Frontline Awards celebrate social work
Mary Jackson
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
The demands on children’s social workers are greater than ever. Families are still coping with the aftermath of the pandemic, while also facing a cost-of-living crisis that leaves over four million children living in poverty, with one million now classed as destitute.
It is a challenging time for so many, and that’s why it is more important than ever to highlight the extraordinary impact a social worker can have – impact that can turn a child’s life around and help them reach their full potential, no matter what their background.
This is why we set up the Frontline Awards last year: to recognise and celebrate the achievements of children’s social workers, and the young people they support.
By shining a light on the life-changing power of children’s social work and the invaluable contribution made by social workers to society, we can raise the profile of this remarkable profession. As one of last year’s winners said, it gives “a proper boost… I had a wonderful evening at the awards ceremony, I never expected anything like it to be held in celebration of social workers”.
Celebrating social work will not only attract more people into the profession and highlight the importance of this work. We hope it may also tackle the stigma many families feel about needing social work support.
The Frontline Awards celebrate the resilience and achievements of young people who are supported by social workers. These young people have faced significant challenges in their lives, but this has not held them back. Some have used their lived experience to make things better for those in similar circumstances. It’s vitally important that these achievements are recognised. In the words of one 2023 Young People’s Award winner, “it was a real honour to win the Frontline Award for Young People. It was fantastic to be recognised for all the work I have done over the last few years. It is a real privilege to be in a position whereby I can help make positive changes for young people.”
We were blown away by the stories of our nominees last year. It is such a privilege to have the opportunity to celebrate just a few of the social workers and young people across the country who make an amazing contribution, day in day out.
With the nominations now open for this year’s Frontline Awards, please take a moment to think about who deserves celebrating. You might nominate a social work colleague, team or leader, or a young person with lived experience of care: https://thefrontline.org.uk/who-we-are/frontline-awards/
Opportunities to celebrate social work are so important. Public recognition can make a real difference to those who work tirelessly to improve the lives of children and young people, so we’re hoping for even more fantastic nominations than last year!
Mary Jackson is chief executive of Frontline
