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

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.

We have a simple vision and strategy that defines what we are trying to achieve, our purpose and our approach which underpin the principles of Adult Social Care, and we continue to work in support of this.

In a simple sense all our work, at whatever level should continue to support the strategy of: ‘Providing support, in the least intrusive manner possible, based on the assets, resources and abilities that are available to people’.

What is the job role?

The Pod team are committed to working in ways that are rights based, collaborative, creative, dynamic and personalised. The Pod have asserted National influence through work with TLAP, Public Health England, National Development Team For Social Inclusion In Mental Health, Local Government Association and presenting to the Health and Social Care Committee in Parliament.  People referred to the Pod have severe and enduring mental ill health and meet eligibility thresholds. The Pod’s ethos is driven by a community capacity building approach to mental health practice, which focuses on positive risk taking, connectivity, resilience and recovery. The Pod team are committed to working in a ways that are collaborative, creative, dynamic and personalised. We aim to secure responsive, firm and sustainable outcomes.    

In this role, you will undertake collaborative Care Act Assessments (Strengths And Needs Assessment) with people referred to The Pod from Secondary Mental Services who are living with severe and enduring mental ill-health. Forming effective working partnerships with both the referring practitioner and the person they have referred, navigating them through their personal/professional responsibilities and/or rights at each stage of The Pod’s recovery pathway. This role will have a particular focus on but won't be exclusive to people referred to us who are between the ages 18-25.

You will also act as social advocate and social broker, mobilising relevant key agency/resources for example the Law Centre, Trade Unions, local organisations, community activists and the movers and shakers of Coventry. Ensuring roles and responsibilities are clear and time framed that decision-making processes are inclusive and transparent and if necessary, asserting the need for fast track access ensuring the citizen remains central to discussions and decisions, using Statutory Assessments as a framework for dialogue to enhance both understanding and future outcomes.

This is a 30 hour a week part time post. 

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?

You’ll need to be passionate about rights and recovery based work in adult mental health and have a natural affinity with the principles of co-production, which are applied both when supporting an individual to complete their Statutory Care Act Assessments and then through to Social Brokerage.  This ethos, coupled with the ability to co-produce with Citizens and their stakeholders, and to change the viewpoint of invested professionals such as Housing Officers and health staff.

To be part of this innovative and award winning service you’ll need to demonstrate that you have:

• Experience of one to one work with individuals who want to make significant changes in their life.
• Experience of working in a multi –disciplinary teams and with community organisations and/or social activists
• Ability to research opportunities available across the city (and further afield) that link to individual outcomes for example in culture, leisure, education, volunteering.
• ICT skills to include using data bases and all social media platforms
• Good communication, questioning and negotiation skills and the ability to accurately assimilate and document information
• Good organisational skills to manage conflicting priorities often working under pressure to agreed deadlines
• Awareness of Care Act 2014 and Mental Health Act and statutory guidelines for good practice.

There will opportunity to influence the Pod’s citywide Social Activism Programs for example Time Union and/or other project based work. We invest in these programs because we believe to recover mental health and to nurture a resilient city you need to cultivate social activism, find out what's important to people and generate new opportunities that Connect and mobilise people, their assets and passions and enable Change for the common good.

The majority of the team did not have a background of working in health or social care before working at the Pod so don’t let that put you off. Lived experience of severe and enduring mental ill health and/or experience of working or volunteering in allied sectors, for example trade union, arts and cultural industry, advocacy, community development are all really solid foundations for a Development Worker/Social Advocacy.

To have an informal conversation to find out more about the role please contact kirk.savage@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(s): 11th & 12th July 2023

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