NEWS | Social Worker of the Year Awards announces virtual event to shine a light on social workers in Herefordshire

The charity which organises the Social Worker of the Year Awards is on the lookout for outstanding social workers in Herefordshire who have gone the extra mile to make a positive difference to the lives of individuals in their local community. 

The Social Worker of the Year Awards 2021 is now open for entries and members of the public are encouraged to nominate social workers who they feel deserve to be recognised for their hard work and support. 

Taking place virtually at the end of November, the theme of this year’s Social Worker of the Year Awards event is ‘Reconnection and Recognition’. It will highlight social workers’ outstanding work during the last 12 months and as they support individuals and communities to reconnect and to move forward from their experiences during the pandemic.


There will be 12 award categories to enter, including two new additions: Social Justice Advocate Award and University of the Year. Nominations are now open and will close on 23rd July 2021. 

The full list of categories is as follows: 

·         Student Social Worker of the Year 

·         Newly Qualified Social Worker of the Year 

·         Adult Social Worker of the Year

·         Children’s Social Worker of the Year

·         Team Leader of the Year 

·         Mental Health Social Worker of the Year 

·         Practice Educator of the Year 

·         Social Justice Advocate of the Year

·         Team of the Year (any team including MDTs)

·         University of the Year

·         Employer of the Year

·         Outstanding Contribution during Covid-19 (winner of winners)

The Social Worker of the Year Awards 2021 will build on the individual experiences that were the focus of last year’s highly successful virtual ‘Thank You Social Workers’ event.


This year the awards will be sharing more stories of compassion and resilience, uplifting creativity and reflection from the past 12 months.

In March 2022, an exclusive parliamentary reception event at the House of Commons will also return, with sponsors and award winners from 2019 and 2021 invited to attend. 

Peter Hay CBE, Chair of the Social Work Awards, said: “The aim of our event last year was to say thank you to social workers who selflessly continued to support families and the most vulnerable people in our communities during a period of great difficulty for everybody.

This year, as we navigate through the turbulence caused by the pandemic, it’s so important for us to take the time to reconnect with each other. As a charity we also feel the time is right to bring back the awards to recognise outstanding social work practice during the pandemic.

We hope the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2021, which also falls on our 10^th anniversary, inspires social workers across England to connect together, reflect on the last year and look forward to the future.”  

The charity is inviting local authorities, universities, and other sector companies to get involved in this year’s awards by signing up to be a sponsor.

Starting from just £2,000, sponsoring the event will give organisations the chance to promote their support of social work and commitment to continuous professional improvement of the social work community. 

Sponsors will also benefit from social and media promotion, alongside receiving an event celebration box to make the ceremony an evening to remember.

To find out more or reserve your sponsorship, please email awards@socialworkawards.com. To nominate an inspirational social worker, visit: https://socialworkawards.awardsplatform.com/