PROUD Awards

Proud+ is a category for staff and volunteers, requested by our children and young people. You can nominate a staff member or volunteer for the care and support they provide to children Looked After or Care Experienced young people.  

What the judges are looking for: Children and young people to nominate their social worker, support worker, residential staff, foster carer, or any children's social care professional or volunteer who they are currently working with or worked with in the last 12 months.

Care experienced children and young people and professionals can also nominate children of foster carers for their exceptional support to children in care.

We would love to hear examples of the ways in which your carers, residential workers or social workers have gone above and beyond to support you and help you to feel loved and cared for.

This award identifies children and young people who have made choices for themselves that help improve their own personal lives in everyday situations and by doing so have felt the benefits and continued to go from strength to strength.

What the judges are looking for: The judging panel are looking for examples where the nominees have made a decision to do things in a more positive or different way and this has had a positive impact on them. They may have achieved something beyond their own expectations and they will have made others proud. This category is about setting goals and achieving them. This could be something that to other's might seem quite small, but to the nominees will be an achievement in the context of their life and circumstances.

This award is about recognising those who have helped someone or improved the lives of others. They may have cared for people who could be friends, family or people are in the community. They may have helped someone do something like their shopping; they may regularly take care of a sick or elderly relative, cared for brothers & sisters, or helped a neighbour. We know lots of looked after children and young people who help their friends or family.

What the judges are looking for: The judging panel are looking for evidence that nominees have been instrumental in helping or caring for someone or several people.

This award identifies children and young people who may have made a significant contribution to their communities or local environment through their regular volunteering or helped other children and young people through their representation. Nominees in this category will have given their time voluntarily for the benefit of others. This award identifies children and young people who help to promote a sense of community and improve the quality of people's lives. It recognises children and young people who have demonstrated that they are committed to bringing people together and inspire changes that lead to improvements to their community.

What the judges are looking for: The judging panel are looking for evidence that nominees have been instrumental in improving or changing a local area or community. That they worked as part of a team or in partnership with others and can assess and respond to the needs of children and young people and others within their community. In this award judges are looking for nominees who have worked with young people and/or other members of the community in a variety of settings. They should have worked as part of a team and show how they were committed to making a major contribution to the improvement of others.

This award recognises children and young people who have a talent which they have nurtured and shared. This may have resulted in entering competitions, recognition, and prizes in Lancashire or beyond – it might include individual or team sports, drama, the creative arts, public speaking, dance, music, writing or some other unique achievement.

What the judges are looking for: For this award judges are looking for young people who have prepared, organised, performed, or created a significant piece of work in their chosen art form. They will have shown an ability to set individual personal goals and achieve them, who may have overcome barriers to excel in their chosen activity and who are able to work as part of a team. They are looking for those who have excelled.

A young man called Danny Collins was nominated posthumously for the award in 2014, and it was felt that it was fitting to rename this category in his memory.

This award is about children and young people who have done something amazing or inspirational. Lots of our looked after children and care leavers perform in front of people, speak to professionals in conferences, stand up for what they believe in or help someone in an emergency. These are great examples, but we also know that looked after children in Lancashire inspire people all the time and do amazing things - this could be about overcoming a barrier no matter how big or small, it could be about being positive or smiling in the face of challenges, it might be for working hard to get a job or the results they needed. For some people it might just be about getting out of bed and facing the day. Let’s celebrate how amazing and inspirational they all are!

What are the judges looking for: Judges are looking for children and young people who have set personal goals achieved something exceptional and inspired others around them. This award is about a personal journey as much as anything else.