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Qualification details

City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate for Mental Health Helpline Workers (QCF)
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Qualification summary

The qualfication aims to provide accredited training to mental health helpline workers (paid or voluntary) so that callers to mental health helplines; those commissioning mental health helplines and organisations signposting or referring callers to those services can be confident in the quality of their responses. The training aims to support and underpin the service standards for the sector (mhhp Quality Standard).

The training is being developed on behalf of the Mental Health Helplines Partnership (mhhp) which is a consortium of mental health helplines due to set up as a limited company in early 2008 and subsequently as an independent charity. The Department of Health’s Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) is funding the mhhp; the programme development and the delivery of the current programme which is accredited by OCNLR. The original impetus for the mhhp and for development of the training was in support of the government’s National Framework for Mental Health, in particular Standard 3.
The units in the new course plan have all been mapped to the Health and Social Care National Occupational Standards and also to the Department of Health’s Essential Shared Capabilities for the mental health workforce.

Qualification details

500/5738/8
City & Guilds - The City and Guilds of London Institute
2
QCF - QCF Qualification
Accreditation start date:
01/01/2009
Operational start date in centres:
01/01/2009
Accreditation end date:
31/12/2013
Certification end date:
31/12/2015
For information on the approval of qualifications for funding in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, see the links to DCSF, DIUS, DCELLS, DELNI and DENI below.

When undertaking a qualification that does not appear on the governments' lists as eligible for funding for specific age ranges, users must be aware of legal requirements. Not all qualifications are suitable for all age ranges.
For further information on 14-19 qualifications offered in England, please refer to the DCSF Section 96 website.

For further information on 19+ qualifications offered in England, please refer to the DIUS Section 97 website.
For further information on Wales, visit the DCELLS website.
For further information on Northern Ireland, visit the DELNI and DENI websites.
English
The specific aims of the programme are to enable people to develop knowledge and skills relevant to taking mental health helpline calls.
Further learning or training may be available to learners through in-house work/volunteering opportunities within mhhp member organisations, as well as careers in the wider mental health field generally eg in voluntary sector community based projects. Pursuing an accredited course may prompt volunteers to pursue other units of accredited training in the health and social care sector eg counselling skills.
A level 3 qualification is currently being planned.
No specific job occupation
C. Prepare for employment
C2. Prepare for employment in a specific occupational area
  • 01 Health, Public Services and Care
    • 01.3  Health and Social Care
21
21
210
Pass
Practical Demonstration / Assignment
N/A
No exemptions
N/A
Five mandatory units plus two optional from a choice of four units.Minimum of 21 credits required
  • 01 -  Mandatory
    Five Mandatory units
    Credit Value required: Minimum 15, Maximum 15.
    Sub-components required: Minimum 5, Maximum 5.
    • K/502/2299 - Telephone boundaries for Mental Health Helpline workers
    • A/502/2310 - Telephone Helpline skills
    • J/502/2312 - Working on a Mental Health Helpline
    • T/502/2600 - Responding to challenging calls while working on a Mental Health Helpline
    • J/502/2603 - Understanding Mental Health problems
  • 02 -  Optional
    Four optional units
    Credit Value required: Minimum 6, Maximum 7.
    Sub-components required: Minimum 2, Maximum 2.
    • J/502/2620 - Services and routes to help in Mental Health services
    • L/502/2621 - Respond to the needs of different people while working on a Mental Health Helpline
    • R/502/2622 - Awareness of service users' perspective for Mental Health Helpline workers
    • R/502/2720 - Recovery model in Mental Health services