GDip/PGDip – Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner

The Graduate/Postgraduate Diploma in Brief Evidence-Based Interventions for Children and Young People with Common Mental Health Problems has been designed specifically for practitioners whose role will routinely include brief therapeutic interventions for:

  • children and adolescents with mild-to-moderate anxiety or low mood and;
  • parents of children experiencing anxiety disorders or behavioural difficulties.

Applicants will be offered full-time employment (usually for a minimum of one year) by an organisation that offers child and adolescent mental health services, whether in the statutory or voluntary sector. To meet the requirements of the programme trainees will complete a minimum of 80 clinical hours over the course of the programme, so consistent access to suitable cases throughout the training is essential.

For services operating Agenda for Change (AfC) banding, the staff grade will be Band 4.

Entry requirements
  • For PG Dip – Honours Degree graded at 2.2 or above
  • For Grad Dip – Evidence of ability to study at Level 6 (i.e. previous successful study at level 5; or successful part completion of an Honours degree – level 6)
  • Knowledge of children and young people gained through academic study in child development, child wellbeing or mental health
  • A minimum of one year’s experience of supporting children/young people with their mental health
  • Course structure
      The programme comprises three modules, as follows:

      • Module 1: Core Skills, Fundamental Principles for Working with Children and Young People
      • Module 2: Engagement and Assessment of Common Mental Health Problems in Children and Young People
      • Module 3: Evidence-Based Low Intensity Interventions for Children and Young People presenting with Common Mental Health Problems

      Training will be a combination of face-to-face teaching and workplace-based directed sessions

      Trainees’ academic performance will be assessed in numerous ways including an in-class test, two videos of sessions, and written work comprising reflective analyses, two case reports and a portfolio of academic and clinical work completed during the programme.

      Trainees’ clinical competence will be assessed in two ways. First, by the programme team via video recordings of clinical assessment and treatment sessions. Second, by workplace supervisors.

      Teaching normally begins late January, with a series of teaching blocks that will comprise 3-4 days of face-to-face teaching and 1-2 days of university-directed independent learning. During the course of training the proportion of time spent in practice on placement increases, and attendance at university decreases.

      Trainees will receive weekly case management supervision and fortnightly clinical skills supervision in the workplace provided by CYP Mental Health trained supervisors.

    Service commitment and materials
      Services must provide all trainees with recording equipment (capable of three functions; recording of multiple uninterrupted 1 hour-long sessions without battery change, quick review of sessions either on the recording device or a laptop, and the download of recordings in a secure manner).

      All trainees need to have planned access to appropriate cases to start mid-March 2022.

      Access to the following texts for use with clients:

      • The Incredible Years: A Trouble–shooting Guide for Parents of Children Aged 3-8 years 3rd edition. Carolyn Webster–Stratton (2019) (or 2nd edition 2006)
      • Helping your Child with Fears and Worries. Cathy Creswell & Lucy Willetts (2019)
      • Brief Behavioural Activation for Adolescent Depression. A Clinician’s Session – by – Session Guide Paperback Shirley Reynolds & Laura Pass (2020)
    What to expect

    The CWP programme offers an exciting opportunity to learn about evidence-based approaches for working with children, young people, and their families. It also offers a great opportunity to make new friends and meet lots of new people undertaking the same training.

    Although there are scheduled directed study days, you will need to allocate some of your own time for extra work. It is likely that you will need to spend several hours per week on programme-related work, including carrying out additional reading, role-playing clinical practice, completing academic assignments, and preparing for supervision. The CWP training is a Graduate (Degree) or Postgraduate (Masters) level programme, which requires students to use their own initative to identify useful resources and carry out an appropriate amount of revision.

    As well as being rewarding, it can be a challenging year having to juggle the competing demands of programme work, workplace commitments, and home-life. Getting the right balance between these three important areas can be tricky at times. The course team is there to help ensure students maximise opportunities for learning and provide support where needed. We hope you enjoy your time with us.

    Contact Us

    • cwi@reading.ac.uk

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