Why Regulation Elevates the Social Work Profession

by Mary Jo Monahan, MSW, LCSW, ASWB Chief Executive Officer

     I would like to share how licensure and regulation “elevate” social work.

Protecting Clients

     In practicing self-regulation, all social workers voluntarily adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics. When a social worker becomes licensed, the aspirational goals of the Code become a legal obligation. Licensure establishes requirements to demonstrate competency to practice through graduation from an accredited program; experience; good character; and demonstration of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for competent practice. Most importantly, regulation protects clients by providing them recourse and holding the licensed professional accountable to “do no harm.”

Elevating the Profession

     Licensed professions, including social work, are legislatively declared as a “professional practice affecting public health, safety, and welfare and...subject to regulation and control in the public interest.” ASWB’s Model Social Work Practice Act, which offers guidance about best practices for social work regulation, expands on that definition, stating: “only qualified persons be permitted to engage in the practice.” Licensure and regulation thus elevate the profession because the privilege to practice is recognized in law and is something that is earned. Maintaining a license therefore becomes a professional expectation.

Advancing the Individual Social Worker

     Regulation grants title protection and defines a scope of practice, identifying the licensed social worker as a professional. Licensure is a requisite for entry to practice as a clinical social worker throughout the United States. Many U.S. jurisdictions require licensure for master’s social workers and bachelor’s social workers, as well. In fact, there are more than 500,000 licensed social workers in North America, including Canada.  

     By defining social work, regulation explains who may practice and what they may do. Licensed social workers have a wide range of opportunities regarding where they work and whom they serve. They are eligible for insurance reimbursements, including Medicaid and Medicare, which ensure that vulnerable clients have access to quality care. They may be viewed as experts, testifying in court or working on an interdisciplinary team. As professionals, licensed social workers may compete for higher paying positions. Because of the variety of available opportunities, social workers are committed to lifelong learning for competent practice.

     Regulation and licensure “allow social workers to form core standards of how to operate,” says ASWB President Timothy Martel Brown. He has served on the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners for 15 years. “Being on the board and reviewing ethics cases allowed me to see the importance of public protection and how actions of social workers can both positively and negatively affect their clients. It also helps me supervise the practice of social work in my role as an administrator at the Veterans Administration and helps me guide social workers as they assist the veterans they care for.”

     In summary, by becoming licensed, social workers serve the public by embracing the social work values of service, integrity, competence, and social justice. Regulation promotes the profession because it transforms aspirations into legal standards, including ethical behavior and consumer recourse. Licensure allows for a lifetime of practice with opportunities to advance careers. That’s what I call Elevation!     

Mary Jo Monhan, MSW, LCSW, is Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB).