The FdSc Assistant Practitioner (Mental Health) aims to develop your skills, knowledge and behaviours which are needed to undertake working within a mental health environment at band four.  You will study one day a week in the classroom, as well as developing your skills and behaviours within the workplace.  The subjects that you will cover include anatomy and physiology, psychology and sociology, leadership and management, risk management as well as undertaking professional practice modules based over a two year period.  You will be assessed via a variety of techniques including presentations, essays and professional discussions.   

All of the modules on this course are compulsory. Successful completion of all of the modules in the first year is worth 120 credits at Level 4 and equivalent to a Certificate of Higher Education. Successful completion of the second year is also worth 120 credits and will lead to the award of the Level 5 Foundation Degree.

Year 1 Compulsory Modules 

The student must take 120 credits from the modules in Compulsory Modules

• Anatomy and Physiology (30 credits)
• Clinical Practice in Mental Health 1 (30 credits)
• Communication for Practice (15 credits)
• Psychology and Sociology of Health (30 credits) 
• Risk Management for Mental Health (15 credits) 

Year 2 Compulsory Modules 

The student must take 120 credits from the modules in Compulsory Modules

• Clinical Practice in Mental Health 2 (20 credits)
• Methods of Enquiry (15 credits) 
• Occupational Case Study (40 credits) 
• Principles of Leadership and Management (15 credits)  
• Professional Assessment for Mental Health (15 credits) 
• Professional Development (15 credits) 

This course is taught via a combination of lectures, seminars, skills practice, presentations, case studies, group workshops and work-based practice. UCW’s Higher Education academic development team also deliver a series of sessions on degree-level research and academic writing to all first-year students. When not in scheduled lecturers and seminars, students are expected to continue learning through independent self-study. This involves reading relevant literature, working on individual and group projects, and undertaking research in preparation for coursework and exams. 

 This course has an average of 7.5 hours of scheduled teaching per week. 

Assessment is via a combination of written exams, practical exams and coursework. The assessment breakdown is 5% written exams, 15% practical exams (presentations) and 80% coursework.  

Graduates of this course are eligible to progress to related Honours Top-up courses, and are also eligible to apply to join the second year of associated full Honours degrees, such as the BSc (Hons) in Nursing (Mental Health) at UWE Bristol. 

This Foundation Degree has been designed for those aspiring to be assistant practitioners (Skills for Health Career Framework Level 4) who already have related roles in health and social care settings and want to further their careers. 

Industry insight 

Assistant practitioner roles in mental health are varied, so you could be working in hospitals, community recovery teams and with families and young people. 

• There are no qualification requirements for this course.
• A related Level 3 qualification, or a related Advanced Apprenticeship, or equivalent. 
• Applicants will also need Level 2 qualifications in English and Mathematics.
• A criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)
• An interview is required.

Course Handbook

Programme Specification

Work placement suitability guidance

UCW Terms and Conditions