The NASW-CO Chapter plans to work in partnership with Colorado legislators to run the Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact legislation as a bill in the 2024 Legislative Session -- learn more about the development of & details about the SW Compact below!
Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact
The Council of State Governments (CSG) is partnering with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) to support the mobility of licensed social workers through the development of a new interstate compact. This additional licensing pathway will facilitate multistate practice among member states and reduce the barriers to license portability.
Multistate licenses are not yet available.
The model Compact language must be enacted into law by a state to officially join the Social Work Licensure Compact. A minimum of 7 states must pass the Compact legislation and sign it into law before the SW Compact will officially be "activated" and the Compact Commission can be formed to begin the work of overseeing the development of the Compact's Rules, processes, and applications.
No substantive changes can be made to the model language. Any substantive changes may jeopardize the enacting state’s participation in the Compact.
The Council of State Governments National Center for Interstate Compacts reviews state compact legislation to ensure consistency with the model language.
In July 2023, The Council of State Governments hosted a legislative summit for policymakers to learn about the Social Work Compact. Agenda items included a framework for social work regulation, section by section review of the compact, compact perspectives panel, advocacy strategies, and audience Q&A. Access a recording of the meeting here: July 2023 CSG Legislative Summit Video Recording and the Powerpoint slides here: 2023 CSG Legislative Summit Slide Deck.
Learn more about the Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact here: https://swcompact.org/.