Band 6 Forensic Inpatient Mental Health Social Worker

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 6 Forensic Inpatient Mental Health Social Worker to contribute to preadmission assessments and ongoing care planning within the forensic inpatient service.

You will liaise with local authorities, housing providers and benefits agencies, carry out Care Act and section 117 aftercare assessments, and support safeguarding and reporting for tribunals and hospital managers.

Qualifications

• Registered social worker with licence to practise in England.
• Experience in forensic or inpatient mental health settings is desirable.
• Ability to prepare and present reports for tribunals and hospital managers.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to preadmission assessments and discharge planning.
• Identify safeguarding needs and liaise with authorities, housing and benefits teams.
• Complete statutory and non-statutory reports for tribunals and MH Act matters.
• Assist in care planning and transition to community services.

Skills

Registered Social Worker SW England

Education

Registered Social Worker SW England

Job description

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Band 6 Forensic Inpatient Mental Health Social Worker

The closing date is 07 December 2026

The service provides care and treatment for men in conditions of medium secure care; patients are detained under the Mental Health Act 2025 and have a history of actual or potential harm to other people.

To contribute to preadmission assessments of patients referred to the forensic in-patient service this will include ascertaining information on local authority section 117 responsibility and where applicable identifying nearest relatives and appropriate family.

Having oversight of patients transferring to the forensic community service and during the transition to support the forensic community service.

Identifying social care issues on admission and ensuring there is liaison with housing providers and the benefits agency and issues regarding property and tenancy are dealt with at an early stage.

Contribute to assessments of needs under the Care Act 2014 and section 117 aftercare

Safeguarding, raising safeguarding alerts where appropriate.

Compile non statutory and statutory reports including dialogue plus reports social history and needs reports, social circumstance reports for mental health tribunals and Mental Health Act hospital managers hearings

Contribute towards the multidisciplinary assessment and management of risk .

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work in the forensic inpatient wards as part of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) contributing to preadmission assessments .

Following a patient's admission, the post holder will work with others to resolve potential barriers to timely discharges and contribute to the ongoing care planning for inpatients.

The social worker will work with patients on the ward up to the point of discharge to ensure they have access to relevant community services

Social worker will support the ward team regarding children's and adult safeguarding responsibilities

Social worker will ensure patients are assessed under the Care Act and section 117 aftercare

Social worker is required to attend legal forums including Mental Health Tribunals and Mental Health Hospital Managers hearing and provide reports as requested by the Mental Health Act Office.

About us

Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.

Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people's lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.

Job responsibilities

For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification

Registered social worker SW England

• Registered SW

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

£39,959 to £48,117 a yearper annum, pro rata