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What makes Child and Adolescent Mental Health at Worcester special?

Our Child Mental Health course is a top-up qualification that will build on your existing knowledge of the mental health of young people. This programme is aimed at those who are passionate about gaining specialist child and adolescent mental health knowledge. You'll graduate with an honours level degree, which will boost your career prospects in any setting with children, young people and their families where mental health and well-being is a focus.

The course attracts a wide range of children and young peoples professionals from a range of backgrounds. These include education, early years, health and social care, social work, nursing and child mental health. The modules studied throughout the course will prepare you for a range of roles in support services and communities for children and young people.

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • Our child mental health course is one of very few third year undergraduate courses specific to CAMH (child and adolescent mental health) in the UK. There is no requirement for placement/work based learning during the course.
  • Guest speakers from across a range of CAMH specialisms contribute to the course
  • Full time with attendance over 1 day per week (normally Wednesday), although there is also a part time option studied over 2 years.
  • Opportunities to pursue further study at postgraduate level after completing the course. 
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It’s not too late to apply!

You can still apply to study with us after the January UCAS deadline. Don’t be tempted to rush an application together as fast as you can, you still want to make sure your application and personal statement are as good as possible.

Your teachers can still write you a reference after the January deadline so make sure to let them know you’re applying to university

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Ruby Merrell

“Being able to say I have achieved a First Class Honours Degree still makes me beam from ear to ear,” said the 27-year-old.  “I can’t quite believe it is mine, but it is definitely one of my proudest achievements alongside having my little boy!”

Ruby, of Worcester, had been working in the local Perinatal Mental Health Team as a peer support worker and since finishing her degree has secured a job in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

“I knew Worcester had a great reputation – especially for healthcare and so Worcester was the goal,” she said.  “When I attended the Open Day in 2019 I was really impressed after having visited it back in 2012, it had got better and better so it was great choice for me.”

Entry requirements

What qualifications will you need?

Entry requirements

A Foundation degree, DipHE, HND or equivalent qualification in health, care or welfare or related subject. This qualification must be a full level 4 and level 5 qualification (120 credits for each year of study).

Supportive academic reference.

Non-standard entry routes will also be considered. We encourage applications from candidates who can provide evidence of their ability to work at Level 6 and substantial experience of working within health, education, care or social welfare. If your qualification is not listed, please contact Registry Admissions for advice.

Students applying to progress to the top-up from areas of study other than the FdSc Child and Adolescent Mental Health will also have to evidence experience of working with children and young people.

Other information

If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the Admissions Office on 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk for advice.

Further information about the UCAS Tariff can be obtained from http://www.ucas.com

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Course content

What will you study

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative. 

Modules

Mandatory

  • Understanding Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Core Competencies for Working with Children, Young People, and Families
  • Therapeutic Ways of Working with Children, Young People and Families
  • Dissertation

Optional

  • Promoting Child and Adolescent Mental Health in Universal Settings
  • Empowering and Involving Children and Young People; Children and Young People's Rights
  • Domestic Abuse
  • Substance Misuse
  • Research for Practice in Applied Health and Social Science
Teaching and assessment

How will you be taught?

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support through the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will enable you to flourish and be successful.

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of interactive workshops, lectures, seminars, individual supervision and assessment workshops/subject tutorials. Interactive workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion and small group activities. Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures. Individual supervision enables discussion and progression within your Dissertation and assessment workshops/subject tutorials enable further understanding and support with modules and in particular module assessment.

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on at least 3 occasions within your year of study.

Contact time

In a typical week students will have around 9-10 contact hours of teaching. The precise contact hours will depend on the optional modules selected and in the final year there is normally slightly less contact time in order to do more independent study. 

Typically class contact time will be structured around:

  • Lectures
  • Tutorials
  • Assessment workshops

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 30 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve completing online activities, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online, preparing coursework assignments, presentations and progressing within your Dissertation.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or 'formative' assignments. Each module has one or more formal or 'summative' assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade.

Assessment methods include essays, presentations, dissertation, case study analysis, child/young person observations, viva voce.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken, but a typical formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is: 

  • Year 1 – assessment methods as detailed above are spread throughout the year, specific information about exact assessment and submission date are detailed within Course handbook and module outlines. 

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.

Kimberley Brown

Kimberley Brown

Kimberley Brown achieved a First-Class Honours degree in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Kimberley says that she chose the course at Worcester because she had heard good things about it and that it was highly respected. “I’m absolutely over the moon,” said Kimberley.  “2020 has been a difficult year for everyone but this is something good I can take from it. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would achieve a First-Class degree.”

Kimberley started a new job at a primary school in September.  “I have learnt so much from the children already. I am really enjoying it and no day is the same,” she said.

Meet the team

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course.  

Denisse Levermore

Denisse Levermore

Denisse is the Course Lead for FdSc Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) and BSc (Hons) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Top-up. She blends her experience in practice with theory to enhance students CAMH knowledge and expertise. Denisse is a dual qualified Registered General Nurse (Adults and Children), Social worker (child protection) and a Systemic Practitioner at Intermediate level. 

Prior to joining the University of Worcester in 2014, she was an NHS Family nurse working with young parents and prior to that within NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services as a CAMHS Nurse. She maintains her clinical practice under an honorary contract with NHS Specialist Community CAMHS, working within a Family Work Clinic. 

Maddie Burton

Maddie Burton

Maddie is a Registered Mental Health Nurse and for several years worked in both inpatient and community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Maddie is Senior Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the University of Worcester. Maddie led the FdSc in CAMH between 2009-2017 and introduced a BSc CAMH top-up commencing in 2015. Maddie continues to maintain close links with CAMH prac­tice and works with both schools, student teachers and other student groups at the University of Worcester from a children and young peoples mental health perspective.

She is keen to develop networks with other like-minded students, practitioners, professionals and academics.

Kirsty

Kirsty Fraser

Before joining the University full time, Kirsty worked within the Local Authority as the Youth Voice Development Worker supporting children and young people to have a say on issues that are important to their lives and to influence decision-makers. With over 13 years of experience, Kirsty has worked alongside children and young people helping them share their views of the world and what they need to reach their potential.

Parvin Michelle - Face

Michelle Parvin

Michelle teaches across multiple courses within the Department of Health and Wellbeing. In her previous role as a Deputy Early Help Area Manager, she had the opportunity to work with young people, families, and professionals. As part of her role, Michelle identified areas of difficulty and created action plans to improve outcomes. 

Careers

Where could it take you?

Employability

Our child mental health course offers promising graduate prospects in services supporting the mental health of young people. Many child mental health graduates enter universal settings including:

  • Health
  • Education
  • Social care
  • Statutory and non-statutory sectors

This course will enhance your employability, especially those specialising in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) field of practice.

Progression:

You may also pursue further study at postgraduate level. On completion you are eligible to apply for a variety of postgraduate courses including:

Costs

How much will it cost?

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard fee for full-time home and EU undergraduate students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2023/24 academic year is £9,250 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2023/24 academic year is £14,700 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Part-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fees for part-time UK and EU students registering on this course in the academic year 2023/24 are £1,156 per 15-credit module, £1,542 per 20-credit module, £2,312 per 30-credit module, £3,083 per 40-credit module, £3,469 per 45-credit module and £4,625 per 60 credit module.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Additional costs

Every course has day-to-day costs for basic books, stationery, printing and photocopying. The amounts vary between courses.

If your course offers a placement opportunity, you may need to pay for an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience. Our halls of residence are home to friendly student communities, making them great places to live and study.

We have over 1,000 rooms across our range of student halls. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Traditional Hall' at £122 per week to 'En-suite Premium' at £207 per week (2023/24 prices).

For full details visit our accommodation page.

How to apply