Help us recruit the right staff for Adult Social Care

Following a successful pilot scheme, local residents are being encouraged to get involved as part of a new interview bank aimed at helping select the right people to drive changes to how adult social care is delivered across the borough.  

The Lived Expert Interview Bank scheme aims to give people who use our care services, or care about someone who uses our services, the opportunity to have their say and help influence how the service grows. 

The initial pilot, which has successfully helped appoint four new managers to the council’s Adult Social Care directorate, saw residents with experience of social care sit on interview panels, ask their questions of candidates and share their feedback to help select the right person for the post. 

Feedback from the pilot has been very positive with residents sitting on the panel saying it’s helped them gain an insight into the recruitment process and feel empowered to have their say. Candidates have also said it was a very positive experience and a great opportunity to talk with the people really impacted on by their role. 

About the Lived Expert Interview Bank

The recruitment bank grew out of one of the many ideas which have been raised during Social Care Future workshops held since the Wokingham Borough Social Care Future Charter was adopted by the council earlier this year. The workshops have brought together hundreds of people and organisations from across the borough, all of whom have experience of the care system and are keen to make things better. 

People signing up to the Lived Expert Interview Bank will be invited to sit on recruitment panels for key roles within the council’s adult social care department, including heads of service and manager posts. The panels have been designed to be relaxed spaces, allowing panel members to chat to the candidates, asking them a range of questions aimed at seeing if they are the right person to help champion and deliver the social care vision for Wokingham borough. Panel feedback will be part of the selection process and help score the different applicants for the role before an appointment is made. 

Whilst useful, experience of being involved in a recruitment process (as an applicant or interviewer) is not required as all members will receive interview training from Optalis’ Supported Employment team to support them in being part of a panel. Members will be paid for their time as well as reasonable travel expenses to attend any panels. 

How to get involved

To start, 10 people will be selected to join the recruitment bank and receive interview training, but the hope is to expand this moving forward.  Being part of the Lived Expert Interview Bank is not a guarantee of permanent or regular work.  If you are successful, you will be contacted when interviewers are needed and asked if you are available to help. 

Anyone interested in becoming part of the Lived Expert Interview Bank should email the council at GetInvolved@wokingham.gov.uk with a few sentences explaining why they want to get involved and whether they have any experience of interviewing or being interviewed. You can also call the service on 0118 237 8916 to discuss

Members of the Lived Expert Interview Bank will be contacted when interviews are planned and can say if they are available to be part of the panel

An amazing opportunity

“The social care future movement is all about creating a positive new vision for adult social care. Making sure people can live the lives they want to live, are listened to and share power as equals.” Said, Cllr David Hare, executive member for care and adult services. “Schemes like this new recruitment bank are just one of the ways in which we can continue working with the community to make this vision of empowering all the people who use our services a reality. I want to empower more people to get involved. 

“This is an amazing opportunity for people to really help shape the future of care across the borough. Not just in helping influence what is delivered and how, but also in helping identify the right people to work with the community to drive the change we need for years to come.”   

Valuing lived experience 

Damon, a lived experience expert who took part in the pilot scheme, said: “I would definitely like to stay on the interview bank. I really enjoyed the experience and to anyone who is thinking about being an interviewer, go for it as it's good experience of the whole process. The training was very clear and concise and I don't feel as though there is anything to be added or changed.” 

Gregg Burgess, another local lived experience expert who took part in the pilot recruitment panel, said: "Being asked to be a member of the Wokingham council Social Care Future lived experience interview panel makes me feel that the council is invested in the movement and that my input is worthwhile & my opinion is valued."

Candidates taking part in the pilot panel also said they really appreciated the experience, with one saying “I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to meet with you all during the interview process. It was truly an honour and an inspiring experience. It appeared to me that the input provided by everyone present in that room was valued and the discussions we had provided me with valuable insights that I intend to integrate into my professional practice” 

Setting a vision for Adult Social Care 

People can find out more about the Social Care Future movement, and the Wokingham Borough Social Care Future Charter which was developed by the local community, on the councils Bringing about a brighter social care future in Wokingham Borough webpage. 

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