Qualifications in health & therapeutic disciplines
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Community nurses
Health visitors and school nurses are registered with their professional body, the Nursing & Midwifery Council, on the Specialist Community Public Health Nurse register. These professionals work to promote health and prevent ill health in babies, children and their families. This includes pro-moting breastfeeding, supporting parenting, promoting health and wellbeing in adolescence, sexual health, and healthy eating.
To work in this area, applicants must be a registered nurse. Specialist Community Public Health Nurse programmes are based in higher education institutions. The majority of institutions offering this programme provide a route into health visiting, while some will offer a route into school nursing.
All programmes are validated by the Nursing & Midwifery Council and will provide students with equal amounts of theory and practice. In England, those interested in taking the programme must secure sponsorship or employment from a primary care trust (PCT) willing to offer a practice-based learning environment. People can do the programme on a part-time basis. This usually takes two years, but depends on the PCT. Most institutions require some experience of working as a registered nurse following registration.
There are also opportunities available for practitioners from other disciplines - registered nurses, nursery nurses and unqualified support workers - to work in health visiting and school nursing teams. Another route into community nursing is as an assistant practitioner, a new, developing role in the NHS designed to help and support school nurses. The assistant practitioner qualification is a two-year, work-based foundation degree.
Child psychotherapists
Child and adolescent psychotherapists work in various environments. These include consultation centres for adolescents, social services teams, community-based clinics, hospitals and schools, working with pupils with special educational needs.
The Association of Child Psychotherapists recognises psychotherapy courses at six institutions, five of which are in England and one which is in Scotland. The courses can be done either full- or part-time, though not via distance learning.
As well as meeting the entry requirements of each institution, students' previous qualifications must be approved by the membership committee of the association's training council. Candidates must also have an honours degree or equivalent and experience of working with children.
Mental health services practitioners
Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) practitioners can include clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, teachers and nurses. Those who enter via the social work channel tend to be qualified social workers, and the natural progression is the mental health social work award, which qualifies candidates as an approved social worker.
However, there are a few specific postgraduate courses in child and adolescent mental health. City University, for example, runs an MSc in Interprofessional Practice in partnership with YoungMinds, with child mental health as one of the pathways. Anglia Ruskin University runs an MSc and Postgraduate Diploma in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
Other courses in development include Service Improvement and Leadership, which is being developed by University College London and the CAMHS Evidence-Based Practice Unit, which is based at the Anna Freud Centre, a leading centre for child psychotherapy in north London.
Specialist CAMHS staff will have a professional qualification in a discipline such as psychology, psychiatry, social work or education. Many will also hold post-professional awards in specific therapeutic approaches such as family or art therapy.
There is also a large workforce in universal children's services - family centres, schools and youth work - some of whom will have had post-qualification mental health training. But at present, most professional training includes very little on children's mental health.
Changes are under way, though. There are now specific programmes, mostly at postgraduate level, for primary mental health workers, with at least one programme in each of the nine government office regions in England.
The picture in Scotland is similar, though there is a published set of competencies for CAMHS work and a framework document describing the minimum service characteristics. But neither is linked to a specific qualification, a situation that is replicated in Wales and Northern Ireland.
YoungMinds provides a range of training courses for frontline staff from all agencies from its offices in London.
Play therapists
Play therapist trainees must have a first degree or equivalent - usually in psychology, nursing, teaching, social work, occupational therapy or a related field - and have at least two years' experience of working with children.
Trainees can go on to complete a postgraduate diploma or MA in play therapy at one of three institutions in England and one in Scotland that are accredited by the British Association of Play Therapists.
The other main provider is the Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy (Apac), which delivers play therapy courses in Cambridgeshire, Dublin, Edinburgh, the Isle of Wight, Leeds, Manchester, a summer school in the south of France and other locations, for in-house and local groups. The minimum age of prospective students is 22. They must have a degree or equivalent professional qualification, and three years' experience of working with children. The Apac courses, run in partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University, are split into introductory, certificate, diploma and MA by dissertation, with the certificate and diploma courses comprising modules that balance theory, experience and practice. Apac courses are accredited by Play Therapy UK, Play Therapy International, the International Board of Examiners of Certified Play Therapists and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (see www.playtherapy.org.uk).
Those wanting to become hospital play specialists can take Edexcel's Level 4 BTEC Professional Diploma in Specialised Play for Sick Children and Young People. This qualification is the requirement for application for registration by the Hospital Play Staff Education Trust for hospital play specialist students.
But success in the programme does not automatically lead to registration as a hospital play specialist. Together, the diploma and registration form the qualification for hospital playwork within the NHS. Edexcel's Level 4 BTEC is also included in the National Qualification Framework, which sets the levels at which qualifications are recognised, and is nationally recognised.
Students must be at least 20 years of age with three years' experience of working with children. Typically, students will be asked to produce a portfolio of work, a project and undertake other assignments. A large part of the course is based on students' vocational practice.
Speech and language therapy
Speech and language therapists work with babies who have feeding and swallowing difficulties, and with children who have communication problems because of learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities. They also work with parents, teachers, nurses and other professionals.
Most speech and language therapists work for the NHS, though some work for education services or charities and others work independently and treat patients privately. They work in various settings, including community health centres, hospital wards and outpatient departments, schools, and young offender institutions.
Speech and language therapists must have a degree and register with the Health Professions Council (www.hpc-uk.org) before being able to practice. The courses combine academic study and practice/clinical placements, and most require three A-levels or five Scottish Highers for entry. Some courses require specific GCSE and A-levels, such as English and biology, so check the course requirements. Many courses welcome applications from suitably qualified mature students, though evidence of recent study may be required.
Applicants with a degree can take a two-year, postgraduate qualifying course, but subjects in related fields such as psychology or linguistics are preferred. For undergraduate courses, contact Ucas, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services, and for postgraduate courses contact the education establishment direct. Sixteen universities and colleges in the UK offer recognised speech and language therapy courses.
Opportunities to work as speech and language therapy assistants or bilingual co-workers are available. There are no educational or age requirements, though relevant skills, experience or qualifications from other areas are useful. Training is often given at work and there may be a chance to do an NVQ or BTEC, or even a foundation degree course.