28 August 2025
Ms Carmela Bastian
Presiding Member
Social Workers Registration Board
Government of South Australia
Via email: [email protected]
Dear Ms Bastian,
The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) is alarmed by the proposal from the SWRB to create an “experience pathway” that would permit individuals without a recognised social work qualification to present themselves as social workers. Such a move would fundamentally weaken the integrity of the profession, place the public at risk, and undermine decades of work to achieve proper recognition of social work in Australia.
The AASW has been unwavering in its advocacy: registration must protect the title of social worker by ensuring that only those with accredited social work degrees are recognised. Anything less devalues the profession and erodes community trust. Our members in South Australia have made it clear that this proposal represents a serious threat to professional standards, accountability, and the safety of vulnerable people who rely on qualified social workers.
I refer you to the pages 24-26 of the Report of the Joint Committee on the Social Workers Registration Bill 2018.pdf which states that the “AASW is unequivocal in its position that only those with formal tertiary social work qualifications should be registered.” This reflected the position of the AASW then, and it remains our uncompromising position today.
Social work is not an occupation that can be entered into through ad hoc experience. It requires rigorous, accredited education that embeds theory, ethics, evidence-based practice, and at least 1,000 hours of supervised placement. This is the benchmark of professional integrity and public protection. To call someone a “registered social worker” without this foundation is to mislead the community, diminish the profession, and expose vulnerable people to unacceptable risks.
Allowing non-qualified individuals to claim the title of social worker would send a dangerous message: that the safety, quality, and ethical standards of social work are negotiable. They are not. People without accredited qualifications simply do not possess the theoretical, practical, ethical, or values required to meet the complex demands of the profession.
The AASW is clear: the future of social work regulation must lie in a nationally consistent scheme under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra). Only a national approach through the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme can guarantee that every social worker, across every jurisdiction, is held to the same high standards of education, training, and ethical conduct.
South Australia now has an opportunity to show leadership and align with national expectations of professional regulation. Diluting the standards of social work through an “experience pathway” would not only fail the profession — it would fail the very people the system is meant to protect. I am available to discuss this further with you in a meeting.
I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely
Chief Executive Officer