DEVON County Council has scooped a number of accolades at this year’s social worker of the year awards, placing it among the highest achieving authorities in the sector.

A total of 78 social workers and social work teams from across England were selected as finalists across 15 different categories, celebrating the achievements of social care practitioners in services that support children and adults.

Of eight Devon County Council social workers or social worker teams selected as finalists by an expert panel of judges, three were announced as category winners and runner-ups.

The Daytime Adult Mental Health Practitioner Service, which is a countrywide service that operates in Tavistock, took gold to win the team of the year category for adult social care.

Exeter based Maria Kneller took silver in the adult social worker of the year category and Joanna Armstrong took silver in the practice educator of the year category.

The awards were announced at a ceremony in London on Friday, November 25. The prestigious ceremony is considered by those in the social care business to be the leading celebration of its kind in the sector, for recognising the success of the profession’s most innovative and dedicated social workers.

Cllr Stuart Barker, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for adult social care, said: ‘Few authorities have worked as hard as Devon to continue meeting the diverse needs of our  population.

‘And despite financial constraints, which have brought new challenges and prompted different ways of working to help people live as independently as possible, I’m delighted that our social workers are continuing to make real differences, and that their achievements are being recognised.