Social Worker of the Year Awards: 2013 finalists announced

The official shortlist has been unveiled for the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2013, celebrating the achievements of practitioners in children’s and adult services.

Fifty social workers and social work teams from across England have been selected as finalists across eleven categories.

They will be invited to attend an awards ceremony in London on 29 November, during which there will be keynote speeches from chief social workers Isabelle Trowler and Lyn Romeo, who were part of the panel of 38 judges for this year’s awards.

The number of entries this year reached a record high, 10% up on 2012. In particular, there was a 50% rise in nominations for Adult Social Worker of the Year.

Commenting on the awards shortlist, James Rook, managing director of headline sponsors Sanctuary Social Care, said: “The judges have had a really difficult time deciding on the shortlist this year – the standard of entries has been incredibly high.”

The full shortlist is as follows:

Children’s Social Worker of the Year 



  • Emma Burns, Thurrock council
  • Jennifer Gander, Brighton and Hove council
  • David Abrahams, Cafcass
  • Jane Clark, Royal Borough of Greenwich
  • Amanda Beaufoy, Worcestershire council

Adult Social Worker of the Year



  • Glenys Cotter, Sefton Metropolitan council
  • Patricia Fifield, Warwickshire council
  • Alison Clark, Essex council
  • Carol Colins, Cygnet Healthcare 
  • Charles McGerigal, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
  • Maureen Jaimin, Northumberland council

NQSW – Children’s 



  • Danielle Martin, Essex council
  • Jennifer Skirrow, Southwark council
  • Hayley Wallace, Wokingham council
  • Tina Robinson, Peterborough council
  • Andy Carson, Bristol council

NQSW – Adults 



  • Vicki Steele, Knowsley Metropolitan council
  • Emma White, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust
  • James Sawford, Cornwall council
  • Ruth A. Aten-Shearwood, Derbyshire council

Practice Teacher of the Year 



  • Brian Mitchell, Calderdale council
  • Naomi Knott, Plymouth council
  • Alison Millet, Somerset council
  • Sue Nash, Wiltshire council

Team of the Year – Children’s 



  • Safebase Team, After Adoption
  • SSAFA Worldwide Social Work Service
  • Jubilee Gardens, Tameside council
  • CATCH (Children and Teenager Community Help Team) – Buckinghamshire council
  • Triborough Pilot, Cafcass

Team of the Year – Adults 



  • Cygnet Healthcare
  • Transitional Support Planning Team, Worcestershire council
  • People2People, Shropshire Community Interest Company
  • Hospital In-Reach Team, Bracknell Forest council
  • CARS (Community Access and Reablement Service), Sheffield County council

Team Leader – Children’s 



  • Michelle Newman, Plymouth council
  • Sarah Hogan, Bath and North-East Somerset council
  • Helen Fenton, Bracknell Forest council
  • Michelle Hayden Pepper, Essex council
  • Jackie Pape, Slough council

Team Leader – Adults 



  • Matthew Onyemah, London Borough of Lambeth
  • David Skidmore, Warwickshire council
  • Louise Matthews, Blackpool council
  • Carol Parker, Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames
  • Tracy Cullen, Salford council

Best Employer 



  • Cafcass
  • Derbyshire council (adult care)

Lifetime Achievement Award 



  • Jenni Randall, independent social worker
  • Norma Rennie, Lincolnshire council
  • Rita Hunt, East Riding of Yorkshire council (posthumous nomination)
  • Robert Angus Brown, director with Edge Training and Consultancy; consultant/supervisor for DOLS Team, Cornwall council

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