Sheffield Cares Excellence Awards 2025

A care provider or worker who shows warmth and kindness in every interaction. They listen and respond to the person they are with openly, honestly and without judgement. They empathise with their situation and support them practically and emotionally.

Care workers who go above and beyond to support their colleagues. They take time to: 

• understand concerns
• help colleagues grow
• encourage them to be the best they can be

Someone who makes it their business to:

• remove barriers
• respect people’s individual preferences
• ensure equality of experience and opportunity

They prioritise the voices of people who may be excluded or marginalised. This award is for someone whose values and behaviour contribute to a more equitable and inclusive care sector for the people of Sheffield. 

Someone who is highly skilled and competent in their work. They are a champion of the care profession. They are proud to care and their enthusiasm for the value of their work is inspirational and infectious.

Someone who enables and empowers people to live the life they want to life and endeavours to ensure people stay in control of their choices. Someone who puts co-production at the heart of their work and goes above and beyond to make sure support is personalised for each and every individual.

Someone who started working in care in the past twelve months and is already delivering the best standard of care. They are enthusiastic and professional with a clear commitment to their on-going career development.

A team of staff who have developed and maintained an outstanding level of work. They are supportive of one another and work together to create inclusive, compassionate and exceptional relationships.

Someone exceptional who has committed their working life to caring for others and have made a substantial difference to the people they have worked with.  They are highly regarded, and their dedication to working in the care sector provides regular inspiration to those who have the privilege to work alongside them.

The Support Social Care Heroes (SSCH) monthly awards programme recognizes the dedication and hard work that carers from across the UK give to our sector. It is a celebration of our carers who go the extra mile every day.

This special award will be given in recognition of the amazing work that SSCH have been doing since the COVID-19 pandemic to champion the care profession. The winner will be hand-picked by our panel from the 2024 Sheffield Social Care Hero nominees.

Young Carer Award

There are three awards in this category:

• Primary age
• Secondary age
• Young adult carers (16 to 25)

In Sheffield, we have more than 7,000 young carers providing substantial unpaid care for a relative who has disabilities, long-term physical illnesses, mental health difficulties and /or drug or alcohol issues. We believe passionately that it is the right of every young carer to be recognised for their role and to have the same opportunities as other children and young people of a similar age.

To help recognise and celebrate the young carers in our city, please nominate a young carer who has shown exceptional strength, resilience, and dedication.

This might relate to their caring role and/or for their contribution to the wider community.

If successful, young carers aged under 18 must be accompanied by an adult to the award ceremony. By completing their nomination, you are confirming that you, or another appropriate adult from your family/service, will accompany them to the award ceremony if their parent/guardian cannot attend.

The event is on Thursday 13 February 2025 from 7pm onwards.

For more information about support available to young carers, see Sheffield Young Carers website.

Someone whose values and behaviour put dignity at the heart of everything they do. The ten Dignity Dos from the National Dignity in Care Campaign shine throughout their work. They:

1. have a zero tolerance of all forms of abuse 
2. support people with the same respect you would want for yourself or a member of your family 
3. treat each person as an individual by offering a personalised service 
4. enable people to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, choice and control 
5. listen and support people to express their needs and wants 
6. respect people's right to privacy 
7. ensure people feel able to complain without fear of retribution 
8. engage with family members and carers as care partners 
9. assist people to maintain confidence and positive self-esteem 
10. act to alleviate people's loneliness and isolation