Digital Voice wins award for Digital Transformation in Social Work
The Digital Voice team are delighted to have won the Gold Award in the category of Digital Transformation in Social Work, alongside our partner Gateshead Council, in the Social Worker of the Year Awards.
The award recognised two of our pioneering DigitalMe projects which were co-produced with Gateshead Council’s Specialist Support Service, which includes Youth Justice and Domestic Abuse.
DigitalMe is our programme that gives vulnerable people the opportunity to tell their stories and enact change within the services they use, whilst maintaining anonymity. We work with vulnerable individuals to create digital artworks describing their experiences of difficult subjects, in this case, experience of the Youth Justice System and domestic abuse.
Councillor Gary Haley, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Gateshead Council said:
"Both pieces of work submitted for this award share emotive stories of personal journeys and how our staff have supported children and young people living with adversity. Our colleagues and young people should be incredibly proud of not only what they have achieved through the DigitalMe projects, but of their bravery and dedication to improving the lives of other young people across the borough."
The service uses real life experiences to shape and develop their work to ensure the children and young people they work with can be heard in their own services and with partners across the borough, including Health, Police and Housing. The DigitalMe films are now being used as a training resource in schools; have been shared widely across Gateshead Children’s Social Care for those practitioners working with young people at risk of offending; as well as community partners as part of the Safer Streets Initiative.
The Judges said:
“What this piece of innovation has done is really brought home the voice of people’s stories. The stories coming from people who have lived and breathed those experiences is so much more important than what we could say[…] is something we can all learn from.”
Our Managing Director, Julie, attended the ceremony:
“It’s always fab to be nominated and in this case win awards, it’s also the fact that these DigitalMe films are making a tangible difference; that’s the real reward! Thanks to the team at Gateshead Council for being so forward thinking and for the young people who shared their stories; they’re already making people really sit up and listen.”
If you’d like to find out more about DigitalMe, click here.
Keep your fingers crossed!