Team Leader of the Year,

Children’s Services

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This award is open to social work team leaders in England who have made a difference through their outstanding work with children. They should be able to show they have clear leadership skills and the ability to successfully manage a team.

This pack contains all the information you need to submit an entry for the

Team Leader of the Year, Children’s Services category

Entries must be submitted via email only to

Closing date: no later than 17:00 on Friday 21st July 2017

  1. This Award is open to team leaders or department managers responsible for social work teams responsible for children’s services currently working in England. Nominees must be able to show clear leadership skills and the ability to successfully manage a team.
  1. Nominees must be fully qualified and registered with the HCPC.
  1. Please complete your entry using this application form only. A separate form must be completed for each entry submitted.
  1. Nominees may enter themselves into individual categories or they may be nominated by a third party who must include their contact details.
  1. Entries must be submitted by email only to
  2. Closing date: no later than 17.00 on Friday 21st July 2017
  3. Please mark your email Social Worker of the Year Awards –Team Leader of the Year, Children’s Services
  4. Eligibility – these awards are only open to registered social workers and social work teams working in England.
  5. Please submit your entry as a word document using this application form only.
  6. Please adhere to the word limits indicated in each section.
  7. Completing the ‘Endorsement’ section with testimonials from service users and team members is essential.
  8. You are welcome to submit support documents with your entry, however, we ask that you submit no more than one additional document, with a maximum of four pages, at a maximum file size of 2 MB. Supporting documents that exceed these guidelines will not be accepted. Supporting material is purely for illustration purposes and will not be judged.

If you have any further questions regarding the Social Worker of the Year Awards or your entry, please contact Annabelle Rennie, Awards Co-ordinator, on 01473 326404 or email

Name of nominee:
HCPCregistration number:
Employer name (locum workers should state where they are currently working):
Does this person know he/she is being nominated?
Primary contact information (if different from nominee)
Primary contact name:
Primary contact position:
Primary contact email:
Primary contact phone:
Nominee contact information
Nominee position:
Nominee email address:
Nominee phone number:
Endorser contact information
Name of endorser:
Endorser position:
Endorser email address:
Endorser phone number:
Press office contact information
Press office/media contact
Press office/media email
Press office/media phone
Twitter handle (if relevant)
Provide a brief summary of the nominee, including their general line of work, a brief career history, team size and key achievements. Please add details of any particular casework which will help put the nomination in context.
THE WORD LIMIT FOR THIS SECTION IS 500 WORDS
The description sets the scene for judges and gives them an overall picture of the entry
The description sets the scene for judges and gives them an overall picture of the entry. Should the entry be awarded the Team Leader of the Year, Children’s Services award, it will form the basis of a written case study that will be used by Social Worker of the Year Awards as an example of good practice.
Provide a summary of achievements and any key success points. It is essential the team leader is able to demonstrate how he or she has successfully managed, motivated and nurtured a team and should also show clear leadership skills. Entries should include information about the achievement of supervision targets, examples of effective and creative case management and evidence of good team morale. Emphasise any aspects that you consider to be particularly innovative or compelling.
Judges will be looking for evidence of how social workers are applying the core areas of practice identified in the Professional Capabilities Framework, which was developed by the Social Work Reform Board. A full list of the capabilities can be found here -
Use the headings below as guidelines for writing the summary.
  • Leadership and purpose – How has the nominee shown clear leadership skills? Have KPI targets been clearly defined and met? Please give examples of good team spirit.
  • Challenges and obstacles – Has the team had any specific challenges or obstacles to overcome? How has the nominee worked with the team to resolve these issues?
  • Informed practice – How has the nominee used research to support daily practice? How has the nominee encouraged regular feedback from colleagues to ensure an effective service?
  • Personal attributes – What personal qualities and skills has the nominee shown which have helped to run the team in an effective way? How has the nominee developed their skills to continuously improve their performance?
THE WORD LIMIT FOR THIS SECTION IS 500 WORDS
This will enable the judges to evaluatethe impact on the team
Describe the positive impact the team leader has had on the team and also the service users. Provide any evidence to show how objectives have been achieved and how KPI targets have been met. Please describe the impact using the following headings;
  • Service User benefits – Describe the positive impact on the service user(s). Please include feedback from service users.
  • Team benefits – How has the team benefitted from the leadership approach? Are individual staff members provided with a Continual Professional Development plan? Is there evidence of low-staff turnover and a good team spirit? Please include feedback from colleagues.
THE WORD LIMIT FOR THIS SECTION IS 500 WORDS
The entry must be endorsed by the nominee’s line manager or a member of the management team where the nominee is working.
Please give a description why this nominee should be named the winner.
Endorsements from recruitment agencies are not accepted.
The inclusion of evidence from team members and service users to support the impact of the work undertaken by the nominee is highly recommended.
This can be in the form of a testimonial or evidence provided by routine work satisfaction surveys/questionnaires.
PLEASE LIMIT THIS SECTION TO NO MORE THAN THREE PAGES
  • Closing date for receipt of entries to this award: 17.00 on Friday 21st July 2017
  • Please note entries will NOT be accepted after this date.
  • Judging of entries will take place during September 2017.The shortlist will be announced afterwards.
  • Winners will be announcedatthe Social Worker of the Year Awards on Friday 24th November 2017.