Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Prepare for your exams
Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points to download
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Community
Ask the community for help and clear up your study doubts
Discover the best universities in your country according to Docsity users
Free resources
Download our free guides on studying techniques, anxiety management strategies, and thesis advice from Docsity tutors
The role and responsibilities of Clinical Associates in Psychology (CAP), including their accountability, support functions, and training. It also details the assessment stations for the apprenticeship program, focusing on ethical dilemmas, risk assessment, and formulation. CAPs are expected to provide high-quality, evidence-based psychological interventions and contribute to the continuous enhancement of clinical practice.
What you will learn
Typology: Schemes and Mind Maps
1 / 54
This page cannot be seen from the preview
Don't miss anything!
Date of Approval: 1 April 2021 Date of Implementation: May 2021 Year of first award: 2022
8.1. Knowledge and understanding ............................................................................. 14 8.2. Cognitive and intellectual skills ............................................................................. 14 8.3. Key and transferable skills .................................................................................... 14 8.4. Employment related skills ..................................................................................... 15 8.5. Practical skills ....................................................................................................... 15
Appendix 1: Programme Specification Mapping ............................................................. 19 Appendix A: Apprenticeship EPA standards .................................................................. 19 Appendix B: BPS accreditation standards ........................ Error! Bookmark not defined. Appendix C: BPS Accreditation report on the Plymouth DClinPsy programme. ....... Error! Bookmark not defined. Appendix D: An example apprenticeship agreement template ........ Error! Bookmark not defined. Appendix E: Allocation of Apprentice hours across the programme Error! Bookmark not defined. Appendix F: HHS Professional Issues Committee Policy 2018 ....... Error! Bookmark not defined. Appendix G: Mapped CAP Apprenticeship Standards and BPS Competencies to Course Programme .................................................................................................................... 19 Appendix 1: Programme Specification Mapping (UG): module contribution to the meeting of Award Learning Outcomes ........................................................................... 20
Final award title:
MSc Clinical Associate Psychologist: Adult Mental Health Children and young people Older adults Physical health Learning Disability Urgent and inpatient care Neuropsychology Paediatrics Forensic Psychology
UCAS code: C8 Psychology (JACS C842)
HECOS code: 100494 (Clinical Psychology)
Unnamed PgCert and PgDip awards are also available as intermediate exit awards for students completing the requisite number of credits.
University of Plymouth
Teaching institution(s): University of Plymouth
British Psychological Society.
These awards conform with the Institute for Apprenticeships’ (IfA) standard for Clinical Associate Psychologist, and the BPS standards for accredited Clinical Associate awards: https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/Member%20Networks/Divisions/DCP/C AP%20Scheme%20Briefing%20Paper.pdf
Summary of specific conditions/regulations :
Date of re-accreditation: BPS accreditation guidelines are newly published. On approval of the programme the team will seek accreditation from the BPS.
The MSc Clinical Associate Psychologist [degree apprenticeship] is a masters award in the School of Psychology, based on the apprenticeship framework of the same name. Apprentices pursuing the MSc CAP will be employed in a substantive clinical role. They will study during periods allocated by the employer for them to gain the qualification; over the course of the degree this study will comprise no less than 20% of a full-time-equivalent role. Degree credits are awarded for both the academic teaching components of the course and accredited work-based learning.
Clinical Associate Psychologist is a new occupation designed to provide greater access to psychologically informed health services. Clinical associates fill a ‘skills gap’ that has been identified between assistant psychologists and qualified clinical psychologists. They are able to practice autonomously with appropriate support, working within their scope of practice, under the supervision of a registered clinical psychologist. The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide high quality, evidence based psychological interventions to inform practice, with formulations derived from specialist psychological measurement and assessment tools. CAPs will work with individuals across the lifespan from different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. However, CAPs will develop expertise with specific populations and therefore provide a more prescribed range of activities than Clinical Psychologists. This restricted scope of practice is reflected in the subtitles of our named awards.
As defined in the apprenticeship standards, Clinical Associates in Psychology:
and regulatory codes of conduct and ethics. Reflective practice will be fostered through opportunities to engage in personal and professional development.
Apprentices will work and study alongside other clinicians, including doctoral Apprentices, who will provide a model for the attributes and qualities required of learners. Through tutorials and reflective practice students will be encouraged to engage in personal and professional development and develop an identity as a professional clinician. This period of intensive study at the start of the programme has many advantages: students can engage with important clinical skills in a safe environment, with structured and intensive feedback on their performance, and without the complexities and limitations of trying to develop these clinical skills solely in the workplace, alongside the inevitable competing administrative and financial considerations. As they develop and reflect on these core clinical competencies, Apprentices will become valued professionals within the workplace, practicing safely and effectively under the supervision of a practicing psychologist. For employers this approach is also beneficial: this initial period of intensive study and practice away from the workplace reduces burdens on clinical supervisors and ensures all Apprentices are able to practice with confidence and growing autonomy in complex clinical settings.
Students will receive regular clinical supervision through their employment. This will take place with a registered practitioner, in line with BPS accreditation requirements (accreditation standard 2.4.6), and consist of at least one hour of formal supervision per week. Supervision will include both individual and group components. In addition, supervisors will be available to support Apprentices during at least three additional hours per week. The programme team will provide support to clinical supervisors through explicit training and through support with reflective practice and supervision. This will be provided regularly through the course but with an initial 2-day induction for clinical supervisors, organised and hosted by the course team, will provide academic and clinical staff a chance to meet with Apprentices, and for the cohort to meet.
The taught components of the programme will provide students with a high-level understanding of clinical psychology, at level 7. However, as required by the BPS (accreditation standards 1.3.1 and 1.3.2) our CAP programme requires that Apprentices contextualise their learning, adapting and applying knowledge skills and behaviours acquired within the specific clinical context in which they practice. The named pathway award each Apprentice achieves will index the clinical context in which they train, and so defines the scope of their practice upon qualification. For each specific clinical setting or population (e.g. ‘children and young people’, or ‘urgent and inpatient care’) students will be required to achieve domain-specific outcomes that align with module and programme learning outcomes. Tasks to fulfil this requirement will be set by personal tutors, clinical supervisors (in the workplace), and through assessed coursework and will be completed during work-based learning and self-guided study. In particular, the requirement for students to build a clinical portfolio to fulfil the requirements of PSYC7992 will be tailored to suit the needs of individual clinical settings. In setting assessments and portfolio requirements we will be guided by existing context-specific clinical standards. For
example, the BPS guidelines for practice with older adults^2 with early stage dementia^3 , or adults with learning disabilities^4 , among others.
The MSc CAP requires Apprentices to demonstrate professional values and behaviours at all times. This will be assessed through pass/fail components in each module that monitor attendance, and via evidence collected through clinical portfolios and reports from clinical supervisors. For students who do not fulfil these criteria, the programme team will provide a remediation process where activities will be examined against module and programme learning outcomes to assess whether students have met the programme requirements. Arrangements for remediation will align with apprenticeship regulations for absence and ‘break in learning’ provisions. As part of the apprenticeship agreement and learning plan Apprentices are required to evidence the duration of their ‘off-the-job' learning through records of training attendance, and of their study within the workplace. Where training is missed students may be required to attend catch-up sessions, or work with the programme team or clinical supervisors to ensure that apprenticeship study requirements have been satisfied. The programme team will review each case, in conjunction with the employment supervisor and the student, to determine how feasible it will be for students to catch up within the current academic year, or whether the student will be required to wait for a subsequent cohort to complete a module. In some cases this may require employers to alter contractual arrangements with the student — for example extend a contract to enable students to repeat modules in the next academic year. Best efforts will be made to minimise disruption or delay to training, but the university cannot guarantee that students who experience absences from work and study will complete within programme the initially planned timeframe.
The University offers specialist guidance and teaching on information literacy for all masters students through specialist librarians. In common with other masters-level students CAP students will be encouraged to access these resources as required to complete academic components of the course. This may be particularly relevant when students are returning from a longer break from study, and personal tutors will work with Apprentices to identify and fill gaps in expertise and confidence in this area.
(^2) BPS 2006, Good Practice Guidelines for UK Clinical Psychology Training Providers for the Training and Consolidation of Clinical Practice in Relation to Older People https://shop.bps.org.uk/publications/publication-by-series/good-practice-guidelines/psychological-best- practice-in-inpatient-services-for-older-people.html
(^3) BPS 2014, Clinical Psychology in the Early Stage Dementia Care Pathway https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/Member%20Networks/Divisions/DCP/clinical_psychology_ in_early_stage_dementia_care_pathway.pdf
(^4) BPS 2012, Good Practice Guidelines for UK Clinical Psychology Training Providers for the Training and Consolidation of Clinical Practice in Relation to Adults with Learning Disabilities https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/Member%20Networks/Faculties/Intellectual%20Disabilities /Good%20Practice%20Guidelines%20for%20UK%20Clinical%20Psych%20Training%20Providers%20for% 0the%20Training%20%26%20Consolidation%20of%20CP%20in%20Relation%20to%20Adults%20with% LD.pdf
School School of Psychology
Programme Title MSc Clinical Associate Psychologist Mode of Attendance Full Time
Plymouth Programme Code
7166 Total Credits 180
Course Duration Typically 1. academic years; 2 years maximum.
Because the MSc CAP is a degree apprenticeship, conventional definitions of full time and part time degrees may be misleading. For clarity we highlight that Apprentices are, first and foremost, employees. The programme requires that Apprentices spend 20% of their full time equivalent (FTE) hours engaged in so called “off-the-job” training, led by the university; by convention Apprentices might be considered to be studying part time.
However, an important feature of all apprenticeships is that assessed learning is contextualised and embedded within the workplace. Consequently, a proportion of the total hours allocated for CAP modules are defined as work-based learning, as noted in each definitive module record (DMR). Thus, because they are learning both in the classroom and at work, Apprentices will engage in learning equivalent to that demanded of full-time students. We describe the course as full time because this better-reflects the commitment involved.
The table below shows how learning is structured across stages and modules. To gain an overview of the allocation of hours across the programme, and in particular the distinction between activities which are accounted for within the 20% of FTE hours that Apprentices must spend in off-the-job training, please also refer to appendix E.
Table 1: Allocation of academic credits between modules and stages.
MSc Clinical Associate Psychologist Year When in Year? Core/Optional Credits Module
FHEQ - Level 7 (150 credits) Year 1
1 Month 1 Core 30 PSYC7990: Assessment, formulation and therapeutic Skills 1 Month 2-7 Core 30 PSYC7991: Psychological interventions: Cognitive behavioural therapies and beyond 1 Months 2-12 Core 60 PSYC7992: Accredited clinical Practice 1 Months 1-4 & 9- 10
Core 30 PSYC7993: Professional, ethical and evidence-based practice 1 Month 10-12 Core 10 PSYC7994: Advanced professional practice: leadership, consultation, and service improvement GATEWAY Period – 3 months
FHEQ - Level 7 (30 credits) Year 2
1 Month 16/18 Core 20 PSYC7995: Building Clinical Competency
This module facilitates the End Point Assessment
Notes to Table 1:
The aim of this apprenticeship is to provide high-quality vocational training, enabling Apprentices to develop the knowledge skills and behaviours required for qualification as a CAP. As previously noted, and as defined in the apprenticeship standard, the role of a CAP is to ‘ provide high quality, evidence based psychological interventions to inform practice, with formulations derived from specialist psychological measurement and assessment tools to work with populations across the lifespan from different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs ’.
Because CAPs work with specific populations during their training their scope of practice on qualification is necessarily restricted to this clinical setting. At a programme-level our aim is:
Our programme learning outcomes synthesise the knowledge, skills and behaviours defined in the apprenticeship standard. Achieving these standards is necessary for Apprentices to successfully fulfil the 12 duties of the Clinical Associate, defined as:
These duties of the CAP — and the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to fulfil them — underpin the learning and assessment strategies of the programme and the
8.4. Employment related skills
On successful completion graduates should:
8.5. Practical skills On successful completion graduates should have developed:
(Including APCL, APEL and Disability Service arrangements)
Recruitment of students on to the MSc CAP will adopt a collaborative approach between the University and employers. The precise arrangements will vary depending on the needs of the employer, but in common with other apprenticeships advertisements for training places, development of selection criteria and undertaking of shortlisting and interviewing processes will be undertaken by employers. The programme team will be happy to advise employers in these matters, and by agreement may be involved in shortlisting and interviewing. The university reserves the right to restrict access to the programme where Apprentices do not meet the university’s criteria for admission. Following the initial needs assessment common to all apprenticeship programmes (and conducted by Academic Partnerships) the programme team will be responsible for confirming selection criteria, checking and validation of qualifications and standards, and making the final acceptance decision for individual applicants (as required by BPS accreditation standard 4.3.3). In addition to qualifications in English and Mathematics at level 2, all applicants must have a minimum of lower-second class BSc (Hons) Psychology degree accredited by the British Psychological Society with Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society.
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL), as either APCL or APEL is not permitted for this programme.
Students reporting disabilities will be able to access the disability service with support arrangements being considered on an individual basis.
Employers will vet apprenticeship candidates as part of normal safer-recruiting practices and will provide key information from the DBS certificate to the university as part of the apprenticeship Initial Needs Assessment, alongside any adjustments identified through occupational health checks. These data will be handled by the Faculty Compliance Team in accordance with the faculty’s policy.
In addition, the Faculty Compliance Team works with Academic Partnerships to ensure applicants complete a self-declaration for health issues which may affect their participation in the course. These self-declarations are part of the enrolment procedure and any issues which arise are considered at a faculty committee of admissions tutors.
We note that Apprentices will be accepted onto one of the named MSc CAP awards, and the title of their award must be agreed by both employer and the programme team. The award title will reflect the nature of the Apprentice’s workplace, and the experience they will gain during the period of their training. Where an Apprentice’s work environment changes during the training period, it may be possible to allow a student to switch to a different named award. However such a transfer will only be possible where all
who fails an assessment method, and therefore the EPA in the first instance, will be required to re-sit or re-take any failed assessment methods only. Any assessment method re-sit or re-take must be taken during the maximum EPA period of 3 months, otherwise the entire EPA must be taken again, unless in the opinion of the End Point Assessment Organisation exceptional circumstances apply outside the control of the apprentice or their employer.
Not applicable.
Appendix 1: Programme Specification Mapping
Appendix A: Apprenticeship EPA standards Appendix B: Mapped CAP Apprenticeship Standards and BPS Competencies to Course Programme
