BILD ACT certified training providers list: how to use it

If you are trying to commission safer, more consistent physical intervention training for your service, the BILD ACT Certified Training Services directory is a useful starting point. It can save you time, but only if you know what you are looking at and how to turn a directory entry into a sensible shortlist.

This guide explains what the list is, how to use it to compare providers, and what to ask before you book. It is written for UK adult social care leaders, managers, PBS leads, safeguarding leads and procurement colleagues.

What the BILD ACT certified training providers list is (and what it is not)

The directory is published by BILD ACT and lists training services that are marked as certified on the page. BILD ACT explains that for a training service to be certified, it must be delivered by an approved training organisation, follow an approved curriculum, and be delivered by an approved senior trainer or within an approved affiliate provider organisation (BILD ACT Certified Training Services directory).

What it is: a public directory showing which organisations are currently presented as certified training services, including organisations that deliver physical intervention training and related content (BILD ACT Certified Training Services directory).

What it is not: a buyer’s guide, a quality rating, or evidence that a particular course will fit your setting. Certification tells you something specific about governance of curriculum, trainer approval and delivery model. It does not automatically tell you about outcomes in your service, how well the provider understands your client group, or whether their approach matches your values and legal duties.

Before you open the list: be clear about what you need

If you search a directory without a brief, everything looks similar. A quick planning step makes the list far more useful.

• Your setting and population: residential, supported living, day opportunities, community outreach, or mixed; and any communication, sensory or health needs you must account for.
• Your risk picture: what types of incidents are most common, when they happen, and what typically triggers escalation.
• Your training goal: compliance and risk reduction, skill development, culture change, or rebuilding confidence after incidents.
• Who needs training: whole team, specific roles, night staff, managers, agency staff, or trainers.
• Practical constraints: training days available, shift patterns, number of learners, and whether you need blended delivery.

Having this written down will help you spot which organisations on the list are plausible candidates and which are not.

Step-by-step: how to use the certified organisations list

1) Find the organisation and confirm you are on the right page

Start at the directory page itself and search within the page for organisation names you already know, plus a few you do not (BILD ACT Certified Training Services directory). This gives you a sense of what is available and whether there are providers operating in your region or nationally.

2) Check what exactly is certified

Do not assume that every course an organisation offers is covered in the same way. BILD ACT describes certification as depending on the approved organisation, approved curriculum and approved senior trainer or approved affiliate provider organisation (BILD ACT Certified Training Services directory). When you speak to a provider, ask them to confirm:

• Which specific course(s) you are buying are delivered under the certified curriculum.
• Who the trainer is and how they are approved within the model.
• Whether delivery is direct or through an affiliate arrangement, and how that is governed.

3) Make a first shortlist using three practical filters

The directory does not always include rich filtering, so you may need to build your own shortlist by quickly checking each provider’s website and noting key facts. Use these filters:

• Service type fit: do they have experience in adult social care and your specific service model?
• Delivery fit: can they deliver in-house, at your sites, with your shift patterns?
• Scale fit: do they support organisations of your size, including refresher plans and new starter training?

A good shortlist is usually 3 to 6 providers. More than that and comparisons become vague.

4) Check for alignment with least restrictive practice and governance

Even though your directory search is about certification, your commissioning decision should still be grounded in your responsibilities around rights, dignity and safety.

CQC’s restraint policy guidance sets out what they expect a provider’s policy to cover, including a commitment to least restrictive practice, clear decision-making, monitoring, debriefing, incident reporting, and training in de-escalation and safe restraint techniques (CQC: Restraint policy guidance (PDF print)).

When you speak to training providers, use this as a reality check. Ask how their training supports your service to meet these expectations day-to-day, not just on the training day.

5) Compare what happens after the course

Training is often treated as a one-off event. In practice, the value comes from what changes afterwards. Compare providers on:

• Refreshers and revalidation: how often, what format, and how competence is checked.
• Coaching and follow-up: do they offer observation, coaching, scenario practice, or leadership support?
• Materials and reinforcement: learner resources, guidance for managers, and tools for supervision.
• Governance support: help with incident review themes, dashboards, or learning reviews.

Questions to ask every provider on your shortlist

Use the list below to turn a directory entry into a procurement-ready decision.

Certification and scope

• Which course is certified, and what is the course name exactly?
• Who will deliver it, and what is their status in the approved model?
• How do you keep content current, and how often is it reviewed?

Training content and approach

• How much time is spent on proactive strategies and early intervention compared with physical skills?
• How do you teach decision-making, proportionality, necessity, and the least restrictive option?
• How do you adapt for communication needs, sensory needs, and trauma-informed delivery?

Competence, assessment and assurance

• How do you assess competence during training?
• What happens if a learner is not yet competent?
• What records do you provide (attendance, competence, refresher dates)?

Aftercare and implementation

• What support do managers get to embed learning through supervision and practice?
• Do you offer train-the-trainer, and what are the governance requirements?
• How do you help services monitor incidents, debrief consistently, and learn themes over time?

Common pitfalls when using the directory

• Picking the first familiar name: familiarity is not fit. Shortlist based on your brief.
• Assuming certification equals inspection readiness: you still need good policy, recording, learning and leadership in your service.
• Buying training without a practice plan: decide how you will coach, observe and reinforce skills.
• Ignoring managers: leadership behaviour and supervision drives whether training sticks.
• Not checking scope: confirm what is certified and who is approved to deliver it.

How to document your decision (so it stands up to scrutiny)

Whether you are purchasing for one service or a group, capture your decision clearly. A simple one-page record often helps:

• Your brief (setting, population, goals, numbers, delivery constraints).
• Shortlist and why each provider was included.
• Questions asked and evidence received (quotes from proposals, course outlines, trainer credentials).
• How the training supports least restrictive practice, de-escalation, incident learning and ongoing competence.
• Implementation plan (coaching, refreshers, induction, manager oversight).

This makes procurement easier and helps you show that training is part of a wider safety and quality system, not just a tick-box exercise.

Worked example: turning the list into a shortlist in 30 minutes

If you have never used the directory before, here is a simple way to make progress quickly without over-analysing.

1. Pick a starting set of 10 names from the certified organisations list that look relevant (BILD ACT Certified Training Services directory).
2. Open each provider’s website in a new tab and look for three things: (a) your service type, (b) geography or travel, (c) course format and duration.
3. Reduce to 5 providers by removing any who cannot deliver in your time window or cannot demonstrate experience with your population.
4. Email the remaining 5 with the same short brief: numbers, locations, typical incident types, and the outcomes you want.
5. Score responses consistently using a simple table: delivery fit, governance fit, aftercare, record keeping, and overall confidence.

This approach is not about finding the “perfect” provider in a directory. It is about building a clear, defensible decision based on your context and the evidence you receive.

How to use the list alongside your own incident learning

A directory can help you find certified providers, but it cannot tell you which skills your staff need most. Your own data can.

• Look for patterns in time and place: are incidents clustering around personal care, medication, transitions, or waiting?
• Look for communication themes: are staff missing early signs of anxiety, pain, confusion, or sensory overload?
• Look for team themes: does risk rise with agency use, low staffing, or less experienced shifts?

Share a short summary of these themes with shortlisted providers. The best conversations happen when the provider can explain how training content and follow-up support will change practice in relation to your real scenarios.

Internal link shortcuts (to support your wider training plan)

• Start with the BILD ACT certification hub to understand the big picture.
• If you are building a broader skills framework, see Training for care staff.
• To strengthen early intervention, explore Positive behaviour support training.

Recommended next steps

CTA 1: If you are reviewing your options, start with the BILD ACT certification hub to understand what certification covers and how it fits with commissioning decisions.

CTA 2: If your goal is to strengthen early intervention skills across the team, explore Positive behaviour support training and plan how managers will reinforce learning after training.

CTA 3: If you are trying to reduce restrictive interventions through policy, practice and learning, see Restrictive practice reduction training for an integrated approach.

FAQ

Does the BILD ACT certified training providers list include every provider in the UK?

No. It is a directory of training services that are shown as certified on the page, not a list of every provider operating in the UK (BILD ACT Certified Training Services directory).

How often is the list updated?

The directory itself does not provide a clear update schedule on the page. If you are making a procurement decision, confirm current certification status directly with the provider and with BILD ACT if needed (BILD ACT Certified Training Services directory).

Is using a certified provider enough to satisfy inspectors?

Certification can be one helpful part of your overall approach, but you still need robust local policies, recording, debriefing and governance. CQC’s restraint policy guidance highlights expectations such as least restrictive practice, incident reporting and analysis, de-escalation training, and ongoing refresher training (CQC: Restraint policy guidance (PDF print)).

What should we ask for in writing?

Ask for the course outline, how competence is assessed, refresher requirements, and confirmation of the trainer/delivery model for the certified curriculum. Keep these alongside your internal training plan and governance documentation.

What if we have multiple services across regions?

Ask providers how they deliver consistently across multiple locations, how they support managers, and how they help you keep records of competence and refreshers across teams.

Internal links used: BILD ACT certification hub, Positive behaviour support training, Restrictive practice reduction training, Training for care staff

Citation hooks: Directory definition and certification conditions (BILD ACT Certified Training Services directory); CQC restraint policy training and governance expectations (CQC: Restraint policy guidance (PDF print)).