Our Values

It’s great to know that you are interested in working with us at Coventry City Council. As a prospective employee, it is important that everyone who works for us is committed to our One Coventry values and shares our commitment to becoming a more diverse and inclusive organisation. 

Our Values are:

About the team we are recruiting to

In Coventry, we are working hard to build something special. Children and families are at the heart of everything we do, and we believe they deserve the best outcomes.  Children’s Services provides a wide range of statutory and non-statutory duties, from Early Help Services, through to children who are looked after.  

The service reflects and responds to the changing needs of children and their families.  It works to enable a reflective and flexible approach, with a strong Early Help offer and a real focus on Relationship Based Practice and Signs of Safety, which focuses on intervention and keeping families together. 

Children’s Services is proud of its achievements to date and is continuing to ensure children and families remain at the heart of all it does.  We will provide you with an environment where social work can flourish, with high support, high challenge and manageable caseloads.  Children’s Services is proud of its workforce, who are committed, dedicated, and work to a high standard. We are seeking other like minded practitioners who would like to join us.  We pride ourselves on building relationships with families and partners and hold respectful practice at the centre of all we do.

The Looked After Children & Permanency Service works with children who are Looked After.  The service holds case responsibility from the child’s first Looked After Child’s Review or first court hearing.  The team works with children who are subject to care proceedings and those with an adoption plan, whilst also working closely with the Regional Adoption Agency-Adoption Central England (ACE).

What is the job role?

An opportunity has arisen for Advanced Social Worker to join the Looked After Children and Permanence Service with a focus on Adoption.

As an Advanced Social Worker, you will have a commitment to inclusive practice and a strong commitment to securing permanency for children.   You will work closely with colleagues and our regional adoption agency, Adoption Central England (ACE) to ensure that services of seeking permanency for children with a plan of adoption are progressed in a timely way. You will work also work with professionals from a range of agencies including health, education, children’s services and the police in order to improve lived experiences for children.

You will be experienced and confident in Adoption work and have an awareness of Early permanence. You will be competent in completing child permanency reports, working to tight deadlines to meet ADM requirements,  family finding and matching and supporting and preparing the child for transitions which is through direct and life story work.

All other statutory duties for a looked after child are required for this role.

Working within a highly regarded, efficient and caring service you will be part of one of six social work teams consisting of a Team Manager, senior practitioner, a children and family worker and a variety of experienced and newly qualified social workers.

If you are a highly motivated social worker who is committed to delivering excellent services to looked after children in Coventry, we would welcome your application. 

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Who are we looking for?

We are particularly interested in applications from candidates who have experience of securing permanency. Experience of care planning for children who are subject to care proceedings, progressing care plans for children who are subject to Placement Orders and have a care plan of adoption.

You will need to have a recognised professional social work qualification (MA/BA/BSc in Social Work, Diploma in Social Work or CQSW) and Social Work England registration with  experience in working with looked after children, child protection and court proceedings and Adoption.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Helen Harper on 024 76787980 / helen.harper@coventry.gov.uk

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'

Interview date: Week beginning 13th March

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 4800 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies

Coventry City Council