WASHINGTON, D.C. - As an organization committed to the integrity and advancement of the social work profession, NASW strongly supports licensure, title protection, and professional regulation to protect the public and the profession, and uphold high standards of practice. We recognize the urgent need to enhance the workforce - particularly the availability of clinical social workers - to address growing service demands and critical workforce shortages. We also recognize the critical need to reduce unnecessary barriers to entry into the field and ensure fair, equitable pathways to licensure.
NASW supports elimination of the entry-level licensure exams at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels, recognizing their role in perpetuating inequities and serving as barriers to a more diverse and representative social work workforce. At the same time, NASW acknowledges the varying political landscapes, timelines, and workforce demands across jurisdictions, and supports individual jurisdictions in determining the most effective and equitable pathways to licensure for their communities. Competency should be assessed by Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited social work programs, ensuring that graduates - who have successfully completed rigorous coursework and supervised practicums - are fully prepared for practice.
NASW advocates for alternative pathways to licensure that uphold professional standards while fostering a more inclusive and accessible workforce. We also support strong supervisor training, meaningful supervised practice requirements, and the development of more flexible clinical exam options that reflect real-world skills. The social work profession cannot ignore the data that continues to highlight the problematic inequities that exist in the pass rates for the currently used Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) exams - across all levels of licensure.
Recognizing that state level changes may take years to implement, NASW also encourages the ASWB to work on more immediate reforms to assist current licensees. Suggestions include:
- Providing examination options in languages other than English
- Allowing for home-based proctoring
- Waiving or significantly reducing all retesting fees
- Immediately making the ASWB practice exam available for free to all social workers
- Removing the requirement that supervised work hours be completed before taking the exam
- Expanding the current passing score
- Moving to module-based testing - requiring retesting in only the areas not passed
- Enhancing exam preparation materials for use at the organization/agency and supervisor level
Additionally, NASW is committed to licensure portability by partnering with federal agencies, state boards, and professional organizations to implement the Interstate Compact for Social Work Licensure, ensuring social workers can practice across jurisdictions without unnecessaryfinancial or administrative burdens. As a part of the Compact process, NASW will continue to advocate for alternative licensure pathways inclusion, aiming to enable participation from as many states as possible.
Licensure should recognize knowledge, skills, and lived experience, not serve as a gatekeeping tool that perpetuates systemic barriers. By advocating for accessible, equitable, and competency-based licensure pathways, NASW is working to expand the workforce, strengthen the profession, and ensure every community has access to ethical, effective social work services.
As the leading advocacy organization for social workers in each state, NASW is committed to working with our members, schools, and coalition partners across the country on reforms wherever and whenever possible.