Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values we strive to have a workforce that reflects our local communities and welcome applicants from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic backgrounds, applicants who have a disability and applicants who are from the LGBTQ+ community to apply for our senior leadership roles. 

Our Values are:

About the team we are recruiting to

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

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.

What is the job role?

Salary: £36,648 - £43,421 (£40,312.80 - £47,763.10 per annum inc. shift allowances) with additional payment for sleeping in duties and out of hours on-call responsibilities.

We currently have 5 well-established Children's Residential Homes within the city and a forward-thinking vision to open additional homes enabling Coventry’s young people to stay closer to their family, friends and community. Due to this expansion programme, we are currently in the process of opening new facilities that include Same day / Short stay provision.

At present we care for up to 16 looked after children aged 10 to 18 years, who have a diverse range of needs and may have been impacted by childhood trauma.

By joining our highly motivated and dedicated team working in our Children’s Homes offers opportunities to make a real difference to the lives of our amazing looked after children. We deliver excellent standards of care using Signs of Safety and ensuring Relationship Based Practice provides a safe and nurturing space for them to call home.

What our children say

We consulted our looked-after children and young people from Coventry about how they would like to be cared for. These are some of the things they said;

We would like –

• to be listened to
• to be treated with respect, dignity and individuality
• to feel safe
• to be helped to achieve our full potential
• to be supported to be independent
• to be cared for by people who won’t give up on us
• to build and maintain positive relationships and where possible, not to move to far away from where we used to live and to stay in the same school
• to make happy memories

About the job role

There are several key areas that are essential to this role to support continuous service development and project-based work across the service.

These are:

Role model – as part of the management structure, lead the team by example and create a culture and ethos within the home where everyone understands the importance of relationship-based practice to improve outcomes for children and young people.

Leader – support the Registered Manager in all aspect of the home’s management and deputise in their absence. Have sound values, be assertive and have confidence to address others using excellent communication skills. Lead on practice with an experienced knowledge base to ensure consistency throughout the team and to contribute to the wider service in order to develop the internal Residential homes.

Organiser – take the lead in project development and new initiatives. Ensure all statutory requirements are met in line with set timescales. Proactive planning to ensure the staff team are meeting set quality standards and deadlines.

Skilled Practitioner – facilitating the matching and admission process for children and supporting transition plans within the wider care system. Understanding safeguarding principles to ensure children are protected. Representing the service at key project meetings and working in a co-operative manner with other agencies to achieve joint objectives and provide complimentary services. Understand budget requirements and work within set parameters.

Who are we looking for?

Preferably you will be a driver, have a good level of computer literacy in order to evidence the work we do, and be committed to continued professional development. In return we will offer you support and training and the opportunity to develop your front-line management skills.

You should have:

• an ability to work holistically across a wide range of services to deliver positive outcomes
• experience in implementing current legislation in particular the Children’s Home Regulations 2015 and Working Together to Safeguard Children [2018]
• a professional qualification relevant to working with children, which must be at minimum of Level 3/4 Diploma in Residential Childcare and have at least 2years recent experience of working in a children's residential setting and a commitment to completing the level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management qualification
• experience in the recording and auditing of sensitive information, maintaining the integrity of case files and evidence gathering systems, and adhering to confidentiality policies

Be able to:

• lead and manage the staff team through difficult and challenging situations, to remain solution focussed and enable others to effectively reflect on actions and practice
• be accountable for and make informed decisions within a short time frame when necessary
• work in conjunction with others in service teams and direct the work of staff teams where appropriate
• provide formal and informal supervision to develop the professional skill base of the team
• understand models / theories relevant to the children we work with. Undertake self-directed learning to develop knowledge base and ensure this is shared with others
• ensure that the welfare of children is safeguarded and advise staff on implementing strategies that ensure children’s exposure to risk is minimised
• effectively manage conflict resolution
• support the management out of hours on-call service and respond accordingly

If you think you have the right skills to help us to achieve great things for our children by placing them at the centre of everything you do and feel that you are a leader who can motivate a team with the ability to work in partnership with others, are reflective, flexible, accountable and resilient, we would like to hear from you.

As part of the application process, you will need to provide us with your full work history since leaving school and identify any gaps in order to meet the requirements of Schedule 2 of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015.

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).

Working Patterns & Posts

Full-time [37 hour] post on a rota that includes, evenings, weekends, bank holidays, sleep ins and out of hours on-call responsibilities which, enables us to meet the needs of the children we look after.

For any queries or for further information please email: residentialchildrensservices@coventry.gov.uk

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

Interviews to take place week beginning 8th January 2024

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