
Statutory guidance under the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018 states that training providers delivering restrictive intervention training must be certified against the RRN Training Standards. Regulators expect training providers to demonstrate that training is relevant to the setting and workforce, that staff can apply de-escalation strategies in practice, that restrictive interventions are used lawfully and proportionately, and that incidents are reviewed, recorded and learned from.
Not every care organisation needs to become certified itself, but they do need to make sure the training they choose is. There is an important difference between being a certified training provider and commissioning certified training, and it is one that is sometimes misunderstood.
Train-the-trainer does not automatically equal certified internal delivery either. If an organisation is not itself a certified training service, internal delivery is only certified in specific approved affiliate arrangements.
RRN organisational membership can be useful – it can provide a framework for setting priorities, publishing a restraint reduction action plan and creating internal accountability – but it does not validate training quality in the way certification does.
From Training to Implementation
The question is not simply “are we compliant?” but whether training is aligned to your setting and risk profile, whether staff leave with practical confidence rather than just theory, and whether learning is reinforced through supervision, review and CPD.
The solution is not more generic content. It’s more relevant, more tailored, more practical training that helps staff mitigate risk, communicate effectively, respond proportionately and reduce the need for restriction wherever possible.
Speak to Us
Timian works with education, health and social care teams to deliver BILD ACT certified training that prioritises understanding behaviour, promoting de-escalation and reducing reliance on restrictive intervention.
If your organisation is reviewing how it approaches behaviour support, speak to our team about how we can support your staff.
