In order to fulfil the clinical requirements of the course trainees need to be placed by the training school in an appropriate clinical setting. Training placements are in NHS or voluntary sector settings, and the placement programme is planned to ensure exposure to a wide range of populations and contexts and to ensure experience of working in multi -disciplinary teams. Trainees are in their clinical placements for 70% of their week over the 4 years, learning and honing their skills, guided by experienced clinicians within their service.

As well as being trainees on an ACP recognised training, trainees are also, by virtue of being placed by the training school, employees of their employing trust and are expected to abide by trust policies. All trainees are required to be in personal psychoanalysis with a bpf approved therapist, at least four times per week throughout their training.

The clinical training is funded and quality assured by Health Education England (HEE), via the regional offices. A limited number of training posts are offered by the NHS, for which trainees can apply. The posts are four year fixed term training contracts, usually based in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) team, and provide funding (including salary and contributions to training expenses), time for study and training as well as the opportunities to meet all the clinical requirements of the training. There are a number of posts across London and the South East of England that are linked to the training. All trainees must have the experience of working within a clinical placement but in exceptional circumstances, for example where trainees are not eligible to work in the UK or wish to undertake their training on a less full-time basis, trainees may self-fund and IPCAPA will endeavour to organise appropriate clinical experience for them.

In order to fulfil ACP requirements each trainee must complete a combination of intensive and non-intensive child cases. Each trainee sees three children in intensive psychotherapy, with individual weekly supervision for each case. Trainees are also required to see at least five children in non-intensive treatment, and to have experience of time-limited work, work with parents, diagnostic assessments and of consulting to other professionals who are working to promote children’s well being.

A continuous programme of theoretical seminars specific to each of the 4 years of the course is led by experienced child and adult psychotherapists. These cover theories of development, psychoanalytic thinking about the aetiology of psychological problems and how best to treat them, having regard to cultural and social diversity. The curriculum gives attention to knowledge of the evidence-base for the efficacy of psychological interventions and includes information on the impact of neuro-psychosocial factors on the psychological well-being of young people. There is a rolling programme of applied practice workshops, responding to current issues in NHS practice.

In year one students receive direct teaching on research methodologies and the critical evaluation of research findings. They carry out an audit (service-related research project) within their clinical placement service and attend a series of lectures on evaluating clinical interventions.

From the second year trainees will undertake a research project on an area relevant to the child psychotherapy profession, fully supported by a supervisor. This course has been created with an emphasis on the practical research skills that will be needed by a modern practitioner and designed specifically to be completed within four full-time academic years. In this integrated programme research thinking will sit alongside the clinical programme so that graduates will become able to use research to inform their clinical practice.

Full details about the research component of the course can be found in appendix 10.