Finalists announced for Social Worker of the Year Awards 2014

The shortlist of finalists has been announced for the 2014 Social Worker of the Year Awards, celebrating the achievements of social workers working in children’s and adults services.

Fifty-seven social workers and social work teams from across England have been selected as finalists across 15 categories. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Friday 28 November.

There are three new accolades up for grabs this year: Mental Health Social Worker of the Year, Principal Social Worker of the Year and Student Social Worker of the Year.

James Rook, managing director of headline sponsor Sanctuary Social Care, said: “All of the individual practitioners and social work teams who have made the final shortlist for this year’s awards can be very proud of themselves – the competition has been stronger this year than ever before and the standards of entries have been very high.

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming each of the finalists to the awards ceremony in November and celebrating the contributions they have made to the entire social work profession.”

The full shortlist is as follows:

Children’s Social Worker of the Year

Sarah McTaggart, Birmingham City Council

Angela Adams, Cafcass

Shruti Uppal, Southwark Council

Lesley Hardy, Cheshire West and Chester Adoption Team

Emma Peasgood, Kent County Council

Adult Social Worker of the Year

Jeanette Jackson, Derbyshire County Council

Heather Fuller, Focus Independent Adult Social Work

Suzie Holmes, CLIC Sargent

Chris Atherton, London Borough of Haringey

Amanda Jones, Birmingham City Council

Joanne Lowe, Birmingham City Council

Newly Qualified Social Worker of the Year (Children’s)

Julian Wild, Southwark Council

Jenny Cragg, Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Theresa Olivero, Southampton City Council

Elise Houston, Newcastle City Council

Amy Sibun, Norfolk County Council

Zahraa Adam, Essex County Council

Newly Qualified Social Worker of the Year (Adults)

Jamie Stone, Hertfordshire County Council

Rebecca Jackson, Focus Independent Adult Social Work

Katie Wynne, Hertfordshire County Council

Practice Teacher of the Year

Eleni Prodromou, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Angela Meidel, East Sussex County Council

Helen Guizani, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Dave Thomas, Central Bedfordshire Council

Student Social Worker of the Year

Lindsey Wanless, University of Nottingham

Clare Moggeridge, the Open University

Anneka Wright, Manchester Metropolitan University

Shanti Boafor, Kingston University and St George’s University of London

Principal Social Worker of the Year

Margaret Barrett, Gateshead Council

Anne Cullen, Princess Alice Hospice

Mental Health Social Worker of the Year

Linda Ram, Partnerships in Care

Wendy Whitaker, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Team of the Year – Children’s Services

Behaviour Resource Service, Southampton City Council

Children’s Social Care Duty Team, Nottingham City Council

Operational Management Team, Cafcass

Achieving for Children Referral and Assessment team, London Borough of Richmond

Team of the Year – Adults Services

Young Adults Team, Worcestershire County Council

North East Derbyshire Community Social Work Team, Derbyshire County Council

Calderdale End of Life Social Work Team, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Team Leader of the Year (Children’s)

Heidi Crampton, Cafcass

David Green, Wokingham Borough Council

Team Leader of the Year (Adults)

Jill Moorman, Thurrock Council

Julia Hughes, Birmingham City Council

Sara Topham, Derbyshire County Council

Creative and innovative social work practice

Diane Palmer, Veterans First – the North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Sarah Holden, Southampton City Council

Hertfordshire Community Learning Disability Service, Hertfordshire County Council

Children’s Social Care Team, North Yorkshire County Council

SSAFA Family Support Group, SSAFA

Best Social Work Employer of the Year

Children’s Social Care Service, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

Children’s Social Care Team, North Yorkshire County Council

Cafcass

Family Operations Leadership Team, Essex County Council

Lifetime Achievement Award

Joy Janetta, Buckinghamshire County Council

Ariela Reed, Birmingham City Council

Maureen Carson

Jeanne Kaniuk, Coram