2025 Accolades

The Accolades are awards that recognise, celebrate and share notable work in social care and childcare, play and early years in Wales.

The awards recognise the work of groups, teams and organisations, as well as workers from across the public, private, voluntary and co-operative sectors in Wales.

Entries and nominations for the Accolades have now closed.

The 2025 Accolades have six categories:

• four for teams, groups and organisations
• two for workers.

Building bright futures for children and families

Sponsored by Hugh James

This category celebrates organisations, settings or projects working with children, young people and families to help them achieve what matters to them. We welcome entries from across childcare, play, early years and social care that provide high standards of care and help children and young people shine.

Entries could include residential social care settings, community-based or statutory services. For example, those supporting young people who’ve recently left care, residential homes, fostering or adoption services. Or it could be an early years, play or childcare setting that gives the children it supports an excellent start in life.

Developing and inspiring the workforce

Sponsored by BASW Cymru

This category celebrates organisations, settings or projects that use effective, creative and innovative approaches to developing the workforce to meet current and future demands and expectations.

Entries could include statutory, private or voluntary services that support adults or children. We’re also looking for any approaches that cover learning, development and/or qualifications.

Working in partnership

Sponsored by Life Sciences Hub Wales

We’re looking for projects or organisations that work in partnership to improve well-being outcomes for people accessing care and support. Some examples could be:

• researchers working with care providers and local authorities to help get research into practice
• local authorities working with health care, third sector and/or community groups to support place-based care
• social care teams or organisations working with schools and colleges to attract, recruit and retain a skilled workforce
• groups working together to co-produce new and different ways of working.

These are just examples. We’re interested in any collaborations that are focused on making a positive difference to people’s lives.

Working to the principles of strengths-based practice

The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act expects us to focus on people’s well-being and put them at the centre of their care and support planning.

Strengths-based practice is a way for us to do that. It helps us to:

• support people to do the things that matter most to them, in their own way so they’re able to live life the way they want to
• plan realistic, achievable care and support because we understand the resources available and challenges to the person we’re supporting
• understand what the person really needs because we’re really listening to them
• make sure the person we’re supporting has voice, choice and control in decisions and plans for their own care and support, which results in longer term positive change
• understand the structural inequalities that affect the people we support, so we can challenge those barriers and support people compassionately
• use materials and services more efficiently, because we only use what’s needed to meet the outcome
• support families to manage risks.

To do this, workers, teams and systems need to adapt to reflect and respond to the needs of people who need support, as well as understand the need for professional curiosity and compassion.

Inspirational leadership award

Sponsored by Practice Solutions

Impactful and compassionate leadership is crucial for delivering high-quality care and support. We seek individuals across social care and early years who:

• attend to the needs of their colleagues and those they serve
• understand the challenges and perspectives of others
• empathise with their team and the people they support
• help solve problems to achieve better outcomes.

WeCare Wales award

Sponsored by WeCare Wales

We’re looking for outstanding workers involved in social care or childcare, play and early years, who’ve made a hugely positive difference to people’s lives.

The workers could be from any role in the public, private or voluntary sectors, including volunteers. They can also be apprentices or people studying for qualifications while they work.

Main sponsor

Llais

Llais is a national, independent body set up by the Welsh Government to give the people of Wales a stronger voice in health and social care services.

Its role is to make sure the public’s voice is heard by decision makers. Local Llais teams gather people’s experiences of using health and social care to help decision makers plan and deliver better health and social care services.

Llais has four key duties. It engages with and listens to people and communities about their experiences of health and social care and represents those views to health and social care providers.

The organisation also provides a complaints advocacy service in each region of Wales, and it promotes public awareness of its work with the public and local communities.

Category sponsors

BASW Cymru

Sponsor of the 'Developing and inspiring the workforce' category

BASW Cymru is the professional association for social work and social workers in Wales. It supports members in their day-to-day practice, campaign on key issues relating to social work and influence government policy and legislation across Wales.

Hugh James

Sponsor of the 'Building bright futures for children and families' category

Hugh James covers a diverse range of legal specialisms and has maintained an active presence in Wales’s social care sector.

The firm provides advice and representation to public authorities in Children Act and Court of Protection proceedings, advises public authorities, sports bodies and other organisations on safeguarding, acts for care providers in property, corporate, commercial and regulatory matters, and acts for the sector’s regulators, including Social Care Wales.

Life Sciences Hub Wales

Sponsor of ‘Working in Partnership’ category

Life Sciences Hub Wales helps to drive the development and adoption of life science innovation in health and social care in Wales.

The organisation connects innovators with research partners, funding opportunities and people at the frontline of health and social care. By keeping the dialogue going, they can make the biggest impact by supporting innovations that address the most vital needs.

Practice solutions

Sponsor of the Inspirational leadership award

Practice Solutions provides values-driven consultancy to health, social care and the wider public sector across Wales and the UK. The company drives meaningful change by blending leadership, digital innovation and service improvement, while maintaining a commitment to people and communities.

WeCare Wales

Sponsor of the WeCare Wales award

WeCare Wales raises public awareness and understanding of social care, childcare, play and early years. It aims to attract more people with the right skills and values to work in caring roles with children and adults.

The 2025 Accolades awards ceremony will be held on 1 May 2025. We’ll update this page with more information about it nearer the time.

If you have a question or can’t find what you’re looking for, get in touch with us.