Best Interest Assessor

About The Job

Salary: £37,938 - £40,476 a year plus £963 essential car user allowance and £5,000 market supplement allowance

Hours per week: 37

Contract type: Permanent

Are you a dedicated and experienced Social Worker with Best Interest Assessor (BIA) qualifications? We're looking for a committed professional to join our Adult Safeguarding Team in Luton.

You will play a key role in supporting and protecting the rights of vulnerable adults, ensuring that any Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications submitted by Managing Authorities are lawful, necessary, and in the individual's best interests. This role requires you to conduct comprehensive, person-centred assessments to a high standard, in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, DoLS Code of Practice, and relevant case law.

This is a critical role where you will contribute significantly to safeguarding practice, uphold ethical social work values, and use legal reasoning to make sound, independent professional judgments.

Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.

About You

You are a qualified and registered Social Worker with Best Interest Assessor (BIA) accreditation and a strong foundation in adult safeguarding. You bring significant post-qualification experience and a solid understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and related case law.

You are confident in making legally sound and ethically informed decisions, and skilled in managing complex, high-risk cases independently.

You Will Also Have

• Experience in undertaking BIA assessments and presenting cases in the Court of Protection
• A track record of working effectively within multi-disciplinary settings, including initiating appropriate statutory action
• Knowledge and practical experience of advocacy involvement and applying the BIA Capabilities Framework
• Strong professional judgment and the ability to prioritise and assess risk under pressure
  
  

You act with independence and authority while maintaining sensitivity and ethical integrity. You are confident in using professional assertiveness to justify decisions and promote best practice in social care.

You’re also committed to your ongoing development, with relevant post-qualification training or a willingness to undertake further study.

If you’re passionate about promoting human rights, legal safeguards, and ethical social work, and have the qualifications and experience to match, we’d love to hear from you.

About Us

Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.

The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?

We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough

Application process

Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.

Additional Information

We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:

• From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
• Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
• Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
• Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
• Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
• Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
• Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
• Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
• Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
• Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
• Friday Funday Socials - One Friday every 2 months where we encourage our staff to get together to socialise after work