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Licensure

Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board

Mailing Address:

AR Social Work Licensing Board
P.O. Box 251965
Little Rock, Arkansas 72225

Phone: (501) 372-5071
Fax: (501) 372-6301
E-Mail: swlb@arkansas.gov
Website: www.arkansas.gov/swlb
Executive Director: Ruthie Bain

ARSWLB Physical Address:

Freeway Medical Tower
5800 West 10th St., Suite 100
Little Rock, AR 72204

COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS

You must call the ARSWLB office after entering the building to be screened for Covid-19 (501-372-5071). Unfortunately, for now, there is not a drop off place if they are not in the office. Please call ahead of time if you are going to their office.


UPDATES TO THE RULES!

NEW RULES go into effect JULY 1, 2020. Please read and familiarize yourself with the updated Rules.

Listed below are a few changes of which to make special note. You are encouraged to bookmark the ARSWLB website and check often for updates. It is your responsibility as a licensed social worker to follow these Rules and know the law. Many changes were for clarification and consistency and others were due to law changes in recent sessions of the Arkansas General Assembly.

  • Social Work Continuing Education requirements for renewal have been reduced to thirty (30) hours every two-year period. This applies to all renewals after June 30, 2020. You are still required to have three (3) hours of Ethics. At least fifteen (15) hours must be face-to-face. No more than fifteen (15) hours may be independent. A webinar that is both live and interactive will count the same as face-to-face. If you have already earned more than 30 hours for an upcoming renewal, those hours cannot be carried forward to the next renewal period.
  • The process of endorsement of a license from another state to Arkansas has been made easier. For years, the Rules made it hard for someone coming from another state that only required 3,000 hours of supervision to become licensed in Arkansas since we require 4,000 hours. The ARSWLB defined the term “substantial equivalency” in the new rules so that if an LCSW met the qualifications for the independent practice level of supervision hours in their state, they would be considered having met it for Arkansas.
  • Reminder, there are two (2) types of Supervision. See VI. Supervision part A. and Part B.
    • B. Supervision Required to Obtain LCSW licensure: changed to require that the LCSW providing supervision to the LMSW must be licensed for a minimum of three (3) years before being able to provide supervision. Anyone currently under supervision may continue under their current supervisor. Any LCSW supervision that begins after July 1, 2020 must meet the new requirement. New Supervision Guidelines were adopted by the Board and will soon be on the website. All new supervision plans must agree and attest that have read these guidelines and will adhere to them. The new Rules will allow you to email, mail or fax your Supervision Plan to the Board. The ARSWLB highly recommends you email it so they can reply that they have received it. You should always keep a copy for your records and refer to it as you progress through the supervision process. Keep a copy for your records of all supervision documents. Should you move to another state or a new employer request a copy, you should be the one to provide it.
  • No fees have been changed. The ARSWLB has not raised fees since 2001.
  • There is now a procedure that must be followed if you require an extension to complete your social work continuing education hours to renew your license.  Section VIII. B. 6. clearly states the process you must follow ahead of your expiration date.
  • Added Rule XIV. Telemedicine. The Arkansas Board does not currently require that you are credentialed or certified to practice telemedicine, but you are required to adhere to these Rules. We highly recommend you receive training and thoroughly familiarize yourself with Federal and State Laws, especially regarding confidentiality requirements.  The Board will not be able to give you advice on these Rules. We can only refer to what is mentioned. As a reminder, your Arkansas license is only valid for practice in Arkansas. If the client is not located in Arkansas, you must check with the state the client is in to inquire about licensure in that state. The same applies if you are out of state, even if you have an Arkansas license. Example, if you are located in Missouri and your client is in Arkansas, Missouri can consider you practicing social work in their state without a license, which would be a violation of their law.

Licensing Information

The Social Work Licensing Law (A.C.A. 17-103-101 et seq.) requires individuals who practice social work or represent themselves to the public as social workers to be licensed. “Social work practice” is defined as a professional service which effects change in social conditions, human behavior, and emotional responses of individuals, couples, families, groups and organizations. “Social work practice” can only be performed with specialized knowledge and skills related to human development, the potential for human growth, the availability of social resources, and the knowledge of social systems. The disciplined application of social work knowledge and skills includes, but is not restricted to, the following: • Counseling with individuals, couples, families, and groups for purposes of assessment and • Enhancement of the problem-solving and coping capacities of people; and • The application of social work knowledge and skills in social planning, administration and research.