Learn to practise safely, ethically and inclusively, and to judge the quality of the evidence behind sleep advice.

• The role, responsibilities and boundaries of a non-medical sleep practitioner, and the difference between sleep support, health advice and diagnosis
• Recognising, responding to, recording and escalating safeguarding concerns, including multi-agency working
• Informed consent, confidentiality, children’s rights and parental autonomy
• Managing ethical tensions when family preferences and a child’s wellbeing pull in different directions
• Evaluating research, spotting misinformation and sleep myths, and applying evidence to individual families
• Equality, diversity and inclusion, cultural influences on sleep, unconscious bias and equitable access to support

Develop the communication and coaching skills to build trust with families and agree realistic goals together.

• Advanced active listening, questioning, empathy and adapting communication to each family
• Building rapport, trust and psychological safety, so parents feel able to be honest without fear of judgement
• Handling sensitive conversations, including disagreement, parental anxiety and challenging unsafe practices
• Coaching and motivational interviewing to support parental confidence and lasting change
• Collaborative, child-centred goal setting and shared decision-making
• Reflective practice, your own values and biases, and practitioner wellbeing

Build an in-depth understanding of how sleep works and how it develops from infancy through childhood.

• The functions of sleep, from brain development and memory to emotional processing and immune function
• Sleep architecture, REM and NREM sleep, sleep cycles, circadian rhythms and sleep pressure
• How sleep matures from the newborn period through childhood, and normal variation between children
• Sleep hygiene, routines, environment, screens, nutrition, activity and daylight
• Safe sleep and risk reduction, including SIDS/SUID, sleep spaces, and evidence-informed guidance on co-sleeping and bedsharing
• The two-way relationship between sleep and emotional wellbeing

Understand the whole child and family, and how development, relationships, health and circumstances shape sleep.

• Developmental milestones from newborn to 12 years and their influence on sleep
• Attachment, attunement, co-regulation and the developing brain
• Temperament, sensory processing and individual differences
• Parenting values and approaches, and family dynamics, including co-parenting, adoption, fostering and diverse family structures
• Parental wellbeing, perinatal mental health, birth trauma and trauma-informed principles
• Neurodiversity, including autism and ADHD, disability and additional needs
• Health factors and red flags, including reflux, allergies, snoring and sleep-disordered breathing, and when to refer

Bring everything together to assess a child’s sleep, plan individualised support and review progress.

• Holistic sleep assessment: sleep history, routines, environment, development, health and family context
• Using sleep diaries, questionnaires and other tools, and understanding their limitations
• Professional reasoning and formulation, while keeping it distinct from medical diagnosis
• Developing individualised, evidence-informed sleep support plans with families
• Supporting prematurity, multiples, adoption, fostering and other complex caregiving contexts
• Monitoring progress, adapting plans and recognising when progress is limited
• Referral, signposting and working with other professionals