National Registration for Social Workers: Getting our Act(s) Together

With the passage of legislation establishing registration for social workers, South Australia has the opportunity to lead in the regulation of high-risk work with vulnerable people. National registration has been—and remains—a central goal for many across the social work community in Australia, arguing that this is needed to ensure consistency and coherence of focus. This article explores the case for national registration, focusing in particular on the strategic positioning of social work as an allied health profession, thereby aligning it with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA) administered National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS). We considered the implications of such a move through reference to England’s experience of social work regulation—specifically the shift from social work-specific to external regulation (and back again). We argue that adopting an allied health identity presents significant risks for the social work profession. Hence, we propose that appeals to AHPRA as the only “real” option for national social worker registration should be examined thoroughly and with caution.IMPLICATIONS The registration of social workers, currently in South Australia, presents important opportunities and challenges for the profession.How to regulate and who should be responsible for regulation are significant questions for the profession.Decisions about registration have significant implications for social work identity, most notably in relation to its distinction as a profession grounded in “the social”.