‘She helps me bounce back when I’m struggling with the job’

For Community Care’s 50th anniversary, our My Brilliant Colleague series invites you to celebrate anyone who has inspired you in your career.

In the latest entry, children in care social worker Grace Wood gives “a massive shout out” to her colleague, social work consultant Victoria Todd, for being a pillar of support and encouragement during those tough days at work.

This colleague works tirelessly to support our team. She is available to all her teammates, regardless of what the issue is.

She will support, encourage and forward our worries to the senior management. She remains so calm and organised and always spares a kind word or laugh for her team.

It is such an honour, in this current environment where pressure is seemingly coming from everywhere, to know that you have someone so capable and supportive. Victoria will come through to support you no matter what and makes everything bearable. l find that I can bounce back even when l am struggling from the demands of the job.

Sometimes it’s the small moments. Just this afternoon, it was 4pm and we’d had a very busy day.

A colleague laughed and said, “It’s hectic, l have not even been able to finish one cup of tea”. I said I had a care team meeting at 5pm, but Victoria joined in too and said, “My cup of tea has remained untouched”.

We all laughed and got up to make fresh cups of teas.

Victoria also knew l had been struggling with a particular child, so she took two minutes to ask how my visit had gone. Sometimes, in the fast-paced environment that we work in, it is these moments, little things like caring for each other makes the difference.

When you are confident that the team around you is supportive, it takes some pressure off our busy days. This colleague is amazing and deserves to be told that she is.

How to nominate a colleague

For our 50th anniversary, we’re expanding our series My Brilliant Colleague 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 either:

• Filling in our nominations form with a letter or a few paragraphs (100-250 words) explaining how and why the person has inspired you.
• Or sending a voice note of up to 90 seconds to +447887865218, including your and the nominee’s names and roles.

Despite the need to provide your name and role, you or the nominee can be anonymous in the published entry.

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