CHELSEA HIGGINS NOMINATED FOR SOCIAL WORKER OF THE YEAR AWARD

A social work student who is studying at the University of Hull has been selected as a finalist in the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2017 as a result of their outstanding achievements.

Chelsea Higgins has been nominated for the Student Social Worker of the Year prize and will find out if she has won at an exclusive awards ceremony which will take place in London in November. Chelsea is one of 81 finalists across 16 categories and the winners from each category will compete against each other to be named the “Overall Social Worker of the Year 2017.”

The prestigious awards ceremony is the leading celebration of its kind in the social care sector, and recognises the achievements and successes of the profession’s most innovative and dedicated social workers.

Councillor Tim Swift, Leader of Calderdale Council, who are sponsoring the award, said: “This award recognises outstanding practice and someone who has made exceptional progress as a social work student. To reach the finals of the Social Worker of the Year awards is a great achievement and something to be very proud of.”

The awards were judged by leading influencers including the Chief Social Workers Isabelle Trowler and Lyn Romeo and Maris Stratulis (England Manager, British Association of Social Workers).

The Social Worker of the Year Awards are supported by headline sponsor Sanctuary Social Care; corporate partner the British Association of Social Workers, and individual category supporters, Barnardo’s, UNISON, iMPOWER, The Open University, OLM Systems and Community Care. The awards are also supported by the local authorities of Calderdale, Bradford, Devon, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Kent and Essex as well as the Tees Valley Local Authority Children’s Services – a partnership between the local authorities of Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Darlington, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees.

For more information about the Social Worker of the Year Awards please see

1)    The Social Work Awards Ltd is a charitable organisation seeking to improve the awareness, understanding and reputation of the social care sector. The registered charity number is 1144458

2)    The Board of Trustees is made up of: Peter Hay CBE (Chair), James Rook (Managing Director of headline sponsor Sanctuary Social Care), Ruth Smith (Publisher, Community Care), Beverley Williams (Founder), Joanna Nicolas (Child Protection Consultant and Author), Ana Popovici (Deputy Director Children's Services, London Borough of Hillingdon), Jenni Randall (Independent Social Worker) and Rob Mitchell (Principal Social Worker, Bradford Council)

3)    The awards are open to qualified practitioners throughout England with a range of individual and team categories for those working in both children’s and adult departments.

4)    The sponsors for the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2017 are as follows:

a.    Sanctuary Social Care – Headline Sponsors (Overall Social Worker of the Year, Best Social Work Employer of the Year)

b.    The British Association of Social Workers – Corporate Partner (Lifetime Achievement, Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year)

c.    Devon County Council – Category Supporter (Adult Social Worker of the Year)

d.    Hampshire County Council – Category Sponsor (Mental Health Social Worker of the Year)

e.    Calderdale Council – Category Sponsor (Student Social Worker of the Year)

f.     The Open University – Category Sponsor (Practice Educator of the Year)

g.    OLM Systems – Category Sponsor (Creative & Innovative Social Work Practice)

h.    Kent County Council – Category Sponsor (Team Leader of the Year, Children’s Services)

i.      Gloucestershire County Council - Category Sponsor (Team Leader of the Year, Adult Services)

j.      UNISON - Category Sponsor (Team of the Year, Adult Services)

k.    Barnardo’s - Category Sponsor (Children’s Social Worker of the Year)

l.      Community Care - Category Sponsor (Outstanding Contribution to Social Work)

m.  Bradford Metropolitan District Council – Category Sponsor (Raising the Profile of Social Work)

n.    Essex County Council in partnership with Servelec Corelogic – Category Sponsor (Championing Social Work Values)

o.    iMPOWER – Category sponsor (Team of the Year, Children’s Services)

p.    Tees Valley Local Authority Children’s Services – Category Sponsor (Newly Qualified Children’s Social Worker of the Year)

5)    For more information about the Social Work Awards, visit