Week 10: Licensure & Certification Flashcards
Chapter 4- Dulmus & Sowers
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Development of social work as a profession
The American heritage dictionary defines profession as an occupation or vocation, requiring training in the liberal arts or sciences in advance, study in a specialized field p
Continued: Development of social work as a profession
The social work dictionary, defines profession as a group of people who use in common a system of values, skills, techniques, knowledge, and beliefs to meet a specific social need. The public comes to identify this group is being suited to fulfill the specific need an often gives it formal and legal recognition through licensing or other sanctions, as a legitimate source for providing the relevant service.
Continued: Development of social work as a profession
Social work did not start out as a profession.
Reamer (2006) divides the evolution of social work values and ethics until four periods:
The morality period, the values period, the ethical theory, and decision- making period.
Continued: Development of social work as a profession
In the 19th century, social workers practice by “ friendly visitors” who would try to strengthen the morality of the poor
During the 20th century, the moral focus replace with social work practitioners, attempt to establish intervention strategies and techniques, training programs in schools of thought (Reamer, 2006)
Professional credentials
Shortly after its code of ethics went into effect, NASW began to offer the first voluntary professional certification, the Academy of certified social workers
ACSW
The ACSW credential was targeted to social workers with a masters degree and two years of supervise post graduate social work experience.
** the first ACSW exam was given in 1962
Definition of licensing terms
Credential is often used to describe any document that verifies the qualifications of a social worker
Continued: Definition of licensing terms
There is no legal distinction between certification in licensure, although it is common for certification to describe a less rigorous regulatory structure than licensure, which usually refers to a more comprehensive system
Practice act
Practice act defines the professional activities that can be performed and require anyone engaging in those activities to hold a license
Title protection act, or less stringent, and do not prevent others who do not meet the qualifications from practicing only from calling themselves by, the regulated title such as “license social worker”
Continued: definition of licensing terms
The term registration within the United States, is used to describe a system of voluntary registration within a governmental authority in order to use a describe restrictive title
For example, some states like Louisiana have a system of registration for baccalaureate social workers
