Our My Brilliant Colleague series invites you to celebrate anyone who has inspired you in your career. It is part of Community Care’s ongoing Choose Social Work campaign, which aims to champion the brilliant work social workers do every day and inspire the next generation of practitioners.
In this entry, a social worker pays tribute to her team manager, Lucy, whose support helped her through a "deeply distressing" period of workplace discrimination that left her feeling powerless.
I am honoured to nominate Lucy for recognition as a tireless advocate in the fight against discrimination.
Her dedication to justice and equality is not theoretical - it is proven through her courageous and principled actions in real situations. She is the leader of our minority community group.
I first met Lucy during a deeply distressing chapter in my career, when I was facing sustained discriminatory and aggressive treatment from my senior manager. This was not an isolated incident, but an ongoing pattern of bias, professional undermining and unfair treatment that left me feeling silenced and powerless.
The imbalance of power was overwhelming, and many around me were reluctant to intervene. Lucy was different. She stepped forward without hesitation, listened with genuine empathy and helped me navigate a situation that felt impossible to challenge alone.
She not only validated my experiences but also advised on formal processes, ensuring that my complaint would be heard and handled appropriately. Her support was instrumental in giving me the confidence to stand up against a system that seemed determined to protect those in positions of authority.
Lucy's advocacy goes beyond my case. She understands that discrimination is rarely an isolated problem and she works to address the cultural and structural factors that enable it.
Her actions demonstrate integrity, courage and a deep commitment to fairness. For her ability to confront injustice head-on and for her unwavering support in the fight against discrimination, I proudly nominate Lucy for this recognition.
How to nominate a colleague
You can nominate 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.
*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.
