Care Awards nominations guidance
Every day an army of people go to work helping the most vulnerable people in our society; help us to say well done and thank you!
WHO CAN MAKE NOMINATIONS?
If you receive care, tell us about your carer(s) and the difference they make to your life. We know that care needs impact the whole family so nominations from family members are welcome.
If a relative of yours receives care, tell us about the staff or team who provides them with that care or the care organisation which employs them. Tell us how well they support your loved one and talk with you about how they welcome your ideas on how they can care for your relative.
If you give care tell us about the colleagues you most admire; tell us about the manager who really motivates you; tell us about your organisation and what a great place they are to work at.
If you are a care manager or an owner, tell us about the staff members who’ve made you proud this year; tell us about the projects they’ve done that made a difference; tell us about the achievements your staff have made.
If you are a visiting professional (GP or District Nurse for example) tell us about how well you see your patient being cared for and maybe pick out a particular member of staff or manager for praise.
WHO CAN BE NOMINATED?
Providing great care is a team effort and we’ve tried to make sure that our categories cover as many roles as possible! You can download the list of categories here.
HOW DO I MAKE A NOMINATION?
Preferably, complete our online nomination form, or you can download a nomination form and return to us by email to enquiries@careandsupportwest.com; or, by post to Care & support West c/o Gladstone House Gladstone Drive Bristol BS16 4RU
Decide what category of award you want to nominate for. Think very carefully about how you can describe your nominee so that the judges are really impressed! To help, you can use our list of outstanding behaviours and attributes example ideas listed below, or browse this “made a difference” ideas document, which will help make the judges notice your nominee.
Plan what you want to say before you start! We’ve put a few tips together below to help you make your nominee stand out.
There are a few rules to help keep the process fair and also to help the judges so please read this carefully before completing your nomination.
When you submit the form online, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. If you don’t get one, please email us. If you send your award by email, we will respond to say we’ve received it. If you submit by post, you will get email confirmation only.
THE RULES
The closing date for entries is 5pm on 12th April 2024;
Make sure that the contact details for both yourself, your nominee, and the organisation, if applicable, are completed and are accurate.
Write your statement: this explains why you think your nominee should get the Award, you must highlight clearly why your nominee is special.
In writing your statement, please help the judges to make fair assessments by keeping to these few important rules:
Don’t include logos
Don’t include links to any material on websites, social media sites, or pdfs.
Any substantive material must be incorporated into the statement.
Keep the statement word count under 1500 words.
Supporting statements from clients, family, or colleagues: preferably include in the statement or if sent separately label them clearly with your name, the nominee’s name, and the organisation name. E-mail or post as above.
TEN TOP TIPS FOR WRITING WINNING NOMINATIONS
How do you make sure that your nomination has the best chance of attracting the judge’s attention? How do you make sure that your nomination stands out and that your nominee jumps from the page as being exceptional?
Your task is to think carefully about what the judge wants to see and what they will think when they read your nomination. So you need to:
Be aware that each judge will be responsible for assessing the nominations in their category and has been chosen for their expertise in that area.
You also need to remember that they volunteer and that each of them may be assessing over 20 separate nominations with limited time available, so the competition is tough!
So with that in mind, here are our 10 Top Tips!
Read the supporting documents thoroughly:
the category list,
the nomination rules listed above
the outstanding behaviours and attributes examples listed below
Check that you are nominating the person in the right category for their role.
Plan what you want to say in the statement. Remember you are arguing your case; what are your key messages? Use the headings in the nomination form to help you. Write it out in advance and keep a copy of the final submission.
Make sure that what you are saying is relevant to the chosen category, using evidence or examples to show the impact your nominee has made.
Using the sort of language and expressions in the ‘Outstanding Behaviours’ list below helps the judge to assess how much the person has achieved or what difference they may have made.
The judge will only see what you have written. Your task is to make sure there’s enough detail to enable them to reach an informed decision.
At the same time, keep it succinct and relevant; judges will have a lot to read- don’t overload them with information that is not relevant or is repeating things you have already said.
Stick to the rules; this helps to keep to Awards fair.
Ensure CSW has accurate contact information for the nominee and their manager
It’s also a good idea to tell the nominee and their employer (where relevant)
Listen to the latest tips and advice from our judging panel
EXAMPLES OF OUSTANDING BEHAVIOURS AND ATTRIBUTES
These are the sorts of behaviours that have been highlighted as outstanding and examples of great practice. Some apply to organisations, but the behaviours behind all of them are equally applicable to individuals. When you write your statement, these are the sort of behaviours that the judges will be looking out for. Please make sure you give evidence to support your statement.
Inspires people to achieve well and be committed to best practice
An internal culture that enables all to give of their best
Clear communications
Clear vision and values
Effective leadership
Engages with the wider community
Exceptional role modeling by leaders
Pioneering new ways of working
Service always looking to improve and innovate
Service is supported to adapt to meet individuals' needs
Supports Staff/Personal Assistants to develop skills and knowledge
Understands the need for personal development and essential learning as an employer
Well-organised and professional in attitude
Willing to learn about new ways of working
Always goes the Extra Mile, always looking to improve own skills & knowledge
Demonstrates commitment to forging closer and more effective links between health and social care
Demonstrates commitment to staff development
Demonstrates exceptional communication skills
Demonstrates long term all-round excellence in social care AND health
Demonstrates respect for individuality, dignity, and respect
Exceptional dedication and commitment
Exceptional service development
Exceptional support of clients or colleagues
Expertise, exceptional skills in specific service requirements
Has a clear passion for their service needs and improvement
Is a beacon of positivity in their health and social care work
Is adaptable and responsive to the people they support
Is seen by others as an exceptional and consistent role model
Leadership best practice, flexibility
Personally works effectively to bridge social care and health
Shows success where others have failed
Supports people's independence by personal excellence
Understands and demonstrates the close links of health and social care
Up to date, keeps ahead of the rest
Vision and innovation
We hope this helps.
GOOD LUCK!