Finalists announced for Social Worker of the Year Awards 2017
The shortlist of finalists for the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2017 has been announced.
81 social workers and social work teams from across England have been selected as finalists across 16 different categories, celebrating the achievements of practitioners in both children’s and adult services. The winners from each category will compete against each other to be named the ‘Overall Social Worker of the Year 2017’.
The winners will be revealed at a prestigious awards ceremony in London in November, which is the leading celebration of its kind in the sector and recognises the success of the profession’s most innovative and dedicated social workers.
James Rook, Managing Director of the awards’ headline sponsor, Sanctuary Social Care, said: “The Social Worker of the Year awards are continuing to go from strength to strength and we’re delighted that this year we’ve received more entries than ever before. We have also seen an increase in the range and number of organisations supporting the awards and nominating their inspirational social workers and social work teams.
“The standard of entries and level of competition is very strong, so all shortlisted nominees should be extremely proud. We look forward to welcoming our finalists and their guests to the awards ceremony in November to celebrate their outstanding achievements in the profession.”
The Social Worker of the Year Awards are supported by headline sponsor Sanctuary Social Care; corporate partner the British Association of Social Workers, and individual category supporters, Barnardo’s, UNISON, iMPOWER, The Open University, OLM Systems and Community Care. The awards are also supported by the local authorities of Calderdale, Bradford, Devon, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Kent and Essex as well as the Tees Valley Local Authority Children’s Services – a partnership between the local authorities of Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Darlington, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees.
Peter Hay CBE, Chair of the Social Work Awards charity which organises the awards, added: “We’re incredibly grateful to all of our sponsors for supporting the Social Worker of the Year Awards. All of this is only made possible thanks to the generosity of the organisations that support us. Our aim is to celebrate the outstanding achievements of individual practitioners and teams up and down the country and we’ve been truly humbled by the huge praise coming from people who have benefitted from great social work.”
The full shortlist of finalists for the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2017 is as follows:
| Mental Health Social Worker of the Year
(Sponsored by Hampshire County Council) |
Andrew Thomas, London Borough of Croydon |
| Barbara Cooley, Essex County Council | |
| Billy Melvin, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | |
| Gareth Benjamin, Livewell South West
|
|
| Raising the Profile of Social Work
(Sponsored by Bradford Metropolitan District Council) |
Essex Social Care Academy |
| Louise Walker, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council | |
| Sarah Parsons, Cafcass | |
| Seanna Lassetter, Birmingham City Council
|
|
| Student Social Worker of the Year
(Sponsored by Calderdale Council) |
Chelsea Higgins, University of Hull |
| Joseph Vanlint, Liverpool John Moores University | |
| Louise Watson, Manchester Metropolitan University | |
| Nabeela Talib, Oxford Brookes University | |
| Suzanne Rowe, The Open University | |
| Zoe Stanyard, De Montfort University
|
|
| Practice Educator of the Year
(Sponsored by The Open University) |
Ali Bell, Cornwall Council |
| Amanda Lewis, Birmingham City Council | |
| Jim Fox, Shropshire Council | |
| Lynn Lock, Achieving for Children | |
| Suzannah Rockett, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
|
|
| Creative & Innovative Social Work Practice
(Sponsored by OLM Systems) |
Family Safeguarding Teams Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire County Council |
| Linda Nelmes, Cafcass | |
| North Kent Children in Care Team, Kent County Council | |
| Virtual Dementia Tour Training Team, Essex County Council
|
|
| Best Social Work Employer
(Sponsored by Sanctuary Social Care) |
Central Bedfordshire Council – Children’s Services |
| East Sussex County Council, Children’s Services Department – Early Help and Social Care Service | |
| Essex County Council, Children and Families | |
| Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
|
|
| Team Leader of the Year, Children’s Services
(Sponsored by Kent County Council) |
Clare Luby, Achieving for Children |
| Hannah Foxcroft, Ealing Council | |
| Leanne Baines, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council | |
| Marcos Vicinanza, London Borough of Hillingdon | |
| Sarah Carter, Essex County Council | |
| Sharon Turner, Essex County Council
|
|
| Team Leader of the Year, Adult Services
(Sponsored by Gloucestershire County Council) |
Elizabeth Thorpe, Calderdale Council |
| Jill Hughes, Worcestershire County Council | |
| Melanie Wilson, Livewell South West | |
| Nicky Skinner, Devon County Council
|
|
| Team of the Year, Children’s Services
(Sponsored by iMPOWER) |
Adoption Team, Gloucestershire County Council |
| Coastal and North East Ipswich Child in Care Team, Suffolk County Council | |
| No Recourse to Public Funds, London Borough of Waltham Forest | |
| Oldham Phoenix Team, Oldham Council | |
| Pathway Team, East Riding of Yorkshire Council | |
| The Children in Care Specialist Team, Essex County Council
|
|
| Team of the Year, Adult Services
(Sponsored by UNISON) |
AMHP Team, Northumberland County Council |
| Essex Mental Health Family Group Conferencing Service, Essex Partnership NHS Mental Health Trust | |
| Hospital to Home, Derby City Council | |
| Langdon Forensic Social Work Team, Devon County Council | |
| Sexual Exploitation Hub, Newcastle City Council | |
| West Somerset Community ASC Team, Somerset County Council
|
|
| Newly Qualified Children’s Social Worker of the Year
(Sponsored by Tees Valley Local Authority Children’s Services) |
Becky Taylor, Essex County Council |
| Dean Radford, Sheffield City Council | |
| Jack McWaters, Achieving for Children | |
| Jayesh Rushi, Lancashire County Council | |
| Rosemary Smith, Ealing Council | |
| Senita Kaur, Doncaster Children’s Services Trust | |
| Susan Hook, Essex County Council
|
|
| Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year
(sponsored by BASW) |
David Evenden, Hampshire County Council |
| Gary Spencer-Humphrey, Hampshire County Council | |
| Helen Simpson, Gloucestershire County Council | |
| Lisa Holliday, Thurrock Council | |
| Nicole Jones, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
|
|
| Children’s Social Worker of the Year
(Sponsored by Barnardo’s) |
Deion Grant, London Borough of Tower Hamlets |
| Donna Kessler, Hertfordshire County Council | |
| Hannah Tull, Essex County Council | |
| Jackie Dowding, London Borough of Havering | |
| Jason Sedgman, Central Bedfordshire Council | |
| Mark Davies, Cheshire West and Chester Council | |
| Nicola Silk, Rutland County Council | |
| Vanessa Alexander, Ealing Council
|
|
| Adult Social Worker of the Year
(Sponsored by Devon County Council) |
Claire Lillywhite, Hampshire County Council |
| Isabel Andrews, Leicester City Council | |
| Michelle Bradford, Gloucestershire County Council | |
| Vidhya Biju, Birmingham City Council | |
| Vicki Ingham, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
|
|
| Championing Social Work Values
(Sponsored by Essex County Council in partnership with Servelec Corelogic) |
Andrew Deller, Lifecraft |
| Carolyne Willow, Article 39 | |
| Nikki Mahony, Hampshire County Council | |
| Rachel Keetley, Norfolk County Council
|
|
| Lifetime Achievement Award
(Sponsored by BASW) |
Andy Butler, Surrey County Council |
| Duart Peacock, Hampshire County Council | |
| Mark Trewin, Bradford Metropolitan District Council | |
| Shelagh Butler, Cafcass |