Social workers shortlisted for top national awards
The Social Worker of the Year Awards is pleased to announce this year’s finalists.
All those who have been shortlisted are being recognised for their extraordinary practice and will find out if they have won the Award in their category at a special event this November in London.
The finalists were chosen by independent judging panels of young care leavers, social workers, industry leaders and people with lived experience of social work.
The Social Worker of the Year Awards is the only major national awards event for social work in England, attracting hundreds of entries every year.
For 2023, there will be 18 Awards as well as the ‘Overall Social Worker of the Year’ which is chosen by the Board of Trustees from all the winning entries.
Categories include returning favourites like Team Leader of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award, and new additions like University Social Work Lecturer of the Year and Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) of the Year.
One judge described this year’s entries as “some of the most heart-warming and inspiring practice” they have seen to date.
Peter Hay CBE, Chair of the Social Work Awards, said: “This year we received the most entries ever which goes to show organisations and individuals are keen to shine a light on the inspirational achievements of an often-overlooked profession. We would like to thank all those who took the time to nominate a friend, colleague, or team for an award this year. To our finalists, we’d like to say congratulations! Being nominated for a national award, whilst supporting others during very challenging times, is a remarkable achievement of which you should be very proud.”
Sponsors of this Awards include Sanctuary (Headline Sponsor), BASW (Corporate Partner), ADASS West Midlands, Coventry City Council, Children’s Social Work Matters (Barnsley), Essex County Council, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London Borough of Wandsworth, S12 Solutions, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, Suffolk County Council and UNISON.
New sponsors are Bradford Social Work Teaching Partnership, Cafcass, Central Bedfordshire Council, London Borough of Havering and Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.
‘Thank You’ sponsors for this year’s Awards include Dorset Council, Gloucestershire County Council, Luton Borough Council, ParentAssess, Social Work DISCovery, Suffolk County Council and West Sussex County Council.
The full list of finalists are:
| Student Social Worker of the Year 2023 | ||
| Supported by Bradford Social Work Teaching Partnership | ||
| Name | Place of study | |
| Alex Cadoux | University of Warwick | |
| Amy Ibbotson | Sunderland University | |
| Aravind Satheesh | University of East Anglia | |
| Charlotte Higgins | Manchester Metropolitan University | |
| Karla Coppendale | West London NHS Trust Inpatient Forensic Service | |
| Lloyd Haskins | University of Plymouth | |
| University Social Work Lecturer of the Year 2023 | ||
| Supported by Essex County Council | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Bridget Caffrey | University of Chester | |
| David Bulmer | Middlesex University / Think Ahead | |
| Gemma Hunt | University of Warwick | |
| Katie Kuken | Anglia Ruskin University | |
| Lynda Hughes | University of Sheffield | |
| Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year 2023 | ||
| Supported by Suffolk County Council – Adult’s | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Angell Phoenix | Worcestershire County Council | |
| James Hussain | Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust | |
| Kemela McFarlane | Liverpool City Council | |
| Nicola Harding | Cheshire West and Chester | |
| Patrick Hamilton | Suffolk County Council | |
| Victoria Veale | Suffolk County Council | |
| Newly Qualified Children’s Social Worker of the Year 2023 | ||
| Supported by Wandsworth Borough Council | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Clare Burnett | Cafcass | |
| Ellie Taylor | Gloucestershire County Council | |
| Kelly Bentley-Simon | Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust | |
| Norton Dhliwayo | Achieving for Children | |
| Practice Educator of the Year 2023 | ||
| Supported by BASW | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Christopher Smith-Whicker | Kirklees Children’s Social Care | |
| Gwen Bryan | University of East London | |
| Pat Curtis | Anglia Ruskin University | |
| Sharon Saarrtje Hirshman | Sheffield City Council | |
| Suzanne Smith | Hull City Council | |
| Team of the Year, Adult Services 2023 (including MDTs) | ||
| Supported by UNISON | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Adult Central Locality Team | City of Doncaster Council | |
| Adult Social Care Transformation Team – Derbyshire County Council | Derbyshire County Council | |
| Adults with Learning Disabilities Team South Worcestershire | Worcestershire County Council | |
| Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Team | Suffolk County Council | |
| Mental Health and Wellbeing Team | Essex County Council | |
| Team of the Year, Children’s Services 2023 (including MDTs) | ||
| Supported by London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Bridges | Devon Children’s Services | |
| Fair Ways Fostering Team | Fair Ways | |
| Make a Change | Suffolk County Council | |
| North Lincolnshire Council Fostering Team | North Lincolnshire Council | |
| Staying Together Team | Bexley Council | |
| Tendring Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) | Essex County Council | |
| Supportive Social Work Employer Award 2023 | ||
| Supported by Sanctuary Personnel | ||
| Name | ||
| Cafcass | ||
| North Lincolnshire Council | ||
| Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council | ||
| Together for Children Sunderland | ||
| Team Leader of the Year, Adult Services 2023 | ||
| Supported by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Charlie Mason | Plymouth City Council | |
| Corinne Avery | Norfolk County Council | |
| Janette Ledbrook | Wokingham Borough Council | |
| Julie Flynn | Birmingham City Council | |
| Sandra Mak | Merton Council | |
| Suzanne Ladlow | Suffolk County Council | |
| Wendy Kirkman | Derbyshire County Council | |
| Team Leader of the Year, Children’s Services 2023 | ||
| Supported by CSWM (Barnsley) | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Belinda Collingwood | Essex County Council | |
| Ben Collins | Essex County Council | |
| Eleanor Hinchliffe | South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust | |
| Jane Dunne | Coventry Local Authority | |
| Nirvana Curley | Portsmouth City Council | |
| Sarah Vardy | Derbyshire County Council | |
| Digital Transformation in Social Work Award 2023 | ||
| Supported by ADASS West Midlands | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Buckinghamshire Children’s Services | Buckinghamshire Council Children’s Services | |
| Fostering Together’ s Team | Fostering Together – for children with disabilities | |
| Rachael Carrott | Adopt South – Hampshire County Council | |
| Specialist Support Service | Gateshead Council | |
| Suffolk County Council Digital Care Team | Suffolk County Council | |
| Supporting Children in Education Award 2023 | ||
| Supported by Coventry City Council | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Christina Addenbrooke | Essex County Council | |
| Demi Sherman | North Tyneside Council | |
| Julia Robertson | Orchard Care | |
| Kelly Arrowsmith | North Tyneside Council | |
| SWIS project – social workers in schools | Anglia Ruskin University | |
| Social Justice Advocate Award 2023 | ||
| Supported by BASW | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Ade Larigo | Agency Connection Ltd | |
| Elaine James | Bradford Council | |
| Jenni Guthrie | Frontline | |
| Mental Health Social Worker of the Year 2023 | ||
| Supported by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Edward Lim | South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust | |
| Hannah Dawson | Northumberland County Council | |
| Kim Cleaver | Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council | |
| Sara Galvin | Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust | |
| Wendy Giovanelli | Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust | |
| AMHP (Approved mental health professional) Social Worker of the Year 2023 | ||
| Supported by S12 Solutions | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Andree Hindmarch | Sunderland Local Authority | |
| Katie Anderson | Northumberland County Council | |
| Kirsten Bingham | Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust – co/Hull City Council | |
| Krista Rathe | Essex County Council | |
| Rob Marsden | Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust | |
| Stephen Roper | Sefton MBC | |
| Adult Social Worker of the Year 2023 | ||
| Supported by London Borough of Havering | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Abby Turk | Essex County Council | |
| Charlotte Spain | North Lincolnshire Council | |
| Jennifer Daines | Wokingham Borough Council | |
| Louise Gray | Northumberland County Council | |
| Ruth Hare | Birmingham City Council Adult Social Care | |
| Stacey Wells | Warrington Borough Council | |
| Children’s Social Worker of the Year 2023 | ||
| Supported by Central Bedfordshire Council | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Anna Hill | Wiltshire Council | |
| Barbara Parker | University Hospitals Dorset NHS Trust | |
| Ben Chisanga | Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council | |
| Omaid Badar | Kirklees Children’s Social Care | |
| Tia Brady-Belle | Warwickshire County Council | |
| Vicky Doolan | Kirklees Local Authority | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 | ||
| Supported by Cafcass | ||
| Name | Employer | |
| Amanda Davies | Families First Fostering | |
| Mary Helsby | Sefton Council Adult Social Care | |
| Meera Spillett | The Staff College (Associate) | |
| Rachael Willis | Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust | |
| Sarah Parsons | Cafcass | |
| Susan Waring | Tripod- working at Somerset Council | |