SOCIAL WORKER OF THE YEAR FINALIST

We are pleased to announce that Kelly has been named as a finalist for Adult Social Worker of the Year.  The awards ceremony will be held on the 16th December 2011at The House of Lords. It is amazing that Kelly has made it this far and we are thrilled that the judging panel recognised Kelly's contribution to Social Work.  We will all be rooting for Kelly and to everyone in the PFG Kelly is already the Social Worker of the year. 

We have done an interview with Kelly to ask questions about the awards:


What does it mean to you to be named as a finalist?

"I am really proud to have been named as a finalist.  As most people know I am very committed to my profession and it is really reassuring to know that the work I do makes such a differene....I think that this is a difficult time for social work and the awards are a really good way of recognising and sharing not just good practice but also inspirational approaches....the awards are a good way to to show the value of social workers"

What would it feel like to win?

" I am not thinking about winning it's brilliant just to have got this far...there are lots of great social workers out there doing some great work who all deserve to get an award"

What are you going to wear?

"Oh I don't know... I haven't planned that far in front I might splash out and buy something new...afterall it will be nearly Christmas"

Why do you give so much of your time to work with the PFG?

"I enjoy working with the group and I really believe in social workers being back in the community.  I think that we have done some amazing things in the time we have been together and know that we will continue to make a real difference.  I am very proud of everyone in the group and am excited about what we will do in the future. From a social work perspective is is so refreshing to have the opportunity to do some real grass roots work with the people that really matter...all of my professions values are at the heart of the work we achieve every day. Working with the group has strengthened my belief in social work and I think that the current social care climate presents some big challenges but also some amazing opportunities for social work...I believe that we are offering a clearer approach to social workers developing successful, equal partnerships with the people they support...I don't claim to have all the answers but every time I see a member of the group achieve their aims or see the power of peer support I feel honoured to be part of it. My work within the group really does drive my commitment to continue being the best social worker I can be....it has given me a great chance to closely look at my professional role and to work creatively...because of my role in the group I am proud to say that I am a social worker"

We would like to thank Kelly for giving this interview.  We hope to begin a detailed piece of work about the value of social work in the community.  As a group we know that Kelly's support has been crucial to our development and achievements. Many of us have had previous experiences of social workers. Kelly has supported us to gain a greater understanding of the role of social workers. We think that greater understanding of the role will help to create better working partnerships.  We also think that in documenting our journey and success that the role of a social worker needs to be recognised as paramount to enabling real citizen empowerment.  Many of us for the first time now have a voice, a reason and a purpose with skilled social work being the catalyst for some remarkable individual achievements.