Social care teams and organisations in Blaenau Gwent are being urged to showcase their work in the 2011 Social Care Accolades.
The awards, organised by the Care Council for Wales, give social care providers the chance to be recognised as the best in the sector and highlight best practice that has transformed services for local people.
The winning work is then shared with other organisations in learning workshops helping to raise standards in the sector across Wales.
Care Council for Wales Chief Executive Rhian Huws Williams said, “This is the social care workforce’s time to shine and we would urge teams, groups and organisations from Blaenau Gwent to take advantage of this opportunity to highlight the good work that they do in providing vital services to so many people.
“The aim of the Accolades is to uncover, acknowledge and celebrate good practice that has helped transform social care services.
“Winning an Accolade is not only a recognition of achievement but enables best practice to be spread to others which in turn improve services for users and carers across Wales.”
The Social Care Accolades have nine categories and are open to all teams, groups or organisations across the whole social care sector in Wales; private, voluntary or statutory agencies.
Services can be residential or community-based, large or small; working with children or adults.
Entries that support the aims of the Welsh Assembly Government ten year social care strategy to modernise services and provide more accessible, personalised care for people are encouraged.
The nine categories for 2011 are:
- Effective recruitment and retention
- Learning together
- Maintaining independence
- Supporting effective intervention with children and their families
- Career of choice
- Users and carers shaping services
- Social workers for tomorrow
- Improving Welsh Language provision
- Supporting people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds
Gwenda Thomas AM, Deputy Minister for Social Services, who supports the Accolades said, “We know that high-quality social care services can transform people’s lives for the better, through working directly with individuals and families and in their communities.
“They are indeed making a real difference to the quality of life for many vulnerable people and they deserve to be recognised and commended for the work they do.
“The Social Care Accolades bring the very best of this work to the attention of everyone and I would urge those providers of care from Blaenau Gwent to seriously consider submitting an entry for these prestigious awards.”
Application packs for the Social Care Accolades are available from the Care Council for Wales website www.ccwales.org.uk or by contacting Denise French on 02920 780687.
The deadline for entries is February 4, 2011 and the winners will be announced in a special ceremony in Cardiff City Hall on June 23, 2011.
