The Guardian Public Services Awards, in partnership with Hays Specialist Recruitment, launches today.
Now in their seventh year, the awards are the leading celebration of excellence among organisations commissioning or providing services, showcasing innovation and best practice across Whitehall, local government, the NHS and beyond.
David Brindle, the Guardian's Public Services editor, said: "With a new government in place and spending cutbacks at the top of its agenda, never before has it been so important to celebrate and honour the extraordinary contribution that those who deliver our public services make day in, day out.
"Last year's winning projects included an astonishingly popular free leisure services programme in Birmingham, an innovative housing scheme in Derby for women victims of domestic violence who also have mental health or addiction problems, and a hugely successful travel training initiative for young people in Gloucestershire with physical and learning disabilities.
"The public can get involved with the awards by encouraging friends and family working in the public services to enter the team categories. They can also nominate - and later vote - for a special award, Public Servant of the Year, on our website."
The awards fall into three main categories. Service Delivery comprises: Children & young people, Complex needs, Carers, families & communities, Care of older people, Housing & regeneration, and Transport & mobility. Innovation and Progress includes: Sustainability, Transformation, Customer service, Partnership working, Diversity & equality, and the new Skills development award. The Special Awards are: the Citizenship & volunteering award, the Guardian Public Servant of the Year award and the overall winner.
The closing date for applications is 16 July 2010. The winners will be announced on 23 November 2010 at an awards ceremony in central London and will feature in an awards supplement distributed in the Guardian on 24 November 2010.
More information and details on how to apply click here
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