Social Work Awards 2016 -- Veronica McKee SHSCT

Mrs Veronica McKee began her career in 1977, taking up her first social work post in St. Joseph’s Training school in Middletown. During this time Veronica worked with challenging young girls from all areas of Northern Ireland requiring residential care. She progressed from social worker to Team Leader, leading her team to provide not just accommodation, but a home for young girls where they could access education, develop life skills and access emotional support. After almost twenty years in residential care Veronica came to work in the Southern Trust in 1997. She took up a social work post in Drumglass Lodge and took the lead position in Dungannon to develop “Aftercare Services” following the recognition of the gap in support for young people leaving care which is now known as 16+ services. She has continued to work in the 16 Plus team assisting with the continued development of the service for young people leaving residential and foster care. Veronica has worked for the Southern Trust for 20 years and during this time has demonstrated a sincere dedication to improving the outcomes for children and young people. Veronica’s approach is very much informed by relationship based practice and she has shown consistently that regardless of the challenges presented by the service user, she remains non-judgemental, caring, humble, and empathetic and is able to develop partnerships with parents and children in some of the most difficult situations. The child or young person has always been the main focus of her intervention and she provides a stable and calm influence and is always willing and able to tackle any crisis, and go the extra mile. While staff have changed and moved on over the past 20 years, Veronica has been a constant feature of social work in Dungannon and Armagh. She has earned a healthy respect from not only the families she has worked with, but also the colleagues she has worked alongside. She is a great role model and mentor for newly qualified social workers and students, and is an inspirational colleague to work alongside. She has an ability to bring a team together and her colleagues in the Dungannon 16+ team will miss her energy, commitment and talent. Her young people have consistently wished to be heard in terms of their praise for her approach to communicating with, supporting and engaging with them. As a testament to her approach many of these young people have chosen to maintain contact with her well into their adulthoods.