Social worker wins national award for outstanding work

A social worker from Warrington has been selected for a national award for outstanding work.

Fiona Morris, a specialist social worker, undertakes protector assessments with adults and ‘keep safe’ work with children where there is a sex offender identified within the family.

In a really tough area of work, which often involves working with families where significant sexual abuse has taken place, Fiona is described as always cheerful and friendly.

The award, set up by UNISON, the UK’s largest union, is designed to celebrate the life-changing achievements of social workers across the country.

Fiona said: “I have always wanted to help people, and whilst studying a criminal justice degree, I became aware of social work.

“Saving people from neglect and abuse really appealed to me as the best way of helping people.

“What keeps you going is when you see results. When you help a social worker understand the nature of someone’s offences and the impact on a family, or when you complete work with a non-abusing partner and see the light bulb effect as they realise their partner could have abused a child.

“Training other professionals in this area has also become a passion for me. Four years of frontline social work and five years in a specialist team later, and I can honestly say that I love my job.”

On her nomination, Fiona’s manager praised her hard work and self-motivated study, which has made her a skilled specialist in her field.

Fiona has developed resources to help social workers communicate with children and provides training courses that she has been instrumental in developing.

She is described as being ‘uncompromising’ in her commitment to keeping children safe.

Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said: “We are delighted to be awarding Fiona for her outstanding work in keeping children safe, and helping families cope with the trauma of sexual abuse.

“Her achievements, including developing practice in this field, and her huge commitment to the job, are a real inspiration.

“Every day, social workers like Fiona help thousands of children and vulnerable adults, but this work often goes unseen. It really is one of the toughest jobs going - a daily battle dealing with heavy caseloads, dwindling numbers of admin and early intervention support workers, and high vacancy rates.

“But behind these daily struggles are real stories of lives changing. Many social workers say they love their jobs and couldn’t imagine doing anything else – despite the huge challenges they face.”

Fiona’s manager Marcia Dale, who nominated her, said: “Fiona willingly takes on more responsibilities, due to the sheer enthusiasm she has for social work, even after 9 years of hard work.

“She successfully juggles this demanding job with bringing up a young family who are a credit to her. On a personal level, we were in the same team for five years and I found her a hugely supportive colleague both professionally and personally.”

UNISON, which has more than 40,000 social work members, set the scheme up last year.

In recognition of her work, Fiona will be presented with a Kindle e-book.

Kath O’Dwyer, executive director of children and young people’s services at Warrington Borough Council, said: "I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Fiona on this well-deserved award.

"The job she does is by no means an easy one and her dedicated work is invaluable to both the people she works with and us as a town. I am delighted she has been recognised in this way."

Comments about Social worker wins national award for outstanding work