Plymouth social worker praised at House of Commons

A social worker from Plymouth who won a top prize at the 2017 Social Worker of the Year Awards, has celebrated his success with the Chief Social Worker for Adults, Lyn Romeo, at an exclusive Parliamentary Reception at the House of Commons.

Gareth, who works for Livewell Southwest, won the Mental Health Social Worker of the Year award at the prestigious national awards ceremony in November. He was invited to the House of Commons last week to meet the Chief Social Worker and help officially launch the 2018 awards. The reception was also attended by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, Nadhim Zahawi MP; Patrons Shadow Children’s Minister, Emma Lewell-Buck MP and Tim Loughton MP; and Isabelle Trowler, the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families.

Speaking about visiting the Palace of Westminster and meeting representatives from the Departments for Education and Health and Social Care, Gareth said: “Today has been brilliant. I was delighted to be invited to such a prestigious building and I’ve really enjoyed the event. Social work is a service which often gets overlooked, but since winning my award there’s been lots of positive recognition which has raised the profile of social work and put a spotlight on what we do.”

In choosing Gareth as the winner of the award last year, the judges commended him on his personal approach and praised him for his strong commitment to human rights, drive to challenge the disadvantages faced by mental health service users and enthusiasm for learning.

While congratulating Gary and the rest of the Social Work Award winners from 2017, Lyn Romeo spoke of the importance of celebrating the profession’s achievements. She said: “It’s been fantastic that social work, and in particular the work of social workers in adult settings, has received a profile through this event. Things are shifting and there is now a recognition that social work is one of the key professions and a key professional public service that is really helping and trying to ensure that we have a just, socially inclusive society. Social workers make a real difference to individuals, families and communities so I’d like to personally thank the winners and say well done.”

Gareth’s award was supported by Hampshire County Council. Stuart Outterside, Head of Learning Disabilities at Hampshire County Council and representing the authority, added: “I was thrilled to be able to congratulate Gareth on his award win and celebrate his incredible success at the House of Commons today. Gareth is a tremendous advocate for the people he works with and is clearly having a really positive impact on the area in which he works.”

The Social Worker of the Year Awards were founded in 2006 by independent practitioner, Beverley Williams MBE, with the aim of improving the understanding and reputation of the profession. They are organised by a registered charity, Social Work Awards Ltd.

Entries for this year’s awards will open on Tuesday 3rd April and will close on Friday 20th July. There are 18 categories in total across both children’s and adult services. For more information about the Social Worker of the Year Awards, or to nominate, visit www.socialworkawards.com