CPD for Social Workers in Australia

Understand the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) landscape for social workers in Australia, including AASW annual CPD requirements, the three CPD categories, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker requirements, Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS) CPD, and more.

Last reviewed: 2 September 2026

Jump to section:

An overview of CPD requirements for social workers in Australia
What is considered Continuing Professional Development (CPD)?
Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS) CPD requirements
How CPD supports effective professional practice
Popular CPD courses and training undertaken by social workers

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the process through which social workers maintain, improve and broaden their professional knowledge, skills, expertise and competence throughout their careers.

In Australia, social work is not currently one of the professions regulated nationally through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme. The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) is the national professional body for social workers and sets professional standards for its members through its Code of Ethics, Practice Standards, accreditation and credentialing frameworks.

Under the current AASW Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Policy, practising AASW members (excluding student and retired members) are required to undertake annual CPD. The AASW CPD cycle runs from 1 July to 30 June, and completion of the minimum annual CPD requirements enables eligible members to attain or maintain Accredited Social Worker status.

The standard annual requirement is 30 hours of CPD, divided across three categories:

Category 1 – Supervision: 10 hours. This includes receiving professional supervision and may also include professional mentoring, coaching or relevant professional consultation.
Category 2 – Skills and Knowledge: 15 hours. This includes structured activities designed to develop professional knowledge and competence, such as courses, workshops, webinars, conferences, academic study, research and structured self-directed learning.
Category 3 – Professional Identity: 5 hours. This includes activities that contribute to engagement with and development of the social work profession, such as professional networking, participating in practice groups or committees, advocacy, presenting or publishing professional material, providing supervision or mentoring, and contributing to the learning of other social workers.

All CPD activities and supporting evidence should be recorded in the member’s electronic My CPD Record by 30 June of the relevant CPD year.

AASW credential holders have additional requirements relating to their field of practice. For most specialist credentials, at least 20 hours of Category 2 and Category 3 CPD must be linked to the relevant credential or Practice Career. Accredited Mental Health Social Workers have specific mental health and Focussed Psychological Strategies requirements, which are outlined below.

The AASW also provides mechanisms for reduced CPD requirements or extensions in certain special circumstances. Social workers should refer to the current AASW CPD Policy for requirements applicable to their individual circumstances.

Note on social worker registration: Social work is not currently regulated nationally under AHPRA’s National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.

What is considered Continuing Professional Development (CPD)?

The AASW defines CPD broadly as activities that contribute to a social worker’s learning and professional development. An activity does not need to be formally recognised or accredited by a particular organisation to qualify as CPD, provided it is relevant to the social worker’s professional development and meets the requirements of the appropriate CPD category.

Examples include:

receiving professional supervision, mentoring, coaching or consultation;
attending courses, workshops, conferences, seminars and webinars;
completing structured online learning;
undertaking academic study or research;
completing structured self-directed learning;
participating in professional groups, committees and networking activities;
contributing to advocacy, policy, research or professional publications; and
providing supervision, mentoring, presentations or other professional learning to colleagues.

Ordinary day-to-day social work duties, such as routine counselling or casework, are not in themselves considered CPD. However, specific learning and development activities undertaken in connection with a person’s work may qualify.

The AASW does not endorse external CPD providers or individual external CPD activities. Members may undertake professional development through external providers and are responsible for determining its relevance, allocating it to the appropriate CPD category and recording the activity and supporting evidence in their My CPD Record.

Mental Health Academy courses are structured professional learning activities and will generally fall within Category 2: Skills and Knowledge, provided the individual course is relevant to the social worker’s professional learning needs. Social workers remain responsible for determining how an activity applies to their own AASW CPD requirements.

Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS) CPD requirements

Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS) are evidence-based mental health treatment strategies recognised under the Australian Government’s Better Access initiative.

The recognised FPS areas include:

Psycho-education, including Motivational Interviewing
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), including behavioural interventions (such as Behavioural Activation Therapy), behavioural modification, exposure techniques, activity scheduling, cognitive interventions and cognitive therapy
Relaxation strategies, including progressive muscle relaxation and controlled breathing
Skills training, including problem-solving, anger management, social skills training, communication training, stress management and parent management training
Interpersonal therapy
Narrative therapy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Eye-Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR)

The AASW also notes that approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Schema Therapy may be considered relevant where their content aligns with recognised CBT/FPS components.

CPD requirements for Accredited Mental Health Social Workers

Accredited Mental Health Social Workers (AMHSWs) must complete 30 hours of CPD each financial year. Within those 30 hours:

10 hours must be Category 1: Supervision;
15 hours must be Category 2: Skills and Knowledge;
5 hours must be Category 3: Professional Identity;
at least 20 hours of Category 2 and Category 3 CPD must be relevant to mental health practice; and
at least 10 of those hours must be relevant to Focussed Psychological Strategies and recorded under Category 2.

The annual FPS requirement is also reflected in Medicare’s Better Access requirements for eligible social workers providing FPS services. The relevant CPD year runs from 1 July to 30 June. Part-time providers are subject to the same 10-hour annual FPS requirement as full-time providers.

Not every hour of a broader mental health course will necessarily qualify as FPS CPD. Social workers are responsible for determining which components of an activity relate specifically to recognised FPS areas and should record their CPD accordingly.

Mental Health Academy offers a dedicated collection of courses covering many of the therapies and interventions recognised within the FPS framework.

How CPD supports effective professional practice

Continuing Professional Development plays an important role in helping health and social care professionals maintain their knowledge, competence and professional practice throughout their careers.

A systematic review by Main and Anderson (2023), conducted to inform continuing professional development standards for regulated health practitioners in Australia, found that CPD can improve practitioner knowledge and professional behaviour. Interactive learning, the use of multiple learning methods and repeated exposure to learning over time were associated with stronger outcomes. The review also found that e-learning can be as effective as face-to-face learning.

Evidence directly linking CPD participation to improved client or patient outcomes is less conclusive, and there is no established universal number of CPD hours that produces optimal outcomes across professions and areas of practice.

For social workers, effective CPD therefore involves more than accumulating hours. The AASW’s approach encourages practitioners to maintain contemporary knowledge and skills, participate in professional supervision, develop their professional identity and select learning that is relevant to their practice and professional responsibilities.

These principles are consistent with the AASW Practice Standards 2023, which place responsibility on social workers to maintain and develop their professional knowledge, skills and competence throughout their careers.alth outcomes” (Cervero & Gaines, 2015).

Mental Health Academy offers 650+ CPD courses covering hundreds of topics in mental health and professional practice. Structured MHA courses will generally fall within AASW Category 2: Skills and Knowledge where the content is relevant to the social worker’s learning needs and professional practice. Social workers are responsible for determining the relevance of each activity and recording it appropriately within their AASW CPD Record.

Some of the most popular MHA courses undertaken by social workers include:

Evidence-based therapies and clinical interventions

Families, parenting and couples

Children and adolescents

Diversity and multicultural competence

Suicide prevention and risk assessment

Addiction

Trauma-informed care

Therapist self-care

Visit the MHA catalogue for a full list of available courses, and become a member to access 750+ hours of learning, available online and on-demand, 24/7, for less than $1 per day.

References

Australian Association of Social Workers. (2020). Code of Ethics 2020. Australian Association of Social Workers.
Australian Association of Social Workers. (2023). Practice Standards 2023. Australian Association of Social Workers.
Australian Association of Social Workers. (2025). Continuing Professional Development Policy (Version 4.2, June 2025). Australian Association of Social Workers.
Australian Association of Social Workers. (2026). Accredited Mental Health Social Worker Application Criteria. Australian Association of Social Workers.
Australian Association of Social Workers. (2026). CPD FAQs. Australian Association of Social Workers.
Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. (2026). Better Access fact sheet – professionals. Australian Government.
Main, P. A. E., & Anderson, S. (2023). Evidence for continuing professional development standards for regulated health practitioners in Australia: A systematic review. Human Resources for Health, 21, Article 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-023-00803-x
Medicare Benefits Schedule. (2026). Better Access Initiative: Provision of Focussed Psychological Strategies. Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

Duration	1 hour
Format	video

An overview of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for social workers in Australia, including annual CPD requirements, what qualifies as CPD, Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS) CPD, and more.