At Coventry City Council, we are embarking on an incredible journey to create a brighter future for Coventry's children. As a 'Good' Local Authority, we believe in pushing boundaries and delivering excellence for children and families. 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.

Our vision is clear, and our social workers are unwavering in their commitment to putting children and families at the centre of their practice.

Be part of our inspiring team, making a meaningful difference in the lives of Coventry's children. Together, let's create a nurturing environment where every child's potential can flourish.

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:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

We are seeking to appoint an experienced and knowledgeable Operational Lead for our South Area Help & Protection Team.  Help and Protection Teams are responsible for supporting families via Child in Need and Child Protection processes.

We’re on a journey to excellence for Coventry’s children, and we’re committed to ensure that children are at the heart of our decision-making and ensuring they receive good outcomes.

Operational Leads are responsible for managing the delivery of high quality, inclusive services for children who require help & protection on a day-to-day basis, as well as planning and implementing a programme of improvement work to meet the demands of the three-year Ofsted inspection cycle.

Please note this post currently carries a market supplement of £8,000 per year, which will be reviewed on an annual basis.

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).
 

We're looking for a leader who recognises the value of diversity in driving organisational excellence, and who are committed to creating an environment where every individual feels valued and supported.

You should possess a Social Work qualification and demonstrate exceptional expertise in both Child in Need and Child Protection procedures, along with a proven track record of effective leadership.

You will be committed and passionate about practice, sharing learning and knowledge and developing others. You will have a solid understanding of and be an advocate for the principles of diversity and inclusion in relation to workplace culture and service delivery.

The families, children and young people that we work with come from a variety of backgrounds and in order to deliver the best possible care it is vital that we have a workforce that represents and understand their unique experience and perspectives.

In order to shape and deliver our services in an effective way, we want to ensure that we have employees from a range of different backgrounds, identities and different lived experiences so that we are able to meet the needs of all the communities that we serve. 

Our workforce data shows that men and people from minority ethnic backgrounds are under-represented at senior management level, and in line with our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we would like to encourage applications from these under-represented groups. This does not prevent individuals with or without any other protected characteristics as set out within the Equalities Act 2010 from applying for this post.  

For an informal conversation about the role please contact Chris Heeley – Strategic Lead – Help and Protection – chris.heeley@coventry.gov.uk

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

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

Interview date: 6th June 2024

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 5100 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