Norfolk County Council celebrates three nominations at prestigious national social work awards

Norfolk County Council has been shortlisted in three categories at the national Social Worker of the Year Awards.

The People from Abroad Team has been named as a finalist as Team of the Year in both Children's and Adult Services categories, and Ellie Vincent has been nominated for the Newly Qualified Social Worker of the Year award.

The People from Abroad Team supports the resettlement of refugees in Norfolk, helping people build new, independent lives, safe from the persecution they were forced to flee. Since being created in 2017, the team have supported more than 500 refugees, with 276 children at the time they arrived in the UK.

An individual who benefited from the service recently said, "Without the People from Abroad Team life would have been very difficult. They surrounded us with tailor made support: for example, our first English lessons were with other Syrian refugee families, so we felt comfortable and safe. Their door has never been closed to us although we now have settled well, are in work and have all the children in schools. The team provide a vital service and without it, refugees and other people who aren't familiar with British culture or English would find life much more difficult."

Ellie Vincent is a member of the Learning Disabilities Community Social Work team in the east of Norfolk, supporting adults with disabilities to live independent, fulfilling lives.

Ellie said: "Being nominated for a national award is such an honour. I feel privileged to support and work with the communities I do and I'm passionate about helping them remain independent and in control of their lives.

"I would like to thank my colleagues in the Eastern Learning Disabilities team who have supported me through placement as a student and my first year as a qualified social worker. Their passion and knowledge has inspired and guided me through my newly qualified year."

The award submission said: "Ellie's work demonstrates an ability to critically reflect and good levels of professional curiosity. She is able to identify when she is required to professionally challenge to ensure that the people she supports receive the right and safe care.

"Ellie has supported people with a learning disability into voluntary or paid employment which has been hugely positive on their emotional well-being, sense of worth and value to their community. She has had an outstanding impact on the individuals she supports."

Cllr Andrew Jamieson, deputy leader of the Council, said "My congratulations to Ellie and the People from Abroad Team for their nominations in these awards. All of our social workers work tirelessly to help people, often at life's most difficult moments, and we're delighted to see some of this work recognised at a national level. Your nominations are fully deserved, good luck for the awards later this year!"

The Social Worker of the Year Awards is the only major national awards event for social work in England, attracting hundreds of entries every year. The finalists were chosen by panels of independent judges including previous award winners, social workers, industry leaders and people with lived experience of social work.

Peter Hay CBE, Chair of the Social Work Awards, said: "This year we received hundreds of entries which goes to show how passionate organisations and individuals are to shine a light on the inspirational achievements of an often-overlooked profession.

This year the Awards have 18 categories across both children's and adult services including two new categories for 2024; the Technology Enabled Lives and Practice Award and Practitioner-Led Research Award.

For more information about the awards visit www.socialworkawards.com.