The Approval of Social Work Courses in Aotearoa New Zealand: The Profession's Response!
Our experience in establishing a professional approval process has been long and complex and has confronted many predictable and unpredicted power issues around who has hegemony over the standards and definitions of social work in Aotearoa/New Zealand;particularly, who has the right and power to monitor standards. The debate has been further fueled by the passing of the Social Workers Registration Act (2003) and the establishment of the State's registration authority. The aim of this workshop is to discuss the professions' role in the approval of social work courses both locally and internationally. Key areas of discussion will involve:
1) The setting and monitoring of standards and will include discussion pertaining to both the draft IASSW standards and the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) Course Approvals standards.
2) The presenters' experiences of establishing the ANZASW Course Approvals' Board and a professional approval process in the complex New Zealand social work education setting.
3) The influence of the local and global political environment within which the approval of social work courses takes place.