Simona Calzavara is one of six finalists in the Mental Health Social Worker of the Year category in recognition of her work in building positive relationships with service users and their families.
Simona works as a Forensic Social Worker at the John Howard Centre, a medium-secure unit that provides specialist psychiatric services in east London. She has worked in social work for over 20 years, spending time in early intervention psychosis, substance misuse and community mental health.
Throughout her career, Simona has received numerous compliments from family members of service users. Known for going above and beyond to give service users time and listening to their concerns, Simona was nominated by colleagues for this year’s Social Worker of the Year Awards.
Simona supported with the discharge of a service user who had been an inpatient for over 20 years, and played a crucial role in ensuring it went ahead smoothly on the day itself.
Commenting on the nomination, Director of Social Work, Mary Brazier, said: “I am so proud of Simona, her nomination demonstrates her commitment to the service users and families she works with. She is a credit to Social Work and to ELFT.”
Simona added: “In my job with my clients, I always try to create a space for honest and open communication where all voices are heard and valued. I like to enable them to tell their stories, to actively listen and to be present in the moment. In my view, empowerment comes from being heard and responded to.”
The Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of practitioners and teams up and down the country. It was first established in 2006, and in 2011, the Social Work Awards achieved charitable status.
The ceremony will be held on Friday 17 October 2025 at the Midland Hotel in Manchester.