DoLS Officer

The Bristol City Council Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Team is looking to recruit a full time Senior Business Support Officer, otherwise known as a ‘DoLS Officer’.

DoLS is the legal framework that protects the human rights of people deemed to be deprived of their liberty. This legislation is applied by assessors that work for the DoLS Team. The role of the DoLS Officer is to provide administrative support to enable the operations of this statutory function.

As the first point of call to the DoLS service, you will be managing e-mails and phone calls from internal and external stakeholders. This requires the ability to conduct yourself professionally and in line with the values of Bristol City Council.

You will be responsible for triaging incoming referrals as well as making referrals to other services. You will use information management systems during each stage of the DoLS process to record information, process allocations of work, attach submissions, dispatch documents relating to DoLS applications and process case closures. You will take a considered approach to handling sensitive information in line with data protection legislation.

DoLS Officers are supported to use their initiative and problem solve, within the scope of their role. Support is also available from the management team through supervision or on an ad hoc basis. We have established written process guidance for all tasks undertaken and provide a forum for DoLS Officers to raise any procedural issues during operational meetings every 2 weeks. You will have the support of other DoLS Officer colleagues to manage tasks, which will require an ability to work well as part of a team.

This role provides variety in admin tasks and requires a flexible approach in response to priorities.

The team works on a hybrid basis, with the option to work from the office or remotely. There may be instances where presence in the office will be mandatory.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.

Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

How do I apply?

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.

To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.

We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

For further information, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification or alternatively, please contact Zara Shyadehi [email protected]

Bristol City Council strives to have a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, we are therefore committed to ensuring diversity in our hiring process. We welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit.

The personal information section (including your name) you’ll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.