Finalists announced for Social Worker of the Year Awards 2015

The shortlist of finalists for the annual celebration of social work has now been unveiled

By Rachel Carter on October 1, 2015 in Adults, Children, Workforce

22-year-old Zahraa Adam was crowned Overall Social Worker of the Year at the 2014 ceremony. Photo: Matt Grayson

The shortlist of finalists for the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2015 has been announced.

68 social workers and social work teams from across England have been shortlisted across 15 different categories, celebrating the achievements of practitioners in both children’s and adult services. The winners from each category will compete against each other to be named the ‘Overall Social Worker of the Year 2015’.

The winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony in London in November.

James Rook, managing director of Sanctuary Social Care, the headline sponsor for the awards, said: “This year has been a record breaking year for the awards and we received more entries than we ever have done before. The standard of entries was incredibly high and all social workers named as finalists should be very proud of their achievements.

“It’s been so inspiring to read about each of our finalists and we’re looking forward welcoming them to the awards ceremony in November to celebrate their contribution to the profession.”

The full shortlist of finalists for the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2015 is as follows:

Children’s Social Worker of the Year Supported by Barnardo’s	Stephen Field, Lincolnshire County Council
	Fern Haward, Oxfordshire County Council
	Sylvana Keenan, Bradford Metropolitan District Council
	Cerrianne Evans, Sheffield City Council
	Joy Manley, Cafcass
Adult Social Worker of the Year	Catherine Hilt, Rochdale Borough Council
	Harprit Rai, Birmingham City Council
	Pauline Young, Durham County Council
	Patricia Stubbs, Derbyshire County Council
Newly Qualified Children’s Social Worker of the Year Supported by Core Assets	Stephanie Mills, Rochdale Borough Council
	Nikki Gay, London Borough of Hounslow
	Katie Stevens, London Borough of Barnet
	Abbie Osborne, Southend Borough Council
	Claire Mullarkey, London Borough of Ealing
Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year Supported by ECL	Aissa Rice, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (in partnership with Northumberland County Council)
	Annabelle Austen, Hertfordshire County Council
	Kate Moorhouse, Cheshire West & Chester Council
	Elizabeth Spencer, Birmingham City Council
Practice Educator of the Year Supported by NSPCC	Philippa Shoesmith, Essex County Council
	Tracy Caton, Islington Council
	Rob Hawley & Lisa Beris, Derby City Council
	Emma Haistead, London Borough of Barnet
Student Social Worker of the Year Supported by UNISON	Tonia Dubidat, University of Birmingham
	Lisa Shaw, Manchester Metropolitan University
	Helene Brown, New College Durham
	Benn Vaughan, University of Cumbria
Principal Social Worker of the Year Supported by Devon County Council	Wendy Hill, West Sussex County Council
	Christine Bennett, Sheffield City Council
	Rob Mitchell, Calderdale Council
	Bernadette Johansen, Calderdale Council
	Marion Russell, Cornwall Council
Mental Health Social Worker of the Year Supported by Hampshire County Council	Claire Hunter, Kent County Council
	Elizabeth Terry, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
	Shabnam Sharif, Birmingham City Council
	Helen Pye, South West Yorkshire NHS Partnership Foundation Trust
Team of the Year – Children’s Services Supported by iMPOWER	Bloomsbury Private Law Team, Cafcass
	Assessment Team 5, Liverpool City Council
	Special Guardianship Order Support Team, Essex County Council
	Children In Care South 3, Essex County Council
	Asylum Intake Team, London Borough of Hillingdon
Team of the Year – Adult Services	Adult Safeguarding Team, Bedford Borough Council
	Accommodation and Support Team, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
	Supported Living Team, Derbyshire County Council
	Community Offer Team, London Borough of Barnet
	Gateway Team, North Tyneside Council
Team Leader of the Year – Children’s Services Supported by Kent County Council	Adam Hall, Northumberland County Council
	Janice Rainey, Northumberland County Council
	Maureen Roscoe-Goulson, Suffolk County Council
	Tracie Collins, Central Bedfordshire Council
	John Platt, Fostering People
Team Leader of the Year – Adult Services	David Minto, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Northumberland County Council
	John Dhamrait, Derby City Council
	Simon Murray, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Northumberland County Council
	Gian Saini, Birmingham City Council
	Amanda Jones, Birmingham City Council
Creative & Innovative Social Work Practice Supported by BASW	Mid Older Peoples Community Team, Essex County Council
	Divisional Based Intervention Team, Essex County Council
	No Wrong Door Initiative, North Yorkshire County Council
	Hospital Extended Services Team, Birmingham City Council
	Adult Social Care Service, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Best Social Work Employer of the Year Supported by Sanctuary Social Care	FosterCare UK
	Essex County Council, Family Operations
	Derbyshire County Council
	Cafcass
Lifetime Achievement Award Supported by BASW
	Val Thompson, Birmingham City Council
	Margaret Bersey, Plymouth City Council
	Anju Bhatti, Optalis