Winners of the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2024 will be announced tomorrow – and Helen Hewitt, from Hull City Council has been recognised amongst the finalists.
The prestigious annual awards, which include 18 categories from social work lecturer of the year to team leader of the year, celebrate high-quality practice, practice education, leadership, teamwork, innovation, research, teaching and advocacy within social work.
The significant number of shortlisted candidates reflects the strength of social work partnerships in our Humber region incorporating the University of Hull, the NHS and independent agencies across Hull, North and East Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Finalists were chosen by a panel of judges independent of the organising charity, the Social Work Awards Limited, including previous award winners, social workers, sector leaders and people with lived experience of social work.
Amongst the finalists is Helen Hewitt, adult social care worker from Change, Grow, Live and Hull City Council, who has been nominated for the social justice advocate award.
Other shortlisted candidates from our region include:
University Social Work Lecturer of the Year
David Marsland, University of Hull
Newly Qualified Adult Social Worker of the Year
Tafadzwa Nathaniel Gonditii, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust & Hull City Council
Mental Health Social Worker of the Year
Fran Ashton, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
Team leader of the Year, adult services
Hazel Welburn, North Lincolnshire Council
Team of the Year, adult services (including multidisciplinary teams)
Hull Community Mental Health Team, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
Practice Educator of the Year
Clare Alexander, North Lincolnshire Council
Tracy Meyerhoff, director of adult social care at Hull City Council, said: “Hull City Council is thrilled to congratulate all those shortlisted for this year’s Social Worker of the Year Awards. We are delighted that one of our dedicated team members Helen Hewitt has been shortlisted as well as others from our many partners that support adult social care in Hull.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the breadth of practice across our city, showcasing the positive outcomes and significant contributions of the social work profession to individuals, families, and communities.”
Councillor Linda Chambers, portfolio holder for adult services and public health at Hull City Council said: “I’m very proud to see so many fantastic social workers being recognised for their incredible and vital work – congratulations to everyone!
“These individuals go above and beyond to provide support across our region, as well as educating the next generation of social workers.
“You should all be extremely proud of this achievement. Best of luck for tomorrow’s awards ceremony!”
The chair of the Social Worker Awards, Peter Hay, 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.
“We would like to thank all those who took the time to nominate a friend, colleague, or team for an award this year. To our finalists, we’d like to say congratulations! Being nominated for a national award, whilst supporting others during very challenging times in a year of big changes, is a remarkable achievement of which you should be very proud.”
The category winners, along with an overall social worker of the year, will be announced at the Social Worker Awards ceremony in London tomorrow (Friday 8 November).
