Bill > SB5354

This bill aims to align the licensing requirements for social workers in the state of Washington with national standards and requirements for other mental health professionals. The key provisions of the bill include: 1. Updating the educational requirements for licensed advanced social workers and licensed independent clinical social workers, allowing for graduation from social work doctoral programs accredited by recognized accrediting organizations, in addition to master's programs. 2. Reducing the supervised experience requirement for licensed independent clinical social workers from 4,000 hours to 3,000 hours, while maintaining the minimum 1,000 hours of direct client contact. 3. Aligning the continuing education requirements for all licensed social work classifications to 36 hours, with 6 hours in professional ethics. 4. Ensuring that the licensing rules in effect at the time of a completed application submission are applied, even if the rules change before the license is issued. The bill aims to modernize and streamline the licensing requirements for social workers in Washington, bringing them more in line with national standards and requirements for other mental health professionals.

Health and Social Services

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5354&Year=2023&Initiative=false