 On Wednesday night, I was delighted to again participate in the Holyrood Scottish Public Service Awards which brought together civil servants, MSPs and representatives of the third and public sectors to showcase this year’s top contributions to Scotland’s civic society.
Held in the Scottish Parliament, the ceremony was opened by Deputy First Minister Shona Robison and Deputy Presiding Officer Liam McArthur, with award-winning journalist Pennie Taylor hosting.
Organised in partnership with the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government, the event saw organisations and individuals rewarded for their leadership performance to their efforts towards diversity and inclusion.
The top prize - the Lifetime Achievement Award - was deservedly given to John Carnochan, a police officer for almost four decades, to recognise many of his career accomplishments, such as the launch of the Violence Reduction Unit, a successful initiative replicated in several cities across the UK, including London.
Together with Jenni Minto MSP, Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, I presented the Policy into Practice Award to Social Security Scotland’s Health and Social Care Operations for its work to integrate health and social care practitioners into the civil service.
