Through Care Engagement and Project Support Apprentice

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

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, high challenge and manageable caseloads.  Children’s Services is proud of its workforce, who are committed, dedicated, and work to a high standard. We are seeking other like minded practitioners who would like to join us.  We pride ourselves on building relationships with families and partners and hold respectful practice at the centre of all we do.

The Through Care Service works with looked after children and care leavers.  The service is co-located with carers advisors, a housing liaison officer and a UASC liaison officer.  Through Care is an innovative and dynamic service involved in national pilots of Lifelong Links, Leaving Well and New Belongings and were shortlisted for the 2019 social workers of the year awards.  Coventry is part of the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum.

What is the job role?

The Engagement and Project Support Apprentice will work with service users, colleagues and partners in a range of tasks, such as planning and organising events, providing administrative support and assisting with social media posts. Through Care has Social Media accounts (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) which need daily monitoring. Through Care also runs a program of events for older Looked After Children and Care Leavers to develop their life skills.

Key areas of work will include:

• Working with groups of and individual Looked After Children and Care Leavers to build relationships and obtain their views.
• Supporting the running of various trips and groups.
• To use Social Media platforms to gather and share information with young people.
• To support with the organisation and delivery of events such as the annual Care Leaver award celebration event.
• To assist in training workshops facilitated by team members.
• Completing admin tasks as required by the service.

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 individuals who have:

• Knowledge of issues that affect Looked After Children and Care Leavers
• An understanding of the work undertaken by Through Care
• The ability to listen to and communicate with children and young people and to encourage them to express their views
• Excellent IT skills including the ability to use Social Media

When applying for this role you will be asked to write a personal statement explaining your suitability for the post. When writing your personal statement please ensure you cover all of the bullet points listed above.

Closing date is midnight on 12^th September

The application and selection process for candidates is as follows:

• Stage 1 (20^th September) – Candidates will be shortlisted based on the answers given
• Stage 2 (23^th September) – Pre-interview and assessment*
• Stage 3 (30^th September) – Final interview

* The pre-interview is a short session to give you further details of the apprenticeship role and to help you understand what to expect from and how to prepare for the final interview. You will also complete a short diagnostic assessment to check the level of Maths and English that you are currently working at and identify any support you may require.

Did you know that there is support available to help you with your application?

If you would like support in completing your application or have any questions about our recruitment and selection processes, help is available at The Job Shop.

We would recommend that all applicants take advantage of this service in order to maximise the chances of being shortlisted.

Address: 1 Bull Yard, Coventry, CV1 1LH
Phone: 024 7678 5740
Email: jobshop@coventry.gov.uk     
Website: http://www.coventry.gov.uk/jobshop

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 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