U.S. social work regulations and licensure exemptions

U.S. social work regulations and licensure exemptions

Prepared by Cara Sanner ASWB Member Services

January 24, 2018

Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 1

Overview..................................................................................................................................................... 1

Summary..................................................................................................................................................... 2

Professional exemptions for social workers ....................................................................................................... 2 Professional exemptions for non-social workers ................................................................................................ 7 Grandparenting provisions.................................................................................................................................. 9 Social work regulations pertaining to licensure exemptions ....................................................................... 10

Alabama............................................................................................................................................................. 10 Alaska ................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Arizona............................................................................................................................................................... 11 Arkansas ............................................................................................................................................................ 12 California ........................................................................................................................................................... 12 Colorado ............................................................................................................................................................ 14 Connecticut ....................................................................................................................................................... 15 Delaware ........................................................................................................................................................... 16 District of Columbia........................................................................................................................................... 16 Florida................................................................................................................................................................ 17 Georgia .............................................................................................................................................................. 18 Guam ................................................................................................................................................................. 22 Hawaii ................................................................................................................................................................ 24 Idaho.................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Illinois ................................................................................................................................................................ 25 Indiana............................................................................................................................................................... 25 Iowa ................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Kansas................................................................................................................................................................ 26 Kentucky ............................................................................................................................................................ 26 Louisiana............................................................................................................................................................ 27 Maine................................................................................................................................................................. 28 Maryland ........................................................................................................................................................... 28 Massachusetts................................................................................................................................................... 28 Michigan ............................................................................................................................................................ 30 Minnesota ......................................................................................................................................................... 30 Mississippi ......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Missouri ............................................................................................................................................................. 32 Montana ............................................................................................................................................................ 32 Nebraska............................................................................................................................................................ 32 Nevada............................................................................................................................................................... 33 New Hampshire ................................................................................................................................................. 34 New Jersey......................................................................................................................................................... 34 New Mexico....................................................................................................................................................... 35 New York ........................................................................................................................................................... 35 North Carolina ................................................................................................................................................... 38 North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................... 39

U.S. social work regulations and licensure exemptions

As of January 24, 2018

Northern Mariana Islands ................................................................................................................................. 39 Ohio ................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Oklahoma .......................................................................................................................................................... 41 Oregon............................................................................................................................................................... 42 Pennsylvania...................................................................................................................................................... 42 Rhode Island ...................................................................................................................................................... 42 South Carolina ................................................................................................................................................... 43 South Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................... 43 Tennessee.......................................................................................................................................................... 43 Texas.................................................................................................................................................................. 44 Utah ................................................................................................................................................................... 45 Vermont............................................................................................................................................................. 49 Virgin Islands ..................................................................................................................................................... 50 Virginia............................................................................................................................................................... 51 Washington ....................................................................................................................................................... 51 West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................... 52 Wisconsin .......................................................................................................................................................... 52 Wyoming ........................................................................................................................................................... 53

U.S. social work regulations and licensure exemptions

As of January 24, 2018

Introduction

This report examines exemptions from social work licensure requirements as found in U.S. social work regulations. The following jurisdictions were included in the regulations review: all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories of the Virgin Islands and Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) maintains a database of social work regulatory requirements in the United States and Canada. The information is published online at . To access requirements for regulated licenses, click on the link "Detailed Reports: Compare license information." Jurisdictional requirements and policies can be found using the link "Detailed Reports: Compare Jurisdiction Information."

To learn more about a specific jurisdiction's requirements and for the most up-to-date regulatory information, use the link provided on the ASWB website.

Contact Cara Sanner with questions or comments about ASWB's online regulatory reports or the information in this report.

Overview

Even as states introduced social work licensing requirements to promote public protection and ensure minimum competency for social work practitioners, exemptions were also adopted to allow selected groups of individuals to practice without a license. Over the years as social work regulations have evolved, legislation continues to be amended to keep pace with the growth of the profession; however, licensure exemptions remain in most states. This report identifies exemptions found in U.S. social work regulations and the groups of individuals who are permitted to engage in social work practice without a license.

To facilitate a summary of licensure exemptions, categories were created according to how groups are identified in regulations. Broadly, exemptions were classified into the following categories:

? Professional exemptions for social workers ? Professional exemptions for non-social workers ? Grandparenting provisions

Groups included under professional exemptions include individuals who receive remuneration for social work services and individuals who do not directly receive payment for the provision of social work services. Every exemption reviewed in regulations was assigned to one of these two groups. Grandparenting exempts individuals from licensure requirements because of provisions established at the time that regulations were enacted.

Please note: In some instances, regulations permit individuals to be exempted only if they do not hold themselves out to be social workers. If regulations contain a scope of practice, exemptions do not apply to individuals performing social work services defined therein. Additionally, exemptions may highlight a specific group of individuals, but it is not clear if that group is identifying as social workers or even engaging in social work practice. The reviewer did not note these types of instances, nor is it the intention of ASWB to interpret a jurisdiction's regulations regarding exemptions. Information is merely reported as it is found in regulations as of the date of this report.

U.S. social work regulations and licensure exemptions

1

As of January 24, 2018

Excerpts from all U.S. social work regulations containing license exemptions appear on pages 10 through 54. A summary of exemptions is provided in the following pages using the framework discussed.

Summary

Professional exemptions for social workers

A total of 65 unique exemptions were identified in the professional social worker exemptions category (i.e.,

where exemptions covered individuals engaged in social work practice for financial compensation). Two or more states adopted 16 of the professional social worker exemptions; the remaining 49 exemptions were

adopted by one state only. The table at right lists the number of professional social worker exemptions in

descending order, with the corresponding number of states. In total, 164 instances of professional exemptions were identified in 40 states.

The tables on the following pages provide further details about professional licensing exemptions. Table 2 lists the 16 exemptions

Table 1. Practice exemptions (professional social worker)

Number of exemptions adopted

Number of states

11

1

found in two or more states. A number is assigned that can be

9

1

referenced with Table 3, which lists each of the states that have

8

1

adopted these exemptions. Table 4 lists the remaining 49

7

3

exemptions adopted in one state only.

6

6

5

2

Professional exemptions could not be found in the following 14

4

7

states: Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Missouri,

3

9

Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota,

2

4

Virgin Islands, and Wisconsin.

1

6

U.S. social work regulations and licensure exemptions

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As of January 24, 2018

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