In short
PMVA (Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression) is training for staff who may meet distress or aggression at work: early warning signs, de-escalation, personal safety, breakaway and, only as a last resort, restrictive intervention.
How often is a PMVA refresher needed? The Restraint Reduction Network (RRN) Training Standards say at least annually, lasting at least one day, with competence testing.
What does Bild ACT certified mean? Bild ACT is the body the RRN currently licenses to certify training against its Training Standards, and it publishes a list of certified training services.
The RRN Standards · Refresher rules · How to check a provider · Common questions · PMVA courses with KCP
PMVA is easy to define. What trips people up is everything around it: the RRN Training Standards, Bild ACT certification, refresher rules and the law. This guide explains each in plain English.
What is PMVA training?
PMVA stands for Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression. Bild ACT describes it as a general term for a broad type of training, also known as restraint training, restrictive intervention training or physical intervention training. The emphasis belongs on prevention: understanding why a person is distressed, spotting early signs and de-escalating. Physical intervention comes last – the CQC is clear that restraint should only ever be used as a last resort.
Restrictive practice is also wider than physical holds. NHS England uses ‘restrictive practices’ as a collective term covering physical, mechanical, chemical, psychological and environmental restraint, along with blanket restrictions.
Who needs it?
Anyone who may support people in distress: staff in learning disability, autism and mental health services, care homes, home care, hospitals and education. Employers have a general duty too. The statutory guidance for the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018 notes that, under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers must assess the risks from reasonably foreseeable violence and aggression, and that control measures may include training in the prevention and management of violence or aggression. See where it fits on our mandatory training checklist.
What are the RRN Training Standards?
The Restraint Reduction Network (RRN) Training Standards are a national benchmark for training in supporting people who are distressed in education, health and social care settings. Commissioned by Health Education England and first published in 2019, they apply to all training that has a restrictive intervention component. They aim to protect human rights, promote person-centred approaches, reduce reliance on restrictive practices and, where restraint is needed, focus on its safest and most dignified use. In practice they cover the whole training cycle:
- training is based on a training needs analysis (TNA) from the commissioning organisation, using the past two years of incident data
- people with lived experience of restrictive interventions are involved in developing and delivering it
- every physical restraint technique taught is risk assessed
- learners are assessed for competence in both knowledge and skills
This is the first edition. In March 2026 the RRN said a second edition would be published later in 2026, so check its website for the latest version.
How often is PMVA refresher training needed?
The RRN Training Standards say refresher training must:
- take place as a minimum annually and include competence testing
- last at least one day, and longer where interventions are multiple, complex or high risk
- combine an annual core with a rolling programme, so every curriculum area is covered at least every three years
- be based on an updated TNA
The Act’s statutory guidance also sets annual refreshers as a minimum. Bild ACT adds that up to 12 weeks may be allowed for unavoidable absences such as sick leave, injury, or maternity or paternity leave; after that, best practice is to retrain on the full certified course.
What does Bild ACT certification mean?
Bild Association of Certified Training (Bild ACT) is a UK charity, accredited by UKAS and licensed by the RRN to certify training services as complying with the RRN Training Standards. It is currently the only certification body. The RRN does not certify training, and Bild ACT does not deliver any.
Certification is more specific than many buyers assume. Training is certified only when an approved organisation delivers an approved curriculum through an approved senior trainer or an approved affiliate organisation; if any part is missing, it is not certified. Some certified services also run non-certified courses, so the certificate needs to match the course.
Where the law and the CQC come in
The clearest legal duty is in mental health units. Section 5 of the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018, in force since 31 March 2022, requires training for staff on the use of force, with refresher training at regular intervals. Its statutory guidance, published in December 2021, says training providers must be certified as complying with the RRN Training Standards, and that the CQC would expect services across health and social care to have certified training from April 2021. Outside settings covered by the Act, the RRN says the Standards are not mandated, though providers can choose certified training.
The CQC’s August 2023 policy position on reducing restrictive practice asks providers in all sectors to record and analyse incidents at board level or equivalent and work to reduce them. Its registration guidance on restraint policies, which some services such as specialist learning disability and autism services must send, asks for evidence that staff do mandatory training in de-escalation and safe restraint techniques, with ongoing supervision and refresher training. Restraint is also a safeguarding issue: regulation 13 of the Regulated Activities Regulations 2014 rules out control or restraint that is not necessary to prevent, or not a proportionate response to, a risk of harm. For inspection records, see how to evidence staff training for the CQC.
How to check a PMVA provider is certified
- Find the training provider’s name on the certificate and search for it on Bild ACT’s list of Certified Training Services, which can be filtered by population, setting and location.
- Open the provider’s entry and compare its approved curricula and trainers with the course and trainer on the certificate.
- Check the certificate is current and annual refreshers are up to date.
- Check Bild ACT’s separate list of providers that are suspended or no longer able to deliver certified training.
Approved providers hold a Bild ACT certificate showing the certification logo, so it is reasonable to ask to see it.
PMVA training with KCP
Our annual 1-day refresher, 2-day course and 3-day foundation course are Bild ACT certified against the RRN Training Standards, and certificates are kept current with the annual 1-day refresher. They run at our Liverpool training centre at 73A Allerton Road, Liverpool L18 2DA, in London or on site for your team, and you can book a preferred date and location anywhere in England – our office confirms the details. See our PMVA training courses or browse all KCP courses.
PMVA training FAQs
What does PMVA stand for?
Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression. It is a general term for training in preventing and safely managing distress and aggression, with restrictive intervention only as a last resort.
How often do you need PMVA refresher training?
At least once a year. The RRN Training Standards say refresher training must take place as a minimum annually, last at least one day and include competence testing.
What is the difference between PMVA and MAPA?
PMVA is a general term used by many training providers. MAPA is a programme name from the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), which says it restructured MAPA in 2021 into two programmes, Verbal Intervention and Safety Intervention. Neither name shows whether a course is certified; Bild ACT’s list does.
What does Bild ACT certified mean?
The training has been certified as complying with the RRN Training Standards by Bild Association of Certified Training, which is accredited by UKAS and licensed by the RRN. Certification covers the organisation, curriculum and trainer together.
Is PMVA training a legal requirement?
It depends on the setting. In mental health units, the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018 requires use-of-force training, and its statutory guidance requires certified training providers. More widely, employers must assess risks from foreseeable violence and aggression, and the CQC expects restraint only as a last resort, backed by training.
How do I find PMVA training near me?
Bild ACT’s list of certified training services can be filtered by location. KCP runs PMVA training at our Liverpool training centre, in London and on site, with preferred dates and locations anywhere in England.
Key takeaways
- PMVA is a general name for training in preventing and safely managing distress and aggression.
- RRN refreshers: at least annually, at least one day, with every curriculum area covered every three years.
- Bild ACT is currently the only body licensed by the RRN to certify training against the Standards.
- Check providers on Bild ACT’s list and match the certificate to an approved course and trainer.
Sources
Checked 12 November 2026.
Book PMVA training with KCP
Choose the annual 1-day refresher, 2-day course or 3-day foundation course at our Liverpool training centre, in London or on site. Questions? Call 0151 305 9969.