How to become a Social Worker
Learn about the requirements for earning a social work license.
From a career standpoint, becoming a licensed social worker can open up many doors. Licensed social workers must be knowledgable in a variety of areas and are therefore highly versatile in their abilities.
In addition, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics has forecasted jobs in the fields of social work are expected to grow much faster than the average1. Earning your social work license will put you in a great position to provide infrastructure to a growing field and make a visible difference wherever you choose to be employed.
Click on the state in which you wish to gain your social work license to learn more about the social work licensure process.
Why do Social Workers need to be licensed?
Social Work certification or licensure is a regulatory measure taken by most states in an effort to minimize abuse of social workers' professional positions and to ensure proper counseling is given by qualified practitioners.
As the field, and workforce, of social work increases in magnitude, it is vital for the career of social work to keep its name as clean as possible from scandal as well as show the value of social work practices in the community at large. Funding for government programs, such as various areas of welfare, rightfully require proof of success in social welfare prorams.
Therefore, social work licensure is a procedure that helps weed out those who are not interested in social justice or in the betterment of society and the patients they help on an individual basis.
Social work licensing is, in effect, a guarantee for the existance and continual growth of the social work industry.
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