September 10, 2025 - 692 views
A “dedicated” service manager at a charity hailed for giving people a voice has been nominated for a prestigious care award.
Sam Dodd was described as having an “infectious passion” for her role at Cartref Ni Ltd in St Asaph, where she strives to get the best out of herself and her colleagues.
The organisation helps people with learning disabilities live active, independent and fulfilling lives. Sam oversees the day-to-day management of a number of supported living services and is responsible for four different houses.
Her role also involves managing teams of staff, supporting and guiding them to provide the best possible quality service.
Sam’s “exceptional” contribution to the team has led to the 36-year-old from Rhyl, Denbighshire being shortlisted in the 2025 Wales Care Awards - dubbed the Oscars of social care - sponsored by Meddyg Care.
Sam will battle it out for the Excellence in Palliative and End of Life Care Award - a category sponsored by SilverCrest Care.
The event will take place at the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff on Friday, October 17 in association with Care Forum Wales, a not-for-profit organisation set up in 1993 to give independent care providers a single professional voice with which to speak on one of the most important issues of our time – how to provide better quality care for those who need it most.
The glittering event will pay tribute to the frontline heroes of social care.
Sam, who joined Cartref Ni Ltd in 2019 has been involved in the care sector since leaving school, initially supporting adults with learning disabilities.
Mum-of-one, Sam later progressed within her career to manage residential homes for adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues.
The nomination is from “the whole team” in one of the houses that Sam directly manages, as well as some family members who hailed her “excellent leadership.”
The team said: “Sam ensures the codes of practice are embedded in our work and asks us for examples which helps us keep our knowledge relevant and be accountable for our work and actions.”
Sam volunteered to be part of a small group devising, developing and then delivering a new Person Centred Practice training programme within Cartref Ni.
There, she set points in people’s minds and challenged them to reflect on their own practice testing whether they are really being person-centred in their approach.
“Her passion for this is infectious, this was evident in the response from those who attended the session,” one colleague said.
Others described Sam as “energetic,” “inspiring” and “approachable” with a “natural warm leadership style” that makes people “want to follow her lead.”
Sam regularly attends the Learning Disability Wales conference and has actively encouraged people with disabilities to attend to ensure they have a voice and an opportunity to thrive.
She has also involved them in a recruitment campaign which resulted in being part of a presentation at a local further education college - and even arranged a paddleboarding session.
Sam was praised for going “above and beyond and exceeding expectations of her role,” with her end of life care of one dying individual.
She was there for the family throughout and even supported her team when the person died on New Year’s Day.
A family member of one of the individuals supported under Sam’s management said: “Right from our initial meeting Sam was open, welcoming, knowledgeable, funny and had a warmth about her that put me as a parent struggling if making the correct decision for her age wise adult son but child like vulnerable son at ease.
“Nothing since that time has changed my opinion or perception of Sam, she is always at the end of the phone and will go above and beyond to try and accommodate or help with any concerns or situations that occur and believe me, over the last seven months we have had some very difficult times to go through.
“Sam has been supportive and empathetic to not only my son but to myself.”
Reacting to the news of being an award finalist, Sam said: “I was overwhelmed and surprised to hear that I’d been nominated.
“Obviously I’m just doing my job, but it’s so lovely to know I’m doing it right, and being nominated by my team just reaffirms that.
“I’m really looking forward to attending the awards ceremony with my mum.”
Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, said: “Care Forum Wales has been working tirelessly for more than 30 years to promote the social care sector.
“We established the Wales Care Awards to show our appreciation to the workforce and the wider sector for the remarkable and vitally important contribution everybody makes, day in day out.
“The event underlines the importance of the social care sector. It is the glue that binds our communities together, both socially and economically.
“Our mission is to be the voice of social care in Wales to advocate on the sector’s behalf, holding truth to power in order to secure a fair deal to recognise the dedication of our front line heroes and heroines across our nation.
“If you don’t value the people who do the caring you will never provide the standards that people need and never recognise the value of the people who need the care in society.
“Every single one of our finalists is a winner and will be presented with a gold, silver or bronze award.”
