This report provides unique insights into the social worker workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand. We are fortunate to have such rich information shared by practicing social workers who completed the annual workforce survey as they renewed their practising certificates between May and July 2025. A huge thank you to all participants. Your responses provide invaluable insights into the composition of… Read more »
Category: Uncategorised
Public Trust Survey & Workforce Report
We are pleased to release findings from two important surveys completed this year: the Public Trust Survey Update 2025 and the 2025 Social Worker Workforce Report. You can read these reports in here: 2025 update on the public’s trust in social workers 2025 annual social work workforce report [link] As both the occupational regulator and… Read more »
2025 Update on the Public’s Trust in Social Workers
Why Trust Matters Social workers are there for people during some of life’s toughest moments—supporting children, families, the elderly, and others facing hardship. But for that support to work, people need to trust the person helping them. It has been shown that professions with higher public trust have more positive outcomes, and are better placed… Read more »
Part C – workshop at SSPA conference
Summary of feedback and submissions for the Social Worker Strategy and Action Plan Who we heard from The SWRB ran a workshop at the Te Pai Ora o Aotearoa | Social Service Providers Aotearoa (SSPA) Whakamanawa Conference, 10-11 September 2025 in Rotorua. The workshop had 60 attendees. There were several practising social workers, and most… Read more »
Part B – online hui
Summary of feedback and submissions for the Social Worker Strategy and Action Plan Description of the workforce planning online huiWe ran two online hui sessions and invited attendance through our Facebook page, a direct email to all newsletter subscribers, an article in our online newsletter and a notice in the SSPA newsletter. In these live,… Read more »
Part A – feedback form
Summary of feedback and submissions for the Social Worker Strategy and Action Plan Who we heard fromWe received 40 responses via an online feedback form. The approach of the Sustainable Social Work Workforce Strategy & Action Plan 56% of the responders said they agreed with the approach of the Workforce Strategy and Action Plan. … Read more »
Questions and answers about BTI’s 3yr BSW
Bethlehem Tertiary Institute (BTI)-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS Q: What has the SWRB Board decided about BTI’s new Bachelor of Social Work? A: On 10 November 2025, the Board approved in principle the prescription of BTI’s new three-year Bachelor of Social Work degree, pending final fact-checking. The final approval was granted on 1 December 2025. The degree will… Read more »
Beyond ‘Any Job Will Do’:
Your new-grad social work survival kit by Amy Ross, RSW When you graduate and are looking for your first job as a social worker, it is really easy for the focus to be just on getting a job, any job. Fair enough too, given the cost of living, the financial pressures of study and the… Read more »
Social worker’s registration cancelled following inappropriate relationship
The Social Workers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal (the Tribunal) is reserved for the most serious disciplinary cases. A Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) sends charges against a social worker to the Tribunal if it has grounds to believe that a social worker is guilty of professional misconduct or of conduct unbecoming of a social worker. In… Read more »
Challenges in the sustainability of the social worker workforce
The SWRB’s Annual Social Worker Workforce Report 2024 and Annual Social Work Education Report 2023 have been published today. They provide unique insights into social work education and the social worker workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Annual Social Worker Workforce Report 2024 is based on information from the annual social worker workforce survey which… Read more »
