BASW England celebrates Social Worker of the Year Awards 2025
The awards bring together the social work profession across England to recognise excellence in social work, celebrate outstanding practice, and shine a light on individual and collective achievements.
There were 19 awards presented during the evening, celebrating exceptional contributions in areas of social work such as children's and adult services, mental health, social justice, practice education and research.
BASW England were proud to be the Headline Sponsor for the second year running and sponsored the Social Justice Champion category. We were also delighted to exclusively announce at the ceremony that ALL winners will receive a year’s free BASW membership!
Congratulations to this year’s winners:
Overall Social Worker of the Year
- Sophia Hussain, Redbridge Local Authority
Adult Social Worker of the Year
- Alex Giasemidis, Cambridgeshire County Council – Joint Silver
- Jayne Lee, Essex County Council – Joint Silver
- Sophia Hussain, Redbridge Local Authority – Gold (Also overall Social Worker of the Year)
Children’s Social Worker of the Year
- Tim Bangora, LB of Hammersmith and Fulham - Silver
- Andrea Bassi, Birmingham Children’s Trust - Gold
Lifetime Achievement Award
- John Lovatt, Hartlepool Borough Council – Joint Silver
- Sally Smith, Independent Social Worker – Joint Silver
- Maria Moore, Liverpool City Council – Gold
Team of the Year, Adult Services
- Homeless Move On Team, Bristol City Council – Gold
- Octopus Energy Social Work Team, Octopus Energy – Joint Silver
- Mental Health Accommodation Model, Essex County Council – Joint Silver
Team of the Year, Children’s Services
- Young Carers Team – Central Bedfordshire, Central Bedfordshire Council - Silver
- Out of Hours Team, Hampshire County Council – Gold
Mental Health Social Worker of the Year
- Debbie Dobson, North Lincolnshire Council - Gold
- Molly Butler, Calderdale Council - Silver
Social Work Student of the Year
- Susuana Gyampoh Senghor, London Metropolitan University - Gold
- Lisa Andrews, University of Huddersfield - Silver
Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year
- Rhiannon Williams, Brighton and Hove City Council - Silver
- Paul Caston, Livewell Southwest - Gold
Newly Qualified Children’s Social Worker of the Year
- Lashonte Royal, Hillingdon Council - Gold
- Michela Cambareri, Lancashire South Cumbria Foundation Trust - Silver
Practice Leadership and Management, Adult Services
- Fran Marshall, Cambridgeshire County Council – Joint Silver
- Eirini Zochiou, Sunderland City Council - Gold
- Helen Macisaac, Essex County Council – Joint Silver
Practice Leadership and Management, Children’s Services
- Antonia Ogundayisi, Essex County Council – Joint Silver
- Anne Stoker, London Borough of Enfield- Gold
- Paula Purcell, London Borough of Redbridge – Joint Silver
Technology Enabled Lives and Innovation in Practice Award
- Kent County Council Technology Enhanced Lives Service, Kent County Council - Gold
- The Scribe Project Team, Cafcass - Silver
Practitioner-Led Research Award
- Lisa Richey, East Sussex County Council - Silver
- The Experts in Practice Project, Darlington People Group Directorate - Gold
University Social Work Lecturer of the Year
- Aga M. Buckley, Kingston University London - Silver
- Sian Thomas, University of Birmingham - Gold
International Social Work Award
- Theresa Kambani, Bedford Borough Council - Silver
- Sharon Ndoro, Cambridgeshire County Council - Gold
Social Justice Champion Award
- Thabang Thacker, Cambridgeshire County Council - Gold
- David Redpath-Smith, Cheshire West and Chester Council - Silver
Practice Educator of the Year
- Karen Rodgers, Cambridgeshire County Council - Silver
- Natalie Robertson, Lambeth Council - Gold
Supportive Social Work Employer Award
- Birmingham Children’s Trust - Gold
- WSCC Children, Young People & Learning Service, West Sussex County Council - Silver
Well done in particular to current BASW England members Jayne Lee, Andrea Bassi, Sally Smith, Susuana Gyampoh Senghor, Lashonte Royal, Fran Marshall, Aga M. Buckley, Sian Thomas, Sharon Ndoro, who were all shortlisted for awards this year - we hope you had a wonderful evening and enjoyed your celebrations!
BASW England National Director, Professor Sam Baron commented:
“On behalf of BASW England, congratulations to everyone who has been nominated and won awards this year.
“These awards are not only an opportunity to champion your achievements but also shine a spotlight on the positive difference that amazing social work practice makes to people’s lives. Whether it’s advancing people’s rights and challenging injustices, to advocating for fairness and promoting wellbeing, the role of social work has never been more important.
“We’re proud to have such a richly diverse profession that pulls together to uphold the ethics and values of social work. From students and newly qualified, to educators, researchers, generic and specialist practitioners, professional leaders and experienced social workers engaged in direct practice, your contributions are recognised and appreciated.
“We also express our deepest thanks to social workers across the country for all they do every day to support and advocate for individuals, families, and communities
“It has been a great privilege to join you all this evening in celebrating our profession, hearing inspiring stories of exceptional social work in action, and to pay tribute to the many individual and collective successes that deserve to be noticed and applauded.”
More information about the awards can be found here.
