Approved Mental Health Professional, PGCert

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.