Social Work Licensure Compact Commission meets
Twenty-two delegates convened via Zoom for the first meeting of the Social Work Licensure Compact Commission on Tuesday, September 17. The meeting focused on governance of the Commission itself, with commissioners discussing bylaws, data systems, ex officio members, and initial operating funds.
Laura Groshong, LICSW, served as the interim chair for this meeting. Groshong is the director of policy and practice for the Clinical Social Work Association and was a member of the working group that developed compact language in 2022–23. Staff from the Council of State Governments (CSG) are currently managing the Commission’s operations and will continue to work to operationalize the Social Work Licensure Compact through 2025.
Operations
One initial task of the Commission was to confirm that the statutes enacted in the 22 states that have already adopted the compact legislation were consistent with the language of the Compact as it was initially proposed. Samantha Nance of CSG, who is serving as interim legal counsel for the Commission, reported that there were no material deviations from the proposed Compact language.
As part of the meeting, commissioners heard from Jennifer Henkel, ASWB’s senior director of member engagement and regulatory services. Henkel reported on the grant that ASWB received to support the launch of the Compact. The funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, will provide operating funds for the Social Work Licensure Compact through 2029, with the goal of supporting start-up costs for the Compact.
Delegates to the Commission discussed some rules for consideration, including the language about the qualifying national exam that is included in the Compact statute. Nance emphasized that flexibility of language is common across professions with compacts, in that the statutes don’t require a specific examination program. Delegates will review and consider potential rules for adoption at the next Commission meeting, focusing on the qualifying exam, interstate compact authority, and administrative issues.
The Commission considered which social work organizations would be able to have representatives serve as ex officio members of the Commission, alongside the delegates representing states that have adopted the Social Work Licensure Compact. The Commission opted to invite feedback from national social work organizations to gauge interest in filling the rotating seats, thereby enhancing collaboration and establishing a framework for participation.
Data systems
Interstate licensure compacts require robust, specialized databases to maintain data integrity and facilitate smooth operations. Delegates at the September meeting learned about some of the options for data systems, including Compact Connect — a system under development by the Occupational Therapy, Counseling, and Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Compacts — that could be made available to social work. Decisions on data systems will be made later in the compact development process.
The Commission will meet next in early 2025 to adopt bylaws and initial rules, elect officers and executive committee members, populate subcommittees, and further discuss possible data systems. CSG anticipates that multistate licenses will be available to social workers in the participating states in late 2025 or early 2026. Meanwhile, ASWB and CSG will continue to work to promote the Social Work Licensure Compact in state legislatures during the upcoming sessions.
Ongoing work
“Social work is very fortunate to have staff from CSG to collaborate on this major project,” Henkel said. “Their experience in helping other compacts launch means that the Social Work Licensure Compact doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel.”
In August, Henkel and Kaitlyn Bison of CSG presented on the Compact to the Oklahoma Board of Social Work. There was a robust conversation following the presentation and Oklahoma will likely be prepared to work with the state legislature to enact Compact legislation in 2025. In September, Henkel participated in a three-profession panel about the Compact to more than 50 state policy makers from across the United States at the CSG Adolescent Behavioral Health Policy Academy. Cara Sanner, ASWB’s regulatory affairs program manager, attended Defense-State Liaison Office Compact Coordination Meeting, Preparing for 2025.
The week following the Commission meeting, ASWB CEO Stacey Hardy-Chandler and NASW CEO Anthony Estreet participated in a webinar hosted by the social work program at the University of Alabama Birmingham, “Across state lines: Navigating the Social Work Licensure Compact”.
“Participating in these informational sessions is critical,” Henkel said. “ASWB is going to continue collaborating across the social work profession to help social workers understand the importance of the Compact.”
Delegates to the Social Work Licensure Compact Commission:
Alabama: Rachel Dickinson
Arizona: Tobi Zavala
Colorado: Reina Sbarbaro-Gordon
Connecticut: Chris Andresen
Georgia: Deborah Sills
Iowa: Tony Alden
Kansas: David Fye
Louisiana: Hyacinth McKee
Kentucky: Hank Cecil
Maine: Angela Fileccia
Minnesota: Youa Yang
Missouri: Justin Bennett
New Hampshire: Bethany Cottrell
Nebraska: Sean Loving
Ohio: Kevin Fowler
Rhode Island: Laura Mello
South Dakota: Kelli Willis
Tennessee: Tara Watson
Utah: Jana Johansen
Vermont: Noura Eltabbakh
Virginia: Jaime Hoyle
Washington: Lana Crawford