Frequently asked questions that have emerged through the engagement process to date relating to Sustainable Social Work Pathways | Tauwhiro Ararau – Social Worker Workforce Strategy and Action Plan. 

 Will there be additional funding to support the implementation of activities listed in the Strategy and Action Plan?  
Sustainable Social Work Pathways | Tauwhiro Ararau – Social Worker Workforce Strategy and Action Plan does not come with additional funding for delivery agencies. Organisations will continue to deliver through their existing resources. The opportunity is to bring visibility to existing actions and shine a light on gaps and what might be needed where.  Having a collective cross system view of gaps enables us to highlight this to Ministers and those responsible for funding decisions.  

How can we be sure this is not another strategy that sits on a shelf?   
There is a monitoring and progress reporting aspect to the next phase of the work – we are engaging through our External Advisory Group in August, made up of social work educators, key employers and professional and peak bodies, to start the development of that – it will include an annual progress report, a three-yearly update to the Action Plan, and a five-yearly review of the Strategy.  

Will the Action Plan and Strategy survive any future change in Governments?  
We can’t answer this – that will be for the Government of the day and responsible Minister to decide. The first Strategy will cover a five-year period, with the Action Plan being reviewed three yearly.   

Is the Strategy going to provide new funding for our organisation?   
No, the Strategy itself will not unlock new funding. 
It focuses on better coordination and collaboration across agencies, reducing duplication, and encouraging agencies to make current investments work more effectively together.  Where there is evidence that shows genuine gaps that can’t be filled through better coordination, this will inform future advice to government, which may include advice for policy or resource changes. 

How will the Social Worker Workforce Strategy and Action Plan help with our immediate recruitment challenges?  
It will take time. The Action Plan includes actions to streamline overseas qualification pathways, improving pathways into social work education, and new Education Standards to support education providers develop social work programmes of differing lengths (as long as they still meet the outcomes required of the Education Standards themselves). All of these actions collectively should support better accessibility and reduction and training costs for student social workers. The Strategy and Action Plan will not solve recruitment challenges overnight, but these coordinated efforts will support reductions in recruitments times and increase the numbers in the pipeline into the profession.  

As a non-government (NGO) employer, how can this Strategy help us when we’re already stretched?  
The Strategy recognises that 29% of social workers are employed in NGOs. AS part of the ongoing engagement we are now working with NGO employers directly ad peak bodies to explore opportunities to better reflect the key actions already underway across the NGO sector, We are also working with government agencies who have contractual arrangements for service delivery through NGO partners, to better understand their contracting processes and contract inclusions. 

I don’t see my organisation included in the Action Plan – why?
We are part way through our period of engagement. There are people and places we haven’t got to yet and there are likely to be activities underway that we are not aware of. The process of completing a stocktake of actions to include in the Action Plan will include more agencies. If you have ideas, please do let us know using the dedicated workforce email address.   

Will there be any extension of the Experience Pathway: Section 13 included in the Strategy?   No, registration through the Experience Pathway: Section 13 will come to an end in February 2026. However, the Ministry for Social Development (MSD) is currently working on advice to the Minister about pathways into social work qualification and registration. This is an action in the Action Plan as part of the focus on attraction and recruitment.  

Can SWRB make sure that the pay equity extension is paid?  
As the occupational regulator and Lead Agency for Workforce Planning it is not the SWRB’s role to ensure pay extensions are fulfilled If you identify this as a barrier to workforce sustainability please let us know and we can include that as advice to the Minister.  

Employers and social workers have raised the impact of regulatory costs on both recruitment and retention; will this be addressed in the strategy? 
As a Crown Entity, the SWRB follows the Auditor General and Treasury guidelines when setting fees and the disciplinary levy. We work on a cost recovery basis and are not able to cross-subsidise. The cost of issuing a Practising Certificate and running the secretariat function is the same regardless of whether a social worker is working part-time, full-time or in a voluntary role. The SWRB is directed not to have one group in the profession subsidise another. 

We do hear and understand the pressures on the sector, and we work hard to encourage employers to meet their obligations to their employees, funding continuing professional development (CPD), professional supervision and paying registration fees. We continue to work hard in keeping our costs down.  

What is in the Strategy to address financial barriers for students?  
Financial barriers for social work students have been recognised as an issue that is impacting on attraction into the profession and retention of students throughout the social work qualification programmes. Consideration of other factors driving high student attrition rates from social work programmes is also needed. This includes development of alternative pathways to qualification. The SWRB has reviewed the Educations Standards to provide more flexibility in how social work programme providers consider social work programme length and composition. 

Will the Strategy address what’s needed to prevent burnout and support the workforce, for example, ensuring quality supervision, safe caseloads, and improved working conditions? 
Through the workforce life cycle, we have focused on attraction and recruitment into the pipeline for social workers, and retention as the key elements to support sustainability of the workforce. 

The Action Pan provides the opportunity to share ideas and develop initiatives to address the specific issues relating to burnout. It would be great to include a range of solutions in the Action Plan from across the sector, including those being promoted by employers, and advocated for by the professional bodies, please tell us what thoughts you have using the workforce email address. 

How does this Strategy connect to the Social Work Alliance Workforce Report June 2025?   
The Alliance report is a useful piece of collaborative work; the timing of its release enables SWRB to include it in advice to the Minister. It confirms many of the key issues and challenges that the Strategy and Action Plan are designed to address. The next stage is to turn the identified solutions into tangible actions. We will be working with member organisations of the Alliance to identify where they could contribute actions to the Action Plan.   

If you have any questions contacts us at workforce@swrb.govt.nz.