Social Workers Registration Act 2003

Social Workers Registration Board and Social Workers Disciplinary Tribunal - Social Workers Registration Board

99: Functions of Board

You could also call this:

"What the Social Workers Registration Board does"

Illustration for Social Workers Registration Act 2003

The Social Workers Registration Board has many jobs. You can think of these jobs as tasks the Board must do. The Board's tasks include looking at applications from people who want to be social workers.

The Board also decides who can be a social worker and keeps a list of all social workers. You can think of this list like a big book that has all the social workers' names in it. The Board checks that social workers are doing a good job and following the rules.

The Board also makes sure social workers are doing their jobs properly and are fit to work with people. It sets standards for social work education and training in New Zealand. The Board tells people about the good things that come from registering as a social worker.

The Board helps make sure people who employ social workers have a good way to deal with complaints about them. It gives advice to the Minister about social work and how it should be regulated. The Board also promotes high standards of practice among social workers and their employers.

The Board looks at cases where social workers might not be able to do their jobs properly. It sets rules for reporting serious problems with social workers. The Board can share information about social workers with their employers, but it must follow the rules about keeping some information secret.

The Board provides services to the Tribunal and does other jobs it is given by law. To learn more about what the Board does, you can look at the Legislation Act 2019.

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This page was last updated on 7 August 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM190287.

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98: Powers of Board, or

"What the Social Workers Registration Board is allowed to do"

100: Obligations of Board in relation to Māori, or

"The Board must consider Māori views when making decisions to help make good choices for everyone."

Part 6Social Workers Registration Board and Social Workers Disciplinary Tribunal
Social Workers Registration Board

99Functions of Board

The functions of the Board are—
to receive and consider applications for registration:
to authorise the registration of social workers:
to maintain the Register:
if it thinks fit, to adopt conditions subject to which the individual scopes of practice of all social workers, or of all social workers of a particular description, must be issued:
to consider applications for practising certificates referred to it by the Registrar:
to prescribe New Zealand educational qualifications for the purposes of this Act and monitor the provision and delivery of those qualifications:
to review the competence of social workers:
to review social workers’ fitness to practise:
to establish and maintain a code of conduct for social workers:
in consultation with providers of social work education and training in New Zealand and bodies that set standards for social work education and training in New Zealand, to promote and set standards for such education and training for the purposes of this Act:
to promote the benefits of registration—
1. to departments of State, other instruments of the Crown, other bodies and organisations that employ social workers, and the public; and
2. among people practising as social workers:
to promote the establishment by departments of State, other instruments of the Crown, and other bodies and organisations that employ social workers, of accessible and efficient procedures for making, considering, and determining complaints relating to social workers they employ:
to advise, and make recommendations to, the Minister in respect of matters relating to the regulation of the social work profession:
to promote and encourage high standards of practice and professional conduct among social workers and the employers of social workers:
to consider the cases of social workers who may be unable to satisfactorily perform the functions required to practise as a social worker:
to set criteria for reporting serious misconduct or issues of competence or fitness to practise:
subject to this Act, to disclose to the employers or prospective employers of social workers information it has obtained under this Act relating to people who are or have been—
1. applicants for registration; or
2. social workers:
to provide administrative and related services for the Tribunal:
any other functions conferred or imposed on it by or under this Act or any other enactment.

Subsection (1)(h) does not limit or affect the functions or powers of any department of State.
Subsection (1)(p) does not apply to information required by this Act to be kept confidential.
The following are secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements):
standards under subsection (1)(i); and
an instrument setting criteria under subsection (1)(oa).

Notes

Section 99(1)(d): amended, on 27 February 2021, by section 113 of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
Section 99(1)(f): replaced, on 30 March 2025, by section 14 of the Social Workers Registration Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 17).
Section 99(1)(ga): inserted, on 28 February 2019, by section 112(2) of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
Section 99(1)(h): amended, on 28 February 2019, by section 144(1) of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
Section 99(1)(m): repealed, on 28 February 2019, by section 112(3) of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
Section 99(1)(n): amended, on 28 February 2019, by section 144(1) of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
Section 99(1)(o): amended, on 28 February 2019, by section 112(4) of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
Section 99(1)(o): amended, on 28 February 2019, by section 144(1) of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
Section 99(1)(oa): inserted, on 28 February 2019, by section 112(5) of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
Section 99(1)(p)(ii): amended, on 28 February 2019, by section 144(1) of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
Section 99(4): inserted, on 28 October 2021, by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).