PETITIONRejectedPetition · petition.parliament.uk

Reduce Qualification Barriers to Mental Health Careers

Mental health services in NI and globally face a funding and workforce crisis. Many psychology graduates with bachelor’s degrees can't enter the workforce because a master’s degree is often required for mental health roles. This is a missed opportunity, given the growing demand for services.

Last fetched 19 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk

Signatures

signatures

Government response threshold (10,000) · 11/10,000

Debate threshold (100,000) · 11/100,000

Petition progress2 events · Jun – Jul 2025

17 JUL 2025
Petition rejected
irrelevant
Your petition is about something that the Northern Ireland Executive and Northern Ireland Assembly is responsible for. If you want to raise this issue you could contact your MLA, or raise it with the Northern Ireland Executive. You can find contact details for your MLAs here: http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/your-mlas/ You can find contact details for the departments of the Northern Ireland Executive here: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/government-departments-in-northern-ireland
23 JUN 2025
Petition created

Background

We urge the Northern Ireland Executive and regulatory bodies to review entry-level requirements in psychology and mental health. Specifically, we ask that bachelor’s degree holders be given opportunities to pursue careers in this understaffed, underfunded sector.

Allowing psychology graduates to enter at various levels will expand the workforce, ease the burden on specialists, and improve access to mental health care in Northern Ireland.