2024 Accolades

The Accolades are awards that recognise, celebrate and share notable work in social care and childcare, play and early years in Wales.

The awards recognise the work of groups, teams and organisations, as well as workers from across the public, private, voluntary and co-operative sectors in Wales.

The closing date for entries and nominations for the 2024 Accolades has now passed.

The 2024 Accolades have six categories:

• three for teams, groups and organisations
• three for workers.

Building bright futures for children and families

This category celebrates organisations, settings or projects working with children, young people and families to help them achieve what matters to them. We welcome entries from across childcare, play, early years and social care that provide high standards of care and help children and young people shine.

Entries could come from residential social care settings, community-based or statutory services. For example, those supporting young people who’ve recently left care, residential homes, fostering or adoption services. Or it could be an early years, play or childcare setting that gives the children it supports an excellent start in life.

Looking after and improving workforce well-being

In this category, we’re looking for excellent examples from across social care and childcare, play and early years of:

• how employers have supported their workers' and volunteers’ well-being and created workplaces where staff well-being thrives, in-line with any of the four commitments in health and well-being framework
• the longer-term steps employers are taking to look after and improve their workers’ well-being.

These steps could include introducing new ways of doing things that show how staff and volunteers are valued and supported, such as changing the way they work and offering specialist help when needed.

Working in partnership

We’re looking for projects or organisations across social care and childcare, play and early years that work in partnership to improve well-being outcomes for children, families and adults. Some examples could be: 

• researchers working with care providers and local authorities to help get research into practice
• local authorities working with health care, housing, third sector and/or community groups to support place-based care 
• social care teams or organisations working with schools and colleges to attract, recruit and retain a skilled workforce
• groups working together to co-produce new and different ways of working.

These are just examples. We’re interested in any collaborations that are focused on making a positive difference to people’s lives.

Effective leadership award

Effective and compassionate leadership is key to providing good quality services to people who need our support. Quality services are provided by a workforce that feels valued and supported, and are given clear direction.

We’re looking for workers, volunteers or teams at any level in the public, voluntary or private sector across social care and early years who inspire colleagues or who problem solve to achieve better outcomes for the people who need our support.

WeCare Wales award

We’re looking for people to nominate outstanding workers or volunteers involved in social care or childcare, play and early years, who’ve made a hugely positive difference to children and people’s lives.

The workers can be from any role in the public, private or voluntary sectors, including volunteers. They can also be apprentices, unpaid carers or people studying for qualifications while they work.

Working to the principles of strengths-based practice

The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act expects us to put the people we support at the centre of our practise.

Strengths-based practise builds on the principle that, when possible, we help adults, children and families understand how they can respond more effectively to the aspects of their lives that cause themselves or professionals concern. Working alongside people, offering support and being clear about what needs to happen results in longer term positive change.

To do this, workers, teams and systems need to adapt to reflect and respond to the needs of people who need our support, as well as understand the need for professional curiosity.

If you know of a social care or social work team, team leader or section head who's working at promoting this approach, we want to hear from you.

The 2024 Accolades awards ceremony will be held on 25 April 2024. We’ll update this page with more information about it nearer the time.

If you have a question or if you can't find what you are looking for, get in touch with us.