Return To Practice Social Worker

What is the job role?

We have an award-winning Social Work Academy which offers experienced social workers a comprehensive learning and professional development pathway. This also includes a range of initiatives, including our ASYE programme and a new Social Work Apprenticeship Degree Scheme that have broadened our recruitment and retention strategy to support local experienced children and family workers to progress into a Social Work career. There are also several post qualifying opportunities such as leadership programmes, the ability to become a Practice Educator and the National Assessment and Accreditation Scheme (NAAS)

If you have been out of practice for more than two years, the Return to Practice Programme will enable you to update your knowledge and skills so that you can meet the requirements for registration with Social Work England.

We will provide you with an opportunity to complete a period of ‘supervised practice’, linking you with an experienced social work practitioner based in one of our front line teams where you will undertake a period of shadowing, observing and learning about current practice to update your understanding of social work with children and their families. This together with some private and/or formal study will form your updating period to refresh your knowledge and skills, you will then be able to meet the requirements for your professional registration.

Our passionate team are working hard through the current challenges that the national pandemic brings to continue to ensure that children, young people and their families and carers, receive help and support. The vision and commitment of Coventry Children’s Services ensure that a high quality and child-centred service is provided.

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).

Come and join our webinar on Wednesday 26th January at 6:00pm via Microsoft Teams and meet the team. The webinar will showcase the programme we offer throughout your development, the structure of training, our employment offer, and the application/ interview process. This will also give you an opportunity to ask any questions you have regarding the Return to Practice programme. Please email Arin.sotoudeh@coventry.gov.uk to register your attendance and meet the team.

Who are we looking for?

If you are looking to return to practice, we want to hear from you. It is a great time to join our diverse workforce within Children’s Services, with great opportunities to develop your learning, ongoing training to improve practice, a clear way to progress through our progression pathway, and an engaging team that recognises success and values staff. There are opportunities to join our help and protection teams; looked after children teams; fostering teams, children with disabilities and through care services.

Why Join us?

- A generous holiday allowance of 27 days, rising to 32 after five years of service
- Time off in lieu and working from home opportunities for you to balance your work and life as well as possible
- Exceptional levels of support,
- Free Parking Citywide
- Excellent in-house learning and development to ensure that you can operate at your peak

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

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 and high challenge.

Introduction to Coventry City Council:

Coventry is a lively, multicultural city, which embraces old and new. Around the modern city centre there are traces of history everywhere – in the old city walls, the timber-framed buildings and the reconstructed medieval Spon Street. But Coventry has always had an eye on the future, and is now firmly focused on regenerating and re-inventing itself to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. With major developments and new projects taking place right across the city, Coventry City Council is the place to be!

There's a huge buzz about the city – Coventry ranks as the 8th best city to live, work and do business in the UK, and is the UK City of Culture 2021 ! We believe this will help put Coventry on the map for all the right reasons. You can feel the sense of local pride throughout the city as we build towards this momentous year. It also offers a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to those joining us to play their part in it.

We genuinely believe that Coventry City Council is a special place. You will be joining Coventry City Council during an exciting time to become part of a team that contribute to achieving our visions for the city. We have made our council a place where we look after our people, making sure you're happy in your work and given everything you need to succeed. We've created friendly, welcoming workplaces where everyone is working towards the same cause, providing the best possible services for the city of Coventry.

As a council with improvement at its heart, we’re committed to making life better for the people who live and work in Coventry. We’re equally concerned with the quality of life enjoyed by our people, so by joining us, you won’t just be helping the community, you’ll be helping yourself too.

Not only do you get to work alongside great people that are helping to improve services for our community we offer great benefits too! For your valued contribution we will provide a fantastic benefits package including;

- Flexible working arrangements
- Generous annual leave allowance starting at 27 days and rising to 32 days
- Pay progression through multiple increments
- Outstanding local government pension scheme
- Learning & Development with access to certified courses.
- Access to an award winning Occupational Health Team
- Vibrant employee networks