Relationship Health and I Matter Informed Practitioner Certification
I Matter® Practitioner Pathway
A structured training and delivery pathway for professionals and organisations
who want a practical, shared approach to supporting relationship health.
Why this matters
Many professionals are supporting individuals and families under increasing pressure, often without a shared framework for understanding behaviour, stress, and relationships in a consistent and practical way.
The I Matter Practitioner Pathway provides a clear, structured approach that can be used across teams, services, and settings to support better understanding, more consistent responses, and improved outcomes.
What changes in practice
- More confidence when working with complex family situations
- Shared language across professionals, teams, and services
- More consistent and predictable responses to behaviour and stress
- A practical framework to guide conversations and decision-making
- Improved alignment between home, school, and support services
The Practitioner Pathway
🌱 Level 2-3
Informed Practice
For: Professionals who want to understand and apply the framework in their role
- Core I Matter learning
- Understanding relationship health principles
- Using shared language in practice
You will be able to:
- Recognise patterns in behaviour and stress
- Support conversations with greater clarity
- Signpost individuals and families appropriately
Requirements: Level 1 and Level 2 with study support, optional Level 3
INFORMED - LINK PROFESSIONAL
🌿 Level 4
Lead Professional
For: Professionals and teams delivering structured support to groups and families, offering facilitation
- Delivery of workshops and group study support
- Guided practice with supervision
You will be able to:
- Run structured learning sessions and groups
- Support families using the I Matter framework
- Contribute to consistent delivery across a team or organisation
Requirements: Level 1-3 and Lead Training
LEAD PROFESSIONAL
🌳 Level 5
I Matter Lead Plus
For: Experienced professionals working with complex or high-need situations, offering coaching
- Advanced application of the framework
- 1:1 coaching and case work
- Ongoing supervision and development
You will be able to:
- Work confidently with complex family situations
- Deliver deeper, personalised support
- Represent and apply the model at a higher level
Requirements: Level 1-3 & Lead Plus Training and Therapeutic Experience
LEAD PLUS PROFESSIONAL
For organisations
Schools, GP practices, and community organisations can adopt the I Matter framework as a shared approach across teams. This supports consistency, reduces duplication, and helps staff work from the same understanding.
- Train multiple staff in a shared framework
- Embed consistent language and approaches
- Support families with a joined-up model
- Build internal capacity rather than relying solely on external provision
Organisations typically engage through licensing and training options to support structured implementation.
Explore Organisation Licensing
How to get started
Whether you are an individual professional or representing an organisation, the first step is to understand how the framework applies in your context and what level of training or implementation is appropriate.
Other Practitioner Roles
Key Information on I Matter Practitioner Roles & Safe Practice
Purpose
This page aims to set out who can support I Matter learning including how supported learning works, and what organisational or independent practice safeguards are in place. The aim is to ensure safe, scalable delivery while maintaining quality and alignment with safeguarding requirements.
What is the I Matter Learning Journey?
The I Matter Learning Journey provides a carefully structured psychoeducational programme designed to develop understanding of relationship health theory and its practical application in everyday and professional contexts. Our core focus is prevention and early intervention.
It is a learning and development programme.
It is not therapy, counselling, legal advice, safeguarding investigation. It is not intended as a crisis intervention though this is where it started.
Our goal is to make it easier for professionals and non-professionals to access timely training for preparation, prevention and early intervention.
Educational Nature of the Programme
Participation in I Matter:
+ Does not create a therapeutic relationship
+ Does not replace statutory services
+ Does not constitute supervised clinical practice
+ Does not authorise decision-making beyond existing roles
Learners remain responsible for acting within their own roles and responsibilities, professional registration, organisational policies, and legal duties
Because this is a project still in development all practitioners are asked to highlight any concerns impacting implementation as early as possible so they can be addressed.
More information
Organisation Leadership
Senior Link
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Has ideally completed I Matter Fast or Full Fundamentals with the full set of worksheets in last 24 months
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Acts to ensure that relationship health practice is embedded into the organisation development plan
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Provides general oversight for staff members does not facilitate structured study support
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Encourages development of a whole school approach over time
- Accepts terms and conditions on behalf of the organisation based on
- Ensures there is alignment between I Matter Values and Organisation values.
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Oversees development of safe and impactful local practice
Practitioner Roles
Relationship Health and I Matter Informed Professional
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Has Completed I Matter Full Fundamentals in last 36 months
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May be an informal first point of contact but is not a link unless formally identified as such
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Can provide informal information about the learning experience
- Can discuss general principles
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liases with Links and Leads
Key function: Navigation, signposting, and basic support; purely educational.
Link – Informed Point of Contact
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Has completed I Matter Full Fundamentals with the full set of worksheets in last 24 months
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Acts as the organisation’s first point of contact for participants accessing self-help resources
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Provides general guidance only; does not facilitate structured study support
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Shows an informal interest and encourages participants to use learning opportunity
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Escalates any safeguarding or risk concerns to their Lead or the organisation’s safeguarding lead
Key function: Navigation, signposting, and basic support; purely educational.
Links work with Leads and Lead Plus as part of our Licensed delivery Level 2-6
Lead – Licensed Study Support
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Completed I Matter Deep Dive and/or Fundamentals in last 12 months (to ensure familiarity with content)
- Applied to I Matter for permission to faciliate in house discussion of
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Supported by their organisation to provide study support
- Study support can be
- part of a preparation for a role (eg becoming a parent)
- part of addressing some current challenges
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Lead Professionals Can:
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Run Get Started or Responsive Workshops for small groups using I Matter Resources
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Support access to online learning
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Facilitate discussion of key ideas in 1:1 or small group
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Support participants to apply I Matter concepts to real-life situations
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Monitor engagement and emotional safety
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Leads must be assessed by their own organisations as being competent to run study support for the identified group
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Must operate within their organisation’s documentation, safeguarding and insurance frameworks
Key function: Structured educational support, reflection guidance, and light oversight.
Lead Professionals are needed for Level 3 Licensing and for Level 4-6 subject to experience
Lead Plus – Oversight & Governance
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Relevant in larger organisations or more complex contexts
- Must have a minimum of Fundamentals and ideally Deep Dive
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Provides supervisory support to Leads and to wider team
- Oversees assessment where this is needed
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Ensures adherence to safeguarding protocols, boundary clarity, and escalation pathways
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Acts to ensure quality assurance role within the organisation
Key function: Oversight for multiple Leads or higher-risk scenarios.
Lead Plus Oversight is needed for Level 4-6 licensing
Independent Practitioner
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Has completed I Matter Fundamentals or Deep Dive and holds therapeutic or clinical qualifications
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Delivers enhanced study support independently, as complement to own offer
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Holds own professional indemnity
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Works outside organisational delivery hub but remains aligned with I Matter principles
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Cannot replace statutory or therapeutic services already in place
Key function: Optional advanced support for individuals requiring therapeutic input; operates fully independently.
Minimum Requirements for Organisations
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At least 2 Links per organisation must have completed the Fundamentals in last 12 months before bulk accounts are purchased or being used
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Leads are optional unless structured small group study support is offered
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Lead Plus are advised only in larger organisations or for complex participant groups
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Linked Independent Practitioner is optional and only if therapeutic expertise is needed
Self-Help and Worksheets
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All participants can access self-help resources and complete worksheets independently
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Worksheets are key to reflection and learning; practitioners support their use without providing therapy
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Leads or Lead Plus can offer guidance on reflection, but do not diagnose or treat
Organisational Governance & Safeguarding
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Organisations confirm:
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They have an up-to-date safeguarding policy
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Named Safeguarding Lead is in place
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Participants are suitable for self-help and any optional supported learning
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Leads operate within organisational safeguarding frameworks
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Escalation process:
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Links escalate any concerns to Lead or safeguarding lead
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Leads escalate unresolved issues or higher-risk concerns to Lead Plus
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Lead Plus ensures adherence to safeguarding and quality protocols
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53 Stramongate
Kendal
La94BH
United Kingdom
