Gloria Spiteri was on Friday crowned social worker of the year for her work at Hospice Malta spanning over 22 years.

Spiteri received the award at the yearly event held by the Maltese Association of Social Workers, during which 10 other social workers were applauded for their work throughout the past year.

Spiteri, according to her nominees, has been a pillar for thousands of patients and their families. At times, over the past two decades, she was the only social worker providing bereavement support, while coordinating a children's summer programme, monthly memorial mass, an annual remembrance event and delivering palliative care education.

For this year's events. MASW received 133 nominations covering 80 social workers and services.

Apart from Spiteri, who won social worker of the year, Mark Farrugia was awarded Outstanding Social Worker Student, Josef Pisani won Outstanding Newly Qualified Social Worker, Bernadette Briffa was awarded Impactful Veteran Social Worker, Bernard Borg Pellicano won the Going the Extra Mile award, while Melissa Mifsud received the Promoting Best Practice nomination.

Ruth Navarro Buhagiar was awarded Most Supportive Social Work Colleague, while Elmer Stanmore received the Making Change Happen award and Loraine Borg got the Inspirational Leader award. The Youth in Focus team was meanwhile crowned Social Work Service of the year, while Prof Marceline Naudi was chosen by the association's executive as the person who greatly impacted the social work profession. 

The event was addressed by Social Justice Minister Michael Falzon, PN MP Graziella Attard Previ and Mike Orland, chair of the Social Work Profession Board.

MASW chair Michael Farrugia reminded his colleagues of the activist role the association took throughout the years to push for the betterment of the quality of life and education of clients.

He urged them to similarly be active in their sector to ensure the evolution of social work and the recognition of the profession as a pillar for social wellbeing.