BASW members honoured at awards ceremony

Seventeen inspiring social workers, teams and organisations have been honoured for their outstanding achievements and described as ‘ambassadors for the profession’ after they took home top prizes at the 2018 national Social Worker of the Year Awards.

Among those recognised were two BASW members, Karen Maude (Bradford College) who won Practice Educator of the Year, and Sian Miljkovic (University of Bedforshire) who picked up the Student Social Worker of the Year award.

Karen said: “I feel very proud to have won but moreover it is an absolute joy to see social work celebrated like this.”

Karen retired three years ago but quickly realised she still had more to give and returned as a practice educator and teacher. “Working with the next generation of social workers is very important to me and it’s great I learn as much from them as they learn from me.”

It was a day of first’s for Sian as she attended her first ever awards ceremony, leaving with the gong for Student Social Worker of the Year.

“It was also the first time I’ve been in a room with other people where social worker is purely celebrated and spoken about only in positive terms, it was great for me to see how valued the profession is,” said Sian.

The ceremony, which took place on Friday 30th November at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, was hosted by BBC News reporter and care leaver Ashley John-Baptiste.

Awards were presented in a variety of categories across both children’s and adult services, including prizes for Social Worker of the Year, Team of the Year, Creative & Innovative Social Work Practice and Lifetime Achievement. A new award was also introduced to recognise social workers employed outside of local authority settings.

Lyn Romeo, Chief Social Worker for Adults (England), gave a keynote speech on the evening and endorsements were provided by The Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP, Secretary of State for Education; Nadhim Zahawi MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Children and Families; Caroline Dinenage MP, Minister of State for Care; and Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for Children and Families.

BASW Chair Gerry Nosowska also gave a speech, available here, while BASW chief executive Ruth Allen presented the Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year award and Maris Stratulis, BASW England national director presented the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The 2018 gold winners are:

Children’s Social Worker of the Year: Chris Dyas, NSPCC

Adult Social Worker of the Year: Jennifer Staude, Westminster City Council / Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Newly Qualified Children’s Social Worker of the Year: Jessica Raper, East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year: Rebecca Payne, Gloucestershire County Council

Practice Educator of the Year: Karen Maude, Bradford College

Student Social Worker of the Year: Sian Miljkovic, University of Bedfordshire

Making a Difference: Wendy Ashton, Eden Valley Hospice

Championing Social Work Values: Social Workers Without Borders

Mental Health Social Worker of the Year: Zoe Williamson, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust / Northumberland County Council

Team of the Year, Children’s Services: Case Management Team, North Lincolnshire Council

Team of the Year, Adult Services: Integrated Community Services Team, Shropshire Council

Team Leader of the Year, Children’s Services: Jenny Slee, North Somerset Council / Adoption West

Team Leader of the Year, Adult Services: Jane Haywood, Derby City Council

Creative & Innovative Social Work Practice: People From Abroad Team. Norfolk County Council

Best Social Work Employer of the Year: Essex County Council

Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter Smith, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Outstanding Contribution to Social Work: Anthony Douglas CBE

Overall Social Worker of the Year: Zoe Williamson, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust / Northumberland County Council