Nominations are open for the Skills for Care Accolades awards and local adult social care organisations who deliver high quality care are being urged to enter.

The Accolades recognise excellence and innovation offered by adult social care providers in 10 different categories reflecting the diversity of a growing sector worth £43bn to the national economy.

Previous Accolades finalists say making it to the awards ceremony gives them a chance to have the outstanding work they do recognised by an expert panel of judges and show how their high quality care provision changes people’s lives.

Skills for Care's Chief Executive, Sharon Allen said, 'Our job is to support the learning and development needs of 1.5 million adult social care workers, so they can meet the needs of the people they work with, and this is a chance for employers to have a national platform for the outstanding work they do in their communities.

'Adult social care is not always great at saying how good local services are, so please get your entry in as this is a chance for organisations to have their much-deserved turn in the spotlight. I’ve seen for myself how it much it means for all our Accolades finalists to have national recognition for their teams. 

The 16/17 awards categories are:

• Best employer of under 50 staff.
• Best employer of between 51 and 249 staff.
• Best employer of over 250 staff.
• Best individual who employs their own care and support staff.
• Best employer support for registered managers.
• Best employer support for Apprenticeships.
• Best recruitment initiative.
• Most effective approach to leadership and management.
• Most effective approach to integration and new models of care.
• Best endorsed provider of learning and development.

The Accolades are open to organisations of all sizes and individual employers. Entry forms are now available at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/accolades

The closing date is Friday 23rd September 2016 and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Liverpool on Thursday 9th March 2017.