Best Interest Assessor (Social Worker)

Permanent, Part Time 25.5 hours per week.

The Bristol City Council Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) team is recruiting a qualified Social Worker with a Best Interest Assessor (BIA) qualification.

This advert is for a 25.5 hour BIA post to work as a link with hospitals. The role will involve; having oversight of high priority Authorisation requests from hospitals, collating further information by visiting the wards, progress to a BIA assessment if required and providing advice and guidance to the Managing Authorities on practice encompassing the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and DoLS. Office working space in the hospitals will be provided.

The DoLS team consists of a core team of BIAs who carry out the majority of the DoLS assessments for Bristol City Council.

We are looking for individuals with a sound knowledge of the principles, and application of, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. As well as knowledge and experience of care management and Safeguarding Adults under the Care Act 2014.

You will demonstrate strong professional values when assessing and putting in place safeguards to promote service users’ Human Rights.

You must have good assessment skills, which includes the ability to interact professionally with interested parties to collate and analyse information in order to reach and record defensible decisions.

Experience of effective multi-professional working with internal and external stakeholders is required.

You will receive reflective supervision and guidance from the qualified Senior Practitioners / Team Manager based within the team.

Please note that this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.

Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

How do I apply?

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.

To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.

We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

For further information, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification or alternatively, please contact zara.shyadehi@bristol.gov.uk 

Bristol City Council strives to have a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, we are therefore committed to ensuring diversity in our hiring process. We welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit. 

The personal information section (including your name) you’ll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.