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Have your say on Sustainable Social Work Pathways | Tauwhiro Ararau

DRAFT Social Worker Workforce Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2030

Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback to inform the development of the first ever Social Worker Workforce Strategy and Action Plan for the social work profession.

The Lead Agency role for social worker workforce planning was assigned to the Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) by government in March 2021, with the aim of supporting social worker workforce planning. Over time the SWRB has collected information and sector intelligence to build evidence on the scale and nature of challenges facing the social worker workforce. The evidence shows social workers are a critical workforce under pressure facing multiple challenges.

The Workforce Strategy and Action Plan are being designed to address these known sustainability challenges. We are doing this work on behalf of the Minister for Social Development and Employment.

The Strategy and Action Plan are still in draft. The final documents will be shaped and influenced by the feedback received. SWRB’s role is to develop, promote, and monitor the Workforce Strategy and Action Plan, and report on progress.

Confidentiality and the use of your data
We encourage you to be free and frank with your responses as all feedback is anonymous. We may use examples you provide to support our advice to Ministers.

Analysis of these responses will be completed by the workforce planning team, with the support of the SWRB’s business analyst.

You are welcome to contact the workforce planning team if you have any questions about this feedback form, or the review work more broadly via workforce@SWRB.govt.nz
1.To help us understand your perspective on the feedback, please indicate which of the following best applies to you:
Sustainable Social Work Pathways | Tauwhiro Ararau, the Draft Social Worker Workforce Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2030 is a new approach and a first for our profession.

This is about social workers, employers, educators and the government sector working together to find solutions to shared challenges. Monitoring progress through the action plan will ensure that those solutions are owned and implemented.
2.How strongly do you agree with this approach?
3.Please explain your answer, if you wish:
The Strategy and Action Plan are designed to look across all parts of the Workforce Lifecycle.



This approach looks at what’s happening at each part of the social worker journey from attraction into the profession, entering the workforce, professional development and career progression through to exiting the workforce.
4.How strongly do you agree with the 'workforce lifecycle' approach?
5.Please explain your answer, if you wish:
Areas of focus for the Social Worker Workforce Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2030

Our annual surveys of the social worker workforce show the following themes consistently rise to the top:

• Recruitment and retention are the biggest challenges facing the profession now and into the future
• Retirement and burn out are noted reasons for leaving the profession
• Balancing work and personal life, financial barriers and the complex nature of social work practice prevent entry and re-entry to the profession
• Social work roles are being replaced by other registered professionals and unregulated workers.

We know there is work to do across all areas of the workforce lifecycle. However, this evidence shows that to ensure enough social workers, the key areas to focus on should be:
• attracting and recruiting more social workers into the profession, and
• retaining and supporting our experienced social workers.
6.How strongly do you agree with these areas of focus for the 2025-2030 Strategy and Action Plan?
7.Please explain your answer, if you wish:
8.Finding solutions requires collective and coordinated action.

Are you aware of successful actions to support social worker attraction, recruitment and retention in your organisation that could contribute to the Action Plan?
9.Please tell us more, including which organisation, and the activities underway to support social worker attraction, recruitment and/or retention:
10.There are many areas where action is needed, and we already know some of the likely actions that will be taken.

The Action Plan is being used to identify specific areas for improvement, activities and action owners with responsibility for getting things done. The first plan will be used to complete a stocktake of what we’ve heard so far, and what organisations are currently doing or have planned to do. This will highlight gaps and what else needs to be considered.

How strongly do you agree with this approach to developing the Action Plan?
11.Do you think there are specific areas that should be prioritised for the Action Plan? For example:
12.Please explain your answer and provide examples, if you wish:
13.Is there anything else you’d like to tell us to inform the development of Sustainable Social Work Pathways | Tauwhiro Ararau: Social Worker Workforce Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2030?