California social work laws need reform
Social workers are heading to Sacramento on April 21 to lobby for the Social Work Title Protection bill.
Assembly Bill 252 will prohibit an individual from representing himself or herself as a social worker without possessing a social work degree accredited by the commission of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
As social work students, we believe this bill is important as we have taken the courses and completed 1,000 hours of supervised field education.
Our extensive training has given us the tools needed to work with diverse populations dealing with complex needs. These complex needs involve, at least, abuse, addiction, mental illness, disabilities, families, veterans and the elderly.
Furthermore, we have attained skills to properly document and present professional reports.
Due to this, workers who do not have a social work degree are misrepresenting themselves to the clients they are serving.
This misrepresentation can be harmful to vulnerable clients who believe they are receiving care and services delivered by a qualified social worker.
“The title ‘social worker’ invokes the shared history, training, ethics and practices of a 115-year-old profession,” Assemblymember Susan Eggman (D-Stockton) said. “We need to ensure that anyone who uses the title meets those well-established standards. This is about truth in advertising.”
Legislation protecting the professional title “social worker” has already been enacted in 37 other states. What is stopping California from doing this?
Larry Montes, Marleny Rosales, Miriam Adesina, Lauren Bachman and Cynthia Iniguez are masters of social work students at CSULB.