Children's Homes - Deputy Manager

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.

We currently have 5 well-established Children's Residential Homes within the city and a forward-thinking vision to open additional homes enabling Coventry’s young people to stay closer to their family, friends, and community. Children in our care 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 understands their unique experiences and perspectives.

Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do. 

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.

What is the job role?

We currently care for up to 20 looked after children aged 10 to 18 years, who have a range of needs and may have been impacted by childhood trauma.

We are expanding our Children's Homes and are in the process of opening new facilities across the city. 

Due to this expansion we have an exciting opportunity for a Deputy Manager.

The role will be varied, challenging and offers a rewarding career that makes a difference to the lives of our amazing looked after children. We deliver excellent standards of care using Signs of Safety and ensuring Relationship Based Practice provides a safe and nurturing space for them to call home.

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?

There are several key areas that are essential to this role to support continuous service development and project-based work across the service.

These are:

Role model - create and maintain a culture of relationship-based practice that improves outcomes for children and young people.

Leader – support and deputise for the Registered Manager, communicate and assert values, and contribute to the development of the residential service.

Organiser – lead on project development and new initiatives, ensure compliance with statutory requirements and quality standards, and manage budget effectively.

Skilled Practitioner – facilitate the admission and transition of children, protect them from harm, and collaborate with other agencies to provide complementary services.

Our Ideal Candidate

Preferably you will be a driver, have a good level of computer literacy to evidence the work we do, and be committed to continued professional development.

You should have:

• A Diploma in Residential Childcare (Level 3 or 4)
• Recent, extensive experience of working in a children's residential setting
• Willingness and ability to complete the Diploma in Leadership and Management qualification (Level 5) which is an Ofsted requirement
• Experience in implementing current legislation, in particular the Children’s Home Regulations 2015 and Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
• Experience in the recording and auditing of sensitive information, maintaining case files and evidence gathering systems, and adhering to confidentiality policies
• Experience of managing staff and operational situations to a high standard in a similar environment
• A holistic approach to delivering positive outcomes
• Have a solid understanding of and be an advocate for the principles of diversity and inclusion in relation to workplace culture and service delivery

In return we will offer you support and training and the opportunity to develop your front-line management skills.

If this sounds like the perfect next step in your career, then we would love to hear from you.

To meet the requirements of Schedule 2 of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015, you will need to complete a full work history.

Working Patterns and Posts

This is a full time post, 37 hours per week, on a rota basis including evenings, weekends, bank holidays, sleep ins and out of hours on-call responsibilities to enable us to meet the needs of the children we look after.

If you would like to arrange an informal conversation to discuss this role, please contact us via email at residentialchildrensservices@coventry.gov.uk

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

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

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

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

If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

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

Interview date(s): week of 6th January 2025 

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 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