News

My first anniversary as ASWB’s CEO is an opportunity for deep reflection. While I am looking back on a year unprecedented in ASWB’s history — and the social work profession’s history — I  am also focused on the future of social work regulation.

As part of our ongoing investment in creating competence measures for the future of social work, ASWB has invited social workers to share their experiences with social work licensing and the licensing exams via two independent research efforts.

In a sense, all regulators are public members, but some bring social work expertise to the table.

Social Work Licensure Compact bills were introduced in 10 states in 2023. The bill was passed by both houses in one state, and bills are pending in several others.

Collaborating across disciplines and navigating complex systems are familiar to licensed clinical social worker Endsley Real, who emphasizes the importance of clinical supervision and ongoing professional development for social workers.

"Basically, I've been an advocate my entire life," says Dr. Hyacinth McKee, LCSW-BACS. That determination to speak up for those who may not be able to speak for themselves has led McKee into a varied social work career and to service in three governor-appointed positions in her home state.

Last year, ASWB took the groundbreaking step of publishing pass rate data for the social work licensing exams to contribute to and lead engagement in profession-wide conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion. At that time, we also pledged to include a more diverse set of voices in our exam development process and provide more support and resources for educators and supervisors as they prepare licensure candidates. We are committed to listening to and learning from the social work com

Mobility and portability are here to stay, and the regulatory community must consider and embrace models used to address social work practice through technology and otherwise.

We are, together, on a justice journey, leading opportunities to advance equity in professional regulation. We, as regulators, want to have fair and just paths to licensure—that is something that benefits everyone. This effort calls for us to trust one another, to rely on one another, to elicit the aid of our allies, and to think differently and innovatively about how we make progress.

The webinar offered a behind-the-scenes look at how the ASWB exams are developed and the steps ASWB takes to guard against bias and maintain reliability and validity. Harless shared information about ASWB’s initiatives to bring more voices into the creation of exams for the future of social work and to enhance the testing experience to reduce barriers.