Friday night in London was a surreal experience; it was an honour and a privilege. The atmosphere was electric, full of energy, joy and celebration of excellence! An esteemed group of approximately 450 professionals all gathered in one room with the noble profession of social work as their commonality and the goal of celebrating this at its very core. A memorable experience…
Having taken part as one of the judges for this year’s awards, I would like to take my hat off to Social Work Awards Peter Hay, Beverley Williams MBE, all the members and the board of trustees for this lasting legacy of honouring the noble profession of social work. I saw first-hand the rigorous judging and selection process involved in shortlisting and choosing the individual category winners! It reinforced my appreciation for my wins last year. It should also reinforce the wins for this year’s winners! The overall Social Worker this year was a joint win between Kirstie Baughan from Central Bedfordshire Council and “The Team around Kassibba” from Camden Integrated Learning Disability Service! A joint win this year. Well deserved.
Below is a summary of the speech that I gave:
There comes a time in your social work humanitarian career when you should ask yourself some questions:
# Am I still giving the best in my profession and influencing positive change?
# Am I engaging with authenticity and reality in a changing society?
# Am I appreciated, motivated, and rewarded accordingly?
# Are my skills and talents nurtured and growing? Personally, the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd in 2020 forced me to reflect deeply on these questions. I knew at the time that I needed to create substantial change in my own little way… however small that change might be…? Winning the Social Justice Advocate gold award and the Overall Social Worker of the year in England last November 2021 was timely and fantastic! I remember being blown out of my seat and dancing around my living room when it was announced. It was clear to me that this was the birthday present I had asked God for, some months before! A birthday present that money could not buy! I knew it was a big win, or shall I say a double win! My passion was reignited, and my vision for my career life began to solidify in my heart. It was a new dawn…
It was also clear to me that a key aspect of our social work professional development must be recognition, appreciation, and reward.
As social work professionals, may we continue to create, develop, and promote positive and innovative social work practice in England and the United Kingdom!
Thank you, British Association of Social Workers, for the lovely pic below and the brilliant Twitter comments which effectively summarised the second part of my speech! – Vivian Okeze – Tirado