Four social work students / apprentices have each won a prize of £500 for their outstanding essays.
Congratulations to Wisdom P. Mensah of Liverpool John Moores University, Leith Greig-Connor of Oxford Brookes University, Fatima Ishaq of Dundee University, and Samantha Ncube of the University of Greenwich who wrote the winning essays!
The SWU Assignment: World Social Work Day 2025 question was:
“What are the most important things social workers should get from their professional training? What type of social work practice would they like to be involved in as they begin their professional careers, and why?”
This annual competition is open to all Social Work Students undertaking an Undergraduate or Post Graduate Social Work Degree in the UK, Social Work Apprentices, and students undertaking specialist pathway routes. Each winning entrant will receive £500.
Thank you to all the social work students and apprentices who participated in the competition this year and shared their reflections, insights, and hopes for the future!
The 2025 SWU Assignment was marked by a Panel including:
- Andrew Reece – Registered Social Worker and professional Officer with the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) England Team
- Ann Marie Hayes – Registered social worker who is also qualified as a systemic psychotherapist and sits on the SWU Executive Committee
- Tina Peterson – SWU Union Contact and member of the SWU Executive Committee
Click here to download the four winning essays as a PDF.
You can also click here to meet the markers for the 2025 SWU Assignment and read the winning essays from previous years at the bottom of the SWU Assignment webpage.
Thank you to our panel of markers
Ann Marie Hayes said:
“As a marker for this year’s SWU Assignment essays, I was delighted that such a range and depth of issues were discussed by the contributing students. The essays captured a range of discourses relating to social work training; many expressed heart-felt and personal views about particular theories, concepts or models for practice, and most writers offered a critical eye, identifying what they perceive to be working well as well as perceived gaps in current social work training. The quality of the essays was inspiring overall, and it was reassuring to read such thoughtful and provocative evocations of an idealised structure for learning, one that this cohort of students may bring to fruition as they progress through their social work lives.
“I would therefore like to thank each writer for committing the time and effort into considering this thorny issue; successive government and social work bodies have struggled with this question for decades, revealing the genuine complexity of social work. You all powerfully argued for specific forms of training, or reforms of training practices overall, which means there is hope for social work training to evolve with the changing needs of social workers as they strive to ethically support the marginalised and oppressed members of society towards equity and human justice. The work continues.”
Andrew Reece said:
“It was a privilege to be able to read such a group of inspiring and thoughtful student essays. If the really high standard of all the entries is anything to go by, the future of Social Work is in safe and radical hands.”
Tina Peterson said:
“I’d like to say a big thank you to every student who entered the SWU Assignment competition this year; your commitment and hard work is commended. It was such a privilege to read them all. Key concepts and ideas relating to the question ‘what are the most important things students should get from their professional training?’ were explored and the essays were packed with knowledge, research and diversity, and a deep understanding of how the social work role is evolving. Themes including Eco Social Work, Artificial Intelligence and Climate Impact were all included in the discussions. I feel confident and encouraged that the future of social work is in safe hands.”
Winning quotes from the four winners
Wisdom P. Mensah of Liverpool John Moores University said:
“To have my essay recognised among the top four is both a profound honour and a call to responsibility. This piece was born from the conviction that social work must reclaim its prophetic edge—uniting trauma-informed compassion, legal fluency, and digital vigilance to meet the demands of a fragmented age. In a time of poly-crisis and systemic fracture, I believe our profession must not retreat into bureaucracy but rise as a morally imaginative, intellectually rigorous, and justice-driven force. I am humbled to contribute to this emerging vision.”
Leith Greig-Connor of Oxford Brookes University said:
“I feel honoured to be selected as one of the winners in this year’s competition. My piece explored how professional training must evolve to address emerging issues like AI literacy, environmental justice, and inclusive practices for increasingly diverse communities. I’m grateful for SWU’s recognition and believe it reinforces the need to adapt our profession for current and future needs.”
Fatima Ishaq of Dundee University said:
“I am overjoyed to have my assignment chosen amongst the winning entries in this year’s SWU Essay Competition. My assignment focused on the importance of relationship-based practice and moral courage, highlighting the need to embed these principles in social work training amid an increasingly bureaucratic and technical-rational practice environment. In addition, this essay gave me the opportunity to reflect personally on my aspirations going into practice and as I enter my penultimate year of university.”
Samantha Ncube of Greenwich University said:
“As a final-year student, I am honoured that SWU has recognised my essay. Writing about the importance of professional training and development in social work allowed me to reflect on my passion for social justice and empowerment. This award reinforces my commitment to making a positive difference through inclusive and community-focused practice. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute thoughtfully to the debate on building a more just and compassionate society.”