Community FASTER (Forensic autism and learning disability support, training and enhanced risk management)

  • Specialist support for people with learning disabilities and autism in secure and prison settings

  • Address: Brooklands Hospital,  Marston Green, Birmingham, B37 7HH
  • Telephone number: 0121 329 4900

About us

The Community FASTER service is a 2 year pilot project, commissioned by Reach Out and delivered in partnership between Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT) and Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT).

We are a specialist, psychology-led, trauma-informed service supporting autistic people and people with learning disabilities (LDA) in secure hospitals and prisons across the West Midlands.

We provide in-reach and work with people who are within 6 months of discharge from a secure bed or in locked rehabilitation (who have moved there from a secure bed) and provide outreach until 3 months post discharge.

We make sure people are supported safely and effectively in the least restrictive setting possible, reducing unnecessary hospital stays and ensuring smooth, supported transitions into the community.


Our partnership model

The Community FASTER service is jointly delivered by CWPT and MPFT, working across all six West Midlands Integrated Care Systems (ICS).

By bringing together expertise in forensic psychology, psychiatry, occupational therapy, nursing, speech and language therapy, peer support work, and social work, this partnership ensures a consistent, region-wide approach to forensic support for autistic people and those with learning disabilities.

Our collaborative approach promotes:

  • Shared learning and system-wide improvement.
  • Workforce development and reflective practice.
  • Consistency and sustainability across hospital, prison, and community services.


Our purpose

  • Support safe and sustainable discharges from secure hospitals and prison healthcare.
  • Reduce avoidable admissions to secure beds.
  • Reduce risk and promote recovery through trauma-informed, evidence-based care.
  • Strengthen collaboration between hospital, prison, and community teams.
  • Build confidence and expertise across local services through training and supervision.

Our model of care

The Community FASTER service operates through a hub-and-spoke model based at Brooklands Hospital.

  • The Hub provides clinical leadership, expert consultation, training, and coordination.
  • The Spokes are local partnerships across the region where our specialists support existing teams to deliver consistent, high-quality forensic care.


Clinical model

We work in a tiered model, balancing direct clinical input and staff/ workforce development to meet the needs of service users and services.

Our clinical model is structured into five integrated tiers, ensuring flexibility and responsiveness to each individual's needs.

Tier 1: Consultancy, advice and support

Rapid access to case consultations, signposting, and risk management advice for hospital and community providers.

Tier 2: Crisis support and safety planning 

Immediate advice and planning to support in crises - including same-day access to telephone support for provider staff (8am-8pm, Monday-Friday).

Tier 3: Psychologically underpinned formulations and intervention planning

Collaborative trauma-informed formulations that guide safe discharge, positive risk-taking, and community integration.

Tier 4: Training, supervision and reflective practice

Bespoke training, supervision, workshops, and masterclasses co-produced with individuals and providers to embed trauma-informed practice.

Tier 5: Individual interventions

Time-limited, evidence-based interventions delivered alongside providers to promote stability, recovery, and long-term independence.


Our two pathways

1. Secure hospital pathway

  • Works with patients up to six months before discharge.
  • Provides in-reach and out reach support to reduce hospital stays and prepare for community living.
  • Focuses on formulation, discharge planning, and continuity between inpatient and community teams.


2. Prison pathway

  • Provides specialist formulation, consultation, and risk management support for staff working with people with learning disabilities and/or autism within HMP Brinsford and HMP Drake Hall.
  • Works alongside prison mental health and offender management teams to identify and plan for individuals' needs.
  • Supports staff to manage safe transitions and improves access to appropriate care and rehabilitation.

Making a referral

Inclusion criteria

  • Adults aged 18+ with a confirmed diagnosis of learning disability and/or autism.
  • From the West Midlands (ICB commissioning area).
  • Individuals who are within 6 months of discharge from a secure hospital.
  • Individuals who are within 6 months of discharge if in a locked rehabilitation bed and to have transitioned to locked rehabilitation directly from secure services.
  • Referrals from Inclusion staff within HMP Brinsford and HMP Drake Hall.
  • Services who 'case hold' require specialist forensic formulation, intervention planning, or risk management advice.


Referral pathway

Who can refer

Community FASTER have a closed referral route from case managers into the service.

Referrals for the pathway are accepted from:

  • Reach Out and Reach Out Case Managers (for patients in secure care)
  • ICB case managers (for patients in locked rehabilitation units who have moved there from a secure bed)
  • Prison healthcare teams (for individuals in HMP Brinsford and HMP Drake Hall)


Case managers: How to refer

  • All referrals are triaged through the Community FASTER Hub.
  • Initial contacts are typically made within 48 working hours of referral.

 

Staff training

We are offering monthly 90-minute online training sessions for staff working with autistic people and people with learning disabilities who: (1) are in forensic inpatient services, (2) in locked rehabilitation, settings, or (3) in community forensic services. 

You can book onto our first three training sessions here:

Book here

  1. Get involved