Do you know an inspiring Nottinghamshire social worker who deserves an award?

The charity that organises the Social Worker of the Year Awards is on the lookout for outstanding social workers in Nottinghamshire who have gone the extra mile to make a positive difference to the lives of individuals in their local community.
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The Social Worker of the Year Awards 2021 is now open for entries and members of the public are encouraged to nominate social workers who they feel deserve to be recognised for their hard work and support.

Taking place virtually at the end of November, the theme of this year’s awards is ‘reconnection and recognition’.

It will highlight social workers’ outstanding work during the last 12 months and as they support individuals and communities to reconnect and to move forward from their experiences during the pandemic.

Nominations are open now for the Social Worker of the Year AwardsNominations are open now for the Social Worker of the Year Awards
Nominations are open now for the Social Worker of the Year Awards

There will be 12 award categories to enter, including two new additions: Social Justice Advocate Award and University of the Year.

The full list is:

Student Social Worker of the Year

Newly Qualified Social Worker of the Year

Adult Social Worker of the Year

Children’s Social Worker of the Year

Team Leader of the Year

Mental Health Social Worker of the Year

Practice Educator of the Year

Social Justice Advocate of the Year

Team of the Year (any team including MDTs)

University of the Year

Employer of the Year

Outstanding Contribution during Covid-19 (winner of winners)

Nominations are now open and will close on July 23.

The awards will build on the individual experiences that were the focus of last year’s highly successful virtual ‘Thank You Social Workers’ event.

This year the awards will be sharing more stories of compassion and resilience, uplifting creativity and reflection from the past 12 months.

In March 2022, an exclusive parliamentary reception event at the House of Commons will also return, with sponsors and award winners from 2019 and 2021 invited to attend.

Peter Hay CBE, awards chairman, said: “The aim of our event last year was to say thank you to social workers who selflessly continued to support families and the most vulnerable people in our communities during a period of great difficulty for everybody.

"This year, as we navigate through the turbulence caused by the pandemic, it’s so important for us to take the time to reconnect with each other.

"As a charity we also feel the time is right to bring back the awards to recognise outstanding social work practice during the pandemic.

We hope the awards, which also fall on our 10th anniversary, inspires social workers across England to connect together, reflect on the last year and look forward to the future.”

The charity is inviting local authorities, universities, and other sector companies to get involved in this year’s awards by signing up to be a sponsor.

Starting from just £2,000, sponsoring the event will give organisations the chance to promote their support of social work and commitment to continuous professional improvement of the social work community.

Sponsors will also benefit from social and media promotion, alongside receiving an event celebration box to make the ceremony an evening to remember.

To find out more or reserve your sponsorship, please email [email protected].

To nominate an inspirational social worker, click here.