Updated ASWB laws and regulations database will enhance publicly available resources
ASWB is redeveloping its Laws and Regulations database to increase the accessibility of regulatory data to member jurisdictions, the social work community, and the public. The system will offer an enhanced array of resources to be published on the ASWB website. ASWB staff compiles regulatory data through legal research and outreach to regulatory authorities. The data includes a variety of topics related to license requirements and jurisdictional policies. Cara Sanner, ASWB’s regulatory affairs manager, estimates that the new reporting tools will be available to ASWB members and the public in early 2025.
“The new system will integrate data from multiple resources into one searchable interface,” Sanner says. “We will be marrying the existing datasets in the current database with other comprehensive datasets compiled by staff in the last several years. Each dataset includes all of ASWB’s 64-member-jurisdictions statutes, regulations, and policies, where specifically addressed.” ASWB strives to maintain regulatory data with a high degree of granularity. This enables regulators and the public to compare requirements across jurisdictions in a uniform and straightforward manner. The data covers diverse topics ranging from requirements for licensure and registration, regulation of scope of practice, the administration of licensure renewal periods, licensing fees, licensee data, and much more.
The redeveloped program will enable ASWB to add new datasets without additional programming, says Sanner. Publicly available reports will be developed in several different formats. Sanner explains, “We will make narrative summary reports available where one could find a one-to-two-page report that gives an overview of how a topic is regulated across the U.S. and Canada. This will be offered alongside detailed searchable interfaces where users can explore requirements for one or more jurisdictions on a variety of topics. Web users will also be able to perform A.I.-enabled natural language searches of the data or to click through a map of the U.S. and Canada to explore requirements.”
ASWB uses several platforms to enhance its research offerings to members including the legal research platform Westlaw and Fiscal Note, a legislative and regulatory tracking service. “With Fiscal Note, we can track any statute or regulatory proposal that impacts how social work is regulated,” says Sanner. This enables staff to identify updates needed to the laws and regulations database as changes are enacted. It also provides a rich repository of information about proposed and adopted policies impacting regulation of the social work profession.
Staff conducts outreach to member jurisdictions for input on policies and requirements not explicitly addressed in statutes or regulations. ASWB recently added Ashley Lane, LMSW, as a regulatory support services project coordinator. Lane is responsible for maintaining regulatory data and providing support to members. Recently, Lane helped a member board administrator research disciplinary standards in professional regulation, providing examples across multiple professions and jurisdictions. Another recent project assisted a member jurisdiction with the evaluation of background check requirements for initial licensure and renewals.
As the Social Work Licensure Compact begins the implementation process, a user-friendly database that can enable a search of all jurisdiction requirements becomes even more crucial to the profession. “Looking forward to the Compact, [the laws and regulations database] is going to be a fantastic resource because social workers are going to have to understand the laws in the state where they’re practicing,” Sanner says. The redevelopment of the current system now will ensure ASWB is prepared to provide regulatory information to support cross-jurisdictional practice and the success of the licensing compact once it is operational.