Infant and Early Years Practitioner Pathway - Postgraduate Diploma

Two Specialised Pathways

 

Practitioners can train in one of two distinct pathways:

 

Parent-Infant Pathway (focus on 0-2s) – Accreditation in Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) to support parent-child attachment. Addressing parental mental difficulties and wider systemic factors.

 
Early Childhood Pathway (focus on 2-5s) – Training in evidence-based social learning theory informed parenting interventions for behavioural difficulties, and guided self-help for child anxiety.

 

Both pathways follow a Postgraduate Diploma structure, consisting of: 

• Early Years Knowledge, Theory and Frameworks 
• Early Years Assessment and Formulation
• Evidence Based Interventions

The below diagram shows the shared and different modules for the pathways.

 

 

 

 

You cannot apply directly to the training centre for this course.

Eligible applicants will be working within Northwest CYP Psychological Trainings Collaborative. Recruitment is a joint process with collaborative partners.

This innovative programme is designed for professionals to work with infants and child at risk of mental health problems across a variety of settings.  This includes health visitors, midwives, social workers, early years practitioners, family support workers, mental health professionals, and other frontline staff working with children aged 0-5 years.

This programme is open to professionals with experience of working with infants, children and/or families (evidenced either by 2 years of experience in a relevant core profession or 4 years of relevant experience in early years, child development or family support as evidenced by a portfolio set by the university.  Professionals should demonstrate the ability to work to a  Level 7 academic standard (as evidenced by formal degree or successful completion of qualifying essay).  This training encourages ensuring diverse participation and service sustainability.

Applicants will complete an application form and will then later be invited to interview. 

The Northwest Children and Young Peoples (CYP) Psychological Trainings Collaborative is a partnership between The University of Manchester, Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust and over 70 providers and commissioning bodies of CYP mental health services across NHS, Local Authority and Voluntary sectors working in the Northwest, Northeast & Yorkshire and the West Midlands.

The collaborative seeks to improve services through better evidence-based practice, better collaborative practice, authentic participation and better use of feedback and clinical outcomes for CYP across all services.

There are ten Partnerships in the Northwest who scope and fill the training places in their areas, with oversight from the Integrated Care Boards. Partnerships Leads are the key contact for all services working with CYP who have or wish to have trainees on our programmes. The contacts by area are:

Cheshire and Merseyside

·       Mersey Care (Mid Mersey) – Dr Vicky Seagrave: Vicky.Seagrave@merseycare.nhs.uk   

·       Liverpool – Val O’Donnell: Val.O'Donnell@ypas.org.uk               

·       Sefton – Dr Vicky Killen: Vicky.Killen@alderhey.nhs.uk

·       Cheshire and Wirral Partnership – Ian Roberts: ian.roberts11@nhs.net

Greater Manchester

·       Manchester FT – Dr Paul Wallis: Paul.Wallis@mft.nhs.uk

·       Pennine Care – Dr Gordon Milson: gordon.milson@nhs.net

·       Greater Manchester Mental Health – Melissa Street: melissa.street@gmmh.nhs.uk

Lancashire and South Cumbria

·       East Lancashire – Dr Sarah Thornton: sarah.thornton@lscft.nhs.uk

·       Lancashire and Cumbria FT – Dr Ailsa Smith: ailsa.smith@lscft.nhs.uk

·       Blackpool TH – Nicky Turner: nicola.turner72@nhs.net

If your organisation wishes to join a Partnership and be involved in expanding the CYP Workforce please contact your Partnership lead directly in the first instance.

The training component is in the form of lectures, workshops and supervision of clinical practice. Following the initial induction period (usually 3 days a week over a fortnight) and mandatory pathway specific in person training, attendance is weekly, on mainly 2 days per week over three 10-week terms. Trainees will largely be in teaching and supervision on a Thursday and Friday.

Internal recruitment : Speak to your local CYP Psychological Trainings Lead in the first instance if you wish to apply, if you do not know who this is, please speak to your service manager. You will need the support of your service manager before applying. Services apply for funded places as early as May for the following January so plan ahead. Application forms are available via CYP Psychological Trainings Leads within Children & Young People’s services across the Northwest Collaborative from August.  Completed application forms with Service Manager and the CYP Psychological Trainings Lead approval should be sent to the CYP Psychological Trainings Lead. They then send them on to the Training Centre. This process happens annually opening in late summer and closing early autumn. Applications must be funded either with service/CCG approval if they are funding the course, or with a confirmed Recruit to Train place from NHSE (confirmed by the CYP Psychological Trainings Lead). Applicants are invited to interview through the autumn in preparation for the course starting in January.

Applications sent directly to the training centre by the applicant will not be accepted.

 

External recruitment : Training posts are advertised by services through the summer and autumn for the January intake. Training posts are usually 1-year contracts initially to cover the length of the course. Applying for the post and for the course is a combined process with a joint interview. Applicants must be in post and able to attend the training for the commencement of the course.

The Training Centre does not have any involvement with the advertising of these posts.