Your voice matters
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.
Feedback received
A summary of the feedback that we received from this consultation is available in these pages of our website.
Feedback on the development of the draft social worker strategy and action plan
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.
Draft documents
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
If you wish to receive regular updates, please email us at comms@swrb.govt.nz and ask to be added to the mailing list for our regular newsletter.
If you have any pātai, please email us at workforce@swrb.govt.nz
