Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill

I present a legislative statement on the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill.

SPEAKER: That legislative statement is published under the authority of the House and can be found on the parliamentary website.

Hon LOUISE UPSTON: I move, That the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Social Services and Community Committee to consider the bill at the appropriate time. I intend to move that the bill be reported to the House by March 2025 and that the committee have authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting, except during oral questions, during an evening on a day in which there has been a sitting of the House, and on a Friday in a week which there has been a sitting of the House, and outside the Wellington area, despite Standing Orders 193, 195, and 196(1)(b) and (c).

The Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill will amend the Social Workers Registration Act 2023, through a total of 16 amendments. Each change separately has a small impact, but together the six policy changes and 10 technical amendments will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operations carried out under the Act. This will, in turn, achieve better regulatory oversight of social workers involved with delivering health and social services.

Social workers play a critical role in our communities throughout New Zealand. They are particularly important for providing support to some of our most underserved and marginalised members of society, including children. In recent years, more so than ever, social workers have been critical in supporting New Zealanders, such as in last year’s North Island weather events. As a Government, we want to ensure that the workforce of social workers is helped and empowered to meet the needs of our communities. This Government is committed to supporting earlier interventions, which are more effective for those at risk. Social workers play an important role in helping to achieve this by providing vital help to New Zealanders when they need it.

The Act sets out occupational regulations for the social worker profession, provides mechanisms to ensure the safety of the public, and enhances the professionalism of social workers. It established the Social Workers Registration Board as the regulatory authority responsible for the registration of social workers. It also set up the Social Worker Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal to exercise disciplinary powers over social workers.

The Act mandates the board to conduct a review of its operations and the operation of the Act at least every five years. In 2019, the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act was passed, amending the Act by bringing in mandatory registration for anyone using the title “social worker” or practising as a social worker in New Zealand. The bill responds to the board’s 2020 review of the Act. The 16 minor policy changes and technical amendments in this bill will streamline operations and address minor inconsistencies, some of which were created by the 2019 amendments.

I’d like to take this opportunity to touch on each of the six policy changes that are proposed, and their rationale. Firstly, the bill proposes to broaden the scope of grounds for the interim suspension of social workers where an investigation is being considered. Social workers cannot currently be suspended until a formal investigation or criminal proceedings have started. This process has a risk of serious harm to the public, as social workers are not able to be suspended from work even when there are concerns around a social worker’s practice and/or professionalism. We are tightening up the process where social workers are accused of wrongdoing, enabling them to be stood down before a formal investigation or criminal proceeding has started, to reduce the risk to those served by social workers and the public.

The second proposed policy amendment is to change the extension period for the interim suspension of social workers to align with periods that are reasonable and necessary for the board to complete a formal investigation and/or medical examination. Currently, the maximum interim suspension is 10 days per notice, but investigations can take up to 18 months. This amendment will provide more certainty for suspended social workers and remove the need for multiple notices, which has the potential to be inflammatory.

Our bill’s third policy change will allow professional conduct to committees which are determining complaints or notice of convictions to combine available outcomes, rather than being restricted to choosing only one outcome and responding to and addressing complex complaints and circumstances. This will provide more flexibility for the conduct committees to take a tailored approach where needed.

We also plan to enable the board to delegate its registration functions to its employed staff. Under the Crown Entities Act 2004, the appointed boards of Crown entities are usually able to delegate these functions. However, the Act currently restricts the board’s ability to do so. This change will reduce delays in registration processes for social workers, as well as freeing up the appointed board to prioritise its governance responsibilities.

Another proposed policy amendment is to add a monitoring function to the board’s responsibilities in relation to prescribed social work qualifications. Although this function is implied, it should be made an explicit provision to provide any doubt of the board’s role in monitoring and assessing social work qualifications for the purpose of registration.

Finally, the sixth policy amendment proposes to transfer the power from the Ministry of Social Development to the board to obtain information to investigate anyone holding themselves out as a social worker or practising as a social worker without authorisation. This amendment will bring gains in both efficiency and effectiveness by consolidating the monitoring and compliance functions under the Act. It will also provide one point of contact and operation for employers and the social services sector.

This bill also proposes 10 technical amendments. These changes do not deviate from the policy intent of the impacted provisions, but rather address inconsistencies created by the 2019 amendments, streamline the Act’s operations, and update the language. This move follows wider changes to how social workers are governed, that professionalise the workforce across the board. Social workers all now need to formally register with the Social Workers Registration Board and hold a practising certificate, which must be renewed each year. These changes have, by and large, increased transparency within the social work profession and put the status of the profession alongside similar professions in health, teaching, and law, which all have mandatory registration. This bill further contributes to the enhanced professionalisation, accountability, and status of social workers.

It is crucial that we have a workforce of social workers that are able to serve increasingly complex and diverse needs. The 16 amendments in this bill require legislative amendment to resolve, and cannot be given effect by any other means. Fit for purpose occupational regulation is an important part of ensuring the safety of both social workers and the public throughout New Zealand.

I want to finish by acknowledging social worker representatives and all social workers for the vital work they do in our communities. Your tireless efforts and dedication to helping New Zealanders in need are valued and often go unrecognised. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the board who has worked with officials in developing the amendments to this bill. I commend this bill to the House.

I’ll start by saying that we do support the bill. There’s nothing, in our minds, that is controversial about this bill.

Every five years, the Social Workers Registration Board reviews the relevant legislation and works with the Ministry of Social Development to streamline, update, or otherwise improve the legislation and to see whether or not it’s working. The last review took place in 2020, under a Labour Government. It’s good to see that the changes in this bill reflect the findings of that review and that there are no surprises aside from that.

The Social Workers Registration Board initially put forward 13 suggestions to the Ministry of Social Development for consideration. This bill makes 16 minor policy and technical amendments to the 2003 Act. The amendments seek to improve the effectiveness and the efficiency of the operation of the 2003 Act. This includes six amendments that require a minor policy adjustment to reduce delays in processes under the 2003 Act, that protect the public from harm, and clarify functions that were provided for under the Social Workers Registration Legislation Amendment Act 2019. The remaining 10 amendments are technical and address inconsistencies created by the 2019 amendment Act, streamline the operations of the 2003 Act, and update language used in the 2003 Act.

Some of the changes—not all mentioned by the Minister—are that it: replaces the reference to “different ethnic and cultural groups” with a reference to “various ethnic and cultural groups” in various clauses; broadens the relevant sections to suspend a social worker if they are or are about to be under investigation for either a breach of the main Act, the Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994, or a crime; reinstates the ability of the Minister to appoint more than one deputy chairperson, which was inadvertently removed by amendments to the principal Act in 2019; provides the Minister with a flexibility to appoint at least five social workers to enable the tribunal to be constituted, instead of requiring five social workers to be appointed; transfers the power to obtain the information under section 147A of the power to obtain information to investigate offences from the chief executive to the board. Also, interestingly—which I thought might be controversial for some of the members on the other side of the House, and which, interestingly, wasn’t mentioned by the Minister when she spoke to the bill—it replaces terms with “he” or “she” with gender-neutral terminology, which we, of course, are supportive of on this side of the House. I find it interesting that the Minister didn’t mention that.

We do agree that social workers play an absolute critical role. In recent years, we have had to call on them more and more because of the different crises that we have faced, because of the many challenges that whānau have encountered, whether it be the cost of living, whether it be because they’ve been impacted by weather events, whether it be because they experienced hardship or difficulties due to the pandemic. I do want to acknowledge all of our social workers.

This bill is straightforward. We do have lots of other social worker - related questions for the Minister, like “What is happening to that pay equity settlement for social workers?” and “What will be the likely impact of Oranga Tamariki cuts to front-line social workers?” and “How is the Minister working to ensure we have the social worker workforce that we need, given that we do not have enough currently?” and “How is it she could continue with the repeal of section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act when social workers have strongly opposed it?” However, those questions might be slightly out of scope in relation to this particular bill, and perhaps we’ll save that for another opportunity to ask the Minister those questions. We support this bill and we absolutely support our hard-working social workers and the work that the Social Workers Registration Board undertakes as well.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Green Party is supporting the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill. As has been canvassed by others, this is part of a review of the Social Workers Registration Board that happens every five years, and, as a previous member mentioned, it happened in 2020. We do agree that, overall, the changes that are being put in place are not controversial, and we acknowledge that it includes things like broadening the scope of grounds for interim suspension where an investigation under the Social Workers Registration Act, under the Health and Disability Commissioner Act, where a criminal proceeding is reasonable, contemplated, just not under way; and a few other things that include enabling the board to delegate registration functions so that the board can focus on governance functions.

I think the key points around this are that it improves the mechanisms to hold social workers accountable for the work that they do, to keeping themselves and the people that they work alongside safe, and it also improves some of those governance aspects.

It’s interesting, because unlike the member Carmel Sepuloni, who spoke prior to me, I do think there are some standing questions that I actually think are relevant to this bill in terms of what the Government is doing. One of the key things in the changes here are about how social workers can be accountable for the work that they do. In my view, to have a thriving social work care workforce it relies on that workforce being resourced. It relies on that workforce being adequately trained. It relies on that workforce being trained in a way that allows them to have enough resources as they complete their training. Those are the things that actually create social workers that are best placed to serve their communities and to keep themselves, their colleagues, and the people that they serve safe.

If we’re going to continue with the reviews of the system that are in place to hold social workers accountable for any potential harm that they cause, I do have concerns around how the changes that the Government is pushing through will interact with the ability for social workers to have access to safe workplaces and that they don’t end up having to use these improved mechanisms. For example, the fact that many social workers will now be having to be in workplaces where there will be less of them to serve potentially just as many people concerns me because it could end up relying on some of these mechanisms more and more. So I guess there are some outstanding questions that I hope we can unpack at the select committee around actually some of these mechanisms—whether there’s an expectation that their use will increase as a result of the Government’s actions.

We still have a workforce—and I say this as somebody who has been a guest lecturer for social workers, who has trained social workers as a field educator—who, while they’re studying, are struggling to survive, and that affects the quality of their practice later on, because many of them are actually just struggling to make ends meet. If we’re going to make changes as to how we hold them accountable, I guess we should start with the question of how we can train social workers in the best way we can.

I also want to know about the professionalisation of social work. I do want to caution against assuming that the only way in which social workers can be of excellence is through this kind of professionalisation pathway. We’ve got to remember that many Māori, Pasifika, and migrant communities benefit a lot from the experience pathways, and, actually, that we should remember that those experiences can enrich and diversify our social work practices. And so I think there needs to be a balance struck in relation to what the Minister alluded to around putting them on par with other kinds of professions while, at the same time, acknowledging that right now, if we were to kind of streamline social work practice and potentially professionalise it further, it could actually miss the mark in terms of having social workers who actually extend their knowledge outside of what’s considered to be normal at the moment. Somebody could have a social worker show up who had never received any training around how Work and Income works and would come to my previous workplace hoping to have the labour of volunteers who actually did understand how Work and Income works, so I think there are some gaps right now in this kind of social worker professionalisation.

Overall, the Green Party supports this bill. We look forward to unpacking some of the nuances of how this bill interacts with the Government’s actions at select committee, and I hope this results in a constructive conversation across party lines.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I’m taking this call on behalf of ACT to say that we are supporting the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill in its first reading. As other contributors have said before, this is actually a bill that is making minor changes, but these changes are important. There are six minor policy adjustments and 10 technical amendments. These are based on the review that has been done as per the previous legislation that a review needs to be done in five years’ time. The technical amendments are, basically, to clear the inconsistencies which are there in the 2019 amendment.

It’s really important that we have a really good oversight of social workers, because we have given a very special status to social workers with the requirement of registration, and we want to see that people have confidence when they reach out to a social worker for anything that they need, so social workers need to maintain that integrity, that credibility within their profession. They can do that by providing that right kind of support that is needed when people reach out to them. That is why it was really important that we have registered social workers.

Now, in this legislation, the six minor policy adjustments are to actually strengthen the role of the board to ensure that there is proper regulatory oversight of social workers. As we have heard from the Minister in charge, one of the minor policy changes is to broaden the scope of grounds of the interim suspension of social workers where an investigation is being considered, because without this provision, this might put the board in a very awkward position, because if they know something is happening and they continue to let that social worker operate in the field, interacting with people, then they might be putting these people in more danger, because later on if it is found out that, actually, there was an issue with the social worker, that can put everybody in a very awkward position. It’s really important that we look into this, and that’s why we are supportive of this change, this minor policy adjustment in this legislation so that if there is any investigation being considered, that individual can be put on interim suspension.

The second issue is about the time that the board takes to investigate any complaint. The board needs a reasonable time that needs to be taken to properly investigate any complaint, and so this bill is to change the extension period for the interim suspension, because there is no point giving multiple notices. It’s important that that individual gets the proper notice so that they know that the board needs that kind of reasonable time, but that, of course, is the time that is really necessary to do that kind of investigation that the board wants to do on any complaint.

We know that we are short of social workers. This is a field which is in high demand. We don’t want anybody who wants to operate as a social worker to just wait in the queue for their registration to go through the Social Workers Registration Board. The other change that this bill makes is to delegate that function to one of its staff, so that way that backlog, if there is any, can be easily cleared and the board can actually invest more time in the governance role that they should be doing. In my view, this is actually making the whole process efficient. It is about making sure that those who want to register as social workers don’t feel discouraged because of the time it takes for them to register. We want to see that anybody who is waiting to be registered as a social worker gets that opportunity as soon as possible and is out there serving the community through their role.

In the time that I have left, I’ll very quickly touch on another function that is currently sitting with the Ministry of Social Development, but through this legislation it is going to be transferred to the board if this legislation goes through, and this is the overall monitoring and compliance function under the Act. If somebody is operating as a social worker without authorisation, at the moment the Ministry of Social Development can investigate that, but as per this legislation that power will be transferred to the board.

It’s really important to see that, because we have the standard set for social workers. People sometimes loosely use this term as a social worker—that they are not getting really serious in this while using the social worker term and not misleading anybody who might think that they are registered social workers, so it’s important to have that kind of monitoring. It is important to see that the requirement in the legislation is complied with. There are 10 amendments, as we have heard before. The ACT Party is supporting this bill. Thank you.

I stand on behalf of New Zealand First in support of the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill. The Social Workers Registration Act 2003 provides these mechanisms to ensure the safety of the public and to also enhance the professionalism of social workers. This Act established something called the Social Workers Registration Board, and this acts as the regulatory authority which is responsible for the registration of social workers. It also established the Social Workers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal, also known as “the tribunal”, to exercise disciplinary powers over social workers.

This bill is proposing to go through with the amendments, but before I speak on this current bill, I would like, firstly, to acknowledge all of the hard-working social workers who are out there and who are contributing greatly to our community. I, like many others, through lived experience, decided to go and study, and many of the people out there—at the time when I was studying towards a diploma in counselling, 20 years ago—had to do the social worker certification first. Coincidentally, I met with a friend who is still in that role, and she is still just as fulfilled 20 years later as she was when we were first studying together.

It’s a difficult task. It’s a difficult job. You sometimes have to speak with six individuals in a day, each one of those individuals carrying a lot of suffering, and it is up to you as a social worker or as a counsellor to give just as much attention to client No. 6 as you did to client No. 1. I just want to speak about this, just to acknowledge the social workers out there and how important it is that, whether it be through legislation or other means, supervision, they are really taken care of, because so many individuals who go there and share their deepest pain and suffering are relying on their expertise, their compassion, and their acceptance in order to be able to work through what they are going through.

Often, you think about your clients and you go, “Gosh, I wonder how that person is.” Then, all of a sudden, they pop up and you see that you’ve made a change in their lives. This is why the legislation is so important: so that our social workers are taken care of, they are monitored, and they are accountable. At times, the client - social worker relationship is one where the client is incredibly vulnerable—and some may say that it is an imbalanced relationship—so it is important that everything is kept in place in order for both client and social worker to be kept safe. Sometimes, it’s about changing one person at a time in order for a community to change. Hence, it is important that standards are set and standards are maintained in this industry—hence, the need for this amendment bill that we are speaking on today.

It is important that standards are maintained, as I mentioned before. It can be a heavy task, a heavy job, a very fulfilling one but one where you carry a lot, and by having these updates and amendments in place, the social worker knows that they are being watched, but also in a compassionate way. That is one of the things I would like to stress in my contribution today: everyone makes a mistake, and it’s important that social workers are held and supervised in an appropriate way; hence, the need for the five-year review which takes place. That way we can keep an eye on whether there are safeguards in place—are there registration processes in place? How are we safeguarding not only the public but also the social workers themselves?

I know I’ve come from a bit of a different angle here, Madam Speaker, but this is one of the reasons why New Zealand First is in full support of this bill. We commend it to the House.

Tēnā rā koe e te Pīka. Ngā mihi ki a tātou, ngā mihi ki te Whare. E tū ana ahau ki te waha i ngā kōrero mā Te Pāti Māori i te rangi nei, engari tuatahi ake ka tika me whakahōnore, me tuku i ngā whakawhetai ki ngā kaimahi kua pupuri i te mana i roto i tēnei o ngā rōpū, arā ko ngā social workers.

[Thank you, Madam Speaker. Greetings to all of us, greetings to the House. I stand to give voice to the comments on behalf of the Māori Party today, but firstly it is appropriate to honour and send thanks to the staff who have maintained the status within this particular group—i.e., the social workers.]

I first want to acknowledge the hard mahi that social workers do across the country. This bill proposes amending the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act to extend the experience pathway to social worker registration for an additional four years to February 2028. In short, ahakoa taku poto i tēnei rangi, e tautoko katoatia ana e Te Pāti Māori tēnei pire. [despite my brevity today, this bill is absolutely supported by the Māori Party.]

People applying through the experience pathway can use their practical experience to demonstrate that they meet the professional competency standards set by the board. The Social Workers Registration Board have been working with Māori social workers to make the application process for the experience pathway more holistic, cultural, responsive, and accessible. There has also been increasing recognition of the value of indigenous te ao Māori practice in social work, which the experience pathway supports.

Around a quarter of social workers registered under the experience pathway over the past 13 years have identified as Māori. A Māori-informed lens would recognise a variety of backgrounds as being capable of working with whānau in the way that social workers do and to support any work that better aligns the profession within tikanga approaches.

Te Pāti Māori believes that social workers can play a positive or harmful role in the protection of whakapapa. That depends on their training, cultural responsiveness, and background. We support the empowering of workers who have the experience to enter the workforce and contribute to the protection of our whakapapa. We note that this proposal is supported by the Tangata Whenua Social Workers Association and the Social Services Providers Aotearoa. We note that this bill will provide equity for Māori working in the social services—well, at least for the next four years. In short, Te Pāti Māori supports this bill. Nō reira, tēnā ra tātou.

Madam Speaker, thank you. I am pleased to be able to stand in support of the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill, and equally pleased that the support of the bill is shared by all members of the House. As diverse as the ethnic communities are in New Zealand, as diverse as the peoples are in New Zealand, diversity in the social worker profession is also extremely important. In that instance, it’s also important to ensure that the vulnerabilities of the profession are looked at, hence this review and that the changes that are made necessary by that review are being put into place.

Social workers perform a very crucial and supportive role to many New Zealanders, especially to the most underserved, the most vulnerable, including children. We want, across the House, to ensure the safety of all New Zealanders, especially those served by social workers the most. By these amendments, we are tightening the process for social workers in terms of registration, in terms of situations where they may find themselves and their actions having to be reviewed or investigated, and also in ensuring that every social worker who holds himself out as a social worker and performs the work, the critical work, that social workers perform is appropriately and validly enabled and registered to do so.

Mandatory registration is not a strange thing. Similar professions in health and teaching and law are already required to be mandatorily registered. That ensures the capacity and the professionalism of everyone involved in this profession.

The bill addresses one particular vulnerability of the profession, which is that space where there may need to be interim suspension of social workers during an investigation. It is important that when there is question, the questions and the facts need to be raised and considered and determined first, and, where there is question on a social worker’s performance or actions, then that social worker, for the protection of New Zealanders, should be able to be put in suspension while the facts are determined.

That suspension also must be defined—so the time for which that suspension is able to be handed down should be clearly defined, not just for protection of the public but also for the protection of the social worker, that they are aware and they know the time frame by which a suspension may be put upon them. This gives them certainty of time frame and removes the need for repeated notices of increased suspension periods as the process unfolds. It removes uncertainty as well. It also avoids that situation where a suspended social worker may appear to be continuously being extended and, therefore, may appear to be more deserving of the suspension than not.

All of these changes are aimed at making sure that the profession is respected and trusted by New Zealanders, and we also want to be sure that the social workers themselves are clear on the parameters by which they are able to carry out their work effectively and for the good of everyone. I commend this bill to the House.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. This is a straightforward bill and we support it. There is nothing that we find controversial in this bill. It follows the process where, every five years, the Social Workers Registration Board goes through a process of reviewing the relevant legislation and works with the Ministry of Social Development to be able to streamline, update, or otherwise improve the legislation and see how it’s working. The last time this was done was under Labour in 2020, and it’s good to see that this is being done again.

It makes 16 minor policy and technical amendments to the original Act. These changes really seek to improve the effectiveness and the efficacy of the operation of the Act. The bill also looks at some inconsistencies—so going through and modernising and making sure that it reflects what it needs to be doing. Some of those, as have already been mentioned by the previous Labour speaker, Carmel Sepuloni, go into replacing terms like “he” or “she” with gender-neutral terminology.

It also transfers the power to obtain information under section 147A, the power to obtain information to investigate offences from the chief executive, to the board. This goes to the heart of acknowledging that the role that social workers do in our community is an incredibly difficult one and one that we on this side of the House value immensely. It’s important that there’s a framework and a structure around making sure we protect all of the interests of those involved when social work is taking place.

I’d like to acknowledge that my view is that some of the most difficult work is done by the front line of social workers, who are often required to go into families where there may be ongoing or high levels of family violence, and trying to engage with a family to find the best way of resolving those issues, of finding long-term strategies to enable people who love each other to go on and do so while protecting the wellbeing of all of the people within that family unit. It is a crucial part of having a community that is connected, healthy, and thriving, to make sure that those family members within a small or even an extended family are getting all of the things that they need, and social workers do an outstanding job, from all my experience of seeing their work in the Hutt Valley. They typically go above and beyond to be able to do that.

One of the issues that I would just like to flag is that there still is the unresolved issue in relation to a pay equity settlement for social workers that is still outstanding. I know many social workers who will be impacted by this bill are still awaiting to hear what the outcome of the pay equity settlement will mean for them.

Of particular concern is that some of those cuts to the Oranga Tamariki contracts have directly affected social workers in my area and in many other people’s areas where those jobs have now been lost. It is a real concern. This has been raised with some of these agencies who have lost funding. Their concern is that it is the pay equity settlement that has contributed to some of those cuts. When it was calculated what the increased cost of the contract would be to Government if pay equity was delivered upon, there is a view within our social worker community that that has resulted in some roles being cut. That is a really concerning—a really concerning—issue for us. Social workers do an incredibly important job. If we are seeing losses of front-line workers as a way of avoiding meeting pay equity obligations, that is deeply concerning for not only the good work that they do but for the future of those families who aren’t receiving that support, and also to the social work profession.

We want people to be able to take up being a social worker, with the view of getting all of the protections that this bill delivers, as well as having fair pay. I commend it to the House.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I rise to speak on the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill. It’s a pleasure to rise as the chair of the Social Services and Community Committee that will be hearing submissions on this bill after it passes its first reading, which I speak on today.

This amends the Social Workers Registration Act 2003, which provides mechanisms to ensure the safety of the public and enhance the professionalism of social workers. Now, the board is required, at intervals of not more than five years, to conduct a review of its own operations and the operation of the 2003 Act, and consider whether any amendments to the 2003 Act are required or necessary or desirable. The board must then report its findings to the Minister for Social Development and Employment, who presents a report to the House of Representatives. The board conducted a review in 2020 that identified some areas for improvement. The bill that we have before the House today is in response to that. The Ministry of Social Development collaborated with the board to identify and develop 11 amendments to the 2003 Act, which are contained in the bill that we have before the House this afternoon. An additional five amendments were identified to streamline operations and address minor inconsistencies in the Act, which were added during the drafting of the bill.

In total, the bill makes 16 minor policy and technical amendments to the 2003 Act. Those amendments are seeking to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the operation of that Act. Six of those amendments will require minor policy adjustment to reduce delays in processes in the 2003 Act, protect the public from harm, and clarify functions that were provided for under the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019. The remaining 10 amendments are technical and address inconsistencies created by the 2019 amendment Act, streamline the operation of the 2003 Act, and update language used in the 2003 Act.

I just want to take a moment to just acknowledge the work that social workers do right across New Zealand in what has certainly been a challenging few years, particularly in the last few years, including in my own electorate of Southland. The social workers are a voice for their clients. They help their clients—the individuals; they can be young people, families, people suffering various health and other challenges—navigate complex systems and connect them with other agencies that can support them, including facilitating access to organisations like the Ministry for Social Development and many others. There are a lot of agencies who provide support for people who are vulnerable in our communities, but sometimes it’s enormously valuable to have a specific social worker who can help connect them to all these organisations and help simplify what is often a complex environment. I just want to acknowledge all of the work that they do.

This bill is ultimately about assisting them and ensuring that also the safety of New Zealanders is served by social workers. So, in that vein, we’re tightening up the process where social workers—on the rare occasions they’re accused of wrongdoing, enabling them to be stood down before a formal investigation or criminal procedure has started, to reduce the risk to the public. This move follows wider changes to how social workers are governed, which professionalise the workforce across the board. I think we would all agree that a professionalised workforce is in the best interest of everyone—in upholding the integrity and the reputation of social workers, which is generally very good. Which is to make sure that the proper processes are followed in that respect.

Social workers will now need to formally register with their Social Workers Registration Board and hold a practising certificate which must be renewed each year. Those changes will increase transparency within the social work profession and, we think, will help elevate the status of the profession alongside similar professions in health, teaching, and law, which all have mandatory registration. The social work profession is one that we think is very important, very valuable. We think these changes will help elevate that both within the profession itself and in the mind of the public at large—a very good step forward.

The Government is always committed to supporting early interventions delivered by social workers, which are more effective for those most at risk. It’s crucial that we have a workforce of social workers that are able to serve increasingly complex and diverse needs, and I recommend this bill to the House.

Kia ora, Madam Speaker. Any legislation that supports the work and professionalism of social workers is something that we support to, in fact, ensure we get it right. Social workers make a profound impact on the lives of individuals, on the lives of families, on the lives of our communities. Their work often is under-looked or under-noticed because the work they do is around transforming and often reforming individuals, whānau, and families.

They work in challenging situations. They work at the coalface of communities. Therefore, we need to ensure that, as a Parliament and as legislators, we are ensuring that we have the right pieces of legislation, the right supports, the right tools in place, but also the right sets of accountabilities and responsibilities. That’s why we support the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill.

When we look at the bill, as has been said already from around the House and from my colleague the Hon Carmel Sepuloni, this is non-controversial. It is legislation that goes through a process—or last went through this process in 2020, under a Labour-led Government, and, therefore, we are here to stand and support as it goes to select committee.

Now, social workers—they’re advocates, they’re champions, they’re cheerleaders, they’re counsellors, they’re budget advisers, they’re critical thinkers, they’re dedicated, they’re resilient, they’re resourceful, they’re empowering, they’re mediators, they’re courageous. Social workers are the lifeblood that brings our communities together. Therefore, I commend this bill to the House.

I do enjoy an omnibus bill, and that is certainly what the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill is. It’s really great to hear that this has got unanimous support.

Look, just to acknowledge, first and foremost, one of the most weighty and important parts of the bill, obviously, is dealing with those social workers that, for unfortunate circumstances, need to be suspended for whatever may have happened—protecting the safety of those that those social workers do work with. Of course, this is putting their safety first and foremost, but it also does protect those social workers and their profession. That’s kind of what I want to get to.

For my 2c worth, I think the profession of social work has seen a remarkable change in recent years and the work that they must deal with is growing. It’s growing in complexity and it’s growing in reach as well. I have very conveniently and coincidentally, I suppose, had the great fortune of meeting with a number of social workers in the Napier electorate recently, and just to acknowledge some of those people in the work that they do and that they will benefit from something seemingly so technical, with six policy changes and 10 technical changes. It does make a great difference, and for these particular organisations—one of which is Innov8, doing amazing work, also LIFT Social Enterprise. As well as that, we’ve got a new youth hub, Maraenui youth hub, that has just opened in Maraenui, and they’re all doing amazing work.

Of course, there has been a remarkable number of new graduates—especially from the Eastern Institute of Technology, locally—getting into the social work profession. It is good and timely that they do get recognition as a profession by being registered and having to have a registration certificate, because, of course, the effort that they go to, to study, to prepare, to do the work that they do in the community to make a difference—whether they’re employed through a Government agency, whether they’re employed by a charitable organisation, or whether they’re just doing that work independently—they all make a great difference in our community. I think it’s very important to recognise and consider a social workers registration board being the regulatory authority, but of course having them be registered, having a practising certificate, and having to continue to do that.

Going back to the first point, they have to make sure they’re meeting that standard and that we’re maintaining the safety and security of those people that they’re working with and working for in the community and, of course, addressing the perverse outcome, potentially, of anything that may happen and protecting those in the community as well. What that does to the gravity and the recognition of their profession, undergoing—whether it’s a diploma, certificate, or degree, the work being done by social workers in that timely recognition of what they are doing. So just tightening up the process, making sure that a lot of these policy points and some of the technical amendments are making sure that for the next five years—because, of course, that’s what we’re doing with this omnibus bill—we’re in a better position to have that profession develop and that those people are being served.

Of course, we know many Government agencies have social workers as part of their workforce, but like I said, we’ve got a growing number of charitable organisations and private entities that are doing that great work; they do things across areas that some people may not recognise. I know when we were in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, the amount of social workers that presented to the civil defence hub to help communities after the cyclone, and the work that they continue to do as a result of that.

I think that it’s very important to have that credibility, and that’s something that I’m really pleased to see in this bill. Of course, just to note that, obviously, like I had said, the increasingly complex needs—to know whether a social worker is a registered and licensed or certificated social worker or not, and that that is also OK. But much like with registered nurses and registered teachers, that adds, like I said, to the gravity of the profession.

Look, like I said, very pleased to be speaking on this bill, and what some may see as just an omnibus bill that deals with some technical things, it does make some important changes and some that I look forward to seeing how the profession develops over time. So, of course, with that, I commend this bill to the House.

Motion agreed to.

Bill read a first time.

The question is, That the Social Workers Registration Amendment Bill be considered by the Social Services and Community Committee.

Motion agreed to.

Bill referred to the Social Services and Community Committee.

I declare the House in committee for consideration of the Appropriation (2024/25 Estimates) Bill.