Cafcass shortlisted for Best Social Work Employer at Social Worker of the Year awards

Cafcass has been nominated for the Best Social Work Employer category in this year’s Social Worker of the Year awards. This award recognises organisations within the social services profession who can demonstrate excellent practice as an employer in motivating, leading and championing their social work employees.

This year, Cafcass took further steps to equip our practitioners with improved technology to enable them to embed the views of children into court reports through drawings, letters and our software programmes, bringing their experience to life. Through projects like the Voice of the Child app, webinar training and more, staff are encouraged to keep their work child focused in line with our mission. This shortlisting shows recognition of our commitment to this vital role, and our achievements over the years in supporting our staff to deliver an outstanding service to children and families.

The award nomination also recognises the steps we’ve taken in supporting staff through strong practice leadership, a redesign of our performance learning review system, wide-ranging learning and development opportunities, and our workforce development strategy, which includes our sector-leading health and wellbeing package.

Anthony Douglas, CEO of the organisation said, “As the biggest social work employer in the UK, improvements we make are also improvements affecting a significant percentage of the social care workforce. Social care and social workers need good leadership and health and wellbeing programmes as much as they need continuous professional development, as the work is emotional labour – rewarding but tough. It is great to see recognition of the work we have done so far.

“We intend to build our model of practice leadership and health and wellbeing offer to staff in the years ahead as it is crucial to think of wellbeing of vulnerable children and of frontline practitioners as two sides of the same coin.”

Winners will be announced at the ceremony in late November.