Outstanding Contribution to Social Work

Lyn Romeo has an energy and passion for social work that is simply inspirational.

Growing up in rural New South Wales, Australia, the roots of a social work career began to take hold in Lyn’s teenage years, when she joined a youth movement at school. Since qualifying in 1977, she has worked in a number of roles spanning the spectrum of social work, from hospital discharge and child protection, to mental health and learning disability.

For the past six years, Lyn has worked tirelessly in her post as the Chief Social Worker for Adults’ to highlight the value and importance of adults’ social work. She has embedded the principal social worker role, battled for parity of esteem between health and social care practice, and ensured that the Care Act 2014 guidance is strengths and rights-based in its approach.

She’s also made time to visit social workers in every single local authority in the country, which is no mean feat! Credited by her peers as being responsible for some of the biggest changes in adult social work practice within a generation, it’s impossible to conclude that Lyn’s contribution to the profession has been anything other than outstanding.