Laura Arthur won the Leadership Award at the Scottish Social Services Awards and Megan Cassidy was a finalist in the Bright Spark in Social Work category.

Laura said: “I am delighted and honoured to receive this award in leadership.

“I really appreciate the love and support from my husband and my family allowing me to dedicate my time and effort to supporting people in South Lanarkshire. 

“I would also like to give a special thanks to my locality manager Kathy Blessing who nominated me, as well as all my fantastic team leaders and Social Workers within the Hamilton Locality.”

Megan said: “It was lovely to be nominated for the Bright Spark in Social Work Award and recognised for the work undertaken since I started my job.

“It’s a real confidence boost that the start of my social work career is going well and I look forward to continuing to upskill and develop my practice even further.

“I would like to thank all my colleagues in Hamilton with a special thank you to Amanda Goodwin, my team leader, who has provided continued support, encouragement and a listening ear.”

Soumen Sengupta, Director of Health and Social Care for South Lanarkshire, said: “Congratulations to Laura and Megan for their outstanding achievements.

“To be recognised at a national level like this is fantastic news, not just for them individually but also for the teams that they are part of.

“Laura’s award reflects the strength of leadership we have across our  partnership, and Megan being one of the finalists in her category shows we have some of the best rising stars in the social work profession in Scotland. 

“We are all immensely proud of their achievements and they are an absolute credit to our health and social care family.”