IAAC’s standards framework supports competent instruction, responsible professional practice and transparent quality assurance across applied self-protection and combatives.
The framework respects the technical identity of different systems while establishing shared expectations for education, assessment, ethics and safety.
Professional Standards
Subject & Practical Competence
Knowledge and practical ability relevant to the defined discipline, teaching role and scope of responsibility. Qualifications and experience should be documented and described accurately.
Teaching & Assessment
Clear learning objectives, appropriate teaching methods and assessment criteria aligned with the competence being evaluated. Assessment decisions should be supported by identifiable evidence.
Safety & Participant Welfare
Training should be planned around participant needs, appropriate supervision and proportionate risk management. Activities require clear safety procedures, opportunities to stop participation and suitable responses to incidents.
Ethics & Professional Conduct
Respectful treatment, honest representation of qualifications and responsible use of authority. Discrimination, abuse, unnecessary endangerment and retaliation against good-faith reporting are incompatible with IAAC’s principles.
Continuing Professional Development
Ongoing learning and reflection appropriate to the individual’s role. Professional development should address relevant changes in knowledge, teaching practice and safety.
Membership, Certification & Accreditation
These terms describe different forms of participation and recognition.
Membership establishes an individual’s or organisation’s relationship with IAAC. It does not automatically establish professional competence.
A certificate of attendance records participation in a particular event. It does not, by itself, demonstrate successful assessment.
Certification records fulfilment of defined requirements within a specified programme. Its meaning depends on the stated learning outcomes and assessment process.
Accreditation is a formal recognition of conformity with specified IAAC criteria within a defined scope and period of validity.
IAAC recognition must not be presented as a state qualification, statutory licence or external institutional endorsement unless that status is separately established and documented.
Accreditation Framework
The framework is intended to support the assessment of instructors, educational providers and programmes within the scope established by the applicable IAAC regulations.
Detailed requirements, fees, assessment methods and validity periods will be published when the relevant procedures have been formally adopted and applications are open.
Application & Scope
An application should identify the recognition sought, the relevant discipline or programme and the applicant’s intended responsibilities.
Documentation & Review
Relevant qualifications, experience, curricula and safety arrangements may be reviewed against published criteria. Documentation requirements will depend on the scope of the application.
Assessment
Where required, assessment may include practical demonstration, teaching observation, discussion and review of supporting evidence. The applicable methods and criteria should be communicated in advance.
Decision & Conditions
A formal decision should identify the approved scope, any conditions, the period of validity and the responsibilities attached to the recognition.
Renewal & Continuing Compliance
Recognition may be subject to continuing professional development, updated documentation and reassessment under the applicable regulations. Renewal requirements will be stated for each category.
Fairness & Conflicts of Interest
Accreditation decisions should be evidence-based and made within clearly assigned responsibilities.
Relevant conflicts of interest must be declared and managed. Founding status, membership or a commercial relationship does not replace the applicable competence requirements.
Complaints & Review
Concerns about professional conduct, safety or the misuse of IAAC credentials may be submitted for consideration under the applicable procedures.
Accreditation reviews, disciplinary matters and disputes arising from membership are distinct processes. The relevant rules will identify the responsible body, submission requirements and available review mechanisms.
Verification & Accurate Representation
A verification service is planned to help users check the scope and validity of issued credentials.
Until that service is available, verification enquiries may be sent directly to IAAC. Applicants and members must not claim a status that has not been formally granted.
Standards Enquiries
For information about standards, accreditation development or credential verification:
