There is nothing quite like a young child running towards you carrying a paper certificate with ‘Gold Star Achievement’ written across it as they express great joy at their latest success. Recognition is fundamental to our life and to us gaining a sense of belonging and being valued. It can come in many different guises from the child with a gold star, to the affirmation of parents, the acceptance of friends to the thanks of grateful colleagues.
Yet anyone who has been involved in the care sector for any length of time will doubtless be more than aware that the work of social care is rarely valued and infrequently recognised in the way that it should be. Whether it is a pay that truly values the amazing professionalism or terms and conditions that treat the job of care as fundamental – all too often the sense of positive recognition and regard from a society that depends on good care seems to be missing.
So thank goodness for the Scottish Care at Home and Housing Support Awards.
There are tens of thousands of women and men working up and down in Scotland’s care at home and housing support services who are delivering amazing support and care which is literally life-changing and life-affirming. We have amazing examples of innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the independent care sector. The problem is we often don’t talk about it, we rarely celebrate what we are good at, and too infrequently value those whose work is exemplary.
There are many reasons why you should consider nominating someone you know or a project or piece of work you have come across or are involved with for these awards and the first is that the chances are that unless you do it no-one else is going to.
Unless you take some time to fill out the nomination then the great project which has meant that people are more engaged in their communities; the home care worker who goes that extra mile in supporting families facing the distress of living with dementia; the worker who has changed the way in which people who require support because of a disability or mental health condition are included by their local communities – all of them will remain in the shadow and their story, their inspiration, the example of their excellence will go unrecognised and unheard.
Social care is all about people – and usually the self-same people who make a difference to so many of our lives – are unassuming and want to remain in the background. The Scottish Care Awards are your chance to help to shine a light on excellence, on practice that is more than ordinary, and workers that deserve affirmation and recognition.
So tell their story and be their voice and get nominating today.
