MCA DOLS Community Senior Practitioner/Best Interests Assessor

Role Responsibility

Role Responsibilities

At Kent County Council, we aim to provide a first-rate service that places the rights of the relevant person at the centre of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (2009) assessments.  We know how essential the work is for the empowerment of the individual and are committed to providing professional guidance and support for our staff and partner colleagues and other interested persons to promote the necessary safeguards when required.

In this role, you will provide professional oversight, monitoring and quality assurance of Community DoL applications, applying the Re X process for non-complex situations and the Personal Welfare application process for more complex cases, which require a high level of specialist expertise and legal literacy, on behalf of Kent County Council, as determined by legislative requirements. Constantly striving to improve the service through new initiatives, you will maintain awareness of changes in legislation and related case law.

You will actively contribute to a learning culture, which will involve supporting Registered Practitioners undertaking the Best Interests Assessors Level 7 qualification, facilitating Best Interests Assessors Forums and group supervision.

As a Senior Practitioner /Best Interests Assessor, you will enjoy the benefits of KCC Flexible hybrid working arrangements, with the requirement to travel to various locations across Kent at times. The role includes day to day management for the Kent MCA DOLS Service, which is currently based in Maidstone.

You will provide professional leadership for the delivery of key developments agreed within the MCA/DOLS Service and Best Interest Assessors Team Action Plan aligned to County Wide Services within Adult Social Care and Health of Kent County Council.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service and a relevant professional qualification (Social Work, Nursing, Occupational Therapy or Chartered Psychologist) as well as up to date registration with the appropriate professional body.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Successful applicants will be required to give a ten-minute presentation on

‘Current challenges faced by the Supervisory Body’
 

About the Company

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Contact Details

For more information about the role, please contact Yvonne Phillips, Best Interest Assessors Team Manager by email at yvonne.phillips@kent.gov.uk  or telephone 03000 415455

Maureen Stirrup, Head of Service - Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, by email at  maureen.stirrup@kent.gov.uk or telephone 03000 410375

About the Company

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note – if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.