Local authorities show commitment to support for their social workers
The Social Work Awards has announced its category sponsors for this year’s Social Worker of the Year Awards in November 2021.
This year’s event has 12 award categories which have been sponsored by social work organisations and local authorities across the country keen to demonstrate their support of social work and commitment to continuous professional improvement of the social work community.
Sponsors for 2021 include Headline Sponsor, Sanctuary Personnel, and Corporate Partner, BASW, are long-time supporters of the awards. Sanctuary Personnel is sponsoring the Outstanding Contribution during Covid-19 awards (winner of winners) and Employer of the Year, while BASW is sponsoring the Practice Educator of the Year and Social Justice Advocate Award categories.
UNISON and Devon County Council, both long-term supporters of the awards, are this year sponsoring the Team of the Year and Team Leader of the Year award categories respectively.
Also returning to support the awards for 2021 are Essex County Council, on board as Mental Health Social Worker of the Year sponsor, and Children’s Social Work Matters, who are sponsoring the Children’s Social Worker of the Year category.
Dorset Council are supporting Student Social Worker of the Year and Waltham Forest Council, are on board as Newly Qualified Social Worker of the Year sponsors. Meanwhile, London Borough of Wandsworth are sponsors of the Adult Social Worker of the Year category and Torbay Council are sponsoring University of the Year.
There are fantastic opportunities to be a part of this year’s awards with a ‘Thank you’ sponsorship package. At just £2,000, ‘Thank You’ sponsors will benefit from social media and PR promotion, a dedicated webpage on the Social Work Awards website, the opportunity to judge the awards, and a celebration box to make the event a night to remember for colleagues.
Peter Hay CBE, Chair of the Social Work Awards, said: “It’s incredible to see organisations and local authorities come together to recognise social workers who carry out such a vital yet unseen role in our society, particularly in the last year which has been exceptionally difficult for not only social workers, but those supported by social work too.
Thank you to all our wonderful sponsors, new and returning, for supporting our aim as a charity to recognise outstanding social work. We hope this year’s event provides everybody in the social work profession with the opportunity to share their stories, reconnect and begin to move forward together.”
The theme of this year’s virtual event is ‘Reconnection and Recognition’. It will highlight social workers’ outstanding work during the last 12 months and as they support individuals and communities to reconnect and to move forward from their experiences during the pandemic.
The Social Worker of the Year Awards 2021 will build on the individual experiences that were the focus of last year’s highly successful virtual ‘Thank You Social Workers’ event.
This year the awards will be sharing more stories of compassion and resilience, uplifting creativity and reflection from the past 12 months.
In March 2022, an exclusive parliamentary reception event at the House of Commons will also return, with sponsors and award winners from 2019 and 2021 invited to attend. To find out more or reserve your sponsorship, please email awards@socialworkawards.com. To nominate an inspirational social worker, visit: https://socialworkawards.awardsplatform.com