Profiles
24 March
Team leaders
- Helen Bromley
- James Fox
- Jo Skaife
- Jorden Slater
- Laura Carter
- Laura Wood
- Leanne Broxton
- Lisa Foster
- Louise Guile
- Michelle Stephens
25 March
Team leaders
- Nancy Livesey
- Neil O'Toole
- Nicola Hack
- Olakemi Ogungbenro
- Peter Paton
- Rachel Lovelady
- Robyn Yarnold
- Sophie Fry
- Stewart Neville
- Sue Naylor
26 March
Team leaders
27 March
Social work leaders
- Becky Jackson
- Caroline Bowen
- Caroline Eaton
- Claire Bardon
- Clayre Thompson
- Denise Brewer
- Diane Bond
- Dijon Foster-Brooker
- Helen Rose
- Jayne Adair
28 March
Social work leaders
Helen Bromley
Helen is a team manager at City of York MASH and has been recognised by Jess Markwart
Helen is the service manager in MASH. Helen leads with clarity, kindness, and support embodying what good social work leadership looks like, possessing amazing leadership skills and demonstrating a genuine commitment to the team and the children and families they service. Helen is an expert problem solver, pulling on her social work experience to navigate complex situations to find brave and creative solutions. Helen has created a sense of stability within the team who feel confident to manage whatever type of referral or concern comes in, as they provide clear processes and direction. Helen continually drives signs of safety ensuring it is not an add on to what is already done, but integral to the way the team works with families. We can see what impact this intentional practice is having when at the end of 2023 there was an increase in referral numbers while the teams one working day timeliness remained consistently high. Helen has recently attended the 6-day advance training, contributed during every discussion and showing courage in vulnerability by trying new tools like appreciative enquiry and driving this practice within the team. This leading through example has helped drive signs of safety within MASH.
James Fox
James is a team manager at Wolverhampton City Council and has been recognised by Nita Saran
James is the team manager in the Children And Young People In Care (CAYPIC) team in Wolverhampton. I have worked alongside James for around 2 years and he absolutely goes above and beyond for his colleagues and families he works with. James is a committed team manager who continues to support our team to strive to be the best we can be. James is supportive, resilient and kind, and this is clearly reflected within his work. James supports his team in their own personal and professional developments and always supports career progression.
I don't think James realises how great he is as a manager and i want him to be recognised for his hard work and dedication to CAYPIC, hence why i am submitting this nomination.
Jo Skaife
Jo is a team manager at Cambridgeshire County Council - Children in Care Team and has been recognised by Tapiwa Julius
Jo is an exceptional leader and I have had the distinct pleasure of meeting the social workers in your team during the April and October progression panels. Jo is the only Team manager who has consistently had a social worker present at each of these panels. This is a clear testament to the culture of learning and growth that she has cultivated within her team. A SW has recently also shared that she is incredibly grateful to have a supportive and caring manager.
Jorden Slater
Jorden is a team manager at Derby City Council
Jorden consistently models best practice across all areas of work and provides authentic, compassionate leadership to her team, providing direction and support. Jorden maintains a sense of humour and encourages team camaraderie where all workers are seen as important, and we will all step in to help each other. Jorden has been instrumental in achieving a supportive and open team culture. Jorden identified that team caseloads were busy, and staff felt stressed, with waiting lists increasing. She worked hard to understand the type of incoming referrals and what type of work was being allocated to each worker and determined that the team needed to work differently. She devised a plan to split incoming referrals into planned, unplanned, and long-term work. Involving staff in the planning around this, gaining buy in by encouraging staff to consider the breadth of different processes and knowledge they need within a generic adult team, nearly a year later and staff report feeling more in control of their workload and waiting lists are significantly reduced. Jorden is very solutions focused and will aim to support people to consider what outcome they want and how they could achieve it, empowering the team members through this participatory approach.
Laura Carter
Laura is a deputy principal social worker at City of Wolverhampton Council and has been recognised by Niall O' Connor
I would like to nominate Laura Carter, a colleague of mine who I must describe as an ‘Amazing Social Worker’. I have known Laura for several years, firstly in the capacity of my manager, but then in the capacity of a colleague. Laura is consistently supportive to myself, and all those around her, and nothing is ever too much for her if someone needs some help, always putting others in front of herself.
Laura has a strong passion for ensuring that children and adults are at the very heart of every action she makes and she works both individually, and strategically, to champion the voice of the child or adult across our services.
Laura is also a huge advocate for diversity and inclusion, working tirelessly to embed approaches which not only make a difference for the children and adults we support, but also for all of the Social Workers across our organisation.
Her passion and dedication as a social worker, and manager, are beyond measure and I would love for her to be recognised for this!
Laura Wood
Laura is a service manager at City of Wolverhampton Council, Children in Care Service and has been recognised by James Fox
As our Service Manager across Children and Young People in Care, Laura is a superb Service Manager. I have known Laura for over 2 years and Laura is so passionate about all of our Children and Young People and ensuring that they all get the very best supports, outcomes and homes. Laura's approach of ensuring the very best is achieved is across all areas of her practice, Laura role models this for us all achieving our best day in and day out, supporting at complex meetings or high risk situations. Laura has also been such a super coach and line manager for me personally as one of her team managers. I am very proud to work with Laura as I know I have evolved massively in my two years towards all ensuring we are all achieving the very best for our C&YP. Laura is there at everything from our C&YP in care weeks to strategic senior leadership meetings to iAwards to holding our service wide meetings; always strategically striving for the very best. Thank you Laura you are Amazing.
Leanne Broxton
Leanne is a team manager at City of Wolverhampton Council, Children and Young People in Care and has been recognised by James Fox and Deana Wright
James said:
Do not go any further and this is across the board for social workers, family support workers, YPAs etc. if you are needing to reflect, guidance, advice, resolution, your stuck, supporting each other, to just someone to speak with at a time of difficulty or crisis Leanne is one super lady. Leanne is also super organised and it is as if Leanne does have a special social worker wand and the information or resolution is there in an instant. Leanne is highly thought of, respected and I certainly look up to Leanne for all that I have said here and all that she does for our Children and Young People (C&YP), families, her team and service. Leanne has worked relentlessly from everything such as health and safety, development of groups in our service for C&YP to evolving our Families first for children (FFC) pathfinder programme for our children and young people in care and this is all alongside her Team Manager role and with her team and children. Leanne you are Awesome and thank you for all that you do always.
Deana said:
Leanne is a excellent Team manager who supports the whole team as individuals recognising their strengths and also areas they may find challenging. She works to make sure they are given the extra support to overcome any challenges. Leanne will also work directly with foster parents and families meeting with them with social worker to find solutions working to prevent breakdown and to prevent drift and delay in care planning. It’s been a particularly difficult year for the team due to the loss of a colleague however Leanne has remained really strong and supportive to us all even during the evening and weekends. She has been a dedicated social worker and manager for Wolverhampton city council for over 20 years and deserves recognition for all her commitment and hard work.
Lisa Foster
Lisa is a team manager at North Lincolnshire Council and has been recognised by Hazel Welburn
Lisa is one of the Lead Officers for mental health and disabilities service area, she currently manages the mental health social work team. She is always available and supportive to her staff and her colleagues. She is the glue that holds the team and service together. She is an experienced social worker, AMHP and manager. Lisa ensures that her staff wellbeing remains priority, and that the residents of North Lincolnshire receive the best support available to them. She also remains active on the AMHP rota to support the AMHP services. The mental health and disability service area benefit from Lisa management style and her structured way of working gives her team direction and routine, which supports her team to be effective and enables them to feel supported through the structure Lisa provides. She works closely with our partners to ensure we maintain our relationships as a council which in turn benefits our residents. Lisa provides support to the other lead officers in the mental health and disability service area, to ensure the service runs smoothly and efficiently. This includes supporting the AMHP Lead officer.
Louise Guile
Louise is a team manager at City of York Council and has been recognised by Cat Middleton
Louise is such a supportive and fantastic manager, she spends time getting to know her social workers, she responds to their individual needs but is also firm and encourages her team to develop and grow. Louise is knowledgeable and skilled and always there to help her colleagues. She's a pleasure to work with :)
Michelle Stephens
Michelle is a deputy team manager (DSCM) at Gloucestershire County Council
Michelle has supported me as my line manager since she joined our team about a year and a half ago. I was going through a difficult time and was honestly considering leaving the profession in my 9th year as a SW. However, Michelle's cool, calm and collected approach to supporting me has been an absolute rock in the storm. She has been respectful, boundaried, knowledgeable and has displayed just the right amount of empathy towards me throughout. She's engaged with me through an access to work application process and has learned all about (my) neurodiversity with help from co-coaching sessions with my workplace coach, and subtly promoted that understanding throughout the team which has helped me so much in my emotions and relationships at work. Honestly, I don't know how I could have navigated my way through such a tough period in my career without her consistency and understanding. Supervision with her is so structured and professional it's helped me level up from a really difficult place. It will be my 10th anniversary as a social worker in January 2025 - thanks for helping me get there Michelle.
Nancy Livesey
Nancy is a team manager at Lancashire County Council
Nancy is an exceptional manager who is creative, inclusive and dedicated to her role as manager of the Children with Disability Social Work Team. Her approach is child centered, ensuring that every decision made prioritises the needs of the children we support and ensures that the voices of the children are captured, respected and heard.
Nancy is creative in trying to aid social workers growth and finds innovative solutions to challenges. Nancy creates an inclusive environment where her team feel heard, respected, and valued, ensuring they feel supported in the difficult but rewarding role.
As a manager, Nancy is always available and approachable, creating a supportive culture within her team. She invests time in mentoring and empowering her team and provides guidance, encouragement, and recognition that motivates us. Nancy is compassionate and professional. Nancy will also go above and beyond and help her team out when required.
Nancy deserves to be recognised for the support she provides to our team.
Neil O'Toole
Neil is a senior manager at Northumberland County Council and has been recognised by Patrick Boyle
I would like to nominate Neil, Senior Manager for an award. Neil has been a qualified social worker for almost 35 years and is a senior manager with the Front Door-MASH and our SW ASYE Academy. Neil is retiring in February 2025 and I think he deserves the nomination and recognition for his commitment to the Social Work profession and to NCC. Neil is hard working and dedicated to his management role, he is always child centred and focuses on what difference/impact we will make for the child. Neil was a key part of NCC achieving Outstanding in our Ofsted inspection in May 2024 and the Front Door-MASH and the ASYE academy received special recognition and praise. It is now time to recognise Neils contribution to the SW profession and to NCC, so well done Neil and enjoy your well-deserved retirement.
Nicola Hack
Nicola is a team manager at City of Wolverhampton Council and has been recognised by Paula Morris
Nicky Hack is a Senior Social Work Manager, leading a busy adult locality social work team in the vibrant and diverse city of Wolverhampton. Nicky is friendly, approachable, a real team player and despite the daily challenges that social work can bring, she is the most positive manager and leader. Nicky is that manager who always puts her hand up to volunteer herself to take on a problem or a project! Every Adult Social Care service needs one, and Nicky is one of the best.
She stops at nothing to get processes in place and makes changes for positive impact on people who need our advice and support. She always strives for social work practice being the best it can be.
Over the past year, Nicky has led a test and learn project to develop a more responsive and accessible Adult Social Care Front Door Team. She did this in addition to her busy day job (did I mention she always volunteers for a project to deliver improvements)? That team is doing great things.
Thank you, Nicky for always smiling, doing your best by everyone in adult social care with your inclusive approach. You’re an amazing social work manager.
Olakemi Ogungbenro
Olakemi is a care coordinator/deputy manager at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust and has been recognised by Ellen Moloney
Kemi is a social worker and deputy manager of CMHT South. Kemi offers support to all colleagues regardless of their core profession. She nurtures newly qualified social workers and role models excellent practice. Kemi is an amazing mental health social worker, she goes beyond the basics of her job, serving as a trusted guide, advocate, and ally for those navigating mental health challenges. her dedication transforms lives and inspire hope.
Kemi builds relationships and collaborates with other professionals to create comprehensive care plans.
Kemi actively involve families or support networks when appropriate to strengthen the peoples support system.
Kemi remains calm and no reactive in difficult situations. She understands that progress takes time, even though setbacks or resistance. She extends her patience to her colleagues.
They celebrate small victories and encourage ongoing growth, reinforcing a sense of hope and empowerment.
Kemi demonstrates cultural competence and has a professional interest in equality and diversity issues which the team benefit from. Kemi is sensitive to and knowledgeable about diverse cultural, social, and personal backgrounds, tailoring their approach to each client’s unique identity and supporting her colleagues to do the same.
Kemi supported me as a newly qualified social worker, at times I felt like giving up but Kemi was always there to help me pragmatically and offering fantastic formal and informal supervision.
Peter Paton
Peter is a team manager at City of York Council and has been recognised by Maria Riley
Peter is an assistant manager in the adult social care community team in York. Peter is a wonderful and inspirational social worker and manager. He approaches the people we work with in York and every member of the community team with integrity, honesty and empathy, demonstrating that every person's beliefs and wishes are heard and that they matter. Peter is approachable, calm and balanced and has a great sense of humour which we all need. He will be very surprised to hear that he has been nominated as he is such an unassuming person and this is part of the reason why he truly deserves this nomination.
Rachel Lovelady
Rachel is a team manager at City of York Council and has been recognised by Cat Middleton
Rachel is one of the kindest managers i have met - she is so supportive of her team and encourages a nurturing learning environment which means her social workers never want to leave! Rachel's attention to detail is second to none and she always takes time to ensure she understands her workers, the children, the family and the wider context when care planning. Rachel is a pleasure to manage and has strong aspirations for her future which i want to continue to support and encourage.
Robyn Yarnold
Robyn is a team manager at Worcestershire County Council and has been recognised by Anita Carter
I am nominating Robyn who is my team manager. I transferred my ASYE part way through from a different LA, as I felt I wasn't being supported appropriately. And I can honestly say that I made the right choice. Robyn was fantastic at ensuring I had completed all that was required to complete my ASYE as there were many gaps in my portfolio. I passed my ASYE and have stayed within the team with Robyn as my manager, and she still goes above and beyond for her team. She is always available to offer support and guidance no matter how daft or small or, if you are feeling overwhelmed, she is there for you, and you feel listened to, which in our roles is needed, valued and appreciated. Because of the fantastic leadership we get from Robyn, our team is like a family. We are supportive and will help each other as much as we can.
I almost gave up on my dream of being a social worker, but thanks to the leadership of Robyn, I continued on my journey and I'm happily in my role 2 years on.
Sophie Fry
Sophie is a team manager at Worcestershire County Council and has been recognised by Hardeep Sandhu
Sophie is an exceptional manager who is truly relational, dedicated and focused. Sophie has taken on extra work with the oversight of the Approach to Social Work Unit this year and nothing has been too much for her, she has been proactive, supportive and acted as a true mentor and shared her expertise!
Sophie you are an amazing social worker and a truly inspirational leader!!!
Stewart Neville
Stewart is a team manager at London Borough of Waltham Forest and has been recognised by Alam Khan
I'm nominating our AMHP manager - Stewart Neville. He recently took up post and has had an immediate impact in terms of improvement. He is dedicated to the role and a valued member of our operational managers team. His knowledge of the Mental Health Act is exemplary. He is able to offer general clinical Mental Health advice to both social work and nursing staff and is making a marked impact in terms of our partnership with the local Mental Health Trust. He is always helpful and prompt in terms of replying to requests made of him. His staff are also feeling supported and cared for. He has been instrumental in ensuring our use of agency staff is being reduced through a continuous program of recruitment. He is a member of our MH Law Group where he makes a positive contribution. He works hard, is personable, respectful and reliable. I would gladly nominate him in terms of his dedication to social work practice.
Sue Naylor
Sue is a team manager at City of York Council
Sue Naylor is the service manager to an assessment service in York. Sue is an exceptional leader which is demonstrated in the way she creates an environment of high support high challenge within her team. Sue has an exceptional eye for details, clearly setting out expectations for her team, offering safe space for reflection and celebrating success through appreciate enquiry. This has contributed to high morale within the teams and a continual culture of learning and recognition of good practice. One of Sue’s drivers for this is knowing the experiences and interactions within teams will be replicated within families, which we are now seeing in the compliments received by families directly and reflections from multi agency partners. Sue has been pivotal in the application and embedding of Signs of Safety within her team. Sue reflects that signs of safety aligns very closely with her own moral compass and how she works with families. Sue continually reflects on her practice, ensuring the decisions the decisions the team make today are the right decisions for the child and family in 5, 10, 15 years. Sue is driven in ensuring networks are well understood with the families we work with, networks included in planning which to ensures safety and wellbeing for life – not just when services are involved.
Tracey Marshall
Tracey is a team manager at North Lincolnshire Council and has been recognised by Helen Rose
Tracey is an amazing Social Worker, Practice Educator, and Team Manager - she is kind, caring and compassionate. Tracey has a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and she is always willing and happy to share this.
Tracey is well thought of by her colleagues, external partners and her team members. As a practice Educator she has given advice, guidance and professional supervision to many students over the years - the feedback received is that Tracey always goes out of her way to ensure students receive the best possible start to their social work journey.
Tracey's practice is strengths-based and relational, she always ensures that the person's views and wishes are at the heart of all she does - this shines through in her practice and is evidenced by the number of compliments she receives.
Tracey is a true inspiration to everyone she works with!!
Yeukai Chingwena
Yeukai is a team manager at City of Wolverhampton Council and has been recognised by Paula Morris
Yeukai Chingwena is a Senior Social Work Manager, who leads a busy adult locality social work team in a vibrant and diverse area of Wolverhampton. Yeukai started as a newly qualified social worker in our council. She has never stopped her continued learning, growing, and developing as a practitioner and now a manager. Her hard work and dedication to her vocation makes her the leader she is today in a city she knows well.
She is an inspiration to social workers about commitment, passion for the profession and how to use and develop your knowledge and experience to deliver great practice.
Yeukai has supported her team through some challenging times. She has always been calm and modelled and nurtured a culture of support and togetherness through great leadership. That is the best foundation for great social work practice.
Yeukai is the most positive person, a good, kind and supportive colleague, manager, and leader. Yeukai knows what good social work practice looks like, and always puts people first and that is why she is an amazing social work manager.
Becky Jackson
Becky is a social work leader at North Lincolnshire Council and has been recognised by Jo Johnson
I am honoured to nominate Becky Jackson, our Principal Social Worker who exemplifies the highest standards of social work practice, demonstrating unwavering dedication, compassion, and innovation in her role. Becky ensures professional practice oversight to lead, oversee, support, and develop excellent social work practice, ensuring the person's voice is central to all we do. She has refreshed our practice model, promoting a strengths-based, person-centred relational approach. Becky works tirelessly, creatively, and passionately to support the delivery of adult social care and excellent outcomes for people, enabling them to live in their own homes, families, jobs, and communities.
Becky has consistently delivered exceptional social work services, profoundly impacting individuals' lives. Her approach ensures tailored support, fostering empowerment and resilience. Becky's ability to navigate complex cases with sensitivity and expertise is commendable, reflecting her deep commitment to advocacy and justice. She has been instrumental in leading and inspiring social work practice across all teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, and excellence. By implementing evidence-based practices and championing professional development, Becky ensures all team members are equipped to provide the highest quality of care.
Caroline Bowen
Caroline is a social work leader at Wiltshire Council and has been recognised by Laura Roberts
Caroline is the Head of Service for the Whole Life Pathway Service in Wiltshire Council. Caroline has significant experience and knowledge in terms of supporting people with learning disabilities. Caroline brings innovation and solutions to discussions; she always looks outside of the box to find resolutions when issues present. Caroline is a natural networker and with a combination of network and innovation has enabled various projects to be moved forward to support the service and the people we work with. Caroline is committed to ensuring that people reside in their local areas in the least restrictive manner, that people are actively involved in their communities and have the opportunities to build meaningful relationships. Caroline also has a ‘can-do’ attitude, she is the first to volunteer and support the wider service and council, this can range from working closely with housing colleagues, ensuring open dialogue with health colleagues and developing practice across the board with our colleagues in Children and Families. Caroline’s ability to multi-task is admirable, she works at an incredible pace to support the whole service forward. Her passion and enthusiasm are infectious, we are extremely lucky to have Caroline supporting and leading the service.
Caroline Eaton
Caroline is a social work leader at Stroud Adult Social Care - Gloucestershire County Council and has been recognised by Stephanie Halkyard
I have nominated Caroline as she is a wonderful manager who continuously supports and empowers individuals to reach their full potential. She is a strong role model within Social Care and her knowledge allows others to learn and grow to enable us to work as effectively as possible. Caroline is not only a role model within the team but a true professional who you can approach for any advice whether within the work place or personal.
Claire Bardon
Claire is a social work leader at CAMHS, BHSCT
Claire as a social worker, has a vitality in the CAMHS service, providing a quiet constancy for both her colleagues and service users. She has a empathic engagement with children, young people and their families, providing such a high quality of care and commitment, always going the extra mile. In this way, Claire is such an important member of the multi-disciplinary team, caring, approachable, with great organisational skills, which she is always willing to share. Under difficult circumstances, of which there are unfortunately many, in mental health social work, Claire provides a calm, contained and hopeful presence, demonstrating pragmatism and professionalism to all of whom she comes into contact with.
Claire's beginnings in CAMHS were difficult, during the Covid pandemic with a very depleted team and service. Despite this, she developed an induction pack and process for new staff, demonstrating her leadership skills and empathic approach. Claire worked very hard throughout her pregnancy, never complaining and then returned, balancing being a new mum, whilst simultaneously supporting all the new children and families allocated to her care. Her return to the service was once again difficult with a depleted management structure and yet, Claire sustained her positive, hopeful approach, leaning into leadership. She has recently become a senior social worker and is pragmatically managing the priority waiting list within the CAMHS service.
We are very proud of Claire, both in her achievements as an amazing social worker but also as a new working mum, who works tirelessly in her care and commitment to children, young people and their families who are distressed, seeking help. Claire has a unique quality in her capacity to sustain hope and in this way, we want to express our gratitude that she is part of the CAMHS Down/Lisburn service and team.
Good Luck Claire!
Clayre Thompson
Clayre is a social work leader at Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and has been recognised by John Hand
Clayre is the Service Manager in the area of care management commissioned services, supported living, Community Rehabilitation Team and Community Supports services within Mental Health in Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. These services are integral in ensuring that the complex needs of those with mental health issues are met.
Clayre embodies the true spirit of the Sunshine Award, bringing energy, compassion, and dedication to her role as a social worker and leader. With over two decades of experience in various settings within health and social care, Clayre has been instrumental in driving transformational change and significantly increasing the number of social workers within her teams. Despite the challenges that this encompasses, Clayre has been described as “an absolute “ray of sunshine” in terms of her compassionate approach to her team colleagues’ wellbeing , always willing to be a listening ear , offering “a cuppa” and an overall kindness . Clayre exemplifies “joy at work” with laughter being the “best medicine” , she has a fun attitude and an ability to inject positivity into every situation.” (Paula Long, Service Manager)
Her passion for social care shines through in everything she does, especially in her unwavering commitment to staff wellbeing. Whether it’s organizing morale-boosting events, such as wellbeing sessions or International Women’s and Men’s Day celebrations, Clayre brings vibrancy, laughter, and warmth to her team. She has a talent for baking and is always ensuring that her colleagues benefit from her creations. “A spoonful of sugar helps the tray bake go down - Clayre always imaginative, creative and positive when it comes to fundraising and boosting staff morale.” (Aoine McMahon, Supported living Services). Clayre consistently looks for opportunities to foster team development, ensuring that her staff feel supported and recognized, even in the most challenging times. An example of her dedication to fostering a healthy environment for her staff is reflected in the staff of Weavershill, “Clayre has organised wellbeing sessions for staff and strongly promotes a culture of self-care within staff teams.” (Katie Armstrong) This has been further supported by Carol Ann Kane, Floating Support who has described Clayre as “very creative with her ideas and during organised events, she likes to get involved and participate…even in karaoke. Her positivity is lovely.”
Even after overcoming personal challenges, including her own health battles, Clayre continues to give back. She serves as a peer supporter for colleagues going through breast cancer treatment and is an ambassador for the 5k Your Way initiative, where she has established one of the largest groups in the UK. Her dedication to making a difference extends into her community work, where she volunteers with Guide Dogs and plays an active role in dementia-friendly initiatives. “Clayre is a breath of fresh air: Tenants and staff at Sydenham Court are always happy to see Clayre, breezing through the facility with a big smile, chatting and bearing tasteful home baked delights.” (Carol Kernoghan, Sydenham Court). “Clayre is always willing to give back to others, in particular in relation to charity work. She has been involved in numerous charity events within Weavershill with both staff and service users and always goes above and beyond to help, demonstrating a positive, can do attitude.” (Katie Armstrong, Weavershill Supported Living)
Clayre is a ray of sunshine who, through her visible leadership and resilient spirit, consistently uplifts those around her. “As her colleague my day is always brighter if I have an interaction with Clayre”. (Paula Long, Service Manager) Her creativity, passion for social work, and ability to make others feel valued and supported make her a standout candidate for this award.
Denise Brewer
Denise is a aswp at Worcester City Area Social Care Team and has been recognised by Wendy Buchanan
Dee is a very supportive ASWP, she takes the time to listen to any issues or concerns, is always available to discuss cases, ensures that those that she supervises have regular 1-1 supervision and ensures the health and wellbeing is supported, even though she has had a traumatic year herself, she always puts others first, is always available to offer support and advice.
Diane Bond
Diane is a social work leader at Salford Adult Social Care within the NHS Northern Care Alliance and has been recognised by Shoyley Chowdhury
I’d like to nominate my dear colleague Diane Bond who is truly an amazing social worker. This nomination has been made on behalf of several colleagues who appreciate Diane’s kindness, care, listening and nurturing approach. Diane has worked in Social Care and Mental Health services for over 25 years, she has a wealth of experience and has made countless contributions to help others. More recently Diane has been on a two-year secondment, as an ASYE lead assessor who mentors and supervises a cohort of newly qualified social workers during their first year of employment. These social workers are incredibly appreciative of Diane’s unwavering support, she has been instrumental to their development. Diane has a drive for reflective practice; she motivates and empowers learners to overcome challenges and meet their own goals and aspirations. She offers a safe space in supervision by enabling social workers to talk about their well-being and self-care. Diane is an extremely humble individual; she deserves all the praise she receives and is an absolute asset to social work.
Dijon Foster-Brooker
Dijon is a social work leader at Wolverhampton Local Authority and has been recognised by Samantha Cartwright
Dijon is my ultimate go-to person for guidance and support. He is restorative in everything that he does from personal supervision to constructing support tools for social care. The Local Authority are incredibly lucky to have him.
Helen Rose
Helen is a social work leader at North Lincolnshire Council and has been recognised by Becky Jackson
Helen is an inspiring leader of social work and her passion for safeguarding shines through in all that she does. Helen is an extremely supportive colleague and will go out of her way to offer help to enable the best outcomes for people. Helen is innovative and creative always striving to develop her service area always with the people we work with in mind and the outcomes they want to achieve. Helen ensures that the voice of people is central to safeguarding and beyond. She is committed, kind and caring. She is very deserving of recognition for her essential role in our organisation which she excels in. We would be lost without her!
Jayne Adair
Jayne is a social work leader at Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and has been recognised by Janine Gordon
Jayne demonstrates the qualities and characteristics of a committed, loyal, inspiring, proactive leader and continues to demonstrate her contribution to leadership within our service area and social work as a profession. Jayne works as a principal practitioner alongside community, hospital and intermediate care social work teams. Jayne demonstrates her ability to lead with care by understanding and nurturing the unique qualities and needs of our social workers and teams. For many years Jayne has supported and mentored the development of good practice and service delivery whether this be providing staff guidance, reflection on practice via staff professional supervision or group forums. She promotes a culture of continuous learning and development. She is passionate and committed to all social workers and works creatively alongside them to evaluate their practice. Jayne promotes innovation and new ways of thinking and working to improve working conditions for social workers and outcomes for service users and carers. Jayne has an inquisitive mind and is proactive in approach. Jayne has developed and nurtured a culture of learning and improvement, enhancing safety, governance and accountability. Jayne leads the social work profession by standing beside staff, focusing together on the shared vision and goals ahead.
Angela Sheerin
Angela is a social work leader at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and has been recognised by Kirsty Findlay
Angela is the social work lead within our NHS mental health and learning disabilities Trust. As we work in the NHS, social workers can be a minority voice within a predominantly medical model. However, Angela does a fantastic job promoting the value of the social work profession and fights for parity with our medical and nursing colleagues. Under Angela’s leadership, the Trust now has over 150 social workers across all divisions, which is fantastic and higher than some comparable Trusts across the country. This includes establishing an international social worker recruitment process. Angela has helped to forge a great social work community to allow practitioners to maintain their professional identify where they may be the only social worker within their teams, including a dedicated online social work community forum, bi-monthly social work council meetings and annual social work development days that bring all the social workers in the Trust together to celebrate our contributions to the NHS and community we serve. Angela is upbeat, enthusiastic, responsive and always willing to listen to any issues or concerns that social workers raise. She is an asset to the profession and exemplifies the transformative power of compassionate leadership.
Jess Markwart
Jess is a social work leader at City of York Council and has been recognised by Cat Middleton
Jess is such a supportive colleague - she is so skilled in managing people, understanding strategic contexts and is always there to help me when i need her! Jess challenges and scrutinises plans that we make as a team and gives useful feedback on work me and other colleagues complete. Jess's ability to help and support her colleagues is demonstrated through her relationships with service managers, other Heads of Service and also directors. She is also pretty funny which ensures that a sometimes difficult job is made a little bit lighter.
Lee Mason
Lee is a service manager at North Staffs Combined Healthcare NHS Trust and has been recognised by Dr James Boardman
Lee has embodied our NHS Trust values by leading with Compassion for a number of years now. Following a service restructure last year, Lee inherited a new set of teams each with unique challenges and strengths. He had the complex challenge of unifying child mental health services across different geographical areas while also respecting the need for individual team identity and autonomy. Lee is a passionate advocate for high quality CAMHS services and sees staff wellbeing at the heart of that mission. He is incredibly hard working and often puts in work that is unseen by the majority of our CAMHS workers and service users in order to make services better. Over the past year in particular I have had positive feedback from clinicians, other NHS workers and service users about Lee’s approach and manner. This feedback has a consistent set of themes: Lee is experienced as compassionate, respectful, empowering and ambitious for our children and young people. His work continues to transform our CAMHS teams and we've recently seen improvements in staff retention, staff wellbeing and most importantly, better access and outcomes for children and young people with mental health needs. Lee is a highly valued leader in our Trust.
Lisa Foster
Lisa is a team manager at North Lincolnshire Council and has been recognised by Trudie Hill
Lisa is the Lead Officer for the Mental Health and Learning Disability Team within North Lincolnshire Council. She manages a combination of case workers, social workers, senior social workers and AMHPS who hold range of complex caseloads. Lisa also directly supervises all the seniors providing invaluable support on a daily basis. Lisa is extremely knowledgeable and goes above and beyond to support her team and the service users within North Lincolnshire. Lisa has a management style that allows her team to thrive and develop whilst feeling supported and secure. The Mental Health and Learning Disability team would not be in the positive position they are currently in if it wasn’t for Lisa’s hard work and dedication.
Otilia Kuvarega
Otilia is a social work leader at Wolverhampton Local Authority and has been recognised by Samantha Cartwright
I have been able to rely on Otilia for guidance and support in a whole range of issues. She has been championing Anti-Racist Practice across social care and her passion for this is inspiring.
Paula Swift
Paula is a social work leader at NHS Tees Esk & Wear Valleys and has been recognised by Gail Johnston
Paula is the overall Head of Social Work in the NHS trust where I work. She is not only a compassionate, kind person committed to social work and taking forward the profession but is also very caring and supportive of the social workers in the Trust. She endeavours to support us all and advocate for the profession in a Trust where other professions are more dominant i.e. nursing and medicine. I nominate her as she is an unsung hero.
Peter Twiggs
Peter is a social work leader at Wiltshire Council and has been recognised by Emma Townsend & Dawn Langsford
We are nominating Peter Twiggs in the category of social work leader, as he has consistently demonstrated an inclusive, transparent and supportive style of leadership for those staff within his service.
Peter is a significantly experienced practitioner, who demonstrates his commitment to social work values, learning and development, critical reflection and staff well-being in his everyday practice.
Peter has responsibility for a large and complex service area, ensuring that service users are supported effectively through preventative and strength-based approaches, alongside formal support options where appropriate. He leads operationally and responsively on a number of quality improvement tasks alongside commissioning colleagues, to drive up the quality of formal provider support across Wiltshire.
Peter is respected and admired by colleagues across the council as well as colleagues from partner organisations and is often called upon to provide professional guidance and advice. He has led for adult social care on an improvement programme with HMP Erlestoke, for example.
He is warm, friendly and empathetic and highly regarded. He is calm, kind and goes the extra mile for his staff and colleagues.
Sharon Shaw
Sharon is a social work leader at John Coleman and has been recognised by Vicki Barnes
Sharon has worked in Children’s social care for over 30 years. She managed a busy frontline safeguarding team before moving as head of corporate parenting. Sharon really puts children and families first. She leads by example and is creative to ensure great practice and innovation makes our children’s lives better.
Sharon enjoys nothing more than getting stuck in with arrangements at children and families events, whilst leading the large service forward through showcasing and developing strategy.
Shelley Ravalier
Shelley is a social work leader at Gloucestershire County Council and has been recognised by Charlotte Thomas
I am nominating Shelley because she deserves to be recognised and celebrated! she is an exemplary Social worker who implements the core values of the profession within every aspect of her work. She has supported me throughout my ASYE and provided me with a supportive nurturing environment to develop my own professional identity. She has a wealth of skills and knowledge and her warmth, understanding and approach to supporting others is second to none, she is an asset to the profession and I am incredibly thankful to have her as my manager.
Sylvia Lambert
Sylvia is a social work leader at East London NHS Foundation Trust and has been recognised by Paul Scully
Sylvia is a true embodiment of 'leader'. She combines her big heart with her intelligence, balancing the needs of her service users, teams and stakeholders. She is always there when you need her and would always stay late to work through any concerns you have as a staff member, so that you leave feeling a true sense of containment. She has been managing the Hackney Marshes Neighbourhood in ELFT for a few years now and is going from strength-to-strength, pioneering new forums for the MDTs to come together in exciting ways. She really deserves to be recognised for her undying diligence and dedication to health and social care.
Tracie Collins
Tracie is a social work leader at Central Bedfordshire Council and has been recognised by Emma Mortimer
Tracie is an exceptional leader, peer, mentor and social worker who embodies our social work values and places social justice and advocacy at the heart of everything she does.
As a highly experienced and respected a Social Worker, Head of Service, Practice Educator and Practice Educator Mentor- Tracie is recognised both within Central Bedfordshire and across the pan- Bedfordshire multi agency network for the excellence she brings in her own practice and commands in others.
Of particular note is Tracie’s passion and commitment to social work education- working closely with UOB over many years to establish a strong partnership to enable our students, apprentices and newly qualified practitioners to thrive.
Tracie truly advocates for the children and families we serve always bringing practitioners and partners back to the right and best outcomes for children and works hard across the partnership to refocus to this point.
As a leader, Tracie encourages her staff to develop and grow- she has high standards and this comes with high support for all staff at every level of the organisation.
Thank you Tracie for your leadership and for all you do for our children and families.