H.B. 65

1

SOCIAL WORK LICENSING ACT
2 AMENDMENTS
3 2003 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Sponsor: Judy Ann Buffmire
6 This act modifies Occupational and Professional Licensing. The act amends the Social
7 Worker Licensing Act. The act clarifies which degrees are required for licensure as a
8 social worker. This act provides an effective date.
9 This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
10 AMENDS:
11 58-60-205, as last amended by Chapter 28, Laws of Utah 1995
12 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
13 Section 1. Section 58-60-205 is amended to read:
14 58-60-205. Qualifications for licensure as a clinical or certified social worker and
15 social service worker.
16 (1) An applicant for licensure as a clinical social worker shall:
17 (a) submit an application on a form provided by the division;
18 (b) pay a fee determined by the department under Section 63-38-3.2 ;
19 (c) be of good moral character;
20 (d) produce certified transcripts from an accredited institution of higher education
21 recognized by the division in collaboration with the board verifying satisfactory completion of
22 an education and earned degree as follows:
23 (i) an earned master's degree in social work resulting from completion of an education
24 program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; or
25 (ii) an earned doctoral degree in social work that results from successful completion of
26 a clinical concentration and practicum approved by the division and defined by rule under
27 Section 58-1-203 ;

28 (e) have completed a minimum of 4,000 hours of clinical social work training as
29 defined by division rule under Section 58-1-203 in not less than two years and under the
30 supervision of a clinical social worker supervisor approved by the division in collaboration
31 with the board;
32 (f) document successful completion of not less than 1,000 hours of supervised training
33 in mental health therapy obtained after completion of the education requirement in Subsection
34 (1)(d), which training may be included as part of the 4,000 hours of training in Subsection
35 (1)(e), and of which documented evidence demonstrates not less than 100 of the hours were
36 obtained under the direct personal face to face supervision of a clinical social worker approved
37 by the division in collaboration with the board;
38 (g) have completed a case work, group work, or family treatment course sequence with
39 a clinical practicum in content as defined by rule under Section 58-1-203 ; and
40 (h) pass the examination requirement established by rule under Section 58-1-203 .
41 (2) An applicant for licensure as a certified social worker shall:
42 (a) submit an application on a form provided by the division;
43 (b) pay a fee determined by the department under Section 63-38-3.2 ;
44 (c) be of good moral character;
45 (d) produce certified transcripts from an accredited institution of higher education
46 recognized by the division in collaboration with the Social Worker Licensing Board verifying
47 satisfactory completion of an education and an earned degree as follows:
48 (i) a social work education program accredited by the Council on Social Work
49 Education and an earned master's degree resulting from completion of that program; or
50 (ii) an education program that contains approved clinical social work concentration and
51 practicum in content as defined by rule under Section 58-1-203 and an earned doctorate
52 resulting from completion of that program; and
53 (e) pass the examination requirement established by rule under Section 58-1-203 .
54 (3) An applicant for licensure as a social service worker shall:
55 (a) submit an application on a form provided by the division;
56 (b) pay a fee determined by the department under Section 63-38-3.2 ;
57 (c) be of good moral character;
58 (d) produce certified transcripts from an accredited institution of higher education

59 recognized by the division in collaboration with the Social Worker Licensing Board verifying
60 satisfactory completion of an earned degree resulting from education as follows:
61 (i) a bachelor's degree in a social work program accredited by the Council on Social
62 Work Education;
63 (ii) a master's degree in a field approved by the division in collaboration with the social
64 worker board; or
65 (iii) a bachelor's degree in sociology, psychology, family sciences, or other mental
66 health related field approved by the division in collaboration with the Social Worker Licensing
67 Board and also documentation of 2,000 hours of supervised social work activity approved by
68 the division in collaboration with the board, which is performed after completing bachelor's
69 degree requirements under this Subsection (3); or
70 [(iv) a bachelor's degree in any field, if the applicant has completed:]
71 [(A) the equivalent of three credit hours of course work or other approved training in
72 full-life human growth behavior, abnormal psychology, social work values and ethics, social
73 welfare, or social welfare policy;]
74 [(B) an approved social work practice methods course; and]
75 [(C) one year of qualifying experience under the supervision of a licensed certified or
76 clinical social worker, which experience is approved by the division in collaboration with the
77 Social Worker Licensing Board, and which is performed after completion of the requirements
78 to obtain the bachelor's degree required under this subsection; or]
79 [(v)] (iv) successful completion of the first academic year of a Council on Social Work
80 Education approved master's of social work curriculum and practicum; and
81 (e) pass the examination requirement established by rule under Section 58-1-203 .
82 Section 2. Effective date.
83 This act takes effect on July 1, 2004.




Legislative Review Note
as of 12-4-02 2:46 PM

A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel