The National Social Work Qualifications Board (NSWQB) was established under the Health (Corporate Bodies) Act 1961 (as amended in 1996 and confirmed by the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2007) by Statutory Instrument No. 97 of 1997 and S.I. 230 of 2007.
It is the designated authority for the profession of social work in Ireland under EU Directive 2005/36/EC. The NSWQB operates under the Freedom of Information Acts, 1997 and 2003.
The Board of the NSWQB, appointed by the Minister for Health & Children, includes representatives from the main sectors of social work, e.g. professional bodies, employers, universities, and unions, as well as consumer representation.
The mission of the NSWQB is to sustain and develop quality social work education and training, so as to ensure social workers are equipped to work and contribute effectively to statutory, voluntary and community social services.
The NSWQB considers that the profession of social work necessitates both a professional body of knowledge and skills and also the foundation of a broad education in the social sciences. Such education should equip professionals to be skilled practitioners including counsellors, disciplined thinkers and to have enquiring and analytical minds. Social workers must be educated to respond to changing circumstances and to apply existing and new knowledge and skills. Education and training should therefore emphasise the importance of self-directed learning with a focus on the use of research based and other sources of knowledge and information. It should also be viewed as a life-long, evolving process, facilitated and actively encouraged by all employing organisations through continuous professional education.
The NSWQB works for and promotes:
Underpinning social work, and social work education and training, are ethical standards and values as expressed in national and international social work codes of ethics, and in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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