Awareness of Young People’s Mental Health

Awareness of Young People’s Mental Health | QNUK Level 2 Award (RQF)

Young people’s mental health is under serious pressure. The adults around them need to know what to look for.

Around one in six children aged 5 to 16 in England have a probable mental health disorder. Many will never access formal support. As a result, the first person to notice a problem is often not a clinician. It could be a teacher, a youth worker, a coach, a parent, or another young person. What that person does next can make a genuine difference.

The QNUK Level 2 Award in Awareness of Young People’s Mental Health (RQF) is an Ofqual-regulated, one-day qualification, listed on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) and mapped directly to NICE guidelines to ensure industry-standard recognition. It goes beyond general wellbeing tips to cover the conditions, risk factors, warning signs and referral pathways specific to young people.

This is not a therapeutic qualification. It does not train delegates as counsellors. Instead, it turns genuine concern into informed, effective action.

What You Will Learn

This qualification has one mandatory unit with seven connected learning outcomes.

1. What Mental Health Means for Young People

• The World Health Organisation definitions of mental health and mental ill-health, and why getting these definitions right matters
• The risk factors specific to young people, including family relationships, socioeconomic pressures, community environment and living conditions
• The short-term and long-term impact of poor mental health, including effects on academic performance, social relationships and longer-term conditions

2. Recognising Common Mental Health Conditions

• The causes, triggers and individual impact of stress, depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder in a young person’s context
• The signs that a young person may be affected
• Where to refer for support, including GPs, MIND, Samaritans, and local organisations

3. Young Carers

• What it means to be a young carer, and why this group faces a higher risk of poor mental health
• The specific risk factors and mental health conditions linked to caring responsibilities in young people
• How to connect a young carer with local and national support

4. The Internet, Gaming and Social Media

• How the internet, gaming and social media can affect a young person’s mental health, including the specific risks and how they arise
• Practical ways to reduce these risks, for young people and the adults supporting them

5. Harmful Coping Strategies

• Common harmful coping strategies, including substance misuse, eating disorders and self-harm, explained clearly and without sensationalism
• Alcohol and drug misuse in a young person’s context
• Eating disorders: definitions and the difference between an unhealthy relationship with food and normal adolescent concern about appearance
• Self-harm, including the forms it can take: cutting, scratching, burning, self-hitting, head banging and self-poisoning
• The signs that a young person may be using harmful coping strategies
• Where to refer for support: TalkToFrank, YoungMinds and Harmless

6. Recognising and Supporting a Young Person in Suicidal Crisis

• The risk factors that increase the likelihood of suicide in young people, including mental health conditions, substance misuse, academic pressure, social isolation, bullying and LGBTQ+ identity
• The warning signs, including what a young person approaching crisis may say, search for or do
• How to support a young person in suicidal crisis: keep them safe, start a conversation, and refer to emergency services and specialist services without delay

7. Building Resilience

• What resilience means in the context of mental wellbeing
• The factors that build resilience in young people, and the conditions that undermine it
• Practical ways to improve mental health and wellbeing, with the evidence behind each approach

Course Details

Who Should Attend?

This course is designed for any adult who works with, cares for or supports young people. It is also suitable for young people aged 14 and over who want to better understand mental health and support their peers.

It is particularly appropriate for teachers and teaching assistants, pastoral and counselling staff in schools and colleges, youth workers and sports coaches, social care workers, foster carers and adoptive parents, and parents of young people already showing signs of mental health difficulties.

Learning and Assessment:

• Course Duration: You will complete this face-to-face training over a 1-day period. 
• Delivery Formats: We offer this course via face-to-face classroom learning or within a virtual environment featuring a proctored online examination.
• Assessment: You will complete an invigilated multiple-choice exam, under standard classroom testing conditions.
• Exam Details: The exam lasts 45 minutes and features 30 questions. You must score 70% (21/30) or higher to pass.

Group Size:

• Face-to-Face Delivery: Generally we have a maximum of 12 candidates, but we can run this course for up to 20 candidates.
• Virtual/Online Delivery: We limit the ratio to 1:8 to maximize interaction and ensure your instructor can safely monitor and manage any sensitive triggers.

Certificate Period:

• Your qualification remains valid for 3 years.

Pre-requisites:

• Age: You must be 14 years or older to take this qualification.
• Language: You must possess a sufficient command of the English language to understand the material and complete the assessment methods.
• Prior Learning: This qualification requires no specific prior learning or experience.

Progression:

• After successfully earning this award, you can progress to further qualifications or careers related to supporting children and young people. Progression options include:
  • QNUK Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health (RQF)
  • QNUK Level 2 Certificate in Awareness of Mental Health Conditions (RQF)

Choosing the Right Course

Complementary Courses:

• To further build your skillset in youth support, you can pair this training with:
  • QNUK Level 2 Award in Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Young People (RQF)
  • QNUK Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF)

If You or Someone You Know Needs Support Right Now