IAPT PERINATAL  
              COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK
                              SEPTEMBER 2021
                          Professor Heather O’Mahen
                                 Dr Sarah Healy
                                                                       IAPT PERINATAL COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK 
           TABLE OF CONTENTS
           A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPETENCES FRAMEWORK FOR                                  3 
           PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES AND INTERVENTIONS IN THE PERINATAL PERIOD
           ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4
           A COMPETENCE FRAMEWORK FOR IAPT PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES                              5 
           AND INTERVENTIONS IN THE PERINATAL PERIOD 
           EXECUTIVE SUMMARY                                                                     5
           HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT                                                              6
           SCOPE OF THE COMPETENCE FRAMEWORK                                                     9
           THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPETENCE FRAMEWORK                                          10
           THE COMPETENCE MODEL FOR PERINATAL PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS IN IAPT SETTINGS      12
           IMPLEMENTING THE COMPETENCE FRAMEWORK                                                13
           APPLYING THE COMPETENCE FRAMEWORK                                                    14
           CONCLUDING COMMENTS                                                                  16
           DOMAIN ONE: CORE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES                                            18
           DOMAIN TWO: CORE KNOWLEDGE AND CLINICAL COMPETENCES                                  19
           DOMAIN THREE: GENERIC THERAPEUTIC COMPETENCES                                        22
           DOMAIN FOUR: ASSESSMENT, FORMULATION, ENGAGEMENT AND PLANNING                        23
           DOMAIN FIVE: INTERVENTION SKILLS                                                     28
           DOMAIN SIX: METACOMPETENCES                                                          34
           REFERENCES 36
           FIGURES
           FIGURE 1: THE MAP OF PERINATAL COMPETENCES                                            17
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                                                 IAPT PERINATAL COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK 
        Welcome to the Competency Framework 
        for delivering psychological therapies in the 
        perinatal period in IAPT services. 
        A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPETENCES FRAMEWORK 
        FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES AND INTERVENTIONS  
        IN THE PERINATAL PERIOD 
        The framework describes the various activities 
        which need to be brought together in order to 
        carry out clinical work in the context of perinatal 
        work within IAPT. 
        The framework locates competences across six 
        “domains”, each of which represents a broad 
        area of practice. This helps users to see how the 
        various activities associated with work in this area 
        fit together. The competency framework includes 
        only perinatally specific competences, existing 
        competency frameworks should be used to inform 
        general practice.
        Although its primary audience will be clinicians, 
        clinical managers and commissioners of primary 
        care mental health services (particularly IAPT), 
        service users will also find the competency 
        framework useful. 
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                                                                                                           IAPT PERINATAL COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK 
                ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
                The work described in this report was commissioned by NHS England (NHSE). The project 
                team was headed by Prof Heather O’Mahen and Dr Sarah Healy.
                  EXPERT REFERENCE GROUP (ERG)                                        Dr Camilla Rosan – Consultant Clinical Psychologist
                                                                                      Professor Pauline Slade – Professor of Clinical Psychology/ 
                The work was overseen by an Expert Reference                          Consultant Clinical Psychologist
                Group whose invaluable advice, editorial                              Jennifer Smith – Expert by Experience
                comments and collegial approach contributed                           Dr Sarah Taha – Perinatal Psychiatrist
                enormously to the development of the work.
                                                                                       THE COMPETENCY WRITING TEAM: 
                  THE ERG COMPRISED:
                                                                                      This was headed by Dr Sarah Healy and Prof 
                Tessa Baradon – Consultant Infant Mental Health Psychotherapist       Heather O’Mahen, with contributions from:
                Professor Jane Barlow – Chair of Evidence-Based Social 
                Intervention and Policy Evaluation, Oxford University                 Dr Fiona Challacombe – Clinical Psychologist 
                Cath Beard – Expert by Experience                                     Jo Maitland – London Perinatal Mental Health Clinical Lead 
                Asha Day – Vice Chair Community Practitioners & Health                Dr Rachel Mycroft – Consultant Clinical Psychologist
                Visitors Association Equality & Perinatal Lead                        Dr Emma Svanberg – Clinical Psychologist
                Clare Dolman – Vice Chair, Maternal Mental Health Alliance            Dr Charlotte Whitely – Counselling Psychologist
                Rob Ewers – Operations Director, Acacia Family Support 
                Beth Fisher – IAPT service manager                                     PEER REVIEWERS:
                Dr Rachel Handley – Director of Adult HI Programmes,  
                University of Exeter                                                  We are very grateful to the following reviewers for 
                Nicola Haycock – IAPT High Intensity Therapist                        their comments:
                Jemima Headey – Administrator and mother                              Dr Kate Daley – Clinical Psychologist
                Becky Hopley – Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner                   Prof Tony Roth – Professor of Clinical Psychology
                Professor Louise Howard – Professor of Women’s Mental                 Dr Kyla Vaillancourt – Perinatal Clinical Psychologist
                Health & Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist
                Dr James Gray – Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Clinical 
                Lead iCope Islington                                                   WORKING GROUP:
                Dr Catherine Green – Principal Clinical Psychologist,                 Prof David Clark – National Clinical and Informatics Advisor for 
                Community Perinatal Services                                          IAPT
                Ruth Jackson – CEO, Bluebell Care                                     Sarah Dunsdon – Programme Manager, National Perinatal 
                Sophia Kosmider – Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner                Mental Health Team, NHS England 
                Jo Maitland – London Perinatal Mental Health Clinical Lead            Lucy Ellis – Perinatal Mental Health Programme Lead,  
                Clare McAdam – Deputy Director of Nursing and                         NHS England
                Allied Professions                                                    Becky Gill – Project Manager, Improving Access to 
                Dr Kirstie McKenzie-McHarg – Consultant Perinatal                     Psychological Therapies (IAPT)
                Clinical Psychologist                                                 Jemma Kehoe – National Programme Lead for IAPT
                Dr Rachel Mycroft – Consultant Clinical Psychologist                  Dr Sheena Liness – Cognitive Therapy Director,  
                Dr Annabelle Norman – IAPT Deputy Manager                             Kings College London
                Tamara Parsons – Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner          Mary Pappin – Project Manager, National Perinatal Mental 
                Nicki Pattinson – Clinical Midwifery Matron for                       Health Team, NHS England
                Outpatient Services                                                   Dr Adrian Whittington – IAPT National Clinical Advisor: 
                Dr Clair Pollard – IAPT Clinical Lead                                 Education, NHS England
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