The Community Care Awards 2005 will highlight excellence, promote innovation and recognise the contribution of individuals and teams to improving services across 10 practice areas. These awards give you the chance to put your achievements to the forefront. One team or individual could win £13,000 to further their work!

We are looking for inspired social care workers to share their successes with everyone in the sector. Those who have worked on their own, or as part of a team, on initiatives which have made a positive difference to the service offered to users.

The awards are divided into 10 categories and we are offering £5,000 to the entry selected by our panel of judges to be the best in each category. From the 10 winners, the judges will then select the innovation they consider to be the overall winner who will be awarded an additional £8,000.

Entries can come from teams or individuals working across all sectors in social care - in local authorities, voluntary and private agencies working in any social care setting. Entries in the ‘inter-agency’ category can include professionals from housing and social services, health and social services or any other combination, working with any service user groups. The project must have been initiated within the last two years and could have been a one-off project over a set period of time or a permanent initiative.

Shortlisted entries can invite up to five others, including team members and service users of the project, to attend an exclusive presentation luncheon at London's Park Lane Hilton Hotel on 15th December where the winners will be announced.

Rules
1. The competition is open to any individual employed by social services departments, social work departments, the NHS, voluntary social care agencies, charities, private social care agencies and housing associations in the UK. A team is defined as any group of worker - examples would be an area office, a community project, a child protection team, a community mental health team. Inter-agency teams (see relevant category opposite) can include professionals from housing and social services, health and social services or other combinations. Teams can include volunteers.
2. No team/individual may submit more than one entry.
3. A submission must consist of three statements:
i) a statement of not more than one side of an A4 sheet of paper on why the entry deserves to win the award. This must detail the strategy behind the initiative and the benefits to users of the service. Judges will look for evidence of a respect of users' rights, the involvement of service users in the work of the project, and a commitment to equal opportunities. Projects will also have to demonstrate innovation;
ii) a statement saying how the £5,000 prize money will be spent to develop the work of the initiative or project.
iii) A statement saying how the additional £8,000 top prize money will be spent to develop the work of the initiative or project, should the entry win the top prize.
4. Please do not send in any supporting material except the written statements mentioned above. Any supporting material will be disregarded - e.g. video/photos etc.
5. Projects or initiatives that have previously won the Community Care Award may not enter again.
6. Entrants must agree to allow coverage of their project and how the prize money was spent in Community Care.
7. The name of a team on the entry form is not sufficient. At least one name as leader, manager, or representative of the team must be given. In the case of entries for the inter-agency categories, one name as entrant is sufficient.
8. Up to five representatives (who may include service users) of all shortlisted entries will be invited to the presentation luncheon and ceremony in London, 15th December 2005, where the winners will be announced.
9. The person making the submission cannot be the responsible manager who signs the entry form. In the case of entries for the inter-agency categories, one responsible manager from any of the participating agencies may sign.
10. The closing date for entries is 29th September 2005.
11. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into.
12. Faxed entries will not be accepted.
13. The project must have been initiated within the last two years.