Social work leaders recognised in 2025 New Year Honours

Social workers in leadership roles have been recognised in the 2025 New Year Honours list.

They include a director of children’s services (DCS) who led his authority to two consecutive outstanding ratings and a head of service who has championed the voting rights of people with learning disabilities.

There was also recognition for the former head of a university social work centre and a regional adoption agency lead.

Knighthood for DCS

North Yorkshire corporate director for children’s services Stuart Carlton was knighted for services to children, young people and families.

Carlton, who retains his social work registration, joined the county authority in 2017, following 10 years in leadership roles at Lincolnshire council. A year after he joined, Ofsted rated North Yorkshire as outstanding across the board for children’s services, an achievement the council repeated in 2023.

Stuart Carlton, corporate director, children’s services, Stuart Carlton, corporate director, children’s services, North Yorkshire (photo by North Yorkshire County Council)

Carlton started his career working in children’s homes before qualifying as a social worker and practising in child protection.

He said he was “humbled” to receive the honour, adding: “Like all these awards, it’s built on a long career of service and the hard work and dedication of many other people that I have been truly privileged to work alongside. I thank each and every one of them.”

Champion of voting rights

Meanwhile, there was an MBE for Elaine James, head of service, learning disabilities and preparation for adulthood, at Bradford council, for services to social care.

James won the social justice advocate prize at the 2023 Social Worker of the Year Awards, in recognition of her work championing the rights of people with learning disabilities to vote.

This has involved making it a central part of transition planning to support young people to understand their right to register to vote, what reasonable adjustments they can lawfully request and how to gain a local voter passport, setting out their voting needs.

Elaine James, with her social justice advocate award at the 2023 Social Worker of the Year Awards ceremony (credit: Social Work Awards)

In a post on X, James congratulated fellow honours recipients in social work and social care and thanked those who had supported her to gain this recognition.

Her MBE was welcomed by colleagues including former chief social worker for adults, and now director of adults’ services at Southend council, Mark Harvey, who said: “There are very few people so dedicated to social care and social work in its every form from research, to practice, to writing, to human rights.”

Another DCS to gain recognition alongside Carlton was Greenwich council’s Florence Kroll, who was awarded a CBE for services to education. The former social worker has been in post at the London borough since 2016, and, earlier this year, the authority improved its Ofsted rating for children’s services from good to outstanding.

“I am very honoured to have been awarded a CBE,” she said. “This is a reflection of all the hard work, care and compassion that staff in Greenwich show young people day in, day out.”

Recognition for social workers

The other registered or qualified social workers to receive an honour in 2025 were:

• Martin Pratt, the former DCS at Camden council, who was given a CBE for services to children, young people and families in London.
• Heather Freeman, who received an OBE for services to vulnerable children and families. She was previously head of service at Aspire Adoption, the regional adoption agency for Dorset.
• Professor Keith Brown, who was awarded an MBE for services to adult safeguarding. He was, until 2020, director of the national centre for post-qualifying social work and professional practice at Bournemough University, and then served as chair of the NHS’s Safeguarding Adults National Network.
• Eileen Gibson, area manager at the Northern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland, who was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to older people with dementia and adults with learning disabilities in County Antrim.

Beyond social work, there was a host of honours for people working in the wider social care system, in a range of roles.

Celebrate those who’ve inspired you

Photo by Daniel Laflor/peopleimages.com/ AdobeStock

We’re expanding our My Brilliant Colleague series to include anyone who has inspired you in your career – whether current or former colleagues, managers, students, lecturers, mentors or prominent past or present sector figures whom you have admired from afar.

Nominate your colleague or social work inspiration by filling in our nominations form with a letter or a few paragraphs (100-250 words) explaining how and why the person has inspired you.

If you have any questions, email our community journalist, Anastasia Koutsounia, at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com

Posthumous honour

These included a posthumous MBE for Sue Rumbold, former chief officer for partnership development and business support in children’s services at Leeds council, who was recognised for services to children and families.

She died last month following a short battle with motor neurone disease.

In a post on LinkedIn, Leeds council’s director of children’s services, Julie Longworth, paid tribute to Rumbold, in particular for her championing of Child Friendly Leeds, the city’s ambition to become the best place for children to grow up in.

“Sue was the responsible officer for Child Friendly Leeds, she lived and breathed the fundamental principles that drove the concept and she was at the heart of translating the Child Friendly vision into a day to day reality, committed to ensuring that Leeds really is the BEST city for a child to live in and grow up,” said Longworth.

Social care roll of honour

Others honoured included:

• Christopher Badger, executive director of adult care services at Hertfordshire council, who was awarded a CBE for services to adult social care.
• Cheryl Ward, group chief executive of disabled children’s charity Family Fund, who was given a CBE in recognition of services to social care.
• Jack Blaik, Independent Living Fund professional adviser for the Scottish Government, who was awarded an OBE for services to people with disabilities.
• Social Care Institute for Excellence chief executive Kathryn Smith, who received an OBE for services to social care.
• Beverley Campbell, family participation officer and adviser at the Family Rights Group, who was awarded an MBE for services to children and families.
• Research in Practice director Dez Holmes, who was awarded an MBE for services to improving social work practice.
• Calvin Kipling, head of the virtual school for Darlington council, who received an MBE for services to education.
• Erica Lockhart, chair of the South East Social Care Alliance, who was recognised with an MBE for services to adult social care.
• Adam McCamley, senior analyst at Liverpool council, who was awarded an MBE for services to social care data.
• Brian Pope, formerly assistant director of children’s services at Hampshire council, who received an MBE for services to education.
• Keely Siddiqui-Charlick, chief executive officer of learning disability charity Sunnyside Rural Trust, who earned an MBE for services to adult social care.
• Current or former foster carers Barbara and Robert Colombo, Charles and Dianne Hubbert, Eileen Lindley, and Caroline and Gordon McGough, who were awarded MBEs, and Michelle and Simon Hawkins, Colleen and David Healey, Julie Robinson and Kasim Sharifi, who were given BEMs, for services to foster care.
• Kamran Samad, a short breaks carer in Slough, who was awarded a BEM for services to children and young people with SEND.
• Rosemary Pavoni, chair of care provider association West Sussex Partners in Care, who received a BEM for services to social care.
• Margaret Waring, independent living manager for the Portland Charity, who gained a BEM for services to people with disabilities or social care needs.