Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for a Place2Be bursary, you must:

• be a UK resident for the last 5 years
• have a total annual household income of less than £35,000 for courses in London and less than £30,000 for courses outside of London (see our FAQ’s for guidance on calculating your household income)
• have a level of education that is no higher than degree level (Level 6)
• have a genuine interest in qualifying as a child counsellor
• meet the entry requirements for your chosen course (see entry requirements on each course information page)
• be able to attend all relevant course dates in full for the course you secure a place on.

It's important to us that those working as counsellors for children and young people reflect pupils in our schools. Our bursaries prioritise funding for under-represented groups in the counselling profession, including:

• people from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse communities 
• people with disabilities 
• men 
• care leavers 
• gender-diverse members of the LGBTQIA+ community
• people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

When completing your application, you’ll be asked to provide information relating to the above categories. It is not mandatory for you to provide this information, but will help support your application if you are from an under-represented group.

Competition for our bursaries is very high. We'll take into consideration lots of different factors when considering your application. Please be aware that being eligible to apply doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be offered a bursary. We're unable to respond to all unsuccessful bursary applicants individually.

Bursaries we offer

Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award)

The Level 2 Award bursary will cover your course fees. If you successfully secure a Level 2 Award bursary, you will be asked to pay £100 to secure your place rather than the full course fee. This cost covers your CPCAB registration and administrative costs.

Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate)

The Level 3 Certificate bursary will cover your course fees. If you successfully secure a Level 3 Certificate bursary, you will be asked to pay £150 to secure your place on a course rather than the full course fee. This is to cover your CPCAB registration and administrative costs.

Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling

We offer a range of different bursary packages for our Level 4 Diploma, ranging from a partial discount on your tuition fees to a full tuition-fee discount. A support fund that could help to cover your living, personal therapy, travel and/or learning material costs while on the course is also available. The bursary package you are offered will depend on your need, as assessed by the information you provide in your application. Packages for our Level 4 Diploma include:

• partial tuition-fee bursary
• full tuition fee bursary (please note we will require a £200 fee to confirm your place)
• support fund, which you can use to help cover things like living costs, personal therapy, travel and learning materials.

Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy for Children and Young People in Schools

We offer a range of different bursary packages for our Postgraduate Diploma, from a partial discount on your tuition fees to a full tuition fee discount. The bursary package you are offered will depend on your need, as assessed by the information you provide in your application. Packages for our Postgraduate Diploma include:

• partial tuition-fee bursary
• full tuition-fee bursary, (please note we require a £100 fee to confirm your place)
• support fund, which you can use to help cover things like personal therapy, travel and learning materials.

Application process and how to apply

The application process you take will depend on what previous counselling training experience you have.

I have no previous counselling training experience

If you're new to counselling and meet our bursary eligibility criteria above, you can apply for a bursary for our Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award) course. To apply for a Level 2 Award bursary, please:

1. sign up to attend one of our Online Information Sessions
2. take note of key dates for our bursary applications
3. fill in the Expenditure & Financial Situation spreadsheet, which you'll need for your application form
4. complete your Bursary Application form, which we'll send you after you attend your Information Session (please see our Bursary application guide and FAQS page for information on what to include in your application).

Our team will then assess and grade your application. If successful, we will offer you a bursary place on our Level 2 Award course and ask you for evidence of your address, household income and any benefits you receive. You'll need to pay £100 to secure your place. This fee will cover your Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) registration and administrative costs.

Once you've completed our Level 2 Award, we'll guide you on progressing to our Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate) course.

Bursary applications for our Level 2 Award are currently closed. Please sign up to the Mental Health Professionals Network newsletter to be the first to know when applications open next. 

I have completed a Level 2 Award in Counselling Skills

If you've completed a Level 2 Award in Counselling Skills with Place2Be or elsewhere and meet our bursary eligibility criteria above, please apply for a bursary for our Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate). To apply for a Level 3 Certificate bursary, please:

1. sign up to attend one of our Online Information Sessions
2. take note of the key dates for our bursary applications
3. fill in the Expenditure & Financial Situation spreadsheet which you'll need for your application form.
4. complete your Bursary Application form which we'll send you after you attend your Information Sessions (please see our Bursary application guide and FAQs page for information on what to include in your application).

Our team will then assess and grade your application. If we choose to progress your application, we will invite you to an interview. During your interview, we may ask you to clarify the information provided in your bursary application. We'll also ask you for evidence of your address, household income and any additional benefits that you receive.

If you're successful at the interview stage, we will offer you a bursary place on our Level 3 Certificate course. You'll need to pay £150 to secure your place to cover your CPCAB registration and administrative costs.

Once you've completed our Level 3 Certificate, we'll give you guidance on progressing to a course where you'll be able to qualify as a child counsellor.

Bursary applications for our Level 3 Certificate are currently closed. Please sign up to the Mental Health Professionals Network newsletter to be the first to know when applications open next. 

I have completed a Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills

If you have already completed a Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills with Place2Be or elsewhere, are looking for a course that will qualify you as a child counsellor, and meet our bursary eligibility criteria, please apply directly for our:

• Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling OR
• Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy for Children and Young People in Schools.

The application forms for these courses include a section for you to apply for a bursary. You'll need to:

1. fill in the Expenditure & Financial Situation spreadsheet, which you'll need for your application form
2. complete your application form for your chosen course, ensuring you fill out the section for a bursary place.

We'll review your application to make sure you meet the bursary and course entry requirements. If you pass the initial bursary and course application check, we'll invite you to both a group and individual interview. During your interview, we may ask you to clarify the information provided in your bursary application.

If you're successful at the interview stage, your bursary details will then be sent to a third-party bursary checking company who will verify the information you have provided in your application. If you pass this external check, we will offer you a bursary place for your chosen course. You'll need to pay £200 to secure your place to cover your CPCAB registration and administrative costs.

Key dates

March & April 2024 

Online Information Sessions will be held throughout these months. You must attend an Information Session to be able to apply for a Level 2 Award or Level 3 Certificate bursary.

2 April – 30 April 2024

Bursary applications will open for Level 2 and Level 3 courses. Please note if you miss the application window, our next application round will be at the beginning of 2025. 

Mid-May 2024

We will make bursary offers to successful applicants for the upcoming Level 2 Award and Level 3 Certificate courses.

November 2024

Applications will open for Level 4 Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma courses for a September 2025 start. The application forms for these courses include an option to apply for a bursary if you are eligible.