About Us:

The Warwickshire County Council Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards service (Dols) has been based within Mental Health services since April 2013.  This adheres to the Government response (June 2014) to the Select Committees Report on the Mental Capacity Act 2005.  The Government recommended that MCA, of which the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards are a key component, should be separated from the generic safeguarding services.  Our team comprises of an Operations Manager, an administrative team and 6.81 full time equivalent Best Interest Assessor Advanced Practitioners. The function of the Warwickshire DoLs service is;

To ensure that Warwickshire County Council statutory duties as the supervisory body for deprivation of liberty safeguards under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 are fulfilled for those individuals who are deprived of their liberty in residential, nursing and hospital settings.

Therefore, we must make arrangements for the assessment of a person who the managing authority believes is being deprived of their liberty. We conduct the required 6 separate assessments within stipulated timescales. We allocated a Best Interest Assessor to determine whether the individual has capacity, whether the circumstances of the case amount to a deprivation, whether this is in the best interests of the individual and to recommend conditions and the timescale of the Deprivation of Liberty which will be authorised on behalf of Warwickshire County Council.

The Role:

To be responsible for undertaking complex assessments in accordance with the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) as a means of judging whether an adult is deprived of their liberty and, if so, whether this is in their best interests and necessary to prevent harm to them. The post holder shall make a difference by working directly with people in highly complex situations, or by supporting and/or developing internal and external staff, to provide better outcomes for adults whose packages of care place a level of restriction on their lives that amounts to a deprivation of liberty. The postholder will be required to manage complex multi-agency and non-professional relationships in a manner that helps mediate conflicts between all concerned parties to ensure the needs of the person are kept at the heart of the DoLS process. The postholder will be expected to assist the DoLS lead in the effective deployment of available resources in accordance with the main functions of the DoLS, which includes the provision of professional advice and guidance as required. Ensure the values of the Health and Social Work profession are upheld and that people’s human rights are valued and respected in all aspects of professional practice.

Key skills and required experience:

To be a suitably qualified professional with appropriate registration with the required professional body. To be a qualified Best Interest Assessor with 1-2 years’ concurrent experience of completing Dols assessments. The post holder will deliver practice which is recognised as exemplary, upholds the value base of the health and social work profession and provide leadership and professional wisdom to colleagues and other professionals for work in the areas of MCA and DoLS. 

The post holder must have a comprehensive working knowledge of the Bournewood judgment, Human Rights Act (1998), codes of practice, statutory instruments including: Mental Capacity Act (MCA 2005), Mental Health Act (2007), (Care Act 2014), Care Standards Act (2000), National and local policies, guidance and procedures, and resources relevant to the Mental Capacity Act (2005).  This will include knowledge of the functions, roles and responsibilities of the Courts, tribunals, regulatory bodies, BIAs, IMCAs, other professionals and other agencies (including the managing authority). Ability to take accountability of decisions and judgements made in the Best Interests Assessor role. Contribute to the development of practice in the area of Mental Capacity and DoLS so as to help influence and contribute to the operational and strategic development across Warwickshire.

For an informal chat about the role please contact Liz Hill 07895926588/01926413920

For the full Job Description and Person Specification, please click on the link before:

Best Interest Assessor Advanced Practitioner

These are the benefits we offer including agile working, enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), a valuable part of the pay and reward package for employees working in local government, and a generous annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays and an additional day at Christmas.

Additional Information

Closing Date:      23^rd November 2023

Interview Date:  12^th December 2023

The Fluency Duty is outlined in the Code of Practice on the English language requirements for public sector workers. The Fluency Duty for this role is Required. You must be able to speak and provide advice in accurate spoken English to the public.

Warwickshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure.

To apply for this vacancy please click on the 'Apply' button.

Our method of application is online, please note, CV’s should not been submitted unless asked to do so. 

If you are unable to apply using the 'Apply' button please contact the Recruitment Centre on hrandpayroll@warwickshire.gov.uk including your contact details and any relevant screenshots.

You will be notified of our shortlisting decision via email, so please check your email on a regular basis after submitting your application.   

As part of being a Disability Confident employer we guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. By ‘minimum criteria’ we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application form which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of competence required for each competence, as well as meeting any of the qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential in the person specification.   

Should you require application forms in an alternative format / language or any adjustments to be made throughout the application process or upon appointment, please contact hrandpayroll@warwickshire.gov.uk  and we will make every effort to meet your specific requirements.  

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) is committed to equality of opportunity for all employees and is keen to address areas of under representation in its workforce, this is because we really understand the importance of different voices, experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds within our workforce. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups. WCC has a number of staff network groups which provide peer support and safe spaces for employees who hold these and other identities. See more