We provide grants of up to £500 that we hope will make a tangible difference to the applicants – so we were delighted to receive this note of thanks earlier this month.
I am writing with a very belated ‘Thank You’ for the £500 grant that you have previously awarded me. I completed my Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) training, and asked for assistance from you to contribute towards a further 2 units of study at Masters Level which I started in 2020. The 2 units were concerned with improving service delivery, and in keeping with the unpredictable and ever changing nature of our work, my brief changed somewhat as I progressed!
I designed, delivered and evaluated a training session on Professional Boundaries, in response to a series of serious incidents which had caused harm to Adult’s at Risk within a Learning Disability service within our jurisdiction. I am pleased to report that in addition to bringing about the service change desired, I completed my studies and was awarded a Masters degree with Merit (something I never thought would be possible for me!).
Since the pandemic, I have ‘stepped up’ to a management role to supervise a Safeguarding Hub and also taken the lead in developing and delivering a Homeless Intervention Pathway, as Adult Social Care’s part in response to the ‘Everyone In’ Scheme. The pathway was first funded by the Housing Department and I am really proud that despite the adversity of the current climate, we have made it work and the posts are now permanently funded.
The purpose of my writing isn’t to share my achievements but more so to humbly to express my gratitude to you and your charity for making this possible. I have got a job as a Social Work Practice Lead in a new Local Authority which will be a huge challenge of which I look forward to embracing. As I move through my career, I won’t forget opening a small white envelope from you in my porch, with a post it and a hand written note saying ‘Your cheque, as promised’. The funding you gave me has given me the chance to progress, to share my learning with others and to embrace lead practitioner roles. Moreover, knowing that there are strangers out there rooting for you, with faith that you can achieve your aims, has given me confidence and belief that I can help others in the way I set out to some 12 years ago, when I first qualified as a Social Worker.
So, thank you to you, SWET. Things are tough currently, everyone is tired. I think we need to stop and reflect, and give thanks where it is owed. Without you I don’t think I would have achieved most of these goals. I hope that in some way my gratitude is repaid through my interventions to those that need them- after all, that’s what it’s all about!
Please, submit your Grant and Scholarship Applications in time for our next meeting. The Trustees are meeting on 14th June and will be considering Individual Grant Applications (up to £500), Team Grant Applications (up to £1,000), as well as three Scholarship Applications (£3,000 each).
In addition, we will also be awarding the 50th anniversary grant of £5,000, which is larger than our usual grants and reflects SWET’s ongoing commitment to the social work profession. Applications can be for either new or existing research or practice development projects, but must reflect how the proposed innovative research or practice development will impact on service users.
You need to complete a simple application form if you wish to be considered for a grant or scholarship. Applications need to be with us 5 working days before the Trustees meeting: the cut-off date is 12 noon on Wednesday 8th June.