Social Workers Registration Board: Building Oranga Tamariki Social Worker Capability – Budget 2022

We’re working together to promote the quality and professionalism of social worker practice.

Government is investing $1.528 million over two years for the Social Workers Registration Board to support Oranga Tamariki to increase the quality of its social workers’ practice.

This initiative provides the Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) with extra capability to support the quality and professionalism of Oranga Tamariki social workers.

• This initiative provides 3.2 FTEs and resources over two years for SWRB, as the social worker regulator, to work with Oranga Tamariki to implement the Oranga Tamariki Future Direction Action Plan.
• Priorities for the short-term focus on upskilling the quality and standing of social work through developing:
  • micro-credential standards, starting with supervision (quality of supervision influences quality of practice) as part of pre/post qualifications
  • training material to help social workers understand the regulatory standards that apply to them and improve regulatory compliance, particularly in relation to the SWRB Scope of Practice and Code of Conduct.
• These two practical actions will help embed longer-term system change in Oranga Tamariki, and also be of use by its contracted NGO provider-employed social workers.

This will support professional development of existing practitioners as well as opening the potential to staircase new people into the profession.

• While the training material will be developed for social workers employed by Oranga Tamariki, it will be equally of use for social workers employed by NGO providers it contracts for delivering services devolved to the community.
• This initiative will be accessible to over 2,300 registered social workers employed by Oranga Tamariki, and some thousands more social workers employed by contracted NGO providers.

Costs (operating)