Level 5 Diploma

in Developing Emotional Well-Being in Children and Adolescents – Convergent Practice

Enabling Potential Brochure

A complete guide to training for carers in play and creative arts therapies

Summary

9 month course
60% Theory, 40% Practical
In person
Course Fees are £2,665.00

Introduction

This qualification has been developed to meet the specific needs of our learners and has been accredited by NCFE as a customised qualification demonstrating the quality and rigor.

APAC has benchmarked its learning outcomes and assessment criteria at Level 5 (using a national framework’s level descriptors) to allow students to demonstrate the difficulty and depth of study.

The overall purpose of this Diploma course is to empower students to speak knowledgeably with parents, families and other relevant professionals, whilst simultaneously equipping them to use play and creative arts-based interventions to support the emotional well-being of the children and adolescents they work with.

Designed To

This Level 5 Diploma course is designed for professionals whose work involves the emotional wellbeing of children and adolescents and wish to enhance their knowledge and skills to understand the complex needs of those they work with.

It is suitable for professionals currently working with children and adolescents in any of the following areas:

Education and Childcare

Teachers
SENCOs
Teaching Assistants
Mental Health Leads
Learning Mentors
Emotional Well-Being Practitioners
Family Liaison Officers
Child minders

Health and Social Care

Social Workers
Health Visitors
Foster Carers
Children’s Residential Home Staff

This course is delivered over 9 months, 5 x 3 day blocks (all dates are mandatory) of face-to-face teaching time as well as self-directed studying and completing assignments.

The TQT Value for this qualification is 369 hours.

Total Qualification Time (TQT) is the number of notional hours which represents an estimate of the total amount of time that could reasonably be expected to be required in order to achieve and demonstrate the achievement for this qualification.

Applicants

must be aged 21 years or over
must provide a copy of their Enhanced DBS (if it is on the update service) along with an email giving written permission for us to perform an update service check. If you do not have a current Enhanced DBS / Access NI / Scottish PVG certificate, we will help you obtain one (at an extra cost)
are of sufficient emotional maturity to be able to engage with the taught material.
must have a RQF (Regulated Qualifications Framework) level 3/4 in a related field of study g., counselling, education, childcare, youthwork
must have 5 years’ minimum experience working in a related field e.g., caring, nursing, family support officer, early years, teaching OR experience of working with children and/or adolescents e.g., Learning Support Assistant, Guiding or Scout leader, Early Years Professional, Early Help Worker, Childminder, Foster carer.

Upcoming Courses

Please see below for the current courses running.

We have several intakes per year.

*course directors could be subject to change, please contact contact@apac.org.uk if you have any questions.

To submit an application, please click here.

No courses found.

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£2,665.00

Course fees are not inclusive of accommodation or travel; onsite bed and breakfast accommodation is available at the majority of our training centres, but this must be booked directly with the venue and will incur an additional charge.

Payment Instalment Options at APAC

At APAC, we understand that funding your professional training is a significant investment. To support accessibility and flexibility, we offer payment by instalments for this course.

Once your place on the course is confirmed, you will have the option to pay your course fees either in full or through a structured instalment plan. Instalment plans are typically spread over several months and are designed to make payments more manageable throughout your study period.

Please note:

A non-refundable deposit is required to secure your place.
All instalments must be completed by a specified date
Late or missed payments may impact your progression on the course.


Invoice due date	Paying in full	Paying 50/50	Paying 25/25/25/25	Invoice contents
One week post-application	£ 200.00	£ 200.00	£ 200.00	Deposit (counts towards course fees) Non-refundable
10 weeks before block 1	£ 2,465.00	£ 1,232.50	£ 616.25	Course fees
6 weeks before block 1	n/a	n/a	£ 616.25	Course fees
2 weeks before block 2	n/a	n/a	£ 616.25	Course fees
2 weeks before block 3	n/a	£ 1,232.50	£ 616.25	Course fees
Total	£ 2,665.00	£ 2,665.00	£ 2,665.00

This course aims to enable school staff and related professionals to:

Work more empathetically in the classroom with appropriate pupils.
Identify pupils who need social or therapeutic support
Discuss children’s problems knowledgeably with their parents
Provide career progression opportunities for training in therapeutic work

The Diploma Course lends itself to a broad spectrum of delivery styles. Each session will consist of approximately 60% theory, seminar or discussion exercises and 40% experiential work or skills practise.

All taught sessions will blend a variety of learning and teaching approaches, including aspects of:

Seminars
Prior session reading
Individual reflection
Pair/Trio work
Small group process work
Full group discussion
Role plays
Practice sessions
Experiential Play- and Arts-based exercises
Learner presentations
Peer group feedback
Trainer feedback
Individual tutorials
Learning diary writing
Individual on-line projects
Research
Case study writing

The Developing Emotional Well-Being in Children and Adolescents programme of study comprises seven mandatory units and learning is evidenced through meeting the Learning Outcomes for each respective unit.

Module 1

Use communication skills to facilitate convergent practice to develop emotional well-being in children and adolescents.

Module 2

Exercise autonomy and judgement within legal and ethical aspects of working in a convergent way with children and adolescents to develop emotional wellbeing.

Module 3

Integrate and work with work-place health and safety policies to develop emotional well-being in children and adolescents in a convergent way.

Module 4

Use relevant child development and attachment theories to inform convergent practice to develop emotional well-being in children and adolescents.

Module 5

Use play and creative intervention skills in a convergent way to develop emotional wellbeing in children and adolescents.

Module 6

Evaluate and work with specialist support and research to inform convergent practice to develop emotional well-being in children and adolescents.

Module 7

Professional and personal development.

Assessment will be an ongoing process throughout the duration of the taught programme.

Learners will be encouraged to be creative in collating their evidence of learning and meet the learning outcomes from an appropriately wide range of possibilities, thus ensuring openness in approach and inclusion.

Assessment will also include the completion of a learning diary, individual on-line projects, research and a case study, all of which will be presented in a portfolio towards the end of the course.

The Level 5 in Developing Emotional Well-Being in Children and Adolescents is achieved through:

120 Guided Learning Hours (GLH) delivered over five, three-day blocks (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) across a nine-month period
Coursework completion, including a well-being intervention with an individual child or group; personal study time is anticipated to total approximately 369 hours

There is no professional award for this qualification.

On completion of this course, learners will receive a Certificate of Achievement as evidence of the knowledge and skills gained by completing the qualification issued by NCFE,

APAC has an excellent reputation for student satisfaction and retention. We are small enough to care but big enough to deliver.

We have a dedicated Student Services department to support students through their studies.

There is no interview required to apply for this course.

From the 1st August 2025, in order to apply for this course, please click here when you have the following ready to upload with your application form. You will not be able to submit your application without the documents:

a copy of your highest academic qualification certificate
a copy of a valid photo ID, such as your passport or driving licence
CV which needs to specify academic courses (with grades) along with work experience
a copy of your Enhanced DBS (if it is on the update service) along with an email giving written permission for us to perform an update service check. If you do not have a current Enhanced DBS / Access NI / Scottish PVG certificate, we will help you obtain one (at an extra cost)
your passport style photo, which will be used to confirm your identity. It must follow these guidelines.

If you are applying before the 1st August 2025, you will be asked for the above documents after your application submission.

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This qualification can be completed as a standalone award to enhance your career prospects, or as a stepping stone to access Level 7 Postgraduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills.

Students who wish to continue their training with APAC and progress to become a Certified Practitioner in Therapeutic Play Skills will be required to follow the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) route upon completion of their Level 5 course.