Specialist Family Support Worker- Hearing Impaired Children

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

The Coventry Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Support Service exists to deliver the aspirational challenge set to us by young people with SEND and their families: ‘To Lift the Cloud of Limitation and enable them to enjoy an ordinary life’. 

We are a creative, connected and forward-thinking service.  Together with our families and partners in schools, settings, the NHS and third sector, we have driven change that has pushed us to the cutting edge of SEND.  This includes embedding co-production across all areas of service delivery, investing in our SEND workforce, and pioneering new initiatives such as the award-nominated 'Together We Can' partnership group to engage Early Years children and their families and 'My Support Plan', a family-centred approach to understanding children's strengths and needs and tailoring their support. 

When Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) completed a Local Area inspection of Coventry in October 2019, they commended our “genuine passion and commitment to get things right for children and young people with SEND and their families”; our respect for the “lived experiences of children and young people with SEND and their parents” and the “strong partnership between school settings and education service providers, with a high level of buy-back of specialist services”.

The Sensory Team are specialist (hearing and vision) teachers and support staff providing highly specialist support and advice for children and young people with hearing or vision difficulties in Coventry aged from 0-25. 

The team, which is highly regarded by families and schools, provides information, equipment and direct teaching in homes, early years settings and schools across Coventry to promote inclusion, empower families and raise achievement.

What is the job role?

This post is to support the work of the Sensory Team to coordinate and promote better outcomes for children and young people with hearing impairment and their families

The post involves Supporting Children and empowering families in a variety of settings including family homes, preschool settings, Family Hubs, holiday schemes and audiology clinics across the city, under the advice of specialist teachers.

Use of ICT will be an integral part of the role and you will be expected to signpost families and deliver activities, workshops and support groups.

Ensuring the development and delivery of high-quality support for Deaf children from birth onwards.

Taking an active lead in engaging newly identified, hard- to-reach and newly-arrived families

We would provide you with a full induction period including training and shadowing of other team members and ongoing mentoring support

This post is 22.5 hours a week, all year round.

Please note the salary advertised will be pro-rata to hours worked.

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?

We are looking for a proactive and committed individual to empower our families to reach their full potential. This unique post offers an opportunity to learn and expand new creative methods of engaging children, young people and their families, both individually and in groups. If you care about making a difference to the lives of families in Coventry and are eager to try new ideas then this job is for you.

Key Requirements for this role:

• Ability to find positive solutions to issues, motivate others and use creative and innovative strategies to engage families with services
• In-depth understanding of child and language development
• In-depth understanding of the effect of hearing impairment on communication, language development and education
•  Level 1 and  2 British Sign Language or a willingness to learn. (Training will be provided)
• GCSE Level 4 in English and Maths ( Grade C, Functional Skills Level 2)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to use relevant technology and able to demonstrate knowledge and use a wide range of ICT systems

To be shortlisted for this post you will need to demonstrate that you have had extensive, relevant  experience of working supporting children and families with special educational needs within the context of pre-school and primary educational settings

For an informal discussion about this post, please contact: Heulwen Hindson Deputy Lead Sensory Team -Hearing Impairment Sensory Team Email:heulwen.hindson@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): Week beginning 28th June

About Coventry

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