CATEGORIES

Innovation Award

Awards for social service innovation are open to applications demonstrating practices that show initiative in creating, implementing or promoting a new approach building resilience of social services. Practices may promote a new approach to the delivery of social services, particularly innovative practices developed during the crisis associated with the pandemic to guarantee continuity of care or social plans to make social services stronger.

In addition to the general criteria, entries should demonstrate:

• The innovative nature of the project or practice at hand – what is new about the project, how it is now (or expected to be);
• Evidence supporting the success and benefit of the new approach for people using the service and how the innovative approach made or could make the service more agile in its development and delivery;
• Potential lessons for other social services to build more resilient services.

Specific examples may include, for instance:

• a newly established service/programme for emerging need(s);
• innovative service/programme to respond to the crisis;
• new projects or plans set up to improve their preparedness for future crises;
• innovative outreaching practices;
• a new case management approach;
• or newly set up agency.

Collaborative Practice Award

Coordination between different levels of government, public agencies, services and third sector organisations has been key in ensuring continuity of public care and support during the pandemic. Cooperation has proved to be crucial in the planning, financing, and delivery of care and support, and there have been negative impacts where there was a lack of cooperation in areas like health and social care for adults with complex needs or between social and housing services to support the homeless and emergency situations. Collaborations with the third sector, volunteer groups or private companies may have been pursued to address the multiple challenges brought about by the crisis.

As a social services network, ESN believes strongly in the importance and value of collaboration between organisations and sectors. This Award recognises such collaborations and is jointly awarded to organisations or teams who have collaborated across agencies and sectors to jointly plan, finance, or deliver services during the pandemic. The Award will honour new joint programmes or plans through the collaboration of different organisations or sectors that have benefitted the communities, making them more resilient to cope with the challenges brought about by the pandemic crisis.

In addition to the general criteria, entries should:

• Include partners from different sectors (private, public, non-profit) and services that have collaborated, either in an interim programme or plan or through a more long-term collaborative arrangement;
• Have worked together on establishing, managing, funding or delivering social services to face the Covid-19 crisis challenges or be better prepared for future crises.

Specific examples may include:

• a jointly set up service;
• an agency pooling services or professionals from across agencies, sectors or budgets;
• or an integrated case management approach.

Outstanding Team Award

Social care and social services professionals have been at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic and the social emergency that emerged. To recognise the crucial role of professionals in ensuring the continuity of social care and social services, the support and protection of vulnerable populations and those in need, the Outstanding Team Award will honour outstanding contributions to care and social support provision during the pandemic and its aftermath. In particular, the ways in which social carers and social workers have been creative in finding solutions and different ways of approaching their ordinary work during the pandemic.

Nominations for the Outstanding Team Award may be made for a contribution to an individual project or for a broader professional achievement over time.

Nominees may be from any organisation which provides social services, and nominations must show:

• An outstanding contribution of a team to guarantee the continuity, quality and coverage of social care and social services support or to build more resilient services;
• Creative solutions to provide services during the crisis associated with the pandemic or to have better prepared services in the future;

Specific examples may include tangible achievements in:

• the improvement of social services and care during the Covid-19 emergency and after;
• receiving repeated internal or external recognition for extraordinary service;
• demonstrating how the team benefited the organisation or the service beneficiaries by reaching out or providing support to a wider group;
• or specific accomplishments that improved internal processes.

Technology Tools Award

The pandemic has accelerated digitalisation of public social services. Public social services faced several challenges in adapting to new ways of working using technology and digital means at the start of the pandemic. However, public social services have also invested in the use of data, service innovation and improvement, as well as digital tools such as those allowing remote working, future demand forecasting and risk profiling. IT has been used in planning social services and several social work interventions were performed using IT.

This award recognises the key role that technology tools have been playing in the success of the care and support provided by social services. It rewards the technological and digital improvements supporting social services to ensure their accessibility and availability for those in need. Furthermore, it awards new practices that aim at improving the digital skills of the workforce and people using services.

In addition to fulfilling the general criteria, entries should show:

• The contribution made by the tool to specifically delivering care and support during the pandemic or to improve services afterwards;
• The contribution of the tool in helping decision-makers and professionals take decisions about the services they provide in and after the Covid crisis;
• How technology and digital tools helped deliver specific policies and services;
• Social workforce and users’ digital skills improvement;

Specific examples may include:

• new technology to help professionals in their decision-making process or their day-to-day work;
• digital support for people using social services;
• IT case management to better manage the specific situation of people using services;
• assisted living technologies for people to remain in their home;
• tools to help social services provide support during the pandemic and after;
• new tools to improve remote communication with people using services.

Research Project Award

The Research Project Award recognises the contribution of a research team/project that created knowledge on the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic in social care and social services, and the role of social services in managing the crisis.

In addition to fulfilling the general criteria, entries should show:

• How their research product can support professionals and organisations managing, providing and evaluating social services during times of crisis;
• How their research findings may impact the resilience of care services or the people they support.

Specific examples may include:

• a study or guidance on the impact of Covid-19 on social services, the role of social services during the pandemic or the immediate and longer effects on social services;
• evaluations of the impact on social services (e.g. on care facilities) and the improvements made (organisational or in service provision);
• Guidelines or improvement proposals for residential/home care, emergency services, or child protection, among others.