How will training support my workforce?
If you are a manager or leader responsible for workforce development, you maybe wondering how CYP psychological trainings can support your service.
Each of our training pathways equips trainees to deliver evidenced based psychological approaches to supporting parents, families and young people. There are two strands to the training, a low intensity workforce and a workforce based on the original CYP IAPT curriculum which is often referred to as a high intensity workforce.
All of our training courses require candidates to have some prior experience of working with children, young people and families. Low intensity courses, parenting, infant mental health and approaches to working with autistic and children with a learning disability can all be studied at both a graduate and post graduate level. CBT and Systemic Family practice are only available on a postgraduate route. We recognise that mental health and support settings which offer services to families and young people differ and we are more than happy to support you in considering if these trainings would enhance the development and delivery of evidenced based interventions in your locality.
Low Intensity (LI) Workforce
Children’s Wellbeing Practitioners (CWP’s), Senior Wellbeing Practitioners (SWP’s) and Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHP’s) make up our low intensity workforce training provision. All LI Practitioners are trained in delivering low intensity, cognitive behavioural informed approaches to supporting young people and parents with mild to moderate anxiety, low mood and emerging behavioural difficulties at a stage of early intervention.
Education Mental Health Practitioners (Band 4 in training and Band 5 on qualification) are based within Mental Health Support Teams who sit within and across education settings, bridging the gap between education a mental health.
Children’s Wellbeing Practitioners (Band 4 in training and Band 5 on qualification) are based in community settings and have specific training on good practice in community engagement and interventions.
The Senior Wellbeing Practitioners is a progression training pathway for both qualified CWP and EMHP’s and sits at band 6 and is a 2-year part time course. They receive additional training in LI supervision and advanced LI practice to widen the scope of their interventions and the young people they support with a particular focus on neurodiversity.
For more information on each of these courses please see:
Wider Workforce Trainings
Within Cedar we offer several other psychological training programmes (formally the CYP IAPT courses) these courses offer opportunities for increasing knowledge and skills for practitioners and therapists to support the needs of parents, families and young people. All these courses are a yearlong in duration starting in January of each year. Staff would attend the university two days a week and work in service three days a week developing their skills and delivering interventions to families as trainee therapists and practitioners.
By completing the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) programme trainees will be eligible to apply for CBT accreditation with the BABCP as a cognitive behavioural therapist. A pathway exists within this training for practitioners without a core profession to be recognised as holding a core profession (this is known as the KSA pathway) allowing accreditation and professional registration as a CBT therapist. Trainees will develop a comprehensive skill set to assess, formulate and treat anxiety disorders and depression in accordance with NICE guidance (e.g PSTD, Generalised Anxiety, OCD, BDD, Social Anxiety, Phobias, Depression and low mood).
The Systemic Family Practice (SFP) programme has two pathways, one to support young people where they difficulties linked with conduct, depression and self-harm (aged 10 years and over) and another to support young people with eating disorders. The course is recognised at intermediate level by the Association of Family Therapist (AFT). Trainees will receive training in evidenced based approaches including Attachment Based Family Therapy (for adolescent depression), Functional Family Therapy (for conduct disorder), SHIFT (for self-harm), alongside models for working systemically with Eating Disorders such as Family Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa (FT-AN) and Multi-Family Therapy Group (MFGT) training.
The Infant and Early Years Practitioner (IEYP) pathway is designed to support the early years’ workforce and the broader children and young people’s mental health community. IEYP training provides practitioners with a comprehensive skill set to assess, formulate and treat infants and young children and their caregivers who are experiencing common mental health and relationship difficulties, using the latest evidence-based approaches. From 2026 this course will have two pathways that lead to key skills and accreditable practice in evidence-based interventions for infants and young children respectively. Learners on the parent–infant pathway will acquire in-depth knowledge and skills to promote parental sensitivity and infant attachment in vulnerable parents/carers and babies, gaining accreditation in Video Interaction Guidance (VIG). They will also acquire in-depth experience of working supportively with parent-infant dyads where a parent has a mental health condition. Learners on the early childhood pathway will acquire in-depth knowledge and skills to deliver evidence-based parenting support to manage emerging anxiety and behavioural problems, using an evidence-based and recognised model of behavioural management such as Incredible Years. These interventions are recommended by NICE and the Healthy Child Programme. Both pathways will also gain skills in supporting parents where there child experiences regulatory difficulties, such as toileting, feeding, and sleeping issues.
The Parent Training for Conduct Problems course is designed to support services who wish to provide evidenced based approaches for parents supporting children under 11 years of age. The training provides practitioners with a comprehensive skill set to assess, formulate and treat behavioural difficulties in children. Practitioners are trained in both evidence-based group and individual approaches to support parents in managing behavioural difficulties. This course is accredited with the BABCP and on completion practitioners are eligible to apply to be registered as an Evidenced Based Parent Training practitioner.
The evidence based psychological approaches to working with Autistic children and young people and children with a learning disability course will equip trainees with skills in supporting parents, young people and the relevant professionals who support young people such as those in settings such as schools. Trainees will gain skills in engagement, assessment, formulation and evidenced based therapy skills based on CBT for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression; skills and knowledge in supporting for parents/carers to manage behaviour that challenges and an introduction to other interventions including post-diagnostic support models, environmental management, social skills, sleep difficulties, independence and transition, and speech and language difficulties. The course offers an opportunity for services to develop practitioners to support increasing demands and upskill professionals working with autistic CYP and/or CYP with a Learning Disability. This course has been accessed by practitioners who have previously completed other training such as the low intensity training pathways offering an opportunity to expand knowledge and skills.
Where can I find out more?
Should you want to know more about supporting trainees and accessing these course please contact us on sw-cyp-pt@exeter.ac.uk.