A personal commentary on the cost of social work registration by Rachael Bell
There is a growing recognition that the high level of fees for Social Work Registration, currently $759, has a significant impact on qualified and registered social workers, many of whom who have to pay for their registration themselves, especially those who are in private practice, often providing supervision on a part-time basis. There is no allowance in the registration fee for part-time and self-employed practitioners, many of whom find this high level of fee more than can be afforded when operating a part-time supervision practice.
The SWRB registration cost is six times higher than what nurses pay, over three times higher than what teachers pay, $300 – $400 higher than what allied health professionals pay, and over ten times higher than what a licensed social worker in the USA pays per year.
This high cost of fees is resulting in a loss of experienced and qualified supervisors, at a time when perhaps they are most critical across our industry to support our workforce who are working with a range of complex issues and experiencing high levels of burnout. The importance of professional supervision to support safe practice can not be understated, so the impact of losing supervisors has far reaching consequences.
It has also become concerning that organisations who have taken on the cost of paying for professional registration, as well as the cost of providing externals supervision (pay parity states $150 per month for 10 months per year), are considering not employing registered professionals due to these burgeoning additional costs. On average this is an additional cost of $2,250 per registered social worker. These costs are one more reason for organisations to turn more readily to practitioners that do not fall under these regulations.
The high SWRB fees is also having an impact on ANZASW membership as the combined cost of over $1000 is out of reach for many across the profession. This creates barriers to social workers accessing professional support, professional development opportunities and a sense of community which are critical elements of safe practice. Registered social workers who struggle to pay high fees may experience stress and job dissatisfaction and financial strain can impact their overall well-being and commitment to the profession.
The SWRB’s primary goal is to uphold professional integrity. However, when fees are perceived as excessive, it may raise questions about the Board’s commitment to accessibility and fairness. As more and more qualified social workers move away from renewing their registration, or belonging to ANZASW, a disservice is being done to the collective profession. Rather than professional registration upholding the mana of those with a qualification, and a passion, to be a social worker, it has become a deterrent and a barrier, unintentionally undermining the very thing that professional registration is seeking to uphold.
In summary, balancing the need for financial sustainability with the goal of promoting professional integrity remains a challenge for the SWRB. Striking the right balance ensures that social work remains accessible, diverse, and committed to its core values.
Note: The SWRB follows guidelines for setting fees and aims to recover costs while maintaining financial sustainability.
