Alumna wins social work award

A UEL alumna has won the 'Children's Social Worker of the Year' award for her work with vulnerable teenagers in London.

Annmarie Nero was a winner in the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2022 which recognise and celebrate the challenging work that qualified social workers do and highlight their achievements.

She graduated from UEL with a degree in social work in 2020 and credits the University with her success in her career.

Annmarie works with a not-for-profit social enterprise organisation in two boroughs in London and focuses on adolescents that are at risk from contextual safeguarding, i.e. risk from beyond their families.

Since qualifying from her degree and beginning her ASYE (Assessed and Supported Year in Employment) in the latter part of 2020, Annmarie explained that there have been many cases that she has come across so far which has given her a wide range of learning in areas that she wasn’t expecting to experience so early in her career. Annmarie said,

Working with teenagers who are at risk of falling into gangs and crime in London is a challenging job, and I love what I do. Seeing lives being turned around when teenagers I have worked with go on and better their lives is incredibly rewarding. Winning the Children's Social Worker of the Year award was a complete surprise, but I am so touched my colleagues put me forward for nomination. My team are very much like a family with excellent, supportive management, which is something that I also felt whilst studying at UEL"

Annmarie started studying at UEL when she had a baby and a 14-year-old, juggling childcare and the challenge of full-time higher education.

Annmarie added,

Studying at UEL gave me the confidence to take my career to the next level. The learning that I experienced on my UEL journey was faultless. Lecturers are thoroughly invested in your learning and are there to support you whatever your circumstances."

The awards ceremony  took take place on 4 November in London. The Social Worker of the Year Awards were established in 2006 to recognise the hard work and positive impact that social workers have on the lives of vulnerable children, families and adults.

The shortlist features over 90 outstanding practitioners, teams and organisations.

Peter Hay CBE, Chair of the Social Work Awards, said, "Social work is one of the most demanding professions, but it is also one of the most misunderstood When the sector makes news headlines, it’s often for the wrong reasons, but for every negative story that we read about, there are thousands of positive ones that remain unheard."

The judging panel included practitioners from across the sector, including the previous year's winners.

For further information, see the Social Work Awards website.