Approved Mental Health Professional, PGCert

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Key Course Details

Mode of Study: Blended Study
Typical Offer (view equivalents): See entry
Location: Singleton Park Campus

Start Date	Tuition Fees
Sep 2026	£ 6,900

Swansea is the only university in Wales to offer this course

Course Overview

This unique postgraduate certificate will give you the professional knowledge and skills required by the Welsh Government and Social Care Wales to be considered by their agency to become warranted and practice as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP). An AMHP is responsible for assessing a person with a mental disorder when considering the need for an application for formal admission to a psychiatric hospital.

The Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) is a 60-credit Level 7 award delivered over one year at Swansea University. It equips experienced, registered health and social care practitioners with the professional knowledge and skills required by the Welsh Government and Social Care Wales to be nominated by their employing Local Authority for AMHP approval.

Eligible applicants must be registered social workers, mental health or learning disability nurses, occupational therapists, or chartered psychologists, and be formally sponsored by their Local Authority employer.

AMHPs coordinate statutory assessments under the Mental Health Act 1983 for individuals who may require compulsory admission. The programme ensures graduates can make lawful, rights-focused decisions that retain the trust and confidence of people who use services, carers and partner agencies. This qualification is the only AMHP-approved programme currently delivered in Wales, developed in partnership with 15 Welsh Local Authorities to meet national workforce needs.

All applicants must be nominated and sponsored by their employing Local Authority and supported by an Agency Liaison Person to ensure relevant supervised practice throughout the programme.

Why PGCert Approved Mental Health Professional at Swansea?

We are the only university in Wales to offer this course, which is based at our School of Health and Social Care on Singleton Park Campus. You will benefit from a diverse teaching and research environment, with many opportunities to make connections across disciplines.

According to the most recent Research Excellence Framework, 75% of research carried out at the School of Health and Social Care is 3* and therefore considerable in terms of reach and significance. Our focus on research outputs has resulted in a 21% increase in world-leading research (REF2021). This research expertise and excellence feeds directly into our learning and teaching practice and your course content.

Your PGCert Approved Mental Health Professional experience

Our PGCert AMHP is a research-led and practice-driven programme that integrates academic study with supervised statutory practice. The curriculum ensures students develop and demonstrate the competencies required by Social Care Wales to undertake the AMHP role under the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended) and associated Welsh legislation and policy.

Students must complete a minimum of 600 hours / 75 days of AMHP practice learning. This provides structured opportunities to participate in Mental Health Act assessments, communicate with people in crisis, collaborate across agencies, and apply least-restrictive and rights-focused principles in professional decision-making. Evidence from supervised statutory practice contributes directly to the credit-bearing assessment of AMHP competence.

Our academic team has a wealth of experience in mental health service practice and management, providing an unrivalled combination of academic excellence and policy and practical expertise.

Approved Mental Health Professional careers

Our PGCert Approved Mental Health Professional allows for career development opportunities for professionals working in health and social care, including social workers, nurses, psychologists, and occupational therapists.

Upon completion of this programme, graduates should be able to:

Apply specialist knowledge of mental health law, professional standards and ethical duties to deliver lawful, rights-based and least-restrictive interventions under the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended).
Demonstrate defensible decision-making and autonomous statutory authority, including the ability to justify and explain decisions in legal and multi-agency forums.
Show readiness for AMHP approval by evidencing all 34 Social Care Wales competencies through supervised statutory practice and simulation.

Modules

We're currently reviewing our curriculum to enhance your learning experience and embed skills that will benefit your future career. This means that some modules may be subject to change.

Year 1 (Level 7)

FHEQ 7 Taught Masters / PGDip / PGCert

Compulsory Modules
Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Values based Practice and Ethical Decision Making in Mental Health Services	September-June (TB1+2)	10	SWSM01
Policy and Law in mental health services	September-June (TB1+2)	20	SWSM02
Understanding Mental Health and Mental Distress	September-June (TB1+2)	10	SWSM03
Professional Decision Making and Partnership in Mental Health	September-June (TB1+2)	20	SWSM04

Entry Requirements

We consider all applicants on their own merits and welcome applications from students with a wide range of qualifications.

How You're Taught

Teaching is informed by current legislation, case law and national policy, with delivery by university academics, practicing AMHPs, legal specialists, people with lived experience and partner-agency practitioners. Learning and assessment are mapped to all 34 Social Care Wales AMHP competencies, with regular review and feedback to support competence development throughout. Students are employed by and complete supervised practice learning with one of fifteen partner Local Authorities in Wales.

Welsh Provision

No Provision

Unfortunately, there is currently no formal Welsh-medium provision on this course. If you would like to let us know that you are interested in pursuing an element of your course through the medium of Welsh, please email astudio@abertawe.ac.uk to indicate your interest along with your year of entry and we will do our best to see what is possible.

Whilst this course does not offer academic content delivered in Welsh, the University can provide you with the following, and Academi Hywel Teifi is here to support you:

An interview through the medium of Welsh when applying for a place.
Personal correspondence in Welsh, English or bilingually.
The opportunity to create and submit your coursework or sit your exams through the medium of Welsh (even if you have chosen to study in English), and your work will be assessed in Welsh.
A Welsh-speaking Personal Tutor.
One-to-one support to improve your academic Welsh language skills.
The opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence of your Welsh language ability for future employers.
Membership of the Swansea University Branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Visit the Welsh Language Rights webpage for further information about Students' Welsh Language Rights.

Meet Your Lecturers

Our degrees are taught by experts, who have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to you.

You can find out more about our academic expertise on our staff pages.

Tuition Fees

Start Date	UK	International
September 2025	£ 6,550
September 2026	£ 6,900

Tuition fees for years of study after your first year are subject to an increase of 3%.

You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

Funding and Scholarships

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.

If you're a UK or EU student starting a master’s degree at Swansea University, you may be eligible to apply for Government funding to help towards the cost of your studies. To find out more, please visit our postgraduate loans page.

To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.

Additional Costs

Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up.

You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):

Travel to and from campus
Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
Purchase of books or texts
Gowns for graduation ceremonies

Careers and Employability

The Careers and Employability Team will support you at each stage of your career journey helping you build a bright future.

Our career support services include:

Employability workshops, employers’ talks, bespoke events and careers fairs
Individual advice and guidance from professionally qualified Careers Advisers
Help with finding jobs, internships, work placements and volunteering opportunities
Access to information resources on a wide range of career management topics
Funding to support student internship opportunities and Student Society/Club events.

As a Swansea University graduate, you can access lifelong careers and employability support.

Academic Support

As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your personal tutor, the Centre for Academic Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas such as:

Academic writing
Maths and statistics
Critical thinking
Time management
Digital skills
Presentation skills
Note taking
Revision, memory and exam techniques
English language skills (if English is not your first language).

In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability, mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.

How to Apply

Please make initial contact with the Agency Liaison Person from your Local Authority to seek agreement for nominations.

Nominations are typically sought from partnership agencies (LSSAs) in the Spring. The application process is in two stages.

Stage 1. the Swansea University AMHP Programme’s Nomination and Selection Form must be completed by the candidate and approved by the Agency Liaison Person in the local authority and submitted to Swansea University.

Stage 2. submit an ‘Application for Admission to Postgraduate Studies’.

For further information please contact the programme co-directors, Jodie Croxall at j.croxall@swansea.ac.uk or James Thomas at james.thomas@swansea.ac.uk

EU students - visa and immigration information is available and will be regularly updated on our information for EU students page.

Application Deadlines

We recommend that you submit your application to our courses as early as you can in advance of our application deadlines. Courses will close earlier than the application deadlines listed if all available places are filled. You can find further information on our Application Deadlines webpage.

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