LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY Course Specification PG Certificate Mental Health Practice (Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) programme) 2018-19 (PCMHP) www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Record of Enhancement No. Detail of modification (Provide a brief description of the modification and where the Course Specification has been updated) Date Effective (Indicate the academic year of entry and course level(s) to which the modification will apply) Version Control Version Control Version number and date effective For completion by Quality Assurance Services only: Next Re-validation date
School of Health & Community Studies Award and programme title: PG Certificate MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE Level of qualification: 7 Contained awards available: N/A Length and status of programme and mode of study: Part-time, 6 months, City Campus Course Specification Overview and Aims The Postgraduate Certificate Mental Health Practice (including Approved Mental Health Professional Training) has been designed to enhance the professional development of qualified social workers, nurses, occupational therapists and practitioner psychologists. The aim of the programme is to provide training to meet the needs of mental health professionals who wish to seek approval as Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) under the terms of the Mental Health Act 1983 (amended by the Mental Health Act 2007). The programme is designed to meet the requirements of the Mental Health (Approval of Persons to be Approved Mental Health Professionals) (England) Regulations, 2008 and those achieving the Postgraduate Certificate Mental Health Practice will be eligible for consideration by the relevant local authority for approval to act as an AMHP. The course enables students to reflect critically reflect on the needs of service users and their carers; to maximise outcomes for their benefit; to review the nature of multiprofessional and multi-agency working; to critically assess the nature and direction of mental health policy; and to develop skills in risk assessment and the protection of service users. Partnership with local and regional employers continues to underpin the development of the Postgraduate Certificate Mental Health Practice. Course Learning Outcomes 1 To develop professionals who have a critical understanding of the legislative and policy context for the delivery of mental health services. 2 To enhance the application of values within a clear ethical approach underpinned by the Essential Shared Capabilities. (see http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/silo/files/10-essential-shared-capabilities.pdf) 3 To develop an ability to critically evaluate the relevant knowledge base including models of mental health and illness. 4 To enable professionals to develop the competences required of an AMHP as set out in the Mental Health (Approval of Persons to be Approved Mental Health Professionals) (England) Regulations, 2008.
5 To enable health and social care practitioners to develop a critical and reflective approach to their own practice and/or other experience of mental health services; and take responsibility for their own future personal and professional development. Course Structure The course comprises three 20 credit modules. Course Structure Level 7 The course provides students with the opportunity for a challenging and stimulating learning experience that will impact directly on their practice as mental health professionals and equip them to practice as Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs). The course is taught in Semester 2 and is separated into three six-week blocks, with the students being out on placement for two of these. Undertaking this course will involve hard work including using a wide range of resources, such as books, articles, as well as accessing the Internet. It also requires the student to produce a portfolio, contribute to group discussions and collaborative work, and finally, undertake a practice placement. Students are expected to participate actively in their learning, taking responsibility for their work, seeking out advice and support as required. The course is made up of three modules that are all devised to assist the student to develop the necessary skills to become an AMHP, and include Perspectives on Mental Distress, Mental Health Law & Policy and AMH Professional Practice. All of the modules are taught by professionals who have extensive experience of working under the relevant statutory legislation and with service-users who are experiencing mental distress. Throughout these modules, there are many opportunities for experiential learning, in small groups and with cohort, including peer and tutor feedback and formative assessment. This nurtures the development of a strong and supportive course identity and enables the students to. The modules also involve numerous assessment approaches, including assessed presentations, legal tests and a summative portfolio that are all assessed at Master s level. Semester 1 Core (Y) Semester 2 (long semester) Approved Mental Health Professional Practice (20) Mental Health Law and Policy (20) Perspectives on Mental Distress (20) Core (Y) Y Y Y Learning and Teaching Learning and Teaching Approaches The Postgraduate Certificate Mental Health Practice course is underpinned by the Leeds Beckett University Values (i.e., inspiring, creative, enterprising, purposeful, professional and respectful) and Strategic Themes as well as the core themes and values of the professional body and QAA Master s degree characteristics.
We regularly conduct review meetings to hear the views of our stakeholders and ensure the currency and relevance of the provision for professional practice. Staff share ideas and innovations about teaching, learning and assessment and regular peer observation of teaching, learning and assessment strategies helps to maintain high standards of practice, which have been commented on by External Examiners. Students and External Examiners have commented on the commitment and passion of staff through module evaluations and External Examiner reports. Flexibility of approach is maintained through the use of blended learning approaches so that students can be self-directed to manage their own learning to support classroom and placement based teaching and learning activities. On the course, students are required to develop knowledge, skills and values for professional practice and are supported to do this by a dedicated team of lecturers and associate lecturers. Members of the staff team have maintained their professional registration with the HCPC and have strong links with partners in practice. Module tutors draw on their own research to inform the curriculum and provide authentic learning and assessment activities, with particular research strengths in children s safeguarding, substance misuse and experiential learning. In addition, expert practitioners and members of the service user and carer group are regularly involved in the development and delivery of the curriculum to provide their expert perspectives. The Course Team has been working with numerous service users and carers since the course was established in 2007. Members of the carer/service user sub-group come from a diversity of experience of health and social care services, and as such act as expert advisors to the development and delivery of our AMHP programme. The course provides a supportive and inclusive environment, which is demonstrated in the range of pastoral and support services that are available to students. In addition, students are encouraged to support each other and develop communities of learning through group work activities, seminar discussions and debates, on-line discussion boards and action learning sets. Learning and Teaching Activities The course promotes an inclusive environment that involves behaving in a non-discriminatory way, being respectful of others and valuing diversity. The course encourages students to engage in respectful discussion, debate, collaborative work and research, in order to recognise and learn from different viewpoints and critically examine diverse theoretical perspectives. Postgraduate students are encouraged to identify and evaluate their learning styles and preferences and to develop action plans and Learning Contracts to support self-directed learning. The course employs a wide variety of teaching styles and assessment methods to promote and enable inclusive learning. Teaching takes place in multi-purpose teaching spaces throughout the University, with additional specialist teaching and learning facilities for inter-personal skills development and experiential learning within the School. Teaching approaches include: staff and/or practitioner led lectures (including podcasts) and workshops for skills development.
To develop self-directed learning, students are encouraged to participate in student-led seminars and presentations, as well as group work activities and action learning sets to promote shared learning, peer feedback and team working skills. Analytical skills and critical thinking are developed through reflective learning blogs and critical incident analyses as well as problem based learning activities. Problem based learning; case study analysis and experiential learning are used to integrate theory and practice and to develop critical application of theory. Use of the Virtual Learning Environment General module information, lecture slides, web links, audio and video material, web-casts and web-conferencing, formative and summative assessment tasks and discussion boards. Throughout the course development, the course team have endeavoured to ensure that all modules across the curriculum meet the basic criteria for e-learning. Online assessment submission and marking via Turnitin is being developed for the modules and students are encouraged to submit drafts to check originality reports to help to develop their writing skills and avoid plagiarism. Reusable learning objects are used in a number of modules to guide learning and help students to work through materials at their own pace. Use of Blended-Learning N/A Assessment Strategy The assessment strategy has been carefully designed with feedback from stakeholders to be authentic and fit for purpose. The course assessments take into account that the role is demanding, thus it combines rigorous academic and practice responsibilities. The course team utilise a variety of different methods to aid in the assessment of students and all modules have both informal formative and summative assessment points embedded within them. Draft MHA Assessment The draft mental health assessment will involve the student writing up an assessment that they have taken a lead role in during their placement. The assessment will be a maximum of 2000 words and can take any format that the student has decided to use, i.e. written up in a way that they feel comfortable with, or has been agreed with their practice assessor. The assessment will specifically concentrate upon those competences that the assessment panel members have noted that many students tend to continually struggle to attain. The ten competences that need to be focused on in this assessment will only need to be met once, apart from 1.1 which needs to be identified in two separate ones. The student will need to give two copies of the draft MHA assessments to their practice assessor and their LA s Professional Lead who will both mark it and provide the student with feedback. This process is designed to assist the practice assessor to understand
the required academic level for their student s portfolio and will also enable the professional lead to offer further assistance for the duration of the placement. There are a range of assessment methods, which include examinations, a presentation, a portfolio and an essay. Assessments have been designed to specifically assess a range of skills for advanced professional practice as well as requiring students to demonstrate understanding of knowledge and evidence based practice. All modules will provide advice and guidance on the assessment. Assessment Structure AMHP Practice, assessment: Portfolio, due August. Mental Health Law & Policy, assessment: MCQ/Open Paper, due April. Perspectives on Mental Distress, assessment: Presentation, Essay, due February, March. Feedback on Assessed Coursework Students are informed of the different types of feedback, what they can expect from feedback, how to receive and give feedback and what to do with their feedback. Through tutorial support students are encouraged to view feedback as on-going to enhance their professional as well as academic progress. Students can expect to receive feedback within four weeks after submission of a summative assessment. The form of feedback will be varied, this may be written comments, written comments plus a grade, verbal, feedback as part of an on-line discussions. The students module handbook will give specific details relating to when and what type of feedback they can expect for a given module. Standard summative assessment feedback is four weeks. With this course the expected turnaround time will be agreed by the Module Tutor and the students when it will be less than this. Module Assessment Methods Assessment Method Mapping Module Titles Core (Y) Portfolio MCQ Exam Exam Essay Approved Mental Health Professional Practice, L7 Y 100 Mental Health Law and Policy, L7 Y 30 70 Perspectives on Mental Distress, L7 Y 100
Employability and Professional Context The Postgraduate Certificate Mental Health Practice reflects current changes in the policy and legislative framework regarding mental health in England and Wales. The publication of Modernising Mental Health Services - Safe, Sound and Supportive (DoH) in 1997 announced the reform of the Mental Health Act (1983) and new legislation in the form of the Mental Health Act 2007, was implemented from October 2008. The legislation created a new role of the Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) which replaced the Approved Social Worker role contained within the 1983 Act. This role plays a key part in carrying out statutory responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 2007 including assessment for compulsory hospital admission and /or treatment. Under the Mental Health (Approval of Persons to be Approved Mental Health Professional) (England) Regulations 2008, local authorities are required to approve social workers, nurses, occupational therapists or psychologists who have successfully completed AMHP training, as AMHPs. Such training must be approved by the HCPC and this approval is also undertaken by on behalf of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). This development also reflects the wider context of mental health and social care where the modernisation agenda has highlighted the need for changing roles and interprofessional working as set out in New Working Ways in Mental Health. (DoH, 2007) Additionally the central importance of user and carer experiences and views in mental health is acknowledged, in line with Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, (DoH, 2006) as is the importance of a social perspective in mental health and a shared value base, expressed within the Ten Essential Shared Capabilities (NIMHE, 2004). The role of the AMHP requires that AMHPs are able to act independently and assertively, drawing on a social perspective and clear value base, in taking individual and accountable professional responsibility for the decisions they must take. They must be able to develop effective working relationships with other professionals as well as service users and carers and manage complex situations, within a sound knowledge of legal and practical processes. The Postgraduate Certificate Mental Health Practice is therefore designed to provide an appropriate training for those professionals intending to undertake this role. The course is aimed at existing social care and health professionals with almost all students undertaking the course have established careers and are in employment. The course is designed to enhance and further develop existing professional skills and knowledge. Qualified staff are required to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date through continuing professional development in order to maintain registration with the HCPC or other regulators/professional bodies and the courses support this. The course has been designed in accordance with The College of Social Work s CPD and Professional Capabilities Framework (professional body from 2012 until 2015) and we have worked with employers to develop a flexible and sustainable framework which will meet employers priorities and requirements to develop of a workforce that is capable of dealing with and responding to continuing changes within social care environments.
On successful completion of the course, graduates will only be able to act as an AMHP once approved by a Local Social Services Authority (LSSA) in England. Reference Points used in course design and delivery All our courses leading to Leeds Beckett University awards have been designed and approved in accordance with UK and European quality standards. Our courses utilise the Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) and relevant subject benchmarks (where these are available) and professional, statutory and regulatory body requirements (for professionally accredited courses). We review our courses annually and periodically, responding to student feedback and a range of information to enhance our courses. Our University is also subject to external review by the Quality Assurance Agency. Our latest report can be found on the QAA website at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews-and-reports We appoint External Examiners to verify that our University sets and maintains standards for awards which adhere to relevant national subject benchmark statements and the FHEQ (UK), ensure standards and student achievements are comparable with other Higher Education Institutions in the UK, with which they are familiar, and ensure that assessments measure achievement of course and module learning outcomes and reach the required standard. External Examiners may also provide feedback on areas of good practice or potential enhancement. The course adheres to the Academic Regulations except where stated below. The award is subject to the Fitness to Practise Policy & Procedure. http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/public-information/student-regulations/ Attendance requirements (employer/ sponsor/ regulator) Attendance on each module will be monitored as a requirement of the HCPC AMHP standards and for the employers funding the course. Additional student support will be used if patterns of non-attendance are noted, and employers advised. Students will be required to give their agreement that their attendance monitoring can be shared with their employers. 80% attendance minimum requirements for the following modules: Perspectives on Mental Distress Mental Health Law and Policy AMH Professional Practice - Minimum of 90% Attendance for AMH Professional Practice unless negotiated with the Course Leader and sponsoring authority. Placements In relation to the practice placement, students are expected to meet the agreed 90% attendance for the placement aspect of their training. Where this is not achieved, discussions will need to be held between the Practice Educator, the student and the agency representative as to whether they have completed enough assessments and case work that demonstrates all of the competences and course requirements.
NB: The course is non-standard delivery which commences in February, with the examination board set for October. Achievement of the award The Postgraduate Certificate is awarded for the attainment of a minimum of 60 credits points at level 7. The Academic Regulations do not allow for compensation of marks by the Board of Examiners. Contained awards and Aegrotat awards As the award is a Postgraduate Certificate, there are no contained awards and no Aegrotat awards will be awarded for this course. Students who successfully complete modules but not sufficient to achieve the award, will be accredited with the relevant credit points. Student Support Network If you have a question or a problem relating to your course, your Course Administrator is there to help you. Course Administrators works closely with academic staff and can make referrals to teaching staff or to specialist professional services as appropriate. They can give you a confirmation of attendance letter, and a transcript. You may also like to contact your Course Rep or the Students Union Advice team for additional support with course-related questions. If you have any questions about life at our University in general, call into or contact the Student Hub on either campus to speak to our Student Experience Team. This team, consisting of recent graduates and permanent staff, are available to support you throughout your time here. They will make sure you have access to and are aware of the support, specialist services, and opportunities our University provides. There is a Student Hub on the ground floor of the Rose Bowl at City Campus and one in Campus Central at Headingley. You can also find the team in the Gateway in the Leslie Silver Building at City Campus. The telephone number is 0113 812 3000, and the e-mail address is StudentHub@leedsbeckett.ac.uk. Within MyBeckett you will see two tabs (Support and Opportunities) where you can find online information and resources for yourselves. The Support tab gives you access to details of services available to give you academic and personal support. These include Library Services, the Students Union, Money advice, Disability advice and support, Wellbeing, International Student Services and Accommodation. There is also an A-Z of Support Services, and access to online appointments/registration. The Opportunities tab is the place to explore the options you have for jobs, work placements, volunteering, and a wide range of other opportunities. For example, you can find out here how to get help with your CV, prepare for an interview, get a part-time job or voluntary role, take part in an international project, or join societies closer to home.