Overview
An award-winning, work-based Foundation Degree delivered by Mulberry Bush and validated by UWE Bristol, developing the understanding and reflective practice of professionals supporting children impacted by trauma.
Develop your understanding, confidence and professional practice through a unique, practice-led Foundation Degree in Therapeutic Work with Children and Young People.
Delivered by Mulberry Bush and validated by UWE Bristol, this two-year work-based degree is designed for professionals supporting children and young people whose lives have been profoundly impacted by trauma, emotional distress and disrupted relationships.
Rooted in nearly 80 years of therapeutic practice, the course brings together psychodynamic theory, reflective learning and participants’ day-to-day experience. You will explore the meaning behind behaviour, the importance of individual and group relationships, and the emotional impact of working alongside children with complex needs.
Learning is closely connected to your role. Throughout the course, you will be encouraged to apply new thinking within your own setting, reflect on your experiences and learn collaboratively with practitioners from across education, residential care, social care and related services. The course leads to a Level 5 Foundation Degree qualification and provides a strong foundation for continued professional development, career progression and further study.
The Foundation Degree is for people who work directly with children and young people and want to deepen their understanding of therapeutic and reflective practice.
It may be particularly relevant to professionals working within residential childcare, specialist and mainstream education, social care, health and mental health services, youth work, youth and criminal justice, family support, and therapeutic or community-based services.
The course is work-based, so you must be working with children or young people for at least 16 hours each week. This can be through paid employment or a voluntary role, but you must have opportunities to apply and reflect on your learning in practice.
You do not need to hold specific previous qualifications. As part of the application process, you may be asked to complete a short written task to demonstrate that you can study at the required level.
For most of our courses, no previous therapeutic training is required. Our sessions provide an accessible introduction while also creating opportunities for experienced practitioners to revisit and reflect on their existing practice.
The Foundation Degree is different, as it is work-based. You must be working with children or young people for at least 16 hours each week, through paid employment or a voluntary role, with opportunities to apply and reflect on your learning in practice. You do not need specific previous qualifications, but you may be asked to complete a short written task as part of the application process.
What you will learn
The course will support you to develop a deeper understanding of therapeutic work with children and young people, including:
- What it means for care, education and professional practice to be therapeutic
- Psychodynamic approaches to understanding children, adults and organisations
- How behaviour can communicate thoughts, feelings and unmet emotional needs
- The impact of trauma, early experiences and the care system on development
- Attachment, neuroscience and children’s emotional development
- Complex trauma and different responses to emotional distress
- Psychosexual development and sexually harmful behaviour
- The role of families and wider relationships in children’s lives
- Group processes and the dynamics of working within teams and organisations
- The emotional impact of working closely with trauma and distress
- Therapeutically informed approaches to education and care
- How reflection can strengthen professional judgement and practice
You will also develop your ability to connect theory with real situations, consider different perspectives and reflect on your own responses within professional relationships.
Some are. Our Foundation Degree in Therapeutic Work with Children and Young People is validated by UWE Bristol and leads to a Level 5 qualification. It also incorporates the mandatory Level 3 Diploma requirements for practitioners working within the children’s residential sector.
Our Level 4 Certificate in Therapeutic Childcare is accredited by APPCIOS and Crossfields Institute, and has been mapped against the mandatory Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People Workforce and Residential Child Care.
Other courses are non-accredited and contribute to continuing professional development.
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Benefits and Outcomes
By completing the Foundation Degree, you will develop a more thoughtful, reflective and informed approach to your work.
The course can help you to:
- Build confidence when working with complex behaviour and emotional distress
- Look beyond presenting behaviour and consider what may be communicated beneath it
- Develop stronger and more meaningful professional relationships
- Respond with greater curiosity and understanding rather than punishment or judgement
- Recognise how your own feelings and responses can inform your practice
- Apply psychodynamic and therapeutic thinking within everyday situations
- Contribute more confidently to reflective discussions, assessments and decision-making
- Strengthen your professional identity and ability to articulate your practice
- Support the development of more reflective and therapeutic team cultures
- Progress towards senior, specialist or managerial roles across children’s services
The Foundation Degree is equivalent to a Level 5 qualification and incorporates the mandatory Level 3 Diploma requirements for practitioners working within the children’s residential sector. Following successful completion, you may also have the opportunity to continue your studies through an additional year with UWE Bristol to achieve a BA (Hons) in Professional Practice.
Mulberry Bush has been developing therapeutic approaches to working with children, young people and the adults around them for nearly 80 years.
Our training is rooted in practice. It draws on the day-to-day experience of our therapeutic schools, alongside established theory, current research and learning from professionals across children’s services. Our trainers have direct experience of working within the field and understand both the value and the emotional demands of this work.
We do not offer simple responses to complex situations. Instead, we support practitioners to develop the understanding, confidence and reflective capacity needed to make thoughtful decisions within their own roles and organisations. Our approach is:
- Collaborative – we seek to work with, and learn from, others who share our vision and principles.
- Psychodynamic – we promote an approach which enables us to understand the meaning of behaviour as communication.
- Reflective – we believe in the value of learning through reflection and experience.
And, we live by our values:
- Expertise – we are pioneers, thought-leaders, influencers and change-makers.
- Empathy – we care, support and work with professional, practitioners and the people we serve to enable them to make their own change and collaborate with and are here for everyone who needs us.
- Everyone – we are a community we collaborate and are here for everyone who needs us.