Dapaanz registers both Alcohol and other Drug (AOD) Practitioners and Problem Gambling (PG) Practitioners.

The application and maintenance requirements for dapaanz Registered Practitioners aims to ensure effective, ethical and compassionate professional practice, so people who access addiction services experience positive services and outcomes.

Registration with dapaanz is an assurance of your competencies as an addiction practitioner as measured against the Addiction Intervention Competency Framework.

All dapaanz members, regardless of membership category or type, are also subject to Tikanga Matatika – dapaanz Code of Ethics.

We summarise the registration process below, however for further details, please read our Membership and Practitioner Registration Policy (last issued July 2020) and Recognition of Addictions Qualifications Policy (last issued: March 2021).

Becoming a Registered Practitioner is a two-phased process. Applicants first apply to be a Provisional Practitioner and hold this status for a minimum of 12 months (and up to 36 months if additional addiction qualifications are required), before applying for full registration.

To become registered, an applicant needs to demonstrate that they:

  • Are fit for registration.
  • Have the prescribed qualifications.
  • Are competent to practice.

The competencies which a dapaanz Registered Practitioner needs to demonstrate are outlined in the Addiction Intervention Competency Framework (2011) and include: the Let’s Get Real values and attitudes, the Essential and Practitioner levels of the Foundation competencies, and the specialist Practitioner competencies (Problem Gambling and/or Alcohol and other Drug).

The evidence required to demonstrate the above criteria includes:

  • Qualifications which demonstrate the competencies.
  • At least 12 months’ employment in addiction clinical practice (including 1000 hours of work with clients – of which 500 hours must be direct client contact), supported by a Manager’s Report to confirm demonstration of satisfactory ethical and competency standards.
  • A Supervisor’s Report to confirm supervision has occurred and which endorses the applicant’s competence and their ethical standards.
  • Disclosure and Declaration of any: previous convictions of a criminal offence; disciplinary action from an employer; or upheld complaints about professional practice.
  • Code of Ethics: The applicant agrees to work within Tikanga Matatika: Dapaanz Code of Ethics (2020).
  • Continuing Professional Development: When renewing registration, the applicant needs to confirm they have carried out the required amount and type of professional development during the previous year.

Read our Registration Policy for more detail.

To become a Provisional Practitioner, your qualification must be:

  • A Level 7 Bachelor qualification, or higher, on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) Education Framework. (The only exception to an applied bachelor’s degree is the Level 7 Te Taketake Diploma in Applied Addiction Counselling).
  • Relevant i.e., teaches and assesses learning related to the foundation competencies of the Addiction Intervention Competency Framework (2011), including knowledge and skills related to supporting people with health or social issues, such as assessment, talking therapies and case management. Graduates must be able to conduct a psychosocial assessment, formulate a logical intervention plan, and deliver an intervention.
  • Applied i.e., teaching and assessment of clinical practice that includes interpersonal therapeutic skills relevant to addiction practice; as well as an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills within a work context, through a clinically supervised and assessed practicum of at least 120 hours in a clinical setting.

Qualifications which meet provisional registration criteria include:

OR

  • An applied Bachelor’s degree, or higher, in social work, counselling, nursing, medicine, occupational therapy, or similar that demonstrates HPCA health professional competencies.

If you do not hold one of these applied qualifications, your pathway to registration will be longer – you will need to complete one of the dapaanz- recognised, applied addiction qualifications to qualify for provisional registration.

See the Pathways to registration – qualification requirements table below to see your steps to provisional and full registration.

(click to see full size)

Important points to remember:

  • The following Bachelor’s degrees tend NOT to be applied: Art (Psychology), Science (Psychology), Health Sciences, Social Sciences, or Youth Development.
  • We can only consider international qualifications if they have been assessed as equivalent to New Zealand qualification requirements by NZQA.
  • All qualifications must include supervised and assessed clinical practice of at least 120 hours.
  • These 120 hours qualify you for provisional registration. They do not count towards the required clinical practice hours for full registration.

Please contact us if you have any queries related to qualifications you currently have, or are thinking about pursuing.

To become a registered practitioner, you must have:

  • Completed a dapaanz-recognised, applied addiction qualification. The only exception is for provisional practitioners with an applied bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Social Work, Medicine, Counselling, or similar. Full registration for these practitioners is dependent on completion of either a dapaanz-recognised, applied addiction qualification OR an approved addictions qualification (nonapplied) that covers the addiction specific competencies in the Addiction Intervention Competency Framework.
  • A minimum of 12 months provisional registration.
  • Completed at least 12 months of supervised addiction clinical practice (including 1000 hours of work with clients – of which 500 hours must be direct client contact). Your manager and dapaanz accredited clinical supervisor will need to endorse this and that you are practising competently and ethically.
  • Earned 100 continuing professional development (CPD) points over the 12 months prior to applying for full registration.

The following qualifications meet the requirements for full registration for provisionally registered practitioners who have an applied Bachelor in Nursing, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Medicine, Counselling or similar (that has been approved by dapaanz):

Find out more about applying for registration, or contact us.