Social Worker

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.

At Coventry City Council, we are embarking on an incredible journey to create a brighter future for Coventry's children. As an 'Outstanding' Local Authority, we believe in pushing boundaries and delivering excellence for children and families. Our vision is clear, and our social workers are unwavering in their commitment to putting children and families at the centre of their practice.

Be part of our inspiring team, making a meaningful difference in the lives of Coventry's children. Together, let's create a nurturing environment where every child's potential can flourish.

The Fostering Service is committed to a strengths‑based, relational and family‑valued approach, with a clear focus on recruiting, developing and retaining foster carers who can meet a wide range of children’s needs. The service is ambitious and forward‑looking, with an emphasis on quality, reflective practice, learning and continuous improvement across all areas of fostering work.

The team works closely with carers, Children’s Services colleagues and partner agencies to ensure high standards of care, strong relationships and positive outcomes for children placed within mainstream fostering households.

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.

We are currently recruiting for full-time social workers to join the service within the Assessment and Recruitment Team.

The Recruitment and Assessment Team is responsible for undertaking fostering assessments, guiding prospective carers through the application and approval process, and contributing to the ongoing growth of Coventry’s internal fostering provision.

This role offers an opportunity to work within a supportive and experienced fostering service that values professional curiosity and collaborative working. The successful candidate will be joining a team that is committed to high‑quality practice, strong relationships with prospective carers, and making a meaningful difference to the lives of children and young people in Coventry.

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).

All candidates must have the Right to Work in the UK. We are currently not offering sponsorship for this role.

We are particularly interested in applications from candidates who have experience of working within Fostering and in accordance with Fostering Regulations and Minimum Standards.

Effective verbal and written communication skills will be essential, as will a passion for excellence in service delivery. You will be a team player, a good communicator, IT competent, able to manage a caseload and able to work flexibly.

In order to shape and deliver our services in an effective way, we want to ensure that we have employees from a range of different backgrounds, identities and different lived experiences so that we are able to meet the needs of all the communities that we serve.  

Our workforce data shows that men and people from global majority backgrounds are under-represented within the Fostering team, and we encourage applicants from these backgrounds to apply. This does not prevent individuals with other protected characteristics, as set out within the Equality Act 2010, from applying for this post.

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Zelma van Rhyn – Zelma.vanrhyn@coventry.gov.uk. 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.

Shortlisting date: 29th June 2026

Interview date: 13th July 2026

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