Our latest winner is Abbie Male from City of York Council – congratulations Abbie!

Abbie’s nomination praised her hard work and commitment to supporting families, particularly where relationships with social workers had been difficult in the past. She overcomes challenges using her expertise and skills, building relationships to help not only children and families, but her colleagues too.

Our judging panel from North East Lincolnshire shared their lovely, well-deserved feedback which led to their decision:

Abbie has demonstrated outstanding practice, enabling the safe closure of a long-standing child protection plan through a highly skilled, relational approach that placed the family at the centre of all interventions. Through building genuine trust and rapport, Abbie created a space where the family felt safe, supported, and truly listened to—laying the foundation for meaningful and sustained change.

Alongside ensuring that the work completed was underpinned by strong professional knowledge and the effective use of recognised practice models. Abbie ensured that interventions were both purposeful and impactful. By working collaboratively with the family and co-producing plans, Abbie empowered those involved to fully understand the changes required and take ownership of the progress achieved. This approach not only led to reductions in risk but also ensured that the children were able to remain safely within their family home.

Importantly, Abbie demonstrated confidence and professionalism in navigating and alleviating wider professional anxiety around planning and safety. She maintained a clear focus on the child while balancing risk and resilience, ensuring decisions were proportionate, evidence-based, and in the best interests of the children.

The impact of this work is reflected most powerfully and most importantly within the family’s experience. They reported feeling heard, valued, and respected throughout, and expressed strong confidence in Abbie. The quality of this relationship enabled the family to move from a position of heightened professional concerns to sustained change being seen.

Abbie’s dedication, compassion, and ability to deliver meaningful outcomes exemplify the very best of social work practice. Her work has not only improved immediate safety and wellbeing but has created the conditions for long-term stability, making Abbie a highly deserving recipient of this award.

Judges: Samantha Colley, Deputy Service Director - Integrated Front Door and Children's Assessment and Safeguarding Service and Nikki Alcock, Principal Social Worker – North East Lincolnshire Council

The CSWM Awards are our monthly award which celebrates social workers who go above and beyond. Each of our partner local authorities and adoption agencies can make one nomination per month. The winner is picked by our guest judges - senior colleagues from different local authorities.