Three social workers from Brighton & Hove City Council have been named as finalists for the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2024.
The annual awards ceremony recognises and celebrates best practice, leadership, teamwork, research, teaching and advocacy within social work in England.
The shortlist was selected by a panel of independent judges, including previous award winners, social workers, sector leaders and people with lived experience of social work.
Two social workers from our Housing, Care and Wellbeing directorate have been shortlisted.
Anna Bouch, Professional Education Consultant in our adult social care team, is a finalist in the Practitioner-Led Research Award category.
Anna has worked at the council since 1996 and is responsible for supporting and educating students and newly qualified and experienced social workers, and works across our regional Teaching Partnership as an ambassador for social work with adults.
Lorna Cornett, Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP), is a finalist in the AMHP of the Year category.
Lorna has been a practicing social worker for 34 years and has worked as an AMHP at the council for the past 5 years, undertaking complex Mental Health Act work supporting children and young people and some of the city's most vulnerable adults.
The third finalist is Jennifer Gander, Senior Social Worker in our Families, Children and Learning directorate. Jennifer has been shortlisted in the Lifetime Achievement Award category.
Jennifer has been a social worker for 50 years, working directly with hundreds of families and supporting countless children in care almost since the creation of social work as a profession in 1970.
The award winners will be announced at a ceremony in London in November. Find out more about the Social Worker of the Year Awards.
Councillor Bella Sankey, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “I’m thrilled that Anna, Lorna and Jennifer’s exceptional work has been recognised nationally through these prestigious award nominations and wish them all the very best of luck.
“This is a testament to their resilience, empathy and compassion for the people they support and the impact they have on those they work with every day.
“Social workers play a crucial role helping children, families and adults facing all kinds of challenges.
"We need talented, committed social workers to effectively safeguard children and support people in Brighton & Hove to live independent and fulfilling lives.”
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.
“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.”