Social Worker of the Year Awards 2026

Shantel Thomas and Philip Archard have received national recognition at the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2026.

Two colleagues from Tavistock Education and Training have been recognised at the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2026, celebrating their outstanding contributions to social work practice, research and social justice.

At the awards ceremony, held at the House of Commons on Thursday 22 October, Shantel Thomas received a silver Social Justice Champion Award, while Philip Archard received a gold Practitioner-led Research Award.

The Social Worker of the Year Awards are the only major national awards dedicated to social work in England, attracting hundreds of entries every year and shining a light on outstanding practice and the creativity, compassion and commitment of social workers.

Social Justice Champion

The Social Justice Champion Award recognises social workers who are committed to challenging injustice and discrimination and addressing inequalities between different social groups.

Shantel Thomas won a gold Social Justice Advocate award in 2024 in recognition of her work with the Anti-Racist Movement (ARM), and this year she was named as a finalist for a Practice Leadership and Management award and also received a silver Social Justice Champion award.

Reflecting on the award, Shantel commented: “These recognitions reflect my commitment to advancing anti-racist practice, social justice and leadership across the profession. At Tavistock Education and Training, North London NHS Foundation Trust, I’m proud to contribute to educating and developing the next generation of social workers, embedding anti-racist principles into learning, leadership and practice. I hope to continue using my roles across social work education, professional leadership and the ARM to challenge inequity, create opportunities for change and help build a more just and inclusive profession”.

Practitioner-led Research

The Practitioner-led Research Award celebrates practitioners and managers who are conducting research within social care or helping to build a strong research culture in practice settings.

Philip Archard was recognised for the contributions he’s made as a clinical-academic social worker in child and adolescent mental health, in building research capacity in frontline services and supporting social workers doing doctoral research.

Upon receiving the award, Philip said: “It was really great to be recognised in this way, and to be at the awards alongside Shantel as a colleague. I’m really appreciative of all the practitioners and researchers I’ve been able to work with, especially our Social Work and Social Care (D55) and Child, Community and Educational Psychology (M4) course communities – students and staff, Sewanu Awhangansi and Michelle O’Reilly, my collaborators in Leicester, and the Child Health and Development Group I’m now part of at the University of Cambridge. Louise Grant has also been a generous champion of staff research here at the Tavistock, and I feel very grateful for all the work she’s put in”.

Shantel and Philip’s achievements are a wonderful recognition of their work and of the valuable contribution that Tavistock Education and Training staff, students and alumni make to social work practice, research and education.