Regional Social Work Awards 2025 - Sunshine Award - Application form

This award is open to both individual social workers or a team of social workers who bring a unique and vibrant approach to their social work practice. Nominations can be made for any individual social worker or team of social workers practising in any social work role in Northern Ireland. 

When nominating a social worker or team of social workers for this award, please outline what makes their practice excellent in relation to the award category.  Please include examples of the contribution the social worker(s) have made to social work services.  Quotes and testimonies from service users, carers and other professionals strengthen a submission.

Submissions for this award should evidence the nominees’ unique and vibrant approach to being part of a team

Examples could include one or more of the following:

• Fun is fuel:  Behaves in a way that brings vibrancy, laughter and humour to their work and team

• Morale booster : Comes up with unique ideas to boost team morale

• Ray of sunshine: demonstrates in their interaction with individual team members how they contribute positively to the wellbeing of others

The judging panels will be chaired by senior representatives responsible for promoting high standards of social work in Northern Ireland.  Panel members will include service users, social workers, social work academics and members of BASW NI. 

In all the awards categories, the judges will be looking for evidence of the individual or team’s achievements.  The application must demonstrate what is excellent about the social work practice and the positive impact on individuals, groups or communities they work with.

Please ensure you have completed all sections in this application and submitted it online by midnight on Sunday 20 October 2024. 

Summary of conditions of entry (full details are provided in the Guidance Booklet)

1. Only social workers registered with the NISCC are eligible to enter the Awards. The only exception is social workers who are retired and are being considered for the BASW NI Outstanding Achievement Award.
2. Previous applicants are welcome to reapply.  Previous winners are only eligible to reapply if their application has a different practice focus. 
3. Entries must be endorsed by a senior manager authorised to act for the employing organisation. (Entries for the BASW NI Award do not require a managerial endorsement and can be submitted by the person proposing the individual social worker for the award.)
4. A project may only be entered for one category.
5. Organisations can enter more than one category, however, each submission must be entirely separate and on an individual entry form.
6. For all awards, the entry form must be supported by a submission of no more than 1000 words.
7. Supplementary material cannot be submitted.
8. By entering you agree to the rules and conditions of entry 
9. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

10. By entering the Social Work Awards, entrants agree to take part in any publicity and to the contents of their submission being used in media releases.

Please note: You can preview responses on pages up to the point of submitting the application.  The 'back' button at the bottom of each page is activated once all required sections on a page are completed.