Knowsley Social Worker shortlisted for national award

A social worker from Knowsley Council has been selected as a finalist in the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2013 as a result of her outstanding work with adults.

Vicki Steele, who started work at the council in February 2012 after graduating from Liverpool John Moore’s University with a Masters Degree in Social Work, has been nominated for the Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year prize. She will find out if she has won at an awards ceremony at the Lancaster Hotel in London on Friday 29 November.

In her first year as a social worker, Vicki has been working with people who have been diagnosed with HIV or AIDS, and their families. She has shown great skill and huge commitment to helping her client group, working with partners in other agencies and within the council’s Public Health team to raise awareness of people living with HIV or AIDS.

Paul Boyce, Director of People Services at Knowsley Council said: “We have all been impressed by the hard work and commitment that Vicki has shown in her role as an adult social worker in Knowsley since she joined us last year.

“She has worked tirelessly to help the residents that she supports, and has also done a lot to improve understanding of the issues among her colleagues in the council and other agencies.”

There are 49 finalists across eleven categories and winners from each category will compete against each other to be named the overall “Social Worker of the Year 2013.”

The awards were judged by leading influencers including Annie Hudson (Chief Executive, The College of Social Work), Professor Eileen Munro (London School of Economics) and newly-appointed Chief Social Workers Isabelle Trowler and Lyn Romeo, who will both be making keynote speeches during the evening.

There will also be a special video presentation from Edward Timpson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families

Beverley Williams, the awards founder, added: “These awards are about recognising the best work in the profession and to reach the finals is an outstanding achievement in itself. The awards aim to raise awareness of the challenging and diverse work that social workers do and they are helping to improve the reputation of social workers everywhere.”

The Social Worker of the Year Awards is supported by media partner CommunityCare.co.uk, headline sponsor Sanctuary Social Care (sponsor, Overall Social Worker of the Year); The College of Social Work (sponsor, Outstanding Contribution to Social Work); the British Association of Social Workers (sponsor, Lifetime Achievement Award); and Christies Care (sponsor, Adult Social Worker of the Year).

For more information about the Social Worker of the Year Awards please see www.socialworkawards.com.

Notes to editors:

1)    The Social Work Awards Ltd is a charitable organisation seeking to improve the awareness, understanding and reputation of the social care sector. The registered charity number is 1144458

2)    The 2013 Social Worker of the Year Awards has attracted a high profile judging panel. The full judging panel is as follows;

• Professor Eileen Munro, London School of Economics
• Annie Hudson, The College of Social Work
• Jo Cleary, The College of Social Work
• Dr Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner
• Dave Hill, Essex Social Services
• Estelle Thain, Social Worker of the Year 2012
• Celia Parker, Social Worker of the Year 2011
• Caroline Curtis, Children’s Social Worker of the Year 2011
• Ben Ross, Adult Social Worker of the Year 2012
• Kelly Hicks, Adult Social Worker of the Year 2011
• Dez Holmes, Research in Practice
• Jill Manthorpe, Social Care Workforce Research Unit
• Maxine Fletcher, Oxford Brookes University
• Matthew Reed, The Children’s Society
• Paul Farmer, MIND
• Bernard Walker, The College of Social Work
• Anthony Douglas, Cafcass
• Jane Silvester, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
• Marie Diggins, Social Care Institute for Excellence
• Jabbar Sardar, Cafcass
• Carol Long, NSPCC
• Nick Berbiers, social work professional
• Andrew Williamson
• Andrew Ellery, social work professional
• Beverly Hendricks, Sanctuary Social Care
• Ann Haigh, NAGALRO
• Carol Tozer, SCOPE
• Paul Ringer, Spurgeons
• Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for Children
• Lyn Romeo, Chief Social Worker for Adults
• Cait Vulliamy, Skylakes Social Care
• Shaun O’Leary, Hounslow Borough Council
• Zoe Betts
• Kirsty McGregor, Communitycare.co.uk 
• Emma Lewell-Buck MP
• Ruth Cartwright, BASW
  
  

3)    The awards are open to qualified practitioners throughout England with a range of individual and team categories for those working in both children’s and adult departments.

Ends

Ref: SWA XXX

For further press information please contact:

Gemma Melling, Communications Officer (Media), Knowsley Council

Tel: 0151 443 3537

Email: gemma.melling@knowsley.gov.uk

Or

Abbie Smith, Genesis PR

Tel: 01473 326403

Email: abbie.smith@genesispr.co.uk

4)    For more information about the Social Work Awards, visit www.socialworkawards.com  

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