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
Now that 2025 is fully underway, we have just had our first full Board meeting of the year, over two days. At our mihi whakatau two new social worker members were welcomed – Mike Munnelly as Chair, and Ruth Jones. It was an honour to share in the whakawhanaungatanga with these skilled practitioners – and the wider Board. Over the two days, as part of their induction, they discussed what it is to be an occupational regulator, what responsive regulation looks like and understanding risk along with enhancing professionalism. The second day was very much business as usual with many papers on registration applications to discuss. Read more about our Board members.
As our usual cycle of work continues, including preparing for the busy period of practising certificate renewal coming up, we have a range of other important items on our agenda. One of these is a review of our legislation, the Social Workers Registration Act 2003. We are required to do this every five years and consider whether any amendments are necessary. Our 2025 review is the first since the introduction of mandatory registration, so it is a good opportunity to check in on what improvements could be made since that significant shift for the profession. This review isn’t being done in isolation as we work closely with our monitor – the Ministry of Social Development – and we will be engaging with a number of key stakeholders and sector organisations to help inform the work.
Legislative processes can take time! While we embark on our current review, amendments from the previous review in 2020 are still making their way through Parliament. The Social Services and Community Committee have recently completed their examination of the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill, recommending that it be passed. You can read more on the Parliament website. It will now progress to its second reading.
Ngā mihi nui,
Sarah Clark
Chief Executive
Social worker’s registration cancelled following inappropriate relationship
In a recent Tribunal case, a registered social worker was found guilty of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a mother whose children were his clients, allegedly resulting in her becoming pregnant. The social worker was dishonest to his employer about the relationship and the pregnancy. He also failed to engage with the SWRB and the PCC’s investigation. The social worker was censured, his registration was cancelled, and he was ordered to pay a contribution towards the PCC’s costs.
The case highlighted important practice principles that social workers should observe.
- To maintain appropriate professional and personal boundaries and not have romantic or sexual relationships with clients.
- To act with integrity and honesty at all times and cooperate fully with regulatory bodies and employers during investigations.
- To always act in a manner that upholds the reputation of the social work profession.
Read the summary about this case.
Download the full Tribunal decision.
Social Worker obligations in Aotearoa New Zealand
The professional practice of social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand is underpinned by the ANZASW Code of Ethics and the SWRB Code of Conduct. These documents outline the ethical behaviours and professional standards social workers are expected to follow.
Social workers are expected to act with integrity and honesty, building trust with clients. They are also expected to respect the dignity of all individuals, showing empathy and compassion in their interactions, and above all, do no harm.
The Code of Conduct Principle 3 describes the importance of respecting the cultural needs and values of the client. Social workers are expected to respect the diversity between and within different cultures, including diversity of ethnicity, disability, economic status, age, sexuality, gender, faiths, and beliefs. They should be aware of any personal or religious beliefs or moral positions they have and make sure these do not override a client’s right to self-determination and to receive quality social work service.
If you are concerned about another social worker’s conduct or practice, you could:
- Raise the issue with the employer or individual concerned.
- Seek guidance from a supervisor or a senior colleague.
- Raise your concern with us by completing our online form, or contact our professional standards team at professionalstandards@swrb.govt.nz.
- If you are an employer with a concern about a social worker you employ, please complete our mandatory reporting form.
Further information:
Complaints and concerns website
Code of Conduct in practice resources
Employers can pay for social workers’ fees by becoming an Authorised Employer
By becoming an SWRB Authorised Employer you can be invoiced and pay fees on behalf of your employed social workers directly.
We are currently setting up new authorised employer agreements in preparation for Practising Certificate renewals. All new agreements need to be in place by 1 May, for social workers to renew their practising certificates for the 2025/26 practising year.
Authorised employer agreements will roll over from last year so there is no need to renew your agreement if you are already an authorised employer with us.
More than 150 organisations or business units have joined the scheme, giving the reassurance to their employees that their costs will be covered when it comes to renewing their practising certificates. Please be aware that social workers are not themselves able to generate an invoice to pass onto you for payment.
Are you an employer?
Advantages to becoming an authorised employer include:
- Receive fortnightly consolidated invoices for your employed social workers Practising Certificate and Registration fees.
- Pay invoices via bank transfer or via credit/debit card through your Authorised Employer account.
- No need to reimburse individual social workers.
Social workers can find out if their employer is an authorised employer with us by checking the list available to view on the Authorised Employer website.
Advantages to becoming an authorised employer include:
- Receive fortnightly consolidated invoices for your employed social workers Practising Certificate and Registration fees.
- Pay invoices via bank transfer or via credit/debit card through your Authorised Employer account.
- No need to reimburse individual social workers.
Social workers can find out if their employer is an authorised employer with us by checking the list available to view on the Authorised Employer website.
Read more about being an Authorised Employer on our website.
