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UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD
Department of Social Sciences and Humanities
Awarding and teaching institution: / University of BradfordFinal award: / PG Cert/PG Dip/MA [English National Qualifications Framework level H]
Programme title: / Mental Health Practice
Programme accredited by: / University of Bradford & Higher Specialist/Advanced Award in Mental Health Social Work by GSCC
Duration: / 3 years part-time
UCAS code: / Not applicable
Subject benchmark statement:
Date produced: / April 2008
Date amended: / June 2009
The Department of Social Sciences and Humanities has well-established provision in relation to social work education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in addition to a buoyant research programme in this area. This foundation provides an excellent context in which to study post-qualifying awards. The Department places emphasis on both teaching and research, believing the two activities to be interdependent. With reference to teaching and learning, the Department aims to:
· provide a supportive, structured environment in which students are encouraged to develop independent learning skills;
· facilitate the development of subject knowledge and understanding, and provide education in discipline skills to enable graduates to pursue further programmes of study or careers in areas where social science skills are required or desirable;
· facilitate the development of personal transferable skills to enable a significant proportion of graduates to pursue further programmes of study or careers in non-cognate fields.
This programme has been designed in accordance with General Social Care Council (GSCC) written guidance[1]. There are three interdependent elements in this qualification: (i)Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) training; (ii) GSCC Post Qualifying (PQ) awards – the Higher Specialist Social Work Award in Mental Health and the Advanced Award in Mental Health; and (iii) a University postgraduate award of either a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or MA in Mental Health Practice.
AMHP is not a qualification, it is a professional status (legally defined) conferred by local authority employers on employees who have provided evidence that they are competent to fulfil the role. AMHPs have a legal role in the compulsory detention of individuals requiring psychiatric treatment against their wishes. Local authorities have the responsibility to approve suitably experienced and trained people as AMHPs. AHMP training is accredited by the GSCC. Suitably qualified and experienced social workers, occupational therapists, nurses and psychologists are eligible to undertake AMHP training and upon successful completion of the training may be recognised by a local authority as an AMHP.
The PQ Higher Specialist Social Work Award in Mental Health is part of the PQ framework of awards for qualified social workers. This award is made up of the AMHP competences with additional training in supporting, supervising and managing staff. The Advanced Award is made to students who successfully complete the Master’s dissertation. Only qualified social workers are eligible for this award.
The Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and the MA in Mental Health Practice are University awards that are open to all students who undertake AMHP training:
· to be awarded the Postgraduate Certificate students must successfully complete three modules: SS-4011D Law, policies and procedures; SS-4013D Risk: evidence-based decision-making and communication; and SS-4012D Mental distress/Mental health difficulties: Models for practice
· to be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma students must additionally successfully complete the five modules of the AMPH course and the ‘Supervising, Supporting and Developing Staff’ module;
· to be awarded the Master’s degree students must successfully complete all the work necessary for the Postgraduate Diploma and also pass the Master’s dissertation.
In relation to the University qualification successful students receive either the Certificate, the Diploma or the MA.
The course is open to practitioners in social work, nursing, occupational therapy and psychology who have both appropriate experience in the area of mental health and a recognised professional qualification. However, only registered social workers will be eligible for the GSCC post-qualifying awards. Students will be sponsored by their employer and will be required to complete 600 hours learning (80 days) of which at least 150 hours (20 days) will be in the University with the remaining hours being completed on supervised practice placement.
Programme aims
The primary aim of this programme is to ensure that you have the necessary competence to carry out statutory responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 2007. In order to do this at the end of the AMHP modules you will be able to:
· carry out the specific functions and duties required of AMHPs;
· represent and maintain the values, integrity and relevance of the social perspective on mental distress and mental health needs in working with people who use services, relatives, carers and other professionals;
· articulate the social perspective through the specific role, responsibilities and duties laid upon you by legislation, codes of practice and policy frameworks;
· work appropriately with people with a range of mental disorders and with their carers and relatives;
· have the knowledge, skills and values required to make appropriate decisions, in consultation with people who use services, relatives and carers;
· act independently under appropriate mental health legislation and be accountable for the decisions that you make;
· promote equal opportunities and challenge and confront racism and other forms of discrimination in mental health practice.
Additionally, on completion of the Postgraduate Diploma you will be able to supervise, mentor and support other staff. On completion of the MA dissertation you will be able to design, plan and carry out an applied research project in the area of mental health practice.
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes indicate what a graduate should know and understand, and be able to do on successful completion of the programme. They have been developed with reference to the subject benchmark published by the QAAHE.
When you have completed the first three modules you will be able to:
· critically relate values and ethics to professional practice with people experiencing mental distress or mental health difficulties;
· critically understand the law in relation to the diagnosis and management of mental health;
· articulate both social and medical understandings of mental health;
· assess risks to yourself and others that may be posed by people suffering from mental distress or ‘experiencing mental health difficulties’;
Successful completion of the first three modules will make you eligible for the award of Postgraduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice.
To become an AMHP, you will complete a further two modules (and the practice portfolio) and, in addition to the learning outcomes for the PG Certificate you will be able to:
· provide care (or support) for or treatment of mental distress/‘mental health difficulties’ in an interprofessional context;
· communicate your practice decisions clearly to a wide range of people in a variety of settings.
To be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Mental Health Practice you will complete a sixth module and, in addition to the learning outcomes for the PG Certificate and AMHP you will also be able to support, mentor, supervise and manage others and help them to explore issues and improve their own practice.
On completion of the MA you will also be able to design, plan, research and write-up a mental health-related dissertation.
Personal transferable skills
You will be able to write essays and case studies and undertake practice with service users, carers and colleagues from a range of professional disciplines that demonstrate your ability to:
· reflect on values and ethics in professional practice;
· undertake complex assessments and communicate them to a wide range of people;
· work in partnership with service users and carers and other professionals in health, social care and law.
The curriculum
As mentioned above there are four components to the course – Postgraduate Certificate AHMP, Postgraduate Diploma and MA. These components are incremental and build on each other:
· To be awarded the Postgraduate Certificate, students must successfully complete the first three modules of the programme
· AMHP status is conferred by the employer after the successful completion of the first five modules listed below and the linked practice placement.
· To meet the requirements for the PQ Higher Specialist Social Work Award in Mental Health and the Postgraduate Diploma in Mental Health Practice, you must show how you will support, mentor, supervise or manage others enabling them to identify and explore issues and improve their own practice (PQ Framework, section 50 Award level criteria (viii)).
· To meet the requirements for the MA in Mental Health Practice you will complete the dissertation module and write up in a dissertation an empirical piece of mental health related research.
Unit code / Credits / Semester / Level / Unit titleSS-4011D / 20 / 1 / M / Law, policies and procedures (and AMHP role)
SS-4012D / 20 / 1 / M / Mental distress/mental health difficulties: models for practice
SS-4013D / 20 / 1 / M / Risk: evidence-based decision-making and communication
SS-4014D / 20 / 2 / M / Partnerships in mental health practice
SS-4015D / 20 / 2 / M / Values and ethics (and AMHP role)
SS-4016D / 20 / 2 / M / Supervising, supporting and developing staff
SS-4017Z / 60 / M / Dissertation
Practice placement: As part of the first five modules, you are placed by your employer in a practice setting (where you are not currently working) with a practice assessor who will supervise the 450 hours (approximately 60 days) of practice learning. You will compile a practice portfolio that will provide evidence of practice competence in relation to each academic module.
The practice portfolio relates to the total 450 hours (60 days) of practice and provides evidence of your practice competence. It consists of a number of case studies (between 10-12,000 words in total) in which you have played an active role, evidence of presenting a case at a legal hearing, and a competence grid that maps the evidence of competence against the competence requirements. At least one of the case studies will be concerned with a community-based intervention resulting in admission to hospital.
You are required to show that you have evidence that you have met all of the 35 practice competences identified by the General Social Care Council.
The practice portfolio is marked by a suitably qualified representative of the employer and a service-user or carer examiner and/or a member of the University. Both examiners will be approved and accredited by the employer providing the placement and the University.
The curriculum may change, subject to the University's course approval, monitoring and review procedures.
Assessment regulations: a summary
The assessment of students’ academic work and practice competence is the responsibility of the University.
The full text of the progression regulations is maintained on the Web at: http://www.brad.ac.uk/admin/acsec/taught_courses.html
Assessment considers both academic abilities and practice competence. The practice portfolio will be assessed by an employer representative and a University-accredited service user or carer and/or a member of the University.
University assessment regulations apply except that you must achieve at least 40% in all academic assignments and must pass the practice portfolio. You may re-take all failed assignments on one occasion only. If you do not achieve a mark of at least 40% for all academic modules you will be deemed to have failed the course.
Attendance is compulsory and you must achieve an 80% attendance record for all academic modules. If you fail to achieve this you will be deemed to have failed the module(s) for which you do not have evidence of 80% attendance and you will be required to retake the whole module(s).
If you are not a registered social worker you are not eligible for the GSCC post-qualifying social work awards. However, subject to the successful completion of the required modules you will be eligible for the award of Postgraduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice, Postgraduate Diploma in Mental Health Practice or Master of Arts in Mental Health Practice.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies
Our proven skills in teaching rest upon a commitment to clear learning outcomes, a structured system of progression, integrated assessments and the provision of safe, stimulating learning environments. Lecturers have a variety of specialist practice, academic and research skills as well as a commitment to providing high quality teaching and learning. Teaching will occur in blocks in both semester one and two; employers will make appropriate arrangements for you to be given time to attend teaching sessions and to study independently. This arrangement is ratified in the contract between the University and the employer partners (see Appendix 2).
All assessments test skills in critical analysis and reflective practice in the integration of the practice and theory of mental health. Assessment for most of the modules will usually be an essay or a case study.
The course has four ‘stopping-off’ points:
(i) On successful completion of the first three modules (having attained 60 credits) you will be eligible for the award of Postgraduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice;
(ii) On successful completion of the first five modules (thus having attained 100 credits) and the practice portfolio, you will have completed the AMHP competences and may thus be recognised by your employer as an Approved Mental Health Professional. At this point you will return to your employer and commence practice as an AMHP.
(iii) Following approximately twelve months of practice, you may return to the University to complete the module entitled ‘Supervising, supporting and developing staff’. On successful completion of this module you will be eligible for the award of Postgraduate Diploma in Mental Health Practice and registered social workers will also be awarded the Higher Specialist Social Work Award in Mental Health.
(iv) You can opt to undertake a further period of study at this point, including a research project, which on successful completion will lead to the award of MA in Mental Health Practice (and, for social work candidates, the Advanced Award in Mental Health).
This course will be taught by a range of academics, practitioners, service-users and carers. All external teachers will be required to submit a Curriculum Vitae to the Programme Director who will make a decision as to the suitability of all individual external teachers. The details of all applicants and the decisions made regarding their suitability will be reviewed by the Programme Management Board.