Key achievements - based on our Adult Social Care Offer
The previous section contained a volume of data and comparisons across a number of areas of performance. To summarise this as succinctly as possible would be to say that Coventry continues to support a relatively low number of people with ongoing care and support needs and as a result is a comparatively low spender on Adult Social Care.
This position has largely been arrived at by our approach to Adult Social Care and Support which is based on supporting people to be as independent as possible. Where independence has been lost or reduced, we work with people to regain skills and where levels of independence have been limited, we work with people to improve this. Our goal is for people to be living independently within their own homes. This is not always achievable and in many cases living independently is only possible with support.
The examples in this report give a flavour of how we have delivered this approach, our commitments in our Adult Social Care Offer and priorities within the One Coventry Plan 2022-2030. We have used real examples with the consent of those involved
1. Taking a strength-based approach
Sean’s story – taking control with a Direct Payment
Sean (left) with his nephew at Wembley
Sean is a 52-year-old man who lives in his own home in Coventry. One of the most important things that he’d want people to know about, are his two lovely golden retriever dogs named China, who is 14 and Millie, aged 12. He has raised them both from pups. He also had another beloved dog named Molly. She had two litters of 12 puppies each time. Sadly, Molly is no longer here anymore, she was 15 when she passed away. Sean enjoys taking his dogs for a walk, he has a harness that is strapped onto his wheelchair, and he takes charge of walking them.
Sean is a Coventry City football fan, and he likes to watch matches when they play at home and some away matches. He has a group of friends that have known him for years, who he likes to meet at the pub for a pint. He is also very connected to his neighbours in the street.
He has three brothers, one of which has sadly passed away. He remains very close to his two brothers and speaks to them regularly.
Sean has Cerebral Palsy. He had an Independent Living Fund (ILF) before the Direct Payment. He now uses his Direct Payment to employ Personal Assistants (PAs) on a full-time basis, to work with him and support him in his home.
What are Direct Payments and Personal Assistants?
A Direct Payment is the sum of money that the Council will pay directly to the person so that they can buy and arrange their own care and support, instead of the Council arranging it for them.
Direct Payments put the person central to the support that they receive, helping them live as independently as possible and giving them more choice and control.
A Personal Assistant is someone a person can choose to employ to give them support they need, in the way that suits them best. A Personal Assistant (PA) can be paid through Direct Payments.
What difference does the Direct Payment make?
For Sean, his PAs are so much more than that to him, they are long-term friends. He has known his two main Personal Assistants for over 30 years. They are fluent in Sean’s level of communication, and they support him to express his views and wishes. Through their support, Sean can advocate for himself. He cannot communicate verbally, but he is very articulate at writing his views and wishes. When planning for care reviews, Sean prefers to prepare what he wants to discuss, or what might have changed in his life. He then gives this to the social worker or other professionals when they visit. Sean oversees his care arrangements, and his PAs will say he is clear in telling them what he needs support with.
“If I didn’t have the Direct Payment, to pay for my PAs to help me, I wouldn’t be able do what I like to do, such as go to the USA and buy my house.”
Sean
Sean is very witty with a great sense of humour, it seems that he and his PAs are like-minded people which is key in them having longstanding friendships over the years. He trusts them deeply and they have great respect for Sean.
Sean’s Direct Payment enables him to live a life on his terms, in his own home. It gives him choice and control over his care and support but also things that he wants to take part in. Like going for a pint, or two, and watching the football. Sean is a man with many strengths, from the relationships with his family, PAs, to his lifetime friendships and his ability to self-advocate and organise his support
Andrew Errington, Head of Practice Development & Safeguarding (Adults Principal Social Worker) said;
"Direct Payments can make such a difference to people’s lives, it’s certainly something I would want if I ever needed care and support, as would wish to have control and direct my own care wherever possible".
Want to know more about Direct Payments and Personal Assistants?
Take a look at our Direct Payments webpages or get in touch with Penderels Trust who provide a Direct Payment Support Service in Coventry and can tell you more about either being or recruiting a PA.
2 Helping people to stay at home
Mary
Mary’s story – care at right time and place to prevent hospital readmission
Mary is a 74-year-old woman who is married to her husband Keith. Mary has lived in Coventry all her life and has a very supportive family network of children and grandchildren. Mary had previously experienced strokes which had caused some weakness on the right side of her body. Mary herself used to work in caring services and likes to practice mediation and mindfulness, which she believes supports her wellbeing and recovery.
What was the situation?
Mary was initially admitted to hospital for a planned knee replacement. After successful surgery Mary was discharged home feeling that she could manage with support from her husband and didn’t need any care and support. Upon getting home Mary soon realised she wasn’t managing and there was a risk she might need to be readmitted to hospital.
Mary was initially supported by a new Urgent Care and Reablement (UCR) pathway This urgent care response is provided by therapists and nurses from Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT). This service provides any urgent treatment, equipment and support for a period of up to 7 days. Through these teams, older people and adults with complex health needs who urgently need care, can get fast access to a range of health and social care professionals within two hours. If a person needs support after this period they refer to Adult Social Care.
The service stabilised the situation, providing an urgent hospital bed downstairs and equipment such as a walking frame and commode.
Mary said; ‘I felt I was discharged from hospital, after the knee surgery, earlier than I would have hoped. Luckily, the home support was immediate with walking frames, wheelable commode and a bed brought to our home to help with my rehabilitation’
The service felt that Mary may need ongoing care and therapy so referred to the Adult Social Care Short Term Service to Maximise Independence (STSMI) service. This aims to work with people to improve their confidence, getting people back into daily routines and independence all within a time frame of up to 6 weeks where this is needed.
What did we do?
Emma the allocated Occupational Therapist from STSMI undertook an initial assessment and talked to Mary about what we she wanted to achieve. Mary was adamant that she didn’t want long term care or to overly rely on her husband and wanted to use the stairs again so could get to bed upstairs.
It was also really important for Mary to shower independently. Mary had always enjoyed a daily shower and was really motivated to do this by herself again. Emma identified Mary’s strengths and the areas she needed to work on such as using the shower independently. The daily care smoothly transferred from CWPT, with Adult Social Care taking over, in order that the urgent care service can focus on supporting others in similar situations of potential crisis.
What difference did it make and how are things now?
Rails and equipment were ordered. Mary herself was very complimentary of the support received, including that of the Repairs and Maintenance team at Coventry City Council and the work they undertook fitting rails in the bathroom area. Mary continued to practice using the stairs, with support from a physio from CWPT and eventually Mary was able to start using the stairs to get to her bedroom.
After a period of 10 days Mary no longer needed direct care and support. Mary was very complimentary about the care received, it had improved her feelings of safety and confidence and said the service was 10 out of 10!
Mary said; ‘The support I received was fantastic. All the people I have had contact with have been lovely. The support of my family, especially my husband Keith, and the team gave me my confidence back’.
Emma said; ‘Mary was lovely to work with, being motivated and focused to get back to previous levels of independence, this support demonstrated how both services can work together, using our respective skills and experience for the benefit of the person we are supporting’.
Aideen Staunton, Head of Service, Partnerships and Social Care Operations said; ‘What a wonderful story! Mary’s story truly illustrates how working collectively and in partnership, along with Mary’s own motivation and self-determination, amazing outcomes can be achieved. Mary’s confidence and independence has clearly increased and I feel very proud that Mary has given our service 10 out of 10.’
3. Living and ageing well
Tyler’s story – from foster child to Shared Lives
Tyler with his Shared Lives carers, Maura and James
This is the story of a young boy who has become a man, who has faced difficulties but is now independent in many areas of his daily life.
Tyler is a young man who is going places and has come a long way from the young boy he was when he first went to live with the couple, Maura and James, who were then his foster carers. Over time, with support and guidance from his carers, Tyler has been encouraged to develop and grow his independent living skills and become the person he is today.
His carers completely embraced the ethos and values of Shared Lives and it was because of the positivity of his foster placement that when he was old enough, he legally changed his surname to that of his foster carers as he saw this as the final piece of the jigsaw that enabled him to feel secure and part of the family. Not that there has ever been any doubt about his inclusion in the family and he very much sees his carers as ‘mum and dad’. His carer’s parents have been his grandparents and their sisters and brothers have been his aunts and uncles.
As he was reaching the age of 18 there was no way that this relationship was going to change and his foster carers began the process of becoming Shared Lives Carers, but always ‘mum and dad’ to Tyler. The first time the Shared Lives scheme met Tyler was at his Looked After Child review and have rarely experienced the warmth and respect that the other professionals had for him and his carers.
Tyler had the dreams that many young people have, of finishing college and going to university and although this did not happen, never say never as far as he is concerned!
When he left college Tyler had qualifications in hospitality and had been working ‘front of house’ at a local restaurant and he is also a qualified football referee and had been attending Sea Cadets for many years before becoming a staff member there.
Along his journey Tyler has become a very caring and thoughtful person who enjoys being part of a team, organising events at Cadets and for work
Tyler had this to say;
“I have been very lucky to be involved in Shared Lives as it has given me the opportunity to stay with my family and have some consistency.
I have been able to develop in an environment I know is caring and have the support when I need it. I have a good relationship with my mentors and they have supported me in my development including additional qualifications. Having the stability has allowed me to continue with my hobbies and I have the confidence to put myself forward and develop my skills.
I have secured full time employment with a Bank working in their Securities department and also I am a member of staff at Sea Cadets where I support younger people. I have a path in my life now which I do not think I would have followed had I not had the opportunity to be in Shared Lives and I see a bright future in my existing set up and the security of knowing I am safe”.
Tyler is becoming even more independent; he travels to work on public transport, gets himself to football matches when refereeing and with support, is able to remain at home when his carers go away for short breaks. He supports Liverpool and has been to Wembley with a friend and games with his carer.
When you talk to Tyler there is real pride in his voice when he tells you how he is now off Universal Credit and is working and earning and when you talk to his carers the same pride is in them.
Tyler is a young man who has dreams and ambitions so watch this space!
Interested in becoming a Shared Lives Carer for our CQC ‘Outstanding’ rated service? Visit our Shared Lives webpages.
4. Making the best use of resources
Helping people in Coventry to stay well and at home
Providing preventative support is a key element of the approach taken by Adult Social Care as well as being enshrined in the Care Act 2014. Working in a preventative way can often result in better outcomes, increased independence and prevent the need for more intensive health and social care support. Since 2018 a ‘Preventative Support’ programme has been operating in Coventry, delivered by voluntary and community sector organisations that support people with mental health needs, learning disability, dementia, physical health needs, older people, and those with caring responsibilities.
In 2022/23,13 services were recommissioned for 2 years under the Preventative Support Grant. This ensured continuity in support for individuals, meeting increasing demand for advice and support as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. The full list of the services funded under this grant and for further information on their support can be found on the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise page of our website.
Some examples of preventative services in Coventry are:
Carers Trust Heart of England
Carers Trust provide invaluable support to unpaid carers in Coventry and Warwickshire. Preventative services such as respite and resilience sessions are delivered by the organisation to help prevent carers from reaching crisis point and a carer breakdown occurring; if this does happen, Carers Trust have an emergency CRESS service.
Read more about the work of the Carers Trust later in the report.
Mind – ‘Wellbeing for Coventry’
Mental health is an increasing concern and services such as Mind help to tackle this by providing preventative support to help decrease the likelihood of somebody reaching crisis point and needing to enter hospital. The service offers personalised support tailored to the individual, via experienced support workers, practitioners and tutors work with individuals and groups.
Tania Miller, Head of Operations and Clinical Lead, Mind said;
"Wellbeing for Coventry offers a wide range of services, including preventative, educational and resilience building, through to the community services for those with longer term mental health problems and more complex needs and to our Wellbeing Hubs which offer safe, supported social environments.
Delivered alongside our partners at the Sahil and Tamarind projects, who provide culturally sensitive support to their communities, Wellbeing for Coventry provides excellent support, reflected in positive outcomes and feedback"
Good Neighbours
Good Neighbours is a befriending service running in Coventry that connects over 50’s to their network of volunteer befrienders, to improve wellbeing, build relationships and strengthen communities.
Jess Day-Pollard, Good Neighbours Coventry Project Manager, said; "Good Neighbours Coventry provides 1:1 befriending, supported social groups, and signposting to isolated and lonely over 50s in the city. We have so far helped over 2500 older people (since 2016) find meaningful friendship and community connection."
What difference do these services make?
One such example is support provided by ‘Good Neighbours Coventry’ to Paul.
Paul is 79 and lives alone in small flat. He was referred to Good Neighbours Coventry for social visits as he was living with depression, and it was felt that a befriender would greatly benefit his wellbeing. Paul was matched with volunteer befriender Martin and they quickly bonded during weekly social visits over a joint love of football, fishing and other sports. These visits lifted Paul's mood significantly.
Paul wanted to become more independent but was not sure how to use his mobile phone. Martin supported Paul with how to use the phone for calls, texts, and internet access. Paul was also very unhappy in his property and wanted to move. With support from Good Neighbours, Martin has helped Paul bid on suitable retirement properties.
5. Joined up care and support
Annette’s story – from hospital to home
What was the situation?
Annette is an 89-year woman who was admitted to hospital after a referral from her GP. She was experiencing a number of different physical health problems. Both Annette and her family were initially very apprehensive about her discharge and felt that she may be better going into a residential placement for a period of reablement.
Annette though was independent with mobility and daily living skills before admission but had seen changes in her abilities over the last few months following her husband’s death 18 months ago. Following an assessment from the Hospital Discharge Team, Annette and her family decided to try a return home with support and she was supported with Adult Social Care Short Term Service to Maximise Independence (STSMI) service (for up to 6 weeks) with four care calls per day. This was complemented by support of her family, with members taking it in turns to stay overnight.
Annette returned home with a hospital bed downstairs and a pressure-relieving mattress. She also had several pieces of equipment such as a wheeled walking frame, commode and a perching stool (an adjustable stool that offers you a sloping, comfortable seat to rest on when carrying out tasks).
What happened?
Upon returning home the Community Discharge Team got involved. The team is made up of Occupational Therapists and Assistants who work with people who have returned home from hospital with care services. The aim is to work with people to improve their confidence and abilities getting people back into daily routines and independence all within a time frame up to 6 weeks where this is needed.
On an initial home assessment visit Becky, the allocated Occupational Therapist from the team talked with Annette about what she wanted to achieve over the following weeks. Annette wanted to be independent and was very motivated. It was agreed that Becky would visit 2 to 3 times a week to work on her goals of being able to walk independently and regain her daily living skills.
Over the coming weeks they practiced tasks such as making hot drinks, hot meals and put in additional equipment such as a shower stool and a caddy to help her move food and drinks from room to room. They also practiced using the stair lift to increase Annette’s confidence with this. Feedback was regularly given back to the carers about Annette’s progress and they were able to practice tasks that she felt less confident with.
Over the next few weeks Annette’s confidence improved hugely, she began making meals and drinks for herself and care was reduced. Her family also took a step back and were no longer staying overnight as Annette felt more confident. After 4 weeks Annette was completely independent in her own home and her care was ended. She was also discharged from District Nurses and her hospital bed was no longer needed, with all equipment being returned.
How are things now?
Annette is now sleeping in her own bed, using the stair lift independently, preparing all her own meals and completing all other care needs independently.
Annette is brighter and more confident at home and following her discharge, her neighbours regularly pop in to see her and provide her with company which has really lifted her spirits.
Annette said; ‘I think it’s a service that really works, giving people confidence. My carer Jacky always came with a smile, she always seemed to go above and beyond her duty and listened to whatever was worrying me and helped solve situations. Becky was brilliant and I felt reassured always knowing she was a phone call away and would help if I had any problems’.
Becky the Occupational Therapist said; ‘This is a fantastic example of the enablement process and how this can help maximise people’s independence. Through working with people in their own homes we can provide support to help them stay at home and reduce the risk of hospital readmission’.
Annette’s story is a great example of Coventry’s enablement ‘therapy led’ approach that has been imbedded in Coventry for a number of years, which places an emphasis on independent living and improving outcomes for people. This approach is being further developed through the work of the ‘Improving Lives programme’.
6. Keeping people safe
Keeping people safe is a fundamental element of the work of Adult Social Care and we recognise this as one of our key commitments in our Adult Social Care Offer. We want to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people and this is a challenging area as we are often involved in people’s lives at a time of change, crisis, profound trauma, abuse.
Kishor and his road to recovery and wellbeing
Kishor is a 38-year-old man who was a postgraduate student living in University accommodation with his wife and son.
He was diagnosed with severe agitated depression and received medical treatment from the Home Treatment Team at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT). However, his mental health worsened, and he began experiencing strong suicidal urges, anxiety and distress. He had to be assessed under the Mental Health Act (MHA) 1983 (amended in 2007) a number of times.
It became very clear that his psychosocial needs (his own thoughts, needs and external social factors) had to be looked at in order to see any improvement in his mental health.
What was happening?
Kishor began to seriously lag behind with his studies jeopardising his place on his course, his stay in the UK (he had a student visa) and his long-term desire to become a Business Logistics Expert. He was too unwell to hold down a full-time job, felt increasingly hopeless and expressed that his life and dreams had completely fallen apart.
There were a number of barriers that needed to be overcome. These included;
- having no-one at home to monitor and ensure his safety
- suffering from exhaustion, not feeling able to advocate for himself
- risk of failing the course and losing his right to a student visa
- being expected to vacate accommodation with a month
- relationship with key teams within the University breaking down (i.e. Mental Health Team, Accommodation)
- his wife being unaware of the risks and how poor his mental health had become
What did we do?
The Social Interventions Collective (SICol) team recognised the emotional distress of managing these social needs increased his risk of psychiatric hospital admission. The Social Worker and Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) and Kishor discussed the viability of a plan that would avoid admission and involved his wife, Meena, about the seriousness of his deteriorating mental state and increased risks.
SICol is a way of working that recognises the importance of weighting social and medical factors in crisis case ‘formulation’ (understanding key factors of a problem situation), rather than relying on the traditional dominance of the medical model.
SICol was able to support Meena, his wife, to deliver care at home being involved in all key aspects of his care and this acted as a key trigger for change.
For Kishor’s this ‘formulation’ including the prioritising of actions including;
- Mental Health: Kishor needed time to discuss his perception of his distress, in a safe setting, providing intensive support by enabling him to be open
- Education: liaison with the University’s Academic Department to negotiate reasonable adjustments on the grounds of his diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plan
- Housing: liaison with the University Accommodation Officers to extend Kishor’s tenancy on campus and put a hold on paying further rent
- Care and support: taking a strengths-based approach with Meena supporting her to identify she had the skills, insight knowledge and qualities to deliver care to Kishor at home
- Finances: Making an application for Kishor’s debts to be put on hold under the Crisis Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space)
- Immigration status: Gaining legal advice from solicitors, Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre (CRMC), the Councils Migration Team, University’s Immigration Service to gain step-by-step support for Kishor’s and his family’s visa application.
- Child Safeguarding concerns: working closely with the Children’s social worker by discussing risks and sharing information about Kishor’s mental health
- Medical: Advocating for Kishor with his Psychiatrist to review medications and their dosages
- Employment: Liaising with employers to support sick leave and carers leave for both Kishor and Meena
Kishor said;
‘The SICol Team spent a lot of time understanding my thoughts and feelings; they analysed my suicidal thoughts and listed all the problems causing me distress, staff planned everything meticulously for me to find solutions. I felt supported to talk with the University about my course, child safety concerns, accommodation, finances, debts and visa and helped resolve them.
I would have died by now or could have ended up being severely mentally unwell had the team not been involved. Although I was on medication, I needed someone who would listen to me and understand my issues. Initially, it was not easy for me to discuss and express myself. The team built up trust and confidence and I was able to express everything openly and honestly. I shared things which I couldn’t share with anybody in my life’
The plan enabled Kishor to stay within University accommodation to submit his thesis at a later date and to ultimately pass his master’s degree. He successfully gained employment in a Business Logistics Post outside of the Coventry area.
In July 2019 NHS England launched the Transformation Programme for Mental Health nationally. Coventry’s plan was led by CWPT and embraced social care as a critical partner and a new model of working that would address factors that we know impact on health and outcomes for people. The model is now referred to as ‘Social Interventions’.
Sally Caren, Head of Adult Social Care and Support, said: ‘A significant amount of work has been undertaken to develop the model with a successful pilot showing how in working differently we achieve better outcomes as reflected here in Kishor’s story. New services are now being introduced locally, with greater collaborative working and this has resulted in new posts within the mental health social care offer which has been great to see’
Our qualified Social Workers work directly with individuals who are experiencing mental health issues. Find out more about working in our Mental Health teams on YouTube.
7. Carers at the heart of everything we do
Carers Trust Heart of England overcoming barriers
After the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis has introduced new barriers for carers accessing support, specifically men and those from non-white ethnic backgrounds. To help tackle this, the team at Carers Trust Heart of England have been undertaking some targeted work last year to support carers facing increased challenges.
This last year we have focused on delivering carer awareness training to different communities. This has enabled us to learn and develop the training further. We have had more opportunities to provide outreach as carers and other organisations fully embrace the hybrid model of working. We have had the opportunities to develop new marketing materials, so we are more visible in the community.
We began a new drop-in clinic for carers from ethnic communities. We hold the sessions in the Broad Street Hall in the Foleshill area of the city.
This area is demographically one of the most diverse locations of the City and this enables us to engage with carers from a range of diverse communities.
We have focused on community events around key celebrations. The Diwali event was one example held in November 2022 at the Penny Collard Centre. This was successful in engaging with the community and allowing carers to share their festival with us and each other.
We also have facilitators running emotional resilience workshops, gardening and yoga to name but a few. Many give their time, reducing our costs as they find the time working with carers so rewarding.
These respite opportunities provide valuable breaks for carers from their caring role. We have found during activities where carers come together and have a craft opportunity, that not only do they learn a new skill, but also have something they can take home. Flower arranging is the most popular activity we run.
Our emotional resilience sessions have been running throughout the year. Being a carer can often be exhausting, both mentally, physically and emotionally, leaving the carer feeling vulnerable, or experiencing their own health problems.
Being prepared for periods of stress can make it easier to get through them and knowing how to manage our wellbeing can help us recover after a stressful event. We refer to our ability to manage stress as our resilience.
Feedback from the sessions has been really positive;
‘The carers on the course are presently going through difficult times, with different challenges, it provided an informal, peaceful and safe environment for us to express our feelings and allowed us to let go of some of our emotions and anxiety’
‘I personally feel the course has changed my approach to life in many ways. It has helped me to be more at peace and has increased my emotional wellbeing. I feel more resilient and confident in my ability to deal with challenges ahead’
We also like to celebrate! In June it was time for Royal Ascot which again held its traditional ‘Ladies Day’ and of course, men were also welcome. We decided that it would be a good idea to not only have our carers there but to invite some of the older residents of Bonds Hospital as they had offered their facilities for us to use on the day. For couple Ellen and John (pictured) it was their first day out since 2020 and they brought some champagne to celebrate.
Chloe Elliott Carers and Engagement Lead said; ‘Unpaid carers make a huge contribution to the health and social care system in Coventry and we could not cope without the support they provide to their loved ones. We are dedicated to supporting carers well and we work closely with the Carers' Trust to achieve this. It is wonderful to see some of the work they do to raise awareness of and support carers’.
8. Committed workforce
Diversifying the care workforce
In the last year the Adult Social Care Commissioning Team has been working on a dedicated project aiming to enhance recruitment and retention within the care sector. The team took a new approach to supporting providers to enhance recruitment and retention and to provide employment opportunities to people living in Coventry.
Working in partnership the Commissioning and Migration Teams held a job fayre for refugee and migrant workers in February, opening up careers in care to a new pool of recruits. The event aimed to create job opportunities for newly arrived citizens by informing them about the roles available in Adult Social Care and introducing them to some of our adult social care providers in Coventry.
The event saw 80 hopeful attendees and our providers happily received around 30 interested applicants each for a variety of roles.
Our providers had a great day too; they told us; "It was a wonderfully productive day and we have taken away details of potential applicants which I am hopeful will produce some successful candidates"
Jon Reading, Head of Commissioning and Quality said; ‘The Commissioning Team have been delighted to work with colleagues in the Migration Team to help support refugees and migrants to be given the opportunity to apply for jobs in social care. It is great to see a number of people putting their significant talents, experience and knowledge to use in supporting Adult Social Care particularly at a time when there are considerable numbers of job vacancies in the sector’.
In addition to this event, lots of other work has been undertaken by the Commissioning Team such as a series of engagements with providers and recruiters to obtain a better understanding of vacancies, entry requirements and career pathways. The team has created links between organisations to work together to achieve the sharing of vacancies and to support each other with various projects. For example, in March the team also produced a monthly email blast ‘All in One Place’ to share care role vacancies with recruitment organisations.
In addition to increasing recruitment and retention, the Commissioning Team has been looking at how to diversify those in caring roles, for example young people who would be a brilliant fit to start their career journey in Adult Social Care but don’t know where to start?
The work continues in the format of ‘bootcamps’ to inform young people of the range of jobs in care, prepare them and introduce them to providers in Coventry. These bootcamps include preparing people for work and talks and networking with professionals. This includes people with lived experience such as young adult carers, care leavers and people with disabilities.
Adult Social Care has a wide range of services and support and as a result a variety of job roles. Have a look at our recruitment webpages which highlight the benefits of a career in care and the wide variety of jobs available.