‘In memory of Pat, my social work mentor and inspiration’

For Community Care’s 50th anniversary, our My Brilliant Colleague series invites you to celebrate anyone who has inspired you in your career.

Social worker Nicola Silk lost her mentor and friend of 16 years, Pat Curtis, just a couple of weeks ago.

In the following letter, addressed to Pat, Nicola remembers the years she spent beside her colleague and the lives that were touched by her.

Pat,

It was almost 16 years to the day I met you.

Me, a newly qualified social worker at a time without protected caseloads or formal mentoring, and you, a strong-minded, opinionated and experienced child protection conference chair.

I was told to come to you for support in writing a conference report for a family whose social worker had been off sick. This started 16 years of mentorship, advice and friendship that moved out of the workplace and intertwined with our personal lives.

Pat Curtis (photo by Nicola Silk)

You welcomed me and my husband into your home and family, something I have valued over the years.

I have never taken for granted your wisdom, in fact I have more than once called you my social work inspiration. Over the years, whenever I sought your advice, you were always keen to listen, tease out my thoughts and help me come to a solution. I know this is what you did for many.

You can’t say your name in the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire area without someone recognising it. Everyone comments on how supportive and knowledgeable you were, but also how honest and straight-talking, something you are remembered fondly for.

You started out as a primary school teacher before moving on to the world of social work, where you remained as a practice educator and mentor until very recently.

You’d proudly tell me there were few students you hadn’t been able to support to pass their placement and you took great pride in seeing them flourish.

Even when you retired, you couldn’t quite let the practice educating go. At the time, I teased that you would be doing it until the day you died. I didn’t know how true this would be.

I can’t even begin to put into words the impact you have had on the social work profession, the sheer number of people who have somehow had their professional or personal lives touched by you and the gaping hole you now leave. There are few people who have such a legacy to leave to the world, but you, Pat, are one of them.

Pat Curtis holding her silver award for practice educator of the year at the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2023 (photo by Nicola Silk)

When I spoke to Peter [Pat’s husband] and Geraldine [her sister] about writing this, we all cried together and then laughed.

We all agreed you probably would love this, but not before saying how much you’d hate it and that I shouldn’t waste my time writing about you. Because despite all your hard work and achievements, you were humble.

In November 2023, you were a finalist in the Social Worker of the Year Awards for practice educator of the year. I can’t believe it took that long to be nominated and, even though you didn’t win (which I thought was a great injustice), you were just as thrilled to even be a finalist and be well enough to attend the awards event.

When I think of you now ,Pat, you will always be smiling a big beaming smile and wearing colourful glasses and clothes that always reminded me of autumn colours. If I see sweet peas, it will be a reminder of you growing them each year in abundance.

I never got to tell you I had been successful in getting the consultant family court adviser job, but as I start this new chapter of my career, and with my first student since joining Cafcass, I only hope I can do you proud.

Thank you for always sharing your time and knowledge.

Nic x

Pat Curtis, 22 April 1949 – 11 July 2024

In memory of Pat, Nicola and Pat’s family are raising money to plant a tree in her memory. You can find the fundraiser page here.

How to nominate a colleague

For our 50th anniversary, we’re expanding our series My Brilliant Colleague to include anyone who has inspired you in your career – whether current or former colleagues, managers, students, lecturers, mentors or prominent past or present sector figures whom you have admired from afar.

Nominate your colleague or social work inspiration by either:

• Filling in our nominations form with a letter or a few paragraphs (100-250 words) explaining how and why the person has inspired you.
• Or sending a voice note of up to 90 seconds to +447887865218, including your and the nominee’s names and roles.

Despite the need to provide your name and role, you or the nominee can be anonymous in the published entry.

If you have any questions, email our community journalist, Anastasia Koutsounia, at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com.