Paralegal (case examiner review) Sheffield, England
Job description
Team
Our small in-house legal team provide sound legal advice across our organisation, particularly to our fitness to practise, registration, and education quality assurance teams. The team is also responsible for providing advice on a range of other legal areas that an organisation of our size will encounter, including commercial contracts, data protection and employment law. The in-house team is growing overall; we expect the team to expand from six legal roles currently to ten during this financial year. Social Work England is currently developing its new three-year Corporate Strategy for 2023-2026. You would be joining the organisation at an exciting time as we look ahead to the impact we want to deliver in the world of social work and regulation.
Purpose of the role
The purpose of this role is to support the lawyer (case review) to review the decisions of our internal case examiners, which is a key part of our regulation of the social work profession. We are recruiting a small team to consider and undertake these reviews in line with our Fitness to Practise Rules, as well as to share learning from these reviews.
This team will sit within our in-house legal team, who provide legal advice on both broader regulatory law and business support, in order to share experience and learning. While the role will focus on the case examiner review process, there will also be opportunities to become involved in other projects relating to our regulatory functions and to participate in the work of the wider legal team.
What you will do
· Work with the lawyer (case review) to identify, request and obtain the information and submissions needed to complete a statutory review of a case examiner decision in accordance with the Social Workers Regulations 2018.
· Manage large quantities of sensitive and potentially distressing information in relation to fitness to practise investigations in accordance with data protection legislation and our data management policies and procedures.
· Upload documents and correspondence to the case management system in a timely manner to help ensure complete and accurate case records.
· Provide consistent and high-quality customer service to internal and external stakeholders, as well as parties involved in fitness to practise cases, including by sending, receiving, and managing all case correspondence to and from Social Work England in a timely and appropriate manner. In addition, develop and maintain strong relationships throughout the organisation, using your legal knowledge to provide support.
· Assist in the conduct of legal proceedings brought by, against or in relation to Social Work England, including by drafting instructions and ensuring relevant papers and bundles are prepared as needed and in good order.
· Carry out initial analysis of information and evidence before handing over to the relevant lawyer, having highlighted the key points, areas to be investigated and suggestions of next steps.
· Act as a triage decision maker with colleagues from the fitness to practise directorate.
· Draft written legal advice to various stakeholders within the organisation on a wide range of legal issues, with the supervision of a qualified lawyer.
· Participate in project teams and working groups as necessary to further the work of the legal team and our objectives.
· Support the organisation in reviewing internal policies, procedures, and processes, and developing and providing training to colleagues across the organisation, with the supervision of a qualified lawyer. This will include legal research, conducting an initial review of documents, and participating in producing and presenting training alongside colleagues.
Your skills, knowledge and experience
· Excellent analytical skills and an ability to understand legal and procedural issues, with excellent attention to detail.
· Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with a range of internal and external stakeholders; and the ability to draft in a clear and comprehensive manner.
· Excellent organisation and time management skills (including organising own workload) and the ability to manage several tasks while maintaining a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
· Degree-level education or equivalent relevant experience.
· Excellent legal research skills and a willingness to further develop your understanding of the law.
· Experience with case management systems and of maintaining records.
· Experience of managing sensitive and confidential information.
· A demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £29,871.00-£32,005.00 per year
Benefits:
- Work from home
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Sheffield
