Special Commendation 2022

The Social Work Student Connect Team, a group made up of only twelve people became a vital resource to many students studying for their social work qualifications during the pandemic. 

During the beginning of the first UK lockdown, Siobhan Maclean noticed that many social work students on social media were talking about their placements being suspended. Wanting to help, she asked on Twitter whether any students would be interested in helping her to produce some social work webinars. 

While the plan may have been to only create a few initial webinars to help students stay engaged with their studies, this soon grew into a much larger project. The webinars proved to be so popular with both students and qualified social workers alike, they are still continuing to be offered now.  

At the time of nomination, the Social Work Student Connect Team hosted 85 webinars, their most popular gaining over 22,000 views. Each member of the team undertakes various duties to make sure each webinar is a success, from hosting the virtual guests, providing support for those with lived experience from the topic, social media management and more. With their continued commitment and dedication to making sure that everyone has access to the learnings needed to further their social work skills and knowledge, it’s no surprise that the team has been asked to speak at international events about their work. 

While the lockdowns may now be over, the positive effects that the Social Work Student Connect team have on those they support will continue to carry on.