Social Work Academy - Print version

About the Social Work Academy

What is the Social Work Academy (SWA)?

Coventry’s Social Work Academy is an award‑winning initiative that provides a clear, supportive pathway for Children and Families Social Work practitioners as they begin and progress through their careers with Coventry Children & Education Services. The Academy creates an environment that promotes stability, nurtures confidence, and embeds continuous professional development from the very start of a social worker’s journey.

The Social Work Academy supports Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) throughout their first 12 months of practice as they complete their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE). For the first 6 months, NQSWs are based within the Academy, whilst being introduced to their host teams alongside being in a protected learning environment. This structure allows them to gradually build confidence, develop their practice skills, and receive close mentoring and reflective supervision.

After the initial 6‑month period, NQSWs transition to their host teams, where they continue the remainder of their ASYE. Throughout this time, they still benefit from ongoing mentoring from the Academy, alongside their manager, as they embed best practice and grow into their professional identity.

Across their ASYE year, NQSWs are supported to develop the skills, values, and reflective capacity needed to achieve better outcomes for children and families living in Coventry. The Academy plays a central role in shaping practitioners who are confident, relational, and grounded in restorative practice.

Information for Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs)

The Social Work Academy offers Newly Qualified Social Workers a positive, structured, and supportive introduction to statutory children’s social work. Our aim is to promote high‑quality, consistent, and effective practice so that children and families experience the best possible outcomes.

We want NQSWs to grow in confidence and capability through a balance of high support and high challenge. This means being surrounded by a strong professional network, having access to reflective spaces, and being encouraged to develop their skills in a safe and nurturing environment.

The blended approach between time in the Academy, and time in host teams allows them to shadow experienced practitioners, observe real‑life practice, and develop a grounded understanding of what social work looks like in Coventry. They are supported to build their professional identity gradually, with the Academy acting as a protective learning space.

The Academy provides high levels of supervision—particularly in the early stages—alongside an individual development plan tailored to each NQSW as part of their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE). This ensures that learning is purposeful, reflective, and aligned with the needs of children and families.

NQSWs also benefit from access to wider learning networks, including the West Midlands Teaching Partnership, Research in Practice, alongside the coaching and mentoring from the Social Work Academy team. These opportunities help bridge the transition from student to professional, offering reassurance, guidance, and a strong sense of belonging.

Our ASYE programme has entry points throughout the year, ensuring flexibility and responsiveness to workforce needs. Throughout the ASYE, NQSWs receive dedicated time with the Academy team to develop their skills, embed their learning, and reflect on their practice. This includes joint working with experienced social workers, protected learning time, and mentoring support when they transition fully into their teams.

The year ahead will be both exciting and challenging. We are very proud of the Social Work Academy’s innovative approach to learning and development and how this supports NQSWs to mature from students into safe, skilful, and knowledgeable practitioners who feel confident in their practice and decision‑making.

We have a great offer for our Newly Qualified Social Workers

Coventry is committed to giving Newly Qualified Social Workers the strongest possible start to their careers. Our offer is designed to build confidence, promote reflective practice, and ensure that NQSWs feel supported, valued, and connected as they grow into safe, skilled, and thoughtful practitioners.

High‑quality supervision and reflective practice

We provide high levels of supervision during the early stages of practice, promoting critical reflection that strengthens judgement, decision‑making, and emotional resilience. NQSWs are encouraged to explore their thinking, understand the impact of their interventions, and develop a reflective mindset that will support them throughout their careers.

A strong sense of belonging

We want NQSWs to feel part of Coventry Children’s Services from day 1. Our approach ensures they build an empowering and supportive professional network around them—one that enables them to deliver “outstanding” social work and feel confident in their role.

Six months of protected learning and development

NQSWs spend their first 6 months in a dedicated learning environment within the Social Work Academy. This period provides protected time to:

• shadow practice within teams
• explore the processes, interventions, and decision‑making they observe
• connect theory, research, and models to real‑world practice
• reflect critically on the impact of social work on children and families

This foundation ensures that when NQSWs transition fully into their teams, they do so with confidence and clarity.

Training in the Family Valued approach

NQSWs receive training and support in Coventry’s Family Valued approach, ensuring that restorative, relationship‑based practice naturally informs their assessments and interventions with children and families.

Opportunities to work alongside experienced practitioners

We offer opportunities to shadow and jointly work with children and families experiencing complex situations, including:

• children supported by the Child in Care service
• children subject to Child Protection plans
• children supported through Child in Need plans

These experiences prepare NQSWs for more independent practice as their skills and confidence grow.

Access to research and regional learning networks

Through our links with the West Midlands Teaching Partnership, NQSWs stay up to date with research, emerging practice, and sector developments. This ensures their practice is informed, current, and grounded in evidence.

Ongoing outreach support

From months 7 to 12, when NQSWs transition into their teams, they continue to receive outreach support from the Social Work Academy’s Professional Practice Educators. This ensures continuity, reassurance, and a smooth transition into frontline practice.

Confident, research‑informed decision‑making

We support NQSWs to feel confident in their decision‑making, ensuring that decisions are never made in isolation. Instead, they are informed by:

• research
• theory
• practice experience
• professional wisdom
• a clear focus on the best interests of children

Benefits

We know how hard our staff work, and what it means to have a manager who makes the time to say ‘thank you’. But we offer so much more. Here’s just a few of the benefits:

• competitive salary and Pension Scheme including Employer contribution of between £5,000 and £7,000, alongside a career progression scheme
• an extensive Training Programme and investment in your professional development with close links to universities through our innovative Teaching Partnership.
• support with the National Assessment and Accreditation for Approved Children and Families
• access to Research in Practice (Nationally Recognised Evidence Informed Learning Resource)
• regular Reflective Individual and Group Supervision and support
• refund for the renewal of current SWE registration
• dedicated Coaching and Mentoring offer

The Coventry Social Worker

The “Outstanding” Coventry Social Worker

In Coventry, our Social Workers combine long‑standing professional values with contemporary, evidence‑informed thinking to ensure that the child is at the beginning, middle, and end of everything we do. Our practice is rooted in relationships, curiosity, and a commitment to understanding each child’s lived experience.

We are looking for passionate, dedicated practitioners who share our determination to create real, positive change for children and families. We value the expertise our Social Workers bring, and we listen to their ideas, perspectives, and professional wisdom. Together, through shared learning and shared responsibility, we make meaningful change happen.

This is an exciting time to join Coventry Children & Education Services. We are strengthening our restorative practice, embedding the Family Valued approach, and ensuring that children remain firmly at the centre of our work. We want Social Workers who are committed to achieving the very best outcomes for children, young people, and families—and who want to grow within a service that invests in them.

To help you make a difference, we offer:

• high‑quality professional support and guidance
• excellent training and development opportunities
• a culture of high support and high challenge
• a strong, values‑driven community of practitioners

In Coventry, you will be part of an outstanding service where practice can flourish, where your voice matters, and where you can build a career that truly changes lives.