He ara pūkenga, he ara tauwhiro, hei whakamana mātā waka 
The many pathways of knowledge, the many pathways of social work, upholding the dignity of all 

It is always a pleasure to celebrate and acknowledge the commitment of social workers, your invaluable mahi, dedication, and professionalism in the social work field.

I’m very happy to let you know about the release of new resources designed by social workers for social workers: we have a series of brochures covering different aspects of the Social Work Code of Conduct. We also have produced some posters to promote the messages: “Is Your Social Worker Registered?” and “What You Can Expect from Your Social Worker.” These resources aim to support and inform both social workers and the public.  Thank you to those who were part of our focus groups and contributed to the development of these resources. We’ve had good feedback to date – and we want to do more things like this as part of our role to enhance the profession. Our aim is to offer social workers several new tools and to help the public understand the importance of working with a registered social worker and why it matters.

The SWRB has been appointed as adviser to the Social Services and Community Select Committee alongside the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) as they progress Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill through the Select Committee Process. MSD take the lead, and with them we work behind the scenes to help ensure the accuracy of the material provided to the Committee. As a result of our being advisers, you won’t see a submission from us. The Bill proposes some small changes to the Social Workers Registration Act 2003 (the Act), which are the result of the review we undertook in 2020 (which was before mandatory registration came in). SWRB review the Act every five years. While the Bill is mainly technical, we value the opportunity for the profession to be seen and heard by the Select Committee and the House. We also wanted to reassure the sector that we do not anticipate any changes to the fee structure as a result of the proposed changes. We will keep you up to date on the Bill as it progresses.

I hope you are making the most of these longer evenings and the prospect of summer in the wings.

Ngā mihi nui,

Sarah Clark
Chief Executive

SWRB welcomes new Board members

We are pleased to confirm the appointment of three new SWRB board members: Mike Munnelly, Paula Grooby and Ruth Jones. Each brings a wealth of expertise in social work and passion for the profession.

Mike Munnelly (pictured) steps into the Board chair role on 1 January 2025. Mike was instrumental in the PSA pay equity settlement for social workers in the NGO sector. He brings experience from across his career as a social work practitioner, health and safety regulator, National Manager Care and Protection for Child Youth and Family, and previously as Chief Executive of Barnardos. From his current role as a special advisor for the SWRB, Mike brings substantial insight and operational knowledge. We are fortunate to have someone with his skills and experience step into the Chair role.

Paula Grooby joined the Board from 1 October 2024. Paula brings extensive social work experience from within child protection and is a current SWRB Professional Conduct Committee panel member. She has a longstanding involvement and passion in how SWRB supports social workers and the public to ensure the right people are in social worker roles. This role builds on previous board experience on a school Board of Trustees and the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW).

Ruth Jones takes up her Board role on 1 January 2025. Ruth has been part of the sector for over thirty years. She is a social worker with a lived experience of disability and a consumer of social work services. She has held several national Governance positions including chair of the Workbridge Board and she is currently a member of the Ministerial Advisory Board for Oranga Tamariki, the Iwi Māori Partnership Board, Te Tauraki, for the Ngāi Tahu takiwā, and co-chair of the Design Group for the redress for Survivors of Abuse in State and Faith-based Care. 

We are entering a new phase, with three new social workers taking their place at the Board table. We are confident that with the experience, connections and knowledge we are benefiting from, we will continue to build on the progress we’ve made on our journey.

New Resources – Now Available

We have developed a suite of new resources to support social workers, including six brochures covering each item of the Code of Conduct with suggested discussion notes for a supervision session. These Code of Conduct are also available as downloadable PDFs from our website resource section. 

You can also access some posters and postcards that have been developed to inform the public of the social workers role – “Is Your Social Worker Registered?” and “What You Can Expect from Your Social Worker.”

Thank you to those who were part of our focus groups and contributed to the development of these resources. 

You can download the A4 PDFs of the code of conduct from our website.

If you would like some posters, brochures and postcards sent to you, email us at comms@swrb.govt.nz

Webinar:  Q&A About Registration

You are invited to a regular Zoom session where our team will answer your questions about the registration process, holding a practising certificate and maintaining your ongoing professional training.
Every Thursday afternoon 1-2pm.
Access zoom link here

ANZASW Wānanga 23-24 October Auckland

ANZASW are celebrating a momentous occasion – the 60th anniversary of the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW). To commemorate this milestone, ‘Legacy, Learning and Wānanga’ is set to take place on October 23-24, 2024, in Auckland.

The theme, “Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua. I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past,” speaks to the interconnectedness of the past, present, and future, reminding us that the journey forward is deeply rooted in the legacy of the past 60 years. The whakataukī invites the sector to reflect on ANZASW’s achievements, honour the contributions of those who came before, and looks forward to the future.

The SWRB is happy to support this event through sponsorship. We will be participating in the information session and look forward to meeting you there.
Link: Details about the ANZASW Wānanga

Rose Henderson – departing SWRB Board member

Rose Henderson has been a Board Member of the SWRB since 2019, with her term of office coming to an end in August 2024. We thought we’d take this timely opportunity to interview her and acknowledge her long and distinguished career. 

We asked Rose about her social work journey, and the changes she has seen for the profession.

Tēnā koe, Rose. Firstly, could you tell us what prompted you to become a social worker?

I grew up in a small rural and remote setting in Southland and, although we didn’t use this language at the time, I was surrounded by the core values of human rights and social justice. It was a community where we cared for each other and were aware of people who had a disadvantage. As I grew up I became outraged by gender-based bias, inequities or abuse.

Please can you give us a flavour of your social work journey from you early career through to your current role?

My ‘social work’ journey started in what might now be described as social work-like activities, including lots of work as a volunteer.

Having had the benefit of being raised in a loving and non-violent home I was outraged to discover that this was not the norm for many others. Together with the various other political activities of the day, this led me into women’s rights activities. I volunteered for many years assisting women facing uncertainty with unplanned pregnancy and /or who were experiencing what was then termed ‘domestic violence’.

My work life began as a primary school teacher but after around 4 years I saw a position as a social worker for the then Department of Social Welfare and the rest as they say is history.

I was inducted into social work with training on the job being mentored by some wonderful, experienced seniors along with some specific on the job courses. Life as a social worker in the department was very varied, busy and often stressful.

When I moved to Health, I enrolled in the distance programme at Otago University. I was working at the hospital and studying at the same time.

I left DSW in early 1982 prior to having our first child. Soon after giving birth, I was contacted by my previous manager asking if I would participate in some meetings regarding the establishing of a local women’s refuge. Soon after I became the voluntary co-ordinator.

What does a typical week look like for you?

Having recently reduced my working hours my week now looks a little different – some might say a somewhat better work-life balance if considering paid work but of course my non-work days are often filled with voluntary and ‘other’ work.

My current work environment at Te Whatu Ora is more at the leadership and strategic levels, largely focussed on strengthening clinical governance, encouraging innovation and advocating for services to remain consumer centred and focussed on addressing health inequities. I love connecting with groups of staff to ensure my work is not done in isolation from those who are still well connected to the challenges and joys of front-line work.

As you approach the end of your time as an SWRB Board member, what are the most significant changes have you seen in the profession? Would you like to comment on your experience on the Board and the work you have been involved in?

I cannot believe where the last five years have gone to!! In many ways so much has changed and yet in some ways so little has changed.

During this term social work registration has become mandatory. Notwithstanding the many complexities of this, for many of us mandatory registration has been the goal since the very beginning. The two key limbs of the purposes of registration are protection of the public and enhancing the professionalism of social work. In a non-mandatory environment, the public was not assured that anyone calling themselves a social worker was accountable through regulation. Now of course that has changed.

I have been privileged to serve as the Chair of the professional standards team and participate in the deliberations to decide the outcomes of numerous complaints.  I have been pleased to participate in the development of guidelines to clarify decision-making and facilitate greater consistency in this space. I am also delighted that some of the generic or general learnings we have built up over time have been able to translate into practice guidance for social workers to mitigate the chances of similar concerns being raised.

I am also delighted that as an organisation we have put in place systems, processes and structures to better evidence our commitment to working with Māori. Our Kāhui, members of our senior leadership team and various other senior roles have increased the participation of Māori voices.

I would also acknowledge the privilege it has been to get to know a new group of people known as the ‘Board’ as well as many of the staff at the SWRB and to engage in the many debates and decisions before us. I can leave knowing that I always read and considered every Board paper, always brought my views into every debate, always did my best to represent the views of a registered social worker, but of course didn’t always get my way!!!!!

What do you see as future challenges for social work? What are your hopes for the future of the profession?

Some of the challenges we face are the costs and the issue of who is and who is not a social worker. We also need to ensure our social work education is provided in ways that improve outcomes – for example, making changes so that we do not lose around half of our students before the enter the profession.

We are facing a crisis with increasing demands and reducing workforce. We must find safe ways to delegate some of our work to social work assistants and we need to engage with employers to ensure this is done in a planned and accountable way. Ensuring the safety of the public and enhancing the profession remains important components of engaging with social work assistants.

Given your international experience, do you have any reflections on what we can learn from other countries and what they may be able to learn from us?

In the social workspace, Aotearoa New Zealand is well recognised for ‘punching above its weight’ in IFSW. This includes various regional and international roles since the inception of ANZASW, but it is also well recognised as a world leader with regards to decolonisation and indigenous models of social work. We should be very proud of these achievements and support members of our profession to continue to grow and share our experiences and learnings.

IFSW definitions, codes and standards are always a helpful connection between our guiding documents and what has been agreed across the globe. Connections with other members through IFSW who may be facing similar challenges are invaluable two-way exchanges of learning. It has been a huge privilege to make many global connections over the years. 

Thank you, Rose, for all you have done for the SWRB and for the profession. Ngā mihi.

Published on 9 October 2024