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