On the 15th January 2021, The Minister of Social Development published amendments to the Regulations (Social Service Professions Act No. 110 of 1978) with the intended increase of fees payable by Social Workers, Child and Youth Care Workers, Social Auxiliary Workers, Auxiliary Child and Youth Care Workers, Student Social Workers, and Student and Child Youth Care Workers for 2021. The proposed changes to the regulations were done without consultation with the affected parties, including social work students.
The proposed changes to the regulations included a fee increase from R217.00 to R250.00 and the introduction of a new annual fee of R100.00 per year after that until the completion of the degree.
On 9th February, ASASWEI hosted a Zoom meeting with B.S.W. students and recent graduates, informing them of the increase, how it will affect students, and how we can contribute to preventing this change.
During the meeting, a group of students created a student WhatsApp group to provide a supportive platform to help students address these concerns and submit their submissions correctly.
The students successfully achieved their goal within three days before the deadline against the proposed changes by collectively gathering 413 student signatures from 6 universities.
The students decided to form the group into a national student association to address future issues that students might face, and The South African Student Social Workers Association (SASSWA) was born.
SASSWA is currently in the forming stages and hopes to provide a united voice for students from all 16 universities and develop excellence in students through SASSWA offered workshops and training.