Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou ki a koutou!

We would like to wish everyone a very happy festive season. Acknowledging that it can also be a challenging time for some in our community, we hope that you find time to rest and recuperate with friends and whānau.

Ngā mihi nui,

All at the SWRB

Pictured are five of SWRB’s registered social workers (left to right): Deputy Registrars Carina Jansen and Megan Chapman, Lead Professional Advisor Māori Natasha Emery, Professional Advisor Emily Ranginui, and Policy Lead Dianne Garrett.

Farewells at final Board meeting of the year

The final Board meeting of the year was held on Friday 6 December. It was a significant occasion, as it was the final Board meeting for Chair Shannon Pakura and fellow social worker Andrea Nichols.

Shannon has been Board Chair for the past six years – a period of great change for the profession, in particular with the introduction of mandatory registration in 2021.

The Board took the opportunity to meet with members of the secretariat and a few invited guests from the sector, including the new incoming Board members, and Rose Henderson who completed her term on the Board earlier in the year.

In thanking everyone for their support, Shannon acknowledged several individuals and groups. In addition to her fellow Board members and the secretariat, she expressed gratitude to the sector’s professional bodies (ANZASW and TWSWA), both the Ministers she has had the privilege to work with – saying they are both passionate supporters of the social work profession, our Crown monitor the Ministry of Social Development and all her social worker colleagues.

Pictured: CE Sarah Clark with Shannon Pakura, Andrea Nichols and Rose Henderson.

Workforce and education reports highlight sustainability challenges for the profession

The SWRB’s Annual Social Worker Workforce Report 2024 and Annual Social Work Education Report 2023 have been published. They provide unique insights into social work education and the social worker workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand.

We thank all social workers who completed the annual social worker workforce survey which is completed by social workers as they renew their practising certificates. The Annual Social Worker Workforce Report 2024 is based on the information you provided. The Annual Social Work Education Report 2023 is based on information from the Tertiary Education Commission as well information directly from the tertiary education institutions offering SWRB-prescribed social work qualifications in 2023.

Findings from the reports indicate:

• Workforce sustainability needs attention across the sector. Numbers of ākonga (students) are declining at the same time as more social workers approach retirement. More social workers are predicted to leave the profession in the next five years than are predicted to join.
• The social worker workforce is female dominated with relatively high representation of Māori and Pacific Peoples. A similar demographic is seen in those enrolled on social work programmes. In addition, it is an ageing workforce.
• Enrolments in social work programmes continue to decline. Current numbers are the lowest since 2013. The attrition rate – the rate of ākonga leaving before completing their qualification – remains high, in some cases up to 50%.

• The employment landscape is changing, with higher salaries, more part-time work and a greater number in health. The benefits of pay equity are beginning to be seen with social workers reporting higher, more equitable salaries. Proportionately more social workers are working in health settings, and fewer employed directly by Oranga Tamariki.

The reports highlight opportunities and challenges in the workforce. It will require a cross-system approach to tackling those challenges to ensure that Aotearoa New Zealand has enough social workers who are safe, competent and culturally responsive, to meet future demands. As lead agency for social worker workforce planning, we will be sharing these reports with the range of organisations who together hold the key to building a sustainable workforce. We look forward to working with them as they develop solutions to address current pressures.

You can find the reports on the publications page of our website.

Annual Report 2023-24 published

The SWRB’s Annual Report for 2023-24 is now available on our website. It tells our story of the 2023-24 year, shows the extent to which our performance met expectations and includes our audited financial statements.

You can find it on the publications page of our website.

Online Q&A sessions paused until the New Year

Our last Q&A session for questions about registration and practice took place on 12 December. They will resume on Thursday 26 January 2025. Zoom link: bit.ly/31H8XEq

Focus on education

The SWRB has undertaken two education visits in recent weeks – to Whitireia and to Northtec.

Education on-site visits are part of our engagement with education providers. We review programme delivery to ensure that educations standards are being met in the SWRB-prescribed social work qualification programmes which lead to registration as a social worker. The focus is on ensuring that social work ākonga are competent and safe to practice when they complete their qualification.

We would like to thank educators, ākonga and stakeholders for their participation and the giving of their time at the recent reviews.

Pictured with SWRB’s Registrar Hamish McDouall (Centre) and Project Lead Lin Ayo are Jean Mitaera (Chief Advisor, Centre for Pacific Health & Social Practice), Apii Rongo-Raea (Kaiako), Roger Ngahooro (Programme Manager, Social Practice) and Ashleigh Price (Kaiako) at Whitireia & WelTec.