25.31 HEO Caseworker/Decision Maker

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS); Darlington; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 35,000

Job description

Whilst the role’s permanent workplace is based in Darlington or Liverpool, DBS offer flexibility which would allow the successful candidate to work remotely for a proportion of their contractual hours. Therefore, applications from candidates who reside in a non-typical geographical commuting distance to Darlington or Liverpool are welcome. The role of HEO Caseworker encompasses a mandatory training period of 19 weeks where there is a requirement for you to attend the Darlington office for a proportion of this time. For successful applicants who reside in a location in excess of 50 miles from the Darlington office, DBS will cover the cost of travel and accommodation during this period. Please note that this will be considered a taxable benefit and may impact on your personal tax allowance. Due to the nature of the training, successful candidates will be required to work full time throughout the training period.

Job Summary

DBS was established under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 on 1 December 2012, operating from two sites, Liverpool and Darlington. We operate on behalf of government delivering Disclosure functions in England, Wales, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and Barring functions for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We operate in the complex world of safeguarding alongside our multi agency partners. Safeguarding means protecting people’s health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.

We provide a service that enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to make better informed, safer recruitment and other decisions. We do this by providing information to enable them to determine whether individuals are unsuitable or unable to undertake certain work, particularly with occupations involving regular contact with vulnerable groups, including children.

Job Description

Successful applicants will manage and progress an allocated caseload to conclusion, resulting in final decisions as to whether an individual should be included in a barred list, or not. They will need to exercise sound judgement, and analytical ability using defined business processes and guidance, regulations, and legislation, along with relevant good practice and precedent to come to legally defendable safeguarding decisions. They will consider a wide range of factors, evaluate, and consider the facts of each case, make findings, and assess the potential risk, and appropriateness of including an individual in a barred list. This exercise of critical thinking, sound judgement and ability to make and articulate appropriate, balanced, rational, and sometimes difficult decisions is key to this role.

Successful applicants will need to be resilient and be able to reconcile themselves to the nature of casework, and deal with managing a caseload in challenging situations. They need to be confident that they can manage reading and assessing material, which relates to the abuse of vulnerable groups and people, on a daily basis.

Corporate Duties:

• The management of an allocated caseload ensuring that work is progressed to timescales/quality standards.
• Make robust, defensible written decisions in cases with information drawn from a wide range of external sources/partners that must be well presented, supported by facts, and contain all the relevant information.
• Correspond professionally with individuals under consideration, their representatives and appropriate public bodies associated with a case.
• Provide advice and guidance to external enquirers and deal with correspondence about individual cases, casework procedures and legislation where appropriate.
• Ensure risks, issues, novel and/or contentious cases are identified, discussed, and actioned as appropriate. Where necessary ensure a clear escalation process to senior management is followed when issues cannot be solved at a working level.
• Maintain consistency of casework, adhering to best practice and engaging with peers through discussion and communication with other Caseworker/Decision Makers and managers to deliver quality casework decisions.
• Provide regular management/statistical information to senior managers.
• Contribute to the DBS’s continual programme of business improvement through active participation and involvement in team meetings, workshops, conferences, and other groups. Offering solutions and ideas for improvement and a willingness to change and try alternative ways of working that deliver more efficient ways to safeguard.

Operational Delivery

• Undertake line management responsibility for staff as and when required.
• Work flexibly, with appropriate autonomy and respond positively to changing business needs, undertaking such other duties as appropriate to the level of the post that may reasonably be required.
• Comply with the DBS’s equal opportunities policies and procedures showing an understanding of and commitment to diversity, and how it applies to this role.

Person specificationEssential Criteria:

• Ability to assess large volumes of information in a timely fashion to arrive at rational and sound conclusions.
• Ability to apply an objective, evidenced based approach to decision making that is rooted in critical/risk analysis.
• Ability to draft well-structured decisions in report format.
• Ability to manage, prioritise and frequently re-prioritise own work/caseload of cases.
• Ability to work with highly sensitive and confidential information.
• Ability to work in a team to achieve team objectives.
• Openness to challenge and ability to learn from feedback.
• Ability to read and assimilate case information from computer based systems.
• Experience using IT, particularly Microsoft packages (Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook).
• Proven experience of applying legislative criteria, policy and guidance to decision making.
• Experience of working in a pressurised environment that focuses on outcomes for the public.
• Knowledge of how to apply professional curiosity, critical analysis, and challenge to peer case decisions.
• Knowledge of how and when to escalate concerns.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of working within a safeguarding organisation.
• Experience of working with vulnerable groups.
• Experience of making safeguarding risk-based decisions in relation to the protection of vulnerable groups.
• Relevant qualifications at or above degree level or equivalent experience.
• Experience of preparing written reports for legal/regulatory purposes.
• Knowledge of safeguarding legislation, policy, and procedures.
• Recent safeguarding related training.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Developing Self and Others
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

To apply for this post, please provide a CV together with a suitability statement of no more than 750 words, outlining how your skills, experience and qualifications meet the requirements of the role, including all essential and desirable criteria, and the key responsibilities. The initial sift will be conducted against the CV and suitability statement. All candidates who are successful at the initial sifting stage will be invited to interview.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Contact point for applicants:

• Name: People Support Team
• Email: [e-mail]
• Telephone: [phone]