Sanctuary Personnel Headline Sponsors Social Worker of the Year Awards
The annual Social Worker of the Year Awards took place last week, and as always, it was a fantastic event. The award recognises the tireless efforts of social care practitioners and teams up and down the country, providing them with recognition that's more than well-earned. Sanctuary Personnel was delighted to be headline sponsoring the event again this year, and it was a source of great pride to be able to celebrate the success of so many wonderful and compassionate professionals. Our CEO, James Rook, presented the awards, including the prestigious Overall Social Worker of the Year Award.
The Winners
The evening's main winner was social worker Omaid Badar, who came to England as a young teenager after fleeing war-torn Afghanistan and having lost both his father and brother to the conflict. Omaid's story is full of tragedy, but it's also one of resilience, and having overcome his own traumatic past, he wants to help others in similar situations do the same.
Having only qualified four years ago, Omaid, who works for Kirklees Council, posted the following on LinkedIn after the win, saying:
"It is an honour and pleasure to be presented and recognised as the Best [Children's] Social Worker of the Year 2023 and Overall Social Worker of the Year 2023 … I will continue with my journey to inspire, encourage, motivate and empower youth with my life story and lived experiences to give them better start at life, be their voice and advocate for their rights – thank you for national recognition."
The decision from the judges was unanimous, and Omaid collected his award to rapturous applause. Well done, Omaid, and thank you for your remarkable work. You're truly an inspiration to us all.
We've listed all of the winners below:
Award | Winner |
Overall Social Worker of the Year | Omaid Badar |
Social Worker of the Year (Adult's and Children) | (Adult's) Ruth Hare, (Children's) Omaid Badar |
Newly Qualified Social Worker of the Year (Adult's and Children) | (Adult's) Victoria Veale, (Children's) Clare Burnett |
Team of the Year | (Adult's) Mental Health and Wellbeing Team, Essex County Council, (Children's) Bridges, Devon County Council |
Team Leader of the Year | (Adult's) Wendy Kirkman, (Children's) Jane Dunne |
Mental Health Social Worker of the Year | Hannah Dawson |
AMHP of the Year | Kirsten Bingham |
Social Justice Advocate of the Year | Elaine James |
Lifetime Achievement Award | Meera Spillett |
Student Social Worker of the Year | Aravind Satheesh |
Practice Educator of the Year | Gwen Bryan |
Supporting Children in Education Award | Christina Addenbrooke |
Digital Transformation in Social Work Award | Specialist Support Service, Gateshead Council |
Supportive Social Work Employer Award | Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council |
University Social Work Lecturer of the Year | Bridget Caffrey, University of Chester |
New Award Categories
This year's event included two brand-new awards: the Approved Mental Health Practitioner (AMHP) of the Year Award and the Social Work Lecturer of the Year Award.
There was also a Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Meera Spillett following her more than three-and-a-half decades in the profession and an honorary award for Chief Social Worker for Adults, Lyn Romeo, who will be retiring after more than 45 years of service to social work. Both are incredible achievements, of that there's no doubt.
More Entries than Ever Before
This year's awards received more entries than ever before – over half a thousand, in fact – which goes to show how many exceptionally talented social care practitioners there are throughout the country. We all know how hard social care professionals work, yet they rarely get the recognition they deserve. Each year, these awards attempt to change that, and the growth in the number of entries is an encouraging sign that that recognition is building.
Let's aim for even more entries next year and keep this wonderful awards ceremony growing! The awards' mission is to recognise inspiring social work, and they certainly do that year after year.
What Our CEO Had to Say!
Here's what our CEO and host on the night, James Rook, had to say about the awards:
"There's never been a time of such need to recognise the incredible work that social workers deliver across the nation. Working tirelessly daily to protect society's most vulnerable populations, this vocation is challenging and rewarding in equal measure. These awards recognise the truly mammoth efforts that social workers put in day in and day out, andit'sa privilege that, as a company,we're able to help shine a spotlight on those that most deserve it."
Congratulations, not only to all the winners but to all the finalists and to everybody who entered the awards! In fact, we'd like to extend a massive thank you to each and every social care practitioner throughout the country; we live in a safer and more compassionate nation because of you. So, here's to you. All of you.
Browse Our Social Worker Roles
If you've been looking for an exciting new step in your social work journey, then we'd love to be able to help! Browse our extensive list of social worker roles, today!
