Course Overview

Best Interest Assessor is an interprofessional 30 credit module which aims to equip experienced practitioners in health and social care with the skills and knowledge required to enable them to undertake a Best Interest Assessment (BIA). A BIA is a specific statutory role related to implementing the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and on completion of the module and successful assessment, participants will be eligible to apply for approval to their Supervisory Board as a Best Interest Assessor having met in full the professional training requirements specified by the Social work England.

This is a one-week intensive course with some intakes held online only and some, face to face at our Hendon site. Please contact using the email address below for further details.

Course content

The syllabus is laid down in the requirements of the five professional capabilities for Best Interest Assessors (SWE) which are embedded within a series of 6 one-day workshops and practice learning opportunities.

Mental capacity legislation and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS), their related codes of practice, national and local policy guidance
Relevant parts of other legislation, codes of practice, national and local policy guidance, in particular the Human Rights Act 1998, the Mental Health Acts 1983 and 2007, and law/policy related to Adult Safeguarding
The formal two-stage assessment of capacity
The impact of mental disorder on mental capacity, including the effect of social, physical and developmental factors on a person’s ability to make decisions

Assessment

The assessment comprises of a written assignment and a presentation.

Entry requirements

Two years post-registration experience as either an approved mental health professional or social worker registered with Social Work England.

First level nurses should be registered in Part 1 of the Register, occupational therapists registered in Part 6 of the Register and chartered psychologists listed in BPS Register of Chartered Psychologists.

You will also need to be able to arrange to shadow an already-qualified Best Interest Assessor conducting an assessment. This is a key part of the assessment requirements of the course.

Key features

Taught by qualified and experienced BIAs and mental health academics
Free e-book for every student
Interactive teaching live online

Online teaching dates

8 September 2025 to 12 September 2025 (10am - 4pm)
Recall day: 10 November 2025 (10am - 4pm)

Online teaching will be delivered via Microsoft Teams.

How to apply

To apply for this course you must :

Have two years post-registration experience as either an approved mental health professional or social worker registered with Social Work England
Be a first level nurse registered in Part 1 of the Register, an occupational therapist registered in Part 6 of the Register or a chartered psychologist registered with the BPS
Provide a reference from a current or your most recent employer
Applicants should be able to arrange two separate shadowing opportunities with a Best Interests Assessor (BIA) conducting assessments. It is strongly recommended that at least one is completed prior to the start of the course
Hold a current satisfactory enhanced DBS. If applicants do not already hold one, we can apply for one for you but note this can take some time to come back and so you should leave at least 6 weeks before the start of the programme to allow for it to be returned in time
Have relevant experience, including working with relevant legislation, e.g, the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 and working with risk.

Please email our CPD Social Work Administration team to express an interest in this programme.