Interstate Licensing Compact for Social Work - Draft Available for Public Comment

     The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) has announced that the draft language for the social work licensing compact is ready for review. According to this draft language, “The purpose of this Compact is to facilitate interstate practice of regulated Social Workers with the goal of improving public access to competent Social Work services. The Compact seeks to preserve the regulatory authority of States to protect public health and safety through the current system of State licensure.” Among its objectives, it seeks to “increase public access to Social Work Services by providing for the mutual recognition of other Member State licenses” and “promote mobility and address workforce shortages by eliminating the necessity for licenses in multiple States.”

     The draft language has been under development for more than 18 months and involved representatives from ASWB, the Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and other stakeholders in the profession serving on the project team. The Council of State Governments (CSG) has now published the initial draft language for the social work licensing compact.

     CSG is hosting weekly review sessions to explain the provisions of the compact. These meetings are open to the general public. Register for a review session here.

     Social workers and other interested parties can comment on the draft language now. To submit comments or feedback on the draft language, fill out the online survey.

     The project team’s goal is to complete the editing process in fall of 2022 to make the finalized model legislation available to states for their 2023 legislative sessions. For more information, please visit the dedicated Social Work Compact website, which includes a list of FAQs and other resources.