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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
142 |
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TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
urging the department of commerce and consumer affairs and the national association of social workers, hawaii chapter, to develop continuing education requirements for licensed social workers.
WHEREAS, the profession of social work provides critically needed services in prevention, intervention, and treatment to a broad spectrum of clients; and
WHEREAS, it is vitally important that social workers provide the best possible service to their clients; and
WHEREAS, continuing education is essential to help social workers maintain their professional competency and keep abreast of the latest developments in their profession; and
WHEREAS, Hawaii is one of only three states that do not require continuing education credits as part of their licensing law for social workers; and
WHEREAS, the National Association of Social Workers is a membership organization that represents approximately 145,000 social workers across the nation, and the Hawaii chapter represents about 900 social workers across the state; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is charged with protecting consumers through its regulatory and licensing responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter, and Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs are currently working together on specific provisions to be included in a bill to establish continuing education requirements for licensed social workers; and
WHEREAS, the National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter, and Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs have also identified issues relevant to the requirement for continuing education for licensed social workers, such as:
(1) Ensuring that such requirements do not impose an undue burden on social work in rural areas of Hawaii;
(2) Using an established, widely recognized non-governmental entity to approve continuing education credits; and
(3) Ensuring that the program to implement and monitor continuing education credits for licensed social workers is cost-neutral to the State; and
WHEREAS, there are currently opportunities offered by approved providers for continuing education statewide, including in rural areas, such as through in-person courses, webinars, and teleconferences; and
WHEREAS, continuing education opportunities should be made available both to members and non-members of the National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter; and
WHEREAS, the joint effort of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter, is critical in increasing and maintaining the professional competence of licensed social workers in Hawaii through a continuing education program; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter, are urged to continue collaborating on the issue of developing, including implementing and monitoring, continuing education requirements for all licensed social workers in Hawaii; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that at least twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2013, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter, are requested to submit to the Legislature a proposed draft for a bill to establish, implement, and monitor continuing education requirements for all licensed social workers in Hawaii; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and President of the National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Continuing education requirement for licensed social workers in Hawaii