Senior Practitioner Social Work

Nottingham City Council; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

Nottingham City Council is seeking an experienced Best Interests Assessor to join the DoLS Team in a hybrid role based in Clifton Cornerstone, Nottingham. You will supervise BIAs, oversee DoLS and Court of Protection cases, and help navigate changes arising from recent rulings.

The role requires BIA qualification, strong DoLS experience, and the ability to train others while managing workloads in a changing legal landscape.

Qualifications

• Experience as a BIA and conducting DoLS assessments.
• Ability to supervise, develop and train staff.
• Ability to promote best practice and continual improvement.
• DBS enhanced check is required for this post.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical supervision to BIAs and oversee agency BIAs.
• Allocate and balance workloads, respond to complex queries, and undertake some casework.
• Oversee Court of Protection work and contribute to quality assurance.
• Train and develop others and work with partners through legal changes.

Skills

BIA experience

Supervise/train others

Promote best practice

Handle high-stress workloads

DBS enhanced check

Education

Best Interests Assessor (BIA) qualification

Job description

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Hours: 37 hours per week

Worker Type: Hybrid Worker

Salary: Starting Salary is £47,665 (Level one) rising to £50,908 (Level four) per annum (pro rata for part-time)

Location:Clifton Cornerstone, Nottingham, NG11 8EW

We've got an exciting opportunity available for talented individuals to join our workforce - perhaps this is the opportunity you've been looking for? Read on to find out more...

Working for Nottingham City Council has great benefits. As well as competitive pay, great leave entitlement and access to a generous pension scheme, we strive to create an innovative, inclusive and progressive work culture where everyone is supported to do and be their very best.

In return, we are looking for people like you - people who are innovative, driven and committed to serving and improving Nottingham. So, if you are passionate about making a difference to the lives of those who live and work in our city, we want to hear from you.

* You can read more about the different benefits offered to colleagues working for Nottingham City Council here.

About the Role

The DoLS Team conducts statutory assessments in relation to people who are deprived of their liberty and may not have capacity to decide where to reside or be cared for.

The role will involve offering clinical supervision to BIAs within the Council as well as overseeing the quality of work undertaken by Agency BIAs. There will be responsibility for allocation and balancing workloads, responding to complex queries, undertaking some casework, and overseeing Court of Protection work. Multi-disciplinary work with partners, quality assurance and the ability to train and develop others are also key elements to this role.

The team is responding to changes as we implement a recent Supreme Court ruling and await news of the possible introduction of the Liberty Protection Safeguards and the successful applicant will need to contribute to leading the team through these changes.

About You

This position is open to qualified, experienced and approved Best Interests Assessors (BIA).

The ideal candidate will have:

• Experience of working as a BIA, undertaking complex DoLS assessments, and understanding the challenges involved in applying current legislation including the interface between the Mental Capacity Act and Mental Health Act.
• Experience or ability to supervise, develop and train others and manage performance.
• Ability to promote good practice and contribute to a culture of continual improvement within a fast changing legal landscape.
• Ability to work under stress and manage work priorities within a team.
• A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post.

You can find the job description for this post here.

At Nottingham City Council we believe that work is what you do, not where you do it. We offer different working arrangements, depending on the role, including hybrid working. Further information on Worker Types and what these mean in terms of how and where you work can be found on the additional informationfor applicants page.

For informal enquiriesplease contact [e-mail]

Closing Date: 15th November 2026

Interviews will be held:

TBC