AWARD WINNER 2024-25

This nomination was completed by Laura Crawford (Area Manager)

Introduction

This nomination is for an outstanding colleague and practitioner, who we have had the privilege of working with for the last 16 years.  He makes a difference to the lives of whoever he meets by going the ‘extra mile’ . Daniel is always gentle, kind and caring to everyone by making sure everyone is Ok and looked after.

Nomination Details

Daniel has worked as a practitioner with Youth Justice Agency for the last 16 years, supporting children to achieve desistance and live their best possible life. Throughout this time he has been ‘treasured’ by the children, families and colleagues he has worked alongside, with children often requesting Daniel to be their allocated worker.

Daniel’s warm and gentle nature enables him to engage the hardest to reach children and become an influential supporter in their lives; whilst he continues to be surprised at how well he gets on with those he expects to be particularly resistant, we are not. He can skilfully engage children in such as natural, informal way, over a game of snooker, bringing a sense of fun into it, more recently agreeing that whoever lost the game had to eat some candied pickles!

As a child put it recently, Daniel “doesn’t make it feel like work,” which is testament to his professional artistry in terms of his own social work style. Daniel understands very well that he must first invest in the child before they invest in the planned intervention, having always taken a Child First approach from the outset of his social work career.

This was well illustrated recently when a young person tried to bargain with him, saying he would do the session if Daniel bought him food; Daniel told him that he would buy him food if he was hungry whether he did the session or not. The care experienced child engaged freely for the remainder of their work, making no further demands, understanding that there was a genuine care and unconditional positive regard from Daniel.

Another child whose father is currently in prison has responded particularly well to Daniel as a male role model. By applying for funding for a bike and football boots for him, Daniel successfully re-engaged him in activities at his local community centre and got him back into the local football team. Enabling the child to travel to these activities independently has increased his human and social capital thereby promoting desistance, as well as improving his mental health, as he had attempted suicide in the past.

Recent feedback from another child described Daniel as ‘smart’ and ‘knowledgeable’ as he praised his wisdom. Daniel was able to support this child to understand his aggression at home, which was connected to the loss of his father. By giving the child the opportunity to express himself, feel heard and have his feelings validated, Daniel enabled him to learn to tolerate some difficult emotions linked to situations that could not be ‘fixed’ or changed, increasing his resilience whilst reducing his risk of offending.

Daniel has a way of letting people know that he truly cares about them. When one child with autism, who relied on his bike for self-regulation, was upset that his bike was broken, Daniel was the first person round to fix it for him; he described Daniel as just “a really nice guy” when speaking about him to one of the CJINI Inspectors recently.

Daniel has also had significant success in engaging another ‘difficult to reach child’ with a disability who seemed to have a very negative reputation in the community and even amongst other services. Through investing in the child and providing a warm, supportive, predictable, safe presence in his life, he has been able to have sensitive conversations to help the child understand their current behaviour in the context of their past trauma. Daniel supported the child to stop using alcohol, which was problematic, and increase his own resilience by accessing employment opportunities and taking an interest in improving his health by going to the gym, taking a strengths based approach to improving human and social capital as well as the child’s sense of self efficacy in line with the Agency’s Model of Practice.

When a child who had been banging doors in bad temper rang Daniel panicking as he had broken the handle, and he did not want his granny to be upset, Daniel went to the house and taught the child how to fix it.

On another occasion, when Daniel was on bail duty one morning, a child ended up in custody overnight but had no way home when he was released the following day. Even though the child was not ‘an open case’ and would have no ongoing going contact with the Agency, it did not matter that it was 5pm on a Friday. Daniel offered to transport the child home, evening taking his time to have dinner with him first. The child knew Daniel ‘did not have to do this,’ and expressed sincere gratitude, and appreciated Daniel literally going the extra mile.

It is unsurprising that a social worker recently asked Daniel to undertake a befriending role for a care experienced child who had exited the Justice system, as he was such a positive influence in his life, which Daniel commits to in his free time

There are many children, families and colleagues who feel fortunate to have crossed paths with him over the years. Professionally as a colleague, Daniel is astute; an open thinker who is not easily influenced by others, rather, he is able to consider and critically analyse a range of evidence from multiple sources before arriving at sound decisions about risk. He is a skilled practitioner who can manage complexity with ease, effecting change in the lives of young people, supporting them to build better lives and futures for themselves, within which offending no longer fits.

He has also been instrumental in the development of the skills of his colleagues working alongside him, who have been aided by his gentle yet honest feedback, in a continual strive to improve their practice, thus promoting positive outcomes for children, families and victims. He has also been a supportive colleague to those he co-works with from other agencies, helping to alleviate anxieties sometimes experienced in managing a high risk case, therefore supporting the development of resilience with clients and colleagues alike. However, Daniel is not just regarded as a colleague but is seen as a friend and trusted confidante within the team.

He has truly lived life alongside people, as no matter what life has thrown at them, he has been there to help stead them enough to ‘weather the storm’, whether it is a broken down car, a broken down relationship or a bereavement, Daniel is always there to listen, provide help, support and guidance, looking after his colleagues until they are on their feet again. We would like to thank Daniel for all that he does for others, as it is truly exceptional.

Quotes from YP/Parent/Carer “he’s a very good man, the best youth justice worker I’ve ever had.  He’s just the most kind and caring person. He has always took time out of his day to make sure I’m OK. He’s unbelievable” ” Daniel has been my worker for a number of years. He always comes out of his way for me, coming out after work hours and going above and beyond for me to help me with stuff that he doesn’t have to do. He has helped me with my anger, has the best advice is the world and can tell he truly cares about me. He is the best worker I have ever had and the only one I have ever got along with.”

“Daniel has been so good, if my grandchild gets agitated and I text Daniel he will tell me how to get him calm again. Sometimes I would have kicked off back but Daniel has taught me how to calm things down and get him to behave. I have never seen anyone who can work so well with him, he can reverse any situation with him – that’s how good he is and we are so much happier now.”

Testimony from Senior manager “Daniel is one of the most genuine, warm and caring individuals that you will ever meet. He has a quiet unassuming manner which enables him to create safety and trust in his relationships with children, young people and families alike. Daniel is a skilled and generous practitioner who builds self-belief and hope in those he works with. Everyone loves Daniel!”

Quote from colleague “He intuitively knows if someone is not themselves & goes above & beyond to support them”