New Zealand is shifting to mandatory registration of all social workers by 2021 and the Social Workers Registration Board is implementing these changes. The SWRB is the Crown regulatory authority responsible for the registration of social workers. Its primary function is to protect the safety of the public by ensuring that when social workers come onto the register, they are competent, fit to practise, and accountable for the way in which they practise. To date, this has been done by voluntary registration. Under a mandatory regime there is an expectation that registration and issuing practising certificates must be done in a quality and timely manner, and decisions on conduct notifications must be robust. This also becomes far more important for social workers – they cannot work as a social worker without registration and a current practising certificate.

The current database has been in place for over ten years and is no longer fit for purpose for the future we envisage. We need a database that can provide the customer relationship management of membership/association databases delivered through a cloud as a service model.

The Social Workers Registration Board is looking for credible providers who have the capability and experience to provide a database that supports the regulatory requirements for maintaining a register of social workers and managing the professional standards processes. The SWRB will seek a strategic collaborative relationship with the successful supplier given the proposed length of the contract, the level of desired trust and communication with the supplier, and the approach to managing risk. As the SWRB is a small organisation, cost will be a significant driver.