Caseworker

The Disclosure and Barring Service is now recruiting for Caseworkers/Decision Makers to join their team.

Directorate: Operational Service Delivery
Grade: HEO
Location: Darlington/Liverpool
Training: 5-6 weeks of training is office based in Darlington
Reports to: Caseworker Team Manager
Line Management: No
Security Clearance level required: BPSS

About The Disclosure And Barring Service
DBS operates in the complex world of safeguarding, protecting peoples 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.

Job Summary
In this role you 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. You 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. You 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 appropriate, balanced, rational, and sometimes difficult decisions is key to this role.

Additionally, you will need to be resilient and be able to reconcile yourself to the nature of casework, and deal with managing a caseload in challenging situations. You also need to be confident that you can manage reading and assessing material, which relates to the abuse of vulnerable groups and people, on a daily basis.

Essential 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, 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/service users.
• 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.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 9th April 2025.