PRESS RELEASE: FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR SOCIAL WORKER OF THE YEAR AWARDS #SWA17

Originally published on 2 October 2017 and shared here courtesy of Annabelle Rennie – Account Manager, Genesis PR, Social Work Awards. Read at source: here

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: 

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Note to editors:

1. The Social Work Awards Ltd is a charitable organisation seeking to improve the awareness, understanding and reputation of the social care sector. The registered charity number is 1144458
2. The Board of Trustees is made up of: Peter Hay CBE (Chair), James Rook (Managing Director of headline sponsor Sanctuary Social Care), Ruth Smith (Publisher, Community Care), Beverley Williams (Founder), Joanna Nicolas (Child Protection Consultant and Author), Ana Popovici (Deputy Director Children’s Services, London Borough of Hillingdon), Jenni Randall (Independent Social Worker) and Rob Mitchell (Principal Social Worker, Bradford Council)
3. The awards are open to qualified practitioners throughout England with a range of individual and team categories for those working in both children’s and adult departments.
4. The sponsors for the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2016 are as follows:
   1. Sanctuary Social Care – Headline Sponsors (Overall Social Worker of the Year, Best Social Work Employer of the Year)
   2. The British Association of Social Workers – Corporate Partner (Lifetime Achievement, Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year)
   3. Devon County Council – Category Supporter (Adult Social Worker of the Year)
   4. Hampshire County Council – Category Sponsor (Mental Health Social Worker of the Year)
   5. Calderdale Council – Category Sponsor (Student Social Worker of the Year)
   6. The Open University – Category Sponsor (Practice Educator of the Year)
   7. OLM Systems – Category Sponsor (Creative & Innovative Social Work Practice)
   8. Kent County Council – Category Sponsor (Team Leader of the Year, Children’s Services)
   9. Gloucestershire County Council – Category Sponsor (Team Leader of the Year, Adult Services)
   10. UNISON – Category Sponsor (Team of the Year, Adult Services)
   11. Barnardo’s – Category Sponsor (Children’s Social Worker of the Year)
   12. Community Care – Category Sponsor (Outstanding Contribution to Social Work)
   13. Bradford Metropolitan District Council – Category Sponsor (Raising the Profile of Social Work)
   14. Essex County Council in partnership with Servelec Corelogic – Category Sponsor (Championing Social Work Values)
   15. iMPOWER – Category sponsor (Team of the Year, Children’s Services)
   16. Tees Valley Local Authority Children’s Services – Category Sponsor (Newly Qualified Children’s Social Worker of the Year)

5. For more information about the Social Work Awards, visit www.socialworkawards.com   

Annabelle Rennie
Account Manager
Genesis PR

T:      01473 326404
E:      annabelle.rennie@genesispr.co.uk
W:    www.genesispr.co.uk

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