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Social Workers Registration Act 2003

Discipline - Complaints

65: Referral of complaints to professional conduct committees

You could also call this:

"What happens when you complain about a social worker"

Illustration for Social Workers Registration Act 2003

When you make a complaint about a social worker, the Board gets notified. The Board must then send the complaint to a professional conduct committee as soon as they can, unless they decide it does not need to be pursued. This can happen if the Board and the Health and Disability Commissioner agree that it is not needed, or if the Board is satisfied that it is not needed.

If the Board decides to send the complaint to a committee, or not to send it, they must tell the social worker about their decision. The social worker must also be told what the complaint is about.

If there are many complaints about the same social worker, the Board can send all of them to the same committee to look at.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM190246.

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64: Suspension of action while Health and Disability Commissioner investigates, or

"Wait for the Health and Disability Commissioner to finish looking into a complaint about a social worker before taking any further action."

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65A: Action to be taken by Board on receipt of notice of conviction, or

"What happens if a social worker is convicted of something and the Board finds out"

Part 4Discipline
Complaints

65Referral of complaints to professional conduct committees

  1. As soon as is reasonably practicable after being notified of a complaint, the Board must refer it to a professional conduct committee, unless—

  2. the Board and the Health and Disability Commissioner agree that it does not need to be pursued (in the case of a complaint relating to a matter over which the Board and the Commissioner both have jurisdiction); or
    1. the Board is satisfied that it does not need to be pursued (in any other case).

      1. As soon as is reasonably practicable after the Board has decided whether to refer a complaint to a professional conduct committee, the Registrar must give the social worker concerned written notice of—

      2. the Board’s decision; and
        1. the particulars of the complaint.

          1. If the Board receives more than 1 complaint relating to the same social worker (whether at the same time or at different times), the Board may refer both or all of the complaints to the same professional conduct committee.

          Notes
          • Section 65: replaced, on , by section 90 of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).