Compromise and Creativity: Employers, Service Users, Carers and a University Developing the PQ Higher Specialist Level Mental Health Programme Helen Cosis Brown, Christine Cocker, Jan Hill and Michael Shamash

Who are we? Michael Shamash – Service User and Carer Representative Middlesex University Social Work Stakeholder Group and East London Mental Health Training Partnership (ELMHTP) board member Jan Hill – Adults Services Learning & Development Manager,The London Borough of Tower Hamlets Helen Cosis Brown– Principal Lecturer Middlesex University/London Borough of Tower Hamlets Joint Appointment Christine Cocker – Principal Lecturer Middlesex University/Director of Social Work Programmes

Here we go again! – Helen and Christine Having had validated the Graduate Diploma Post Qualifying Specialist Social Work Award (Mental Health) in 2007 having to do the whole lot again in 2008! The Mental Health Act 2007 – The Approved Mental Health Practitioner Trying to ‘make sense’ of the GSCC PQ framework for social work and the Mental Health Specialist Requirements (GSCC, 2007) Bringing together service users, carers, employers and the University in this venture for the second year running Compromise and creativity: not throwing the baby out with the bath water.

The East London Mental Health Training Partnership’s Relationship with Middlesex University - Jan The employer owned ASW/AMHP Programme Why we wanted to get our GSCC approved ASW/AMHP Programme accredited by a University for academic credits? Why Middlesex University? The Work based Learning accreditation process – what it involved in 2003 and again in 2008 Costs and benefits.

Strengthening practice – the user carer input – Michael Involvement already in the social work qualifying undergraduate and postgraduate degrees Service user and carer expertise into the ELMHTP’s Board The purpose of service user and carer involvement and the avoidance of tokenism Impact – what has been gained?

The GSCC PQ Framework and the Mental Health Higher Specialist Requirements– How we Responded – Christine and Helen Developing the Postgraduate Diploma Higher Specialist Mental Health Award Making sense of the regulatory framework and the new MH requirements Keeping the AMHP programme employer owned by accreditation by the University and APL arrangements into the new PgD award Taking account of the multi-professional nature of the AMHP and the new PgD award Taking account of the need to retain a focus of the development of supervisory and mentoring skills and knowledge The process of working together.

Postgraduate Diploma Higher Specialist Mental Health Award 120 credits. 30 credits at level 3 and 90 at level 4. Consolidating Mental Health Practice and Learning Module. 30 Credits at Level 3. This module has to be successfully completed before the AMHP component of the course is begun APL AMHP Course – Accredited by the University Work Based Learning Institute. 60 Credits at Level 4 Facilitating Others Professional Development. 30 Credits at Level 4

Compromise or Creativity? – Helen and Christine Keeping what was best from the ASW Programme and the old PTP Wanting to retain a ‘consolidating’ module to enable all candidates to be assessed at level 3 before embarking on the level 4 AMHP programme and to make sure that all professionals started on a level playing field Building on SU/Carer involvement with both the University and the ELMHTP Creative working because of old and trusted relationships between all parties Employers’ feelings of potentially losing some control over the ASW/AMHP component which has been fit for purpose and highly regarded HEI bureaucratic overload – ‘even worse than the NHS’.

Process and Outcome – Jan and Michael Compromise and creativity Kept the good and built on what worked well Hopefully the Postgraduate Diploma Higher Specialist Mental Health Award will be fit for purpose and helpful in enabling social workers to work effectively in the interests of mental health service users and carers AND now BIA!!