About Us
Working for West Sussex County Council is all about making a positive difference to the people of West Sussex. This role presents as a great opportunity for you to join the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Team. We are a dynamic and supportive team of registered professionals and specialist administrators, dedicated to all aspects of WSCC's responsibilities as a Supervisory Body under the DoLS legislation. We also support Managing Authorities to understand the DoLS process, and receive and prioritise Requests for authorisations.
Why not have a look at our dedicated careers in adults social work webpage to learn more!
About The Job
Salary: £38,626 to £45,718 per annum (NJC grade 10 to 11)
Working Pattern: Full time
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: Worthing office base - county wide hybrid role
Interview Date: week commencing 7th April
In this exciting opportunity, you will act as an independent assessor under DoLS legislation. You will carry out autonomous assessments under the Safeguards when someone is, or may about to be, deprived of their liberty, consulting closely with the person, their support providers and other professionals.
You will deal with deal with complex cases within this specialist area including working alongside agencies managing risk levels, legal issues and providing advice. You will be required to undertake post qualifying training and maintain records of training in line with SWE/ HCPC and other relevant professional body statutory requirements for Best Interest Assessors under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. You will be required to travel throughout the County including to locations that are not always easily accessible by public transport.
This role requires you to possess effective communication skills, use your initiative and be responsive to situations where appropriate. Possessing a good up-to-date working knowledge of the legislation and case law relevant to the specialist areas is essential. You must possess the ability to lead and influence others as you will take a lead role in the induction, coaching, mentoring of new staff on the team including leading best practice group sessions presenting to other teams across the service when needed.
Experience and Skills
Please cover the following with examples within your application as these are the short listing criteria):
Key Skills:
1. Ability to analyse and interpret people-related information and data to prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service provision;
2. Ability to work proactively as a member of the team to make an accurate assessment of needs and negotiate and implement effective plans and outcomes;
3. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in both written and oral format including the ability to explain complicated information to a wide range of people and negotiate and persuade others to adopt a particular course of action.
4. Ability to be proactive in having up-to-date knowledge and understanding of changes in legislation, white papers, current research, and best practice developments.
5. Ability to effectively prioritise work and meet deadlines; ability to recognise the limits of own accountability and responsibility, and to seek appropriate support, advice, and supervision when required.
6. Sound and accurate IT and keyboard skills to support the provision of clear, concise and accurate records and reports.
Qualifications and/or experience:
* Degree in relevant professional or equivalent qualification e.g. Social Work or Occupational therapy
* Completion of relevant post-qualifying training as a Best Interest Assessor under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
* Registration with the relevant professional registration body and responsibility for maintaining registration with that body.
* Good up-to-date working knowledge, understanding and application of relevant legislation and statutory guidance.
* Experience of working in partnership with those who access or need the service and maintaining a focus on the needs of the individual whilst handling conflict and disagreement; identifying issues and specific actions by means of creative and pragmatic solutions.
* Experience of forming effective working relationships within a multi-agency/multidisciplinary setting.
* Experience of managing levels of risk within a caseload of complex cases.
* Valid, full driving licence - Desirable
Rewards and Benefits
For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CAFHE05646 .
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to Social Work England registration, HCPC registration, an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.
West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.
For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran's Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.
Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you!