Social Workers have been part of APEX since 2012, primarily in Te Tai Tokerau, working across both hospital and community settings. While we are one of the smaller divisions within APEX, we are a committed and growing group, and we welcome other groups of Social Workers to the team.

Prior to pay equity, Social Workers had one of the most straightforward and accessible merit progression processes. Should career framework fail to deliver, we would hope to return to our previous system so members can continue progressing in their careers. 

More recently, APEX played a crucial role in establishing the Social Worker Department. This ensured social workers are directly represented in management-level decision-making and brought greater consistency across the workforce, rather than leaving decisions to individual (non-social work) managers making decisions seemingly at whim.

Looking ahead, we are about to establish a working party to review Continuing Professional Development (CPD) processes. Our goal is to ensure CPD funding is allocated transparently and fairly, with the long-term aim of having an individual allocation for each member.

Join APEX. Be part of a union that advocates specifically for social workers.