Continuing professional development for accredited mental health social workers : an evaluative study

This article considers how the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) has responded to the recommendations made by accredited mental health social workers in the first national study on continuing professional development needs in 2010. The aim of the study was to ascertain the responsiveness of the AASW to the recommendations made so that members knew if their concerns had been listened to. A five-year timeframe was considered timely for such a review. An evaluative approach was used in August 2015 sourcing data from both public and private domains from 2010 to 2015 to identify, and not appraise or critique, how the AASW had responded to the recommendations in the 2010 review. This is in acknowledgment that there may be other reasons influencing changes made and that these may not be a direct response to the 2010 survey recommendations. The study found that all recommendations made in the 2010 review were responded to by the AASW. [Author abstract