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SUPPORTING STANDARDS
OF SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
Credentialing and certifying professional social workers
is an essential part of NASW's work, with ramifications that extend
well beyond our mission of advancing the profession. The Association's
standards help ensure that everyone who receives assistance from
a certified, credentialed social worker receives the highest possible
level of service.
Additionally, NASW believes
it is important to more clearly define the term "social worker,"
so that the public, social work employers, the media, and policymakers
can better understand the profession and its vital contributions
to people in nearly every sector of society. NASW's certification
and credentialing programs are one step in this crucial process.
The NASW Credentialing
Center establishes and promotes the standards and credentials required
for excellence in the practice of social work.
The Center administers the following credentials, in order to enable
social workers to support high standards of social work practice
and to demonstrate commitment to ethical and competent
practice:
- Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW)
- Qualified Clinical Social Worker (QCSW)
- Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (DCSW)
INCREASING
THE VISIBILITY OF CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS
NASW continues to help people locate the clinical social
workers who best suit their needs—and to feel confident
that the social workers they contact are among the ranks of the
profession's most highly educated and thoroughly trained
professionals.
Finding the right social
worker is as easy as a click of the mouse since NASW developed the
Register of Clinical Social Workers, a bi-annual
publication that serves as the primary source for social work referral
information.
The NASW Register
of Clinical Social Workers:
- Lists clinical social workers at two levels of experience and
expertise: Qualified Clinical Social Worker (QCSW) and Diplomate
in Clinical Social Work (DCSW);
- Provides a listing of clinical social workers who have met national
standards for education and experience established by the NASW
Competence Certification Commission;
- Serves as verification of the credentials and education of every
individual listed;
- Provides a listing of clinical social workers who meet verified
uniform national professional criteria; and
- Facilitates improved inter- and intra-professional referrals
and consultations to accommodate individualized treatment planning
sensitive to diagnosis, preferred treatment modality, cultural
issues, and geographical locations.
The 2003 Register
of Clinical Social Workers, 12th Edition, includes listings
for 6,433 clinical social workers, representing virtually all of
NASW's chapters.
The Register is
available free for online searchers to find qualified clinical social
workers, providing an invaluable service to the mental health community
and the public.
In addition to the Register
, the Credentialing Department also published the 2003
Third-Party Reimbursement for Clinical Social Work Services.
CERTIFYING
SOCIAL WORKERS WITH SPECIAL EXPERTISE
Clients, employers, and colleagues can often benefit from
knowing "at a glance" when they have located a social worker with
expertise in a specific area of practice.
In response to
a clearly identified need and interest, NASW created several Specialty
Certifications, national certification programs
in areas of social work specialization, including:
- Certified Clinical Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Social
Worker (C-CATODSW)
- Certified School Social Work Specialist (C-SSWS)
- Certified Advanced Social Work Case Manager (C-ASWCM)
- Certified Social Work Case Manager (C-SWCM)
This year, NASW
added the following three new specialty certifications to its existing
programs:
- Certified Advanced Children, Youth, and Family Social Worker
(C-ACYFSW)
- Certified Children, Youth, and Family Social Worker (C-CYFSW)
- Certified Social Worker in Health Care (C-SWHC)
In addition to helping
the public identify social workers who specialize in specific areas
of practice, these certifications help NASW members attain enhanced
professional and public recognition; increased visibility; and association
with a select group of specialized social workers who have attained
national distinction. They are not a substitute for state
licenses.
ENSURING
QUALITY OF CONTINUING EDUCATION
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) offers
formal social work continuing education (CE) approval for programs
that meet its criteria. These educational offerings  may
be used by social workers to meet CE requirements for social work
licensure/certification renewal. To date, more than 35 state licensing
boards have accepted the NASW CE Approval program.
The CE Approval program offers a variety
of courses that will help members who currently hold one of NASW's
specialty certifications to satisfy their CE requirements for certification
renewal.
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