Summary of feedback and submissions for the Social Worker Strategy and Action Plan
Description of the workforce planning online hui
We 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, online hui SWRBs’ Amy Ross, special advisor social work and Liz Gourlay, lead advisor workforce planning, answered questions from professional bodies SSPA and ANZASW.
Summary of the questions raised during the two online hui included:
Scholarship and Funding Support
- Can the SWRB fund scholarships for social work students?
- Could the NGO Study Grant be reestablished, given its past positive impact?
Addressing Burnout and Systemic Issues
- Will the workforce strategy address the real systemic drivers of burnout and propose stronger responses to support safe caseloads and working conditions?
Workforce Planning and Regulation
- Why has the SWRB’s workforce planning mahi, mandated in 2020, taken so long to progress?
Support for New Graduates and Placements
- Could successful entry-to-practice programmes like NESP be replicated in other sectors to support new graduate wellbeing?
- How can student placements be improved, given the workload pressures on social workers?
Retention and Registration Delays
- What can be done to speed up the graduate student registration process?
- How can funding losses be addressed to prevent losing social workers from the workforce?
Recordings of the full on-line hui including the questions raised and responses, are below:
1) Watch a recording of the 23 July webinar (YouTube)
2) Watch a recording of the 30 July webinar (YouTube)
