Complexity Review of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS): what it means for social workers
5 August 2026
The final report of the Independent Review of Complexity in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) was released in September 2025. Australian Health Ministers published their response to the review in May 2026.
The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, often called the National Scheme, is the system that regulates 16 health professions in Australia through the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) and the National Boards. When the Scheme was established it brought together the then-existing state and territory registration arrangements for these professions into a single national system.
Social work was not included when the National Scheme was established as it was not subject to statutory registration in any Australian jurisdiction. However, this review is relevant to social workers because it considers how Australia regulates health professions, how regulatory systems respond to workforce need, and how professions outside the National Scheme may be considered in future regulatory reform.
Why this matters for social work
Social workers practise across a range of diverse settings, including health, mental health, aged care, disability, family violence, child and family services, justice, housing and community services. Many social workers work directly alongside professions regulated under the National Scheme, often with people experiencing complex needs, trauma, risk, service fragmentation and structural disadvantage.
The review recognises that health workforce regulation needs to be clearer, more consistent and better connected to workforce planning. For social work, this matters because decisions about regulation affect how the profession is understood, recognised and included in service systems.
The review has not changed the current regulatory status of social work. Social workers are not currently registered under the National Scheme, and the review does not make any specific comment on the merits of registration of social work.
What the review found
Key recommendations for social work
Some of the recommendations contained within the report are relevant for self-regulating professions like social work. Health Ministers have issued a communique in response to the report, agreeing to some recommendations and declining or deferring others.
The most relevant recommendations are for the Health Workforce Taskforce to explore additional models of regulation for self-regulating professions, and for states and territories to strengthen the National Code of Conduct for Non-Registered Practitioners. Both of these recommendations have been accepted in part, subject to resourcing. The health ministers have not made funding available for this task to date.
In discussions with key stakeholders across federal, state and territory governments, it has been recognised that due to the breadth of the scope of social work practice, any consideration of the regulation of the profession in the future will require consideration of this complexity and discussions across various parts of government.
These recommendations are important for social work as they could affect the profession by introducing new standards of conduct or additional regulations surrounding practice. However, these pieces of work are subject to resourcing by the federal government and will require further policy design, agreement between governments, and potential legislative change or staged implementation. There are no stated timelines for this work to occur. Currently, there is no appetite demonstrated by the federal, state and territory governments to expand the professions within the Scheme beyond those previously committed to.
The AASW’s role
The current AASW Board was elected on a platform committed to leading a national discussion on key professional issues, including registration. The Board acknowledges that registration is a complex matter affecting social workers across diverse roles and practice settings.
The Board is broadening the discussion on regulation to reflect the full scope of social work practice. Any consideration of the regulation of the profession must recognise the diversity of the profession and the varied contexts in which social workers operate.
To support this, the AASW will strengthen engagement through its state and territory Branches and consult with members, governments, regulators and key stakeholders.
The AASW remains committed to protecting the public, strengthening professional standards, and supporting high-quality social work practice.
We will continue to lead a transparent and inclusive national conversation on registration that reflects the voice and diversity of the profession.