Hon Anne Tolley

Minister for Social Development

28 September 2016
Media Statement

Minister thanks social workers on National Day

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says National Social Workers’ Day is an opportunity to acknowledge the important work social workers do and thank them for the difference they make for families.

“Social workers do an often thankless job and work with some of our most vulnerable families,” Mrs Tolley says.

“We all want every child to have a safe and loving childhood, with a bright future ahead of them. When families struggle, social workers step in and play a pivotal role in supporting them to provide the love and care their children need to thrive, and make incredibly difficult decisions when necessary.

“They go to work every day to help others and deal with some of our communities’ most complex problems, such as family violence, drug and alcohol abuse and mental health issues.

“Social workers will also play a vital role as we transition to the new operating model for care and protection under the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki.

“We know that currently staff spend more than 50 per cent of their time on administration and less than 25 per cent of their time communicating with children and their families.

“The new operating model will better support social workers to give children and young people the support they need, with a trauma-informed Professional Practice Framework and a larger workforce, with more specialist skills to complement the support provided by social workers.

“A national day reminds us all of the important work social workers do in the care and protection and youth justice systems, in our schools, Children’s Teams and NGOs right across the country.”

ends

© Scoop Media