Social Service Professions Act, 1978 (Act No. 110 of 1978)RegulationsRegulations Defining the Scope of Practice of the Profession of Social Work2. Scope of social work |
| (1) | The following acts fall within the scope of practice of the profession of social work: |
| (a) | any function, power, duty or obligation conferred, assigned, or imposed by any Act of Parliament on a social worker; |
| (b) | providing counselling, psychoeducational, supportive, treatment, evaluation, developmental, therapeutic and referral services to any person through the application of evidence based social work interventions; |
| (c) | social-legal issues in relation to social work interventions; |
| (d) | assessing risks, social functioning and psychosocial aspects associated with any person; |
| (e) | provide prevention, early intervention, statutory, residential and alternative care, and reunification and aftercare services as part of continuum of interrelated interventions; |
| (f) | formulate intervention plans, interventions, referring, monitoring and evaluation of clients; |
| (g) | crisis intervention to provide support, protection and/or trauma counselling to clients who are vulnerable or are at risk; |
| (h) | training, education and supervision of other registered social workers, social auxiliary workers, student social auxiliary worker and student social workers; |
| (i) | perform social work assessments utilising assessment tools approved by the Professional Board for Social Work; |
| (j) | facilitate the continuing competence of registered social workers, social auxiliary, student social auxiliary worker and student social workers through continuing professional development opportunities; |
| (k) | case management; |
| (l) | design, conduct, manage, report on, and supervising research into the theory and practice of social work in accordance with the Policy on the Course of Conduct, Code of Ethics and the Rules for Social Workers registered under the Act and accepted national and international ethical requirements for research; |
| (m) | develop, contribute to, promote, influence, implement, analyse and evaluate policies aimed at improving social conditions, social change, equality and social justice based on social work theory and research; |
| (n) | advocacy in relation to social inequalities, social justice and human rights to improve social work outcomes for individuals, groups and communities and long terms sustainable social development; |
| (o) | community based care and capacity building; |
| (p) | providing services to challenge and change all forms of discriminatory and oppressive social structures, particularly those related to class, race and gender; or |
| (q) | providing expert evidence and/or opinions. |
| (2) | A student social worker may perform, on the instructions and under under the direct control, supervision and guidance of a social worker, any of the acts prescribed in sub-regulation (1), and delegated to him or her by that social worker as part of his or her education and training guided by Council approved norms and standards for practice experience. |