Postgraduate Certificate Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP)
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Postgraduate Certificate Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP)
This course is approved by Social Work England as a course of education to support the development of the advanced knowledge and practice skills required for the specialist, advanced role of Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP).
Applicants to this course must be able to demonstrate that a Local Authority has agreed to sponsor them to complete a minimum of 40 days (300hours) of AMHP practice learning under the supervision of a qualified and experienced practising AMHP. All teaching is delivered in person, at Coach Lane Campus, Newcastle.
At Northumbria University, we are proud to have been supporting the development of AMHPs for over 30 years, providing expert training that aligns theory, values, and practice. Our Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) in AMHP is a one-year, 60-credit programme designed to help you achieve both a professional qualification and an academic award simultaneously. This course is approved by Social Work England (SWE), meaning successful graduates are eligible for Local Authority approval in the specialist practice role of AMHP.
We value the knowledge and experience you already bring to the course and place a strong emphasis on integrating this with up-to-date legal, theoretical, and research-based learning. The course will guide you in exploring AMHP practice as an ethical, relational, and political activity, helping you to challenge discrimination, promote rights, and support autonomy and individual recovery. You will learn how to operate from a social perspective, draw from evidence, and use legal frameworks to safeguard civil rights, and exercise your own independent judgement in autonomous practice.
How will I be assessed on the course?
Your academic and practice learning will be assessed through:
Module 1: a written assignment critically exploring a contemporary mental health theme withing your own practice
Module 2: a mental health law oral examination
Module 3: a portfolio evidencing competencies set out in Schedule 2 of the Social Work England’s Mental Health (Approved Mental HealthProfessionals) (Approval) (England) Regulations 2008 which you will compile over your practice learning opportunity, and a written assignment critically exploring your own practice under the Mental Health Act 1983.
Will I be eligible for the AMHP course?
Applications must demonstrate all 5 of the following entry requirements;
1. As schedule 1 of the Mental Health (Approved Mental Health Professionals) (Approval) (England) Regulations 2008 restricts the AMHP role to certain professionals, your application must evidence that you have one of the following qualifications and associated registration:
- Social worker currently registered with Social Work England
- Mental health or learning disability nurse currently registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
- Occupational therapist currently registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council
- Chartered psychologist who hold a relevant practising certificate issued by, and is currently registered with, the British Psychological Society.
2. Previous study at academic level 6 (undergraduate degree)/equivalent or higher.
3. A minimum of two years post qualified practice experience by the start of the programme in September 2026.
4. A personal statement of no more than 1,500 words setting out how you have potential to acquire and demonstrate the AMHP competencies set out in Schedule 2 of the AMHP Regulations (England). Your personal statement should be grammatically written, and reference appropriate literature. You DO NOT need to submit an personal statement is you can evidence that you have previously passed the Northumbria University modules SW0740 Law and Practice for Best Interests Assessors or SW7009 Law and Practice for Best Interests Assessors.
5. Details of proposed practice learning opportunity and AMHP practice assessor arrangements.
We welcome applications from anyone who can meet these requirements. If you are considering studying the PG Cert AMHP under the financial sponsorship of an agency which is not a local authority, or on a self-funding basis, please contact the programme’s academic lead, cat.meredith@northumbria.ac.uk to discuss the practicalities of this before making an application. Northumbria University cannot make practice learning arrangements on your behalf, but we may be able to put you in touch with relevant AMHP Leads for you to have these discussions yourself.
Offers of places on this programme are made subject to enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance.
Prior to submitting an application, please review the Programme and Application Information document.
Course Information
Level of Study
Postgraduate
Mode of Study
1 year Part Time
Location
Coach Lane Campus, Northumbria University
City
Newcastle
Start
September 2026
Fees
Fee Information
Modules
Module Information
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Entry Requirements 2026/27
Standard Entry
Applicants must evidence
Qualification and current professional registration as a social worker, mental health or learning disability nurse, occupational therapist, or clinical psychologist.
Previous study at academic level 6 (undergraduate degree)/equivalent or higher.
A minimum of two years post qualified practice experience by the start of the programme in September 2026.
A personal statement of no more than 1,500 words setting out how you have potential to acquire and demonstrate the AMHP competencies set out in Schedule 2 of the AMHP Regulations (England). Your personal statement should be grammatically written, and reference appropriate literature.
Or
RPL on the Northumbria University modules SW0740 Law and Practice for Best Interests Assessors or SW7009 Law and Practice for Best Interests Assessors.
Details of proposed practice learning opportunity and AMHP practice assessor arrangements.
As AMHP education entails practice learning, there is an entry requirement to provide details of proposed practice learning arrangements, but this is not completed within your online application. You may submit your application pending this information to be supplied by an appropriate person from your sponsoring agency.
Prior to submitting an application, please review the Programme and Application Information document embedded in the course webpage.
Fees and Funding 2026/27 Entry
Full UK Fee: £3,316
Tuition fees in the academic year 2027/28* will be £10,050. Fees are set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase fees in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Increases will be linked to inflation. For example, increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments) Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect. Student fee loans rise in line with the tuition fees cap.
*if your course is longer than one year
Full International Fee: Not Applicable
This is the tuition fee for your first year of study. You should expect to pay tuition fees for every year of study. The University may increase fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect.
Scholarships and Discounts
ADDITIONAL COSTS
There are no Additional Costs
* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here
Modules Overview 2026/27
Modules
Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
Year one
SW7004 -
Contemporary Themes in Mental Health (Core,20 Credits)
This module will support you to critically evaluate and reflect upon a range of themes in contemporary mental health care and consider how you will incorporate social perspectives as an AMHP. You will critically reflect at an advanced level as you explore and evaluate differing models and approaches to mental health and consider the impact of current policy agendas and therapeutic aims. Topics will include the integration of mental health care with social care, including specialisms such as child protection and adult safeguarding. You will be encouraged to share your own knowledge and practice experience in the field of mental health with your cohort of peers to develop deeper understandings and model interdisciplinary working. You will be supported to critically appraise a variety of research and consider the varying perspectives of people who use services, their carers, and different professionals.
More informationSW7005 -
Mental Health Law (Core,20 Credits)
This is a core module on the Post Graduate Certificate Approved Mental Health Professional which you will study this in conjunction with SW7004 Contemporary Themes in Mental Health and SW7006 Assessment and Planning Under the Mental Health Act 1983. The module will enable you to develop a detailed and systematic knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983 and related legislation. You will have the opportunity to reflect critically on the place of the law in mental health practice, and to demonstrate how you can work effectively within the legal context of the Approved Mental Health Professional role under the Mental Health Act 1983. The major focus of the module will be on all those aspects of the law which are relevant to the role of the Approved Mental Health Professional; principally the Mental Health Act 1983 and accompanying Regulations and Code of Practice. Other related legislation includes the Human Rights Act 1998, Children Act 1989, Mental Capacity Act 2005, and the Care Act 2014.
More informationSW7006 -
Assessment and Planning under the Mental Health Act 1983 (Core,20 Credits)
Consolidating and building on the programme’s preceding modules, this module will equip you to undertake the statutory role of Approved Mental Health Professional under the Mental Health Act 1983. It will enable you to develop a critical understanding of how to apply the knowledge, skills and values required to manage complex situations of risk and vulnerability. Teaching on the module will focus on all aspects of Mental Health Act assessment and planning processes and will include consideration and evaluation of service user and carer perspectives, as well as AMHP and inter-disciplinary perspectives. Module teaching, practice learning, and academic assessment processes will all address the critical importance of recognising and reflecting upon the use of power in the Approved Mental Health Professional role, and of promoting the rights and dignity of service users. Practice learning will involve participation in, and reflection on, assessment, co-ordination and management of complex situations in the context of the statutory and regulatory framework required for the Approved Mental Health Professional role. Throughout your learning on the module, you will be expected to demonstrate how you have employed research-based evidence in order to inform best practice within the Approved Mental Health Professional role. You will be expected to undertake self-directed study to critically evaluate evidence-based literature and research which informs these competing perspectives. You will consider the relevance of your findings within for your own professional practice to critically evaluate the outcomes of interventions with service users and others. There will be a strong focus on values and underpinning ethical principles of AMHP practice throughout this module.
More informationAny Questions?
Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help. They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
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