A number of social workers have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list, announced this week.
The recipients included two principal social workers (PSW), the co-founder of the secure base model of therapeutic caregiving and a retired practitioner who used to support Holocaust survivors.
There was also recognition for current or former directors of children’s and adults’ services and a leading disability campaigner.
Jenny Rees, acting assistant director for quality, safeguarding and workforce (adults) at the London Borough of Islington
The former co-chair of the Adult Principal Social Worker Network and PSW at Islington council, Jenny Rees, was awarded an MBE for services to social work.
‘An honour for those who work tirelessly in social work’
She said she was “extremely proud, surprised and humbled” to receive the award and was pleased that it served to spotlight both Islington and social work, given the “significant impact” the profession has on many people’s lives.
“I feel as though I have accepted this award for my late father who carried out a huge amount of work for his community as a local councillor, magistrate and many other things, as well as many many others who work tirelessly in social care and social work who would all be just as deserving of this award as myself,” she added.
There was also an MBE for the children’s PSW at Wigan Council, Jayne Acton, who was recognised for services to children and families.
She described the award as a “real shock”, adding: “I am proud to be recognised like this, but not just for myself, it’s for the council, for the work it does and also recognition for the social care industry and how important a role we have.”
Secure base caregiving model co-founder recognised
From the world of social work academia, there was an MBE for Dr Mary Beek, honorary research fellow at the University of East Anglia’s (UEA) school of social work.
She worked for many years as a social worker and manager at Norfolk County Council, while building a parallel career as an academic at UEA. With her colleague Professor Gillian Schofield, she developed the secure base model of therapeutic caregiving.
Dr Mary Beek, honorary fellow, University of East Anglia
Drawing on John Bowlby’s work on attachment theory, the model posits five dimensions of care that a child requires to feel secure: availability (helping the child to trust); sensitivity (helping the child to manage feelings); acceptance (building the child’s self-esteem); co-operation (helping the child feel effective), and family membership (helping the child to belong).
It has been implemented in fostering, adoption and residential care placements in a number of local authorities.
Regarding her honour for services to children and families, Beek said: “Throughout my working life I’ve been inspired and supported by so many brilliant and committed colleagues, foster carers and adoptive parents. But the main source of inspiration for all of us has been the strength, kindness and resilience of the children and young people that we’ve worked with. It’s all of them who deserve the honour!”
Honour for social worker who supported Holocaust survivors
Another MBE recipient was Northern Ireland-based social worker Frances Nicholson, who was honoured for services to social work and to adoption and fostering services.
Meanwhile, a retired social worker who worked to support Holocaust survivors was given a British Empire Medal (BEM).
Myrna Bernard, who worked for the Association of Jewish Refugees, was recognised for services to the Jewish community and to disabled people in Scotland.
Retired social worker Myrna Bernard
The charity’s chief executive, Michael Newman, said it was “thrilled” she had been recognised, describing her as a “remarkable stalwart for our community”.
“During her tenure with the AJR, Myrna was a devoted social worker and confidante and still remains a compassionate advocate for our members,” he said.
Another retired social worker to receive a BEM was Rebecca Chambers, who worked for over 30 years in charity Barnardo’s fostering service.
She said she “loved” her job, particularly the opportunity to do direct work with children in foster care.
Former Barnardo’s fostering social worker Rebecca Chambers
“Obviously, there were times when advocating for a child has some difficult processes to get through,” she added. “However, I have a heartfelt feeling of privilege that I have been given the opportunity to be part of making a difference for children who needed, for whatever reason, to experience a positive family life.”
Current and former directors recognised
Meanwhile, there were honours for four current or former directors of children’s or adults’ services.
There was a CBE for Judith Finlay, the executive director of community and children’s services at the City of London Corporation, for services to children and families. Before taking on this role last year, she spent 24 years at Ealing council, 22 of which as director of children’s or social services.
“I am delighted to receive this wonderful honour,” said Finlay. “I take it as recognition of the important work that I was fortunate enough to lead alongside so many talented frontline and senior colleagues and partners in other agencies across Ealing.
“But above all, I really value it as a testament of our shared commitment to improving the life chances for children and young people in our community.”
Also honoured was Ann Workman, a social worker by background, who served as director of adults and health at Stockton-on-Tees Council from 2017 until her retirement in 2023. She received an OBE for services to adult social care and health.
Commenting on X (formerly Twitter), she said: “I feel very humbled and thankful to have been a small part of people’s lives and worked with so many shining examples of wonderful social care, NHS, public health, housing and the amazing voluntary and community sector.”
Honours for leaders who oversaw Ofsted improvements
There were also OBEs for Solihull’s director of children’s services, Beate Wagner, and her counterpart at Surrey, Rachael Wardell, for services to education and children’s social care, respectively.
Wagner joined Solihull last year, having previously spent four years as DCS at Wakefield Council, where she helped improve its Ofsted rating from inadequate to good.
Rachael Wardell, director of children’s services at Surrey County Council
Wardell, who is also vice-president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, has been Surrey’s director since 2020, during which time it has improved from inadequate to requires improvement
She said: “I was pleased and touched to be honoured in this way. As with any kind of public service, any of the achievements or successes attributed to me are really the work of dozens, if not hundreds of people, pulling together in the interests of children and their families, so I am grateful to all the teams I have been privileged to work with over the years whose skills and strengths are reflected in this recognition.”
Surrey’s former chief executive, Joanna Killian, said: “Rachael has always been totally focused on delivering the very best for children under her care and Surrey is lucky to have such a strong and skilled director of children’s services.”
‘Positive to see lived experience honoured’
Meanwhile, there was an OBE for Anna Severwright, convenor of sector charities Social Care Future and In Control, for services to disabled people.
Anna Severwright, co-convenor of Social Care Future and In Control
Originally qualifying as a doctor, her health meant she was unable to continue in clinical practice. She has subsequently used her experience as someone who uses direct payments to arrange their care and support to campaign for improvements in the way people access services and to reduce bureaucracy for disabled people.
“The honour recognises the contribution that people with lived experience make to social care, and also my work with Social Care Future, which is calling for a brighter future for everyone to live in a place we call home, with the people and things we love, in communities where we look out for each other, doing the things that matter to us,” she said.
“I know my work stands (or sits!) on the shoulders of many wonderful disabled people who have been fighting for decades and many who still are now. It is positive to see lived experience being valued and I hope there are many more to follow mine.”
Other social care honours recipients
Others honoured included:
- Social Care Wales chief executive Sue Evan , who was awarded an OBE for services to social care;
- National Care Association co-chair Ian Turner, who also received an OBE for services to social care;
- Registered children’s home manager Sharron Adams, who was awarded an MBE for services to disabled children and young people;
- Brian McCann, who also gained an MBE for services to children and the children’s hearing system in Scotland, in which capacity he is a panel practice adviser in Aberdeenshire;
- Jacqui Belfield-Smith, head of youth justice and targeted youth support at Stockport Council, who gained an MBE for services to youth justice;
- Janice Jinks, a foster carer and chair of Doncaster Foster Carers Association, who was given an MBE for services to supporting families;
- Social work assistant Janet Parks, who works for Birmingham Children’s Trust, who was awarded a BEM for services to children and families;
- Former foster carers Diane and Patrick McCourt, who received BEMs for services to foster care in Northern Ireland;
- Foster carer Isabelle Rafferty, who also received a BEM for services to foster care in Northern Ireland.
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Just a *slight* lack of diversity in the awards recipients then…?! 😳🙄
That’s a bit mean given every recipient with nearly quivering lips and an almost moist eye proclaim it belongs to all of us too. Pity the awarding ceremony can only accommodate themselves and the name on the box is theirs only but our spectral presence will be floating about on the day no doubt. If that doesn’t count as diversity I’m sure the talents have plenty more definitions.
Hang on – there is a Jewish Social Worker who was recognised, and not everything is about race, but about actual ability, care, and dedication. I remember when Dr. Martin Luther King said he wished for the day when people were not judged by the colour of their skin, but by their content of their character – could not agree more, say’s me who is also from a ‘diverse’ and non-white background.
Who said anything about race Abdul? I referred to diversity. If that’s your definition of diversity – ok – but it’s not mine.
Social work is a Humpty Dumpty world where words mean not what they actually mean but what a person believes, maybe even wishes, them to mean. So diversity doesn’t actually mean variety spanning our differences but the opposite, constraining differences so we end up with, to paraphrase, diversity meaning what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less. A mantra, a slogan devoid of substance obsessively rooted in the personal. Didn’t used to be like this of course as Incredulous Ingrid reminds us.
Qwhite right Ingrid!
The esteem with which most practitioner social workers, if they are indeed aware of them in the first place, hold recipients of the lesser honours is best summed up by them being refered to as “talents”. Sometimes a word is just perfect.
Congratulations to all the recipients and so well deserved. As a holder on an MBE as well I agree that we do accept these awards on behalf of our colleagues and everyone with whom we work as it is impossible to do this job single handedly, it takes a team and great team work . Once Again Congratulations to you All (Pretty Nkiwane , MBE)
That’s a skewed view you hold there Pretty, but if that makes you sleep better – ok.
I don’t accept the “honour”. Your name on the medal, letters after your own name too, no reflected ‘glory’ scraps for me. If it belonged to all of us we’d all be recipients wouldn’t we? You are, we are not. That’s it. Accept the privilege of serving the King in the name of the Empire for yourself. Don’t make us complicit. Incase envy is invoked my mother was offered a much higher ‘honour’ and declined. We kept the ashes after she burnt the letter. My most treasures memento.
Enjoy your Empire medal Pretty, but please don’t think it’s for everyone – that would be delusional.
Where are the black and minority social workers who work hard to safeguard all children,who are on the frontline, undervalued,who are not recognised for thier dedication.Do they not matter?