In Australia, anyone can call themselves a social worker. South Australia legislated a registration scheme in 2021, then abandoned it in June 2026 before it began, which leaves no registration anywhere in the country. Here are the ways a national scheme could work, what England learned, and how the AASW's role might change.
Worried about the cost? Registration would likely cost most social workers $90 to $322 a year after tax. See the full cost breakdown.
No, it doesn't have to be Ahpra. Ahpra is the model the AASW prefers, but a scheme could take one of four shapes.
Social work joins the 16 health professions Ahpra already registers.
States and territories agree to identical laws creating a social work regulator, like England's.
Each state passes its own law, as SA tried.
A national code of conduct lets regulators ban people after harm.
The September 2025 review of Ahpra's scheme didn't back social work joining. It said professions like social work may need "additional models of regulation" because their work is so broad. Health ministers accepted that only "in part, subject to resourcing", with no funding or timeline set (AASW on the Complexity Review).
That makes two options the most realistic: a purpose-built national scheme, or a social work board within Ahpra with its own standards.
Social work is often described as "low risk". The evidence doesn't back that up. Social workers do the same high-stakes work as registered professions, often with the same legal powers, but without a register.
Adding a profession to Ahpra's scheme needs the agreement of every health minister. SA's Health Minister confirmed in 2016 that "it does require unanimity" (ABC News). Health ministers decided on 7 October 2016 not to add social work to the national scheme, without publishing reasons (communiqué). Commentators describe the government's view as that social workers present a "low risk of harm" (Monash Lens); we haven't found a government document that uses the words.
The 2024 Scope of Practice Review, led by Professor Mark Cormack, named social work as one of seven priority professions for stronger regulation. It asked health ministers to assess options that include a new "public interest" pathway into Ahpra's scheme (Recommendation 8.1) (AASW; final report).
Fewer than 40% of social workers belong to the AASW, the only body with a code of conduct and a complaints process (AASW). Even for members, the harshest penalty is cancelling membership. It can't stop anyone practising.
| The work | Must be registered | Social worker |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare-funded mental health care (Better Access) | Psychologists and occupational therapists | No register. Needs AASW mental health accreditation. |
| Authorised mental health practitioner in Victoria, who can make assessment orders | Psychologists, nurses and occupational therapists | Listed with no registration requirement |
| Writing family reports that shape children's lives in family law | Psychologists and psychiatrists | No register |
| Child protection | Psychologists and nurses working in the system | No register, though social workers make up much of the workforce |
Sources: Better Access fact sheet; Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 (Vic) s 3 and Act handbook; Attorney-General's Department, family report writers; Chloe Valentine inquest findings.
The clearest Australian evidence comes from inquiries, not individual disciplinary cases. Without a register, there's no public record of social workers being found unfit to practise. That gap is part of the problem.
| Year | Finding | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | SA State Coroner Mark Johns, inquest into the 2012 death of four-year-old Chloe Valentine. Evidence recorded in the findings described Families SA as "broken and fundamentally flawed" (Mr Kemp, para 21.3). The coroner recommended "that a measure be introduced which provides for registration of social workers" (recommendation 22.21) (findings). | A coroner linked a child's death to practice standards and called for registration. |
| 2016 | SA Deputy State Coroner Anthony Schapel, inquest into the death of Ebony Napier, repeated recommendation 22.21 and asked that it extend to supervisors of social workers who aren't qualified social workers (para 14.3) (findings). | A second coroner called for registration within a year. |
| 2021–2023 | Concerns about "the quality of family reports and some of the professionals involved". Report writers come mainly from social work, psychology and psychiatry, and there was no adequate complaints mechanism. The government legislated powers to set standards (Attorney-General's Department). | Unregulated reports that shape children's lives needed a legal fix. |
| 2020–2025 | A Victorian childcare worker was sacked in 2020 over substantiated grooming of toddlers. His Working with Children Check stayed valid for five years, and Victoria is now creating an educator register (AAP). | A background check is not a register. Governments add a register once the gap is exposed. |
A 2020 study by McCurdy, Sreekumar and Mendes found "only limited empirical evidence" that registration improves client safety (International Social Work). Registration also doesn't stop all harm: the ABC found almost 40 registered mental health workers kept or regained the right to practise after sexual misconduct (ABC News, 2023). Registration is a floor, not a guarantee. But without it, there's no floor at all.
England tried regulating social work inside a health regulator, then moved it to its own regulator in 2019.
England's first social work regulator, abolished in 2012.
A regulator covering many health and care professions, with social work as one of them.
A specialist social work regulator, created by the Children and Social Work Act 2017.
Sources: House of Commons Library; Community Care.
The government first proposed regulating social work directly. After pushback, Social Work England became an arm's-length public body overseen by the Professional Standards Authority. Ministers still appoint its board and sign off its standards, and critics said that made it less independent than the HCPC. Its fee has also started rising: up 33%, from £90 to £120, in December 2025.
The lesson for Australia: a dedicated regulator can fit social work better than a health one. But its independence and fee limits need to be written into the law from day one.
The AASW and BASW are counterpart professional associations. Without a register, the AASW also does jobs that a regulator does in the UK.
| AASW (Australia) | BASW (UK) | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Voluntary professional association | Voluntary professional association |
| Code of ethics, CPD and advocacy | Yes | Yes |
| Accredits social work degrees | Yes | No, Social Work England approves courses |
| Assesses overseas qualifications | Yes, for migration | No, handled through the regulator |
| Controls access to some paid work | Yes: the Medicare mental health credential, and many employers ask for AASW eligibility | No, registration does that |
| Union partner | No formal partner; the ASU, HSU and PSA cover social workers | Social Workers Union, with discounted joint membership |
| Annual fee, senior member | $814 | £307.20 (about A$579) |
In the UK, a social worker pays the regulator for the right to practise, and pays BASW if they want a professional voice. In Australia, the AASW covers parts of both roles, but with no legal power to stop anyone using the title "social worker".
It's a fair question. Fair Go isn't taking a position on it. We believe the social work community should be consulted before anyone decides. Here's what the evidence shows, so the conversation starts from the facts.
Registration would be with a regulator, and it would be the legal requirement to use the title "social worker". AASW membership is with a professional association, and it's voluntary. Most registered professions have both: a compulsory register and an optional association.
Social workers must register with Social Work England. Using the title, or doing work that requires a social worker, without registering is a criminal offence. There's no requirement to join BASW as well: membership is voluntary, and employers check the Social Work England register, not BASW membership (Social Work England, information for employers; BASW).
Psychologists must register with Ahpra to use the title and to claim Medicare. Membership of the Australian Psychological Society is optional. Eligibility for Medicare comes from registration, not from the association (APS).
In England, most statutory social workers are employed by local authorities, the county and city councils. English local authorities are very different from Australian councils: they carry many of the responsibilities our state and territory governments hold.
| Service | England | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Child protection and children's social care | Local authorities | State and territory governments |
| Adult social care, including support for disabled adults | Local authorities (Care Act 2014) | Mostly the NDIS, aged care and state services |
| Education, including special educational needs | Local authorities, as the local education authority | State and territory governments |
| Public health | Local authorities (since 2013) | State and territory governments |
| GPs and hospitals | The NHS, not local authorities | Commonwealth (Medicare) and state and territory governments |
Sources: House of Commons Library on children's social care and local authorities' public health responsibilities; LGIU.
So the Australian counterparts of England's councils are mainly state and territory governments: the largest employers of statutory social workers, and the same governments that would need to pass the laws for a national scheme.
Holds the register, protects the title "social worker", sets practice standards and handles complaints. It could be a new national body or a social work board within Ahpra. Based on Ahpra's fees for similar professions, the fee would be roughly $132 to $473 a year before tax.
Under Ahpra's scheme, professions often have a separate body accredit their courses (psychology uses the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council). This keeps the AASW's expertise at the centre of the system.
Focused on advocacy, CPD, community, ethics leadership and specialist credentials such as the mental health credential. With registration mandatory, membership would need to earn its place on value, which could mean lower fees or tiered options.
The ASU, HSU or PSA could offer a joint deal with the AASW, as the Social Workers Union does with BASW.
For most social workers, that could mean a mandatory fee of about $90 to $322 a year after tax, plus optional AASW membership. Many would pay about what they pay today. In return they'd get legal title protection, public accountability and recognition in every state.
All pages accessed 26 September 2026. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.