Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist training post funding agreed

Health Education England has agreed to introduce the Education Funding Review’s recommendations for HEE’s Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist training post funding.

HEE would like to thank members of the multi-stakeholder Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist Education Funding Review Group (including NHS England/NHS Improvement, Association of Child Psychotherapists and Unite the union) for their diligent work leading to the Review recommendations.

These recommendations were:

• 100% of a trainee’s salary for the duration of the individual’s four-year training programme
• Travel funded in accordance with Agenda for Change terms and conditions
• An analytic fee, to allow for a choice of acceptable quality trainee psychoanalysis
• A clinical training fee, to be paid by HEE to the training school
• And for HEE to provide equitable funding for a part-time training option.

These funding decisions will apply for intakes commencing their training from September 2020 onwards. Existing arrangements will remain in place for trainees in post before September 2020

Calum Pallister, Finance Director, HEE, said:

"As a funder of high quality education and training, Health Education England constantly reviews its spending. We need to ensure our funding decisions are consistent and transparent and that we are clear with the NHS and with our students and trainees about the investments we’re making to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. HEE led a cross-sector review of the funding provided for the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist role and made recommendations which we have accepted. The implementation date for these funding changes will be determined in consultation with the cross-organisational Mental Health Workforce Delivery Group, which means the local funding arrangements already agreed will remain in place for those students starting in September."

Adrian Whittington, National Lead for Psychological Professions, HEE and NHSE & I, said:

"Child and adolescent psychotherapists make a vital contribution to healthcare, providing specialist psychodynamic therapy and consultation to families, carers and teams, supporting and treating children and young people with the most complex mental health difficulties. The decision to fund training in this way reflects the need to continue to train these practitioners to fulfil the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan. Alongside this funding decision we will be working collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure that child and adolescent psychotherapists' training is closely aligned to the priorities of the Long Term Plan and to maximise inclusivity for entry to the profession".

Further info can be found here.