PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY IN MICHIGAN
REJECT THE SOCIAL WORK LICENSURE MODERNIZATION ACT
Oppose House Bills 5184 & 5185
The Social Work Licensure Modernization Act (SWLMA) removes the examination requirement for becoming a licensed social worker in Michigan.
Licensed social workers are the largest group of mental health professionals in the United States.
Safeguards and controls, such as the licensing examinations, require social workers to demonstrate a minimum level of knowledge, which decreases the likelihood of harm and promotes public health and safety.
Why would anyone consider eliminating such an important measurement standard?
The legislation was created in response to the release of Association of Social Work Boards’ (ASWB) 2022 Exam Pass Rate Analysis that demonstrates disparities in pass rates, which disproportionately affect people of color.
While the findings of the ASWB data are concerning, addressing institutional discrimination is a complex and ongoing process that involves both systemic and individual efforts. The data from the ASWB requires a thoughtful and holistic response.
The SWLMA is an impulsive and simplistic response to a complex issue and will result in dire consequences for Michiganders and social workers.
Removing the examination requirement from the social work licensing process would put the public at risk and result in social work having the lowest licensing standards of all the mental health professions.
Want more data and information? Click to read our full report, “Reject The SWLMA”.
Sacrificing safeguards & quality to increase quantity is not what vulnerable individuals in Michigan need or deserve.
The supporters of SWLMA also argue that lowering the standards to attain a social work license will increase the number of social workers in the state of Michigan and fill vacant positions in community mental health. There are other ways. By incentivizing social work (as has been done with nursing and many other valuable professions), we can increase the number of social workers while maintaining high standards and receiving adequate compensation.
How do other states and professions compare?
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The licensing process for the other mental health professions, including psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors, require passing an examination.
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Research has indicated that both the United States Medical Licensing Examinations (“Medical Board Exams”) and The Uniform Bar Examination (“The Bar”) may be discriminatory. Pass rates vary among different racial and socioeconomic groups. Historically, Black, Hispanic, and lower income individuals are less likely to pass. Additionally, the cost of these examinations, their study materials, and their preparatory courses, are quite costly, contributing to more stress and less accessibility for lower income individuals.
Despite the data, the requirement of licensing examinations remains part of the process of becoming a practicing physician or lawyer in the United States. Efforts to address the concerns of discrimination include ongoing research, revisions to exam content, and the development of additional assessment methods. The examination requirements have not been removed from the process of becoming a practicing lawyer or physician in the United States because it is essential that those entering these professions have a minimum level of competence and knowledge. Many people would not consider receiving services from a lawyer or physician who has not passed the licensing examination.
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While few states have proposed removing the examination requirement, almost all states currently require the examination for licensure. Visit the Association of Social Work Boards for a detailed breakdown of the requirements by state.
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The SWLMA would allow social workers to participate in the following high-stakes tasks without passing a licensing examination:
working as mental health professionals (such as psychotherapists), providing mental health diagnoses, providing clinical social work supervision to trainees, participating in the processes and decisions of family court, assessing individuals at-risk of suicide or homicide, providing crisis intervention to those victim of human trafficking or domestic violence, de-escalating mental health crises, assessing court-ordered individuals and managing risk to the community, intervening in elder abuse, providing substance abuse treatment, assessing child abuse / neglect, and more.
