Best Interest Assessor

The starting salary for this role is £47,884 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

We have a great opportunity to join our Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) team as a Best Interest Assessor. We support hybrid working with the right balance. We come together in person for 2 days per week on average (40% of the working week) and support working from home the rest of the time.

Our Offer to You:

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents

About The Role

This role offers a fantastic opportunity to further develop your understanding and experience of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and you will be helping to support MCA practice across adult social care in Surrey. You will receive regular supervision, reflective practice sessions and annual Best Interests Assessor legal update training as part of your role.

Primarily, you will be undertaking Best Interest Assessments in care homes and hospitals where people are being deprived of their liberty; often these will be more 'complex' requests and will require you to have detailed understanding and knowledge of the application of DOLS and the Mental Capacity Act. On a weekly basis, you will also contribute to the team's duty system, including triaging incoming DOLS authorisation requests, quality assuring assessments completed by other assessors, responding to email and telephone queries, and providing support and advice to both external agencies and other adult social care teams. You will also support the development and training of trainee Best Interests Assessors.

Our team consists of administrative staff, DOLS Coordinators and Best Interest Assessors who work collaboratively with an ethos of supporting each other to ensure that the objectives of the team are achieved.

Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• A Best Interest Assessor qualification and relevant post qualifying experience, including an ability to prioritise workload and to make decisions concerning people's liberty
• Excellent interpersonal skills to communicate in a clear and concise manner
• Confidence and ability to use IT systems and to produce reports of a high standard that will bear legal scrutiny
• Excellent working knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and other related legislation

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and locality based social care workers will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK and access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long-term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 11/05/2026 with interviews planned to follow.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents!

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.