Jo Sailsman, who joined the City of Wolverhampton Council last year, has been shortlisted for the Newly Qualified Children's Social Worker of the Year category at the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2016.
She is one of 78 finalists across 15 categories and will find out if she has won at an awards ceremony in London next month. Furthermore, the winners of each category will compete against each other for the title of Overall Social Worker of the Year 2016.
Jo first qualified as a nursery nurse in 1996, and has worked with children and families for the last 20 years. She undertook a social work degree with the Open University, qualifying in December 2014, and completed her assessed year in practice with the council over the last 12 months.
She said: "I am thrilled to be nominated for this award. Social work is a very rewarding career, despite the many demands of the role.
"Supporting children, young people and families to develop healthy and safe opportunities for the future is one thing that I am passionate about. However, this cannot be achieved in isolation, and I am proud to work alongside a team of colleagues within Children's Services that strive to make a positive difference for the young people of our city."
Councillor Val Gibson, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: "The Social Worker of the Year Awards is the leading celebration of its kind and recognises the successes of the care profession's most innovative and dedicated social workers.
"I am delighted for Jo - to simply be shortlisted is a tremendous achievement and demonstrates the high quality support that she and her fellow social workers give to vulnerable children and young people in Wolverhampton.
"Jo has shown great determination not only to the families she supports but to her colleagues and the other professionals she closely works with.
"Throughout her assessed year in practice, she has demonstrated very good analytical skills and demonstrated that she is a resilient practitioner who can manage complex cases.
"We wish her all the very best for the awards ceremony and for a long and successful career here in Wolverhampton."
Jenny Molloy from award sponsor the British Association of Social Workers said: "This award recognises some of the best work in children's social care and someone who consistently makes a positive difference to the lives of the children and families they support. To reach the finals is an outstanding achievement and something to be very proud of."
The awards are judged by leading influencers including the Chief Social Workers Isabelle Trowler and Lyn Romeo and Maris Stratulis, England Manager for the British Association of Social Workers.
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- released: Monday 17 October, 2016