Deadline: 11-May-21
Social Care Council is seeking nominations for NI Social Work Awards 2021 to recognise the value of social workers to the lives of individuals and families across society.
Led by the Health and Social Care Board, the Social Work Awards are organised by the five Health and Social Care Trusts in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council and the British Association of Social Workers.
The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday 9 September 2021. The ceremony will be an in-person, virtual or blended event depending on Covid-19 regulations at the time.
The Awards
Children’s Services Team of the Year
For this Award the judges welcome entries from teams that can demonstrate how they are making a positive difference to the lives of children and families.
Submissions should demonstrate:
- The contribution the team makes to Children’s Services
- How the team puts children and families at the centre of their work
- Evidence of the benefits of the work to children and families
- Evidence of the quality and effectiveness of the team
- What makes this an award-winning team
Quotes/testimonies from service users/carers, other professionals strengthen a submission
Adult Services Team of the Year
For this Award the judges welcome entries from teams that can demonstrate how they are making a positive difference to the lives of adults.
Submissions should demonstrate:
- The contribution the team makes to Adult Services
- How the team puts adult service users at the centre of their work
- Evidence of the benefits of the work to adult service users
- Evidence of the quality and effectiveness of the team
- What makes this an award-winning team
Quotes/testimonies from service users/carers, other professionals strengthen a submission
Coproduction Award of the Year
Coproduction recognizes people’s capabilities and promotes enabling them to work with professionals and each other. For this Award the judges welcome entries from staff/teams who can evidence coproduction in practice.
Submissions should demonstrate:
- The vision and achievements of the coproduction project
- Provide evidence of valuing people and recognizing their contributions
- Service users/families making a real difference to improve our services
- Clear evidence of how coproduction is enabling and facilitating change
Quotes/testimonies from service users/carers, other professionals strengthen a submission
Learning and Development Award of the Year
This Award is for individuals or teams who through education, learning and development make a difference to developing social work practice. This may include research, evidence based practice, practice learning, coaching and mentoring and direct training.
Submissions should demonstrate:
- Team/Individual
- The contribution this team/individual makes to learning and development.
- How the team/individual puts learners at the centre of their work
- Evidence of the benefits of the work to social workers/social work students
- Evidence of the quality and effectiveness of the team/individual
- What makes this an award winning team/ individual?
Quotes/testimonies from social workers/ social work students, service users/ carers, other professionals strengthen a submission.
Children Services Social Worker of the Year
This Award is for the individual social worker who provides a service that makes a difference to the lives of individuals, families and communities.
- When nominating a social worker for this award, please outline what makes this social worker’s practice excellent. Please include examples of the contribution this social worker has made to children’s or adult service users lives. Quotes and testimonies from service users, carers and other professionals strengthen a submission.
Adult Services Social Worker of the Year
This Award is for the individual social worker who provides a service that makes a difference to the lives of individuals, families and communities.
- When nominating a social worker for this award, please outline what makes this social worker’s practice excellent. Please include examples of the contribution this social worker has made to children’s or adult service users lives. Quotes and testimonies from service users, carers and other professionals strengthen a submission.
Newly Qualified Social Worker of the Year
This Award is for the newly qualified social worker who provides a service that makes a difference to the lives of individuals, families and communities.
- To be eligible to apply for this Award the social worker must have successfully completed the Assessed Year in Employment (AYE) and be in the first two years of post-AYE social work employment .
- When nominating a social worker for this award, please outline what makes this social worker’s practice excellent. Please include examples of the special contribution this social worker has made to people’s lives. Quotes and testimonies from service users, carers and other professionals strengthen a submission.
BASW NI Lifetime Achievement Award
Do you work with or know an exceptional social worker? Would you like them to be recognized by the profession?
- The BASW NI Lifetime Achievement Award was established to recognise those social workers who have worked consistently and steadfastly to improve social work services and/or practice in their field or area of expertise.
- Their significant contribution may have been through leadership or promoting best practice in their area of social work expertise, demonstrating innovation in practice, contributing to research or education and training or being a published author or being recognised as an expert by colleagues due to a lifetime of professional experience.
- Being a lifetime award, these social workers will have demonstrated leadership or innovation over a full social work career.
- The BASW NI Lifetime Achievement Award is your opportunity to honour a colleague, by highlighting their hard work and commitment throughout their social work career. Social workers currently in the service and those who have retired from the service can be nominated for this Award.
- Submissions should demonstrate:
- That the social worker has worked consistently and steadfastly to improve social work services and/or practice throughout their social work career
- That the social worker has made one or more outstanding contributions or a series of significant contributions, to advance, promote or improve social work practice and/or services and/or policy in Northern Ireland
- If possible, examples of the special lifetime contribution they have made should be included along with quotes/ testimonies from service users, carers and other professionals
Eligibility Criteria
- The Awards are open to social workers and teams working in the statutory, voluntary, private, education and training sectors in Northern Ireland.
- Applications are welcome from all areas of social work; you do not have to be working in a unique project to submit an application.
- Teams and individuals working in core social work teams/posts are encouraged to apply.
- The BASW NI Lifetime Achievement Award is open to social workers in the service or who have retired. Previous applicants are welcome to reapply if their application has a different practice focus
For more information, visit https://niscc.info/ni-social-work-awards-2021-recognising-the-value-of-social-work/