He ara pūkenga, he ara tauwhiro, hei whakamana mātā waka
The many pathways of knowledge, the many pathways of social work, upholding the dignity of all
As we step out of winter’s grey clutches and closer to the bright changes of Spring, we reflect on the many changes we see happening around us. Taking our insights from the past we lean into the future with optimism and a commitment to keep getting better. Helping us on our journey of improvement is our new Professional Advisor – Social Work, Michelle, who you will meet later in this Onboard. Also future focused, we want to celebrate the first reading of the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill – and how rewarding to see the Minister and MPs from across the House recognise the value of social workers. You can read more about that below.
Thank you to everyone who renewed their practising certificates. As of today, over 8,380 practising social workers renewed their PC this year and 60% of all practising social workers participated in this years’ Annual Workforce Survey – which is an outstanding response! We look forward to sharing findings from the survey soon. If you are no longer practising as a social worker, please remember to let us know by completing your non-practising declaration via your MySWRB.
As we enter a new practising year, it is also a time to ensure you are thinking about your professional development – we’ve got some information on insights from our audit below and a reminder to complete your CPD log for the last practising year.
A highlight of this month for a number of us was attending The Wall Walk. The interactive half-day workshop and kōrero is designed to raise collective awareness of key events in the history of New Zealand’s bicultural relations. We were joined by staff from Mana Mokopuna, Salvation Army, CCS Disability Action, and ODOB Health. Hohepa Patea and Sam Bishara led the Wall Walk and their passion and expertise created a great immersive experience for those involved.
Looking ahead, we are attending the SSPA Whakamanawa conference on 16-17 September in Christchurch and the celebration of Social Workers Day – we will have a stand – come and say hello! Also, you’ll see in October that Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) are celebrating the anniversary of 60 years! You can read more about their plans below.
Ngā mihi,
Sarah Clark
Chief Executive
Continuing Professional Development
2023/24 CPD audit
In the upcoming months we will be starting our audit of social workers’ Continuing Professional Development (CPD) logs for the 2023/24 practising year.
This is an annual audit of 5% of all practising registered social workers’ CPD logs, randomly selected, for the period July 2023 to June 2024. If you are one of the selected social workers, you can expect an email from us in the next few weeks detailing how to submit your log through your MySWRB.
Your CPD requirements are:
- Linking your activities to the ten core competencies to keep your practice current.
- Including an activity supporting your competence to work with Māori.
- Completing at least 20 hours of CPD during the year.
For social workers new to using MySWRB, we have online guides to help you log your CPD onto your account.
Last year CPD learnings (2022-2023)
At the beginning of this year, 450 registered practising registered social workers were selected for the CPD audit for the practising certificate year 2022/23. The sample was representative of the 5% of the SWRB Register. 411 social workers submitted a CPD log, 21 social workers failed to engage with the audit process and have been referred to the Registrar for further engagement about the importance of this professional obligation. 18 social workers were exempted for health or other circumstances.
The CPD audit provides insights on the competences and professional development activities undertaken by social workers. Most social workers completed more than 30 hours of CPD and addressed all the competence standards during the year. Workshops were the most frequent type of activity and the competence standard most likely to be addressed during CPD activities was competence 8 – competence to promote empowerment of people and communities to enable positive change. The competence least likely to be addressed during CPD was competence 6 – competence to understand and articulate social work theories, indigenous practice knowledge, other relevant theories, and social work practice methods and models.
Later this year we will be auditing 5% of all social workers who held a practising certificate for the PC year 2023-2024. The social workers selected for the 2022-2023 year will not be selected for audit again this year. Social workers who did not submit a log for the 2022-2023 year will be automatically included in the audit.
CPD Audit Statistics 2022/23
Introducing our Professional Advisor – Social Work, Michelle Morum
Ketekete kākā, koikoi ko te tuī, kūkū kererū, ko te tangi o ngā manu – Tihei mauri ora!
Tēnā koutou katoa, ko Michelle Morum tōku ingoa. He Tauwhiro au, He tangata Tiriti au. He manu pīrere au o te Kāhui Whakamana Tauwhiro.
I am excited to be joining the social work team at the SWRB, I am interested in producing and maintaining quality social work practice in Aotearoa. For the last 10 years I have been teaching and Programme Leader of Social Work at the Open Polytechnic | Kuratini Tuwhera. The best part of the mahi was with ākonga, seeing their development and working in the hapori with agencies. In 2023 I had the privilege to be immersed in learning at Te Wānanga o Raukawa. Before working at the Open Polytechnic my social work practice was primarily with the Disability Sector. I have strong interest in human rights and the connection between societal hauora/wellbeing and the taiao. In my spare time I enjoy tramping, mountain biking and being with whānau.
He waka eke noa i te hauora ngā tāngata katoa!
Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill Reading
The Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill, (the Bill) is currently progressing through Parliament. You can read what Members of Parliament said here. We added a couple of highlights below.
The Bill proposes changes to the Social Workers Registration Act 2003, (the Act) resulting from the 2020 review of the Act, which introduced mandatory registration of social workers.
Part of this review of the Act, the changes to the Experience Pathway: S13, have already passed into law, and saw the extension of the S13 pathway for an additional two years until February 2026.
The remaining 16 amendments which are of a minor policy or technical nature, are now being progressed separately through this current Bill to streamline operations and address minor inconsistencies. You can read more about the Bill here.
Although each change may separately have a small impact, the Bill will improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of operations carried out under the Act as a whole.
What MPs said in the House
Hon Louise Upston (Minister of Social Development and Employment, National): “I want to… acknowledge social worker representatives and all social workers for the vital work they do in our communities. Your tireless efforts and dedication to helping New Zealanders in need are valued and often go unrecognised.”
Hon Carmel Sepuloni (Labour): “We… agree that social workers play an absolute critical role. In recent years, we have had to call on them more and more because of the different crises that we have faced,..I ..want to acknowledge all of our social workers.”
Ricardo Méndez March (Green): “Key points around this is that it improves the mechanisms to hold social workers accountable for the work that they do, to keeping themselves and the people that they work alongside safe.”
Dr Parmjeet Parmar (ACT): “we want to see that people have confidence when they reach out to a social worker for anything that they need, so social workers need to maintain that integrity, that credibility within their profession…That is why it was really important that we have registered social workers.”
Tanya Unkovich (NZ First): “It’s a difficult task. It’s a difficult job…I just want to speak to acknowledge the social workers out there and how important it is… that standards are maintained… It can be a heavy task, a heavy job, a very fulfilling.”
Hana-Rawhiiti Maipi-Clarke (Te Pāti Māori): “We support the empowering of workers who have the experience to enter the workforce and contribute to the protection of our whakapapa.”
Next steps
The Bill proposes a total of six minor policy amendments and ten technical amendments to the Act and you can read more about those here.
Register update – Making sure we have the right details
We are in the process of reviewing the Public Register, ensuring all our information is correct and up to date. In the last month, we have written to social workers on the register who have not held a practising certificate in the last 3 years, to confirm whether they are non-practising or if they wish to be removed from the Register. They have been sent emails and/or letters to their provided contacts.
- If you are no longer practising – and have no intention to return to practice – you can ask to be removed from the Register.
- If you are no longer practising, but may return to practice in the future, you must declare yourself as non-practising. You can make your non-practising declaration by logging into your MySWRB or you can contact us at applications@swrb.govt.nz or phone 0508 797 269.
A reminder for those we contacted, make sure you get in contact with us before 1 February 2025 if you wish to remain on the Public Register of Social Workers.
If you are unclear on whether the work you are doing is social work the SWRB Scope of Practice provides a high-level description of social work and is available on our website here (swrb.govt.nz).
If you know of any retired social workers, social workers who have moved overseas or changed profession, or anyone else who you think may now like to be removed from the Register, please share this information with them.
SWRB, Mana Mokopuna, Salvation Army, CCS Disability Action, and ODOB Health staff at the Wall Walk
Upcoming events
Graduating students zoom session
Are you a student about to enter the profession and in the process of completing your study/ final year placements?
If you are looking to become registered and have any questions you may have around the registration process, holding a practising certificate and maintaining CPD, we invite you to join our digital information session.
The student Q&A session will be held via Zoom on Thursday 26 September at 1pm. It can be accessed via this link: https://bit.ly/31H8XEq.
We look forward to seeing you there!
60 Years of ANZASW: Legacy, Learning, and Leadership Wānanga
ANZASW are celebrating a momentous occasion – the 60th anniversary of the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW). To commemorate this milestone, ‘Legacy, Learning and Wānanga’ is set to take place on October 23-24, 2024, in Auckland. Their theme, “Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua. I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past,” speaks to the interconnectedness of the past, present, and future, reminding us that the journey forward is deeply rooted in the legacy of the past 60 years. The whakataukī invites the sector to reflect on ANZASW’s achievements, honour the contributions of those who came before, and looks forward to the future. You can find out more here: ANZASW – Celebrating 60 years.
