Frequently asked questions

There have been changes to the Social Workers Registration Act which affect all social workers. Below are some frequently asked questions and answers. If you have any other questions, please contact us

1.     What is the purpose of the changes?

The changes to the Act are intended to protect the safety of the public by requiring all social workers to be registered, to be competent, fit to practise, and accountable for the way they practise.

The changes will enhance the professionalism of the social work sector.

2.     What is the main change?

Under the amended Act, you will need to register if you want to keep practising as a social worker, if you call yourself a social worker or if you are known as a social worker, and you will also need to hold a valid Practising Certificate, which must be renewed each year.

3.     Why were changes made?

The social work sector and the Social Workers Registration Board have been wanting change for some time, including the need for all social workers to be registered.

A voluntary registration system was not enough to ensure the level of professionalism needed because non-registered social workers were not subject to the SWRB’s complaints and disciplinary processes, and were not required to have professional supervision or to undertake continuing professional development. This made it very difficult for non-registered social workers to be held accountable for their conduct, competence, and/or fitness to practice.

4.     What’s the benefit of all social workers being registered?

It will help to increase trust and transparency in the sector, and ensure public safety by having more professional, qualified, and registered social workers.

It will put social work on an equal footing with other similar professions, ie health, teaching and law, which all have mandatory registration.

The SWRB believes having all social workers registered is vital for building the standard of the profession and being able to provide the public with assurances around social work quality and accountability.

5.     When is mandatory registration implemented?

All social workers will need to be registered with the SWRB from 27th February 2021  – you can APPLY TO REGISTER here.

You will need to register if you want to keep practising as a social worker, if you call yourself a social worker, or if you are known as a social worker.

6.     What are the changes for registered social workers?

There are a number of changes, including:

Competence

  • Educational institutions will be required to sign off on the competence of each graduate.
  • There is no longer a competence assessment required for New Zealand-qualified social workers when you apply to be registered
  • Social workers who hold overseas qualifications will still be required to complete a competence assessment
  • The way competence is measured will be changed over the next couple of years to line up with best practice. As a result, there will be no need to do a competence re-certification every 5 years.

Audits of CPD logs

  • There will be audits of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) logs each year
  • It is very important social workers keep their logs up to date and ready to be audited each year

Reporting health issues

  • It’s now a requirement to let the SWRB know if a social worker may be unable to satisfactorily perform the functions required to practise because of a health issue.

7.     What are the changes for employers?

As the sector embraces mandatory registration, you can show support by letting your social workers know they need to become registered and to hold their annual Practising Certificate.

Under the amended legislation, employers are required to report to the Board if they have any concerns about any of their social workers in regards to:

  1. Serious misconduct
  2. Health issues impacting their practice
  3. Competence

Serious misconduct

If an employer believes on reasonable grounds that a social worker has engaged in serious misconduct they must report that to the SWRB. 

  • The report must be in writing,
  • state the grounds for the belief and
  • describe what action they have taken

Health issues impacting their practice

If an employer believes on reasonable grounds that a social worker is unable to practice satisfactorily because of a mental or physical condition they must report that to the Board. 

  • The report must be in writing,
  • state the grounds for the belief and
  • describe what action they have taken

Competence

If an employer believes a social worker might not be competent to practise satisfactorily, they must:

  • first investigate and provide assistance to improve competence
  • If after providing assistance, the employer believes on reasonable grounds that a social worker is still not competent, they report that to the Board:
    • The report must be in writing,
    • state the grounds for the belief and
    • describe what action they have taken

8.     What is the Scope of Practice referred to in the Act?

A Scope of Practice has been developed which provides a high-level description of social work in Aotearoa New Zealand.