Paul Shaffer, director of projects, CIWEM
CIWEM is playing an important role in embedding standards and professional competence for Property Flood Resilience (PFR) by developing BeFloodReady as an inclusive ‘community of practice’, providing formal industry training and a specialist register for PFR professionals. These measures will help improve competency and confidence for property owners, risk management authorities, insurers, policymakers and the public.
The need for confidence in PFR
PFR in the UK has evolved over time. Initiatives like the government’s PFR recovery grant in 2014 were introduced to support PFR. While welcome, this raised concerns about the impact of rogue traders, poor practice and inconsistent delivery.
This lead to the Code of Practice for PFR (2021) which sets a benchmark for those installing or constructing PFR. This is now underpinning industry processes, and frameworks and training to support the delivery of PFR.
Competency and training: raising standards
Confidence in the delivery of PFR is dependent on the competence of those delivering it. In 2023, CIWEM developed a comprehensive training programme that aligns with the technical standards of the Code of Practice for PFR. It provides a foundation in the principles of PFR, as well as detailed courses covering PFR design, construction and operation.
Designed with a wide range of professionals in mind, the training ensures that those involved in PFR have a clear and consistent understanding of what ‘good’ PFR delivery looks like. The courses blend e-learning with interactive advice surgeries led by industry specialists, offering a flexible but robust learning journey.
The courses provide an understanding of how the property, type of flooding and people living or using the property can influence PFR choices. The training ensures that insurers, local authorities and other risk management authorities can become ‘intelligent clients’ who better understand flood risk management and the role of PFR, enabling them to make more informed decisions. It also embeds technical learning for key professionals like flood risk managers, surveyors and building contractors.
The specialist register of PFR professionals: certifying competence
Perhaps the most significant step towards embedding confidence in PFR is our development of a specialist professional register. Launched in spring 2025, this initiative provides an independent, recognised benchmark of competency for those delivering PFR measures. CIWEM’s PFR training and specialist register unifies all the individual stakeholders around the Code of Practice for PFR, establishes a common goal, and gives a greater understanding of the skills required at each stage – ensuring those delivering PFR are confident, competent and trustworthy. This is about giving people (both practitioners and the public) peace of mind.
The register will robustly assess individuals’ knowledge, experience and competencies against the Code of Practice’s six standards, and will require professionals to provide evidence of their experience and knowledge of PFR.
By providing this structured framework for professional recognition, CIWEM is addressing a longstanding gap in the sector. No longer will PFR be delivered by unverified contractors. Instead, home and businessowners at risk of flooding and other clients like Risk Management Authorities and insurers will be able to have confidence in a sector well equipped to meet their needs. With CIWEM connecting, training and empowering individuals involved in delivering PFR and the newly formed International Property Flood Resilience Association (IPFRA) supporting companies there is growing commitment to improve knowledge and competency in the sector.
Our first cohort is going to complete the full suite of training and be assessed for inclusion on CIWEM specialist register for PFR professionals later in the summer of 2025.
