26.29 HEO Caseworker/Decision Maker

Job summary

The Disclosure and Barring Service (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.

DBS operates within the safeguarding arena 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.

DBS has a number of strategic priorities:

1. Providing high quality, reliable, consistent, timely and accessible services for our customers.
2. Embracing technology to drive improvements to the quality of our work.
3. Developing a talented and diverse workforce that understands how their contributions help to achieve our objectives.
4. Building a flexible, vibrant and contemporary workplace where our staff will be able to do their jobs using modern ways of working that are smart and which promote OneDBS.
5. Raising awareness of the DBS and the services we offer, keeping people informed through our communications, to increase public understanding and confidence in our organisation.
6. Becoming a respected and trusted organisation, working with our partners to play an influential role in the environment in which we operate.

DBS operates in a complex partnership landscape, with both public and private sector stakeholders, and a variety of commercial arrangements.

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.

Caseworkers must be successful in achieving Casework Decision Making Authority (CDMA). Training to obtain CDMA is provided in the form of a 19-week training course comprising of 6 weeks facilitated learning and 13 weeks consolidation.

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 to CDMA standard, 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 specification

Essential Criteria

• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, structured and well-reasoned written arguments to support decisions.
• Ability to work effectively with colleagues to achieve shared goals, apply clear and logical analysis when reviewing information, and provide constructive challenge to strengthen decision making.
• Ability to apply critical thinking to the analysis and evaluation of a range of complex (case) information, identifying key issues and reaching sound, evidence-based findings.
• Ability to make clear, fair and defensible decisions using evidence and sound judgement, weighing competing factors and knowing when to seek advice or escalate.
• Ability to manage, prioritise and frequently re prioritise a personal caseload/workload, delivering high quality work within required timescales while balancing competing demands.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently, taking ownership of a complex caseload and maintaining focus and momentum without the need for close supervision.
• Commitment to continuous professional development, including a willingness to reflect on practice, seek learning opportunities and apply new knowledge effectively in decision making.
• Openness to feedback and constructive challenge, with the ability to reflect on and improve decision making to maintain high standards of quality and consistency.

Desirable Criteria

• Ability to identify and assess risk, using professional judgement to reach proportionate and defensible decisions in line with policy and guidance.
• Experience of making safeguarding, risk-based decisions, including assessing potential harm and taking proportionate action to protect vulnerable groups.
• Experience of applying legislative criteria, policy and guidance to decision making, ensuring decisions are lawful, consistent and defensible.

Important Information:

The role of HEO Caseworker encompasses a mandatory training period of 19 weeks where there is a requirement for you to attend a training centre within 30 miles of Darlington for a proportion of this time. For successful applicants who reside in a location in excess of 50 miles from the training centre, 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.

To view the DBS Recruitment and On-boarding Privacy Notice, please click the link below:

DBS Recruitment and On-boarding Privacy Notice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

This privacy notice covers personal data collected during the recruitment, security clearance and on-boarding process.

Behaviours

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

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

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,444, Disclosure & Barring Service contributes £10,557 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The DBS offers a number of excellent benefits for its employees. These can include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Excellent maternity, paternity and adoption schemes (after a qualifying period)
• Commitment to the health and wellbeing of our employees
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Flexible working opportunities
• Eyecare voucher scheme
• Occupational Health Service including referrals for counselling and physiotherapy
• 24/7 Counselling and Wellbeing Service
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Legislative changes and the closure of Employer Supported Childcare scheme on 4 October 2018 will mean that if you are already a Civil Servant and move across the Civil Service, your ability to claim Childcare Vouchers will be impacted. However, you may still be eligible to claim Tax Free Childcare. For further information and to check if you are eligible for Tax-Free Childcare see Get Tax-Free Childcare: step by step on GOV.UK.

The DBS vision and purpose is to make people safer by being a visible, trusted and influential organisation, providing an outstanding quality of service to all our customers and partners, where our people understand the important safeguarding contributions they make and feel proud to work here. To do this, the DBS is committed to being an employer that is able to attract, develop, retain and engage diverse talent that is representative of the communities we serve, and to be an organisation providing outstanding service to all our existing and new customers, who are diverse and have a range of different needs. We want all our staff to be able to bring their ‘whole self’ to work.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Stage 1: Candidates will complete the Verbal Reasoning test as part of the initial application.

If the required benchmark is reached you will be invited to the 2nd stage of the selection process. We reserve the right to raise the pass mark to reach the next stage of the process if we receive high numbers of applications.

Please start the application well in advance to make sure that you have enough time to complete the online verbal test and personal suitability statement. Closing date and time will not be extended even if candidates start their application but fail to submit it within the closing time. If you are facing any technical issues, please reach out to us along with the screenshot of the error.

Please note that the suitability statement sift will not take place until the CS Verbal Test and Written exercise have been successfully completed. Your CV and employment history won’t be scored. It will be used to give context to your application and support discussions at interview.

Stage 2: is a timed online written exercise, which will be completed and scored against 2 of the required behaviours:

• Communicating & Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

You will be invited to book a slot through Civil Service Jobs for the online written exercise.

Stage 3: Candidates who are successful will reach the 3rd stage of the selection process: the suitability statement sift, which will be blind sifted to eliminate bias and scored 1-7 on meeting the essential criteria in the person specification.

Your CV and employment history won’t be scored. It will be used to give context to your application and support discussions at interview.

Stage 4: Successful candidates at suitability statement sift (Stage 3) will then be invited to a formal interview. The interview will consist of a panel-based interview on MS Teams, the aim of which will be to assess your ability to demonstrate these behaviours:

• Developing Self and Others
• Delivering at pace
• Managing a Quality Service

A selection of relevant Strengths-based questions will also form part of the interview.

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

The following timetable outlines indicative dates. Please note, these dates may be subject to change without prior notice.

The initial candidate sift is due to take place week commencing 20/04/2025. Candidates successful at initial sift will be invited to book a slot to complete an online written task, which must be completed between 22 April and 29 April 2026. Interviews (stage 4) are due to take place weeks commencing 08/06/2025 and 15/06/2025.

Candidates who do not achieve the highest scores at the suitability‑statement sift may be placed on hold at this stage while interviews are undertaken for the initial cohort of top‑scoring applicants.

Whilst we will endeavour to provide some flexibility with regards to dates wherever possible, it is unlikely that we will be able to offer an alternative date once an appointment has been scheduled.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer.

Links to Q&A Sessions

Mon 13th April 13:00 - Join the meeting now

Tues 14th April 18:30 - Join the meeting now

5th October 2026 start date

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : DBS People Support Team
• Email : dbspeoplesupportteam@dbs.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSPeopleSupportTeam@dbs.gov.uk

Attachments

1. Success Profiles Candidate Overview Opens in new window (pdf, 635kB)Success profiles - Candidate overview Opens in new window (pdf, 635kB)DBS Job Description HEO Caseworker FINAL 2026 - Latest Opens in new window (docx, 316kB)HEO Caseworker FAQs 2026 (1) Opens in new window (docx, 53kB)