Principal Social Worker of the Year

When Rob bounded into his manager’s office to tell her about the principal social worker role for adult social care, she knew he was the man for the job.

Rob has an infectious passion for social work and has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of the profession at both a national and regional level. Anyone who follows Rob on Twitter (@SocialWorkOps) will know that he has a strong social media presence and is often contributing to the debate on social work reform, as well as sharing knowledge and resources.

Closer to home, Rob’s leadership has had a profound impact on raising the status and professional standing of adult social work within Calderdale Council. He has successfully grown the budget for social workers from £2m to £3.5m in the last three years and has invested in employment opportunities for newly qualified practitioners, social work traineeships for care leavers and training for six new practice educators.

Social workers under Rob’s management also report feeling empowered and having a greater say in their practice – a testament to all he has achieved. As one judge commented, “we need people who make this role come alive – Rob’s done that”.