AWARD CATEGORIES
Children’s Social Worker of the Year
This award is open to all qualified social workers who have made a positive impact through their outstanding work with children and families.
ENTER
Adult Social Worker of the Year
This award is open to all qualified social workers who have made a positive impact through their outstanding work with adults.
ENTER
Newly Qualified Children's Social Worker of the Year
This award is open to all newly qualified children’s social workers (with less than one year’s experience) who have made a positive difference to the lives of children and families through their outstanding work.
ENTER
Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year
This award is open to all newly qualified adult social workers (with less than one year’s experience) who have made a positive difference to the lives of adults through their outstanding work.
ENTER
Team of the Year, Children's Services (including MDTs)
This award is open to all multidisciplinary social work teams who have made a big difference through their outstanding work with children and families.
ENTER
Team of the Year, Adult Services (including MDTs)
This award is open to all multidisciplinary social work teams who have made a big difference through their outstanding work with adults.
ENTER
Team Leader of the Year, Children's Services
This award is open to team leaders or department managers who are responsible for children’s social work teams. Nominees must demonstrate clear leadership skills and provide evidence of how they have nurtured an effective working environment and improved service quality and outcomes.
ENTER
Team Leader of the Year, Adult Services
This award is open to team leaders or department managers who are responsible for adult social work teams. Nominees must demonstrate clear leadership skills and provide evidence of how they have nurtured an effective working environment and improved service quality and outcomes.
ENTER
Mental Health Social Worker of the Year
This award is open to metal health social workers working in both children's and adult services. Whether through creative, compassionate or effective multi-disciplinary working, this award is for individuals providing outstanding support in a challenging and complex area.
ENTER
Social Justice Advocate Award
This award is grounded in the IFSW Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles. It is open to all social workers who demonstrate a commitment to challenging injustice, seek to equalize the position of different social groups and challenge discriminatory systems. This category is judged by people with lived experience of social work support.
ENTER
Lifetime Achievement Award
This award celebrates an individual who has dedicated their entire working life to social work and has consistently made a positive difference within their community.
ENTER
Student Social Worker of the Year
This award is open to all students studying social work at Higher Education (HE) level, who are showing outstanding potential in their studies.
ENTER
Practice Educator of the Year
This award is open to social workers who are involved in mentoring and supervising students and newly qualified social workers. Nominees must be able to demonstrate how they have successfully coached and mentored students to develop their skills in social work.
ENTER
Supporting Children in Education Award
This award is open to social workers who have undertaken exceptional individual and/or strategic work to support children’s attendance at school during the Covid-19 pandemic. Social Workers supporting young people (up to 25 years old) with an EHCP are also eligible for this award.
ENTER
Digital Transformation in Social Work Award
This award is open to individual social workers, social work teams or local authorities which have sought to improve the lives of people with lived experience through the use of digital technologies.
ENTER
Supportive Social Work Employer Award
This award is open to any organisation within the social work profession which demonstrates excellent practice as an employer in supporting, leading and championing their social work employees.
ENTER
University of the Year
This award is open to all universities providing outstanding and effective social work education for their students, shaping the social workers of tomorrow into reflective, compassionate and resilient practitioners.
ENTER
Overall Social Worker of the Year
The ‘Winner of Winners’ The Social Worker of the Year Award's Board of Trustees will choose the Overall Social Worker of the Year from the individual category winners.