What is Social Work?

Social Work aims to identify and work to resolve barriers to a person’s participation in rehabilitation (getting you back on track in the event of an illness of injury). Barriers include lack of motivation, family dynamics, relationship and carer stress, social isolation, housing, financial difficulties, and secondary gain (benefitting in some way through an inability to be active).

Active⁺ can help assist clients to develop their skills and abilities to utilise their own resources and those of their local communities. The role of the social worker is to assist clients, and their families to strengthen existing relationships and to build new community connections. The focus is on the individual and their family, and their social and community environment. 

When do you need a Social Worker? 

Active⁺ Social Workers initially carry out social and family needs assessments, from the client’s perspective, including the impact of injury on quality of life, of carers and other significant family members. We also assess for child protection concerns and indicators of family violence, and refer to mandated agencies as required. 

Following assessment, Social Workers establish goals with our clients and develop intervention plans. We link clients to appropriate community supports and refer them (where applicable) to alternative funding streams. 

If you need it, some of our Social Workers are able to offer couple and family counselling.

We’re qualified to help

Active⁺ is nationwide and Social Workers are located in every region. All Social Workers have to be New Zealand Registered and have had previous experience in the health and disability sectors. We adhere to professional competence and quality standards, as mandated by the New Zealand Social Work Registration Board, which informs our clinical practice, including participating in regular professional supervision. We pride ourselves on our ability to be proactive in recognising the benefits of social work intervention in client rehabilitation.

We are one of the few organisations in New Zealand that has a national pool of social work expertise based in regional localities. Our Social Workers have local knowledge and community cultural expertise, along with established working relationships with local agencies. We work collaboratively and take a holistic collegial team approach to assessments and intervention.

We keep up to date with the ongoing training opportunities provided by Active⁺ and the Social Work Professional Association.

Get in touch

If you would like to find out more information about how a Social Worker can help you, a family member or a friend, get in contact with our Head Office team.  

Please note however that currently our social work services are restricted to those clients that have been referred to us from ACC. We are not currently accepting referrals for private social work interventions. Clients requiring a private practitioner can contact their GP or local Community Health Service who can suggest a clinician.

For urgent assistance, please contact the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO). Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor.