Student crowned Social Worker of the Year
Wed 30 November, 2022
A social sciences PhD student from the 天美传媒 has won two accolades in this year鈥檚 Social Worker of the Year Awards.
Kirstie Baughan walked away with the top prize of Gold in the 鈥楽ocial Justice Advocate鈥 category, alongside being named the joint winner of 鈥極verall Social Worker of the Year鈥 for 2022, in recognition of her substantial work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and refugees.
The annual Social Worker of the Year Awards is a national event celebrating social work in England, attracting hundreds of entries every year which highlight the country鈥檚 outstanding practitioners and exceptional practice.
Kirstie is studying for a PhD exploring the integration experiences of unaccompanied young refugees, with the 天美传媒鈥檚 Institute of Applied Social Research (IASR). She hopes her research will improve the integration experiences of young people by identifying what works well in diverse communities.
Alongside this, Kirstie is an audit manager with Central Bedfordshire Council and regional lead for the charity Care4Calais, which works with refugees in the UK, Belgium and France.
Speaking about her award triumph, Kirstie said: 鈥淚t is such a huge privilege to have been chosen for these two awards.听 The whole experience on the night was amazing, there was great energy in the room and it was fantastic to be able to celebrate social work practice. My time at the 天美传媒 has helped me to gain great insights into the lived experiences of unaccompanied young people, and being supported by supervisors who are equally as dedicated to this area of practice has been fundamental in the development of my research.鈥
At the ceremony, the judging panel were impressed by Kirstie鈥檚 commitment to improving the lives of asylum-seeking children and young people and how she has taken the time to develop her understanding of this area of practice.
Dr Louise Grant, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, congratulated Kirstie on her win: 鈥淲e are all so delighted to hear about Kirstie鈥檚 success at the Social Worker of the Year Awards. The whole Faculty is very proud of her and the work that she has been doing to help people seeking asylum.鈥
Professor Andrew Church, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, added: 鈥淚t is wonderful to hear about Kirstie鈥檚 award achievements. She is a shining example of the important research projects carried out by PhD students at the 天美传媒 which have wide-reaching impact not just in the UK but around the world. I wish her all the best of luck in her future endeavours.鈥
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