Two major social work organizations come together to discuss mobility

Date: September 6, 2019

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The CEOs of two major social work organizations recently talked on air about the needs of social workers who want to add a license. Angelo McClain, CEO of the National Association of Social Workers, and Mary Jo Monahan, CEO of the Association of Social Work Boards, can be heard on the Social Work Talks podcast discussing efforts to streamline practice mobility.

“It is a reality of modern life, as we know, that professionals are more mobile,” McClain said. His organization hears from social workers who are interested in solutions that can help them practice in multiple states and territories. He asked Monahan, “What can be done to advance these shared interests of social workers, policy makers, and the public in promoting access, and what can be done to advance the needs of the profession for mobility?”

Monahan shared the work ASWB has done to study and educate about licensure by endorsement, the process of a state granting a license to an applicant who is already licensed in good standing. The endorsement model, she said, “eliminate[s] barriers to obtaining a second or a third license, for the licensee as well as for the state board. It greatly streamlines the process for all: licensees, regulatory boards, and, most importantly, the public.”

McClain agrees that endorsement makes sense for social workers. “My takeaway is really we can achieve social work mobility through the endorsement model,” he said, “and it’s something that you’re asking that we all get behind and that we work across the country to get endorsement in place, so we can have greater mobility for social workers.”