Social Workers Registration Board Decision on fees and levy changes 2024

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Background

The Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) has been consulting on proposals to change our fees and the disciplinary levy for social workers in Aotearoa. The consultation was open from 14 December 2023 to 7 February 2024.

To set the fees and disciplinary levy, the SWRB uses a cost recovery framework that is consistent with guidelines published by the New Zealand Treasury (2017), and the Office of the Controller and Auditor General (2021). Under the guidelines, we can only charge for the work we are required to do under the Act at the level and standard expected by Government, with the costs recovered from the right person or group. We are also required to be financially sustainable without Crown funding.

You can read more about the consultation: swrb.govt.nz/consultation-2023

Fees and Levy reviews are part of how we work

The board acknowledges that prior to 2017 the prospect of fees being reduced with mandatory registration was raised. While recognising that this would have been based on the information available at the time, in retrospect this was difficult to predict ahead of the mandatory environment under new legislation. The Board did signal that reducing fees was not likely to be possible in the short term, once the new legislation was introduced. The Board commits to ensuring that the SWRB are recovering costs appropriately. This will include, as the current fee review illustrates, the reduction of fees where identified.

Submissions received

We received more than 750 submissions via the online survey, and 16 email submissions, including eight group responses.

Thank you to everyone who provided a submission, whether that was an individual, or as part of a group. We appreciate the time and effort that was taken to respond.

Board decision

At its meeting, the Board agreed that the proposed changes in fees and disciplinary levy should proceed as stated in the consultation document, except for an adjustment to the Practising Certificate fee increase. The Board acknowledge that this is a difficult and significant decision.

Table of new fees

Fees and the disciplinary levy $ including GST	Previous for 2023/24	New for 2024/25
Practising certificate fee (annual) The fee applies to a registered social worker to practise for 12 months from 1 July to 30 June each year. In the consultation, it was proposed that this fee be set at $552.	$470	$540
Disciplinary Levy (annual) The levy applies to a practising registered social worker.	$135	$219
Registration application fee Applies to an applicant seeking to be a registered social worker. A new registration application fee must be paid if registration documents are not received by SWRB within 6 months of the application being received by SWRB	$360	$423
Provisional to full registration application fee The fee applies to an applicant who is a provisionally registered social worker and has completed 2000 hours or more of practise and met any conditions on the applicant’s provisional registration.	$60	$70
Overseas applicant: qualification assessment fee Applies to a registration application by an applicant who has an overseas qualification and does not have a SWRB recognised New Zealand qualification	$540	$635
Overseas applicant: provisional registration competence assessment application fee Applies to an applicant who has an overseas qualification and does not have a SWRB-recognised New Zealand qualification. The fee does not apply to an applicant who has been in New Zealand six months or more and has 2000 hours or more social work experience in New Zealand.	$345	$1,012
Overseas applicant: full registration competence assessment application fee Applies to an applicant who has an overseas qualification, does not have a SWRB recognised New Zealand qualification.	$345	$1,012
Certificate of good standing or hard copy registration certificate fee The fee applies to an application for a Certificate of Good Standing for overseas registration purposes or a hard copy of a registration certificate. There is no charge for digital copies of practising and registration certificates.	$70	$63
Return to practice application fee The fee applies to a registered social worker where the application to practise is received by SWRB three years or more after the applicant’s previous practising certificate expiry date. Applies if the application is received by SWRB more than 3 years after applicant’s practising certificate expiry date	$345	$224

The Board also agreed to the change in approach to setting fees in the future. The fees and the disciplinary levy may be adjusted annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

When will changes come into effect?

The new fees will be published in the New Zealand Gazette and on our website. The dates for changes are:

Practising certificate fee and the disciplinary levy: 1 May 2024 for the 1 July 2024 annual renewal round
All other fees: 1 July 2024

Themes emerging from submissions

I/We don’t believe that employers actually pay for practising certificate fees, especially for private practitioners.

SWRB response: Our annual workforce survey of social workers shows 92% of social workers have their fees and levy paid partly or in full by their employer, either directly or reimbursed. However there appears a sense in the sector that there is a larger number of people who pay themselves. This might be a combination of those who pay upfront and are reimbursed, and those who are on contract to services such as through ACC where they receive a contracting rate that reflects professional costs. Some social workers who may have the ability to set their own fees for their professional services, for example supervisors, are reluctant to do so. However, a number of professions and most independent contractors would expect to set charges which reflect the cost of their professional obligations.

Have you thought about the impact on social workers and how they can pay their fees?

SWRB response: We do understand the pressures on the sector, and can see through our workforce planning lens, that this may have an impact on the availability of social workers. Fees may be a disincentive for employers or practitioners, but the action required is at a system level including recognition and funding for the profession. As a regulator our responsibility is to ensure that the SWRB has adequate funding to fulfil its legislative functions (and the ability to pay is not included as an offset).

Are you aware that a number of organisations have not yet received their funding from the pay equity settlement extension yet?

SWRB response: The money due to pay the fees of a significant number of NGO workers from July 2023 is being made available. This includes direct funding for registration and practising fees and levy. We understand that there are some issues with implementation that the sector peak body is aware of and is working with agencies to seek a redress. SWRB is providing support where we can.

Didn’t you say fees would fall following the introduction of mandatory registration?

SWRB response: The Board acknowledges that prior to 2017, the prospect of fees being reduced with mandatory registration was raised. This would have been based on the information available at the time. However, in retrospect this was difficult to predict ahead of the mandatory environment under new legislation. Once the legislation was introduced, the Board did signal that reducing fees was not likely to be possible in the short term. The SWRB didn’t know until February 2021 how many registered social workers there would be. The Board commits to regularly undertaking fee reviews to ensure that the SWRB are recovering costs appropriately. This will include, as the current fee review illustrates, the reduction of fees where identified.

What do I get for my fees?

Protecting the public	Advancing the individual social worker	Enhancing the profession
Protects some of the most vulnerable people in society	Ongoing profession development required	Provides a benchmark for social work education
Upholds the mana of the public	Increases professionalism and competence	Provides a well-educated workforce
Serves the public	Upholds the mana of social workers	Provides specialised standards
Increases public confidence and trust in social workers	Transforms aspirations into legal standards e.g. social justice	Outlines who can do the job
Ensures public safety by reducing harm and risk of poor social work practice	Enables social workers to work around the world	Improves the status of the profession
Public accountability via a complaints process	Equips social workers to meet the needs of diverse service users	Emphasises the importance of social work
A formal mechanism for accountability of the profession	Enables social workers to speak with authority	Promotes the values and integrity of the profession
	Enhances social workers’ confidence in themselves	Builds credibility of social work alongside other regulated professions
		Gives legitimacy to social work activities
		Raises the profile of social workers
		Protects the profession

Further background information

The SWRB is providing further information (in April 2024) relating to the Board’s decision on changes to the fees and the disciplinary levy for social workers. This includes papers presented to the Board meetings on 7 December 2023 and 7 February 2024:

Fees and Levy review Board Presentation - 7 Dec 23

SWRB Fees and Levy Review consultation Board Paper - 7 Dec 2023

SWRB Funding review decision after consultation Board Paper - 23 Feb 2024

We have redacted parts of the 23^rd February Board paper under the OIA.

Published 7 March 2024, Further information added 8 April 2024