Social Worker of the Year Awards open for entries

Social work practitioners throughout England are being encouraged to gain recognition for their hard work by entering the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2012, which are now open for applications.

The awards recognise the diverse work that takes place across the profession and celebrate the achievements of both individual practitioners and social work teams.

In 2011 Celia Parker from Southwark Council was named Social Worker of the Year at an exclusive event which took place at the House of Lords in December. More than 170 social workers, directors of service and leading industry figures attended the event, which also featured a lively debate about the future of the social care sector.

James Rook, managing director of headline sponsors and award organisers Sanctuary Personnel, said: “We were absolutely thrilled with the success of last year’s awards and we are looking to make this year’s even better. We’ve listened to feedback from social workers and we are delighted to be introducing new categories to support newly qualified social workers alongside those social work teams in the voluntary sector.”

“A prestigious panel of judges commended the standard of entries received last year so we encourage social workers and social work teams throughout England to think about entering as a great way of celebrating the excellent work that takes place on a daily basis,” he added.

Ruth Smith, editor of Community Care, said: “Too often the hard work of social workers goes unnoticed. I’d urge all social work teams to consider entering so that their dedicated professionalism can be recognised.”

Entry forms are available to download from the Social Work Awards website  for 14 different categories including Children’s and Adult Social Worker of the Year, Team of the Year (children and adults) and Practice Teacher of the Year. The closing date for entries is Friday 31st August.

The Social Worker of the Year Awards are organised by the Social Work Awards Ltd, a charity with the sole purpose of aiding and supporting the development of the awards. Board members of the charity include James Rook (Sanctuary Personnel), Hilton Dawson (BASW), Ruth Smith (Community Care) and awards founder Beverley Williams.

For more information about the Social Worker of the Year Awards, please see www.socialworkawards.com.