The Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) and Cabinet Paper on legislative changes to increase the professionalism of the social work workforce have been released.

Both documents can be accessed on the Ministry of Social Development website here

The Social Workers Registration Board is pleased that another step has been taken to make social worker registration mandatory – it is something we have wanted to see for some time.

We believe mandatory registration is vital for the continued standing of the profession and assurances around quality, consistency and accountability.

However, we do have concerns about some aspects of the proposals, including around the proposed mechanism for defining what social work is.  We are talking with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to ensure they understand our concerns.

We are looking forward to providing advice as the draft legislation moves through the Select Committee process.

We strongly encourage all those working in the social work sector to participate in the Select Committee process and share their views by way of submissions.

Any questions regarding the Cabinet Paper, RIS or Select Committee process should be directed to MSD.