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

Adult Social Care is part of the People Directorate within Coventry City Council.  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’.

Adult Social Care encompasses a wide range of vital services covering;

• Commissioning Team – we commission and work with a number of providers, to ensure that people with care needs have access to a range of good quality support to enable them to live independent and fulfilling lives
• Social Work Services - we work with individuals who have care and support needs, and with their carers be they older or younger adults
• Occupational Therapy and Equipment Services - we aim to enhance people’s ability to live safely and independently in their home
• Internally Provided Services – we provide direct support to people enabling those in most need to live independent and fulfilled lives
• Business Systems and Continuous Improvement - we provide a range of services including Financial Assessments, provider payment processing and Business Systems administration. The Business Systems team provide support to Adult Social Care, Children’s Services and Education Services.

This is an exciting time to join us as we work to put adults and their carers at the heart of everything we do. Specifically, if you are social workers, occupational therapists or social care professionals who are committed to achieving the best outcomes for adults and their carers we will help you make a difference through manageable caseloads, high-quality professional support, supervision and guidance and excellent learning and development opportunities

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. 

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.

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'

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 & benefits package which includes:

• Flexible working arrangements
• Generous annual leave allowance starting at 27 days and rising to 32 days
• Pay progression through multiple increments
• Opportunity for Salary Match
• An outstanding local government pension scheme
• Great opportunities to develop with access to accredited courses.
• Access to an award-winning Occupational Health Service
• Salary Sacrifice Scheme

Coventry City Council