Social Worker of the Year Awards: finalists announced

The official shortlist has been unveiled for the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2012, highlighting the excellent and diverse work being undertaken by practitioners on a daily basis.

Over 40 social workers and social work teams from across England have been selected as finalists across thirteen different categories celebrating those working with both children and adults. The 2012 awards received almost double the number of entries compared to 2011 and the judging panel has commended the extremely high standard of work submitted this year.

The finalists will find out if they have won at an exclusive awards ceremony which will take place on Friday 30 November at the Palace of Westminster. Before the awards presentation there will be a question and answer session with the judges and the opportunity to debate hot topics affecting the profession.

James Rook, managing director of headline sponsors Sanctuary Personnel, said: “We are thrilled to have seen such a significant rise in the number of entries for this year’s awards. The standard of entries is incredibly high and I know that our panel of judges had some difficult decisions.”

“We are really looking forward to welcoming our finalists to our awards presentation. Their work is reflective of the excellent and challenging work that social workers do every day across the country.”

The full shortlist is as follows:

Children’s Social Worker of the Year 

• Estelle Thain, Peterborough City Council
  
• John Srivastava, London Borough of Hillingdon
  
• Chris Hill, Derbyshire County Council
  
• Jon Collis, Cornwall Council

Adult Social Worker of the Year 

• Gillian Brown, Derbyshire Council Council
  
• Pauline Archer, Warwickshire County Council
  
• Ben Ross, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
  
• Sandra Leonard, London Borough of Bromley

NQSW – Children’s 

• Matthew Terdre, London Borough of Southwark
  
• Nicola Lewis, Birmingham City Council
  
• Jodie Wallis, Peterborough City Council
  
• Grace Owen, London Borough of Islington

NQSW – Adults 

• Olivia Mason, Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
  
• Sally Silcock, Derbyshire County Council

Practice Teacher of the Year 

• Sandra Leonard, London Borough of Bromley
  
• Nicholas Barrow, Gloucestershire County Council
  
• Catherine Dillane-Naicker, London Borough of Waltham Forest

Team of the Year – Children’s 

• Children who are Disabled Team East, Dorset County Council
  
• Community Based Assessment Team, Coventry City Council
  
• Family Support & Child protection service, London Borough of Lambeth

Team of the Year – Adults 

• Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Team, Derbyshire County Council
  
• Substance Misuse Team, London Borough of Lambeth
  
• Safeguarding Adults Unit, Leicester City Council

Team Leader – Children’s

• Pretty Nkiwane, Hertfordshire County Council
  
• Norma Barnes, London Borough of Islington
  
• Simon Hammond, Coventry City Council
  
• Barbara Doh-Nani, London Borough of Merton

Team Leader – Adults 

• Christine Jones, London Borough of Southwark
  
• Prafulla Sanghrajka, South Essex Partnership University NHS Trust
  
• Dee Burdett, Warwickshire County Council
  
• Raquel Vaughan, Central Bedfordshire Council

Leader of Innovative Practice 

• Bridget Betts, British Association of Adoption and Fostering
  
• Jill Forrest, Slough Borough Council
  
• Sue Williams, Hertfordshire County Council
  
• Kim Lawson, London Borough of Islington

Best Employer 

• Derbyshire County Council, Adult Care
  
• London Borough of Islington

Lifetime Achievement Award 

• Bessie Priest, Dudley Directorate of Children’s Services
  
• Chris Saunders, Southwark Children’s Services
  
• Eva Gregory
  
• Dorothy Bone, Portsmouth City Council

For more information about the Social Worker of the Year Awards please see the awards’ website.