PDA Counselling: Children and Young People (10-18) SCQF level 11

The PDA in Counselling: Children and Young People at SCQF level 11 has been developed to support the Scottish Government's 2018-19 Programme for Government, which included commitments to provide schools with better support to deal with wellbeing concerns and to direct children to counselling services.

It has been developed in partnership with experienced practitioners, education and professional bodies to meet the need for school counsellor provision and to provide standardised training for counsellors working with children and young people in a range of therapeutic environments.

It will help employers and service providers meet skills gaps and provide continuing professional development for practitioners who are already qualified to work with adults.

Unit 1, Counselling Children and Young People (10-18): Ethics and Professional Standards, can also be offered to students who are in training for a core Counselling qualification at SCQF level 8 or above, for example, candidates of the Higher National Diploma in Counselling who may wish to pursue a career in counselling children and young people once they are qualified.

The unit-based structure aids timetable flexibility. Single units are typically 40 hours of learning and they can be delivered on a full-time or part-time basis.

The target audience is qualified counsellors who are already working therapeutically with adults but who seek a specific qualification to enable them to work with children and young people (CYP).

Access

Entry is at the discretion of the centre.

To undertake unit 1, Counselling: Young People (10-18): Ethics and Professional Standards, learners must have successfully completed or be working towards a professional counselling qualification at SCQF level 8 or above, for example, the HN Diploma in Counselling at SCQF level 8.

As unit 2, Counselling Children and Young People (10-18): Safe and Competent Practice embeds 50 hours of CYP client work, the following entry requirements are mandatory:

• Learners must have achieved a counselling/psychotherapy qualification at a minimum of SCQF level 8; to include a minimum of 100 hours supervised counselling/psychotherapy practice in line with recognised practitioner training.
• Prospective learners should be registered members of BACP or an equivalent professional body that adheres to an ethical framework. They must also hold an enhanced PVG disclosure for working with children and young people.
• In addition, learners must have successfully completed the unit Counselling: Young People: Ethics and Principles or be able to supply appropriate evidence to claim recognition of prior learning (RPL).

The content of this PDA is underpinned by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions and is aligned with the BACP Counselling Young People (11-18 years) Training Curriculum.

Centres interested in offering this qualification require to come forward for approval and should contact SQA's Business Development Team for guidance.

Assessors and verifiers must be able to meet SQA's general requirements for technical/occupational competence as outlined in the Systems and Qualification Approval Guide. The specific delivery requirements are set out in the group award specification (arrangements document).

Tutors/trainers on this course must be qualified counselling practitioners who have current or past experience in working with children and young people and are experienced and competent with this mode of delivery.

Each unit specification gives detailed information on the evidence requirements and approaches to assessment for the unit.

Unit 1, Counselling Children and Young People: Ethics and Professional Standards (10-18), does not contain client practice therefore may be delivered and assessed as a standalone unit or as part of a core professional qualification.

Unit 2, Counselling Children and Young People: Safe and Competent Practice (10-18), embeds the mandatory 50 hours of supervised practice with CYP clients therefore may only be delivered as part of the PDA in Counselling Children and Young People (10-18).

Detailed delivery and assessment guidance is provided in the group award specification and the unit specifications, and must be adhered to.

To ensure the safety of all involved in the process, the full unit Counselling Children and Young People: Ethics and Professional Standards and Outcome 1 of Counselling Children and Young People: Safe and Competent Practice must be completed successfully prior to the learner undertaking work with CYP clients.

A Readiness to Practice (33 KB) self-assessment pro forma has been produced to support assessment of Outcome 4 of Counselling Children and Young People: Ethics and Professional Standards and/or Outcome 1 of Counselling Children and Young People: Safe and Competent Practice.

A portfolio/logbook (82 KB) has been produced to support delivery and assessment of Outcomes 2 and 3 of Counselling Children and Young People: Safe and Competent Practice.

Two 'End of Placement' report pro formas have been produced to support the clinical supervisor (53 KB) and placement mentor (50 KB) with their contributions to the assessment.

These materials have been prior verified by SQA and mapped to the BACP curriculum requirements. It is strongly recommended that centres use them in the delivery and assessment of the PDA.

Course participants must ensure a minimum of 80% attendance and that 100% of the subject area and course assessments are successfully completed (including 50 hours of supervised placement). Any sessions missed by the learner must be completed.