Developing the Social Worker Workforce Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2030

Your voice matters in shaping our profession’s future

We’re developing Aotearoa New Zealand’s first cross-system Social Worker Workforce Strategy to address the sustainability challenges facing the profession. This isn’t something any one organisation can do alone – it requires all of us working together. 

What’s this about?

Sustainable Social Work Pathways | Tauwhiro Ararau recognises that there are many pathways to building a sustainable social work workforce. We’re bringing together social workers, employers, educators, and government agencies to create coordinated solutions to shared challenges. 

We know the issues:

  • too few social workers to meet growing demand 
  • difficulty recruiting and retaining skilled practitioners 
  • students struggling to complete social work qualifications and enter the workforce 
  • workplace pressures affecting social workers’ wellbeing and effectiveness. 

Why now?

With significant unfilled social worker vacancies nationally and 16% of current practitioners planning to leave within five years, there is a mismatch in demand for social work services and supply of qualified registered social workers, that no single organisation can solve alone. We’ve built the evidence and insights and now it’s time for action. 

This strategy is about working smarter with existing resources – better coordination, reduced duplication, and evidence-based representation of workforce needs and actions to address them.

How you can be involved

View the webinars: 

📅 First Hui: Wednesday 23 July 2025 – Watch a recording of the webinar (YouTube)

📅 Second Hui: Wednesday 30 July 2025, 12-1pm – Watch a recording of the webinar (YouTube)

Other ways to engage: 

Please submit your feedback before Friday 19 September, so that it can be incorporated into future work.

What happens next?

Your input will directly shape the final Strategy and Action Plan, which we aim to launch in December 2025. This will be overseen by Ministers and monitored through annual progress reports, encouraging transparency and accountability on action plan. 

Resources 

Overview - social worker workforce strategy - July 25

Draft - A3 workforce strategy on a page - July 25

DRAFT - Social Worker Workforce Strategy - July 25

DRAFT Social Worker Workforce Action Plan - July 25


📧 Questions? Contact us at workforce@swrb.govt.nz 

We appreciate you taking time from your busy practice to help shape the future of our profession. 

Ngā mihi mahia ki a koutou katoa 

Page updated 30 July 2025