‘You were supportive in every way’: thank you to the manager who shaped my career

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

In this entry, child and adolescent psychotherapist Pavan Hundal remembers her manager from her social work days, who “walked shoulder to shoulder” with her during difficult cases and emergencies.

As a manager, you were such a strong source of support, walking shoulder to shoulder with me when I was a social worker in your team.

You were supportive in every way, a safety net. You cared to know both about the families I worked with and me.

When I was pressed for time during emergencies with cases, you’d be by my side helping keep all other aspects of the job (eg paperwork, processes) ticking along.

You were a figure of inspiration and generously shared your knowledge and expertise throughout my time under your management.

And if there were difficult challenges to face higher up [when advocating for cases], you’d find a way for the families to gain the support they needed, when they needed it.

Thank you.

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.