Social Work Awards 2015

Social Work Awards 2015:  Nominations now open to celebrate excellence in social work practice 

Nominations are invited from any social work agency or social worker(s) in the statutory, voluntary, private, education and training sectors.  Service users, carers or employers who are nominating a team or individual will have the opportunity to acknowledge the positive contribution social workers have made for them.

The Social Work Awards are organised by the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB), NI Social Care Council (NISCC), the Northern Ireland Association of Social Workers, the five Health and Social Care Trusts in partnership with social work organisations from Criminal Justice, Education and the voluntary and independent sectors.  The awards recognise and reward the efforts of social workers and highlight the positive impact of the profession on individuals, families and communities.

The nine award categories are:

• Children’s Services (Team Award)
• Adult Services (Team Award)
• Partnership (Team Award)
• Learning and Development (Team Award)
• Children’s Services (Individual)
• Adult Services (Individual)
• Newly Qualified Social Worker (Individual) 
• Overall Winner (chosen from the seven Award winners)
• Lifetime Achievement Award (Individual) sponsored by the Northern Ireland Association of Social Workers

NIASW Lifetime Achievement Award

The NIASW Lifetime Achievement Award was established to recognise those social workers who have worked consistently and steadfastly to improve social work services and/or practice.

Their significant contribution may have been through 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.

Being a lifetime award, these social workers will have demonstrated leadership or innovation over a full social work career.

The NIASW 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 in Northern Ireland
• If possible, examples of the special lifetime contribution they have made should be included along with quotes from service users, carers and other professionals

Carolyn Ewart, Country Manager NIASW said “NIASW are delighted to again support the launch of the Social Work Awards 2015. This is an excellent way to celebrate the hard work, commitment and dedication of the many staff who work tirelessly to provide the best possible social work service in NI. I encourage you to take the time to nominate for the NIASW Lifetime Achievement Award which recognises those colleagues who have dedicated their social work career to improve social work services and/or practice.”

Entry forms and the information pack are now available on the NISCC website on www.niscc.info.   News, photos and video clips are also posted on the NISCC’s Facebook, Twitter and Youtube accounts.  The closing date for entries is 17 October 2014.

Shortlisted finalists will be invited to a celebratory lunch and awards presentation on 5 March 2015 in City Hall, Belfast.