Adult Social Worker of the Year 2022

Bhavna Maher is a social worker who excels at developing meaningful relationships with service users in even the the most complex and challenging of circumstances.  

Her unique role as a specialist Street Life social worker involves working as part of a multi-agency organisation, the Street Life Operational Group, to support those who adopt a street lifestyle. Bhavna’s nomination described how she can most often be found on the streets of Leicester city centre, supporting the most vulnerable. Her approach has been direct and personal, taking social work support to her clients, instead of expecting them to navigate offices and appointments that they might otherwise feel excluded from. 

As a result, Bhavna has successfully helped several people out of a street lifestyle and enabled them to maintain this. She has also been able to share her knowledge with other sectors within the multi-agency team, including housing, health and the police, and her participation has led to the group funding her role to work solely with this community. 

Bhavna is credited by her colleagues as a practitioner with ‘unwavering kindness and resilience’, who will never give up on those she supports, even when they don’t engage. 

Supported by Hampshire County Council.