pa board of social work continuing education requirements

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Pennsylvania Social Workers

As a Jointly Accredited Organization, NetCE is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit.

The Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors accepts courses from any provider who is ASWB approved.

Continuing Education Requirement

The Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers accepts NetCE courses.

× Ethics Options

× suicide prevention options.

CSW, BSW, and SW are required 30 hours every two years, all of which may be completed online.*

Requirements include:

• A minimum of 3 hours must be in ethics every two years;
• A minimum of 2 hours (3 hours at initial licensure) must be in approved child abuse recognition and reporting every two years.
• A minimum of 1 hour must be in suicide prevention every two years.

* NetCE courses are considered online.

** NetCE course on child abuse recognition and reporting is approved for both initial licensure and/or license renewal.

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All Accreditations and Approvals License Renewal Instructions

For More Information

Please contact the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors at (717) 783-1389, or refer to https://www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardsCommissions/SocialWorkersMarriageanFamilyTherapistsandProfessionalCounselors/Pages/default.aspx for additional information regarding your continuing education.

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Pennsylvania Social Workers License Renewals and Continuing Education

The main goal of continuing education is to ensure the highest standards for the social work profession. All licensees are required as a condition of license renewal to participate in continuing educational activities that build upon existing skills and knowledge gained from prior educational experiences.

Professional Development Resources is approved as a provider of continuing education for social workers by the Association of Social Work Boards ( ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program).

Continuing Education Requirements

Pennsylvania-licensed social workers are required in order to renew a license to complete a minimum of thirty (30) hours of continuing education every two years with a February 28th deadline, odd years. Of the thirty hours, twenty (20) continuing education hours are allowed from home study.

Information gathered from the Pennsylvania Board of Social Workers on January 21, 2013.

Resources for

License Continuing Education Requirements

Online vs. in-person explained.

The PA State Board and NASW-PA distinction between an “in-person” and “online” CE training is as follows:

All of our CE trainings are considered "In-Person".

• In-person training refers to the ability of participants to interact/converse in real time with the presenter . Training delivery methods can include synchronous (live) virtual classroom that uses video conferencing technology and physical in-person trainings.
• Online trainings refer to self-paced/home study type programs where participants learn on their own time and schedule. Training delivery methods can include pre-recorded video trainings, trainings administered by mail, or self-paced training that uses various learning management technology.

Our delivery methods include in-person and synchronous (live) virtual classroom using the Zoom video conferencing technology and thus are categorized as “In-Person” CE trainings.

License Renewal CE Requirements

PA State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors licensees must renew their license on a biennial cycle using the PALS system ( PALS link ).

• Current licensure cycle: March 1, 2021 - February 28, 2023
• Next licensure cycle: March 1, 2023 - February 28, 2025

All CE credits must be complete within the cycle dates. The renewal link from the PA State Board will be open in January 2023. It takes at least 3 days for your license renewal application to process. Do NOT wait until the last day of the renewal cycle to renew your license. Always consider there may be technical issues that cannot be resolved in one day.

To renew your license, you will need 30 continuing education hours; of the 30 you need to include the following:

• 3 CEs in Ethics,
• 1 CE Act 74 Suicide Prevention, and
• 2 CEs in Act 31 Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting.

Licensee must keep records of continuing education credits for at least 4 years. You cannot take a course with the same name more than once in a cycle. Live webinar and/or synchronous virtual classroom delivery method where you are able to interact with the training, trainer, and other participants count as in-person CE trainings.

Act 31 Child Abuse Training Requirement

Act 31 of 2014 states that the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA), in conjunction with the Department of Human Services (DHS) is required to ensure that all persons applying for issuance of an initial license as a health-related licensee shall be required to complete three hours of DHS-approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting requirements as a condition of licensure.

Additionally, effective with the first license renewal after Jan. 1, 2015, all health related licensees applying for the renewal of a license issued by the Board are required to complete at least two hours of Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting requirements as a condition of renewal. Act 31 applies to all health-related licensees.

• PA Act 31 Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting
• Training for Mandated Reporters

Act 74 Suicide Prevention Training Requirement

Act 74 of 2016, signed by PA Governor Wolf, requires licensees of the State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors to complete one hour of continuing education in the assessment, treatment and management of suicide risk. Beginning with the biennial renewal cycle of March 1, 2017, through Feb. 28, 2019, licensees must complete one hour of continuing education in suicide prevention as a condition of license renewal. If the word “suicide” or a derivative of the word “suicide” is contained in the title of a suicide prevention course/program taken through an approved provider, the continuing education earned can be used towards satisfying the suicide prevention continuing education requirement. If the course/program pertains to suicide prevention and the title of the course/program does not contain the word “suicide,” the approved provider of the course/program must indicate on the certification of attendance/completion the number of hours of suicide prevention continuing education earned.

Note: The required one hour of continuing education in suicide prevention is separate from the required three hours of continuing education in ethics. The two requirements may not be combined.

Ethics Training Requirement

Three (3) of the thirty (30) hours must be specifically in the ethical practice of social work.

Association of Social Work Boards ( ASWB ) maintains information about social work regulations and licensure requirements as a service to it's members and the public. 

For the most current information about social work licensure requirements, visit your  jurisdiction’s website or review their statutes and/or administrative rules.

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Center for Professional Development

Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research 300 Airdale Road Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania 19010 Phone: 610-520-2614 Email:  [email protected]

Peggy Robinson Center Director and Home and School Visitor Program Certifying Officer Email:  [email protected] Phone: 610-520-2602

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Continuing Education (CE) for Pennsylvania Social Workers

Attention : Several states and disciplines have relaxed requirements regarding live / in person Continuing Education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please check with your board to see the most current requirements.

Pennsylvania social workers (LSW, LCSW) are required to earn:

• 30 hours of continuing education (CE) every 2 years, including 3 hours in ethics, at least 1 hour of CE on suicide assessment and treatment, and 2 hours in child abuse recognition and reporting (athealth.com does NOT offer an approved course on child abuse recognition and reporting)
• 20 of the required CE hours can be in home study or online
• Renewal date: February 28, odd-numbered years

CE Approvals

The Pennsylvania State Board accepts programs offered by ASWB approved sponsors.

At Health, LLC, Provider #1707, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. At Health, LLC, maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 5/3/2023-5/3/2026.

Pennsylvania social workers can earn twenty (20) of their CE credits online through athealth.com

View the course catalog

Our course, Suicide Assessment and Intervention , meets the PA requirement for CE on suicide assessment and treatment.

Act 31 Child Abuse: All health-related licensees applying for the renewal of a license issued by the Board shall be required to complete at least 2 hours of Board approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting requirements. The reporting for this mandatory training program differs from the reporting for ordinary continuing education. Currently, athealth.com does not have a course that meets this 2-credit requirement. For additional information, see PA Act 31 FAQs .

State laws can change. Practitioners are responsible for determining their state’s licensure requirements. To view the PA continuing education regulations, click the button below.

CE requirements for PA social workers

Page last modified or reviewed by athealth.com on Aug 1, 2023 .

Ethics Courses

Ethics and risk management in counseling, ethics and risk management: confidentiality in the digital world, ethics in counseling: staying on track, suicide assessment, treatment, and management, adults with neurodevelopmental disorders, assessment as advocacy, assessment of autism spectrum disorder in early childhood, child custody evaluations, college accommodations, digital ethics and security, domestic violence for mental health providers, domestic violence: counseling clients involved with violent intimate partners, dual relationships: ethical and clinical aspects of dual relationships in psychotherapy, ethical and legal issues in assessment, ethical and legal issues in psychotherapy, ethical and legal issues in substance abuse treatment, ethical and legal issues: mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect, ethical boundaries and custody evaluations, ethical considerations in the assessment and management of suicide risk, ethical issues with fees, billing, and collections, ethics and countertransference, ethics and risk management: e-mail communication - issues for mental health counselors, ethics and risk management: licensing board adjudications/sanctions and gifts from clients, ethics and risk management: medical errors in behavioral health, ethics and risk management: repercussions of sexual misconduct, ethics and risk management: sexual boundary violations, ethics and risk management: social media and the internet, ethics and risk management: the challenge and dilemma of technology, ethics and risk management: use of technology in behavioral health care, ethics and self-disclosure: adapting to new technologies, ethics: confidentiality, ethics: money and the therapeutic relationship, ethics: nine ethical values of master therapists, ethics: receiving gifts from clients - ethical and therapeutic issues, ethics: spiritual issues in clinical practice, ethics: termination of psychotherapy, guardianship and conservatorship evaluations, hipaa compliance kit, 9th edition, human trafficking, privacy, confidentiality, and privileged communication, sexual harassment prevention, sexual harassment prevention for illinois practitioners, summit 2023 ethics and assessment, teletherapy, truth and myths about the standard of care in psychotherapy, using artificial intelligence in suicide risk assessment, youthful offender evaluations, featured courses, evidence-based interventions for disorders in children and adolescents, strength-based clinical supervision, therapist's guide to brief cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt), trauma informed care, addressing suicidal thoughts and behaviors in substance abuse treatment, cultural competence: the immigrant experience, cultural identity and the testing process, culturally and linguistically responsive assessment, suicide assessment and intervention.

Please check out these documents that have been prepared to help you:

• Guidelines for students to pursue their LSW
• Rules and Regulations for those Obtaining the LCSW
• Rules and Regulations for Supervisors of those Obtaining the LCSW
• FAQs About the LSW/LCSW
• How to Ensure that Clinical Supervision Will Count in Both PA & NJ

License renewal information: Renewal Cycle: March 1st through February 28th (Odd year)

The renewal fee for the biennial cycle is $95.00.

Continuing Education Requirements – Proof of completing 30 credit hours of continuing education in programs approved by the Pennsylvania Board of Social Work Examiners, of which at least 1 credit in suicide prevention, 3 credits in ethics, and 3 credits mandatory reporting for child abuse are required for renewal.

Licensure | Certifications | State Social Work Boards The American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work The site for information about the Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work

The Association of Social Work Boards The site for information about clinical social work licensure, specific to any particular state.

The Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors

The Delaware Board of Clinical Social Work Examiners

The New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners

Social Work Examination Services The site for information about social work licenses, a directory of state regulatory boards, and other useful information.

Supervision Forms These forms were developed to document your LCSW supervision process and provide your clients with informed consent for supervision.

Click here for Confidential release of information form Click here for Case Consultation form Click here for Supervisor Evaluation Consultation form Click here for Supervision Tracking Sheet

LCSW Supervision Regulations in New Jersey Click here for a chart that compares the LCSW Supervision Regulations in PA and NJ.

PA State Board Preapproved Providers of Continuing Education Click here for a list of PA State Board Preapproved Providers of Continuing Education

Don’t forget that members can also use our listserv, which is helpful for exchanging ideas about resources, programs, jobs and licensing information.

ACE: Approved Continuing Education

ACE approval demonstrates that a provider or course has been rigorously reviewed and found to offer quality continuing education according to best practices.

ASWB’s Approved Continuing Education program has been designed to review and approve high-quality CE providers and courses, whether they are delivered in person or via distance learning. This approval means that social work continuing education programs are generally acceptable to social work regulatory boards across the United States and Canada.

Ace standards.

Regardless of whether a CE provider pursues individual course approval or provider approval, programs must adhere to the ACE standards outlined in the ACE Handbook.

States and provinces that accept ACE

The ASWB Approved Continuing Education program approves continuing education providers and individual programs. When social workers choose courses created and offered by ACE providers or individual courses approved by ACE, they can trust they will receive high-quality content accepted by most U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions to meet licensure renewal requirements.

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For continuing education providers

With options for individual courses, conferences, or entire CE catalogs, top-notch social work continuing education providers benefit from ACE approval.

• Compare course approval and provider approval
• Questions? Email ACE.

Three ways to find social work CE credit

• ACE providers Download a list of all approved ACE providers
• Individual course and conference approval Approved individual courses and conferences are listed on our spreadsheet
• Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education ASWB authorizes some Joint Accreditation providers to offer ACE credit to social workers

ACE individual course/conference approval

Individual course/conference approval evaluates individual courses and conference sessions and approves them for licensees to earn continuing education credit.

ACE provider approval

ACE provider approval is optimal for CE providers that offer a large number of courses or programs.

Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education

ACE collaborates with Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education for CE in multiple professions.

ACE approval

• Serves as a mark of distinction recognized by social work licensing boards and social workers
• Is currently recognized by most states and provinces in North America
• Demonstrates that continuing education meets rigorous standards for quality and relevance
• Supports competency in the social work profession
• Allows providers to list and manage courses directly to an online database
• Entitles providers to receive timely information on CE issues and requirements via the Continuing Competence newsletter

Are you eligible to apply to ACE?

• Does your organization have a licensed social worker involved in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of social work continuing education?
• Does your organization have someone with appropriate experience to serve as continuing education director?
• Is your organization able to supply evaluation and documentation of programs?

If you can answer YES to all these questions, then you meet the minimum requirements and are eligible to apply to ACE.