| Continuing Education FAQs |
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All social workers licensed by the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Work (Licensing Board) are required to obtain continuing education (CE) as a condition for renewal of their licenses in order to promote and enhance the professional competence of all licensed social workers. Licensees must complete the required amount of continuing education hours prior to the renewal of their license, unless they are exempt from such requirements or is entitled to pro-rate such requirements. A free copy of the Rules and Regulations: 258 CMR can be downloaded free of charge at the Licensing Board’s website. SEE ALSO:Licensing FAQsSupervision FAQs Massachusetts Social Work Continuing Education Information has been prepared as a service to NASW Members, authorized by The Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Work. Continuing Education Frequently Asked Questions
HOW LONG IS THE SOCIAL WORK LICENSURE PERIOD?Renewals are due every two years. As of 10/1/20, renewals dates have shifted to birthdates. WHEN MUST CE REQUIREMENTS BE COMPLETED?CE requirements must be completed before the date of individual license renewal. Licensees will be required to sign their renewal form affirming that they have completed the required number of continuing education hours. Licenses should not be renewed until CE requirements are completed. Social Workers may not practice with an expired license. The Licensing Board conducts random CE audits following licensure renewal. A licensee must provide the board with documentation of CE hours only if you are selected for audit. Please be aware that failure to provide documentation may result in disciplinary action. HOW MANY CEs ARE REQUIRED FOR EACH LICENSURE PERIOD?Licensees must complete the required amount of continuing education hours prior to the renewal of their license, unless they are exempt from such requirements or is entitled to pro-rate such requirements: LICSW: 30 hours • LCSW: 20 hours • LSW: 15 hours • LSWA: 10 hours Exemption for Licensed State, County, or Municipal Social WorkersA social worker who holds a license to practice social work issued by the Licensing Board, but who provides social work services exclusively in their capacity as an employee of a unit of state, county, or municipal government located within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is exempt from the CE requirements for their level of licensure. If you are selected for the Continuing Education Audit and are exempt from the requirements you will be provided an affidavit to sign attesting to said exemption. Please remember that in order to be considered exempt you must have worked solely for one of the aforementioned entities for the entire licensure cycle for which you are renewing. Pro-ration of Continuing Education RequirementsThe current CE requirements are pro-rated based on the individualized expiration date of your license and requirements are pro-rated by quarters. The length of a quarter is 1/4 of your current individualized licensing period. A social worker who first receives their license during the:
*All social work licenses expire on your next birthday as of 10/01/20. Are there any specific types of CEs required?NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL: Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination DPH Domestic Violence Training
WHO DO MY CEUs NEED TO BE APPROVED BY? Only CE programs offered by or accredited by a Recognized Entity--an educational institution, professional organization, or other entity which has been recognized or authorized by the Licensing Board to sponsor, conduct or approve continuing education programs in social work, are acceptable. *All licensees must receive a minimum of 75% of their continuing education credit in courses approved for social work continuing education by a recognized entity set forth in 258 CMR, 31.04 (2). The Massachusetts Licensing Board recognizes the following entities:
Other organizations or individuals providing CE programs to social workers can apply to obtain CE authorization for their programs through the NASW-MA Chapter to review prospective sponsoring organization programs for CE approval. For any CE program, a participant must attend 100% of the program to receive CE hours. All CE programs must have a Social Work Authorization number. Program sponsors are required to issue certificates of attendance bearing an authorization number to participants. **While licensees may receive all of their continuing education from the above noted recognized entities, up to 25% of continuing education credit may be obtained through courses that have been approved for other professions by the following organizations AND contribute to the professional competence of the social work licensee. In order to be accepted for continuing education credit, the program must be an organized learning experience, be at least fifty (50) minutes in length, and contribute to the growth of professional competence in social work practice. Go to http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/licensee/dpl-boards/sw/regulations/rules-and-regs/258-cmr-3100.html for "Program Content Requirements", 258 CMR 31.04 (1). The Licensing Board has approved the following organizations:
Continuing education credit will not be given for programs that do not apply directly to and "contribute to the growth of professional competence in social work practice." Programs focused on marketing skills, management or other business skills, or computer proficiency skills will not be considered acceptable, as those types of courses are intended to enhance business skills, and not social work skills. Please note that Professional Development Points (PDPs) gained through Professional Development Programs provided by a school system will not be accepted. All programs must have an Authorization number from one of the above noted entities. Program sponsors are required to issue certificates of attendance bearing an authorization number to participants. WHERE CAN I ATTEND IN-PERSON CE EVENTS AND CLASSES?NASW-MA offer Live CE Events to the public that cover a variety of topics. Visit the calendar to see upcoming live CE events!
ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES TO IN-PERSON CE EVENTS AND CLASSES?Yes! Distance courses are legitimate alternatives to attending live conferences. They must be offered by a recognized social work entity or by one of the approved professional associations. A post-test to evaluate the participant’s learning must be administered. Different from face-to-face contact for the delivery of continuing education, distance learning includes home study through studying a book or article, audio or video tape and completing a post-test, as well as interactive course work completed using the internet. NASW MA offers distance learning alternatives in our FOCUS newsletter. Simply Read the CE program presented in the newsletter, complete the post test and evaluation, and mail it to the Chapter office with your check. Score an 80% or better and NASW MA will mail you a certificate for your CEs. It’s that easy! You can get all of your CEs online if you so choose at The Social Work Online CE Institute. The Social Work Online CE Institute features audio, text, and video webinar courses produced by NASW Chapters.
The Social Work Online Institute offers three types of courses:
Additionally, the national NASW office offers a National NASW Lunchtime Webinar Series: Short for Web-based seminars, Webinars are presentations, lectures, workshops, or seminars transmitted over the Web using video conferencing software. WHAT RECORDS OF PROGRAM ATTENDANCE MUST I MAINTAIN?Licensees should keep a record of their Continuing Education (CE) hours including course names, dates, number of hours, and where relevant, authorization number and/or authorizing body. Licensees are required to keep certificates of completion or other written evidence of completion provided by sponsor/program for 4 years. All certificates should include name, license number, date, title, length of program, and who it was approved by. Do not submit materials to the Licensing Board unless requested. Falsification of reports of CE hours may result in disciplinary action. It is the licensee’s responsibility to maintain appropriate documentation demonstrating that all programs submitted meet the Licensing Board’s continuing education requirements as summarized above and/ or as found in the Board’s Regulations at 258 CMR 31.00. http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/licensee/dpl-boards/sw/#31.05. WHAT ABOUT CEs FOR LICENSED SOCIAL WORKERS IN BSW, MSW, DSW or PhD PROGRAMS?Their courses meet CE requirements if the school is accredited by CSWE. One CE unit is given for every course hour. Transcripts must be available to the Licensing Board if requested. Yes, employment status is irrelevant concerning your Massachusetts social work license. You need to earn the correct amount of continuing education credits for your particular license level for renewal. I ATTENDED A CONFERENCE THAT DID NOT PROVIDE SOCIAL WORK CEUs. CAN I APPLY FOR CEUs AS AN INDIVIDUAL?No, you cannot apply to earn social work CEUs for a course you attended, the organization that puts on the course needs to apply for them. If the organization is willing to apply to provide social work CEUs, please feel free to direct them to our site: https://www.naswma.org/page/222 to start the application process. Please note: there is an application fee. If they are willing to fill out the application but not pay the fee and if you are willing to pay the fee that’s fine, but they would still need to fill out the application. I PRESENTED/TAUGHT/PUBLISHED A CE PROGRAM. CAN I RECEIVE CEUs?Yes, you can earn social work CEUs toward your license renewal for presenting, teaching, or publishing relevant, acceptable social work material. There is an online application process to be completed through the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Social Workers, which can be accessed by signing into your account on the licensing portal.
Please note: This is NOT for people attending a course/class that has not been approved for social work CEUs. An attendee CANNOT apply for social work CEUs for a course/class. WHAT ABOUT LICENSE RENEWAL?It is your responsibility to renew your license before it expires. You can look at your license for the new renewal date https://checkahealthlicense.mass.gov or check the eLicensing portal: https://healthprofessionlicensing.mass.gov. This is true even if you received your license just months before the renewal date. Renewals are sent approximately 90 days prior to renewal date and you should receive renewal information. It is the licensee’s responsibility to ensure that the address on file at the Licensing Board is current and can be changed on the eLicensing portal: https://healthprofessionlicensing.mass.gov License Renewal Fees: LICSW: $82.00 • LCSW: $68.00 • LSW: $54.00 • LSWA: $42.00 IF YOU DON’T RECEIVE A RENEWAL APPLICATION, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GET ONE FROM THE LICENSING BOARD. CALL 617-624-6161.
09/24/2024 |
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