B.5 Grading
Appendix 2 - Job Description
Job title: Social Worker (BIA)
Directorate: People
Post number:
Division: Adult Services
Grade: 8
Section/team: Adult Protection
Overall purpose of job
To undertake the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Assessments in accordance with the
Mental Capacity Act and current case law.
To undertake Adult protection investigations in line with Adult safeguarding policy and
procedures. Develop and promote adult protection planning where appropriate for
vulnerable adults and their carers.
Support the development of wider safeguarding practices across services for adults
offering advice and support to a range of practitioners, other stakeholders including
vulnerable people and their families.
Post holders will be expected to be flexible in undertaking the duties and responsibilities attached
to their post and may be asked to perform other duties, which reasonably correspond to the
general character of the post and are commensurate with its level of responsibility.
Policy and Resources Cabinet Member – 19th September 2012, Implemented – 8th October 2012
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B.5 Grading
Appendix 2 - Job Description
Main responsibilities:
To undertake the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Assessments in accordance with the
Mental Capacity Act and current case law in a professional and timely fashion.
1.
To implement safeguarding and adult protection strategies, policies and procedures.
2.
To develop and maintain recording and performance reporting systems for all
incidents of Safeguarding, deprivation of liberty, to allow the Safeguarding Board to
be confident of the partnership’s compliance with their statutory obligations and
delivery of their strategic aims.
3.
Undertake investigations where complex and complicated situations arise that
exceed the normal operating framework.
4.
To develop Adult protection plans or ensure they are developed where needed and
review same.
5.
To investigate and identify emerging themes and recommend appropriate actions
required.
7.
To work in an advisory fashion to staff and colleagues in social care, health staff, and
external providers in order to support an increased awareness of the issues
regarding to Safeguarding and the Mental Capacity Act.
8.
To maintain relationships with partners across North Lincolnshire to ensure that multi
agency approaches are maintained.
9.
Work in collaboration with all areas of Adult Services to ensure that organisational
learning occurs from the outcomes of any investigation.
10. Deputise for Senior Social Worker Adult Protection as agreed and appropriate.
11. Working with service providers and partners to inform and develop modernised
approaches that meet national and local drivers for change and meet the needs of
localities.
12. Preparation of complex reports for presentation at case conferences including making
recommendations to inform decision making in a multi-agency forum.
Policy and Resources Cabinet Member – 19th September 2012, Implemented – 8th October 2012
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B.5 Grading
Appendix 2 - Job Description
Knowledge, skill and experience:
1. Hold a professional qualification and be registered with the HCPC.
2. To hold a current Best Interest Assessor qualification and demonstrate continuous
learning in this area.
3. Extensive experience of working within a multi agency framework (including Police,
Care Providers, Health, and Social Care).
4. The ability to interpret complex legislation and case law and to simplify and share
with relevant partners in an appropriate manner.
5. Ability to interpret national guidance and apply to the local environment.
6. Ability to support the development and implementation of strategies and service
plans.
7. Knowledge and understanding of community care legislation, combined with
detailed knowledge and experience regarding with Safeguarding Adults.
8. A knowledge and ability to use of different communication (report/written/
presentation) methods and mediums to support effective communication with a
wide range of stakeholders from service users to professionals. Able to reflect the
organisational visions and be able to share and communicate its outcomes and
values with people within the organisation and partners.
9. High level of I.T skills and ability to use IT systems in relation to electronic record
keeping, correspondence and other related tasks.
10. Skills in directing and advising services to promote good outcomes for service users
and carers.
11. Ability to offer advice to a diverse audience.
12. Experience of working with vulnerable adults and people lacking capacity.
13. Excellent negotiating and influencing skills.
Policy and Resources Cabinet Member – 19th September 2012, Implemented – 8th October 2012
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B.5 Grading
Appendix 2 - Job Description
Creativity and innovation:
•

•
•
•
•
•
•
Find creative ways to engage and involve individuals, families and carers in decisionmaking. Creativity required to work across all the agencies involved.
Design, develop and promote new and innovative ways of working to achieve
outcomes.
Suggest and promote alternative pathways of investigation to ensure the most
appropriate response for individuals experiencing abuse.
Design new systems of reporting to improve understanding of the local themes and
issues.
Training and developing social care, health staff, and external providers to have
increased awareness of the issues regarding Safeguarding and the Mental Capacity
Act.
To use innovative and imaginative ideas to create a culture where everyone has a
role in safeguarding adults (including the public).
Assist in developing user and carer focused procedures and practices – working with
service users and carers to make sure person centred approaches are adopted.
To assist in the development of new engagement techniques to capture the views of
those sectors of the community that do not traditionally communicate with Adults
Social Services.
Contacts and relationships:
•
•
•
•
•
To consult, inform, advise and communicate with all key stakeholders on all aspects
Safeguarding, Mental Capacity Act, and complaints seeking resolution where
possible – including health care agencies, statutory, voluntary and independent
sector providers, social housing organisations and governance structures – weekly.
Works closely with service users and carers to promote the protection of vulnerable
adults and aspects of the Mental Capacity Act - ad hoc.
To work collaboratively with the internal, independent, health, voluntary and
community sectors in the development and implementation of the Safeguarding and
Mental Capacity agenda - daily.
Regular contact with the multi-disciplinary team/agencies, statutory, private and
voluntary sector in relation to individual caseloads and shared knowledge of risk
Regular contact with senior managers in respect of adult protection case conferences
Regular contact with families and other representatives of vulnerable adults regarding
highly sensitive and contentious information.
Policy and Resources Cabinet Member – 19th September 2012, Implemented – 8th October 2012
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B.5 Grading
Appendix 2 - Job Description
Decision making:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Make decisions regarding the application of the Mental Capacity Act policies and
procedures, whilst ensuring consistency and avoiding precedent setting.
Making recommendations with regard to the outcomes of Safeguarding, Mental
Capacity, and Complaints that can have a major impact on external agencies, North
Lincolnshire Council, Nth Lincs CCG and Nth Lincolnshire & Goole Hospitals NHS
trust.
Advising on the Deprivation of Liberty or Safeguarding plans for an individual, poor
advice will can lead to increased risk of abuse to service users, or an inappropriate
deprivation of their liberty.
Making decisions with regard to the safety of the service user and the investigation
techniques used and outcome.
Day to day decision making around risk management and lone working.
Makes decisions within delegation and knows when to consult.
Responsibility for resources:
•

Sole responsibility for physical equipment e.g. laptop, mobile telephone when away
from office base with approximate value of £400.
Working in accordance with Worksmart policy – working on a hot desk and from
home basis (working without an office base and away from home for 60% of the
time).
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work demands:

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


Changing priorities and deadlines open to regular interruption, i.e. changing needs of
Service Users, safeguarding adult investigations, managerial demands, e.g. central
government returns.
Requirement to meet team and service deadlines to ensure performance indicators
are achieved.
Responds to urgent referrals.
Primarily working office hours but flexibility required to meet service user needs and
service demands.
Prioritising workload and ability to negotiate with colleagues and other service
providers in order to manage time effectively.
Physical demands:
•
Occasionally transport of IT and display equipment for training and presentations
needs.
Policy and Resources Cabinet Member – 19th September 2012, Implemented – 8th October 2012
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B.5 Grading
Appendix 2 - Job Description
Working conditions:
•
•

Normal office working conditions when in office.
Visit other organisations & service providers,
Visits to service users’ homes may expose staff to potentially unhealthy
environments, e.g. smells, passive smoking and infestations.
Work context:
•
•
Risk associated with visiting service users in their own homes, e.g. challenging or
anti-social behaviour, of either a physical or verbal nature, from service users or their
carers on occasion, but this is risk managed.
Will undertake lone working, occasionally outside office hours. Must adhere to lone
working policies and procedures.
Policy and Resources Cabinet Member – 19th September 2012, Implemented – 8th October 2012
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B.5 Grading
Appendix 2 - Job Description
Position in organisation:
0
Indicate how many staff the post is directly accountable for:
Are posts in more than one location? Yes
No
Please indicate which post(s) _______________________________________________
Assistant Director
Principal Manager
Social Work
JNC 4
Service Manager,
Case Management
Access & Adult Protection
Grade 12
Team Manager
Adult Protection
Grade 10
Senior Social Worker
Grade 9
Social Worker
Grade 8
x3
Social Worker/Case Manager
(BIA)
Grade 8
x3
Case Worker
Grade 6
Family Carer
Support Worker
Grade 6
(1yr)
Team Manager
Access
Grade 10
Operational Support
Assistant
Grade 6
Mental Capacity Act
Co-ordinator
Grade 8
Operational Support Clerk
Grade 3
Mental Capacity Act
Administrator
Grade 5
2 x 0.5 fte
Access Team
The post is subject to:
Disclosure of convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exemption) Act 1974 Yes □ No □
Political restriction Yes □ No□
Employee:
(signed)
(print)
Date:
(print)
Date:
Manager:
(signed)
Policy and Resources Cabinet Member – 19th September 2012, Implemented – 8th October 2012
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B.5 Grading
Appendix 2 - Job Description
Common Tasks and Responsibilities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
A collaborative approach to working with internal and external citizens/colleagues
and partners – adopting a win: win approach at all times.
Take a proactive approach to your role and responsibilities demonstrating a
capability to ‘self start’ and taking responsibility for delivering personal outcomes.
Be influencers in their relationships with others enabling an impact on performance.
Demonstrate a desire to be self-responsible and self determined.
Demonstrate an understanding and vision of your own area of work and understand
your role within this.
Demonstrate approachability, which fosters successful relationships with others.
Demonstrate an understanding of strategic and operational actions and their
relationship.
Consistently seek and provide constructive and developmental feedback about
performance to enable the service to meet its vision.
Demonstrate a personal credibility both with colleagues and partners of the Service.
Actively seek to understand and derive a benefit from the relationship that you hold
with managers: including feeding back that which is not helpful.
Demonstrate a high capacity to behave self responsibly – and quickly integrate
feedback about your own performance through your own self-development.
Demonstrate through practice citizens’ involvement in reaching their outcomes.
N.B – Not included in the evaluation process
Policy and Resources Cabinet Member – 19th September 2012, Implemented – 8th October 2012
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