SOCIAL WORK LICENSING 101

Where are we now?

Voluntary registration systems are all but gone.

Characterizing laws as either “licensure” or “certification” is less accurate than it used to be—when it comes to legal regulation, “licensure” and “certification” are essentially interchangeable. While “certification” is often associated with voluntary or credential systems, this isn’t always the case.

The real difference in laws? Whether the law is a title protection law or a practice act. When people talk about certification versus licensure, often what they’re really describing are the differences between title protection and practice acts.