Child & Adolescent Mental Health & Wellbeing BSc (Hons)
UCAS code: BB76
Explore why children and young people experience mental ill health. From pre-conception to adulthood, investigate the influences on wellbeing, barriers to treatment and how mental health develops as they grow.
Overview
| Course length: | 3 years full-time 5 years part-time |
|---|---|
| Start dates: | September 2025 |
| Location: | Edge Hill University |
| Example offers: | BCC-BBC (A Level) or DMM (BTEC) View full entry criteria |
| Subject(s): | Mental Health |
| Faculty: | Health, Social Care and Medicine |
| Department: | Allied Health, Social Work and Wellbeing |
One in eight children are now diagnosed with a mental illness, while many more experience signs and symptoms of mental ill health. If you want to work in children’s services offering support to children, young people and their families experiencing mental health problems, this progressive degree is for you.
Professionals in this sector are finding increasing numbers of children accessing services because of their mental health needs. Our child and adolescent mental health and wellbeing degree asks ‘why’? It delves into how we should address this crucial issue and how we can make treatment accessible.
Examine key Government policies and explore interventions to understand what methods work. Weigh up the strengths and weaknesses of cross-discipline approaches to treatment and support.
You’ll boost your employability with practical work experience during this evidence-based programme of study. Or perhaps you’ll use your degree as a foundation for further study.
Course features
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International students can apply
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Sandwich year option available
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Work placement opportunity
What you'll study
Mental health is put under the microscope, and we’ll introduce the biological, psychological and sociological causes of mental health up to adulthood. There will also be an opportunity to examine the impact of these areas on child development and attachment. You’ll also improve your listening skills, academic writing and referencing skills which will be invaluable throughout the course and your career.
You’ll critically explore and evaluate the approaches to early intervention in child and adolescent mental health and wellbeing. The focus is integrated practices in the promotion and management of child and adolescent mental health, and their vulnerability. Get a holistic view of different teachings by exploring contemporary approaches to complementary therapies and mindfulness. To prepare for the final year and your career, we’ll introduce research methodology and statistics too.
During your final year of child and adolescent mental health and wellbeing, we’ll explore therapeutic interventions in a range of services. You’ll investigate the implications of risk, and legal and ethical influences on working with this vulnerable group. Use your research skills for a primary research or literary-based dissertation on your topic of choice. Prepare for your career with reflection on practice experiences, completion of a personal development portfolio and a dedicated employability module.
Where your course includes optional modules, these are to provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.
How you'll study
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and online resources.
Approximately 100 hours per year will also be spent undertaking work-based placements in Year 2 and Year 3 of the degree.
There may also be opportunities to take part in additional activities while on this degree. These could include participating in Mental Health First Aid training, as well as training in parenting, in order to further enhance your employability.
How you'll be assessed
You will be assessed through a combination of essays, report-writing, individual and group presentations, and the submission of simulated counselling skills videos.
There are no formal written examinations as part of the current assessment methods on this programme.
Who will be teaching you
The programme team have first-hand experience of working with children, young people, families and communities, as well as direct experience of employment in the mental health sector and in child and adolescent mental health services.
Research interests within the programme team include the use of early interventions and parenting on the resilience of children and the use of sports in the development and enhancement of resilience in childhood. There is also expertise in areas such as service quality provision and multi-agency service provision.
Guest lecturers will be invited to contribute to specialist lectures on subjects in which they have particular expertise, covering issues including eating disorders and therapeutic interventions.
Entry criteria
Entry requirements (2024 / 2025)
Typical offer 104-112 UCAS Tariff points. No specific subjects are required.
If you accept a formal offer from Edge Hill University you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure indicating that you meet the mandatory criteria of ‘Clearance to Work with Children and/or Vulnerable Adults’. Further information will be sent to you after you have firmly accepted an offer.
Example offers
| Qualification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| A Level | BCC-BBC. |
| BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications) | Distinction, Merit, Merit (DMM). |
| T Level | Overall grade of Merit. |
| International Baccalaureate (IB) | We are happy to accept IB qualifications which achieve the required number of UCAS Tariff points. |
| Access to Higher Education Diploma | 45 credits at Level 3, for example 9 credits at Distinction and 36 credits at Merit or 15 credits at Distinction and 30 credits at Merit. The required total can be attained from various credit combinations. |
Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.
If you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven't been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.
English language requirements
International students require IELTS 6.0, with a score no lower than 5.5 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.
If your current level of English is half a band, one band, or one-and-a-half bands lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.
Entry requirements (2025 / 2026)
Typical offer 104-112 UCAS Tariff points. No specific subjects are required.
Students will also be required to have attained at least five GCSEs at Grade C or Grade 4 or above (or equivalent) including English Language.
If you accept a formal offer from Edge Hill University you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure indicating that you meet the mandatory criteria of ‘Clearance to Work with Children and/or Vulnerable Adults’. Further information will be sent to you after you have firmly accepted an offer.
An interview will form part of the selection process.
How to apply
Apply full-time
Read our guide to applying through UCAS to find out more about the application process.
International
Please see our international student pages for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.
Part-time applications require a direct application to Edge Hill. Please select the year of entry that you wish to apply for.
Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.
If you join a full time undergraduate degree at Edge Hill University, we will guarantee you the offer of a room in our halls of residence for the first year of your course.
Discover our accommodation
Facilities
The Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine offers outstanding facilities for the education and training of health and social care professionals.
The contemporary teaching and learning resources include leading edge clinical skills facilities, an 860-seat lecture theatre, and a variety of teaching rooms and social learning spaces.
Where you'll study
Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine
Finance
Tuition fees
UK Full-Time
£9,535
a year
International
£17,000
a year
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.
Financial support
Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional funding to help with living costs.
Scholarships
We offer a range of scholarships, which celebrate the determination, commitment and achievement of our students. Many of our scholarships are awarded automatically. There are some however, where you will need to be involved in an application or nomination process. To find out more about our scholarships and check your eligibility, please visit our dedicated scholarships pages.
Money Matters
Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students.
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). If you are an EU student who does not have settled or pre-settled status, or are an international student from a non-EU country, please see our international student finance pages.
Your future career
This course prepares graduates for a wide range of enriching roles in health, education and social care. Opportunities from this degree are wide and varied, with multiple potential career pathways. Past students have found themselves making a difference to the lives of children and adolescents and their families as:
- Pastoral support worker
- Special educational needs coordinator
- Children’s centre worker
- Social care worker
- Teaching assistant
- Learning mentor
- Family support worker
- Parental liaison officer
- Student engagement officer
- CAMH (Child and Adolescent Mental Health) practitioner
- Perinatal nursery nurse
This degree also gives graduates the knowledge and experience required for continuing their studies in a postgraduate course or Masters. Typically, these further studies will lead into careers in child psychology, social work, research, nursing or teaching.
Course changes
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.
Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.
