Held on December 10th, there were five award categories, where support workers could win the vote for things such as problem solving skills, exceptional person-centric care, and for embracing failure. Support workers were nominated throughout the year by fellow staff members at Ascend Assemblies, Ascend’s comprehensive internal training program held monthly throughout the year at Curtin University.

An honorable mention has to go to Kiarah Kirk, who was runner up in 3 awards, including the coveted Squire Medal, showing her incredible dedication and skill as a support worker.

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Support Worker Of The Year Award winners

The Squire Medal

Shayla Dinh was eventually awarded the prestigious Squire Medal, won for being consistently and thoroughly supportive towards colleagues, members, and the members' loved ones. The nominations highlighted Shayla for “always (being) accommodating and welcoming of every person entering Ascend” and being “quick to respond to everyone’s concerns and always putting everyone else before herself”. Winning The Squire Medal is a testament to Shayla’s dedication to improving herself, Ascend, and the quality of services in the disability industry in genera

The Andrews Award

The Andrews Award was won by Sophie Waddington, as a support worker that has shown considerable individual development and insight into providing person-centered care. Sophie led the award tally by 8 votes, for her exceptional relationship building with Ascend members, and providing incredible mentoring after a rapid climb to a leadership mentor position. 

The Adriano Award

Timothy Squire won the Adriano Award, an innovation focused award that celebrates the support workers who've contributed ideas to improve the operations, culture, or growth of Ascend, with all nominations in the category highlighting actions that went above and beyond to improve and grow the business.   

The Golden Gloves Award

The Golden Gloves Award, for the ability to spot errors or prevent mistakes before they escalate, was taken home by Aaron Chan, with a massive 8 point lead. Votes cast for Aaron included highlights such as “Aaron saved the day at a support worker shift and definitely improved the lives of the support workers and the member.” 

The Raspberry Award

Finally, the Raspberry Award, celebrating support workers that own their failure and turn it into a lesson for personal growth, was won by Bella Burke. Bella dominated the award tally for her ability to be “vulnerable in asking and seeking assistance”, allowing other workers to discuss the incident, and to learn “approaches and alternatives to when sessions don’t go to plan”.

The SWOTYA's continue to grow each year

In an industry where support workers are rarely celebrated for the important work they do, Ascend Health Group is proud to be able to uplift and celebrate such incredible talent. The SWOTYA’s are currently an internal awards ceremony, with Ascend Health Group CEO Zachary Nielsen envisioning The Support Worker Of The Year Awards to one day include the whole network of support workers in Western Australia, giving the industry an opportunity to grow together.  

As far as awards nights go, you can’t get much more exciting than the Support Worker Of The Year Awards (SWOTYA’s), which champion good people doing incredible work. For the second year running, Ascend Health Group is proud to recognise the support workers that have gone above and beyond for their colleagues and Ascend members.