Children’s Services Workforce Development Strategy
What have we done?
A recruitment and retention payment of £3,000 will be paid to experienced social workers who remain in post for 12 months, effective from 1 April 2023 (to be paid April 2024).
Team managers and Independent Reviewing Officers (IRO’s) job roles have been job evaluated to reflect responsibilities and bring inline with market rates.
We have introduced ‘Staying Interviews’ with groups of staff to obtain feedback on what it is like working for Coventry Children’s Services.
We continue to undertake Exit interviews to understand why staff leave.
We have developed a Workforce dashboard to improve access to live workforce data.
Staff are actively encouraged to participate in the Employee Networks and invited to the Children’s Services Leadership Team.
We have introduced Diversity and Inclusion as a standard agenda item in management meetings/team meetings.
Took positive action and supported managers on a Black and Asian leadership programme, and women in leadership to support underrepresented groups in leadership.
We use the Workforce Diversity & Inclusion Calendar to raise awareness and highlight important events throughout the year.
We have established a new workforce performance and data subgroup to monitor workforce data.
A revised return to practice scheme to support practitioners to re-register with Social Work England where this has lapsed.
Our “refer a friend” scheme continues to be promoted to increase the number of experienced social workers recruited, paying £350 to friends who refer an Experienced social worker on completion of six months' satisfactory probation period.
We have reviewed our Children’s Services microsite to promote our benefits/updated our testimonials/included links to videos and reviewed our adverts to ensure inclusive language is used.
We have updated our candidate guides for permanent and agency staff.
We ensure that interview panels are diverse and inclusive and include children and young people or carers or foster carers.
The bespoke Children’s Induction has been enhanced further to include the lived experiences of young people to shape practice.
A comprehensive 2023-2024 Learning and Development Offer has been launched for staff.
We have a 2023-2024 Foster Carers Learning and Development Offer and will be enhancing this further as part of the foster carers excellence project.
To promote flexible working, we are piloting 9 day fortnights in specific service areas for social workers and non-social worker staff.
The success of the Social Work Academy has seen the number of Cohorts per year increase to reduce the number of vacancies and reliance on agency staff.
We have launched a Clinical Supervision offer to support social workers.
We have a comprehensive Wellbeing offer which is supporting staff with their own mental health and wellbeing and providing a number of opportunities to get involved and look after their own health and wellbeing.
We have a comprehensive wellbeing offer, which includes two wellbeing weeks each year.
Developed a promotional video to encourage candidates to join Coventry.
Have quarterly meetings with agency suppliers to ensure consistent messages – effective partnership working/compliance with MOU.
Increasing conversion rates encouraging agency staff to come and work for Coventry City Council.
The Kids Channel 4 TV programme is helping to promote and encourage social workers to join Coventry.
