New Zealand Shifts To Mandatory Registration Of All Social Workers From 27 February 2021

Mandatory registration is required by law from 27 February 2021 for all social workers to undertake employment in New Zealand. Residence immigration instructions have been amended to incorporate Social worker occupation to the list of occupations requiring registration under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC).

Social workers provide care, advice and support to people with personal or social problems and help with community and social issues.

All social workers now need to be registered with the Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB). To gain clarity it is good to know that you need to be registered if you:

• call yourself a social worker,
• are known as a social worker, or
• are held out to be a social worker.

Those who do not have an SWRB-recognised social work qualification but have practical social work experience in New Zealand, may still be eligible to register under the experience pathway.

How to enter a job of a Social Worker?

To become a social worker, you need to have a recognised qualification, such as:

• Bachelor of Social Work
• Bachelor of Applied Social Work
• Bachelor of Bicultural Social Work
• Master of Applied Social Work
• Master of Social and Community Work (Applied)

The Government employs most social workers.

• District health boards employ 23% of registered social workers
• Oranga Tamariki-Ministry for Children directly employs another 22% of registered social workers and funds social workers in community organisations.

Other employers are not-for-profit, iwi and Māori agencies, the education sector and private practices. Four per cent are self-employed. Most social workers are in full-time work, but 20% work part-time.

If you are interested in obtaining an SWRB-recognised qualification to become a registered social worker or discuss the possibility of applying for residence, please email Immigration Advisers New Zealand Ltd contact@nzimmigration.info or call us today on +64 09 3790219.