Mental health and emotional wellbeing are increasingly recognised as being of vital importance to patient health, so this course has been designed in partnership with key organisations, including the NHS, to provide those who aspire to be assistant practitioners with the skills and knowledge required to help those in need of professional
support.
Building upon the proven track record of the Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care at UCW, this course is also mapped to Higher Apprenticeship standards, and is one of the first in the region to specifically address the shortage of mental health skills in healthcare and social care.
As well as the training in topics related to mental health, the classroom elements of the course also include studies in physiology, anatomy, disease and complex conditions and studies in transferable academic areas such as sociology and communication.
The course is taught by our expert and experienced lecturers in the University Centre in our Knightstone Campus, with studies also occasionally taking place in the new Health and Active Living Centre at Loxton Campus. You will also be able to take advantage of everything on offer in our multimillion pound redevelopment of the Winter Gardens on Weston seafront.
As a Higher Apprenticeship, this course involves assessment by work-based mentors, so you must be employed in a health or social care setting and also have access to such a mentor before applying. UCW employs a specialist facilitator to guide students and employers on workplace practices. Please read the workplace suitability guidance to find out more.
Please click on the next tab to find out more about what you’ll learn on this programme and how it is taught and assessed. The dropdowns below deal with our partnership with UWE Bristol and what is and isn’t included in the tuition fees.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the course leader Louise Lynn or UCW’s HEART student services team. It would also be great to meet you and show you around at our next Open Day.
Students who pass this course will be awarded a Foundation Degree from UWE Bristol. The agreement between UWE Bristol and UCW is reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure academic standards are maintained.
2021 entry full-time tuition fees: £8,500 per year.
This covers all of the teaching and assessment elements that are required for students to complete the course.
It also includes:
- The use of UCW equipment and facilities.
- Attendance at guest lectures and conferences at UCW.
- Annual £10 printing and photocopying allowance for full-time students.
- The use of UCW computer equipment at any of our campuses and access to Microsoft Office 365 while you are enrolled with UCW.
- The loans of books from our libraries.
- Access to all of the UCW student support and careers services.
It does not include:
- Extra printing and photocopying above the £10 limit.
- Optional daytrips and residential visits at an approximate cost of £75 (UK) and £100 (overseas) per day/night.
- The cost of books that you may wish to purchase.
- Transport between our campuses, and to/from your partner university or workplace. We encourage students to take advantage of termly bus passes to reduce transport costs.
- Accommodation and other living expenses.
UCW publishes its Tuition Fees Policy on the Wider Information Set page of this website.
You may also be eligible for additional financial support, depending on your circumstances.
All of the modules on this course are compulsory and worth either 15 or 30 credits. 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:
- Communication for Healthcare Practice (30 credits)
- Introduction to Psychology and Sociology and Integrated Practice (30 credits)
- Physiology, Health and Disease (30 credits)
- Skills for Healthcare Practice 1 (30 credits)
Year 2:
- Integrated Approaches to Complex Needs (15 credits)
- Introduction to Research Methodologies and Methods (15 credits)
- Mental Health and Wellbeing (30 credits)
- Skills for Healthcare Practice 2 (30 credits)
- Supporting People in Crisis (30 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 Library Plus (HE.LP) 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 and 80% coursework.
Please click on the Course Handbook button to find out more.
- 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.
A related Level 3 qualification such as A Levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma or an Access to Higher Education Diploma, or equivalent. Applicants will also need Level 2 qualifications in English and Maths at grade C/4 or above, and are also required to attend an interview.
Applicants must be employed in a suitable health or social care setting where they can be supported and assessed by a work-based mentor and compile a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate the achievement of workplace competencies. Please read the workplace suitability guidance to find out more.
