SSPA supports mandatory registration of social workers to promote public accountability and safety and to reinforce the value of professional social work. But the Bill requires significant changes if it is to achieve these objectives.

Social service providers have welcomed the announcement by the Minister of Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni, that the previous government’s requirement for community organisations to forward personal data on their clients will be scrapped.

 SSPA is leading a project on the NGO social service workforce. This will give us a clearer understanding of the complexity of need and pressures on services, and what these mean for providers and the workforce in terms of staffing levels and the skills and qualifications required across the sector. 

Social Service Providers Aotearoa (SSPA) national manager Brenda Pilott says the Labour-led Government presents some real opportunities for non-profit organisations contracted to work with vulnerable children, young people and families.