AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

And finally today I attended the Children's Services Awards for Excellence at the Banqueting Suite at the Civic Hall...
These awards recognise and celebrate the work of colleagues and teams who have made a real difference for children, young people and their families. There were 120 nominations for 13 of the Council's 18 categories and I had been asked to present the awards for Looking After Leeds, Putting Customers First and Health & Well Being.


The award for Looking after Leeds is awarded to a team that has shown exceptional commitment to Improving quality of life in Leeds and encouraging pride in our city. This team had gone the extra mile to organise the Armley fun Day in their own time for the community which has been a huge success.
The winners were Armley Care Management Team.


Putting Customers First Award goes to somebody who has made an outstanding contribution by helping to ensure our services meet the needs of our customers and communities. The nominations were:
• Angela Walker
• Audrey Woodbine
• Pam Frisby
• Bernie Jackson
These colleagues have all made atremendous difference and the commendation went to Angela Walker. However, the winner for Putting Customers First went to somebody who has made an outstanding contribution by helping to ensure our services meet the needs of our customers and communities. With her experience and tenacity, she has been key to the successful implementation of the FGC project in South Leeds that is now being developed city-wide. The direct feedback from families, young people and professionals alike has been fantastic.
The winner was Bernie Jackson.


The award for Health and Well Being is awarded to somebody who has made an outstanding contribution to Improving the health, quality of life and enhancing safety and support of vulnerable groups in Leeds. The nominations were:
• Jawad Nizami
• Mathew Orton
• Claire Penten
The winner had been chosen for their dedication, continual hard work with young people and support to other staff members. This person has bridged the gap between health services and young people resulting in a huge impact on improving the health of looked after children in Leeds.
The winner was Claire Penten.


All the colleagues at the award ceremony have made a real difference for children, young people and families across the city and it was great to be able to recognise all their achievements and say thank you so publicly.
Chris