Social Work Licensure Compact on track for implementation timeline
Commission following focused, inclusive processes to implement compact
Twenty-eight states have adopted the Social Work Licensure Compact as of June 2025. Compact Commission committees are meeting regularly to develop proposed rules, consider financial resources and needs, and plan next steps for implementation.
ASWB’s Senior Director of Member Engagement and Regulatory Services Jennifer Henkel, LCSW, CAE, reports that the commission is on track to begin offering multi-state licenses in 2026. “The social work compact has benefited from valuable lessons learned from other professional compacts,” Henkel says, “enabling social work to move more rapidly.”
Currently, the commission is accepting responses to an RFP for a centralized data system to support the Social Work Licensure Compact. The deadline for responses is next week, and the commission hopes to have a vendor selected this summer.
It will take time before multi-state licenses are issued, but the Compact Commission is committed to ensuring the implementation process is both inclusive and focused.
Social workers and social work regulators who want to keep up with the implementation process can find detailed minutes for the commission and its committees on the Social Work Licensure Compact website: swcompact.org. Both commission and committee meetings allow for public questions and comments. The compact website also includes educational resources for stakeholders who want to advocate for adoption in additional states.
“It will take time before multi-state licenses are issued,” Henkel says, “but the Compact Commission is committed to ensuring the implementation process is both inclusive and focused.”