Legislation in the Kansas Senate would eliminate regulatory hoops for social workers

March is Social Work Month, and It’s a special time to celebrate social workers for all the work they do and their impact on so many Kansans.

This year, Kansas social workers celebrate a historic landmark with the 50th anniversary of the state’s Social Work Practice Act.

In 1974, social workers joined together under the auspices of the Kansas Council of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and persuaded the Kansas Legislature to require that social workers be licensed.

Former Sen. Neil Arasmith, a Republican from Jewell, sponsored Senate Bill 623. This bill led the way for the development of social work as a profession and has governed the practice of social work for 50 years.

Kansas became one of the first states in the country to pass three levels of licensure at the bachelor, master and post-graduate clinical level. At that time, only 11 states had social work licensure laws on the books. In comparison, our neighboring state of Missouri didn’t enact social work licensure until 1989 — the 45th state in the U.S. to do so.

Prior to licensing anyone could legally call himself a social worker and offer mental health services through agencies or private practice whether they were qualified to provide such services.

The 1974 law defined the practice of social work, prescribed qualifications for licensure applicants, restricted private practice to the more highly qualified practitioners and provided the public a system of redress and protection from harm.

With the passage of SB 623, Kansas created the Board of Social Work Examiners located with the Kansas Department of Social Rehabilitation Services to provide recommendations to SRS Secretary Robert Harder. The Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board was then established in 1980 and took over the regulating of psychologists and social workers.

This year, social workers, including Kansas Chapter of NASW, are championing HB 2484 — another landmark piece of legislation. HB 2484 will facilitate multistate practice through a social work licensure compact.

The compact will allow social workers to provide continuity of care across state lines, including through telehealth platforms, without the cost and burden of seeking additional state-specific licenses.

HB 2484 passed the Kansas House with a vote 118 to 2. The bill is now in the Senate. Currently, 22 states have introduced similar bills, including neighboring states Colorado and Nebraska, while Missouri and South Dakota already passed the compact into law.

During a time in our state and our nation where social workers are needed in nationwide shortages, eliminating regulatory hoops to allow our Kansas social workers the ability to practice in multiple states is critical. Social work multistate licensure must be solved to increase access to professional licensure and address the increasing need for mental health services.

Social workers are the largest provider of mental health services in Kansas and across the nation. We are at a pivotal moment in our state’s history to ensure the ability of our profession to meet the behavioral health demand.

We encourage you during Social Work Month and beyond to learn more about the profession. Take the time to thank a social worker who most likely has impacted countless individuals in our community. The well-earned thanks are likely after an emotionally draining day with long hours, low pay and facing sometimes an uphill battle in assisting others with personal challenges.

We hope you take a moment to recognize those in your life and community doing this critical work. Thank you.

Tonya Ricklefs, LMSW, is the NASW Kansas Chapter president, and Becky Fast is the NASW Kansas Chapter executive director.