Standards for the accreditation of psychological wellbeing practitioner training ... ·...

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Standards for the accreditation of psychological wellbeing practitioner

training programmesJanuary 2019

The British Psychological Society Promoting excellence in psychology

2 www.bps.org.uk/partnership

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© The British Psychological Society 2019

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3accreditation through partnership

Contents

4 Introduction

4 What is accreditation?

4 Benefits of accreditation

4 Our standards

5 This document

6 The core training of a psychological wellbeing practitioner: Statement of intent

8 Programme standard 1: Programme design

11 Programme standard 2: Programme content (learning, research and practice)

22 Programme standard 3: Working ethically and legally

23 Programme standard 4: Selection and admissions

25 Programme standard 5: Student development and professional membership

26 Programme standard 6: Academic leadership and programme delivery

30 Programme standard 7: Discipline-specific resources.

31 Programme standard 8: Quality management and governance

33 Appendix 1: Module Delivery

34 Appendix 2: Module assessment strategy


IntroductionThe British Psychological Society (‘the Society’) is the learned and professional body, incorporated by Royal Charter, for psychology in the United Kingdom. The key objective of the Society is ‘to promote the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of psychology pure and applied and especially to promote the efficiency and usefulness of members by setting up a high standard of professional education and knowledge’. The purpose of the Society’s accreditation process is to further that objective.

What is accreditation?Accreditation through Partnership is the process by which the British Psychological Society works with education providers to ensure quality standards in education and training are met by all programmes on an ongoing basis. Our approach to accreditation is based on partnership rather than policing, and we emphasise working collaboratively with programme providers through open, constructive dialogue that allows for exploration, development and quality enhancement.

Benefits of accreditationDelivering a programme that meets the standards required for accreditation is a significant commitment, and there are many reasons why Society accreditation is worth your investment of time and money:

• It is a highly regarded marker of quality that prospective students and employers value.• It enhances the marketability of your programmes.• It gives your graduates a route to Society membership, an integral part of students’

development as psychologists, or as part of the wider psychological workforce. • It is a high quality benchmarking process aimed at getting the best out of programmes.• It provides an opportunity for you and your students to influence the society and its support for

education providers and students.• Together we have a powerful voice in raising the profile of psychology and psychological

practice in the UK and internationally.

Our standardsIn 2017, the Society’s Partnership and Accreditation Committee (PAC) and its constituent Education and Training Committees reviewed the overarching programme standards, with the aim of providing greater clarity and more effective signposting to other relevant guidance in a way that is helpful to programmes when they articulate their work.

Our standards are intended to be interpreted and applied flexibly, in a way that enables programmes to develop distinctive identities that make the most of particular strengths shared by their staff team, or those that are reflected in the strategic priorities of their department or university. During partnership visits, the questions that visiting teams will ask will be designed specifically to give education providers every opportunity to confirm their achievement of the standards.

Our standards are organised around eight overarching standards, as follows:


The standards have been derived following extensive consultation between the Society and education providers, and must be achieved by all accredited programmes. Each overarching standard is followed by a rationale for its inclusion, together with guidance and signposting of other relevant resources.

This documentThis document sets out the accreditation standards for the accreditation of psychological wellbeing practitioner training programmes. The standards came into operation on 1 October 2017.

If you are submitting a new programme for accreditation, or are preparing for an accreditation visit or review, you should read these standards in conjunction with the relevant process handbook. All handbooks can be downloaded from www.bps.org.uk/accreditationdownloads.

Accredited programmes produce graduates whose competencies are consistent with the national requirements for the training of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners. Graduates who are Society members or subscribers are eligible to apply for entry on to the Society’s PWP register.

1. Programme design

5. Student/trainee development & professional membership

2. Programme content

3. Working ethically & legally

4. Selection & admissions6. Academic leadership &

programme delivery

7. Discipline-specific resources

8. Quality management & governance


The core training of a psychological wellbeing practitioner: Statement of intentPsychological Wellbeing Practitioner training programmes provide the knowledge and professional skills for people to work as Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs) with people with common mental health problems. The PWP role was originally developed to work within Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services in England, providing assessment and low-intensity interventions, and PWP training programmes accordingly prepare people to work as PWPs in IAPT services. PWP training programmes in other nations may prepare people to work in analogous roles in primary care mental health services.

Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners are trained to assess and support people with common mental health problems – principally anxiety disorders and depression – in the self-management of their recovery. Interventions are designed to aid clinical improvement and social inclusion, including return to work, meaningful activity or other occupational activities. PWPs do this through the provision of information and support for evidence-based low-intensity psychological treatments, mainly informed by cognitive-behavioural principles, but also include physical exercise and supporting medication adherence. Behaviour change theory and models provide the framework which support an integrated approach to the choice and delivery of the interventions that PWPs provide.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance for common mental health disorders and for each of the anxiety disorders and depression sets out the range of different types of low-intensity evidence-based interventions appropriate for delivery by PWPs1. Principal among these are support for low-intensity self-help interventions informed by cognitive-behavioural principles. Typically these are supported by the use of self-help materials which can be provided in written or digital form (e.g. computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT)). Treatment is provided to groups of people as well as one-to-one to individual patients, and is provided by telephone and increasingly through electronic media as well as face-to-face. Low-intensity psychological treatments place a greater emphasis on patient self-management and are less burdensome than traditional psychological treatments. Support is specifically designed to enable patients to optimise their use of self-management recovery information and may be delivered through face-to-face, telephone, email or other contact methods. PWPs also provide information on common pharmacological treatments and support patients in decisions that optimise their use of such treatments. They also provide information on and support for the promotion of physical activity.

PWPs normally operate within a stepped care service delivery model, such as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT, www.iapt.nhs.uk) services in England, or similar service delivery models elsewhere2. Stepped care operates on the principle of offering the least intrusive most effective treatment in the first instance; patients can then be ‘stepped up’ to a more intensive treatment if required. In the IAPT service delivery model, PWPs provide care at ‘step 2’ of the stepped care model supporting low-intensity interventions. They work alongside high-intensity workers and other clinicians delivering CBT and other evidence-based ‘step 3’ 1 For programmes operating outside of England, other equivalent evidence-based national guidance may apply. Programmes should ensure that, regardless of their geographical location, trainees are familiar with the NICE guidance for common mental health disorders and for each of the anxiety disorders and depression.2 Programmes working with services that operate outside of IAPT (including those based outside of England) will need to demonstrate that their trainees are able to take an approach to their work that offers equivalence to the specific characteristics of the IAPT service delivery model, as outlined in this document.


treatments across the therapeutic modalities. Knowledge of IAPT services including the stepped care model of service delivery, regular and routine clinical outcomes measurement, case management and supervision are accordingly generic competencies that PWPs need for the satisfactory performance of their duties.


Programme standard 1: Programme design

The design of the programme must ensure that successful achievement of the required learning outcomes is marked by the conferment of an award at the appropriate academic level.

1.1 Credits and level of award: Training programmes for Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners must comprise at least 60 credits and must result in the award of a level 6 or level 7 qualification (level 10 or level 11 in Scotland).

1.2 Duration of studies:

1.2.1 PWP programmes incorporate a minimum of 45 days’ training, typically over a period of up to one year’s duration.

1.2.2 The Society does not stipulate a maximum study period within which an accredited programme must be completed.

1.3 Award nomenclature: The education provider must ensure that the title of any award accurately reflects the level of students’ achievements, represents appropriately the nature and field(s) of study undertaken and is not misleading, either to potential employers or to the general public.

1.4 Assessment and progression requirements:

1.4.1 Programmes must have in place an assessment strategy that maps clearly on to programme and module learning outcomes, and which reflects students’ development of knowledge and skills as they progress through their studies. Each of the core content areas specified in Programme standard 2, below, must be separately assessed at the appropriate level, and should reflect the requirements outlined in Appendix 2, p.34; see also the requirements relating to the structure of PWP training outlined in item 2.2 below.

1.4.2 The education provider must demonstrate that the regulations for trainee progression and award of the qualification require all modules to be passed. Because of the critical nature of clinical competence, there can be no compensation/condonement for a failed clinical competence assessment.

1.4.3 The education provider must specify a maximum number of assessment attempts for individual assessment tasks as part of its regulations; this should not normally exceed two attempts (initial assessment plus one resit opportunity). The education provider must also have in place a process for advising services that a trainee who fails a competency assessment within the maximum permissible attempts has not demonstrated clinical competence, and therefore it may not be appropriate for them to continue to work with patients.

1.4.4 Training providers and services should have in place an agreed process for deciding when trainee PWPs are ready to see patients. This point may vary across providers as the timing of the introduction of the different forms of clinical activity will depend on when the relevant content is assessed on the local training programme. This process, along with protocols for supporting those trainees who do not demonstrate readiness to begin direct patient work within agreed timescales, should be clearly documented.


1.4.5 Clear information should be available to programme staff, service partners and trainees indicating the fitness to practise mechanisms or their equivalent that are in place, and how these, and/or any other disciplinary procedures, may be invoked should the need arise.

1.4.6 The education provider and employing service must ensure that adequate procedures are in place to ensure that trainees who have failed their clinical competency assessment in relation to modules 1 and 2 within the maximum permissible attempts (see 1.4.3 above), are incompetent, not fit to practise, or whose behaviour is unethical do not receive the accredited award. Where trainees are required to exit the programme, the education provider will need to work with the service to ensure that they understand the implications of programme failure for the trainees’ future employment.

1.4.7 In addition, systems should be in place to support routine, ongoing communication between the education provider, service and the trainee (as appropriate) regarding progress, results, conduct and any concerns that may arise. Our experience suggests that it is good practice to include a data protection waiver within the documentation or records that trainees complete when they initially register with the University, to ensure that information may be shared as appropriate. This will enable all parties to ensure that trainees for whom performance issues are raised are identified as early as possible, provided with support, and are not allowed to continue with their training if remedial action is ineffective.

1.4.8 Assessment rules, regulations and other criteria should be published in a full and accessible form and made freely available to students, staff and external examiners.

1.4.9 Assessment practices should be fair, valid, reliable and appropriate to the level of the award being offered. Assessment should be undertaken only by appropriately qualified academic staff, who have been adequately trained and briefed, and given regular opportunities to enhance their expertise as assessors.

1.4.10 Education providers should ensure that detailed and up to date records on student progress and achievement are kept. Throughout a programme of study, students should receive prompt and helpful feedback about their performance in relation to assessment criteria so that they can appropriately direct their subsequent learning activities.

1.4.11 Education providers should have in place policies and procedures to deal thoroughly, fairly and expeditiously with problems which arise in the programme of assessment of trainees. These should include mechanisms for dealing with extenuating circumstances in relation to the assessment process, the grounds for trainee appeals against assessment outcomes, and the process that trainees should follow if they wish to pursue an appeal.

1.5 Inclusive assessment:

1.5.1 Education providers should have inclusive assessment strategies in place that anticipate the diverse needs and abilities of students.

1.5.2 Where reasonable adjustments need to be made for disabled students, these should apply to the process of assessment, and not to the competencies being assessed.


Rationale for inclusion

The Society has clear expectations about teaching, learning and assessment on accredited programmes, and the provisions that should be built into the design of those programmes to ensure quality. The standards outlined above will ensure that those seeking entry to specific grades of Society membership on the basis of having completed an accredited programme have met the stipulations set out in the Society’s Royal Charter, Statutes and Rules.

Guidance and signposting

• Part A of the UK Quality Code addresses Setting and Maintaining Academic Standards, and signposts relevant qualifications and credit frameworks, as well as guidance on the characteristics of different qualifications. Providers may also find it helpful to refer to a further five chapters from Part B of the Quality Code (www.qaa.ac.uk):

• Chapter B1: Programme Design, Development and Approval

• Chapter B3: Learning and Teaching

• Chapter B6: Assessment of Students and the Recognition of Prior Learning

• Chapter B9: Academic Appeals and Student Complaints

• Chapter B11: Research Degrees

• The Health and Care Professions Council sets out its requirements around programme design and delivery and assessment in its Standards of Education and Training (SETs 4 and 6; www.hcpc-uk.org/education). Information on the threshold level of qualification for entry to the HCPC Register is provided in SET 1).

• The Equality Challenge Unit has produced guidance on Managing Reasonable Adjustments in Higher Education, which providers may find helpful (www.ecu.ac.uk).

• The Society’s accreditation standards make provision for students to undertake some study or placement time abroad as part of their programme (up to one third of the total credits of the accredited programme). Study abroad opportunities may not be available for all students, and arrangements will vary across different providers. Where study abroad opportunities are available, the UK provider must ensure that the study abroad being undertaken allows students to cover all of the required curriculum appropriately by the time they have completed their programme (though not necessarily in the same way as others on their cohort), and that this learning will effectively support their progression. More detailed information is available in our guide to studying abroad on an accredited programme, which can be downloaded from www.bps.org.uk/internationalaccreditation.

• Where more than one third of the total credits for the programme are undertaken outside of the UK, the Society considers this to be a separate programme requiring separate accreditation. Information regarding the Society’s international accreditation process can be found at www.bps.org.uk/internationalaccreditation.

• The Society does not specify a maximum study period for an accredited programme. It is expected that individual education providers will have in place regulations governing the maximum permissible period of time that may elapse from initial enrolment to completion, regardless of individual circumstances, to ensure the currency of their knowledge, their competence, and the award conferred upon them.


Programme standard 2: Programme content (learning, research and practice)The programme must reflect contemporary learning, research and practice in psychology.

2.1 Programme content requirements

2.1.1 Learning and practice outcomes for PWP training programmes relate to three core areas of competence:

• Engagement and assessment of patients with common mental health problems

• Evidence-based low-intensity treatment for common mental health disorders

• Values, diversity and context, including working with diversity from an inclusive values base, and working in the context of IAPT and related primary care mental health services

Specific learning outcomes are set out in the paragraphs below. Individual providers may adapt the wording of the learning outcomes to suit their own needs, provided that they can demonstrate that the learning outcomes are reflected within their programme in their entirety.

2.1.2 Required learning and practice outcomes for psychological wellbeing practitioner training programmes

1. Engagement and assessment of patients with common mental health problems

PWPs assess and support people with common mental health problems in the self- management of their recovery. To do so they must be able to undertake a range of patient-centred assessments and be able to identify the main areas of concern relevant to the assessment undertaken. They need to have knowledge and competence to be able to apply these in a range of different assessment formats and settings. These different elements or types of assessment include screening/triage assessment; risk assessment; provisional diagnostic assessment; mental health clustering assessment; psychometric assessment (using the IAPT standardised symptoms measures); problem focused assessment; and intervention planning assessment. In all these assessments they need to be able to engage patients and establish an appropriate relationship whilst gathering information in a collaborative manner. They must have knowledge of mental health disorders and the evidence-based therapeutic options available and be able to communicate this knowledge in a clear and unambiguous way so that people can make informed treatment choices. In addition, they must have knowledge of behaviour change models and how these can inform choice of goals and interventions.

Specific learning outcomes to be demonstrated are as follows:

a. Demonstrate knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of concepts of mental health and mental illness, diagnostic category systems in mental health and a range of social, medical and psychological explanatory models.


b. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in applying the principles, purposes and different types of assessment undertaken with people with common mental health disorders.

c. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in using ‘common factors’ to engage patients, gather information, build a therapeutic alliance with people with common mental health problems, manage the emotional content of sessions and grasp the patient’s perspective or ‘worldview’.

d. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in ‘patient-centred’ information gathering to arrive at a succinct and collaborative definition of the person’s main mental health difficulties and the impact this has on their daily living.

e. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in recognising patterns of symptoms consistent with diagnostic categories of mental disorder from a patient-centred interview.

f. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in accurate risk assessment of patient or others.

g. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in the use of standardised assessment tools including symptom and other psychometric instruments to aid problem recognition and definition and subsequent decision making.

h. Demonstrate knowledge, understanding and competence in using behaviour change models in identifying intervention goals and choice of appropriate interventions

i. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in giving evidence-based information about treatment choices and in making shared decisions with patients.

j. Demonstrate competence in understanding the patient’s attitude to a range of mental health treatments including prescribed medication and evidence-based psychological treatments.

k. Demonstrate competence in accurate recording of interviews and questionnaire assessments using paper and electronic record keeping systems.

2. Evidence-based low-intensity treatment for common mental health disorders

PWPs aid clinical improvement through the provision of information and support for evidence-based low-intensity psychological treatments and regularly used pharmacological treatments of common mental health problems. Low-intensity psychological treatments place a greater emphasis on patient self-management and are designed to be less burdensome to people undertaking them than traditional psychological treatments. The overall delivery of these interventions is informed by behaviour change models and strategies. Examples of interventions include providing support for a range of low-intensity self-help interventions (often with the use of written self-help materials) informed by cognitive-behavioural principles. Support is specifically designed to enable people to optimise their use of self-management


recovery information and pharmacological treatments and may be delivered individually or to groups of patients and through face-to-face, telephone, email or other contact methods. PWPs must also be able to manage any change in risk status.


a. Critically evaluate a range of evidence-based interventions and strategies to assist patients to manage their emotional distress and disturbance.

b. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in developing and maintaining a therapeutic alliance with patients during their treatment programme, including dealing with issues and events that threaten the alliance.

c. Demonstrate competence in planning a collaborative low-intensity psychological or pharmacological treatment programme for common mental health problems, including managing the ending of contact.

d. Demonstrate in-depth understanding of, and competence in the use of, a range of low-intensity, evidence-based psychological interventions for common mental health problems.

e. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of, and competence in using behaviour change models and strategies in the delivery of low-intensity interventions.

f. Critically evaluate the role of case management and stepped care approaches to managing common mental health problems in primary care including ongoing risk management appropriate to service protocols.

g. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in supporting people with medication for common mental disorders to help them optimise their use of pharmacological treatment and minimise any adverse effects.

h. Demonstrate competence in delivering low-intensity interventions using a range of methods including face-to-face, telephone and electronic communication.

3. Values, diversity and context

PWPs operate at all times from an inclusive values base that promotes recovery and recognises and respects diversity. Diversity represents the range of cultural norms including personal, family, social and spiritual values held by the diverse communities served by the service within which the worker is operating. Workers must respect and value individual differences in age, sexuality, disability, gender, spirituality, race and culture. PWPs must also take into account any physical and sensory difficulties people may experience in accessing services and make provision in their work to ameliorate these. They must be able to respond to people’s needs sensitively with regard to all aspects of diversity. They must demonstrate a commitment to equal opportunities for all and encourage people’s active participation in every aspect of care and treatment. They must also demonstrate an understanding and awareness of the power issues in professional/patient relationships and take steps in their clinical practice to reduce any potential for negative impact this may have.

PWPs are expected to operate in a stepped care, high-volume environment. During training, trainee PWPs should carry a reduced caseload, with the number of cases seen depending on their stage in training, building up to a maximum of 60-80 per cent of a qualified PWP’s caseload before completion of the training. PWPs must be able to manage caseloads, operate safely and to high standards and use supervision to aid their clinical decision-making. PWPs need to recognise the limitations to their competence and role and direct people to resources appropriate to their needs, including step-up to high-intensity therapy, when beyond their competence and role. In addition, they must focus on social inclusion – including return to work and meaningful activity or other occupational activities, physical activity promotion to address both psychological and/or physical health outcomes – as well as clinical improvement. To do so they must have knowledge of a wide range of social and health resources available through statutory and community agencies. They must have a clear understanding of what constitutes the range of high-intensity psychological treatments which includes CBT and the other IAPT approved high-intensity therapies and how high-intensity treatments differ from low-intensity working.


a. Demonstrate knowledge of, and commitment to a non-discriminatory, recovery orientated values base to mental healthcare and to equal opportunities for all and encourage people’s active participation in every aspect of care and treatment.

b. Demonstrate respect for and the value of individual differences in age, sexuality, disability, gender, spirituality, race and culture.

c. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in responding to people’s needs sensitively with regard to all aspects of diversity, including working with older people, the use of interpretation services and taking into account any physical and sensory difficulties patients may experience in accessing services.

d. Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the power issues in professional/patient relationships.

e. Demonstrate competence in managing a caseload of people with common mental health problems efficiently and safely.

f. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in using supervision to assist the worker’s delivery of low-intensity psychological and/or pharmacological treatment programmes for common mental health problems.

g. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in gathering patient-centred information on employment needs, wellbeing and social inclusion and in liaison and signposting to other agencies delivering employment, occupational and other advice and services.

h. Demonstrate an appreciation of the worker’s own level of competence and boundaries of competence and role, and an understanding of how to work within a team and with other agencies with additional specific roles which cannot be fulfilled by the worker alone.



i. Demonstrate a clear understanding of what constitutes high-intensity psychological treatment and how this differs from low-intensity work.

2.2 Structure of training

1. The curriculum is designed so that it can be available at both undergraduate (level 6) and postgraduate certificate level (level 7), normally based on three modules (see above) delivered over 45 days in total. It requires completion of 60 credits in accordance with the learning and practice outcomes specified above, typically resulting in the award of a Graduate Certificate or a Postgraduate Certificate. PWP training may also be incorporated into other undergraduate or postgraduate awards, provided that academic learning is supported by appropriate practice experience, and provided that those who have completed PWP training as part of their award may be readily distinguished from those who have not (normally through conferment of a distinctive award title).

2. The delivery of 45 days’ training is essential to meet the learning objectives specified within the curriculum. Although each module has a specific set of foci and learning outcomes, the clinical competencies build on each other and courses are expected to focus the majority of their teaching activity on clinical competence development through clinical simulation/role play.

3. The curriculum is normally organised into three modules. Modules and credit ratings can be adapted by education providers to comply with their academic timetable and tailored to suit local needs. Similarly, providers may choose how they wish to deliver these modules to best prepare trainees for the work they are undertaking in services; for example, they may choose to deliver modules one and two, relating to assessment and treatment, either concurrently (e.g. by frontloading teaching) or consecutively. An indicative structure for module delivery is suggested in Appendix 1, p.33.

4. The curriculum includes both theoretical learning and skills practice within the education provider, and practice-based learning (activities directed by the education provider that extend learning into practice). Over the 3 modules of 45 days, 25–30 days are delivered as theoretical learning and skills practice and 15–20 days as directed practice-based learning.

• Skills based competencies will be learnt through a combination of clinical simulation in small groups working intensively under close supervision with peer and tutor feedback, and supervised practice through supervised direct contact with patients in the workplace.

• Knowledge will be learnt through a combination of lectures, seminars, discussion groups, guided reading and independent study. Providers are encouraged to explore and keep abreast of developments and innovations in pedagogy that facilitate active learning.

• Directed practice-based learning tasks include shadowing/observation, role play/practice with peers/colleagues of assessment and interventions, self-practice of interventions with reflection (i.e. applying techniques to issues from own life), and directed problem-based learning.

All 45 days should comprise a specified programme of learning directed by the education provider in accordance with the learning outcomes specified in item 2.1 above. It is acknowledged that some activities (e.g. flipped classroom


approaches, problem-based learning) may relate to more than one of the three categories outlined in the bullet points above; in such cases, programmes should be able to provide a rationale for their particular delivery model.

5. Assessment focuses primarily on trainees’ practical demonstration of competencies. Skills based competency assessments are independent of academic level and must be passed. Trainees may not necessarily possess previous clinical or professional expertise in mental health and can undertake academic assessments at either undergraduate or postgraduate level, depending on their prior academic attainment.

6. Assessment strategies for each of the three modules are outlined in Appendix 2, p.34. Providers will be expected to demonstrate how their module assessments align with the specified strategies. All clinical skills should be assessed by practical tests of clinical competence using recognised competency assessment tools. While the assessment strategies for assessing practical clinical skills are set out for each module, the assessment of academic skills and knowledge may be in the form of a written exam(s), coursework (including seminars and presentations), case report or essay and will be expected to cover the academic content of all three modules.

7. The training programme requires trainees to learn from observation and skills practice under supervision while working in fully functioning IAPT services, or other services providing placements to trainee PWPs in line with the requirements set out in section 2.4 of this document, as well as through the theoretical teaching, skills practice and practice-based learning directed by the education provider. Trainees should complete:

• a minimum of 80 clinical contact hours with patients (face-to-face3 or on the telephone) within an IAPT service (or equivalent stepped care service) as a requirement of their training and should undertake a range of activities during this time; and

• a minimum of 40 hours of supervision of which at least 20 hours should be case management supervision4 and at least 20 hours should be clinical skills supervision5.

3 Clinical contact hours should be calculated on the basis of the length of assessment and treatment sessions undertaken with clients, not on the number of clinical contacts, and should not be rounded up. For the purposes of calculating clinical contact hours, one hour spent working with a group counts as one hour of clinical contact, regardless of the number of participants in the group. Time spent on administrative tasks (e.g. contacting clients who have not attended an appointment/DNA) should not be counted towards clinical contact hours. For example: a trainee completes a telephone screening of 20 minutes, an initial assessment of 35 minutes, has an extended treatment session because of use of translation services which takes 65 minutes, and also has two DNAs. The total clinical contact hours in this instance is two hours.4 Case management supervision is undertaken weekly for a minimum of one hour on a one-to-one basis with a suitably qualified member of staff. Case management supervision is supported by an IT system that enables outcomes to be effectively incorporated into clinical decision-making, often relating to the stepping-up of treatment intensity or offering alternative low-intensity treatments. Case management supervision is highly structured and should be a review of the current caseload held by the PWP, in which the PWP selects appropriate cases for supervision and presents the cases according to clinical and organisational criteria (e.g. scheduled reviews, risk). The PWP should demonstrate the competencies of being able to present clinical and demographic information about each patient in a succinct manner to enable discussion of key points and shared decision-making to take place. Case management supervision is key to effective clinical governance and ensuring patient safety.5 Clinical skills supervision for PWPs can be undertaken on a one-to-one basis or in a group, for a minimum of one hour per fortnight. Supervision is an accountable process which supports, assures and develops the knowledge, skills and values of the PWP. The purpose of clinical skills supervision is to provide a safe and confidential environment for PWPs to reflect on and discuss their work and their personal and professional development, providing an environment to enable reflection on their low-intensity practice and ensuring fidelity to the evidence base and clinical method.


These 80 clinical contact hours and 40 supervision hours are in addition to the 15-20 practice-based learning days directed by education providers.

2.3 Teaching and learning:

2.3.1 A clear programme specification must be in place that provides a concise description of the intended learning outcomes of the programme, and which helps students to understand the teaching and learning methods that enable the learning outcomes to be achieved, and the assessment methods that enable achievement to be demonstrated with adequate breadth and depth. The programme specification (and any module specifications) must include learning outcomes that reflect the specific programme content requirements outlined above.

2.3.2 Education providers must be able to document the intended programme and module learning outcomes, and the ways in which these are mapped on to the programme content requirements and assessment strategies outlined in this document. Providers will need to provide a rationale for the design of their programme, highlighting any ways in which it varies from the suggested three-module structure that has been outlined in item 2.1.

2.3.3 A teaching timetable must be available to staff and trainees that identifies the module or programme unit to which each teaching session relates. Education providers will need to be able to demonstrate that at least 50 per cent of the time is focused on the development of clinical skills.

2.3.4 As noted above, trainees must be provided with 15–20 days of directed practice-based learning which is timetabled in addition to the required 25–30 days of theoretical learning and skills practice. Programmes should have systems in place for monitoring the work that trainees have completed during their directed learning days.

2.3.5 The programme must include an appropriate induction programme, of a minimum of five days’ duration. This induction to the PWP role comprises part of the 25–30 days of theoretical learning and skills development, and should be focused on front-loaded skills development in assessment. Any induction or orientation to resources (library, IT) or formal registration with the education provider should be undertaken in addition to the induction to the PWP role as outlined above.

2.3.6 The education provider must outline the ways in which it supports trainee PWPs in understanding the role of high-intensity therapists as part of their learning. This should be addressed in relation to the learning outcomes specified for Module 3 to guard against potential drift towards high-intensity ways of working. Providers may also wish to consider how trainees’ understanding of the full range of other workers at step 3 can be supported, including those working in different modalities and in the context of the full range of IAPT extension programmes.

2.3.7 Trainees are entitled to expect a learning experience which meets their needs, and which is underpinned by evidence-led teaching, and a supportive and enabling learning environment.

2.3.8 Programmes should address matters relating to difference and diversity within all teaching, not only within the module where values and diversity are the specific focus.


2.4 Supervised practice6:

2.4.1 Education providers should have a quality assurance process in place to evaluate the suitability and quality of the practice placement and/or supervised practice opportunities offered by service partners. This quality assurance process should be established with input and agreement from the local NHS education commissioner (where applicable), and should be communicated to service providers to ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities to ensure that the following standards are met:

1. IAPT services and other services providing placements to trainee PWPs in line with the Society’s requirements must:

• follow a stepped care system with coherent integrated care pathways and clear protocols for initial allocation and stepping up/down;

• provide interventions that are in line with NICE guidance;

• have good quality CBT-based self-help materials and cCBT packages available for trainees to use;

• have suitable office and clinical accommodation for PWP trainees to use; and

• provide adequate equipment for routine audio and video recording of PWPs’ clinical work.

2. IAPT services and other services providing placements to PWPs in line with our requirements must be able to provide an effective practice learning environment for trainees. A service provider is considered to offer an effective practice learning environment where trainee PWPs:

• access appropriate cases, materials and local service protocols to develop the skills they have been taught by the education provider;

• have access to the full range of presentations and modes of assessment and treatment that are required for completion of the programme;

• have caseloads that are compatible with an effective training experience (e.g. gradual build up of caseload; types of patients seen) – services should commit to agreeing appropriate caseloads with the education provider;

• use their designated practice-based learning days for completing the directed learning assignments set by the education provider, rather than for routine clinical work;

• are able to complete 80 clinical contact hours and 40 supervision hours by the time they complete their training.

3. IAPT services and other services providing placements to PWPs in line with our requirements must identify sufficient clinical and case management supervisors to work with trainees in the workplace. Supervisors must:

• have demonstrable knowledge and experience of delivering low-intensity interventions;

6 Standards in this section draw from the document ‘Roles in PWP training of NHS education commissioners, university training courses, IAPT service placement providers, and BPS as accreditation body’ (March 2015), available from www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/research/clinical-educational-and-health-psychology/research-groups/core/psychological-wellbeing.


• be conversant with the service’s CBT-based self-help and online materials and site protocols;

• have attended a PWP supervisor training course (see 2.4.2 below); and

• provide weekly case management supervision and fortnightly clinical skills supervision to their trainee PWPs.

Supervision must be consistent with and reinforce taught content to ensure that trainee PWPs develop as competent practitioners. As such, services must work closely with the education provider to jointly deliver a coherent training experience that ensures PWPs achieve the learning outcomes specified in this document.

2.4.2 As indicated in 2.4.1 (3) above, training should be made available to supervisors to enable them to adequately support trainees undertaking high volume, low-intensity psychological therapies with an appropriate range of patients. Supervisors should understand:

1. the course content;

2. the clinical practice outcomes identified in relation to the three modules outlined above; and

3. the expectations surrounding their role, including the essentials of clinical case management supervision.

2.4.3 Education providers must demonstrate that supervision meets the following standards:

1. The supervisor must negotiate, sign and date a supervision contract7 which clarifies boundaries and responsibilities of both the supervisor and the supervised trainee. This should include engagement in weekly case management supervision and fortnightly individual and group supervision aimed at case discussion and skills development.

2. The supervisor must use a range of strategies to engage in the supervision process, including focused face-to-face contact, allocated telephone appointment time and email contact.

3. The supervisor must facilitate ongoing practice learning and experience for the trainee to ensure that she or he has the opportunity to develop appropriate competence in clinical skills.

4. The supervisor must carry out observation of the trainee’s work, directly and indirectly, to develop and be able to evaluate the level of competence.

5. The supervisor must identify the trainee’s strengths and any shortfalls in development, identifying objectives with the trainee and how these may be achieved, and discussing with academic staff where difficulty is envisaged or issues regarding a trainee’s progress are encountered.

6. The supervisor must ensure that trainees complete the clinical practice outcomes outlined within the practical skills assessment document, within the required period, and that appropriate records are made.

7 Clinical skills supervision and case management supervision are often provided by different supervisors, and should therefore normally be covered by separate supervision contracts. Where clinical skills supervision is conducted in a group, this should be addressed in a group contract.


7. The supervisor must ensure with the trainee that supervision logs are completed so that there is a record of supervisory contacts in a format agreed by the education provider. This is to ensure that the trainee meets the requirement to undertake a minimum of 40 hours of supervision of which at least 20 hours should be case management supervision and at least 20 hours should be clinical skills supervision. Programmes are encouraged to review those supervision records with the service on a regular basis.

8. The supervisor must complete an interim report on progress at the halfway point of the timescale for the achievement of the practice-based outcomes.

9. The supervisor must make a recommendation to the programme on the progress of the trainee in achieving the practical skills outcomes specified within each of the programme modules.

10. Supervisors need to satisfy themselves that they have sufficient evidence of trainees’ performance in relation to the required practice outcomes in order to sign off their achievement of those practice-based outcomes.

2.4.4 The programme team must monitor the clinical experience of trainees, and their experience of the supervision provided, and have a process in place to help resolve any problems that may have arisen. This process must be timed such that if problems are identified there will still be time available to overcome the problems, if this is feasible. The process must include the opportunity for a member of the programme team to hold discussions in private with the trainee and supervisor individually prior to a joint discussion. A written record of the monitoring and any action plan agreed must be held on file.

2.4.5 Programmes must have a formal, documented audit process for clinical placements and supervision in partnership with service leads and supervisors. Mechanisms must be in place for considering the outcomes of each audit, and there must be procedures for seeking to overcome any problems that are identified. These would normally include the following:

1. Where NHS Trusts or other IAPT service providers do not meet standards for PWP placement provision specified in 2.4.1 (1) above, education providers should report concerns to the education commissioner (or equivalent) with a view towards resolving any specific placement quality issues that are impacting upon the experience of trainees who are currently undertaking their clinical placement with the service provider(s) concerned.

2. Where the education provider declines to use a particular IAPT service placement, the local NHS education commissioner should be advised of the reasons for this decision, and their support or arbitration may be sought.



The Society’s standards for accredited programmes reflect contemporary theory, research and practice, enabling accredited programmes to develop psychological practitioners who will be fit for purpose for the future. As such, these reflect the optimal academic and professional standards. The Society is keen that these standards create flexibility for programmes to develop distinctive identities, by making the most of particular strengths around research and practice shared by their staff team, or those that are reflected in the strategic priorities of their department or university.


• Education providers are free to map topics in any academically coherent combination, which could range from delivering core content areas within dedicated modules, or embedding coverage across a number of modules. The Society encourages programmes to deliver core content across modules within an integrated curriculum that offers a pedagogical development of students’ knowledge, understanding, and skills.

• Providers may find it helpful to refer to Chapter B3 of the UK Quality Code, which addresses Learning and Teaching (www.qaa.ac.uk).

• It is important to note that Stage 1 training programmes fulfil the significant role of enabling graduates to fulfil those Standards of Proficiency set out by the Health and Care Professions Council that are deemed to represent the key concepts and bodies of knowledge that are relevant to the practice of practitioner psychologists (SOP 13; www.hcpc-uk.org/education).

• The Health and Care Professions Council sets out its requirements around programme design and delivery (including curriculum guidance) and practice-based learning in its Standards of Education and Training (SETs 4 and 5; www.hcpc-uk.org/education).


Programme standard 3: Working ethically and legally

The programme must evaluate students’ understanding of working ethically and legally.

3.1 All accredited programmes must include teaching on the Society’s Code of Ethics and Conduct and relevant supplementary ethical guidelines.


The inclusion of this standard reflects the particular importance of ethics and ethical practice to psychologists, and to the Society as the professional body for psychology and psychological practitioners. Trainees on accredited programmes need to develop commitment to the ethical principles of respect, competence, responsibility, and integrity. In addition, all prospective psychologists and psychological practitioners need to understand the legislative and regulatory requirements that apply to psychological practice in the UK. This standard therefore differentiates between working ethically and working legally to reflect the above considerations.


• The Society’s Code of Ethics and Conduct, Code of Human Research Ethics, and supplementary ethical guidelines provide clear ethical principles, values and standards to guide and support psychologists’ decisions in the difficult and challenging situations they may face. Further information can be found at www.bps.org.uk/ethics.

• The Society’s Ethics Committee has produced Guidance on teaching and assessment of ethical competence in psychology education (2015), available at www.bps.org.uk/ethics, which outlines ethical competencies, and how these may be taught and assessed at different levels of study. Programmes are encouraged to make use of the guidance as appropriate to their provision.

• The Health and Care Professions Council has produced a learning resource that is designed to support the understanding of ethical issues that individuals may encounter. Whilst it is primarily intended to contextualise the HCPC’s Guidance on Conduct and Ethics for Students, it presents a useful resource for students and trainees at all levels of study (www.hcpc-uk.org/education/learningresource).

• All accredited programmes are expected to include formal teaching on ethics, and should be able to demonstrate how working ethically is integral to all aspects of their provision, including research (as outlined below), and placement activities (where applicable). The assessment strategy for the programme should consider understanding of ethical principles as appropriate to the level of study.

• Students need to understand the ethical frameworks that apply to their research, and how to engage with these, as well as understanding the ethical implications of the research that they encounter. They also need to understand ethics as applied to working with people more generally.

• Providers should have in place mechanisms for identifying and dealing with academic and (where applicable) professional misconduct. The programme should consider the ways in which these mechanisms are publicised.


Programme standard 4: Selection and admissions

The programme must apply appropriate selection and entry criteria that are consistent with promoting equality of opportunity and access to psychology to as diverse a range of applicants as possible.

4.1 The programme must implement and monitor equality, diversity and inclusion policies in relation to applicants.

4.2 Selection and entry requirements:

4.2.1 There must be systems in place to ensure that the education provider and service provider(s) take a collaborative approach to the selection and recruitment of trainees. In particular, review teams require evidence that the education provider and service provider(s) work together to agree advertisements for training places, and, where appropriate, undertake shortlisting and interviewing processes jointly.

4.2.2 The selection criteria must accommodate applicants with non-standard qualifications and/or experience, and the education provider must provide evidence of the ways in which such applications are evaluated. Education providers should outline their procedures for the accreditation of prior experience or learning, and the ways in which these are utilised as a means of allowing non-graduates to provide evidence that they are able to work at the appropriate level.

4.3 Where the education provider offers applicants the opportunity to seek exemption from undertaking a proportion of the programme, effective processes should be in place for assessing and recognising their prior learning and experience. However, the delivery of 45 days’ training is essential to meet the learning objectives specified within the curriculum.


The Society is interested in the ways in which education providers implement their equality, diversity and inclusion policies. It is particularly important that those progressing to undertake professional training, and therefore those moving into employment as psychological practitioners, reflect the demographics of the populations with whom they will be working. Similarly, the Society is keen to promote diversity in psychology students progressing towards careers as academics or researchers. Overall, it is important that psychological knowledge and expertise is reflected across a diverse range of people, and that this diversity is ultimately reflected throughout the Society’s membership.


• Chapter B2 of the UK Quality Code addresses Recruitment, Selection and Admission to Higher Education. Chapter B6 also considers Assessment of Students and the Recognition of Prior Learning. Finally, Part C of the Quality Code outlines expectations around the provision of fit for purpose, accessible and trustworthy information regarding the learning opportunities offered for the benefit of a range of audiences, including applicants and the general public. Providers may find it helpful to review their provision against these resources (www.qaa.ac.uk).

• The Office for Fair Access (OfFA) is the independent regulator of fair access to higher education in England. Like OfFA, the Society believes that everyone with the potential and ambition to succeed in higher education should have equal opportunity to do so, whatever their income or background (www.offa.org.uk). Whilst its remit covers England only, OfFA provides a series of resources on widening access that all providers will find useful.

• The Society declares its commitment to promote equality, diversity and inclusion and to challenge prejudice and discrimination, and actively promotes a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion within our discipline. In demonstrating achievement of this standard, education providers are encouraged to hold or be in the process of seeking an Athena SWAN award, along with other relevant equality charter marks. Providers of accredited programmes should take steps to identify under-represented groups (e.g. men, black and minority ethnic students) and encourage their participation in psychology education and training and in the wider psychological workforce. Individuals’ identities are shaped by a range of factors that intersect in different ways, and providers should consider the steps they are able to take to promote and improve the participation of other underrepresented groups and to encourage greater representation (www.ecu.ac.uk).



Programme standard 5: Student development and professional membershipThe programme must be able to articulate a strategy for supporting trainees’ personal and professional development.

5.1 The programme must have in place mechanisms for the support of trainees’ personal development, including the provision of a personal tutor system.

5.2 Systems for student support should empower learners to take personal control of their own development, by providing opportunities for the exercise of choice, decision-making, and responsibility within a supportive environment, in order to promote the development of autonomous learning.

5.3 The programme must provide students with information on the benefits of completing an accredited programme, and gaining membership of the Society at the appropriate level. Providers should emphasise the benefits of Society membership for students’ professional development.


This standard is included because close attention to students’ personal and professional development is key to their employability. Education providers may link with local and/or national employers in a variety of ways, and the Society is keen to develop its understanding of these approaches through partnership visits. Additionally, the Society believes it is important that education providers communicate the benefits of completing an accredited programme to their students. Belonging to the Society is an integral part of being a psychological practitioner. It recognises graduates’ qualifications and reflects their aspiration to represent the highest possible professional standards.


• Chapter B4 of the UK Quality Code addresses Enabling Student Development and Achievement. Chapter B3 also considers Learning and Teaching, and specifically emphasises the need to enable every student to monitor their progress and further their academic development through the provision of regular opportunities to reflect on feedback and engage in dialogue with staff. Finally Part C of the UK Quality Code addresses the information that should be provided to students about their programme of study and their achievements. Providers may find it helpful to review their provision against these resources (www.qaa.ac.uk).

• The Society’s role is to develop and support the discipline of psychology, and to disseminate psychological knowledge to the public and policy makers. Joining the Society enables trainees to contribute to the Society’s work and benefit from the resources the Society provides as they develop professionally.

• Providers may also wish to offer information on membership of other relevant professional organisations.


Programme standard 6: Academic leadership and programme deliveryThe education provider must have appropriate human resources in place to support the effective delivery of the programme, including appointing an appropriately qualified and experienced director or co-ordinator.

6.1 Staffing strategy:

6.1.1 Education providers must be able to outline a clear strategy in relation to the leadership and co-ordination of the programme. The Programme Director must operate with a level of autonomy that enables them to effectively oversee the programme’s governance and delivery.

6.1.2 Providers need to demonstrate that their overall staffing strategy supports the long-term sustainability of the provision, and the capacity to continue to meet the Society’s accreditation standards on an ongoing basis. In the interests of promoting a holistic learning experience for students, the Society would normally expect the core programme delivery team to be located predominantly in one department or on one site.

6.1.3 Programmes must have in place sufficient appropriately qualified staff in order to be able to provide a learning experience that meets students’ needs, and which is underpinned by competent teaching. The staff team as a whole needs to be able to deliver (i.e. teach and assess) across the required programme content (see Programme Standard 2) at the appropriate level.

6.1.4 Education providers must be able to outline the steps they are taking structurally and culturally to advance equality, and to improve the career prospects of underrepresented groups within the discipline and profession.

6.2 Qualifications of Programme Director and staff:

6.2.1 Programme Directorship: The Programme Director holds overall professional and academic responsibility for ensuring that the programme meets the Society’s standards, and for maintaining the accreditation of the programme. The Programme Director must have the programme as his/her major commitment, and be free to devote sufficient time to ensure its effective and efficient running.

6.2.2 For Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner training programmes, the Programme Director will need to be able to demonstrate a good understanding and working knowledge of the PWP role and of low-intensity interventions, and have appropriate experience as an educator and manager in order to be able to lead a programme of this kind.

6.2.3 Programme staff: For Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner training programmes:

• The education provider must demonstrate that the teaching team has the necessary knowledge, experience and skills to support trainees’ learning and development of clinical competence.

• The education provider must have in place a plan for supporting new and established members of staff in understanding the specifics of the PWP role, for example through appropriate induction training, mentoring, or engagement with relevant national or local networks. This should include an explicit plan


for delivering training in rating competency assessments, for ensuring inter-rater reliability for competency assessments, and engagement with any training offered by the awarding University in relation to standard academic and assessment practices.

• The education provider must have a strategy in place for identifying individuals (e.g. actors, former trainees) who are able to take on the role of the patient for the purposes of assessing trainees’ competence in the PWP clinical method where Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are used (NB this is a requirement for module 1). This role should not normally be undertaken by programme staff or by current patients. Whoever is deployed into the role, there should be strategies in place to provide them with appropriate training and preparation for working to an agreed, scripted scenario, and there should be measures in place to ensure that OSCEs are as standardised as possible, and to ensure consistency across the assessment process.

6.3 Staff student ratio:

6.3.1 Education providers should provide a calculation of their current staff student ratio (SSR) in the evidence they submit in support of an application for accreditation, or in advance of a partnership visit.For PWP training programmes, the education provider must demonstrate that there are sufficient teaching resources in place to enable trainees to meet the programme requirements, and an overall staff to trainee ratio of no greater than 1:10 should be achieved. The staffing required to support didactic (theory-focused) teaching will be lower than that required for clinical skills development sessions (classroom time in which trainees’ practice in role play is observed). Programmes will require additional staff to be present to support clinical skills development sessions to ensure appropriate observation and feedback opportunities are available to all trainees.

6.3.2 Given minimum staffing requirements, and the range of tasks that programme staff must undertake in order to deliver a quality student experience (see 6.5 below), programmes with small cohort sizes will require an enhanced SSR.

6.4 Staffing levels:

6.4.1 There are key roles and functions that the Society considers are essential to the effective and efficient delivery of an accredited programme. Programmes must therefore have sufficient staff with enough time allocated to carry out the range of tasks that are associated with: teaching; organising, co-ordinating and monitoring trainees in practice; training and supporting supervisors; marking; providing personal support to trainees; supporting their professional development; and liaising with employers, visiting speakers and other external stakeholders.

6.4.2 Where staff have other duties (e.g. other teaching or practice commitments) these must be taken into account in setting staffing levels and must be such that they do not interfere with the execution of the major responsibility of programme delivery. They must also be reflected appropriately for in any SSR return.

6.5 Professional services support staff:

6.5.1 Programmes must have access to sufficient dedicated administrative, technical or other learning support staff to support their effective delivery. PWP training programmes must have access to sufficient administrative, technical or other


learning support staff to support their effective delivery. PWP training programmes require specialist administrative support to meet the specific needs of their staff and students. This should include awareness of and expertise in overseeing placement/supervised practice activities, including an understanding of the fitness to practise procedures that apply.

6.5.2 The education provider must be able to demonstrate that the support that is provided is sufficient to meet the needs of the provision in question. Where shared or distributed arrangements for support staff are in place, the education provider must demonstrate their equivalence to the minimum standards outlined above.

6.6 Staff professional development:

6.6.1 Staff are entitled to expect an institutional culture which values and rewards professionalism and scholarship, and which provides access to development opportunities which assist them in their support for student learning. Institutions should support initial and continuing professional development for all staff.

6.6.2 All core members of programme teams are expected to undertake continuing professional development that is necessary to their role within the programme, and, where appropriate, relevant to their professional practice.


This standard is included as contact with and support from sufficient numbers of appropriately qualified and experienced staff whose professional development is well supported will contribute significantly to the quality of the overall student experience. Additionally, the leadership and co-ordination of the programme is central to shaping students’ experience and their development as psychologists or members of the wider psychological workforce.


• Where appropriate, Programme Directors may be supported in aspects of their role by colleagues with complementary skills and experience to their own. Education providers may wish to consider the roles that other programme team members may take in relation to the leadership and co-ordination of the programme as part of their staff development strategy, particularly in connection with longer-term succession planning or to support the development of leadership potential.

• The Society supports the inclusive principles set out in the Equality Challenge Unit’s Athena SWAN charter, and would encourage providers of accredited programmes to pursue gaining Athena SWAN recognition and to take steps to improve the career prospects of women psychologists. At undergraduate and postgraduate levels, psychology is a subject that attracts a high proportion of women students, and yet the gender balance among senior academics and practitioners reflects a very different picture. Individuals’ identities are shaped by a range of factors that intersect in different ways, and providers should consider the steps they are able to take to promote and improve the career prospects of other underrepresented groups and to encourage greater representation. (www.ecu.ac.uk).


• Programme providers are encouraged to consult the Society’s Supplementary guidance on the roles and contributions of psychology technical staff (2014), and its Supplementary guidance on the roles and contributions of administrative and professional services staff (2017). (www.bps.org.uk/accreditationdownloads).

• The Society had produced Supplementary guidance on staffing for Society-accredited psychology programmes, available at www.bps.org.uk/accreditationdownloads. This provides information to help you meet the Society’s staffing standards and calculate your staff student ratio.

• Chapter B3 of the UK Quality Code addresses Learning and Teaching, and specifically emphasises the need for higher education providers to assure themselves that everyone involved in teaching or supporting student learning is appropriately qualified, supported and developed. This includes: appropriate and current practitioner knowledge and an understanding of the subject they teach and of the disciplinary scholarship appropriate to the academic level of the students they are teaching; and the necessary skills and experience to facilitate learning in the students they are interacting with, and to use approaches grounded in sound learning and teaching scholarship and practice. Providers may find it helpful to review their provision against these resources (Chapter B3 Indicator 4, www.qaa.ac.uk).


Programme standard 7: Discipline-specific resources.

The education provider must have appropriate discipline-specific resources in place to support the effective delivery of the programme.

7.1 The education provider must be able to outline the discipline-specific and general resources and facilities that are in place to support student learning. Education providers must offer students access to learning resources that are appropriate to the range of theoretical and practical work in which students are engaged.

7.2 Education providers should ensure that students are advised of the discipline-specific and general learning resources to which they have access, and are provided with the necessary support and/or training to enable them to make appropriate use of these.


This standard is included because the learning experience must be underpinned by access to resources that are appropriate to the psychology programme(s) offered by the education provider. The availability of appropriate resources is key to the delivery of psychological science.


• Resources will normally include teaching and tutorial space, learning resources (such as texts and journals, available in hard copy and/or electronically, computing facilities), and appropriate IT and/or audiovisual facilities (e.g. to enable the recording of practice role plays and competency assessment tasks), as appropriate to the provision in question.

• Chapter B3 of the UK Quality Code addresses Learning and Teaching, and specifically sets out the expectation that education providers, working with their staff, students and other stakeholders, articulate and systematically review and enhance the provision of learning opportunities and teaching practices, so that every student is enabled to develop as an independent student, study their chosen subject(s) in depth and enhance their capacity for analytical, critical and creative thinking. In particular, there is an expectation that providers maintain physical, virtual and social learning environments that are safe, accessible and reliable for every student, promoting dignity, courtesy and respect in their use (Chapter B3 Indicator 6, www.qaa.ac.uk)


Programme standard 8: Quality management and governance

The education provider’s quality management systems must make regular provision for the periodic review of the validity and relevance of the programme, such that it continues to reflect our standards, and meets the needs of the programme’s stakeholders.

8.1 Assurance and enhancement of quality:

8.1.1 The education provider’s quality management mechanisms must incorporate regular periodic self-review against the quality standards outlined in this document. In addition, mechanisms should be in place to ensure that the outcomes from internal quality management processes feed into any monitoring of the programme undertaken by commissioners of training.

8.1.2 Programmes will appoint appropriate External Examiner(s) whose expertise will be of relevance to the breadth and depth of provision being offered. They will ensure that External Examiners are provided with adequate information to support their role, and ensure that systems are in place to monitor action that is taken in response to any issues raised.

8.1.3 The External Examiner should normally be an individual that is directly involved in the delivery or management of PWP training, or who has other demonstrable experience in the delivery and development of low-intensity interventions. They should either be an experienced PWP competency assessor or have received appropriate training to enable them to mark PWP competency assessments in accordance with the requirements outlined in this document. Programme providers should note that experience of examining training programmes for High-Intensity or other CBT Therapists does not, in itself, offer sufficient qualification or experience to examine a PWP programme.

8.2 Stakeholder engagement:

8.2.1 Trainees should have the opportunity to provide feedback on the design and delivery of the programme via the quality management mechanisms that are in place. Programmes should identify ways in which any difficulties identified (whether as informal or formal complaints) may be satisfactorily resolved, and changes to current systems and practices made where appropriate.

8.2.2 Both formal and informal mechanisms of quality assurance should be in place, including regular staff student liaison meetings. Issues raised by stakeholders, including students, should be documented and contribute to the quality management processes of the provider.

8.2.3 Systems must be in place to involve all stakeholders in the monitoring and evaluation of the programme. The programme should regularly review attrition data with its stakeholders, and should make this available to the review team, together with an analysis of the reasons for any attrition and actions taken in response.

8.2.4 Programmes must work collaboratively with patients to identify and implement strategies for their active participation in the programme. These strategies, and the practical support available to implement them, must be acceptable to the different groups involved in the programme and have wide support.



This standard is included because Accreditation through Partnership relies upon education providers having in place robust quality management mechanisms that facilitate self-evaluation of module and programme learning outcomes against the Society’s accreditation standards and other indicators of academic standards. The Society recognises education providers’ quality management mechanisms as a reliable source of evidence of continued achievement of the standards.


• Part A of the UK Quality Code addresses Setting and Maintaining Academic Standards. Part C addresses the information that providers set out in relation to their arrangements for managing academic standards and quality assurance and enhancement, and the records they maintain of all arrangements for delivering higher education with others. Providers may also find it helpful to refer to a further five chapters from Part B of the Quality Code (www.qaa.ac.uk):

• Chapter B5: Student Engagement, and in particular the role of students as partners in the assurance and enhancement of their educational experience.

• Chapter B7: External Examining

• Chapter B8: Programme Monitoring and Review

• Chapter B9: Academic Appeals and Student Complaints, and in particular ensuring that students have opportunities to raise matters of concern without risk of disadvantage

• Chapter B10: Managing Higher Education Provision with Others, which specifically highlights that degree-awarding bodies have ultimate responsibility for academic standards and the quality of learning opportunities irrespective of where these are delivered or who provides them.

• External peer review offers a valuable perspective upon the ways in which the programme compares to others of a similar nature nationally. With this in mind, enabling the Society to have sight of internal quality review reports and External Examiners’ reports, and the programme’s response to these, allows our reviewers to gain insight into the extent to which the education provider’s quality management mechanisms function effectively for the benefit of students, and the discipline as a whole.

• All providers are encouraged to consider the ways in which employer feedback might be harnessed as part of the quality management and programme development process.

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nd th

e se

rvic

es

whi

ch c

an s

uppo

rt p

eopl

e to

rec

over

y. T

he m

odul

e w

ill d

evel

op P

WP

s de

cisi

on-m

akin

g ab

ilitie

s an

d en

able

them

to

use

supe

rvis

ion

and

to r

ecog

nise

whe

n an

d w

here

it is

app

ropr

iate

to s

eek

furt

her

advi

ce, a

ste

p up

or

a si

gnpo

sted

se

rvic

e. S

kills

teac

hing

will

dev

elop

PW

Ps

clin

ical

man

agem

ent,

liais

on a

nd d

ecis

ion-

mak

ing

com

pete

ncie

s in

the

deliv

ery

of s

uppo

rt to

pat

ient

s, p

artic

ular

ly w

here

peo

ple

requ

ire in

terv

entio

n or

adv

ice

outs

ide

the

core

low

-inte

nsity

ev

iden

ce-b

ased

inte

rven

tions

taug

ht in

mod

ule

2.

155–

10*

5–10

* In

clud

es th

eore

tical

teac

hing

, ski

lls p

ract

ice

in in

tens

ive

wor

ksho

ps a

nd c

linic

al s

imul

atio

ns.


App

endi

x 2

: M

odul

e as

sess

men

t st

rate

gy

Mod

ule

Clin

ical

com

pete

ncy

asse

ssm

ent

Aca

dem

ic

asse

ssm

ent

Pra

ctic

e ou

tcom

es p

ortf

olio

Eng

agem

ent

and

asse

ssm

ent

of p

atie

nts

wit

h co

mm

on m

enta

l he

alth

pro

blem

s

Stan

dard

ised

rol

e-pl

ay s

cena

rio(s

) w

here

tr

aine

es a

re r

equi

red

to d

emon

stra

te

skill

s in

und

erta

king

bot

h tr

iage

and

pr

oble

m-f

ocus

ed a

sses

smen

ts. T

his

may

be

a si

ngle

sce

nario

, com

bini

ng

both

tria

ge a

nd p

robl

em-f

ocus

ed

asse

ssm

ents

, or

two

shor

ter

asse

ssm

ent

scen

ario

s8. T

his

(the

se)

will

be

vide

o-re

cord

ed a

nd a

sses

sed

by te

achi

ng

staf

f usi

ng s

tand

ardi

sed

asse

ssm

ent

mea

sure

s9.

Trai

nees

sho

uld

also

pr

ovid

e a

refle

ctiv

e co

mm

enta

ry o

n th

eir

perf

orm

ance

on

the

com

pete

ncy

asse

ssm

ent,

or a

n al

tern

ativ

e ac

adem

ic

assi

gnm

ent c

ould

be

set e

.g. a

n ex

am, c

ase

repo

rt o

r es

say.

Succ

essf

ul c

ompl

etio

n of

the

follo

win

g pr

actic

e ou

tcom

es, t

o be

as

sess

ed b

y m

eans

of a

pra

ctic

e ou

tcom

es p

ortfo

lio:

l D

emon

stra

tes

com

pete

nce

in u

nder

taki

ng a

nd r

ecor

ding

a

rang

e of

ass

essm

ent f

orm

ats.

Thi

s sh

ould

incl

ude

both

tria

ge

and

prob

lem

focu

sed

asse

ssm

ents

.l D

emon

stra

tes

expe

rienc

e an

d co

mpe

tenc

e in

the

asse

ssm

ent

of p

rese

ntin

g pr

oble

ms

acro

ss a

ran

ge o

f ind

icat

ive

diag

nose

s in

clud

ing

depr

essi

on a

nd tw

o or

mor

e an

xiet

y di

sord

ers.

l D

emon

stra

tes

the

com

mon

fact

or c

ompe

tenc

ies

nece

ssar

y to

en

gage

pat

ient

s ac

ross

the

rang

e of

ass

essm

ent f

orm

ats.

Evi

denc

e-ba

sed

low

-in

tens

ity

trea

tmen

t fo

r co

mm

on m

enta

l hea

lth

diso

rder

s

A v

ideo

-rec

orde

d st

anda

rdis

ed r

ole-

play

sc

enar

io O

R a

n au

dio

or v

ideo

-rec

ordi

ng

of a

rea

l low

-inte

nsity

trea

tmen

t ses

sion

w

ith a

pat

ient

trea

ted

by th

e tr

aine

e, in

ei

ther

of w

hich

the

trai

nee

is r

equi

red

to d

emon

stra

te s

kills

in p

lann

ing

and

impl

emen

ting

a lo

w-in

tens

ity tr

eatm

ent

prog

ram

me.

Thi

s re

cord

ing

will

be

asse

ssed

by

teac

hing

sta

ff us

ing

a st

anda

rdis

ed a

sses

smen

t mea

sure

. N

B. E

ither

this

or

the

mod

ule

3 cl

inic

al

asse

ssm

ent (

or b

oth)

nee

d(s)

to b

e a

reco

rded

ses

sion

of a

rea

l pat

ient

see

n by

the

trai

nee.

Trai

nees

sho

uld

also

pr

ovid

e a

refle

ctiv

e co

mm

enta

ry o

n th

eir

perf

orm

ance

on

the

com

pete

ncy

asse

ssm

ent,

or a

n al

tern

ativ

e ac

adem

ic

assi

gnm

ent c

ould

be

set e

.g. a

n ex

am, c

ase

repo

rt o

r es

say.

Succ

essf

ul c

ompl

etio

n of

the

follo

win

g pr

actic

e ou

tcom

es, t

o be

as

sess

ed b

y m

eans

of a

pra

ctic

e ou

tcom

es p

ortfo

lio:

l D

emon

stra

tes

expe

rienc

e an

d co

mpe

tenc

e in

the

sele

ctio

n an

d de

liver

y of

trea

tmen

t of a

ran

ge o

f pre

sent

ing

prob

lem

s us

ing

evid

ence

-bas

ed lo

w-in

tens

ity in

terv

entio

ns a

cros

s a

rang

e of

indi

cativ

e di

agno

ses

incl

udin

g de

pres

sion

and

two

or

mor

e an

xiet

y di

sord

ers.

l D

emon

stra

tes

the

abili

ty to

use

com

mon

fact

or c

ompe

tenc

ies

to m

anag

e em

otio

nal d

istr

ess

and

mai

ntai

n th

erap

eutic

al

lianc

es to

sup

port

pat

ient

s us

ing

low

-inte

nsity

inte

rven

tions

.l D

emon

stra

tes

high

-qua

lity

case

rec

ordi

ng a

nd s

yste

mat

ic

eval

uatio

n of

the

proc

ess

and

outc

omes

of m

enta

l hea

lth

inte

rven

tions

, ada

ptin

g ca

re o

n th

e ba

sis

of th

ese

eval

uatio

ns.

8 P

rogr

amm

es a

re e

ncou

rage

d to

ref

er to

the

docu

men

t ‘P

rinci

ples

and

type

s of

pat

ient

ass

essm

ent i

n IA

PT

serv

ices

– is

sues

for

PW

P tr

aini

ng a

nd c

ompe

tenc

e as

sess

men

t’ (M

arch

201

5), a

vaila

ble

from

ww

w.u

cl.a

c.uk

/pw

p-re

view

/doc

s/P

WP

REV

IEW

-pat

ient

asse

ssm

ent.

9 P

rogr

amm

es a

re e

ncou

rage

d to

ref

er to

the

docu

men

t ‘St

anda

rds

for

com

pete

ncy

asse

ssm

ent m

easu

res’

(M

arch

201

5), a

vaila

ble

from

ww

w.u

cl.a

c.uk

/pw

p-re

view

/doc

s/P

WP

REV

IEW

-com

pete

ncy.


Valu

es,

dive

rsit

y

and

cont

ext

A c

linic

al p

lann

ing

scen

ario

, rea

l as

sess

men

t or

trea

tmen

t cas

e, o

r ot

her

clin

ical

task

in w

hich

trai

nees

are

re

quire

d to

dem

onst

rate

kno

wle

dge

and

skill

s in

wor

king

with

a p

erso

n or

peo

ple

with

a v

arie

ty o

f nee

ds fr

om o

ne o

r m

ore

of a

ran

ge o

f div

erse

gro

ups.

Thi

s co

uld

be a

sses

sed

by a

cas

e re

port

, an

oral

pr

esen

tatio

n, a

rat

ed r

ecor

ding

, or

othe

r m

etho

d as

app

ropr

iate

to th

e ta

sk.

NB

. Eith

er th

is o

r th

e m

odul

e 2

clin

ical

as

sess

men

t (or

bot

h) n

eed(

s) to

be

a re

cord

ed s

essi

on o

f a r

eal p

atie

nt s

een

by th

e tr

aine

e.

A c

ase

repo

rt, r

eflec

tive

com

men

tary

, ess

ay

or e

xam

in w

hich

tr

aine

es a

re r

equi

red

to d

emon

stra

te

know

ledg

e an

d co

mpe

tenc

e in

usi

ng

case

man

agem

ent

and

clin

ical

ski

lls

supe

rvis

ion.

If a

rea

l tr

eatm

ent c

ase

has

been

use

d fo

r th

e cl

inic

al a

sses

smen

t, th

is ta

sk c

ould

be

an a

ccom

pany

ing

refle

ctiv

e co

mm

enta

ry

deta

iling

how

su

perv

isio

n w

as u

sed

to s

uppo

rt w

orki

ng w

ith

this

pat

ient

.

Succ

essf

ul c

ompl

etio

n of

the

follo

win

g pr

actic

e ou

tcom

es, t

o be

as

sess

ed b

y m

eans

of a

pra

ctic

e ou

tcom

es p

ortfo

lio:

l D

emon

stra

tes

the

abili

ty to

eng

age

with

peo

ple

from

div

erse

de

mog

raph

ic, s

ocia

l and

cul

tura

l bac

kgro

unds

in a

sses

smen

t an

d lo

w-in

tens

ity in

terv

entio

ns. T

his

coul

d in

clud

e ad

apta

tions

to

pra

ctic

e w

orki

ng w

ith o

lder

peo

ple,

usi

ng in

terp

reta

tion

serv

ices

/sel

f-he

lp m

ater

ials

for

peop

le w

hose

firs

t lan

guag

e is

no

t Eng

lish,

and

/or

adap

ting

self-

help

mat

eria

ls fo

r pe

ople

with

le

arni

ng o

r lit

erac

y di

fficu

lties

. l D

emon

stra

tes

the

abili

ty to

effe

ctiv

ely

man

age

a ca

selo

ad

incl

udin

g re

ferr

al to

ste

p up

, em

ploy

men

t and

sig

npos

ted

serv

ices

.l D

emon

stra

tes

the

abili

ty to

use

sup

ervi

sion

to th

e be

nefit

of

effe

ctiv

e (a

) ca

se m

anag

emen

t and

(b)

clin

ical

ski

lls

deve

lopm

ent.

This

sho

uld

incl

ude:

(a)

a r

epor

t on

a ca

se

man

agem

ent s

uper

visi

on s

essi

on d

emon

stra

ting

abili

ty to

rev

iew

ca

selo

ad, b

ring

patie

nts

at a

gree

d pr

e-de

term

ined

thre

shol

ds

and

prov

ide

com

preh

ensi

ve a

nd s

ucci

nct c

ase

mat

eria

l; an

d (b

) a

repo

rt o

n us

e of

clin

ical

ski

lls s

uper

visi

on in

clud

ing

deta

ils o

f cl

inic

al s

kills

que

stio

ns b

roug

ht, l

earn

ing

and

impl

emen

tatio

n.

The British Psychological SocietySt Andrews House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 7DR

t: +44 (0)116 254 9568 e: [email protected]

INF146/10.2019

www.bps.org.uk/partnership

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