The Great Divide Between Social Work Educational Policy and Licensure Examinations: Differing Approaches to Identifying Competency That Are Challenging the Profession

Objectives This study aimed at examining how racial disparities in social workers’ licensing rates are explained by the major sources of the disparities: racial differences in educational eligibilities, the field of practice, and demographic vulnerabilities of social workers. Methods Drawing a nationally representative sample of 3990 social workers from the Current Population Survey, this study tested how the probabilities of their licensing were explained by the major sources of racial disparities. Results For master’s level social workers, African American–White differences in the field of practice and the type of employers explained away the disparity in required licensing rates. The Hispanic–White and other race–White disparities were largely due to non-White social workers’ limited educational eligibilities and the states of residence that might have imposed varying occupational regulations. Conclusions As licensing disparities reflect socioeconomic injustice that confronts many non-White social workers, they call for more purposeful research and interventions within the profession.

Section: Second Stage: Disparities In Employment Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

Racial Disparities in Social Workers’ Licensing Rates

Ishida

2022

“…Prior research clearly documents the different approaches to content development between ASWB and CSWE (Apgar, 2021), but this study's findings reveal a compounding issue, namely that there is no way to reliably marry the assessment measures used to prepare for licensure with the competencies that drive curricular policy. Thus, ASWB pass rate data by school and demographic characteristic, makes it difficult for educators to use this information to determine where curricular changes are needed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Linking Social Work Licensing Exam Content to Educational Competencies: Poor Reliability Challenges the Path to Licensure

Apgar

Luquet

2022

Self Cite

Purpose: There has been increasing interest in the academy to assist social work graduates to become licensed which is likely to grow as the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) cites licensure pass rates as a post-graduation outcome required for accreditation by newly adopted standards. This study determines the ability of academics to reliably link Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities statements that are the bases of licensure tests with the CSWE competencies in the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). Method: Four full-time faculty members at two institutions conducted an interrater reliability analysis on practice tests to determine the extent to which licensure questions could be consistently linked to EPAS competencies. Results: Study findings indicate weak reliability between social work licensure examination questions and CSWE EPAS competencies. Discussion: Lack of consistency threatens the path to licensure and may explain why graduates of accredited programs lack the requisite knowledge to become licensed.

“…Although used interchangeably, the licensure process typically involves taking exams which in the UAE are in English, yet UAE social workers will mostly practice in Arabic (Wagner & Majeed, 2021). Moreover, licensure exams test social work knowledge but cannot sufficiently capture the extent of a social worker's professional competency or what they do (Apgar, 2019). Thus, a registration process could be more suitable.…”

Section: Discussion and Applications To Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Social Work Regulation in the United Arab Emirates

Tedam

Wagner

Mitchell

2022

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is currently developing a social work licensure process to serve as a quality assurance mechanism and enhance the quality of care for service beneficiaries. This article outlines the opportunities, challenges, and contextual issues associated with the UAE regulation such as differing licensing processes and structures in three of seven emirates that are progressing licensure. With a paucity of information about this process in the UAE, this article reviews a range of international literature to situate the status and development of UAE social work licensure regionally and internationally. The UAE is currently utilizing a social work regulatory process similar to the United States in which regulation is implemented at the Emirate level and licensure is the primary regulatory process. Benefits and risks of the current UAE regulation process are provided that include recommendations for culturally relevant supervisory frameworks and regulation processes.