Postgraduate Certificate in Children and Young People’s Mental Health Leadership

Develop your leadership skills in children and young people’s (CYP) mental health and learn how to lead service transformation within mental health services. This postgraduate certificate combines academic learning with practical leadership experience, enabling you to apply leadership theory and skills to your own service and organisation.

Why choose the University of Reading?

• Your training will be delivered within the Charlie Waller Institute (CWI). Established in 2008, the Institute offers award-winning training underpinned by psychological research.
• We have delivered Children and Young People's Mental Health Leadership training to more than 14 cohorts since 2011. You'll be taught by experienced and enthusiastic leadership practitioners.
• You'll gain a theoretical and practical understanding of the leadership skills required to work within children and young people's mental health settings.

What you'll learn

On this course, you'll follow the NHS National Curriculum for CYP Mental Health Leadership training (revised 2024).

The programme combines theory and practice-based learning at the University with leadership practice within a CYP mental health service. This is usually in the NHS, but can also be within a charity or private provider setting, usually in England.

Self-funding or employer-sponsored students may undertake their leadership role in a suitable alternative CYP mental health setting.

Your academic learning will:

• provide you with a theoretical understanding of the skills required for effective CYP mental health leadership
• develop your leadership skills through discussion, observation, role-play and skills practice.

Who is the programme for?

This course is designed for service and team directors, managers, clinical directors and clinical leads who are working in or with statutory or voluntary sector CYP mental health services.

Applicants employed by the NHS

Most of our students will be directly employed as a service or team leader within a partner NHS CYP mental health service.

The course is fully funded by the NHS for students who have secured an NHS-funded trainee leadership role. Trainees remain employed within their service while attending the University of Reading on a part-time basis.

Fully funded leadership trainees are put forward for the training by their services. The University of Reading will review applications and may offer an informal interview if required.

Self-funding and employer-sponsored applicants

You can apply directly to the University of Reading if you are interested in self-funding your training or being sponsored by your employer.

Self-funded and employer-sponsored applicants must have access to an appropriate CYP mental health leadership setting. You will need to complete a minimum number of CYP mental health leadership casework hours in order to pass the course.

Prior to starting the course, it is therefore essential that you have access to an appropriate CYP mental health leadership setting.

You will need to complete the Information Particulars and Objectives form at enrolment. The form provides guidance around your responsibilities and those of your employer or placement organisation.

The University of Reading is unable to help with securing a suitable placement if these are not already in place.

Course duration

This part-time taught programme spans 12 months and normally runs once per year, starting in February.

How you'll learn

Following a mandatory induction day, you'll study two modules over 12 months.

You'll attend 12 taught teaching days in total. Teaching takes place predominantly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and mainly at the start of the programme, so that you'll have the necessary skills to undertake your service transformation project.

Unless otherwise stated, teaching days run from 09:00 to 16:00.

Study days

The course recommends that you take up to four study days during the training to complete coursework.

These should be negotiated with your line manager.

You'll also need to allocate your own time for additional reading, coursework planning and completion. As this is a postgraduate, Masters-level course, you'll be expected to take initiative when identifying sources and preparing for assessments.

Your service and line manager will need to provide practical support and protected time to enable you to complete the course requirements.

You'll need to be released from your service to attend:

• 12 taught teaching days
• three to four half-day action learning sets
• up to four study days.

You'll also need protected time within your workload to complete coursework and leadership activities related to the programme.

Leadership casework practice

Over the year, you'll need to complete a minimum of 100 hours of leadership casework linked to your service improvement project and programme learning.

For self-funded and employer-sponsored students, these activities will need to take place within your workplace or another suitable CYP mental health leadership setting.

Support services

We offer a range of support services to help you make the most of your studies, including:

• individual and group tutorials
• study skills support
• an allocated academic tutor
• access to student counselling services.

Assessment of competencies

We'll assess your academic competencies formatively throughout the modules and summatively at the end of each module.

Each module must be passed to successfully complete the course.

Your summative assessments include:

• Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
• oral presentation
• essay/report
• 360 degree appraisal and reflection
• reflective analysis
• portfolio.

Formative assessments will also take place to support your learning and help you prepare for assessed work.