Licensure - client protection or practitioner gatekeeping? Policy and practice recommendations for social work education programs.

Autor/inn/en	Whaley, Kayla M.; Paule, Shelly; Keeney, Annie J.
Titel	Licensure - client protection or practitioner gatekeeping? Policy and practice recommendations for social work education programs.
Quelle	In: Advances in social work, 25 (2025) 2, S. 547-565 PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Beigaben	Diagramm; Abbildungen; Literaturangaben
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2331-4125
DOI	10.18060/28619
Schlagwörter	Soziale Ungleichheit; Prüfung; Ethik; Diskriminierung; Berufsausbildung; Sozialarbeiter; Klinische Sozialarbeit; Analyse; Standard; Zulassung; Person of Color; USA
Abstract	The profession of social work is dedicated to the health and well-being of clients, with an emphasis on social justice and advocacy for vulnerable and oppressed populations. As social work professionals, we must uphold the highest ethical and professional standards outlined in the National Association of Social Work (NASW) Code of Ethics. These standards must equally be held for the establishment of licensure for social workers. A 2021 analysis of Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW) pass rates noted significant test-taker pass rate disparities, particularly around race and ethnicity. Unfortunately, for Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) LCSW Candidates, their pass rates are significantly less than those of their white peers. This paper discusses the impact on community members when we have a professional shortage in behavioral health in both numbers of professionals and diversity in licensed clinical social workers. We highlight several strategies that social work programs can implement to mitigate some of the economic and societal barriers the future social work workforce faces, which could ultimately positively impact social work licensure pass rate outcomes and reduce disparities among licensing candidates. Further, this paper calls to action the ASWB to support improvements in licensing pass rates through implementing mentorship, financial support, and expanding language options for the exam to help increase equity in pass rates.
Erfasst von	Deutsches Zentralinstitut für soziale Fragen, Berlin
Update	2026/3