About the Course
This two-year programme is specifically being commissioned by NHS England (NHSE) with a view to developing the careers and employability of those trained on Children and Young People’s Mental Health CYP-MH (previously CYP-IAPT) Low Intensity Trainings.
The main aims of the programme are to enable students to extend their clinical skillset and widen the scope of presentations that they are trained to work with. During year one, students will develop knowledge and skills in working with various advanced anxiety presentations as well as evidence-based low intensity interventions for neurodivergent children and young including Autistic Spectrum Conditions and Learning Disabilities, and their families. In year two, students will also develop their skills in supervising in-training and newly qualified low intensity practitioners.
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***Please note that you must apply for (and successfully receive) a SWP role at a partnering service in order to gain a place on the course at KCL.
If you would like further information about the SWP programme at King’s, please refer to our course brochure from last year
Who can apply?
The programme is open to graduates of one of the following programmes:
- PGCert / PGDip CYP Psychological Wellbeing Practice (CWP)
- PGDip Educational Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP)
Practitioners qualified in either of these programmes, plus two-years post-qualification/ experience, will be able to apply to do the Postgraduate Diploma.
In addition to this, we normally require a minimum of an upper second-class honours, Bachelor’s degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a relevant subject e.g. psychology or other health/social care/youth related undergraduate degree.
Candidates should also have sufficient experience of working with children and young people in clinical settings. They will be competent/ accredited in the clinical models that they are supervising. They will be actively involved in supervising within their clinical sites.
Career Prospects
Students who will attend the programme are applying for places that are commissioned nationally by region, with the specific purpose of enhancing their employability and effectiveness as low intensity practitioners, with the overall aim of improving children and young people and their families’ experiences of inclusive mental health services. It is hoped that following the course they will be retained in these roles for some time, with more developed skills in the interventions they provide and in supervising others who are training after them.
For more information about CYP-MH courses at KCL, please contact cyp-mh@kcl.ac.uk.
For information about the SWP programme based at UCL (Anna Freud Centre), please visit the AFC webpage.
How to apply
The SWP programme is not a standalone CYP MH training course. The programme requires potential candidates to apply for both the University-led training course and the role with a participating mental health service.
Service application process
We expect services to begin advertising from mid-late August 2025. Services will often advertise through sites such as jobs.nhs.uk and healthjobsuk.com so we recommend setting up automatic job searches/notifications with the following terms:
- Senior Wellbeing Practitioner
- SWP
KCL application process
When to apply
The KCL application portal will open on the 1st of August 2025. The deadline for applications is Monday 24th November 2025.
Services will begin advertising in roles between rom August 2025 onwards. Teaching for the SWP course will start on Monday 26th January 2026.
It is essential that you read the information below carefully prior to completing the application.
- Please be sure to complete all the sections of the form with all relevant information (all questions with a red asterisk next to them are mandatory and you will not be able to submit without answering these).
- You must submit a completed application form – we cannot process any incomplete applications.
To apply: Please apply via King’s Apply
Please use either Google Chrome or Firefox as your browser. The application portal is not optimised for Internet Explorer.
For information on how to apply to KCL online, please refer to the application guidance from 2025.
Entry requirements
- Qualification: normally a minimum of a second-class Bachelor’s degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard in a relevant academic subject (e.g. Psychology, Education, Childhood Development, Social Work, etc), OR any subject with further training or experience in a relevant field (e.g. Teaching/TA; Learning Support; HCA; Youth Work; Counselling, etc)*
- Experience: Candidates will need to be qualified EMHPs (Graduate/Postgraduate Diploma) or CWPs (Graduate/Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma) with ideally, two years of post-qualification experience, however candidates with less experience are encouraged to apply if they have enough relevant experience.
- Candidates must have been successful in applying for a locally created Senior Wellbeing Practitioner role.
- English Language Requirements: Capability to complete academic work at postgraduate diploma level, including IELTS or equivalent to the appropriate level for students with English as a foreign language (BAND D) https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/entry-requirements/english-language.aspx
- Motivation to undertake and complete the course
* Applicants who do not fulfil the academic criteria are encouraged to apply and may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us with queries.
Recruitment updates
When trainee roles are advertised, we will provide updates here. Please note: this list is updated when roles become available.